Missions Semi-Accomplished

Well, I didn't get any sewing accomplished this weekend after all.  Dang.  Instead I went to the shooting range with my Mister*.  We had a blast!  (hee! I'm punny!) Truthfully, I'm a regular little Annie Oakley and am, as Mister said, "very impressive" with a gun.  Gun slinging notwithstanding, I was still able to cross off some items on my to-do list this weekend.  

*(That's what I call him in real life, so I'm going to start referring to him as my Mister on here, as well.  The funny thing is that he picks up on my quirks/oddities very well, which can be very aggravating....especially when I don't realize I'm being annoying quirky/odd. Self realization can be a real pain in the butt.  So, he calls me, "Mister," too. It makes us laugh.)

1: I finished the Felted Watermelon Tote Pattern.  Let me rephrase that: I FINISHED THE FELTED WATERMELON TOTE PATTERN!!!!!  YAY!  It's now listed on my etsy site, as well as some of my other previous listings.  I went through a personal tragedy this winter and basically neglected everything- this blog and my etsy site, included.  However, I'm picking myself up, dusting myself off, and starting all over again.  Buy my stuff, y'all. ;)

2: * I've uploaded the Watermelon Hat video!  It's taken most of the day to upload via Youtube- I guess HD has it's drawbacks.  Seeing myself in HD....not as traumatic as I anticipated.  Thank the Lord for Oil of Olay. The second video is edited and has been published; I think I'll upload it to Youtube tonight since it'll probably take a good 8 hours to finish.  

*Ok, the video was still processing as I was finishing up this post.  It's been 7 hours since I first uploaded it to youtube.  I've just been notified that it's been rejected because it's too long.  WHAT.THE.WHAT?!?  So, I wasted 2 hours in publishing time for both the videos, plus 7 hours of uploading/processing time. Which means that, in addition to re-editing the videos, I still have another 2 hours of publishing time tomorrow and then approximately another 15 hours of uploading time. A.R.G.H!! 

 

3: A couple of months ago, my Mister asked me to make him a scarf.  I know- he already has the coolest scarf ever so, what could he possibly want another one for?  Well, the Mario Scarf is a tad too thin for him and, since we've apparently been relocated to the arctic this winter, he wants a warmer one.  But, more importantly than that, HE REQUESTED A CROCHET ITEM!  So, I told him that I could make him one like my circle scarves- except in manly colors, of course.  He shot that one down- thinks it'd still be too girly.  Drat- now I've got to think.  Fast forward to yesterday.  I've got a bit of time in the car while we're driving to/from the range, so I start tinkering with some yarn.  I've had this idea for a while and I really like what it's looking like.  I think it looks like bricks- bricks that a manly construction worker would be working with. *Insert Tim Allen grunt here.* He likes my swatch at first, but then decides that it's not exactly what he's looking for.  I text this to my sister asking, "Is this a manly scarf?"

 

She replies, ".....kinda."

Well, what do they know, anyway?  I'm the designer so I'll tell them what to like.  Stupids.  So, I start chaining away and making the darn scarf since I like it and think it's quite cute manly.  As I'm making the 1st brick section, Mister likes it.  Then, I start adding the second blue layer.  He likes it still.  Then I add the gray transforming it into the second brick layer. Mister squnches up his face in disgust. Ahhhh.....so he's ok with the plain blue/gray in the middle.  Oh yes- success will be mine.  This is what the FO looks like:

Mister likes it!!  So, this is my Mister Scarf. Kinda looks like tire treads to me.  I'm working on the hat, so I'll get a better picture soon.  

So, there you have it. An altogether successful weekend.  If I had an extra day all to my lonesome, I know I'd be able to get at least 2 of the bags out of the way.  I'm still a little congested but not enough to take a sick day tomorrow.  Err....I mean....*coughcoughcough*. I....*wheez*...think it's progressed....*gasp*.....into pneumonia....  I think I need to stay home and finish my projects rest.......

Home Alone With Watermelons and Pixels

Yayayay! I had the day off yesterday which was AWESOME. It was awesome, my friends, because I was home....ALONE! Woot! No cabin feverish hubby or chattering sis to interrupt me. Oh, don't get me wrong- I love them both to bits, but sometimes you just gotta have alone time where you don't have to worry 'bout nothin' and nobody. Just hang out with yourself. I missed me. I'm pretty cool.

So, how did I utilize my precious day alone? I spent a full day in Crochet Nirvana and was able to cross some items off of my New Year's Resolution list. Or, at least my imaginary list- the list I would have made had I really made New Year's Resolutions. The list Cool Me probably made. Dang- I wish I was more like her.

Get this........I know many folks have been waiting for this........so I won't delay this announcement any longer..........it's really awesome...........are you sitting down??  I wrote up my Winter Watermelon Hat pattern! GAH!! FINALLY. So now you don't have to keep asking/inquiring/pestering/demanding for the pattern!! It's here!



This is the 3rd time I've made it. The first pink one is my sister’s, but it wasn’t quite long enough and felt just a mite loose. The second one is mine, but it felt a little imbalanced and was too tight in the crown. What these hat qualities may say about their respective owners is purely conjecture.

 

In addition to the hat, I recorded not one, but TWO video tutorials! The first goes along with the hat pattern. In one amazing video, you will learn how to do a Magic Loop, how to fl/bl crochet in the round with increases AND decreases, how to switch colors in the round, AND how to do beaded crochet IN.THE.ROUND. (which is actually different than the beaded crochet for the matching scarf). All this for the low introductory price of $19.99! What?!? That's an amazing offer! But, if you call now, Cool Me will let you have it for absolutely FREE. (Dang, Cool Me has no business sense.)

The second video is....drum roll please.....How to Change Colors with Tunisian Crochet. WHAT?!?! Oh yeah baby! Cool Me has got your back. I've been bombarded with requests for information on this topic. I had recorded a video eons ago but had to reshoot a portion of it, so Procrastinator Me (not too fond of her) left it on the pile of WIPs and never finished it. So, Cool Me had to come and take over- I reshot the entire video yesterday. You'll learn not only how to do color changes correctly, but you'll also see THE Map of my Super Mario Blanket, as well as 2 pictures with sketches that I used for 2 panels. What the what?!? Yep. Cool Me is letting you catch a glimpse of my creative process. I love that girl.

The videos will be up in the next day or two- my hubby will be editing them so, hopefully the Cool Him will hurry the heck up.

Now, for the pattern!
Video Tutorial found here.

Winter Watermelon Hat Pattern
By: Gege Crochet

MATERIALS

• Green WW yarn- not a whole lot- maybe an ounce
• White WW yarn- ditto
• Red or pink WW yarn- a little bit more...maybe 2 ounces
• Size 5.5 mm (U.S. I/10) crochet hook
• Yarn or tapestry needle for beading yarn and finishing
• 24 black pony beads

GAUGE
Not important

NOTE:

• Chain 2 counts as half double crochet.
• To change colors, work hdc until 3 loops are on hook, yo with new color and draw through all three loops
• repeat instructions between asterisks as many times as directed

ABBREVIATIONS & TERMS

• ch = chain
• bl = back loop
• fl = front loop
• hdc = half double crochet
• hdc dec = half double crochet decrease ([Yo, insert hook in next st, yo, draw lp through] twice, yo, draw through all 5 lps on hook.)
• blhdc = back loop half double crochet
• flhdc = front loop half double crochet
• B-blhdc = beaded back loop half double crochet (yo, slide bead, insert into st indicated, finish hdc)
• B-flhdc = beaded front loop half double crochet
• ss = slip stitch
• yo = yarn over

Ch4, join with ss.

Round 1: Ch2. 11hdc in ring

Round 2:
Ch2 (counts as first hdc) blhdc same st.
(Flhdc, blhdc) in each stitch around. Join in bl of ch2. 24 hdc including initial ch2

Round 3: ch 2. Flhdc same st
*Blhdc next st. (Flhdc, blhdc) next st. Flhdc next st. (Blhdc, flhdc) next st. Repeat from * 5 times omitting last (blhdc, flhdc) join w/ss in bl of ch 2 36 hdc

Row 4: Ch 2. Flhdc same st. *Blhdc, flhdc next 2 st, (blhdc, flhdc) next st. Repeat from * 11 times omitting last (blhdc, flhdc). Join w/ss in bl of ch2. 48 hdc

Round 5: ch 2. Flhdc same st. * Blhdc, flhdc, blhdc next 3 st. (flhdc, blhdc) next st. Flhdc, blhdc, flhdc next 3 st. (blhdc, flhdc) next st. Repeat from * 5 more times omitting last (blhdc, flhdc). Join w/ss to bl of ch 2. 60 hdc

Round 6: Ch 2. Flhdc same st. * Alternate Blhdc, flhdc next 4 st. (blhdc, flhdc) next st. Repeat from * 11 more times omitting last (blhdc, flhdc). Join w/ss to fl of ch2. 72hdc.

Round 7: ch 2. Blhdc next st then alternate flhdc, bldhdc around ending with blhdc in last st. Join w/ss in bl of ch2

Round 8: Ch2 flhdc next st then alternate blhdc, flhdc around ending with flhdc in last st.

Finish off green and change to white. Join w/ss in fl of ch 2.

Round 9: repeat round 7

Round 10: repeat round 8. Load 24 beads onto pink. Finish off white and change to pink. Join w/ss to fl of ch2.

Round 11: repeat round 7.

Round 12: ch 2. Flhdc, blhdc, flhdc next 3 st. *B-blhdc next st. Alternate flhdc, blhdc next 11 st. Repeat from * 4 more times. B-blhdc next st. Alternate Flhdc, blhdc, next 7 st ending with flhdc. Join w/ss in fl in ch2.

Round 13: repeat round 7

Round 14: ch 2. (Flhdc, blhdc) 4 tines, *B-flhdc next st, alternate blhdc, flhdc next 11 st. Repeat from * 4 times.
B-flhdc, blhdc, flhdc next 3 st. Join w/ss fl of ch 3.

Round 15: ch2 blhdc, flhdc, blhdc next 3 st. * hdc decrease in next 2 fl and bl. Alternate flhdc and blhdc next 4 st.
Repeat from * around. Join w/ss in bl of ch2. 60 hdc

Round 16: ch2 flhdc next st. *B-blhdc next st. Alternate flhdc, blhdc next 9 st. Repeat from * around. Join w/ss in fl of ch2

Round 17: repeat round 7

Round 18: ch 2. Alternate flhdc, blhdc over next 5 st. *B-blhdc next st. Alternate flhdc, blhdc over next 9 st. Repeat from * 4 times B-blhdc, flhdc, blhdc, flhdc. Join w/ss in fl on ch2.

Round 19: repeat round 7. Join w/ss to ch 2. Fasten off pink and weave in ends.

Copyright 2010 Geraldine Lemay of Gege Crochet. All rights reserved. Pattern available for personal use only- please don't sell it- that's just not cool. Please don't post this pattern anywhere- you can provide a link back to here, though.

3rd Time's the Charm- Etsy Treasury

This is great- a third Etsy Treasury. :) This time for my Watermelon bag.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=54571



I was listed by Sandy from Cape Cod Consignments- a fellow crocheter with lovely children items. Check her out at: CapeCodConsignments.etsy.com Looking through her items, I must admit to having crochet envy.

Thank you Sandy!

(BTW- that was the first time I've done a screen cap using a Mac. Yay me! I never knew it was possible since there is no "Print Screen" button. For those of you fellow PC'ers who may want to know this sometime in the future, all you have to do is hold down the Apple key + shift + 3 to get a screen cap of the screen. If you want to get a cap of just a portion of the screen, hold down Apple + shift + 4 and your mouse will become a selector. Select what you want to capture and it will be saved on your desktop. This concludes the Geek Squad portion of GegeCrochet.)

This watermelon bag of mine has been getting lots-o-love. What has surprised me is that it's gotten more views and interest than the Marilyn bag. I am starting a new Watermelon Bag today and will be writing up the pattern- very excited about it! A friend of mine has commissioned one with a zipper, so that will be a new design feature- woot!

I'll be taking it with me to work on during our Anniversary trip beginning tomorrow. I didn't get to finish my travel bag- bummer! However, my sister-in-law is getting married in June, so, as God as my witness, I will never be hungry again! Err...I mean, I WILL have it finished by then.

Alright....off to my wool stash....I need to write a poem about it or something. I love my yarn- especially the wool. I need to take a picture of it to share the love. When I find a sale, I'm pretty darn ravenous. I think I'll change my name to Woolly Bully because I'll kick you in the teeth to get the wool before you do.

HAHA! Boy do I make myself laugh. :)

Woolly bully....woolly bully....woolly bully...woolly bully....woolly bully. Yeah- Watch it now- here it comes!

Marilyn's Birthday Greetings

Ok- so, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. In between working on some new loverlies, I've been driving back and forth to Philly (3+ hour drive) for a photo shoot. Keep an eye out for the new Sesame Place advertisements- you might just see little ol' me. :) It was fun playing around with the kiddos and meeting the characters, but I do understand why they say to not work with animals or children. :)

My sister's birthday was last month and I had a glorious idea for her birthday present. She has a love for all things 1950's- particularly I Love Lucy, Elvis, and Marilyn. So, I went to the planning board, checked out my wool stash, and voila! This is what I came up with:



Isn't that gorgeous?!? That's not all, my friends- you can't have just one Warhol-esque Marilyn- you need at least two! Here's the other side:



I didn't want to give it to her, quite honestly. I LOVE IT AND I WANT IT! She absolutely adores it and has proudly worn it everywhere- she's a great billboard. :)



I got the inspiration from Becky from beck's blog. If you haven't seen her stuff, you should- she's amazing!

This was the first time I felted Tunisian crochet- worked really well! It was also the first time I put a zipper in a purse:



SQUEE! I had to figure out how to do it all by my lonesome, but I did it. I don't know if it's done the "correct" way, but it does work and actually came out decently. The lining is absolutely beautiful. It has a shiny silver backing to it that makes it shimmer. It also makes it a bear to hand sew!! Seriously- sewing those handles and the lining into the bag was probably the hardest thing I've done- I went through 2 needles! But, it was worth it- so gorgeous. :)

Here is a pre-felting pic so you can see just how big this sucker was:



Yeah. Freakin' huge.

The great thing about felting is that I didn't have to weave in the ends- I HATE doing that. So, the ends felt up, producing a rather disturbing image:



Yowza! I guess she is post menopausal and needs a Tweezy or something.... Possibly a nose hair trimmer, too....



HAHA! What? Moi? Juvenile??? Never!

My cat loves all things crocheted and felted, but was extremely fond of Marilyn:



You can see the material with the silver backing in that pic, too. :)

I took this purse to the vendor party a week and a half ago- everyone loved it! I showcased some of my purses and scarves and made a couple sales! Yay! One lady bought a scarf and an Erin bag.



The original was sold at auction for the Loudon Therapeutic Riding Foundation, so this was the second one I made.

This next project is one that I actually started on this last fall- it's a continuation of my love of watermelons. However, as I've said, when there is something wrong with one of my WIPs, I put it away until I can figure out what the heck it is. It could be because of a color combination that just isn't right or, for a purse, it could be that I haven't quite figured out how to finish it- wrong handles or lining or....something. That's what happened with this little guy....I wanted to finish it soooo bad, but....I just couldn't figure out what to do about the flap! Should I put a silver embellishment? Do I line it so the magnetic clasp doesn't show? WHAT DO I DO?? So, there it sat....for months. Until I had the utterly brilliant idea (or at least something I could live with!) of using a big black button- a ginormous watermelon seed, if you will. Ahhhh. Once I figured it out, I could bring it out of hiding at long last.



A lady who attended the vendor party loved it! She contacted me a few days after the party and ordered it off of Etsy- yay!!! She also ordered one of my scarves on commission in a color scheme I didn't have showcased. All browns- very pretty! Counting the Mom bag I sold to a lady at church, I've sold 4 bags (including the one donated to auction) in the last few weeks. YAYAYAYAY!!

So, there you have it! In between the various trips to Philly (including the one with my church a couple weeks ago), I've been working like a mad woman on my bags. My anniversary is this Friday, so my hubby and I are going on a small 5 day get-a-way- WOO HOO! I'm working on a travel bag design- hopefully it'll turn out well....and hopefully I'll finish it before our trip! It's another reallllly HUGE bag, but it's all pre-felting, so hopefully it'll be the size I'm hoping for once it's felted. Crossing my fingers!

Winter Watermelons part deux- free pattern!

Alright peeps! My long awaited Winter Watermelon scarf pattern is here! I finally sat down and wrote out the pattern. My very first! If you do make this pattern, please let me know if there are any mistakes in it so I can correct it. Also, please send me pics of your finished projects! I'd love to see them!

I completed a new hat, as well, but I still need to tweak that pattern before I list it here...so, more to come... AND....drum roll please! I have a video to supplement the pattern! It's for folks who don't know how to crochet through front/back loops only or who have never crocheted with beads before. YAY!

Here's a picture of the hat and scarf together:



And, here's the pattern!

PS: The Hat Pattern can be found here. 

Watermelon Scarf Pattern

MATERIALS
Green WW yarn- not a whole lot- maybe an ounce or 2
White WW yarn- ditto
Red or pink WW yarn- a little bit more...maybe 4 ounces

Size 6 mm (U.S. J/10) crochet hook
Yarn or tapestry needle for beading yarn and finishing
60 beads (you may have some left over)

GAUGE
Not important

NOTE:
Chain 2 does not count as half double crochet.

ABBREVIATIONS & TERMS
hdc = half double crochet
bhdc = beaded half double crochet
repeat instructions between asterisks as many times as directed

INSTRUCTIONS

With green, chain 187.
Row 1: 1 hdc in 3rd chain from hook. 1 hdc in each chain to end of ch. 185 hdc. Chain 2. Turn.

Row 2: 1 hdc in 1st hdc. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. *1 hdc in next hdc through front loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. Repeat from * to last hdc. 1 hdc in last hdc. Fasten off green. Turn.

Row 3: Attach white. Chain 2. 1 hdc in 1st hdc. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. *1 hdc in next hdc through front loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. Repeat from * to last hdc. 1 hdc in last hdc. Fasten off white. Turn.

Thread 60 beads onto red yarn before continuing.

Row 4: Attach red. Chain 2. 1 hdc in 1st hdc. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. *1 hdc in next hdc through front loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. Repeat from * to last hdc. 1 hdc in last hdc. Chain 2. Turn.

Row 5: First beaded row. 1 hdc in 1st hdc. *(1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through front loop only.) 4 times. 1 bhdc in next hdc through back loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through front loop only. Repeat from * to last hdc. 1 hdc in last hdc. Turn.

Row 6: Repeat row 4

Row 7: Second beaded row. 1 hdc in 1st hdc. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through front loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. 1 bhdc through front loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. *(1 hdc in next hdc through front loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only.) 4 times. 1 bhdc in next hdc through front loop only. 1 hdc in next hdc through back loop only. Repeat from * to last hdc. 1 hdc in last hdc. Turn.

Row 8: Repeat row 4

Row 9: Repeat row 5

Row 10: Repeat row 4

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Copyright 2009 Gege Crochet. All rights reserved. Pattern available for personal use only- please don't sell it- that's just not cool. Please don't post this pattern anywhere- you can provide a link back to here, though.

Winter watermelons are the best!

Ah yes...summertime... Bright sunny days, everything's in bloom, and you just want to enjoy a nice, cool, juicy slice of watermelon. The refreshing juice bursting in your mouth and dribbling down your chin... the firm red flesh satisfying both your hunger and your thirst....the awesome spitting contests you totally win each and every time (and sometimes even using watermelon seeds!). Awww yeah....watermelons are the best.

This set was made for my sis. We saw a bowl (it might have been felted, actually...I don't remember) that looked like a watermelon and she wanted to know if I could make her a hat like that. I, being ever so humble, said, "Pshaw silly girl! But of course I can! I can do anything!" And then I proceeded to cackle like kitty-Yzma on Emperor's New Groove. ("And then when I turn into myself, I am going to kill you! Hhahahahahahahaha!")

Ahem....back to the watermelons.....I then had to think of how to make a watermelon hat, with the seeds, and make it look different than other crocheted hats. I love the creative process. :) Once I figured it out, I decided I couldn't just make her a hat and not have a scarf to go with it, now could I?




Here are details of both the hat and scarf:



And, of course some ACTION SHOTS!! POW POW!





Since a couple of my sister's coworkers fell in love with them and her scarf has been fawned over since she started wearing it, I think I'm going to make these available on my etsy store (a different set, of course...my sis is pretty much in love with hers. I actually want a set for myself...why do I always make other people the nice things??? I've yet to make myself a purse!). I think both the finished objects and quite possibly the patterns.... I'm not sure yet...I've never written a pattern before. We'll see...