Designing a pillow...

Good Morning, Dynamos!

I've got a project to share today, but it's not exactly a pattern.  It's an idea for a pattern.  I shot pictures as I went along, thinking that I was going to write it up, but now that it's complete, I'm a little iffy on it.  So I thought, instead, I'd show you a little about my design process.

I saw a cute idea on Pinterest for a pillow that wrapped around a car seat belt, for kids on long car trips.  I thought, "Cute idea!  I should make one of those for Mims."  Alas, the link was for a company that was selling the actual finished pillows.  They were a little pricey for a whim, so I then thought, "Still, it's a cute idea.  I can figure out how to make one for Mims."

Meanwhile, I had just made an Ikea run and had brought home several "naked" pillow forms to crochet covers for.  My favorite were the ninety-nine cent stomach-sleeper pillows.  I had made some throw pillows last year out of them, so I knew I could sew and cut them to whatever size I wanted. Besides, if I screwed it up, I was only out a buck!

I thought I wanted my car pillow to be made up of two 4" pillow sides, so I measured out 8" columns which I sharpied onto my pillow.  I sewed along the marker lines, and then cut my pillows apart.  I was able to get three 8"x19" pillows out of one stomach-sleeper pillow.  Score! Then I sewed a seam down the center of the pillow, to crease it so that it would fold around the seat belt.

Then I used a piece of scrap fabric (9"x40") to make a pillowcase for my new pillow.  I sewed the fabric, right sides together, along both of the long cut ends. Then I turned it right side out and poked the corner out so that they were sharp.  I would have ironed the pillowcase, but I knew that it was going to be encased in crochet, and the day was too hot to bother.  Besides, I was making it for Mims, not a private client. So I slid my pillow into the case, tucked the open end inside around the pillow and sewed the case closed.

Next I got to crochet my cover.  It took an entire skein of Lion Brand Cotton 100% Cotton worsted weight yarn.  I used a size G hook. I made my piece 70 stitches long, and just went back and forth using hdc stitches until the skein was gone.  I was left with about 18" of yarn for a tail.

I sewed my covered custom-sized pillow onto my crocheted piece, leaving about an inch of crochet as an edge I could use later for installing the pillow into my car.  I wasn't sure at that point how I was going to do it, and I wanted plenty of room in case I decided velcro was the best way to go.  I also discovered at that point that 70 stitches was about 5 stitches too long for my pillow form.  So I folded the bottom edge over the pillow and stitched it down.  I then stitched the pillow down on the other side, catching the folded edge in that seam too.   That left me with a poufy pillow part and a long flat blanket-y piece to wrap around the seat belt.

I thought about buttons and velcro to close my car pillow, but ultimately, I was worried about choking (buttons) and about scratching little faces (velcro).  I needed to come up with something else.  Something soft, something easy, something removable since I wasn't sure how many people would be into sewing the pillow into their car permanently. I finally decided that weaving a doubled-over length of ribbon through both sides would be easy enough to remove if it got gross, but not easy for a little guy (or gal) to pull off in the middle of a car trip.  I tied a bow at the top because it looked cute that way.  For a little boy, I might tie a small knot at the base of the pillow instead.  I suppose it would depend on the kid...

Mims likes her new cover a lot.  She has always hated seat belts, ever since the one horrible incident where I pulled her belt out too quickly and she got a rope burn from it.  Would that be a belt burn?  Anyway, I still feel awful about it, and this in no way makes up for my accident, but it does make it so that she will allow the belt to be next to her neck, which is much safer than her holding it away from her body.

The pillow didn't fold around the belt like I had hoped.  I would make it even narrower next time, I think.  Maybe 6".  And I would save myself the crochet and only use 65 stitches for the length of the cover.  I love the ribbon closure.

Do you have an opinion?  Should I have waited until this idea was perfected before I shared it?  Or does this spark your own ideas on how to improve upon my design?  I would love to hear what you think.

xoxo

More Stars!

Another commission, for the end of the school year.

Mims really, really wanted to keep this one! 

The free pattern is here!

xoxo

Ruffled Socks for Mims

I have a love/hate relationship with socks.  I love their cushion-y softness, and their ability to keep my sneakers from getting too stinky.  I hate that they make my feet slippery when I'm not wearing shoes, and that society frowns upon those of us who enjoy free-range sock wearing, you know, without the constraints of actually matching them... So, mostly I wear flip flops. I have an impressive strap tan-line

Mims has inherited my dislike of foot coverings, and so she only wears shoes and socks for the absolute minimum of time required.  She removes her shoes and socks in the car trip to the supermarket, just to have to put them back on when we arrive (total time in car: 3 minutes).  She wears Uggs a lot.  It's just easier.

But this Crocheting Dynamo is refusing to be deterred by the fact that Mims loses more socks than she even owns (you have to know that occasionally her dad will put my socks on her accidentally). I wanted to make fancy ruffle socks for my girly-girl!  When you expect them to be single use socks, it's less heartbreaking when you never see them again...

I bought a giant bag of socks from Target and grabbed my sharp crochet hook and some crochet thread in various weights.  To my surprise, the knit fabric of the sock was really easy to snag with the sharp hook, but a plain size D hook worked like a charm.  I pulled the knit apart slightly, and was able to make smooth even stitches without any extra effort.  I used about 60 stitches to go around the sock when I was working with the size 3 crochet thread.  The size 10 crochet thread needed about 90 stitches to go all the way around.  (The single crochet band of pink was size 10 crochet thread, the white and turquoise were size 3 crochet thread)

If you'd like to make a pair of ruffled socks for your girly-girl, I used a really simple shell pattern that I think looks great, but isn't so much work that I will be heartbroken when I can only find one of them in the dryer.

xoxo

Ruffle Sock Edging:
Use a size D crochet hook with size 3 crochet thread
Use a size 8 steel crochet hook with size 10 crochet thread

R1: sc around edge of sock, aiming for a multiple of 14 stitches.  You can fudge this a little, so don't worry about it too much. Just get close. Sl st the round closed.
R2: ch 1, sc in same space, *skip 3 stitches, 7 trc, skip 3 stitches, sc, skip 2 st, 5 dc, skip 2 st, sc* around to create the shell border.  Sl st the round closed.  Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Drawing Horses and Stuffing Them...

Mims and Jake were drawing the other day, and Mims drew this cute horse.  I've read online about people turning their kid's drawings into stuffed toys, so I thought it would be a fun challenge to try myself.

I am really happy with it.  I think it turned out close enough to the drawing that it's recognizable.  And Mims adores it, which is really all I cared about.  She named it Elizabeth.

Also, this is what Mims dressed herself in this morning.  Jake had to take a picture.

It was the Halloween costume that I made her last year.  Although, we are such a super-hero-lovin' household, we let her wear it all day.  The fine folks at Target were amused...

xoxo

Star Spangled Everything!

Happy Memorial Day!

It took me a while to figure out a cool star pattern for my Wonder Woman Running Tiara pattern, and it seemed like such a waste to only use it once, so I've been busy crocheting stars like crazy trying to come up with something (else) awesome to do with them.

I know it was only yesterday, but I'm going to repeat the pattern here now, just for the sake of keeping all the starry stuff in one place.  I promise, you will thank me later when you don't have to bounce between posts to make your cute stars...

Star Pattern:

Use size 3 crochet thread and a size D hook thread for a larger star
Use size 10 crochet thread and a size 8 steel hook for a smaller star
(make 2)
R1: 10 sc in magic loop, sl st to first sc to close round (10 st) 
R2: ch 1, (2sc in next st, sc) 5 times, sl st to first sc to close round (15 st)
R3: sl st,[(hdc, dc, trc, dc, hdc) in next st, 2 sl st] 4 times, (hdc, dc, trc, dc, hdc) in next st, sl st.

Fasten off. Leave a long tail to sew star together.

I discovered that, while a single flatty piece, they have cute rounded points, but if you sew two of them together the points become sharp and pokey and they look really good.  Just like a star should look!  It made me feel patriotic!  I wanted to star spangle my world!!!

Of course I had to do a red-white-and-blue garland.  I used size 3 crochet thread and a size d hook for the larger stars, and size 10 crochet thread and a size 8 steel hook for the yellow stars.  I stuffed them lightly to give them a little more shape.  I think these would make a super cute decoration for your year-round tree, or if you really went crazy you could decorate for 4th of July with a garland around your patio... You still have enough time if you start right now!

I sewed some stars together, leaving the bottom open, so that I could use them as pencil toppers.  I am thinking about cute stuff for Mims when she starts kindergarten in the fall, and I think these would be a hit.  I have been informed by my mom, who is a public school teacher, that perhaps these would be better 'at home' pencils, since the toppers can be removed and played with.  I will defer to her great wisdom, and plan a birthday party that needs princess and/or fairy wands for Mims next year... Ooh! If you cover the pencils with a fancy scrapbook paper, I think they would look extra cool (and less school-y).  These would also be cool for an end-of-the-year magic test-taking pencil... I hear that they only know how to write correct answers...

I used some size 10 crochet thread (made of bamboo fibers, yo!) and a size 8 steel crochet hook to make the star for this necklace.  I sewed it right onto the ball chain, stuffing it lightly to make it a little puffy and cute.  It doesn't slide easily, so if you try this, make sure you center it!  The bamboo thread is so soft, and the star weighs practically nothing, so I forget that I'm even wearing it.  I adore it.  Mims has requested several, so that she can have them in all her favorite colors.

I attached some bobby pins through the stars to decorate Mims's bun today.  It looked so festive and fun, I'm a little jealous of her long hair...

What I would not recommend is doing more than 2 colors per star.  This tri-colored experiment was a disaster.  I was sure you wouldn't believe that it was possible for me to make anything that was this awful, so I am posting a picture as proof that I screw up all the time... But seriously, if you want to do a two colored star, it think it could look cool, but the way the increases on the 2nd row go, it just doesn't look good with a third color.  Heed my cautionary tale... Don't do it! LOL!!!

The stars themselves are really appealing, just on their own.  When I was a kid I used to make origami wishing stars, and I think that a collection of these little crochet stars would be just as beautiful in a jar to tell someone how much you love them.  I could also see making these as keepsakes for a special occasion, you could even put a loop on them to use as a Christmas ornament.  I might even hang one in the car for Jake, to remind him that Mims and I love him.  Aww, so sappy today.  But, the stars are really cute, and once you start making them, your rational brain will justify making more and more to give away.

Fill your world with stars today, Dynamos, and share them with the people you love!

xoxo

Kelsey

 A tiny version of our black lab Kelsey for my little Mims.  

xoxo

The Rainbow Cash Keeper

I wanted a rainbow wallet.  Don't ask me why.  I have a gorgeous wallet.  I don't need another wallet.  But I wanted one.  A rainbow wallet, with fluffy clouds.

My balls of brightly colored cotton were calling, so I grabbed a dollar bill so that I made my wallet the right size and began crocheting away.  I studied wallet design, making sure that my wallet would close properly and stay closed, although I wasn't opposed to a button closure if it needed one. I stayed up waaay too late to finish the cloudy part...

Yeah, did you know that credit cards are not "half a dollar" sized?  I had to learn that one the hard way.  My wallet wasn't good for anything other than holding cash, which, for anyone that knows me, is not something I carry often. Fail! But on the bright side, it will be super cute for Mims to play pretend with.  Mom FTW!!!

So now, dear Crochet Dynamos, I am at a bit of a loss.  Do I forge ahead with a 2nd, larger, more appropriately sized wallet, or do I move on to something that an adult would carry?  It is a conundrum for sure... How delightful that that's my biggest worry today... ;D
xoxo

Size matters when you're hooking...

Ahahahahahaha!!! I couldn't help it, the title cracked me up so much I had to use it.
I have been working on a new project, some little crochet dollies inspired by the Black Apple dolls, and the dolls by Mimi Kirchner.  I've been having fun.  I thought I would make them with dresses, but after I finished the first one, I realized that the dolls would be a lot more fun if you could dress them up in different outfits. Thus the second version, in her modest undies.  I also wanted to try socks and mary janes on the second one.

Did you notice the size difference between the dolls?  No, it's not trick photography or forced perspective, I just neglected to use the same size hook with the second doll.  How annoying.  The one on the right is Mo Bear, and is a mini version of Mims, which I made with an F hook.  I used a G hook on Lucy Limelight on the left.

I'm trying to decide which I like better.  I am going to put this project on the back burner for a little bit, while I decide what kind of clothes to make for them.  And I will make another one, since I am not super happy with the green hair, which just didn't pop like I had hoped it would against the peach.  I'm not sure I like the braided bear ear hairstyle either...  Just thinking out loud... And I think the undies could be a little narrower, so that they would fit better under a dress... And what if I did the top row of the legs in white as well for a bloomers/panties look...?

What do you think?

The Momo-ness of it all... The sheer Momosity...

Recently we have become streaming Netflix subscribers.  Mims has previously watched Phineas and Ferb with her grandparents, but now that we've got 3 seasons of it at home, it's become our daily go-to show when we don't know what to watch.  I am not ashamed to admit that Mims and I are a little obsessed.  Even Jake is now singing along with the show.  Mims occasionally asks us to call her Isabella, and we all adore Candace, the older sister who loves Ducky Momo and cannot seem to bust her brothers, no matter how hard she tries.
Mims also adores Ducky Momo. Thus, I knew that my next project was going to be a big hit around here.

This was a fun challenge for me. Originally, I had thought that I would just buy (gasp! shock! the horror!) Mims a doll from the Disney Store, but much to my surprise, Ducky Momo dolls are no longer available, and were a little out of my price range even when they had been available.  So my next stop was a good ol' Google search for a fan art pattern.  I was willing to sew, knit, or crochet it, but the best I could find was an Etsy seller that makes snuggly-looking softies for sale (again, a little out of my price range) and a beautiful papercraft Ducky Momo, that my 5 year old would destroy in two minutes flat.  If someone else out there has created a Ducky Momo pattern, I wasn't able to find it.  

 But here's my problem.  I love Disney.  I live 3 miles from Disneyland.  I have worked for Disney.  Many of my family members have worked for Disney.  We are a Disney-loving family.  And I don't want to get sued by people that I respect, and I don't want to steal designs from people that I respect. Truly, Ducky Momo is my friend...

So here's what I came up with: A Ducky Momo FAN ART doll for my Mims.  It is not exactly like Ducky Momo. The legs are different (cough, which one could leave off, if one wanted a more 'authentic' look, cough).  The pie shaped eyes are rounder than the cartoon's eyes.  There's no visible seam down the center of the doll.  The shoulder area of the wings are rounded.  So, now that I've told you everything I did 'wrong,' do you still want to make it?

Yeah, you do!  Because it looks very similar, and Ducky Momo is awesome!  By the way, did you notice the cute toothless gap in Mims's smile? You are so observant!! You get a reward!!  Here's my pattern:

Ducky Momo FAN ART Doll

The pattern is a work in progress.  I wrote it out as I was working on the doll, and I've cleaned it up, but I've never written a pattern for a multi-step doll before and I am certain that I will need to clarify something.  So, when you discover a mistake, or need some help figuring out what I was talking about, please send me an email!  I will get back to you, and your helpful feedback will make the pattern better for everyone else.  Which is a super good thing, since it's the only one out there... LOL!!!!

xoxo

Happy Easter Crochet

I decided to make Mims an Easter basket this year, since she has lost my beloved Peeps basket, and I didn't want to spend $12 to buy her a mass market superstore plastic one. Not that that's my issue, just that I'm cheap and I'm trying to raise her to think that homemade + not like everyone else = cool.  Plus, my mom bought her a beautiful basket for the church Easter Egg Hunt, and I wanted to control the size of the basket that the Easter Bunny had to fill, since I'm not super into loading her up on ten pounds of sugar (like ANYONE thinks that's a good idea. Please insert eyeroll here.).

 So this is what I came up with.  Simple and small, but it's got a little sparkle, so of course Mims loves it.

I also made this little bunny box for her to play with.  I would have given it to her from the Easter Bunny, but as you can see, I used the same yarns as her basket, and Mims is pretty savvy.  Also, she saw me working on the bunny, and even though she thought I was just making an egg, I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't have been too long before she figured it out.  And I'd like to let her believe in magic for just a little while longer.

Free-range bunny, out of the box.

Night, night bunny!

xoxo

Little Lost Tooth

So, yesterday I spent my day weaving in the 120+ ends on Bacon Blanket 2.0, and I was all set to begin the border, when we got a surprise.  Mims lost her first tooth!
I lost my first tooth when I was about her age, and I remember it vividly because my mom made such a wonderful big deal out of it.  She spent the day making me a tooth pillow, and talking about the tooth fairy, and making me feel so special because I was growing up.  At first, that tooth pillow was merely a conduit that the tooth fairy and I used to exchange goods, but after a few teeth, it became a place for me to leave notes and tooth-related questions for my tooth fairy.  "Margaret" always responded to those letters with a tiny letter of her own, in the tiniest handwriting I had ever seen.
So, in awesome Eads tradition, I spent last night working on Mims's very own tooth pillow. This is what I came up with for her. She graciously allowed me to shoot a picture of it, next to her tiny tooth, informing me that "Once the tooth fairy takes it, Mommy, it's gone for good."  She and I carefully put it under her pillow, and despite my concern that we might be creating a Princess and the Pea situation, she was able to go to sleep.

Lo and behold, this morning we discovered that the tooth fairy had come and collected her tooth.  She left Mims some money and a note.  She was elated, running around upstairs, showing her dad and me the note, asking us to read it over and over. And I wasn't surprised at all that it was in the tiniest handwriting she had ever seen.
xoxo