Flower Yoke Top to Dress

I wnet to Idea Store and spot an interesting Crochet Today issue. I bought yarn on sale thinking of making one thing from that issue. I finished it, a dress for my daughter, making it longer from the top pattern. I intended to show off a little bit, and discovered Crochet Today was not being published any more. So sad! I loved this Crochet magazine better than Crochet World or Interweave Crochet because its patterns are always clearly written and diagram included. One pattern was laid out at a time, not like others, the beginning of the pattern was on page 5, and the end was on page 60, for example.
Sigh!
But this is my daughter's dress:

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I bought Red Heart Baby Love yarn on sale in Walmart. The Banana Yellow made me think of her crazy about Bell in "Beauty and the Beast". But when I was crocheting the dress, she told me she already had a yellow dress. At that time, she was into Elsa in Frozen. Poor mom, always late and slow! But when I told her if she didn't like it, I can present it to her friend, she said NO. She tried on eagerly but refused being taken pictures. Perhaps mom show her off so much.

The above picture originally was from Crochet Today July/ August 2009. My daughter is 4, so the yoke for this size needed 9 flowers or 12 flowers for size 8 and 10. But I looked at the picture,  I thought the yoke would stretch and decided to eliminate 1 flower. So, my daughter's dress has 8 instead of 9 flowers. Therefore, the armholes are smaller.
I lengthened the top by adding 4 more rows at the end.
Just hope I can take other pictures when she wears the dress officially!
Happy Crocheting!

Think

I don't know why I keep thinking a lot. Not work anymore. The thoughts wander everything, from my friend's status on facebook or just a response under my note. Everything makes me think.

It seems better for me if I have something occupied my physical body, not my mind. Usually I desire to work. I know, staying home with my child is a kind of work. Homemaker is a better word than housewife. Nope, I am just a stay-home-mom, tired of thinking what to cook every day, bored of playing with my child though I know I have to embrace those moments. She is growing up. Time flies, and I stand still, at one place.

Crocheting makes me stop thinking in a while. Sewing makes me concentrate for a while. I want my whole day free of thinking, not just a while in the morning after dropping her off at her school and before the yoga class. Usually I want myself totally lost in something, which means I have to trade with my child's longing to be beside me. Her smile, her talk keeps me strong in the days I feel weak, just want to leave everything behind.

Just think. Sometimes I feel happy that I can still think. I still exist.

Flowers and shell beanie with brim

This is the beanie I made from the free pattern provided by Sarahndipities. The pattern is for adult but I used smaller hooks, different yarn, and crocheted few rows; so it turned out to be a toddler beanie.
Yarn: Red Heart With Love.
Hook: 4.5 mm
8 rows instead of 10 rows as mentioned in the pattern.

The flower pattern is from Lesley Stanfield's 100 flowers to knit and crochet.

I also made some flowers from the book, attached one to another white hat I made 2 years ago (so lazy to make any embellishments). The pattern for this hat is here. At first, I thought this hat didn't fit my daughter. I made one for her 2 years ago, feeling inspired and made some more using the same pattern. However, she tried it on, tried to fit it on her head and claimed this hers. Finally, she hid it with other hats she owns.

  My daughter even picked up a crocheted daisy and asked me to tie it on her plastic headband. Again, so lazy to make a flower headband for her.

Happy crocheting!

Recycled Bookmarks

I was surprised when I saw a lot of craft activities related to bookmarks, for example, cross-stitching, embroidery, crocheting, quilting, and so on. Bookmarks also come with all shapes like hearts or ovals besides traditional rectangle. Bookmarks can be very easy to make, just cut rectangles or so difficult. However, I like making bookmarks because they are small projects to start learning a new craft. Even my baby can make some. She is developing her hand muscle by using scissors.

In this picture, she cut triangles from used and one-sided paper. I draw the lines for her to cut. She tried to cut them straight. Then she glued hearts I cut on, traced some words. And voila, she had some bookmarks to gift her teachers on Valentine's Day.

And I also made some recycled bookmarks from one-sided paper by folding them. Youtube has a lot of tutorial showing you how to origami heart bookmarks. Here a corner heart bookmark and here.

 

Bookmarks I made

Red Ridinghood Cape

My daughter wanted me to make her another cardigan, but RED. I remembered seeing a Red Ridinghood cape pattern from Red Heart yarn website. I bought 2 skeins of  Red Heart With Love on sale in Walmart. Perfect for this project.

There is one problem. I am not always following instruction. Always for every projects. I don't know why. While I was making this cape, I also changed. I made it longer.

And here is this.

 My daughter is happy with it. When she is bigger, I can move the button hole lower. So, this cape is used longer. Love it.

 

Try it on

Reindeer hat

I found the pattern of this Rudolph Reindeer hat on Crochet Today magazine. I failed to find the yarn required (Red Heart yarn) so I used Threads & Looms yarn from Michael's store. After finishing this hat, I decided it was too much for me. So many details, so much sewing though I didn't attach tiny jingle bells on. Later, I found this free pattern on Repeat Crafter Me. Hope it may help you if you want to try.
These are some pictures of my reindeer hat.

I tried it on Pooh

I may try to make this hat again for next Christmas.