Recent Makes: Crochet Beanies with Pom Poms

I feel like I've been making a lot of hats lately. Half of them have been baby hats (a couple years ago it seemed like everyone around me was getting married, now everyone seems to be having kids!), but the other half all been for me. Including the free crochet pattern that I released last week for the Messy Bun Beanie. Check it out if you haven't already!

It's the tail end of winter here, and it being Northern California, our winters tend to be around 50 degrees with a good amount of rain (the last few years of drought excluded). However, I'm taking a trip to London later this month where it will be a bit colder and a bit wetter, so I definitely used that as an excuse to make myself a couple new hats. By the way, if you want to see pictures from my trip and my day-to-day life in general, be sure follow me on Instagram. I spend most of my time on social media there, so it's the best place to see what I'm up to and sneak peeks of future tutorials.

Crochet Deer

I had a lot of things I could have been doing this weekend, but instead, I crocheted a deer.

...I have no regrets. It's adorable and it goes perfectly with my crocheted Christmas decor.

I used the Sherman the Deer pattern by SnuggleMe Stitches on Ravelry and scrap balls of yarn. In fact, it's a bit hard to tell, but the back two legs and part of one of the front legs is made with a different yarn than the rest of the body. I intended to use the same brown shade for the ears, but ran out exactly at the end (luckily) of the last leg.

Crochet Bunny Slippers

With Easter coming up, I thought I'd share with you a project a made a couple months ago for a baby shower. I definitely have a soft spot for bunnies, so I couldn't pass up an excuse to make these crochet baby bunny slippers.

Crochet Cotton Pads and Face Scrubbies

When I talked last week about my blog goals for March, I said I wanted to try and use what I have and be less wasteful. I had made a goal to not purchase any new crafting supplies this month, and I've held true to that so far.

I wanted to try out a couple of things from this week's 10 for Tuesday post about being more green. (Honestly, they're for my inspiration as much as yours!) I first wanted to try out some felted wool dryer balls. I liked the idea of chemical free fabric softener and not having to keep throwing away the sheets. I had some vintage wool in my stash that wasn't holding up so well with age. It was getting very weak and would snap easily. I figured they would be great for this project. Unfortunately, the dye bled a lot. That's not something you want when you're going to be throwing them in with your whites! So I'm am shelving this project until I have lifted my ban on buying new craft supplies. I just purchased a new box of fabric softener sheets anyway, so there is no rush.

Royal Triangle Shawl

When I crocheted the Lodge Pillow last fall I was saying how much I liked the yarn. So the next time I was at Michael's, I purchased some more of that same yarn in the same dye lot to match my leftover yarn. I didn't really have any plans for it though, so it sat in my stash for awhile. Until recently, that is, when I made this shawl with it.

Happy Halloween from the One-Armed Voodoo Doll

Hope you have a Happy Halloween! I'm debuting my first crochet amigurumi project today, the one-armed voodoo doll. I thought this was so cute when I stumbled on the pattern while writing my Crocheted Halloween Decorations post last month. Well, I finally got around to making it last night. Better late than never, right?

The Lodge Pillow

Yesterday, I showed you how to make a zippered pillow form. Today, you get to see what I made the pillow form for! I love that this project mixed sewing and crochet.

I have been eyeing knitted blankets lately. The idea of having a big sweater-like throw for the winter seems so nice and cozy. I've seen some great ones at T.J. Maxx and Home Goods for about $30-$40, but couldn't bring myself to buy one. Part my thinking was I could make my own. However, I don't know how to knit and crochet just wouldn't be the same. Plus, yarn for a blanket could easily run nearly as much (or more!) money and hours of my time. So I have yet to get myself a cozy knit blanket until I feel like spending the money or learning to knit.

In the meantime, I still wanted to bring a bit of yarn work into my decor this fall. I found this pattern for the Lodge Pillow in the One-Skein Wonders book that I've been quite addicted to lately. This crochet pillow the perfect solution for now. You can see my review of the pattern on Ravelry. I used Lion Brand Heartland in Grand Canyon for it. It was an impulse buy because I just loved the color. It was my first time working with Heartland yarn and I liked using it so much that I've already bought two more skeins for future projects.

Crochet Pattern Review: Three-Round Lace Scarf

I have definitely been busy crocheting lately. My newest project is the Three-Round Lace Scarf that can be found in the book Crochet One-Skein Wonders. For this project, I used an 6.0mm 'J' crochet hook and Vanna's Choice Yarn in Linen.

Crochet Pattern Review: Cloudburst Shawl

As you can probably tell, I'm on a bit of a crocheting kick right now. Last week, I showed you my finished crochet peaked hat, and I was excited to keep making things to wear for fall. Or rather, when the weather finally cools down here. California didn't get the memo that it is now fall and the temperatures have been in the 90s all week.

For my next project, I wanted to make the CloudBurst Shawl. I loved the fringe and how it looked worn bandanna style. I've had my eye on the pattern for awhile. In fact, I attempted it last year, but got confused and frustrated so I frogged it and gave up. Most reviewers said it was a quick and easy project, but I definitely got confused in the first couple rows.

Time makes you forgot a lot of frustrations and failures, however, so I decided to try it again. The pattern is both written and charted, which definitely helped me figure it out this time (not without starting over a couple times before I got the hang the pattern). It may be just me, though. Luckily I figured it out this time.

Crochet Pattern Review: Peaked Hat

It still feels a bit like summer here, but I wanted to get a jump on my fall & winter crochet projects. The first project I wanted to do I had my eye on for awhile on Ravelry, the Women's Peaked Cap. For this pattern, I used Lion Brand Yarn Vanna's Choice Yarn in Oatmeal.I ended up using 2 skeins. I finished the hat with 1 skein, but needed the 2nd to crochet the brim. It was pretty quick too, it just took me a couple evenings in front of the TV to finish.