Crochet Inspiration

Recently, I mentioned to my hubby that I really wanted a good crochet project. A hook and some yarn are a lot more naptime and movie-watching friendly than a loud sewing machine! So, the other day, Fox came home with a small skein of black wool yarn. So that I could start him a crocheted sweater. For his 6'5" frame. To be done in time for winter. Requiring probably 18 skeins. At 5 dollars each. He is still not getting why I have put off this project for so long! (Yes, for years he has been begging me to make him a sweater that would actually reach down past his wrists for the first time in his life. I have never crocheted any article of clothing.)

And I am still putting it off...for now...because these projects are much more appealing to me than a black sweater project in the middle of summer:

Crochet Hook Roll Tutorial






Bella Dia's Sweet Heart Pattern




Attic 24's Summer Garden Squares




Rose Hip's Flower-Square Pillow Pattern




You Go Girl's Edge-Crocheted Pillowcase Tutorial


Tasty Crochet: Crochet Food Patterns--I recently checked this book out from the library, and it has a ton of fun food patterns!


Aren't those fun? I have had those links bookmarked for so long! I am still going to attempt the sweater, since I love my husband, so we'll see how it goes!

New Ideas for Old Shirts

While going through my bookmarked links, I realized I had a ton of links for recycled t-shirt projects. So here are those links, all in one place. Hooray! I love that there are so many re-fashioning ideas out there!

The Flirty Skirt, made from a man's XL t-shirt:

The Sienna Dress, for girls 6m-6 years, made from 2 or 3 old t-shirts. I actually just bought this pattern, since 100% of the sale went to Haiti. I have the dress cut but am just gearing myself to sew the tricky, stretchy knit:

Learn how to make yarn from your old t-shirts here.

Ruffled Scarf Tutorial (made from an old shirt):

Make a toddler dress and headband from one shirt:


If you have two t-shirts that are similar, you can make a rosette tee:


or a beautiful ruffle shirt:


These are just my favorites out of tons of ideas I've seen. I love all of the recycling, repurposing projects out there. I am kind of sad when I think about all of the cool t-shirts I have gotten rid of!

A-tissue!

This is on my totally-useless-but-cute wish list. It's a tissue box holder! I saw it on someone's dashboard yesterday, and it looks goofy but it's brilliant!



The same Japanese company that makes the above also makes these cute wallets:



Uh oh, I have a feeling that I will come back to the U.S. decked out in Hello Kitty, and my baby will be dressed like a teddy bear!
Should I embrace it or run from it?!

I Heart Amigurumi

I love the cuteness culture in Japan. It is totally commonplace to see cartoons advertising everything from beer to banks. My love for the cuteness culture has grown even more, since I've discovered tons of amigurumi patterns online.
Amigurumi (translation: crocheted stuffed toys) are distinct from other crocheted toys in that they originated in Japan, have large heads in proportion to their bodies, and are just stinking cute. I can spend hours looking at all of the amazing creations out there in the crafting world. I got hooked as soon as I saw this on Etsy, from Owlishly:




I am now obsessed with finding the perfect amigurumi to crochet for my little one's birthday, just a few months away. Which one should I choose?

















Click on these to check them out:

Ana Paula's cute patterns


Ami List: The Ultimate Free Pattern Resource!