Turtleheart Crafts!

I forgot to post about what I made for my husband this year for Yule. I surprised him with his very own Dr. Who scarf.

He’s always been a big fan of Dr. Who, and when I found the pattern online, I just had to make him one. Of course, his is crochet instead of knit, but he’s cool with that. It took some doing to find the right colors and all SEVEN of them, but I was successful in the end. Well, at least I got pretty darn close. I also became an expert at changing colors at the end of a row.

I also was kind enough to NOT make his scarf 14 1/2 feet long– that’s the length of the original one. I figured Firehand would be more apt to wear it if it wasn’t quite so long. I was aiming for about 10 feet long, but ran out of time, so it is actually 8 feet, 6 inches– not including tassel length.

So, 8 ft. 6 in. long, done in single crochet, 40 stitches wide x 519 rows… that’s 20,760 SC, folks! Can you imagine if I’d made the whole thing?

The Tribe & Boudica were finally able to get together to exchange Yule gifts last weekend– on Epiphany, actually. Due to money constraints, we all made homemade gifts for each other this Yule and then bought little stocking stuffer items. The *beautiful* gifts that were made for me are posted at The Cove.

And now, at last, I can post pictures of all the items I have been working on for so long!

First off, I made Morning Monkey a stocking hat. She had said a long time ago that she’d always wanted one. I based mine on this pattern by Janelle Schlossman. Morning Monkey wanted a really long stocking hat, so I increased the number of rows in the pattern to make it as long as possible. Its made with Red Heart SS in Soft Navy and Sh. (shaded?) Dusk. I believe I used a J hook for the whole pattern.

Here is Choco Cat, modeling my creation:

I also made Morning Monkey something else she’s been wanting:

A little garbage bag for her car! She kept mentioning how nice it would be to have a crocheted bag for her car to put garbage in every time she saw me crocheting, so I thought maybe I’d better make her one~ wouldn’t want to disappoint her!

Its made with Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Grey Heather using an I hook. I used the DC Texture stitch (from Leisure Arts Little Book called “More Crochet Stitches & Easy Projects”) for the front of the bag. The back is done in plain double crochet. I used single crochet to join the sides and edge the whole bag. I am very pleased with how it turned out. In fact, I may have to make myself one.

Next up is Cheeky Monkey’s kitchen set:

She has been needing new towels for the kitchen, so I thought I’d make her a few more kitchen items to go with the towels I got her. All of these items are made with Sugar ‘n Cream cotton yarn. Pattern for the dishcloth is HERE, for the scrubbie HERE and the towel topper HERE.

I also made Cheeky Monkey this halter top to wear:

The pattern came from the Sunset book “Crochet: Techniques & Projects” that I bought online. Its made with Sugar ‘n Cream cotton in ‘Hot Blue’ using a G hook. I did alter the halter pattern a bit; I increased the size, made the ties for it longer, and added loops along the sides so that the ties could be laced through and criss-crossed in back for added support in the bust. It fits her much better than it fits me; as you can see in the photo, I’m not well-endowed enough to fill it out properly.

I already posted the beret and scarf set that I made for Boudica. But here is the other gift I made for her this year:

Glass etched jars for her herbs! This is my very first glass etching project.

I know the names on the jars are a bit hard to read with the glare– they are: chamomile, burdock, lemon balm and nettles. These are Boudica’s favorite herbs for making teas. I thought she might enjoy having labeled jars for her favorites, and etching an elegant and permanent way to do that.

I really had a good time making homemade gifts for my friends this year. At times it was challenging, I admit, but I also learned a lot in the process. I learned how to design my own patterns, learned how to increase patterns and I learned a whole new skill, glass etching. Overall, it was a very satisfying experience to give gifts made with my own hands.

Don’t forget to check out the fabulous homemade gifts I received, over at The Cove.

Here are this year’s cards for Yule:

For the red card, I used white enamel heat embossing powder over white ink on plain vellum paper. When the image cooled, I turned the vellum over and colored in the back of the image with stamping markers. I edged the vellum with “Victorian” scalloped scissors. I attached the vellum to the cardstock by using eyelets and then threaded the eyelets with satin ribbon.

Here it is in green:

Same process as before, only this time I used pewter embossing powder instead of white enamel. I also used some metallic rick-rack instead of satin ribbon. The green card looks much more elegant in person, the picture doesn’t do it justice.

For the inside of the cards I used a stamp that read “Peace, Love, Joy, Hope” in different fonts. I stamped it red ink on white paper for the red cards and green ink on white for the green cards, and edged the white paper with the “Victorian” scissors.

I redid my Yule wreath this year. I completely tore it apart and started from scratch. I bought the ribbon half-price, everything else on it is stuff I had in my holiday or silk floral supplies.

Its much fuller than it was before and I like the ribbon in there, although I’m still not a big fan of ribbon. But I’m tremendously pleased with the results. I would love to have lights on it, too.

Well, the yule trees are up and I have been adding bits of holiday decor around the house every few days– some garland with lights, giant pine cones, the mistletoe ball, my china Nativity music box…

We were given a candle arrangement with glittered fruit as a housewarming gift a few years ago and I put that on the coffee table this year. Then I decided to make an arrangement to go with it. Here’s what I came up with:

I already had the different kinds of pine and the twiggys; the fruit, ball ornaments and glitter ivy I got for half price at the craft store. The copper pot was a little over $5. Its been a while since I’ve priced silk arrangements to sell, but I’m guessing if I’d found this arrangement in a floral shop, it would be priced between $30-$35– I spent about $10 to make it.

These Victorian ornaments are ones I crocheted years ago. In 1994, I had a broken arm *and* leg from being in a car accident, so I spent most of my recuperation time improving my crochet.

The patterns are from a booklet called “Victorian Memories III” by JoAnn Maxwell. I used different combinations of satin ribbon, mirrored gems, ribbon roses and string pearls to decorate them after they were starched.

Teardrops:

Diamonds:

Hearts:

I made tons of these and gave them as little Christmas gifts. I also made the fan, wreath and potpourri ball patterns, but gave all of those away. Someday I’ll have to make some of those for myself.

The booklet also includes patterns for a bell, angel, basket and hat.

Here is another beaded amulet bag I’ve had made for a while now:

Once again, this is my variation of the patterns in Margaret Snouffer’s booklet called “Crocheted Beaded Bags.”

This amulet is made with variegated size 20 thread and (I believe) size 10 crystal seed beads. I really like the contrast between the swirl of colors and the swirl of the beads. Very nice effect, and easy to do. Another little gift for a friend for Yule.

Presenting a beret and keyhole scarf, graciously modeled by Monsieur Chococat as he enjoys a cup of hot cocoa:

Both are made with Lionbrand Homespun in “Country” using a K hook.

The beret pattern came from the Lionbrand website. The keyhole scarf is the Cozy Neck Wrap pattern from “Beginner’s Guide: Crochet Stitches & Easy Projects” (a Leisure Arts Little Book). It is made using the cluster stitch.

I made them for a friend for Yule; she has beautiful red hair and I think the green will look wonderful on her. Both patterns were quite easy and quick to make. I’m pleased with how they turned out.

I can’t help it. House Mouse stamps are utterly too cute. So I recently made these cards:

Okay, I think I’ve gotten it out of my system. At least for a little while.

Yesterday I did some housecleaning and along with that, I put out some of my fall decorations as well.

Last year, I really got into the seasonal decorating and even created a couple of silk floral arrangements for the living room. Thought I’d share pictures of them, even though they’re from a year ago: