Homemade crafts by Kathleen

Amigurumi Ghost

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:08:00 +0000

Here is my cute little amigurumi ghost. He's so cute...he'll make a perfect decoration for the Halloween season. I made one for my sisters desk at work...hopefully she likes it :)

Amigurumi Candy Corn

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:27:00 +0000

Well, Im officially addicted to crocheting these cute Amigurumi stuffed animals. My favorite Halloween candy is Candy Corn so how could I resist crocheting these. I got the pattern from the Lion Brand website and it was a snap. The candy corn comes out about 3 inches tall. Takes 20 mins tops to make from start to finish. Here is the link to the pattern:

http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/patternFinder.fcgi?language=&store=%2Fstores%2Flionbrand&cost=%2Fstores%2Flionbrand&search=1&craft=Crochet&searchText=candy+corn&submit.x=35&submit.y=7

I post some of my work on my facebook page and noticed that someone posted this project to the lion brand page. Well, alot of people thought how cool it would be to enlarge this pattern. I thought that shouldnt be too difficult so I tried it out. Its a hit and miss project...I did make it much larger..from the 3 inches the pattern calls for to about 9 inches tall. I think it could be even bigger and I just might try it again. I thought for those of you who wanted to know how I enlarged it I would try to explain.

Using a larger hook ( I tried using a J hook ) take the original pattern and do the whole thing in white...(the white part is now 3 inches when finished ), then just continue in the same matter the pattern was going.

Meaning after row 11 on the original pattern, switch to Orange and continue doing the following:

row 12- 2 sc in next stich, sc in next 5 stiches; repeat around
row 13- sc around
row 14- 2 sc in next stich, sc in next 6 stiches; repeat around
row 15- sc around
row 16- 2 sc in next stich, sc in next 7 stiches; repeat around
row 17- sc around
row 18- 2 sc in next stich, sc in next 8 stiches; repeat around
row 19- sc around
row 20- 2 sc in next stich, sc in next 9 stiches; repeat around
row 21- sc around

switch to yellow

rows 22-32- sc around

Tie off and stuff

It ends up being about 10 rows of each color...if you want it even bigger, use a even larger hook, and do maybe 15 rounds of each color...just keep adding onto the pattern.

I hope this helps someone in making this cute candy corn pillow bigger then 3 inches. Enjoy and happy crocheting!!

Mr. Piggy

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Like I said in the post below, Im hooked on Amigurumi!! Kevin and I were invited to my friend Jenn's new son Drew's Christening this past Sunday and neither of us could make it. It was my Dads birthday and I had the family over for a BBQ. Im sending little Drew a gift today and since Jenn decorated his room in a 'Farm Animal' theme, I thought this cute little Piggy would be a perfect addition. I thought he came out adorable. I hope Jenn and little Drew like him as much as I do!!!
These patterns are so so simple. This pig took me maybe an hour to make and put together. I got the patterns from the Lion Brand website and they have tons more just like this. They are all FREE too!! Def check out the lionbrand website if you like these kinds of things!!

Two Peas in a Pod ( Bride & Groom )

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:44:00 +0000

I've gotten myself hooked on this Amigurumi crochet projects and this was the first one I tried. I thought, how cute it would be to give this to my future sister in law at her shower. At first she thought they were frogs..LOL, but I told her they are 2 peas in a pod, just like her and Eric. She thought they were adorable, as do I =).

Jasmin's Christmas Stocking

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:24:00 +0000

Now that Jasmin is almost a member of the Lundgren family, she had to have a matching stocking for Christmas. I try to be unique and put a different design on each stocking so for hers I chose to make a gingerbread man. It took me a little bit to figure the gingerbread man out ( I dont have patterns for the front designs ), but I think I got him looking pretty good. I had to add the Sanda hat and a present to make it a bit more Christmas'y. I gave this to her for her bridal shower last Saturday. I think she really liked it ( or I hope so ) and now her and Eric have matching stockings to hang up.

Blanket I made for Karen

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:16:00 +0000

I made this blanket for my friend Karen years ago I believe as a housewarming gift when she got her first apt. Purple is her favorite color. This was one of my first blankets, my skills have improved since then but it still looks nice and keeps her warm on chilly nights.

Easter Chick egg covers

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:20:00 +0000

These are my favorite Easter project to work on. My Mom use to make these Easter Chick egg covers for us on Easter and fill the plastic eggs with M&M and other yummy candies. They are fun to make and I havent meet a kid yet that didnt love them. Since my hours at work were recently cut, Im trying to find ways to bring home a few extra dollars while I look for a 3rd part time job. Im trying to sell these chicks for $4.00 each and they will be displayed in my office in Pearl River, at the rectory at St. Ann's Church in Nyack and at my salon Head to Toe in Upper Nyack. I can take orders for those who want specific colors.

Hope everyone has a very Happy Easter!!

Willy Warmer..LOL

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:59:00 +0000

I have a funny story to go along with this. My brothers fiance brought a 'willy warmer' home from Germany for my brother as a silly joke gift. He's got it hanging from the mirror in his living room. The more I saw it when I was over his house, the more I thought I can make that. With no pattern, I started to crochet one for Kevin as a joke stocking stuffer for Christmas. As I worked on it, I laughed so hard I was crying most of the time. I thought it came out perfect. I love the tassel on the end..lol. I laugh each time I look at it!!! The picture you see is not completely finished...I added a tie around the whole thing to finish it off. Kevin thought it was very funny but refused to try it on..lol (not suprising).

Kevin just left on Sunday for his annual ski trip with a few of his good friends. After he packed his clothes, I snuck the willy warmer in his bag. When he got to his destination, he called to tell me his friends were admiring my craftsmanship and my talent for crocheting. I'd forgotten for a minute that I'd put that in his bag. I laughted when I remembered...Im sure Kev and his friends got a good laugh over it!!

Afgan for Rusty & Amanda

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:38:00 +0000

I wanted to make Rusty & Amanda a nice soft somewhat light weight blanket for this as a Christmas gift. I choose this color homespun yarn because they have very light tan furniture and nice green walls, I thought this color would look really nice in their living room! I also got them a really pretty cherry wood quilt stand because I noticed their blankets slide off their leather sofa. I hope they love it, Kevin was cute, he wanted to keep it because it was so soft and he loved the color.

This was my last project I had to get done by Christmas. I started it Thanksgiving and got it done the week of Christmas. Talk about cutting things close. The worse part of making this blanket was the damn fringe on the ends. What a pain in the ass. Dont think I would EVER do those again. They look good, but if you've ever worked with homespun yarn, you have to knot the ends or the yarn unravels. My fingers were so sore from knotting each stand of fringe I added. In the end, I think it looks great and I guess thats all that matters!!

Scarfs...made for Christmas gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:28:00 +0000

This is the scarf I made for Linda. I love this yarn..its Lion Brand Homespun yarn and its so soft and just thick enough for a nice warm scarf. I had leftover yarn so I made this pattern up as I went along. I thought it came out great and I hope she loves it and wears it well.

This is the scarf I made for Mrs. Pennings. My Mom had made me one a few years ago and I love it. The hood is perfect for those rainy/snowy days. I choose red because Kevin said it was one of Mrs. P's favorite colors. I hope she gets good use out of it =)

This is the third and final scarf I made this Christmas season. I'd made Kevin one last year and he told me his brother Willem would like one too...so this was a little extra gift for him this Christmas. This one is also made with the homespun yarn. So soft and warm. I hope he wears it in good health =)

Kath (my) Christmas Stocking

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:04:00 +0000

I just realized I never posted a picture of the stocking I made for myself. This was my very first Christmas stocking and I just loved the way it came out. Im sure you can tell that since I've made about 5 more since then =)

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Amanda's Christmas Stocking

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:54:00 +0000

I decided this year to make Amanda a matching Christmas stocking to hang next to the one I made for Rusty a few years ago. I thought it came out pretty cute. Amanda loves panda bears and I thought that would be a cute decoration for her stocking. I hope it looks festive enough...concidering I didnt have a pattern for the design on the front..I thought it came out pretty good =). I cant wait to hear what she thinks of it. Rusty is going to put it us next to his when he starts to decorate as a suprise. He wants to see how long it'll take her to notice..lol.

Crocheted winter hat for Tristan

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:44:00 +0000

How cute does Tristan look in his new home made crocheted winter hat!!! Im so happy this fit him so well, and I hope he gets good use out of it this winter. I also made him a pair of mittens and Tristans Mom told me she'll get a picture of them too and send them my way.

This hat was so easy and I just love the ear flaps. Makes perfect sense, you want to keep your ears warm when your outside. I used Lion Brand Thick and Quick yarn. I got this pattern on the free pattern site for Lion Brand yarn. Check it out if your looking for a quick and easy childs hat pattern!!

NY Giants Osi the Teddy Bear

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:44:00 +0000

Well, before you scroll down and look at the pictures of Osi the bear let me explain a little..lol. My brother Rusty can be a perv when he's over my house putting my cute innocent stuffed animals in compromising positions along my couch. Like any typical man...he thinks that's very very funny!! I've been making him this teddy bear for about a month now and was talking to my boyfriend Kevin about maybe stuffing the pants as a joke before I gave it to Rusty. Kevin had the brilliant idea of crocheting Osi anatomically correct!!! So I did =). I nearly wet my pants laughing so hard crocheting Osi the proper 'package'..LOL. I think for my first time crocheting one of these, I didn't do too bad of a job. Its not like theres a pattern for that!! I cant wait to give Osi to Rusty at his re-opening of his condo party next Saturday!! Im going to let Rusty find Osi's package himself...it is quite obvious when you see him in person!! LOL

Overall, this pattern wasn't too hard. I did find it tricky sewing the pieces together after they were stuffed with polyfil. The head seems a bit wobbly, but its the best I could do. I think he'll make a great addition to Rustys Giants collection, and maybe now he'll stop trying to steal the Giants bear I have.

Jack and Lily in their Bonnets =)

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:41:00 +0000

If you all remember, I made these bonnets ( and mittens ) for my friend Amy's twins back in May/April. At that time, they were a bit big for them, but as you can see by the pictures..they have grown right into them in perfect time for the cold weather. How adorable do Jack and Lily look in their pink and blue bonnets!!! Just too cute for words!!!

Thanks Amy for sending me these pictures...I love them =)

Granny Square Blanket

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:58:00 +0000

I asked my Mom to make me this blanket about 3 years ago. She started it, and got sick shortly after. She didnt get a chance to finish half before she passed away so I decided to finish it for her ( since she was making it for me ). It took me quite some time to pick it up and start working on it but then it became my mission to get the thing done!! I now understand why she hated working on it...squares with this many colors is a major pain in the ass..LOL. I finally got it finished last night and wow, its beautiful!! It matched my funiture perfectly and I just love it. I think she'd love the finished result even thought it was a pain to work on. I'll think of her each time I look at this blanket.

Oblong doily

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:47:00 +0000

I just finished this really pretty oblong doily just in time to put on the dresser Kevin and I have been re-finishing. The dresser should be done this week, and now the doily is all ready for when we bring it home. I'll take a picture of the two together when there all set up in my room.

Childs winter hat

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:43:00 +0000

I made this hat for a friend of mine I just recently got back in touch with due to the wonderful world wide web..LOL. I have to say...Im loving the online site "Facebook". I've gotten in contact with so many old high school friends. One asked me to make her 1 year old son a hat for the winter. I wasnt sure of the size..so this purple hat was a test hat. Little Tristen came to visit me ( with his Mom of course ) to try it on. I thought it was a bit too small, so I've been in the process of making one a little bigger. Using Lion Brand Thick & Quick yarn and a size larger hook, I think its coming along great. I should be finished with it soon...but in the meantime, I wanted to post the cute purple hat I made. I hope everyone likes it =)

Homespun double strand blanket

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:19:00 +0000

I just finished this awesome thick warm blanket for my boyfriend and myself for this winter. I wanted to try making one with the homespun yarn from Lion Brand for a while and finally just said do it. I LOVE it!!! Its going to be so warm and nice when the weather cools off this winter. Maybe it'll save me some money on my heating bills..LOL. I improvised on the pattern just a bit. My boyfriend is over 6 feet tall and I wanted it to cover him from his chin to his toes. I decided to make the blanket a bit wider and much longer then the pattern called for. This was such an easy pattern, just 2 stiches. I got it online at lionbrand.com.

Finished baby sweater & booties

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:53:00 +0000

Well, here is the finished sweater I was making for my friend Jill's baby boy. I've never made a sweater before, it was kind of a challenge. My mom was Jill's Godmother and she loved making sweaters and things like this for new moms, so I thought I'd try and do what she would have for Jill. It came out larger then I thought, but thats not a bad thing. Baby Hurley can grow into it and hopefully it will fit him by next fall or winter. This sweater was not as hard to make as I thought it would be. Some parts were tricky but I think I'd try it again if I hear of another baby coming. Overall, Im happy with the way it came out. I hope Jill likes it =).

I found the patter for these booties in the books my cousin Linda gave me from her Moms collection. They looked too cute in the book and my Aunt Muriel had notes written that she's made them and she recommended making them again. I thought I'd see how they would come out. I wanted them to match the sweater so I used the same multi color for the bottom and the trim. Im wasnt happy with the way the front/toe part came together but other then that I think there adorable!! I hope baby Hurley get a little use out of them.

Quilted baby blanket for baby Hurley

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:42:00 +0000

Well, this is my first attempt of quilting a baby blanket instead of crocheting one. I know my mom did a few of these in her day but I never really watched her closely. I regret that now, but thankfully Kevins Mom offered to help me if I needed it. She was great, she spend 2 hours with me one night teaching me how to use my sewing machine. It sounded so easy, her explaining to me what I needed to do. When I started it on my own, that was another story. It was very challenging, but I think I did ok. The corners were the hardest and Im not all that pleased with how they came out, but Mrs. Pennings said next time, she'll show me how to do them the right way so they look perfect. For now, I dont think anyone will see the imperfections exept for me. I really hope Mike and Jill and expecally baby Hurley like this blanket. I think it came out pretty cute for my first attempt!

Sweater for Jill

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:41:00 +0000

Here are a few pictures of the sweater Im attempting to make for my friend Jill's new baby. I've never made a sweater before, this is going to be very interesting..lol. It's looking kind of big, but the pattern says its for a 6-12 month child. Im hoping it turns out cute enough. The pictures above are what I have done so far...the first picture is the back finished..the second is one of the sides being sewed on, and the 3rd is of course with one arm finished.

Since I had taken these picture I have finished the sweater...I have to take one more picture of the finished product. It looks really cute, but definally for a 12 month child. This pattern was extremely easy and very sweet looking. I would make it again when the time came.

Pink & Blue Bonnets and Mittens

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:10:00 +0000

These came out so cute!! Im not use to making clothes like this, I've mostly dont blankets and doilys but Im so excited about how these came out. Im not sure if they'll be usefull, but they are the cutest little things I've made in a long time. I would definally make these again, they were pretty easy but time consuming. I hope Amy's twins get some use out of them but concidering their due around May, I think it might be too warm for mittens..lol, but they were too cute not to make. I cant wait to give them to Amy. I hope she thinks there as cute as I do!!

Easter Chickie Plastic Egg Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:46:00 +0000

Here is one of the Easter Chick egg covers my Mom taught me how to make. They are so cute and you can do them is any color you like. Last year I made a bunch and sold them, this year I just wasnt in the mood with all thats happened. Next year I'll make more and sell them again.

My finished Scarf order

noreply@blogger.com (Kath) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:14:00 +0000

Here is the finished scarf I made for one of Kevins co-workers. I love making this scarf, its so soft and the yarn is so pretty. I think I'll make some of these for my next craft fair. Did you see my label sewn in..lol..I love those.