Aww, shucks!

I just want to thank Deneen for flooring me with the "You Make My Day Award". Its was a nice kick in the pants too and I truly appreciate it. Seems I'm in the midst of an awful case of the winter blahs complete with zero energy or motivation and tons of self-doubt. Many thanks for the warm and fuzzies!

I'm supposed to pass this along now to some deserving folks. Here they are in no particular order...

• Deneen with her Yarns and Musings
  
• Lori over at Home Burrough
• Suzanne from The Frog's Blog
• Andrea up on the Soapbox
• Wendy with her Knit and Tonic

No day is complete without a visit to each of these blogs. I laugh, I cry, I'm inspired. Thanks ladies, I look forward to discovering what's around the bend.

Flickr Favorites Humpday!

Baby Crochet

1. suvi, the baby rabbit, 2. Sandberg cushions and Anne Claire Petit crochet toys, 3. Baby booties, 4. Anne Claire Petit crochet foxes, 5. Baby booties, 6. Baby - Kids stocking hat, 7. Craftivity baby blanket, 8. baby babette blanket, 9. Miniature Crochet Blanket, 10. YAAAWN... hard day for a 1 month old baby, 11. Baby Janes - Red, 12. Amigurumi Mama and Baby Owl, 13. crocheted baby blanket, 14. Cecily Baby Cardigan, 15. Sarah Crochets a Blanket for the Baby, 16. crochet baby bib

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Baby Boom

Here in the next few months the Stork will be very busy delivering bundles of joy to several happy couples I know. I'm preparing to shower these bundles in offerings of handmade, yarny goodness. I recently purchased two new pattern books from Amazon to add to my pattern library. The first is called Precious Baby Booties which arrived yesterday. I've only flipped through it, but I really like what I've seen so far. The booties range from your basic booty, to ballet slippers, mary janes, and sandals. I really look forward to trying these out. The other book is Too Cute Crochet for Babies & Toddlers which should be here by the end of the week. This is the one I'm most excited about. The book has patterns for hats shaped like a strawberry or a pear, an acorn, a gnome, and even one called "Swiss Miss". They're all just.....too cute....and unique which I find really appealing. You can view some of the pages of the book at the Barnes and Noble website HERE. Makes me ask myself, "Why didn't I think of that!"

Flickr Favorites Humpday!

CROCHET

1. Crocheted Christmas Snowflake Ornament #1, 2. crochet flower installation, 3. crochet hyperbolic cactii, 4. Japanese Choto Crochet Book 3/8, 5. Crocheted Coral Reef detail, 6. Flock of Amigurumi Birds, 7. crocheting a rug, 8. Beaded Tapestry Cuff in Jewelry with a Hook: Crocheted Fiber Necklaces, Bracelets & More, 9. Felted Tapestry Crochet Hat, 10. world-famous crochet museum, 11. First crochet thing, 12. crochet monster!, 13. Vintage Crochet Trivet, 14. Almofada de crochet em tons de rosa, 15. My Crocheted Bedcover, 16. snailset11

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Desperately Seeking Mary Jane

I need some help, folks. I'm looking for a crochet pattern for mary jane style booties that look something like this...
I've searched Ravelry, CPC, and Yahoo! images but can't find the pattern anywhere. I did see where there are ready made booties like these for sale...for $30! Any help or nudging in the right direction would be much appreciated!

Sexy Turkey Hat

I found this gem here on Ravelry and after doing a little digging I also found the pattern here on Etsy. The designer/model also has a blog post about it which can be found here. I'm so going to make this thing! Then when I finish, I could make Lady Linoleum's Turkeyzilla in a nice flesh-colored, post-plucking hue. Hmmm..the wheels are turning my friends..Oh my god, I'm actually talking myself into this!

ETA: Care to see more this artist's work? Click here and prepare to be amazed!

I'd also like to say that at first I thought this woman was a bit kooky..and I still think that to some degree..but I really do admire her for being genuine and unique because it takes some major balls and imagination to design/make/wear a turkey hat. So, I raise my hook in salute and say, "Rock on Sister!"

Platonic & Lil' Red

Hot Cross Slouch Beret is finished! I opted to leave out the button..for now, I could change my mind at some point. Excellent pattern, easy to follow and works up quickly. Also, the finished product can be worn many different ways depending on your mood! I loved this hat, then I hated it, now we're strictly platonic. At least we had fun at the photo shoot!

1. Double vision, 2. Peace, man, 3. Yes, Sir!,
4. I come in peace, 5. I'm too sexy for my hat, 6. Love/hate

While taking the pictures of the beret Geof found a hat I finished a long time ago. It was originally for Nathaniel but he's so damn picky about hats he never wears it. It's actually a great hat for the whole family. It fits Nathaniel's gigantic gourd, my large melon, and Geof's small numbskull. I made it up as I went. It's done all in hdc, basic hat pattern. It's nice and stretchy and warm, and comfy.

1. Digging for gold, 2. Lil' Red, 3. Grrrr!

PS..both mosaics were created with fd's Flickr Toys.

First Project of 2008

It's snowing here. Temperatures in the teens with negative wind chills. Not pleasant. Perfect time to work on a hat! I bought some yarn with the intentions of making myself a Stone Path Hat from the Winter 2007 Interweave Crochet. I only have one skein though so I decided to make the Hot Cross Slouch Beret from the same issue. So far so good, extremely easy pattern and it works up fairly quickly. The progress shot shows about 5 hours of mellow crocheting. Should be finished today, unless I run out of yarn. It's Caron Simply Soft Heather in "Deep Teal". I really like the color a lot. Caron Simply Soft is my favorite acrylic yarn...soft, nice selection of colors, and it's cheap!