Super Warm Fingerless Gloves

I just finished a pair of elbow-length fingerless gloves. They're made out of two types of yarn, a super chunky fisherman's wool and a thin acrylic, double crocheted together. The yarn choices were made to match the colors and yarns used in my Lyra (from the Golden Compass) hood. So basically, I used a wheat color for the chunky yarn and a light brown for the acrylic. If your interested, I used this pattern for my hood. Best pattern I have bought yet! The hood is super warm and very simple to make.


Here's the pattern:

ch 31 (which was long enough to span the distance between my knuckle and elbow, so adjust accordingly) using both yarns at the same time (as if they were one strand instead of two).



rows 2-4: dc 30, ch1, turn
row 5: dc 5 and now you need to make a hole for the thumb so, ch 5 and then dc on the 5th dc from the beginning of the chain
row 6: dc 30, ch1, turn

Continue until you reached your desired width. You are going to be connecting the LHS with the RHS, so you want to make sure the glove is wide enough to fit the largest part of your forearm. My glove has 15 rows.

Finishing:


Slip stitch row 1 to row 15 (or whatever row was your last)

I added a row of stitches around the thumb hole . I did this by:
1.) Attach yarn to one of the dc in the thumb hole using the slip stitch.
2.) dc dec around (5 stitches).
3.) finish off.

Fiend Doll

Here's the fiend doll I made using Bizzy Crochet's Mew pattern. I was using this awesome red chenille, and ran out after finishing half the body. i looked everywhere for the color, only to find it was discontinued. Luckily, I found a yarn that somewhat matched. You really can only see the difference if you look close. I was going to put a shirt or something on the doll to hide the color change, but when he was done I though he looked cute enough, in a freaky sort of way.

Dragon doll

Any one that reads this blog knows I have a thing for crocheted dolls, especially when they're dragon dolls. So, when I found this charizard pattern I got pretty excited. I'm not a Pokemon fan, though I did watch the show when it first came out, but charizard is, basically a dragon.

I started working on this pattern last night, using a deep forest green chenille instead of the recommended orange acrylic. I'm a big fan of using thick yarns for crochet dolls; I think lions brand chenille and lions brand homespun make awesome looking dolls. I'm not sure what color I'm going to use for the wings and stomach, but I'm sure I'll come up with something that looks good and doesn't require a trip to the yarn store. My yarn stash is getting a bit out of control.

And to make all this better, I was in need of a new crochet doll for my larping character, so this will work perfectly!

Alice doll

I found another cute doll pattern today: Alice in Wonderland

It's not exactly a doll that fits into the whole middle ages theme I seem to be working in, but its still very cute.

I also found yet another hooded scarf pattern, though I don't think I like this one as much as the other one I posted about. Maybe its the yarn. I'm not too thrilled with their choice, the black from the other pattern caught my eye more. I really need to make myself a hooded scarf, its a good way to use a middle ages pattern for normal every day wear. Kohls is selling hooded scarves this season, so it can't be too odd of a choice.

Hooded Scarf

A friend of mine sent me this pattern for a hooded scarf. I've seen other patterns for hooded scarves before, but I really like the way this one looks. The wide scarf and the stitch patterns are really nice. I'm going to have to add this to my project list. This could also be a good pattern for skiing. I love my crochet hood, but it makes me look 5. Perhaps a hooded scarf would be a more acceptable solution. Granted people wear crazy winter hats skiing all the time, and the scarf ends could be a little hazardous (I am not the best skier...). Regardless, this pattern is awesome and looks really warm :-)

Spitz

After making heavens_hellcat's fierce but friendly dragon, I came up with my own modification. I wanted the belly to be sparkly, and look more like the delicate underbelly of a dragon. But, I loved how the legs, arms and spikes came out on my fierce and friendly dragon. So, why mess with success! My modification will link to the original pattern when its time to make the arms, legs and spikes.

Not: hook size isn't overly important, but I used two different hooks.A smaller hook when working with the sparkly yarn and a larger one when working with the chenille.

Belly: Using sparkly worsted weight yarn
Row 1: chain 11
Row 2: sc 12 (I increased in the middle, so round ch5)
Row 3: 2sc in first stitch, 1 sc in each of the next 10 stitches, 2 sc in last stitch (14 stitches)
Row 4: 2sc in first stitch, 1 sc in each of the next 12stitches, 2 sc in last stitch (16 stitches)
Row 5: sc in the first 8 stitches, 2c in the 9th, then sc in each of the remaining stitches (17 stitches)
Row 6: sc in the first 9 stitches, 2sc in the 10th stitch, then sc in each of the remaining stitches (18 stitches)
Row 7 - 12: Follow the same pattern as row 5,6.sc 1/2 way across the row, 2 sc in middle stitch,. sc across the rest of the way (19,20,21,22,23,24)
Row 13-14: sc 24
Row 15: sc ion the 1st 11 stitches, dec, sc across the rest of the row (22 stitches)
Row 16-28: sc 1/2 way across the row, dec, sc across the rest of the row (21,20,19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10 stitches)
finish off

Back: using chenille
Before starting to crochet, leave a long tail of crochet for sewing.
Row 1: chain 15
Row 2: sc 16 (I increased in the middle, so round ch5)
Row 3: 2 sc in 1st stitch, sc across next 14, 2sc in last stitch (18 stitches)
Row 4: 2 sc in 1st stitch, sc across next 16, 2 sc in last stitch (20 stitches)
Row 5 - 8: sc 1/2 way across the row, inc in a middle stitch, sc the rest of the way across (21,22,23,24)
Row 9-10: sc 24
Row 11-19: sc 1/s way across, dec in some middle stitch, then sc the rest of the way (23,22,21,20,19,19,18,16,15)
Secure chenille and leave a long tail to sew.

Construct the Body:
Sew the belly and the back together. Turn the body inside out to hide the stitching. Stuff the body.

Tail: using chenille
The body should now have two openings. Pick which side you want to be the back of the dragon. The tail will be crocheted in the round, and you will be crocheting around the opening.

Step 1: 25 stitches (the last/first row of the belly has 10sc and the back 15 = 25 stitches)
Step 2: Repeat round one until the tail is almost long enough
Step 3: Once the tail is long enough, crochet a few more rounds, but dec every other stitch. This will give the tail a pointed look. Remember to stuff the tail as you go!

Head: using chenille
Follow the same steps as those for the tail. Except, when you are decreasing, the goal is to have a rounded end (for the snout). To get a more rounded appearance, the last 5 rows of the head should be:

Round 1: dec every 6th stitch
Round 2: dec every 5th stitch
Round 3: dec every 4rd stitch
Round 2: dec every 3rd stitch
Round 1: dec every other stitch

Then, as there will still be an opening, stuff the head, then sew it closed. I found that gathering the opening and pulling it tight gave the nose a good rounded look.

The arms (chenille), legs (chenille), and scales (sparkly) were made according to the directions in the fierce but friendly dragon
I didn't add ears to my dragon
I added a row of sc in the sparkly yarn to the front of the dragon's wings (the side facing the front of the dragon's body)

Finished snout: using chenille and some flame colored yarn
I decided to add an open mouth to my dragon, and some flames. To make the mouth, I measured the circumference of the snout, and chained 6 (as 6 of my chains = circumference of the snout) I joined ch 1 to ch6, and then crocheted 3 rounds of 6 stitches each. I ended up with a cylinder, and sewed it on to the the end of the dragons snout. With the chenille, the head looks seamless (which is why i love chenille for toys!). I then attached flames to the inside of the mouth. To make the flames:

The basic idea of the flames is to sc a square, then make three tendrils of fire (one on the right edge of the square, another in the middle, and a third on the end).
Row 1: chain 5
Row 2-6: sc 5
Row 7: Instead of sc across the row, make 5 chains, and then sc along this new chain. Once you sc in the last ch, 1 sc in the 2nd sc of row 6. ch 5 again, sc down the chain, and 1 sc in the 4th sc of row 6. ch 5, sc down the chain, i sc in the 5th sc of row 6.

Pouches

I've been looking through patterns to find a good pouch, one that's quick, easy and distinctive. It also needs to be something appropriate for the middle ages. Here's a list of what I've come across thus far:

Goody bag
Wrist pouch
Jewelry bag
Little crochet bag
Wrist bag
Mini Sachet
One button coin purse
Passport bag
Pixie purse
Choo Choo Bag
Treasure Sack
Purse Pouch Bag
Dice Bag
Striped drawstring bag
Another drawstring bag
Drawstring coin purse
Cute drawstring change purse
Travel Jewelry pouch

headband

I found a pattern for a headband with a bow that is so cute! It would be perfect for my character, and would definitely make me look a bit younger:

Corset Belt

If only my larping character was a little older! I found this awesome corset belt on Crochet Pattern Central today, and I really want to make one, but alas, my character is only 10/11. I don't need any costuming that emphasizes my chest. I've been told that I cannot wear a corset or a bodice until she's 13. Maybe I'll make one for a fair this fall :-)

Rag Doll

To further continue on my mass of postings, I have to comment on perhaps my favorite toy pattern. I was looking for a pattern for a doll for my larping character. The doll was to server as her father's birthday gift to her, so it had to be special. I wanted something with removable clothes and plenty of accessories. I also wanted the doll to look like my larping character, like you can order the American Girl dolls to look like you. I decided on this rag doll pattern, and the result was amazing!

I didn't make any of the suggested accessories for the doll, as like I said, I wanted it to look like my larping character. I did, however, crochet a small hood and a cape, identical to the ones I wear. I also made her a dress and bloomers out of leftover fabric from my costume.

What I like best about this doll is how she moves. Her arms and legs flop around, but in a natural way. They move with her body, not just willy-nilly. And her head hardly moves at all. The neck on this pattern worked out really well. I definitely recommend this pattern to anyone in need of an adorable doll!

Fingerless Gloves

So, I've officially finished my third pair of fingerless gloves

Every pair I've used a different yarn, and its amazing how different they all look. For the first pair, I used Lion's Brand thick unworsted yarn (in a really cool purple and black coloring). I wanted them to match my beret. The second pair was again inspired by an existing hat, but this time it was my larping character's hood. The hood is probably my most favorite crocheted item to date. It looks just like Lyra's from the Golden Compass. I bought the pattern for $5, and it was well worth it! I've already made 3 hoods, and got several compliments! But back to the gloves! I used two different yarns, and crocheted them at the same time. One yarn was a thin acrylic and the other was a super chunky yarn. The gloves came out a bit bell shaped, but hey they work. The third pair, which I made for a friend, came out awesome! It was the first time I actually used the recommended yarn, and there is a really cool ribbed texture to them that the other two pairs lacked.

Here's two of the three I'de made:

More Toys :-)

My friend Sabrina's birthday is coming up, and after seeing some of the toys I've made, she's put in a few requests. Specifically these from the blog Bizzy Crochet:

Pikachu
Mew

Bizzy Crochet is the same blog that has the awesome castle bag I've been meaning to make. But it looks like my first projects from her site will be for Pokemon dolls. I'll post pictures of them when there made. Although, Mew might not be recognizable. I"m going to add wings to him and make him out of purple and red yarn. Sabrina wants a fiend doll, not a Mew doll.

Fantasy Toys

I've been obsessed with making toys lately, especially fantasy based toys. I haven't really found a good website with a listing of such toy patterns, so I figured I'd make my own listing.

Mighty and Ferocious Dragon
Baby Snow Dragon
Fierce but Friendly Dragon
Amara
Gnome Alone
Gnome Home
Mushroom House
Castle Bag
Fairy Tale Finger Puppets
Tiny Mermaids
Mermain Ornament
Marina the Mermaid
Troll Doll
Sheila the Aussie Troll Dollie
Sprite
Sprites
Acorn Bag
Witch
Wicket

And so it begins...

I started to get really excited by crochet due to three things:

1. I have a large head, and have a really hard time finding cute hats that fit my head.
2. I'm a huge math nerd, and I read an article about crocheting the hyperbolic plane. That article turned into a full blown Google search for "crochet + math" and I came up with a ton of results. Klein bottle hats, mobius band wraps, Sierpinski shawls, ect...
3. One of my best friends is a huge nerd as well, except instead of getting all excited by elegant equations, he's a fan of LARP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LARP). After bugging me to go with him for months, I decided why not, and started thinking about a costume. I'd need a wool cape, some small bags, a kerchief, maybe a snood...in any event, these things all seemed fun to crochet! The prospect of making the costume is actually the most fun for me...

With that in mind, here's links to the patterns creations:

• sweet hat
• costume cape
• penguin
• elephant
• bunny
• snood
• kerchief
• wristlets

I'll post pictures of the finish products as soon as I get around to taking pictures.