The May Giveaway Winner is…..

All the ABCs Alphabet Letter Crochet Patterns

Thanks so much for all the interest in my crochet alphabet letter patterns. I used the random number generator and picked post number 10, which is “Ruby Star.” Congratulations! I will be sending an email shortly to discover which method you prefer to receive your patterns.

For those of you who did not win the giveaway, I have a special discount in my Artfire studio for the next month. Just enter MAY GIVEAWAY as the coupon code during checkout and receive 10% off any pattern purchase.

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10 projects I would love to crochet for me

I almost always am crocheting, but rarely for myself. I do have a sweater two thirds of the way finished that has been sitting in a bag beside my bed for a year and a half. I am usually making things for my daughter’s preschool, my shop, friends, other family members and my kids’ friends. Not much time left over for something for me, but if I had all the time in the world I would start here:

1. Amigurumi Balloons
I love looking at these cute balloons from Planet June. We used to have a birthday tradition of balloons for kids for birthdays that Daddy would bring home. Perhaps I can get my act in gear by the next kid birthday in December to make six of these.

2. The Open Weave c1 (Complication #1)
I want a hat with lots of texture for myself because it is always windy walking my older daughter to and from elementary school. This might be the one.

3. Spiral Potholders
I love the spiral effect of this potholder and would love to experiment with the process that give this look. I could also use a couple new potholders for some variety in color.

4. Swiffer Reusable Cover
I have a Swiffer I never use because I cannot justify the expense. This would solve that issue. I would also like to make some of these http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39434382 for my church that uses them to dust the pews.

5. Griddle Hat
Ear flaps might make this hat a bit silly on me, but that could be fun and warm.

6. Valentine Basket Sachet
I saw this and it reminded me that I have the directions printed out for making something like this with paper. I am wondering if being left handed will confuse me when attempting this pattern. I once made an afghan that had parts to be braided and had a hard time figuring it out.

7. Owl Potholder
Another potholder. This one in the seemingly ever popular own theme.

8. Socks
Would these be comfortable? I have not made a pair of socks before and these colors don’t appeal to me, but perhaps something with blues and greens would.

9. Cardigan
I would love to have time to make some sweaters for myself. Perhaps a neutral cardigan like this one.

10. Tunic
Here is another sweater, this time a tunic instead of a cardigan. Maybe the color in the photo is attracting me to it since I like that aqua.

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Creating Some Lovely Little Letters

I have been interested in making some stuffed crocheted letters that looked more like letters that children easily recognize for a while. I had done some research on cross stitch programs, hoping that one might help me in the design process. Since I have a computer that uses Linux instead of Windows I had to do a little extra searching for a program, but have been pleased so far that it does what I need it to do.

Since I have been making large letter pillows, I decided that these letters should be a bit smaller so that it would not be a ridiculous amount of work or money to create an entire name. The upper case letters are ranging close to 9 inches high, while the lower case are around 7 if they do not have stems. I think they are large enough to be played with by a young child, although I would not necessarily hand one to a kid who tries to stick everything in his mouth without some supervision.

I decided to just start at a and work my way through the alphabet, although is not working out exactly that way since a lower case b can also be a p or a d, depending upon its orientation. Once I get these created, I would also like to make the patterns available for those who crochet. I am now lining up some people to test the patterns for me once I manage to get them into a nice and clean pdf format. I think the patterns themselves could be used for the stuffed creations as well as just making one side to use as an applique.

Next up for me is a capital D. I am looking forward to just about every letter, but I know I will have to do some experimenting to get lower case i and j to look the way I want them to look. Anyone have any suggestions for those?

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Etsyhooker of the Week — tip.top.applesauce

I stumbled upon tiptopapplesauce’s shop when searching for the Etsyhooker of the Week. Not only is the photography of her work amazing, but the patterns are just adorable, with many great details. This lovely hat is an example of that attention to detail. She thinks about the backgrounds of her photos as well as thinking about the tiny details in this hat that make it special, like the tassel at the top and the two different color button eyes.

The pattern for this puppy hat could easily be made for a boy or a girl. For a boy, you could just change a color or two and take off the bow. This would be a great idea for use as part of a costume for a party or (thinking ahead) Halloween so that your little one would not need a mask.

With dreams of summer coming soon, check out these cute sandals. With this pattern, you could make a bunch of adorable sandals for your daughter, granddaughter, or other young loved one.

As always, clicking on the photos will take you straight to the Etsyhooker of the Week’s shop.  When you check out tiptopapplesauce, please also visit Laura’s Left Hook.

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