HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

What a last year was and what a great year this is going to be!  Everyone starts the year off with great plans, ideas and goals.  One of my goals this year is to post on this blog at least once a week.

Exciting and new for ChrisCrossCrafts so far?  Well after months of not feeling that great, I am finally starting to get back to normal.  One of the neat things starting the new year?  I am in the Battle of the Stitches again!!  This is doubly exciting for me, because I won the last one.  Start following the their page to find out who else is competing and when to vote.

Other great things?  I have some ideas for more crochet patterns and working on embroidery designs. 

I hope you all had a great year and an even better new year!!

So while I am in bed last night trying to get to sleep, my smart-elic husband sees this last night and asks "Can you make this?"

 

Now don't get me wrong, I know he is a HUGE Mario fan, have seen this a few times, just did not think he would want one. I said "Yes" and went back to trying to sleep. I then hear him say, "Right, but it would probably take a year." OH HO! The gauntlet has been thrown down, he will have this for Valentine's Day.
 
I got up this morning and searched for a pattern I really liked that gave me the block counts.  I found a WONDERFUL one at Wildflower Sunshine.  I know I could of done it myself, but I just have not felt that great the past few days and really want this done in 3 weeks.   For all the directions click here.
 

I am using an I hook (5.5 MM) and doing the typical three row granny square.  Mine are coming out 4 inches square.  That will make my afghan 72" x 56" before sewing together and adding a border. 
 
I have the red blocks already done and in a Ziploc bag, on to the black ones!  I will keep the blog posted on the progress.  Did I mention I have the song stuck in my head?

Valentine's Day is just over a month a way.  So, what better time to start crocheting for the holiday than now?  I wanted something that would work up fast, but be practical to for a gift for family or a friend, maybe a Secret Cupid gift. 

This little heart works up in about 15 minutes and are great as a coaster for a glass on a table you do not want to get water damaged. 

 
I used a skein of Peaches & Creme Solids I made four and still had yarn left, so I think a skein would be able to make at least 6. 


Heart Coaster Pattern
I - 5.50 MM hook
1 skein Peaches and & Crème Cotton Yarn

Ch 4, join with a sl st to first to form a ring.

Row 1:  Ch 3, working in loop, work 2 dc, ch 3, work 3 dc, ch 3, work 3 dc, ch 3, work 3 dc, ch 3, join with sl st to 3rd ch.

Row 2:  Sl st in next 2 sts, sl st in ch 3 sp, ch 3, working in ch 3 sp, work 2 dc, ch 3, work 3 dc, ch 2, working in next ch 3 sp, work 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 1, working in next ch 3 sp, work 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc,nb     join with sl st to 3rd ch.

Row 3:  Sl st in next 2 sts, sl st in ch 2 sp, ch 1, work 10 tr in next ch 2 sp (in between the corners), ch 1, sl st in the next ch 2 sp, ch 1,  work 10 tr in next ch 2 sp (in between the corners), ch 1, sl st in the next ch 2 sp, finish off.

First stitch I learned in 2015 the Quad-Treble

Happy New Year!

 

I hope the new year has been going well for you so far.  Now the million dollar question, what are your New Year's resolutions?  Mine are to keep losing weight (I seriously think this is everyone's) and my other is to try to learn a new crochet stitch or technique at least once a month, then work it into a new pattern. 

I started this with the Quad-Triple stitch.  This is certainly an interesting stitch and I never even knew it had a name.  I think I may have used this stitch years ago in a doily pattern.  Thanks to the Moogly Blog not only did I learn how to make this stitch, but also what it looks like when used to create a braid look.  Interestingly enough the braided look can have several different looks depending on what you do the loops when you braided them.  In the Ups and Downs Crochet Slouchy Beanie available on Moogly Blog it the braid is created by twisting the stitch before you pull the next stitch through the loop.  It gives the braid a tighter look.  I found that if you use a hook, but do not twist the stitch it is a looser look for the braid.  I used my fingers to pull the loops through, pushing the stitch around my finger.  It gives the gap look that you see in the rows of braids.

 

For the Quad-Treble stitch the yarn is looped over 5 times on the hook.  For a video direction please watch SheRu Knitting's video HERE.

 

Here is the new hat with a matching cowl.  I am still trying to think of name for it.  Nothing seems right, so I will probably do what I almost always do and start getting suggestions.

 

What would you name the new set?  Leave a comment and let me know.  Right now the pattern sits in my folder, simply called Untitled Document.  I must admit I am stumped with this one. 

 

~ Chris  1/5/2015

 

 

 

12 days of hats!  Visit from December 12-24 for a crochet hat pattern for free!

Some hats are ones that are currently for sale, some that have been retired and new patterns that have not been released yet. 

The first day for Christmas will be the Rudolph and Clarice hats pattern.

 

 

 

One eyed Monster

 

 

 

Shark Bite

 

Monster Love

 

Jessie's Hat

 

Each pattern will be available for free download in .pdf format for that day only.  All patterns are creations from ChrisCrossCrafts.  No pattern can be resold or posted for free on other sites.  You can sell all items created by you, but pattern can not be given or sold to a manufacture. 



Creating a toothless lovie for my grandson.

Working on a new lovie for a Christmas present.  A toothless lovie for my 11 month old grandson.  

 

 

Here is his tail.

 

His face is getting ready to be stuffed. 

The Turtleneck Poncho modeled

 

I may need to check my calendar, I know it is November 12, 2014, but today feels like Christmas for me.  I wrote this pattern and was so excited with it.  Now that I have gotten the photos back from the model I am ecstatic with it!!   Words cannot describe how happy I am with these pictures.  They are over the top and she did a wonderful job.

I know there is alot of them but I really wanted to show off this beautiful design.  Now I just need to come up with a name for thing, beside Turtleneck Poncho.  I think that sounds horrible.

 

 

This wonderful young lady wants to be a model for after she graduates, I think she really can do it and I would be so tickled to say I have some of her first work.

Phineas becomes a hat!



I actually enjoy doing special requests, because it gives me a change to do something new and really strive to hit the request right on the head.  I recently got a special request for a Phineas hat from Phineas and Ferb.  I had made Perry hat in the past and seen Ferb hats, so I thought this really could not be that hard.  I must say it took me a few days to really figure it out, after I really looked at Phineas' head.

 



 

 

But I think it is safe to say, I really got this one right.  Can hardly wait to see pictures of the person wearing the hat in costume. 

 

He has orange and white ties because Phineas' shirt is orange and white stripes.

 

Now I just need to add a Ferb hat to my arsenal.  

Cradle Purses get a wrap upgrade!

Got an order for a cradle purse this week.  I think each one I make is getting better than the last one.  I finally figured out a way to wrap them so they look nice, but do not crush the purse.  Must be from all the gift baskets that I made for Angela's wedding.   Here are a few pics of the purse.

Mad Hatter eat your heart out!!

This year I decide to post the Gir hat on eBay and Etsy, little did I know how many I would sell!! I sold 7 Gir hats and a Bender hat. The Bender hat was a special request for a large size. I added an extra row bumping up to a row with 10 and 2 dcs. The hat is a Christmas present, so I will not know how it fit till the new year. This year I also tried my hand at a Jack Skellington hat for my oldest son Dale. It turned out great! So great, that Bryce wants one for him and his girlfriend. I have gotten to the point where I can complete a beannie base in an hour or less. I started a SpongeBob hat only to find out the person I was making it for hates SpongeBob. I put the hat to the side till after Christmas because there was other things to get done and started an Eeyore hat for her. Not sure if she will wear it but oh well I can say I tried. No pics of that hat yet, been working on the ears and another hat.

Here are a few pics of what I do have done.