Latest Crochet Project - Puff Stitch Toque with Ear Flaps

Baby girl Ari needed a new toque for winter so I did a bit of shopping on Etsy and found a pattern that didn't use the traditional single or double crochet stitch.  I liked that it looked different.  Though it does require more time and more yarn than most other hats I have made, I love how it turned out.  It is sooo thick that her little head will never get cold, the puff stitch is lovely to look at and with the sizing, it should fit her for about 3 more years!

If you crochet and are interested in your own, you can buy the pattern at this etsy shop!

Crafting for a Cause

I really love to create things.  Usually I say that creating allows me some sanity in this insane life I live!  It allows me to focus on something other than the kids.  Now, please don't take that the wrong way!  I love my kids dearly, they bring me MUCH joy and happiness, more than any craft I will make.  Crafting, however, allows me to use a different God-given gift.  Most of the time, I have many helpers as I craft!  When I sew, someone offers to take out all the pins.  When I crochet, someone helps tangle the yarn.  So, all in all, crafting is a family affair!  :)  Anyway.  This week, I was crafting for a totally different cause and it made me so GIDDY!  I had so much fun and I can see it continuing in the future.  This week I was crafting for the Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC) here in our capital city.  See, a dear friend of mine, who I look forward to getting to know even better, has a passion to help these brave and courageous moms.  She puts together these large gifts full of baby essentials, like diapers, wipes, clothes, bibs, burp cloths, hats, etc.  Lots of people pitch in to donate items, she packs them up and sends them to the CPC.  They distribute them to the moms who are blessed to have these gifts that they may not otherwise receive.  What a ministry!  This week, she sent out an email asking for more items for the gifts.  After that email, it hit me that I have a lot of baby blankets sitting in my closet from when my kids were babies.  I asked if gently used was okay and she said that was great!  So, out came all the blankets, I sorted through them and found 10 large flannel blankets that are in great shape and have lots of baby-wrapping life left in them.  They are now all washed and ready to head to her house.  Then I looked at all the blankets that had seen better days - some had holes, some had stains, some were way too small to wrap a baby properly.  I suddenly thought I could use that fabric to make bibs.  She needed bibs.  I could make bibs.  That night I went out to the fabric store and found some charming cotton fabric in the remnant bin and bought it as well as some diaper flannel for the bib backs.  I would use the old blankets as an inner layer in the bibs to make them extra absorbent.  I found a really easy pattern here and this is the result (5 bibs total):

Then, while we were on vacation earlier this month, I brought along some yarn and was busy crocheting hats for the CPC following the pattern you can find here.  I was able to crochet 3 1/2 hats while we were gone.  It makes great use of the driving time and the TV watching time!  I finished the 4th hat this week while at an appointment with Pepe.  I just needed to add some flowers.  I decided to try adding zipper flowers instead of the usual crocheted flower so this morning I headed to the thrift store and found a bunch of brightly colored zippers.  This evening I whipped together the flowers using my own imagination and the final result? 

Oh.  My.  Goodness!  They are so very cute!  These little ladies will be so stylish with their cozy little hats! 

Now, earlier this week, when I told hubby that I wanted to sew some bibs for the CPC, he asked if I had time for that.  Though I was a bit offended by the question, it really is a good one.  Do we make time in our schedule to minister to others?  We are so quick to give of our money but are we willing to invest our time and energy to help those that really need it?  I pray that I will continue to invest my time in this avenue.  It has always been dear to my heart and now I know of a tangible way to be involved supporting these women that give life to their babies and take on the challenge of raising them and loving them.   So I ask you, have you ever crafted for a cause?

Stitch-A-Long With Scotti!

I love learning new crochet stitches and especially new crochet patterns. Scotti, from InnerHooker, is having a Stitch-A-Long so I thought I would join. If you would like to learn how to crochet, follow along. If you would like to learn new and different stitches, keep checking up on her! This week she is teaching the basics such as chains, single, double and half-double crochet - those are easy for me so I will check in again next week. For those of you wanting to learn, you need to head on over! Have fun!

Etsy Models

I have posted a few different hats on my shop so check them out, if you haven't already. I have been using the girls as models but with all the rain, getting outside has been a bit difficult. I took a couple of photos and thought I would share them with you. Ideally, I would love to find a photographer who would be willing to use my hats as props then send me the photos for me to use as advertising. Know anyone interested? Or interested yourself? Let's talk!

Chantelle's - Open for Business!

Grand Opening Announcement! Come check out my newest endeavor! I have finally opened my Etsy store and you are welcome to pop on by!

Remember, new colors and styles are coming soon so visit often! If you are in the Niverville area, skip the shipping charges and pick up your item for free!

There were a few different suggestions for the name of the store but they focused just on hats. I am hoping to expand into a few other items so I wanted something a little more neutral. Jason suggested "Chantelle's". It is easy to remember for the buyer and is not limited to anything! I needed a banner, obviously, so I spent a bit of time on Photoshop and came up with my own unique design! Speaks of my personality, that is for sure! I love it! So, take a minute to peruse the store and let me know what you think! Just click on the banner above and it will take you there!

Recent Crochet Projects

So, these are the latest crochet projects I have completed!

When I look at these next 3 I think of Neopolitan Icecream or of a strawberry sundae! I was experimenting with the sizes of the stripes. Not so much a fan of the first one (though I do like the light pink edge), like the second one better but the last is my favorite! Now I just need to add the "strings" to the earflaps! These earflap baby beanie patterns are courtesy of Inner Hooker.

This next hat is the scalloped beanie hat from Inner Hooker as well but I modified it slightly so I could run a "ribbon" through the bottom edge. Two little cream flowers add the perfect touch to this soft pink hat crocheted in very soft Bernat Satin 100% Acrylic yarn.

I wanted to create my own hat pattern and this is what I ended up with! I love the color combination - makes me think of watermelon or strawberries. I love the green and red together.

This is another take on my hat pattern. I added some crazy colored 100% polyester glitter yarn in with the turquoise on the top of the hat! The burgundy adds the perfect contrast while the corded edge finishes it off nicely. Could you imagine this hat on a little baby princess? So cute!

I finally picked up some cotton yarn the other day and set to work making some brimmed hats. This beanie with brim pattern is courtesy of Angels Chest Boutique. This burgundy brimmed beanie is so cute with a triple flower in white, hot pink and burgundy while a pearl button nestled in the center adds the perfect finishing touch.

Lastly, this Crazy Easy Textured Newsboy Cap is courtesy of thnkdfrent. This white hat is set off with a hot pink band adorned with silver buttons and the edge is finished in a corded look. Now to make a couple of manly ones for the boys!

No, these hats are not all for my little people. I am seriously considering opening an Etsy shop. What a perfect way for me to create my crafts and make a little money. Anyone have any good name suggestions? Anyone in need of a hat? I know someone who would love to make you one! :)

Annual Hotel Weekend - 2010

Every year mom-and-dad in-law take all of us kids and grandkids to a hotel for the weekend. The hotel location is not consistent. We have spent time in Steinbach, in Winnipeg and, last year, in Grand Forks, ND at the casino. A little over a week ago, we went to Winkler. I know, great family destination location. Really, the things that are important are a pool and waterslides for the kids and a continental breakfast for the rest of us. The choice of hotels are based on those criteria plus cost-per-night -- kind of important when you book 5 rooms for 2 nights. So, this year it was the Days Inn in Winkler. Because we are a family of 7, most hotel rooms do not accomodate us. We were fortunate to get a 2 room suite that had room for all of us. Jay and I had our own room, complete with TV and a queen bed (the room was not much bigger than the bed though) and the rest of the suite was another queen bed, a sofa-bed, a small kitchenette and the bathroom. We left the soft-bed as a sofa and set up 2 playpens so there was plenty of room for us. I loved having the fridge and microwave plus cupboards for all our snacks. We had more food than usual as we were celebrating RJ's 4th birthday while there. The big party was yesterday but she knew which day was her birthday and birthdays are VERY important to her so a celebration, with cake and candles, needed to happen.

The weekend is mainly spent in the pool. Well, that is what the kids intend. My intentions were to watch as much HGTV and TLC as possible while crocheting. As you can see, the two don't really go hand-in-hand. After we arrived Friday afternoon, into the pool we went. AJ, my youngest son, never goes in the pool. He hangs out in the hot tub. We figure it is because he actually has no body fat and gets cold way too easily. However, just before we left the room, he did tell us that we would go down the slide by himself because he was now 5. I was gonna believe him when I saw it. When we got to the pool he actually. Went. In. The. Pool! AJ has NEVER gone in the water. He would swim in the hot tub and avoid the pool like the plague. He went in the water. I was shocked. And very pleased. The water was warmer than other pools so that may have been the clincher. Or the fact that he was 5, as he said.

Pepe, our oldest, is a little fish in the water, as is RJ. Both love the water and the slides and have no fear of either. As this was baby girl Ari's first time in the water, we wondered how she would do! Typical of her personality, she loved it, splashing and kicking!

Little side story. Last year, we went to the casino outside Grand Forks and there is a huge water park there. I was 7 months pregnant with Ari at the time. All the other kids had life jackets on. AJ was in the hot tub, as usual, as was Ali. RJ was cruising around with some of her cousins. At one point, I couldn't see her anywhere. That water park has so many structures in it that it is hard to see around all the corners and into every part of the pool. I handed off Ali and went to search for RJ. When I saw her, I had to try hard not to panic. She was floating, on her back, in the deep part of the pool. She knew she was in trouble and was trying to grab onto whoever was close to her but everyone tried to avoid her. The lifeguard was pretty unobservant as well. "Don't panic. Don't panic" That is what I kept telling myself as I scooped her up in my arms and breathed a huge, "O, thank you Lord for keeping her safe!" We had a good talk and she never went to that part of the pool again. That was a stressful weekend! This past weekend was so much better - you could see the whole pool all the time. Water parks are not good for us at this stage of the game.

So, anyway, there was lots of swimming, lots of eating and a bit of TV (not enough, in my opinion. And, with only a few hours on the weekend, you really don't get to see a bunch of shows. But, the bit I did see was good! I know, I know, we could just get cable here but then I would never get anything done and it would take just that much longer to get our next house! I know my priorities!!), a touch of crocheting and small bit of sleep. These weekends are never relaxing for us as the mom and dad but it is so memorable for the kids that we look forward to it each and every year. Thank so much, mom and dad!!

Newsboy Brim Beanie

I just can't stop crocheting! I am having so much fun and my kids are enjoying seeing what comes next. I am actually trying to teach my 6-year old how to crochet his own scarf. He is determined to make the scarf while I make a matching hat. We will see just how far that actually goes!!

In the meantime, I tried another pattern I got from Inner Hooker. This one is the Newsboy Brim Beanie! I modified the size 1-5 year pattern as I found it a tad too long ("Mom, I'm blind!!") for my gonna-be-4-on-Saturday girl. After removing 2 rows, it was a perfect fit! She loves it and so do I! What do you think?

Crochet Craze

I first learned to knit a long, LONG time ago. My grandmother taught me. I still have that piece of knitted fabric on those circular needles. I have never finished that sweater because, to be honest, I hate knitting! It is too stressful for me. I always worry about dropping a stitch or totally uneven tension which would ruin the appearance of the craft. So, I learned how to crochet. Sort of self-taught, sort of shown by my sister. I crocheted a Mile-a-Minute afghan during the first year of our marriage, more than 10 years ago. I crocheted a little baby sweater for my niece about 9 years ago. That was it. I just stopped. Remember that post from a little while back telling you about the contest the Inner Hooker was having? Well, that was what started the love affair all over again.

I didn't win any patterns so I decided to buy them. I mean, when you Buy 2 and Get 2 Free, you cannot go wrong. Four adorable patterns. I started with my favorite! This scalloped-edge beanie crochets super fast and is incredibly adorable! I made the 6-12 month size but it easily fits my 2 year-old. She loves her new black hat with big blue flower! I made another in ivory with 2 small pink flowers. I ended up selling it a few days later!

Then I found another pattern on-line, thanks to defiKNITely. This time, a hat with ear-flaps, called a chullito. RJ, my very-soon-to-be-four-year-old, wanted a hat with a flower on it. I thought this one would be perfect. However, it was written for an 18" head, which is the size of my gonna-be-one-on-Friday girl. I added a pom-pom on top and it is just adorable on her. No pics of her though as she doesn't sit still long enough to get a pic.

I modified the pattern and increased it in size and came up with a perfect hat for RJ and her 20" head. She wanted a flower so I added a nice large one! So, so cute! Now to make one for my 5 year-old, whose head is the same size. His, however, will be blue, even though he would like pink! Or maybe it was his brother who wanted pink. Whatever the case, no pink for the boys. Daddy's rules!

I love the serenity crocheting allows and how I can do bits and pieces while teaching school or sitting in the tub (yes, I tried), relaxing in bed or riding in the van. It is such an easy craft to learn and requires so few tools. I ordered a couple of crocheting books from Amazon and I am super excited to get them. I will be sure to share them with you once they arrive. So, until next time, happy crocheting!