Crocheted Soft Rib Longies

Whenever I read SouleMama I get inspired. Today the little sweater for baby has me inspired. I’ve wanted to make some longies for the longest time. However, I don’t really know how to knit, I’ve only ever practiced a few stitches and don’t even have any needles any longer. I’d given up the hope as lost until I found these crocheted soft rib longies. Now I’m supposed to be working on my July projects which are basically toys for the kids for Christmas, a couple balls for the baby to have now, and a remote control caddy for my dad for his birthday. But these longies are calling my name. I’m going to finish off the project I’m working on right now, a baby grab ball, but this is definitely going on my list of things to crochet!

Progress on Baby Grab Ball

I've made two of the pieces for the Baby Grab Ball and I'm beginning to get the hang of it. They seem relatively simple though I'm not doing the edging right. I'm trying it on each piece and I figure that by the end of the first ball I'll have it down. My printer is out of commission (can't find the cord to connect my laptop to it and never got the wireless to work correctly from the laptop) so I've handwritten the pattern out so that I don't need to be on the laptop the entire time I'm crocheting. I need to hit up the library and print some patterns out.

Got the Supplies

I went out and bought the yarn and fiberfill for the July projects today. All of it is acrylic. I wanted to get cotton but they didn't have the colors that I wanted so I walked over to the wool. I realized (luckily, prior to paying) that it would felt when I washed it and since these are going to be kids' toys and will get dirty I just went to the acrylic. I got a deep blue (maybe black, didn't look very closely) and deep purple for the balls, red and green for the strawberries, and I'll use the purple or red and green for the grapes. I still need to get some wooden beads for the grapes. I'll likely start on the Baby Grab Ball first because I want to make one for the baby to have now and one for Christmas.

My dad's birthday is in July so I'll be crocheting him a remote caddy as well.

Project List for July

I need some solid goals in order to get all my projects finished in time for Christmas. So for the month of July, I'm going to make four projects.

Crocheted Grapes for the boys.

Easy Peasy Strawberries for the boys.

Baby Grab Ball for the baby. At least two.

Simple Crochet Ball for the kids. At least two.

If I still can't find my camera (boo hoo) I'll at least take pictures with my camera phone.

Floppy Sunhat for Belle In Progress

I’m in the process of making a floppy sunhat for Belle from Ravelry. Floppy Sunhat It looks cute in the picture, very Southern belle (*wink*), and I’m loving it. I’m using some basic Peaches & Creme yarn that I bought from Wal-Mart. I think it is the Article 930 Worsted Weight in Winterberry but I threw the packaging away so I can’t be sure. I’m using a size F hook when the pattern calls for a H. Call me adventurous, call me stupid, or just call it like it is: I lost my H hook and don’t get paid until next week but didn’t feel like putting the project off until then. I bought this yarn because it was affordable and I was already at Wal-Mart. It is really soft, though not as soft and yummy as bamboo.

I’m going to get some yarn from Knit Picks when I get paid. I’m also looking at getting some from WEBS on payday. I love bamboo yarn and they have some pretty good prices (Knit Picks doesn’t carry bamboo yarn, I’m looking at cotton blends from them). I’ve got a ton of patterns on my favorites list at Ravelry and I’ve just realized that the year is half over and I’ve yet to get started on the million things I want to get done in time for the birthday/holiday rush that starts this fall.

I recently got a raise at work and little does the Husband know, but I plan to put that towards my “yarn lust” fund!

After I finish the hat I might make some socks to match, if I have enough yarn left.

So Many Projects, So Little Time

I'm bogged down with projects here.

I'm in the process of making my baby some cloth diapers. Today I made one and realized that I need to tweak the pattern. I used a free pattern but the crotch is entirely too wide and the wings aren't long enough. I cut out a bunch of pieces already which stinks because I think I have to go up in size for her. I did the newborn pattern but it seems as though at one month old she already needs the small size. So today I'm going to draft my own pattern with longer wings and a slimmer crotch.

I finally got my two Simplicity patterns yesterday. I ordered a pajama pattern for my boys and a cute A-line dress pattern (with a matching headband!) for my baby. I have a few yards of plain fabric so I'm thinking of trying my hand at a dress for her by the end of the week.

I also want to make the baby a few hats. When she lies on her side her little ear crumples over itself and I need something to stop that. I was going to make her a few headbands but then I had ugly visions of it being a choking hazard so I decided that I'll make hats instead. I need to make her a few pairs of leg warmers and socks as well. There is a baby knee high sock pattern that I think would work really well with the dresses I want to make her.

I can't find my camera so the pictures I of my final projects look really bad. I hope I find it soon!

Interesting Books

Crochet

• Get Your Crochet On! Fly Tops and Funky Flavas
• Plus Size Crochet: Fashions That Fit & Flatter
• More Big Girl Knits: 25 Designs Full of Color and Texture for Curvy Women
• Crochet for Babies
• Baby Crochet: 20 Hand-Crochet Designs for Babies 0--24 Months
• The Little Box of Crochet for Baby
• Cute Crochet for Tiny Tots: 25 Modern Designs for Babies and Toddlers
• Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful
• Candy Crochet: 50 Adorable Designs for Infants and Toddlers
• Crochet for Tots: 20 Fresh and Fun Designs
• Crochet for Babies and Toddlers
• Too Cute Crochet for Babies & Toddlers: A Whimsical Collection of Hats, Scarves, Mittens & Booties
• Summer Crochet Fun
• Easy to Crochet Cute Clothes for Kids: A Gorgeous Collection Of 25 Quick And Easy Designs
• Big Book of Weekend Crochet
• Trendy Crochet for Girls
• Hooked for Toddlers: 20 Easy Crochet Projects
• Positively Crochet!: 50 Fashionable Projects and Inspirational Tips
• Sensual Crochet: Luxurious Yarns, Alluring Designs
• Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution
• Loop-d-Loop Crochet: More than 25 Novel Designs for Crocheters (and Knitters Taking Up the Hook)
• Kooky Crochet: 30 Remarkably Wacky Projects
• Crochet Kid Stuff: 20 Fun Projects
• Toys to Crochet: Dozens of Patterns for Dolls, Animals, Doll Clothes, and Accessories
• Get Your Crochet On! Hip Hats & Cool Caps
• Cool Crocheted Hats: 40 Contemporary Designs
• Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts!: Amigurumi
• Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet
• Amigurumi Animals: 15 Patterns and Dozens of Techniques for Creating Cute Crochet Creatures
• Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More
• Amigurumi!: Super Happy Crochet Cute
• The Cute Book
• Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker
• Not Your Mama's Crochet: The Cool and Creative Way to Join the Chain Gang (Not Your Mamas)
• Sexy Swimwear to Crochet
• Way to Crochet!: 20 Cool, Easy Projects for Kids of All Ages
• New Ideas for Today's Crochet
• Summer Fashions in Thread Crochet
• Cool Crochet
• SweaterBabe.com's Fabulous and Flirty Crochet: Gorgeous Sweater and Accessory Patterns from Los Angeles' Top Crochet Designer
• The New Crochet: 40 Wonderful Wearables
• Son of Stitch 'n Bitch: 45 Projects to Knit and Crochet for Men

Knitting

• Knitting for Him: 27 Classic Projects to Keep Him Warm
• Never Knit Your Man a Sweater (Unless You've Got the Ring)
• The Knitting Man(ual): 20+ Projects for Guys
• 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders: A world of possibilities inspired by just one skein
• Guy Knits: Sweaters & Vests
• Knitting With Balls: A Hands-On Guide to Knitting for the Modern Man
• Pretty in Punk: 25 Punk, Rock, and Goth Knitting Projects
• Knits for Men: 20 Sweaters, Vests, and Accessories
• The Natural Knitter: How to Choose, Use, and Knit Natural Fibers from Alpaca to Yak
• No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights
• Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter
• Punk Knits: 26 Hot New Designs for Anarchistic Souls and Independent Spirits
• Domiknitrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape
• Naughty Needles: Sexy, Saucy Knits for the Bedroom and Beyond

Gift List

I need to compile a list of things I need to crochet for so I can look up some patterns on Ravelry. I'll just put the months the projects need to be finished and the names here.

March: Husband, Easter
April: Brother, Niece
May, Sister, Mom
June: Husband, Best Friend, Nephew
July: Foyrth of July, Dad
September: Niece
October: Mom, Halloween
November: Boy Wren, Thanksgiving
December: Husband, Christmas
January: Boy Kanga

I've decided to make Husband a sweat band, a beanie, and a pair of headphone covers for his March gift.

Finished a Soap Sack and musing on other gifts to make

I just made my husband a Soap Sack. Our anniversary is in a week and we are broke so I decided to make him something with the yarn I have laying around. In addition to the soap sack I'm going to make him a pair of Replacement Headphone Covers for a pair of headphones he has that he lost the covers to awhile ago. I was thinking of making a Back Scrubber to match the soap sack but I'm not sure he'd actually want or appreciate one. I'll likely just crochet him a Beanie as he loves them and has asked me for years to make him a hat (or five).

I was in the process of admiring my work when my husband took a look at what I was doing. He knew that I was crocheting for him but he was busy so I thought I was safe. When he saw that I was done he grabbed it from me and proclaimed it was a change purse. I huffed what it really was and explained the concept and before I even finished telling him how to pull the string closed he had trotted off to the bathroom to try it out. My husband is not normally a bath product user, he'll wash off with soap and wash his hair but any extra steps are ignored. So for him to actually try out a soap sack on his own was amazing. I finally managed to tell him that it was for our anniversary after he'd scrubbed his face with it. I was a little upset at that point because I'd wanted to take a picture to upload to my projects at Ravelry but by the time I realized what he was doing he'd already stuffed his bar soap in the soap sack and got it all wet. Definitely not the best look for a picture. So I'm going to
make another tomorrow and take a picture of that one for my project page.

The success of this gift and the absolute ease with which I completed the project has made me decide to give this as a gift to a few other people. My brother, sister, and niece all have birthdays coming up and of course I'll need something for my mom for Mother's Day. I'll have to add a couple things to each gift to give it diversity but this is one easy piece that functions well.

I'm glad that my husband liked this. It is so hard to find things to crochet for men. I think he'll like this Laptop Cover and I'm going to crochet it for his Father's Day present. But besides hats, gloves, scarves (which he rarely wears), and a few electronic covers there aren't many options for crocheted items for men. Even those categories are seriously lacking. As I get better at crocheting this is an area that I'll need to look into designing some patterns of my own.