Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Oh my, how the time flies! I certainly hope this post finds you happy and healthy and enjoying the season. Keeping my fingers crossed for my mother and I, so far so good. My mom did come down with a relatively mild case of the flu in November (she had gotten a flu shot) so she wasn't able to enjoy Thanksgiving with the family, but things are looking on track for Christmas.

This year I crocheted a little something for my family, but I can't show you what I made because I do have a couple family members that read these posts and that would give away the surprise. It will just have to wait until after Christmas - but that doesn't mean I don't have something to show you. I found this adorable elf, and being in the spirit, I decided to give her a go. The "Free Pattern: Small Christmas Elf" from Kristi Tullus is so cute, but I saw a couple photos of what other people created and decided to give her a little more finished look with white edging on her hat, dress and shoes. I also put pipe cleaners in her arms and legs so they could bend a little.

 
I've said I'm making stuffed animals for all my mother's great grandchildren, and two of the six have been completed. And now - just in time for the holidays - Ta Da! - the Ballerina Bunny for Emily. Emily is the newest addition to our family, being born just last June, so she won't be getting this bunny for quite a while. I'm sure when her parents feel she's ready, the bunny will be given a  warm welcome.
I bought the pattern for "Bunny Lilu" from Tanya Kostochenkova of Crochet Friends Lab on Etsy. I lucked out because she was having a half price sale; at this writing she has a 25% off sale going. For the most part the pattern was well written, and I was able to figure out the couple of glitches without too much trouble.


                   Bunny Lilu from Crochet Friends Lab

My Ballerina Bunny turned out a little larger (16" versus almost 12") because I used DK weight yarn and  a D 3.25mm hook, but that was fine with me. I wasn't a fan of the two little bows by the ears, so I used the "Crochet Hearts" hair bow from Katrina Payne at  Rebel Skein (don't you love that name?). I did use joints for her legs, but if I make another I'll follow what the designer had in mind. She created the joints by putting buttons on the outside of the "hips" and sewing through the 
body and both legs.


            My version of "Bunny Lilu"


Well, this is my last post of 2019. I hope you all had a terrific year; I wish you a wonderful holiday season and an even better 2020! And of course, Happy Crocheting!

I Took a Little Detour

After my last post I said that I was going to start the black cat. Well, that was kind of true. But first I decided to take a break and crochet the Cuddle Me Bear from Amigurumi Today. That bear stole my heart quite a while ago and I just couldn't wait any longer. Plus, the designer has taken basically the same body and created quite a few more animals, each cuter than the next (of course!) and she's come out with some mini versions, about 4" tall. If you enjoy amigurumi, please check out this site - you'll be glad you did. Just be prepared for an overload of cuteness!

Cuddle Me Bear from Amigurumi Today, pattern here

My Version

 

 

But never fear! After my appetite for 6" tall bears was sated, I did go on to crochet the black cat. I finally decided on a very cute guy named Charlie the Kitten by Kate E. Hancock. (Please click on the link if you want to see Charlie; I am not a tech wizard and my computer will not let me copy him to his post.)

My version of Charlie the Kitten

 

 

 

My version ended up being rather different than the designer's because 1. the request was for a green-eyed black cat and 2. I wanted to make her female, so I made the feet smaller and the arms a little shorter. This is the first black item I've made. Now I know why people don't work with dark colors other than as an accent! Plus trying to take a photo that would show some detail was challenging too. Luckily I had a sunny day.

As you might know if you've followed this blog, it was six years ago this month that I tried my hand at a crochet business. I had some sales, but in truth, I've made a lot more money with garage sales than with this business! Wearing every hat to try to run a creative business was just beyond me. Plus, since I have come to take care of my mother, there is always something that needs to be tended to, which leaves me even less time. So I have closed the doors to my Bonanza store and I might do the same to my Pinterest, Tumbler, and Twitter accounts. I intend to keep writing this blog and to keep my Facebook account, at least for the time being.

I do want to sincerely thank everyone that has followed my blog or just dropped by to check out what was happening - especially those who have left comments! - and I will do my best to get more posts up in the future. Till then, happy crocheting!

Finally - One Down!

I believe it was back in July that I decided to make amigurumis for my sister's grandchildren. I began by asking them what their favorite animal was (and it didn't have to be real - fantasy animals were fine). Even though I've done some amigurumi designing, I wasn't even going to try to come up with the variety these kids gave me - a green-eyed black cat, an owl, a German shepherd, and two dragons.

I found some really great patterns, bought the yarn, and was excited about starting. I chose the owl to begin with -

  Toy Owl by Tanya Makarova of NustyUA,  pattern here

 

 

I think it was probably a good thing I started with the owl, while my energy and enthusiasm were at a good level. I'm happy with the outcome, but what a lot of work!

My version of the Toy Owl

A side view of my version

The pattern, for the most part, was written pretty well. The designer had another person translate the pattern into English. There were a few mistakes, but nothing I couldn't figure out. I would definitely consider this project for a very practiced intermediate or  advanced crocheter. There were so many feathers to sew on! 

Then after I sewed them on - pretty much just at the top of each feather - I realized that I needed to go back and tack down the sides and tip so they wouldn't keep flipping up, which made for a very disheveled looking bird. He didn't have to be perfect, but I didn't want him to look like he'd had a go-round with a windmill!
Then I found I had to reinforce the edges of the wing feathers because they were very floppy. If I wasn't giving this to a seven-year-old, I'd have crocheted around wire for the edges, but I didn't want to risk it. Whip-stitching the edges with brown and then black seems to have worked pretty good. And if that wasn't enough extra work, I also needed to whipstitch the feathers around his face because I wanted them to stand out a little bit, not lay flat.

I've decided to do the black cat next. I do have an extremely bright craft light to help me along with this (no, I'm not that much of a masochist!), plus this cat doesn't look nearly as complicated as the owl. As always, happy crocheting - and wish me luck!

Still Hangin' in There

It looks like since I've been in Chicago to take care of my mom that one post a month on my blog will probably be the best I'll be able to do. {It has been determined that my mom needs someone to live with her, so I'll be staying in Chicago.} All the "after hospital" visits are now over so things have quieted down considerably. Whew! I appreciate the quiet. Now my next venture is to really go through the house and clean. I hate housework, but despite what my mom says, I know she hasn't been able to really properly clean for at least a few years now (and of course she refused to get a maid!). So today I attacked the tv room. It took over two hours, but it's as clean as I can get it.

In between all the appointments, cooking, and other cleaning, I did manage to get a couple hours in the evenings to work on more cross stitch.  Currently I'm at four down and seven more to go, not counting the butterfly -

It always amazes me at how long these small kits take to do, but then again, they do have so many little stitches! As you can see, I haven't cut them out to assemble the ornaments yet. I'll get to that later. I know - famous last words!

Now, as I said in my last post, I've been going through extreme crochet withdrawl. Trust me, it has not been pretty. Then I had a chance to meet up with my nieces and nephews and their children recently, and it dawned on me that I've never made anything for this latest generation. What a horrid aunt I've been! So I asked them all what their favorite animal was and I'm in the process of making amigurumi for them. Luckily, I was able to find adorable patterns for each of the animals. Paid patterns (except for one), but cute just the same. This is the one for Lorelei that I'm working on now -

                    Toy Owl by Tanya Makarova of NustyUA, pattern here

This owl is sooo cute, but you definitely need some patience. So. Many. Feathers!!! And then you have to sew each one on. I'm sure it will be worth it, though. With any luck, my next post will show you the end result. Till then - happy crocheting!

Best Laid Plans

At the beginning of this year I promised myself that I would post every week and become much more involved in social media to try to promote my store's patterns and products. For a while I wasn't doing too bad. But for those who have been paying attention, you know I totally fell off the wagon mid-April. Well, there was a very good reason for that.

On April 11th my mom fell and dislocated her hip replacement. This is the second time she's done that, and the third time she's fallen. Of course she went to the hospital and they put her hip back in place, along with three weeks of rehab. She came home May 1st and I have been living with/taking care of her since (I flew out from CA to Chicago the last week in April). But I guess when you're as old as my mom (92 yrs - and yes, she still lives in her own home), the medical oversight can't stop there. The past four weeks have been a whirlwind of physical therapy, occupational therapy, home nurse visits, personal care visits, and doctor appointments. Tomorrow we go to her orthopedist, where she's wants to get the ok to take off the massive hip brace she's wearing. Let's hope!

Of course, all this has meant that I have had to put any crochet on hold. After the last baby blanket I made, my hands (particularly my thumbs) were complaining loudly, so I decided to take a little break and try my hand at a beautiful counted cross stitch butterfly. I now realize how important it is to be AWAKE when you attempt counted cross stitch. I do believe that I've messed up part of the butterfly. I decided to put it aside and practice with other simpler counted cross stitch projects, hoping that these will get my brain in gear for the butterfly.

The Wire Whimsy kits are copyrighted 1995. Could it be possible I bought them THAT long ago?!! Anyway, I think I was in Joanne's after Christmas one year and these were on sale for 75 cents each (normally $4.49), so I picked up eleven of them. They have been very patiently waiting in a box for me - with a couple of other projects (that I haven't touched either) to keep them company. So far I've managed to finish the one Santa. I didn't like the stars on his goodie bag so I didn't include them, but I do want to put something on the bag because it looks a bit plain. I'll figure something out, but suggestions are welcome.
 

                                                         My version of Santa


When I was packing for the trip, I wanted to bring some yarn with me but just got the hooks in the suitcase. The plan was for me to stay until Mom got the brace off (6 to 8 weeks), and packing for such a long stay is daunting! Anyway, I packed the yarn and the suitcase ended up two inches too large. If the airline wanted to get picky they could've charged me an extra $200. I chose not to risk it.  The yarn had to be left behind, but I brought all the cross stitch ornaments.

I broke down, though. I am going through a severe crocheting withdrawal (yes, really!!!) and I couldn't help myself - a company offered $1.99 shipping and I ordered five skeins of #1 lace yarn. It's Lion Brand Amazing Lace, and I'm so hoping I won't be disappointed. The reviews were good - keeping my fingers crossed. I already have at least two patterns I want to make with the yarn, so I'm ready!

At this point things are up in the air as to whether I'm going to stay here with my mom or go back to CA. Much depends on how well she can do for herself on a daily basis. My SIL has been a Godsend - taking care of the shopping and driving her back and forth to appointments - but that's the limit for her, considering she's still running her own family. I still have another month to go, so we'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, I'll post when I can - and as always, Happy Crocheting!