Gifts for older girls
Finished two of these. This is what i did:

Simple Crocheted Chokers
12" length (for best results, measure the neck of recipient and make a gauge swatch. multiply gauge by neck length for starting chain number. any soft yarn can be used if this is done.)
size 1.65 mm hook
size 10 crochet thread, NOT South Maid - it feels too stiff against skin
gauge: 9 sc/1"

Directions:
leaving a long enough tail to sew button on, ch 97
sc in 2nd ch from hook and all the way to end
turning ch 1
sc to end
make total of 3 sc rows
last row can be slip stitch to end for a nice finish.
when get to end, make button loop by chaining to fit around the button and slip st to choker
sl st again to choker
go back and sl st in each ch of button loop and finish off
weave in end
sew on button with tail and weave in end.

Optional:
String on a bunch of beads (5/0 strung easily but smaller possible if you have a dental floss threader to assist) then begin and just place them randomly throughout.

FIXED!
Woohoo! I don't know how, but when my hubby went to look at my site today it was ok. Yippeeee! Maybe I just needed to restart Mozilla. SOOOO relieved.

Finished the kid wristlets except for button. Except...I tried them on the five year old live-in model and...they're too small! By a good 3/4" or so....rrrrr. So hafto dig out those yarn ends or rig up something else to bridge that gap. Have since taken measurements of her wrist and neck.

In case anyone interested, these crocheted motifs are from Lion Brand, Crochet Motif IV Circle in the Square, in some yarn that is like Patons Grace but isn't. I'll go look at ball band later. This stuff is just great for making these small motif thingies with tiny hooks. Really brings out the beauty of the design. My Kikaida-loving daughter loves the color combination.

Carrots pau. Pattern here. On to more fruit or veges. Trying to think of what I can make the fastest. Need more orange yarn if I make some oranges. Modified a dog ball pattern from a kids' crochet book for that.

Sometimes, while in a knitting frenzy, I get this niggling question in the back of my mind: are you crazy? you're knitting/crocheting carrots (or other fill in the blank item)! Does anyone really care that they're handmade? Anybody else ever get those doubts?

Am working on kids' xmas gifts. So here is part of my fourth(?) crocheted carrot. Plan on making food baskets, all knit or crocheted! Sweets, veges, fruits. Will see how far I get before C Day! My pointy sticks and hooks are flying! Trying to work on those things that will get me the most gifts for the time, then will work on the bigger projects (socks), as the deadline is more flexible for those recipients (family vs friends).

Here is purple lion. Her name is Violet, inspired by one of my favorite podcasts Lime & Violet. I like it, the lion, I mean. Even if it weirds my kids out a little.

And crochet motifs for possible chokers and wristlets.


Fast Christmas gifts!

Anyone have other small project ideas for crochet motifs? Ones using only a few motifs at most?

Pau! (finito in Hawaiian)
The purple lion is done and...and...well, see for yourself. I added eyebrows and whiskers. Not cute but definitely interesting. Next project: last-minute Christmas projects!!!!! Oh no, it's just around the corner!

Made a bunch of these crocheted motifs and they just looked to pretty to be lost among a zillion identical ones in a large project so perhaps something simpler and smaller would be more appealing and show off each motif's charm. Things like chokers, with or without beads, wristlets - who says you have to have a watch on that wrist - and I even attached one motif to one of my daughter's plain white athletic ankle socks. She LOVES it! I'd show picture of last but the younger one snatched it and it has run away from view, hopefully not home.

Sorry, computer not reading my camera's memory card. post pics later.

Okay, okay, surfing, surfing, and just found this pic that just made me laugh! So here, not leaving you pic-less:
you gotta ask, what the heck is that wolf doing/thinking? Is that for real? I think it is.

Where yarn?
Okay, okay. Where is the knitting, you ask. The crocheting. The yarn??? I am not comfortable taking pictures of my WIP and usually just wait until I am finished to take pics, but since I gots a blog, may as well. So here is potential birthday present for a three year old. My own munchkin had so much color input, she may claim it as her own, however. Is from a cute amigurami pattern from Roxycraft http://www.roxycraft.com/The_trio_info.htm.

It is supposed to be a lion but i had all this extra purple cotton ease from Lion Brand lying around, and i always like to do the unexpected. And, well, let's just say I'm a hoping it gets cuter when fully assembled. Here is original:


Does anyone know the secret of making cute knit or crochet toy faces? Do ya have to use eye things or can you embroider cute ones on? The flat button thing doesn't really seem to do it.


And here is me crocheting...at the beach!

We went after school today, about 3:30 p.m. and the sky was cloudy but absolutely beautiful. Not too hot but kinda cold once you come out of the water. Late afternoon is a really good time to go to the beach because it is less crowded and the sun is less strong. Especially for us slacker moms who don't always put sunscreen on the kids.

My hubby said the water was very clear and could see schools of fish swimming around his legs. He said they were probably nibbling on skin flakes. Ewwww!