Here lies my last post of 2011. This week I’m hunkering down to get some deadline projects in order so that I can enjoy next week with my family. We here at Casa Permann wish you a wonderful holiday season. May you have plenty of time for friends, crafting, and cookies. See you in 2012!

<3 Linda, Paul and Freddie

I spent a long Sunday (off!) making these crochet-covered tape measures, and I absolutely love them. I may write up a pattern for these later, but the basic idea is to crochet 2 circles that are roughly the size of your measuring tape and whip stitch them together over the tape, leaving about 3 stitches un-sewn where the tape spits out. Then, crochet a flower and sew it to the cover along with a button. Actually, if you’re smart, you’ll embellish the cover BEFORE you sew it to the tape, ask me how I know! No matter, it’s just a  bit more fussy but totally doable. I also made tiny leaves to sew to the end of the measuring tape for extra  cutenes, and to prevent the end from ever sliding under the cover. I was totally inspired by the adorable measuring tapes from Lantern Moon, but by making them myself using yarn and buttons I already had kept the costs very low. I used Amy Butler’s Belle Organic DK for the yarn, in case you’re wondering. It’s a great wool cotton blend, and of course I like the colors.

I also flexed my beading muscle (long languishing, that one!) by making stitch markers using flexible stringing wire from Beadalon. Fold the strand in half over a knitting needle (I used size 10.5) to size the loop and slide on a crimp bead. Crimp the bead to secure the loop, then add some light weight beads and another crimp bead. Trim the tails and voila! Simple, but time consuming. A perfect project for sitting in front of the TV, I think.  I love these markers for knitting (and had the foresight to make some for moi!) because they won’t snag. As lovely as many stitch markers are, I worry about them snagging my work, and I don’t think these will. It was much fun to put colors together that I might even whip up a few sets for the store…right after I write the tape measure pattern, finish the deadlines swirling around in my head, relax for the holidays and take the dog for a walk.

I think the coolest thing about our swap is that without saying anything to each other about it, many of us decided to make our gifts this year. I got a beautiful tatted bracelet from Wendy and a hand woven spa cloth and handmade soap from Debbi. I love that we all used our special skills–it is SO rare that I get a handmade gift, and I neither tat nor weave (though I hope to one day!), so it was extra cool to get gifts made using those techniques. Thanks ladies!

One thing I can show you is another wreath. This one is a small 10-incher. Me and Tammy (my LYS owner) went hurriedly from store to store to try to find enough wreath forms for my class but I guess there was a run on them! So I ended up with a 10″ wreath, and my students got their pick of 10, 12, and 14″.  I used some blues and purples for this one, along with some pretty ribbon that I’ve been hoarding for a while.  I am  not as in love with this wreath, mainly because I brought a different yarn than I’d planned on using to cover the wreath. Whoops! Still cute, though, and I think it’s out of my system for now.

I’m also making some small little gifties for a special group of ladies, and I’m quite pleased with how they came out. Freddie helped by keeping the yarn warm. I kind of wish I’d made a fifth thing-which-shall-not-be-named for myself, but oh well. I know I can make one any time but chances are slim that I’ll do it now that I’ve mass produced the set for gifts.

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In other news, I wanted to mention that a select few of the twenty-four patterns in Little Crochet are now available as individual e-patterns! Perfect for those of you who only wanted to make one pattern in the book, you can now purchase a select few patterns on Amazon,  Barnes and Noble, or wherever E-books are sold. The following patterns are available*: Soft Owl Pillow, , Hooded Capelet, Sunshine Blanket, Sweet Daisy Sundress, and Stripe the Giraffe. Enjoy!

*These are affiliate Amazon.com links. There’s no easy way to see the whole group, so I thought I’d list them.

And, I’ve chosen the winner of the Softies book. Go to that post to see! There were a LOT of great tips in the comments, so if you like to make amigurimi, be sure to read through them. Thanks to everyone who commented!

First, I wanted to share this FREE pattern of mine: the Pill(ow) Popper, courtesy of Caron. The pillow is made with a few skeins of Vickie Howell’s Sheep(ish) and it was pure fun to design it. Vickie requested wanted a retro modern pillow and the yarn is so smooth and has such strong stitch definition that I knew I wanted to do bobbles. I also knew I wanted to start in the middle, for two reasons. One, I like to avoid foundation chains as much as the next hooker. Two, I know *a lot* of crocheters don’t swatch (tsk tsk!!) and this way it’s easier to stop when you achieve the desired size for your pillow–this one is sized for a 16 incher. I started with the whole thing being bobbled but quickly realized I would run out of yarn, so I futzed with it and came up with this rendition, which I absolutely love. I like that the bobbles create these diagonal lines that are punctuated by the tuft of the grey crocheted button. Make this one, it’s fun and inexpensive and fun and fun. And if you like bobbles as much as I do, be sure to check out my Artichoke Hat and Cherry Cordial Scarf pattern PDFs.

In other orange news, I may have started something over at Yarnivore. I think my coworker (and knitter extraordinaire) Wendy has gone over the crochet edge making birdies using my Bird Mobile pattern from Little Crochet (see more info on how in this post). She showed me all of her birdies at work today, there are at least 20 of them and they look GREAT! She said she got about 11 of them from one skein of Noro Silk Garden sock, including tassels and winding off bits of less desirable colors. I would stage an intervention soon except that I’m thrilled that my evil plan is working and have no problem with her hooking away. Plus, she still does plenty of the knitting. Be sure to check out a few of her sock patterns on Ravelry (I’m told there are more to come!).

And for my last update on the orange theme, I’ve been trying to gain speed on this can’t-tell-you-about-it-just-yet tang orange project (made with the wonderful Cascade Pure Pima, delish!) but every time I get going this happens.

In case you’re wondering, this is closer to the true color of the yarn.

Side snorgler view. It’s a good thing he’s cute, but dang, I feel like my productivity is definitely suffering. Oh well. It’s hard to say no to him.

What color is on your radar right now?

Here comes Santa Paws.  I basically crocheted a doggie-size cowl with a cape that buttons around his belly. So, there’s virtually no sweater on the bottom (less dirt, and more belly-rub access) and he can keep his arms warm by placing them against his body.

He just ran outside in it, totally proud and unaware that all of the other dogs are probably making fun of him (and me)!

Today we went to two Thanksgivings, one in Austin and one here in San Antonio. We’re thankful for our families, our health, and our new little pup, among other things. I’m also thankful for Thanksgiving- making the above pies reminded me of how much I like to cook!

I’m also thankful for you, crochet fans! Now through Saturday, 11/26 at midnight, get 25% off of the patterns in my Ravelry shop with coupon code: FOODCOMA. You do not need to be a Ravelry member to purchase, just be sure to enter the code before you check out (if you click this link it should already be entered for you–then click “view available items” to get to the shopping).

And, please remember to support small businesses (such as your local yarn shop) as you shop for the holidays. Yarnivore is having a sale from Friday through Monday, with twenty percent off featured yarns. Great for last-minute gifts or to treat yourself for being nice all year!

For this wreath (ravelry link), I ended up using Brown Sheep Burly Spun in Fuschia to cover the form and crochet one of my favorite ornamental edgings. Then I went to town on flowers and leaves, using my free Autumn Leaves pattern and the flower patterns I teach in Crafty Crochet Embellishments, modified to have 8 petals. Of course, any flowers and leaves you like will do. I used a variety of yarns in my stash: Harrisville Chunky (the pink flower the bird is on, and the large leaf), Noro Cash Iroha (light pink flower), Anzula Cricket (the leaves and flower with hand-dyed tonal variation that goes perfectly with the birdie), and Stitch Nation Full O’ Sheep (the purple flower). I also started a blue and white rendition, and you should have seen the MESS I made trying to dig out and mix all of the yarns. I loved every minute of it….but I didn’t love putting it all back in its place.

I even blocked the flowers before I sewed them on, which I thought I should show you so that you believe me. I actually used every last T-pin to spread out all of the flowers and leaves. People always ask me if they should really block things, even after I’ve spent several sentences explaining the benefits. “But what about afghans? And small things? And acrylic? Is it really worth blocking them?” Yes, in my opinion, it really is. Try it, and you’ll see. There is no harm in trying.

If you’re in San Antonio (or nearby), I’d love you to join me in making a wreath at Yarnivore on Saturday, December 3rd from 3-5 PM. Classes are always more fun when they are full, because we can share our ideas and stories as we crochet. We’ll even pick up the wreath forms for you if you sign up in advance.  I’ll also give you free patterns for all of the flowers and leaves I used, and I’ll probably save my blue/white wreath assembly for that day. Hope to see you there!

This wreath took about an hour to make. It’s not hard to do (it’s pretty much the same technique as  my Embellished Flip Flops), just tedious. I changed the edging to shells for mine, and I want to add some flowers or other pretty things to it soon. The way things have been going lately, I knew I better sit down and do it the minute I bought the wreath form, or else! And yep, it’s been sitting on my table for a week waiting for the finishing touches…just as soon as I get through my never-ending pile of deadlines. Mmhmm. Yeah, I didn’t even weave in the ends yet.  Oh, and I used Brown Sheep Burly Spun (way less than a skein–the remains are in the ball in the pic) to make this– here is  my ravelry page for slightly more details.

If you’re looking for more quick and fun holiday decor items, you might want to check out some of my free (old, but free!) tutorials–Autumn Leaves and Sweet and Simple Xmas Ornaments.  I just found a baggie of the leaves I made a few years ago when I was cleaning out my craft supplies, and it made me smile. Oh, and I can’t forget my Turkey Day Place Cards–from 2007. Eons ago! Still cute, though!

Speaking of cute, thanks for all your nice comments on my puppy post. He’s very spoiled. He  has a hard life, doesn’t he? I added a  new category to my blog: Crazy Dog Lady. You’ve  been warned.

I hooked up two little birdies in under two hours (including weaving in the ends). I spritzed them to straighten them out a bit and left them to dry overnight. When I woke up, it hit me that the birds needed tassels. In a frenzy–because, it was completely necessary to finish these before I went to work–I ransacked my bead drawer and found some random beads, which I strung on a finger-wrapped tassel and attached to the bird. (I still made it to work on time, thanks for asking.). The only other modification that I made to the pattern was to use a D- 3.25 mm hook (with sock weight yarn) and add a 22 chain loop in the center back of the bird for hanging, and I added button eyes, which are easiest to sew on before you crochet the birdies together. I came home from work and made another birdie…and there are more in my future.

I’m teaching the Bird Ornaments as a class at Yarnivore  in November (on Sunday, the 20th, from 1-3 PM) for locals–it’s only $15 + materials to sign up. But even if you aren’t nearby, I’d love to see your variations on these ornaments on Ravelry. I think they would be cute to top off a gift, and my sis has already requested one for her ornament exchange party. Personally, I’ll probably use them to decorate all year–they look great hanging from my kitchen cabinet knobs. And of course, you can experiment with any size yarn scraps or go for more traditional holiday colors. I’d guess that one ball of Noro Silk Garden Sock would make around 8 to 10 birds, tassels included. My finished ornaments measure about 3 1/2″ wide, the ones in the pattern–worked in worsted weight–measure 4 1/2″ wide.

Have fun, and remember–it’s never too early to get started!

As someone who spends lots of her free time hooking for money (hahaha), I always feel kind of bummed that I don’t have time to make anything for anyone. But this year I did manage to squeeze out handmade gifts for a few people, hooray!

First off is this knit hat I made for my brother Mark. He requested one two years ago when I gave them to Paul and Jasenn, although he totally forgot that request by the time I gave it to him. It was an unglamourous presentation. He was staying over at our house and I basically kicked him out of his room on Xmas morning so I could search for it, having just remembered that I made it (because I made it very early in the year). My knitting skills have improved vastly since I made this hat but it looks good and he likes it, score!

I also made some mittens and a hat for my nephew. Alpaca might not have been the smartest choice for an almost three year old but what the heck, I wanted to spoil him. I made the mittens about a month ago but the hat was a mad dash at the last minute, just hdc with some post stitching around the brim. It all worked out though and he now thinks I have superpowers. He found a plastic ball in the yard a few days ago (must have been thrown over by the neighbors) and kept saying, “LaLa (that’s me) made it!”. It’s very cute that he knows I made the hat and he kept asking for it, even though, let’s face it, TX is a bit warm for alpaca.

I was also finally able to deliver this shawl to my grandma. I finished it a while ago but had been waiting to block it and sew on a label (basically one that says “Don’t Steal Me, Jerks!” so I got it in gear just in time for the holidays. This is actually a very early prototype of a design that you’ll see from me sometime in 2011, although you won’t recognize the finished result based on this one. I think she liked it, but she was having a lot more fun playing with Tegue.

I hope you all had a nice holiday. If you read this and you’ll be at TNNA, please say hi if you see me! Hopefully I’ll have ditched my trail of kleenex by then.