Variation on the "Little Angel"

When coming up with the pattern for my Little Angel dress, I wondered what it would look like as a top for an older child.

Not a bad idea, if I do say so myself.  The Princess loves this top with all its textures and holes that are the perfect size for poking with her grubby little grabbers.

Crocheting for a Cause: Little Angel Dress

I'm not sure if y'all are aware of this or not, but I work in a hospital.  This information will become very useful in just a minute...stick with me.

One day during the summer, one of the chaplains came to me with a request.  Some women at a local senior center knit and crochet buntings and clothing for the infants who pass away in our OB/neonatal wards, and the yarn is getting expensive. 

From my office, I publish a classified listing of sorts, comprised of ads placed by hospital and health system employees.  It's kind of like Craig's List, but without the creeps.

This chaplain asked me if I thought we could put a wanted ad in this listing, and - of course - I said yes.  I also mentioned that I crochet and asked what kinds of items our pastoral care team is looking for.

I found out that the senior center ladies have been making primarily buntings for the departed preemies, but there has been a lack in newborn sized outfits.

You see, part of the grieving process at our hospital includes dressing the new baby and spending time with him or her before having to say a final goodbye.  The outfits are then given to the parents as a keepsake...a small token of their baby that they can take home with them.  Our pastoral care team tries very hard to make sure that each of the outfits is special, and they prefer to have them hand-made.

The problem with this is that if the outfits were to be purchased directly from crafters on Etsy or through another avenue, the cost would be extremely prohibitive.

So I asked if I could help.  Chaplain D was so excited, tears popped into her eyes.  Since this summer, my mom and I have been crocheting newborn outfits and donating them to pastoral care whenever we can.  Mom's making little boy outfits that are absolutely adorable, and I've come up with one dress so far.

I'm calling it the "Little Angel."

This photo shows the first three I donated to our hospital's pastoral care team this summer.  I'm playing around with my methods a bit, trying out sleeves and more length...hoping to come up with something that would be suitable as a christening gown.

If any of you are interested in crocheting or knitting for charity, I'd like to suggest contacting your local hospital to find out if their pastoral care team is in need of anything.  In addition to this particular situation, cancer caps and prayer shawls are donated on a daily basis at the hospital where I work, and I know the recipients appreciate every last one of them. 

You may also want to find out if your local hospital, senior center or church takes yarn donations for projects like these.  This is a great way to clear up some room in your stash, and you'd be helping someone else in the process. 

To date, I've collected over one thousand skeins of yarn for the ladies at the senior center...and I'm looking forward to graduation so I can spend some more time with my hook in hand.

Custom Kitties on Etsy!

Hey, y'all!

I've had tons of people asking about the kitties I made for my pal in OR, so I thought it'd be a good idea to put up a custom order listing in my Etsy shop.

Check it out and let me know what you think. And, ya know, if you wanted to order one, I s'pose that'd be okay, too.


Happy Friday!
~One Crafty Broad

The Whole Kitten Caboodle

Editor's Note: This post was originally entitled "The Whole Kitty Brood."  My mother-in-law pointed out the fact that I missed out on an amazing pun opportunity, so the title has since been changed.  :)

If you can't tell by now, I'm kind of proud of these little guys.  Here's a family picture, taken just before they left on their long journey home.

Good luck, guys.  I'll miss you!

Amigurumi Kitty Friend: Beige

Here's the third and final kitty in the brood that will be traveling across the country to live with their real life counterparts.  He's based on K's beige kitty, and I think I love him.  Just a little.  No, really.  I'll be okay when he moves on.  There comes a time in every momma's life when her kids grow up.  It helps that I know he's going to a good home.  :)

Like his brothers, this little guy stands about 6" to the crown of his head and is hand-crocheted using acrylic yarn.  His mouth is hand-embroidered using floss, and he has safety eyes and nose.

My kitties can be custom-ordered in any color combo.  Let me know if you're interested!

Amigurumi Kitty Friend: Calico

Here's the second kitty in the brood I'm trading on Etsy.  He's based on K's calico real-life cat.

Like his brother, this little guy stands about 6" to the crown of his head and is hand-crocheted using acrylic yarn.  His mouth is hand-embroidered using floss, and he has safety eyes and nose.

My kitties can be custom-ordered in any color combo.  Let me know if you're interested!

Amigurumi Kitty Friend: Orange

A friend recently asked me if I'd ever made an ami kitty.  I hadn't, but I was willing to give it a shot!  Here's my first attempt, very cleverly named Orange Kitty:

Not bad, for a first attempt, if I do say so myself.  This little guy stands about 6" to the crown of his head and is hand-crocheted using acrylic yarn.  His nose and mouth are hand-embroidered using floss, and he has safety eyes.

The really cool part is that this friend has an item I'm in love with on Etsy, so I'm trading her three kitties for some of her beautiful work.  All of the kitties I'm sending to her are based on her real-life cats.

This guy can be custom-ordered in any color combo.  Future versions will also feature safety noses, because - frankly - they're cute and I don't particularly enjoy embroidering noses.  The design will likely evolve a bit as I get more used to working with it, but the general idea will be based on this little cutie pie.

Lacy Bedspread: Part Two

Hey, y'all!

Remember the bedspread project I mentioned last month?  It's progressing fabulously.

61 squares and counting...that means only 29 to go before I can start piecing it together.  I can't wait to see what it looks like on our bed!  Here's hoping the rest of the project goes as smoothly as what's been done so far.

You can count on pictures later on (for now, I'm a little limited since my PC crapped out on me)...just trust me when I say it's gonna be gorgeous.

~One Crafty Broad

Whiplash

Okay, so I have this problem.  I know I can't be the only one...I just know it.

All I really want to do, like all the time, is crochet.  My problem is my (lack of) attention span.  I start projects with the greatest of intentions only to find myself excitedly chasing after some newer, shinier project when I'm not even done with the last great thing yet.  Seriously, people, I've got whiplash here.

And so my house is becoming a graveyard of sorts, where the unfinished projects go to die.  I'm hoping this trend of overwhelming inspiration eventually gives way to a calmer time, a time in which I can nurse these poor unfinished projects back to health and display them proudly as finished pieces.

But for now, I gotta admit...it is kinda fun. ;)

Still Here

Holy crow, y'all...life's gettin' all busy and stuff, and I don't feel like I have a spare second to crochet at the moment, let alone post pictures of anything I might complete.  Bein' a grown-up sure is fun.

Rest assured, though, that I'm still here.  These next two months or so are bound to be hellish with the completion of my AS degree and gearing up for the holiday season at work, but I'll do my best to post as often as possible.

And in the interim, I'll still be here, breathing in and breathing out...probably into a paper sack.  ;)

Fatty Handbag: Cottage

It's been a while since I posted a new Fatty bag.  I know y'all are probably sick of lookin' at my purses, but that's the beauty of being the administrator of the blog...I get to pick what you see and when you see it! ;)

This is one of my favorite color combos thus far:

  

The entire bag has been lovingly constructed by hand using 100% cotton yarn with bamboo handles.  The finished product measures approximately 7" high (not including handles) by 11" wide by 6" deep.

Buy it on Etsy!

Amigurumi: Momma Squirrel

This momma squirrel is sweet, cuddly, and just a bit mischievious. She likes to explore the house when no one's looking, and her very favorite thing to do is torment dogs.

I made her completely by hand using acrylic yarn, embroidery floss, safety eyes, and polyester fiber filling. She stands about 6.5" tall to the top of her head, and 8" or so if you count her poofy tail. Her pretty little face measures almost 4" wide at the cheeks.

Adopt her on Etsy!

Stop On In

I've been working very hard recently on beefing up my Etsy shop.  Stop on in and have a look, won't you?

Lacy Bedspread: Part One

It may be hard to believe, but up until this point I have never constructed anything from motifs.

I found this so odd that I figured it was time to bite the bullet and go for it.

Here's the square I've come up with. It measures just over nine inches wide and is worked with a J hook using Lion's "Pound of Love" worsted-weight acrylic yarn in Antique White.

I figure it will take 90 squares to make my queen-sized bedspread, and I'm working on #23 as we speak.

Even cooler? My momma has decided to help me, so this will end up as a multigenerational family project.

Stay tuned for updates. ;)

Tickled Pink

Over the summer, I decided to embark upon a seemingly monumental task: the creation of my first sweater.  I finished it in early- to mid-August, and today is the first day it's been cool enough in northern Illinois to sport it.

So sport it I shall.

Amigurumi: Little Bunny Rabbit

She's so stinkin' sweet, don'tcha think?

This little girl is entirely handmade using acrylic yarn, safety eyes, embroidery floss and polyester fiber filling.  She stands between 4" and 5" tall, and she's eager to make new friends.

Adopt her on Etsy!

Happy International Crochet Day!

Holy cats, y'all...I think I have me a new favorite holiday.  Welcome to Monday, September 12, 2011, also known as International Crochet Day.

What am I doing to celebrate?  After work this evening, I'm planning to cuddle up to my yarn and hook and make square upon square for the bedspread I started this weekend.  Any reason to crochet is a good one in my mind.

How are you going to celebrate?  Here are five fabulous ideas to get you started:

5.  Yarn bomb something.  Anything.
4.  Call your pals.  Get together.  Crochet.  Talk.  Laugh.
3.  Looking for inspiration?  Try ravelry.
2.  Grab a hook and some yarn and see what happens.  This is how some of the neatest stuff is made.
1.  Whatever you do, for the love of Pete, CROCHET.

Amigurumi: Little Koala

I am in love with this face.

This little guy is entirely handmade using acrylic yarn, safety eyes, embroidery floss and polyester fiber filling.  He stands between 4" and 5" tall, and he's eager to make new friends.

Adopt him on Etsy!

Clyde

My bestie, T, has a thing for monkeys.  That said, there was really only one thing to do for her birthday this year.

Everyone, this is Clyde.  Clyde, I'd like you to meet everyone.

The Princess's Pink Top

Just a little somethin' I've been tinkering around with lately...

She likes to poke all the little holes with her fingers...this shirt is a stimmy wonderland.  ;)

K's Totoro

My sister-in-law asked me a couple of months ago if I could make a Totoro for K-Bear's third birthday.  Her party is tomorrow, and this happy little guy just can't wait to jump out of his packaging and make new friends.

It's my understanding that Totoro creatures are, by nature, outdoorsy types.  He seemed a little nervy about going into the packaging that K will rip him out of, so I took him outside for a little bit of frolicking beforehand.

Totoro had a great time romping around in the garden, and now he's excited to move on to his new life in Ohio.

Good luck, Totoro!  Take good care of The Bear for us.  :)