Gettin' Crafty

It's been a while but I'm back, at least on Youtube! Make sure you check out the new video and smash that bell to get notified of when I post new videos and go live! 

 Hopefully, this will be short and sweet. If you are an Amigurumi Queen/King, you should know these tips: feel free to skip this blog or add on if I miss anything, which more than likely, I will. Looking at the very first amigurumi I completed made me realize that there are some things that I need to point out. The first thing about these stuffed things is that you will be crocheting tighter than you've been taught to crochet. It makes sense because amigurumis will be stuffed with cotton/polyfill/whatever you're gonna use to stuff these babies, and you shouldn't be able to see the stuffing.  If you're not used to crocheting that tightly, your hands and fingers will hurt after a while. Take many breaks. The next thing to know is use your stitch markers! I hate to yell but trust me: you will need those markers. More than likely, especially the ones that I've worked on, you will be working in a continuous circle and it's easy to lose count. At least for me, it is.

 (I'm only bombarding with posts because I know that it will be another three months before I remember I have a craft blog...) Mario Brothers Mushrooms Found In :  http://wolfdreamer-oth.blogspot.com/2009/05/mario-brothers-mushrooms.html Hook(s) Used : G/6/4 mm (Susan Bates) For : Whoever Started : April 15, 2015 Finished : April 15, 2015 Yarns Used: RHSS- White RHSS- Cherry Red RHSS- Black My first amigurumi and I didn't do too well on it. Nevertheless, there you have it: a Super Mario Bros mushroom! My next post will be a small tip about amigurumis so look out for that one. You don't need that much black, only enough for the eyes. And because I can't sew to save my life, my white "circles" came out horribly. When I posted this on Deviant Art, a buddy challenged me to make even more and have a little army of these guys! I should make that one of my New Year's resolutions... This mushroom was kidnapped by the youngest niece so there's no telling where

  Chilly Nights Hooded Cowl Found In :  http://katiescrochetgoodies.com/2014/09/free-easy-double-crochet-cowl-pattern.html Hook(s) Used : K/10.5/6.50 mm (Susan Bates) For : Self Started : *shrugs* Finished : March 20, 2015 Yarns Used: Caron Simply Soft Party- Purple Sparkle Yes. That horrible yarn makes its appearance yet again. Also, my ugly mug. I'm a horrible model! But I was trying to show how versatile this cowl is. I want to say that this was a fairly quick project, I may have wasted a couple of days on it? I can't remember. As always, I have plans on doing this one once more but in pink for one of my besties.  Hmm... Christmas is fast approaching. I might need to get to it... Happy Hooking and Stay Safe!  

  Easy Listening Ear Bud Covers Found In :  https://www.allfreecrochet.com/Organization/Easy-Listening-Ear-Bud-Covers Hook(s) Used : D/3/3.125 mm (Boye) For : Self Started : .... ?? Finished : March 19, 2015 Yarns Used: Caron Simply Soft Party- Purple Sparkle So, here's the thing. I was going through my Ravelry account and using that as a reference as far as these posts. The problem is that I have other projects that I've completed not on Ravelry, and the only pictures of said projects are on Deviant Art. This is one of them. I'm certain that this pattern didn't take me long at all and possibly started it the same day I finished. Also, I'm not so sure about the size of the hook that I used. Remember that horrible party yarn? Yeah, I had a lot left over and decided to try to use it up. This picture is trash so you can't really see the sparkle. Maybe a little. Regardless, this simple project gave me fits because of the yarn, alone. I provided a link but be warne

  Granny Square Lapghan Found In:  https://www.allfreecrochetafghanpatterns.com/Lapghan-Patterns/Crocheted-Granny-Lapghan Hook(s) Used : I/9/5.5mm (Boye) For : The oldest niece Started : December 2014 Finished : June 22, 2015 Yarns Used: RHSS Multi/Print- Bikini RHSS- Pumpkin I have a tendency to buy yarn that draws my attention as far as the colorway. Bikini did just that. I want to say that I started on the blanket because it seemed simple enough and I loved how the pattern started to look with the yarn. Then, my niece saw it and claimed it as hers. I couldn't say no to a then 3-year-old (I can't say no too much to the now 9-year-old and her 4-year-old sister but that's another story...)! So, the first skein that I used was around 7 oz and was a regular Red Heart skein. I ran out and it was such a hard time to find more because the local Joann had run out. I had to order the other skeins online but they were considered kids. They were way softer and 5 oz each skein. The P

  Ruffle Party Scrunchie Found In : Self Pattern Hook Used : G/4mm/Susan Bates For : Self Started : March 24, 2015 Finished : March 24, 2015 Yarns Used: Caron Simply Soft Party- Purple Sparkle Let me tell you about this dumb yarn. But first, the back story!  2015 was a blur because me and my sister-in-law were at the height of our partying ways. I want to say that we were celebrating her birthday all week long and got absolutely trashed one night. Because Wal-Mart was 24/7, that's where we headed afterwards, and drunk me is a compulsive spender. I purchased the Xbox One and four skeins of this stupid yarn, being egged on by an equally drunk sister! To credit, purple is one of my favorite colors so there was that. This yarn is gorgeous, no lie. The problem is that the "sparkles" are made of thin nylon? Whatever it is, it tends to snag on the hook which makes for a very frustrating time. Loved how the colorway came out, hated the labor in producing things. So, I wrote down

  Just a quick reminder that I'm going through a slight revamp of my blogs. I want to dedicate this particular blog to my crafts, which will include crocheting and cross-stitch; maybe one day, knitting.  Currently, I have 4 blogs: one for my crafts, one for my writing, one for my every day, boring life, and a shared one with my BFF about our life living with diabetes. I will try to keep things separated because some people may not want to hear about what goes on in my life, or my struggle with writing. But  if you want to follow all of my blogs, I'll be happy! J Linz- Author J Linz Life Type Two to Tango Happy Hooking and Stay Safe!

 Not even gonna apologize for the bombardment... Diagonal Shell Slouch Beanie Found In :  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/diagonal-shell-slouch-beanie Hook Used : K/6.5mm For : Self Started : Feb 12, 2015 Finished : Feb 12, 2015 Yarns Used : Red Heart Super Saver- Royal RHSS- White RHSS- Heather Gray Unfortunately, this pattern is no longer available digitally. I can't remember exactly where I found this pattern and I've gone through all of the patterns I've saved on my computer and crochet bookmarks. I can tell you that it was finished in an hour, maybe two so it was at the time, the easiest hat pattern I had worked. The problem is that back then, I had no idea how slouchy hats worked and stuffed all of my dreads inside of the hat. I complained that there wasn't much slouch and now: duh, Jay- you wore it absolutely the wrong way! To be fair, that makes me not a slouch hat fan and I prefer regular beanies. Anywho. Happy Hooking and Stay Safe!