[FINISHED] Cross Stitch Flowers for Mom

So, it’s summer now and it’s ungodly hot.

That’s it. That’s the post.

Oh, you came here for more. Cool cool. Okay, the elephant in the room is that it’s so hot, I can barely stand to knit anything. To add insult to injury, it’s not even just hot, but humid *cue needles squeaking whilst balking against hand sweat*. You’re welcome for the visual.

The view from my parents’ lake house, taken while I pondered test-knitting my friend’s pattern outside, rendering the finished product useless as it will have essentially been used as a hand towel for 40 hours.

The view from my parents’ lake house, taken while I pondered test-knitting my friend’s pattern outside, rendering the finished product useless as it will have essentially been used as a hand towel for 40 hours.

Summer is usually when I maybe knit on socks because those are portable and I like to escape to my parents’ lake house (or really anywhere with a breeze), but I usually end up binging beaucoup books from my TBR shelf with the false hope of reaching my annual Goodreads goal (RIP).

Shocking exactly no one, this year is no different. I’ve finished three books, a couple pairs of socks, and even started on some Christmas gifts, but I think my summer passion for 2020 will be cross stitch. It’s small, it’s colorful, it’s kind of portable (not like I’m working on a HAED any time soon), and it’s keeping me sane in a very discombobulated world.

Or maybe I’m just so annoyed by people who think it’s scientifically possible to re-breathe your own toxins while wearing a mask that I had to stab something 10,000 times. We’ll never know.

And because I can’t just make something without showing it off, I obviously took to making a wee ickle stitch for my mom as a belated Mother’s Day gift.

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I’d tell you what pattern I used, but I really don’t know. It came in a kit and I’m not even sure if it’s one I bought myself or was gifted to me by my crafty friend Erin, who bestowed a few cross stitch kits on me a few years back when I first expressed interest in yet another craft.

Seriously, I needed this hobby like a hole in my head.

The funny thing is, Scott started making this one. He’d seen me working on a Van Gogh piece for him (more on that later) and wanted to stitch a beer hop to use as a pin display. I told him he should start with something small and beginner-level to make sure he even liked it, to which he scoffed, saying it looked fun and of course he’d enjoy it. Five minutes later, once this reached my hands again because he hated his life, it didn’t take long to put a bow on it - I even enjoyed the backstitching - and now my mom has lovely new artwork that’s slightly better than the macaroni art of my youth.

I’ve got a few knitting projects on my needles, including a test knit for my aforementioned crafty friend, but I can’t stop cross stitching, either, and I think I have a major case of Start-itis, to boot. More annoyingly, I can’t stop buying hand-dyed linen from Etsy, so there goes the money I’ve been saving to pay my $4k in federal taxes. You can’t see me, but I’m crying.

I’m also watching a lot of the new Unsolved Mysteries and made the mistake of stitching on something intricate during the French episode with subtitles because of course.

In the spirit of ending this latest update on a positive note, here are some cool things I’ve discovered/have done during lockdown since my last update:

  • Profs and Pints has started to do online sessions, so I’ve learned about the witch trials, cats and feminism, and the women of Hamilton. Each session is $12 and the professors are compensated for their work, which I enjoy while knitting and drinking heavily because this world and the people in it are a waking nightmare right now.

  • Watched almost every video true crime podcaster Stephanie Harlowe has ever published, including 2019’s inaugural Harloween series that covered spooky mysteries. I’ve consumed so much content that I felt like she should be compensated for how much I enjoyed it, so I also backed her Patreon and pretty much nobody hears from me now.

  • Took Scott and the dog to my parents’ lake house in the Poconos and paddled a boat around for an hour, so long story short, Fritzy has an inflatable life vest now and that’s hilarious.

  • Turned 37. Wait a minute, this isn’t supposed to be depressing.

And in conclusion, all parties are COVID parties, so stop doing that.

[FINISHED] C2C Mandala Blanket

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It finally happened. As I binge-watched the third (and final - *whine*) season of “Anne with an E”, I finished off the last block of Scott’s C2C blanket. I literally heard the angels rejoice.

I started crocheting this blanket on New Year’s Eve when we saw a bunch of marked down Lion Brand Mandala at the now-defunct ACMoore (RIP). We picked up four of the only blue cakes left because I thought that would be enough to make a decent-sized blanket.

Hahaha.

We ended up having to buy more and more cakes until finally, this thing weighed in at 12.5 cakes, total.

It’s big enough to more than cover my queen bed, so you know this thing was a labor of love. It also weighs about eleventy pounds and is really warm, perfect for the global warming-induced snowfall we received for Mother’s Day weekend (when I actually finished it).

Scott, however, is super upset because Fritzy has claimed the blanket as his own:

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Mowgli is also a big fan, using it for “making biscuits” every night at bedtime. All of which means I’m probably going to be making a few repairs on this thing until it eventually falls apart in five years.

Project Details

Pattern: I didn’t really use one. C2C is really just a technique that I learned back in college -mumble mumble- years ago, but you can find a lot of tutorials online. Here’s one from Moogly on the Lion Brand YouTube channel.

Yarn: Mostly Lion Brand Mandala, but I also worked in one Caron Cake I had sitting around hoping it would be the last cake needed, but no.

[FINISHED] Boho Crochet Rainbow

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As you can imagine, I’ve been spending way more time on Instagram than I’d like to. I was already addicted to it, especially when it came to looking up new knitting patterns (and staying up-to-date on all the news pouring out of my favorite hashtag = #toefluff [you’re welcome]), but lately, it’s helped brighten my days with new ideas to salivate over and happy, bright colors, too.

That’s how I found a whole slough of boho crochet rainbows people made using a pattern available over at The Stitch Foundry. They were all so colorful and I loved that it had clusters and floofs and other fun design elements that I decided to spend a Sunday night indulging in a wee ickle project for myself.

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As an added bonus, the rainbow has become a) a symbol of solidarity and support for healthcare workers, as well as b) part of the #rainbowhunt (seriously, check out the hashtag if you need cheering up). It should go without saying that I legit needed a rainbow in my window.

Fast-forward, and my rainbow (with all its glorious and tedious fringe) has been featured in an article on the Better Homes & Gardens website. Make sure to check out the post to see all the rainbows people have been making out in the wild.

Project Details:

Pattern: Boho Crochet Rainbow by Sharon Murphy of The Stitch Foundry

Yarn: Literally anything I had laying around. I think most of it was stashed scraps of Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn (that I’m looking for any excuse to get rid of because, well, Hobby Lobby is what it is.

[PATTERN] Mask Mates

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Earlier this week, I promised myself I wouldn’t add to the fray of Mask Mates patterns littering the web right now. Cue today, where I’m spending my evening getting a PDF together for publishing on Ravelry so everyone (maybe?) can enjoy these colorful little stashbusters.

I originally made these for my boyfriend and his parents because they had sewn us some masks. Since it seems like we’ll be wearing those for awhile, and because I’m a sensitive snowflake who can’t handle my ears being bothered more than they already are, the next natural step seemed to be making Mask Mates.

Of course, I immediately took to Ravelry and found a few simple patterns that I didn’t dislike but they didn’t work for us; they still seemed to pull pretty tightly. Plus, although they “worked”, I’m more of a form over function kinda gal and needed something that catered to my superficial needs.

Cue me creating my own pattern that fits really well (for the way we wanted them to fit). It’s based off sizing information Scott’s mom found for fabric Mask Mates, so I worked back from there. I also added a reverse single crochet border for an extra pop of color, thoughtful finishing, and some sturdiness.

The finished size for these guys is approximately 5.5” wide and 1.5” tall

The finished size for these guys is approximately 5.5” wide and 1.5” tall

I’ve made quite a few of these now and am pretty happy with the result. If you find yourself in the market for a quick little project you can gift to friends and family while using a bunch of your worsted stash, then head over to Ravelry and download the pattern for free.

In the meantime, here are the details so you can gather your supplies and get to making:

Terminology

Pattern is written using English terminology

  • ch: chain

  • sc: single crochet

  • hdc: half double crochet

  • rsc: reverse single crochet

  • st(s): stitch(es)

Supplies

  • Worsted weight acrylic or cotton yarn (note: this heavily depends on who will be wearing the Mask Mate; some hospitals require the nurses wear cotton. Make sure to check any requirements before deciding on your yarn).

  • Size G-6/4.0mm crochet hook

  • Two (2) 1” buttons

  • Sewing scissors (for cutting yarn when done)

  • Tapestry needle (for weaving in ends)