WIPs and UFO's

This is an owl purse that has been waiting to be completed for way to long.  I made 6 or so and this one never got competed.  But stock in the shop I sell them in has gotten low so I have to finish him and make one more to refresh things.

 

My granny purses are still undone!!  

I never ordered the handles and then thy got tucked away in the project tote.  oops

 

 

I did finish one of my owls, but it was for a special order and had a deadline.  

The other 11 have not been so lucky.

 

And last UFO for now my Hexagons.  I need a few more balls of green and maybe a new shade of blue as well to mix in but so far all is going really well and I am totally in love with it.  After this one is done I am making one in red, pink and purple for my niece.

Maybe now this nice list of UFOs I will become motivated to start checking them off the list.
 

Beach Babies

 Spent a morning at the beach instead of at home doing dishes, laundry and crocheting in between.  It was beautiful!  I can't wait till summer.  My little and I took a long walk and then headed to the water to see Papa surf for a bit then we made our way back home.  

The walk out to the water was a little tricky.  Mr T was wiggling to get down, I had the blankets, camera, water and towel.  My hands were full, I needed a bag.  I am sure I have one somewhere I could dig out, but what fun is that.  There are a few balls of cotton yarn I have been holding onto that I got in a huge bag of yarn from a thrift store forever ago.  It will be a fun quick project.  Here are some inspiration pictures.

The last one is my favorite.... oh la la  I can't wait for summer.

And here is another peek at my hexagons after the weekend and my new sunflowers that snuck into my cart while grocery shopping.   

Connecting Hexagons

Here is my attempt at a picture tutorial of how I am joining my hexagons.

I worked a sc on the bottom then slip stitch on top to join each corresponding side.
It ends up looking like an up down pattern.

 Make sure you are joining at the corner, and still doing 2 stitches in the corners.

Wip Wednesday

I started another new project.  I just couldn't help myself.

Geometric Lace is the pattern by BabyLove Brand.  I saw her work on  The Creative Crochet Crew facebbook page and couldn't help myself.  It was so artistic, colorful and in a way non traditional crochet.  Even though hexagons are a simple and classic block, the way the colors are worked together its so fresh and new. 

I made the hexagons a size up from what the pattern calls for.  I plan on making for a queen bed.  It will be lovely.  :)  Here is the growth so far today.  I am also joining them in a slightly different way so really I am not doing so wall at following patterns.  But I will for the lace edging.... I want that the exact same she does it. It just might be the best part!!

 

 My hooks are all baked up and waiting for sandpaper.  

Here are a few tips I learned in the process:

Cane sheets make smoother handles

Make thinner handles, once the clay is baked it can be heavy in the hand.  

I didn't like the handles that go to far up in the hook.  Take the clay just up to the thumb rest. 

Use baby wipes on your hands each time you switch colors.  Especially red.

Parchment paper work better than tinfoil. Tinfoil crinkles up and will make marks on the handle.

And last of all HAVE FUN with it, don't stress over imperfections. 

Polymer Clay Crochet Hooks

 This was such a fun project.  I would highly recommend making handles for your hooks.  It is more comfortable to use and a fun new craft to add to your bag of tricks.  I have never worked with polymer clay before so I watched a video to get an idea how its done.  I had quite a few blank hooks to practice on and I wish I had more.  I just might have to get a few more to cover.  Just don't tell my husband ;)  I use my 5-6 mm hooks the most.  But wouldn't mind having a few smaller hooks to keep in my stash for more intricate projects.  

I started off with simple polka dot patterns.  I used the method in the video then made small balls of clay and stuck them on the handle and rolled the hook to flatten the balls out.  Simple and actually really cute.  Then tried my hand at swirls and marbling.  I rolled out a few snakes of clay then swirled them together and put them stuck it on the hook.  I was happy with them but wanted to really do something using the cane technique.   I didn't have a razor blade, so when I would cut into the cane it smooshed it a bit.  But I liked the imperfection.  I was able to do 2 hooks per cane roll.  It was a bit easier to get the clay smooth and even on the hook with the cane method.  For me I liked that method the best.  I have four more hooks to cove and I will be using the cane method for them.  Off I go :)  

Sneak Peek - Weekend fun

Weekend fun

 This weekend I have so many projects in the works.   I cut the liners and have then ready for my two granny square purses.  Finally I have a reason to get into my fabric stash.  It has been completely neglected since I had my baby, and that is quickly coming up on a year. 

I also started some more creature hats.  I live in So Cal, so our winter is pretty much over and summer is almost here.  But I figured the mornings are still cold enough here for a little while that they just might sell.  If not I will have stock ready for next fall.  A dozen hats coming right up!

With summer right around the corner yard work is begging to get done.  I have a succulent garden that too has been neglected and needs a lot of love.  So with the help of some time management and nap time for my little one hopefully I can complete all my mini weekend goals. 

Oh and if I can finish it all I can make my polymer clay hook handles :)  A little extra motivation doesn't hurt.