YAY! Who doesn’t love Halloween? It’s basically the best holiday ever! I’ve been crocheting lots of new ornaments for my spooky tree. They’re being added to my shop over the course of this week. What’s a spooky tree you may ask? It’s almost one of the most fun DIY Halloween decorations ever, and so cheap too. Simply go out into your yard and pick up some dead branches. Then spray paint them black if you want a super spooky look, or leave them natural for a rustic look. Last year I painted mine black but this year I left them natural because I didn’t have a good area for spray painting. Once you have your branches ready just stick them down into a vase or mason jar. I used a mason jar; they have so many uses. 
I got my free patterns from Lion Brand yarn. You can check them out here:
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L0257AD.html
You can see the ornaments in my etsy shop here:
http://www.doodlebumpkin.etsy.com
April 9th 2012 = One of the GREATEST nights of my life.
It started out like any other day. I woke up, showered, picked out the perfect outfit and we were on our way. My boyfriend Hunter, and I were on our way to see our most favorite band ever, Hawthorne Heights. They were playing a rare acoustic show just a few hours away in Cape Girardeau, MO. It was extra exciting for me for a couple of reasons. Number one I’d never been to MO and we got to drive over the Mississippi River which is huge by the way. Number two I was toting around a super special crocheted plushie of JT Woodruff (lead singer of HH) and I absolutely could not wait to give it to him. I had worked so hard on it trying to get it to look just like him.
When we got there we were surprised to see a huge line down the block waiting for the doors to open, luckily we had gotten our tickets in advance. Since we bought our tickets online we got to be at the front of the line. Upon entering the building we both had to show ID and I got my hand X’d. It will probably be the last time I ever have my hands X’d at a concert since I’ll be 21 in June. I also had to pay a $3 fee for being under 21. I thought that was pretty sucky. :/
The club was pretty cool, other than the whole $3 minor fee. The name of it was Pitter’s. They had a food truck vendor parked on the street that they kept promoting. I thought it was a little strange because the truck didn’t open for business until 10 pm. The food looked really good but I was too excited to eat. I’d seen Hawthorne Heights 4 times before but this time was gonna be super special because I had the plushie to give to JT. I originally planned on making the whole band but business on my Etsy shop had picked up and I didn’t have enough time to make everyone. It was okay though because JT was the only one I saw after the show.
First some local guy played, he seemed really nervous and had to chug 2 beers just to get through his set. I don’t remember his name but I didn’t really care for him. Plus he sang about the 7/11 convenience store in almost every song he had. Then Sandlot Heroes came on and they were AWESOME. I even bought their CD after the show and had them sign it. After them Mark Rose came on. I didn’t really know anything about him but when he came on stage he explained that he used to be in Spittlefield. He was pretty good but his music was really mellow compared to Sandlot Heroes so the crowd wasn’t really feeling it. Everyone was talking through his set and I felt really bad. I danced around and took lots of pictures of him to try to make him feel better. 
After him it was time for Hawthorne Heights. By the time they came on basically everyone in the crowd was wasted and falling all over each other; It was actually really embarrassing. JT opened up with a quote about life. It was pretty deep. He said something about how you shouldn’t spend your life worrying about stuff. I tried to remember it because it ties in great with my life right now. I even repeated it about 100 times in my head. I was going to text it to myself but I didn’t want the people behind me to look over my shoulder and say, “Look at that girl she’s such a freak she’s writing down every word he says…I bet she has a crochet plushie of him in her purse.” haha. We were at the front, right by Matt. Matt was playing a keyboard and he was super skinny compared to the last time I saw him. Micah was on the other side of the stage playing a super pretty sparkly blue guitar. JT of course was front and center with his guitar. Eron wasn’t there though. I’m not really sure why he wasn’t there and I forgot to ask JT when I met him. They also had another guy named Mark playing with them and it was his birthday. Some drunk girls from the crowd yelled some slurred obscenities at him. Even Corndog, their merch guy got on stage and played guitar with them for one song. They sounded really good. The acoustic was super cool, but I felt like I was missing something. I just wanted them to play a hard song so we could all dance and jump around. They promised next time they come back they’d play a regular show. My favorite was when they played “Gravestones.” I was actually surprised that it ended up being my favorite because Skeletons isn’t really my favorite record by them.
After their set we asked that Mark guy if we could have the set list and he said yeah. Then I asked him for a guitar pick and he gave me one of those too and we headed for the merch table. We sat at a table and waited for the line to die down. It practically killed me to wait, especially when JT was standing right there meeting people. Finally, it was our turn. I was so scared and it suddenly dawned on me…what if he thinks I’m a creeper for even making this? I almost didn’t give it to him but Hunter told me it would be fine. I gave it to him and he LOVED it. He immediately showed Corndog and I took a picture of him with it. Then he gave me a hug. It wasn’t like one of those normal fan hugs like with one arm while cheesin’ it for the camera. It was an honest to goodness hug. It was great. Then I got a picture with him and he signed Hunter’s set list. When we asked him to sign the set list he said “You got that set list huhhh” and it was kinda funny how he sounded haha. And then we left. We totally forgot to sign up for the license plate guitar giveaway and I was so mad that I forgot. But it was okay, I still had a great time.
Later that week Hawthorne Heights posted this photo on their Twitter. It’s so cool to think that something I made is going on the rest of the tour with them. Who knows where my little plushie will end up. It’s like a little piece of me is riding around in their van. 
Here it is! The long awaited summer hat pattern! I hope you guys like it. Don’t hesitate to ask questions.
This pattern is really easy once you figure it out but I’m not good at explaining things so let me know if you don’t get something. I plan to add some pictures along the way at some point.
You will need:
-H Hook
-Stitch marker (I used a bobby pin )
-Med. weight yarn
Directions:
Row 1: CH 2, 9 HDC into the 2nd CH from hook, join.
Row 2: Ch 1, 2 HDC into each stitch around, join.
Row 3: Ch 1, 2 HDC into the first stitch, 1 HDC into the second stitch ect all the way around, join.
Row 4: Ch 1, 2 HDC into the first stitch, 1 HDC into the next 2 stitches ect, all the way around, join
Row 5-7: continue the increase round pattern.
Row 8: Ch 1, SC into the same stitch as the CH 1. CH 7skip 2 stitches and make one SC. Do this all the way around. When you get to the last stitch CH 3 and work on Triple Crochet into the same spot that you made your first SC into. This will put you in the center of the last net stitch.
Row 9-20: Ch 7, SC into the tip of the next net stitch ect. Make sure you use your stitch marker to remember where you started from. When you get to the last net stitch make sure you only CH 3, then make on TC into the middle of the next net stitch. You can do more or less rows of net stitches here, I like about 20 to make it super slouchy but it’s really up to you.
Closing it up: You may have to use a smaller hook to make the hat fit your head at this part.
-CH 2, DC into the same stitch, do 3 DC’s into each net stitch around, join.
-CH 1, 1 SC into each stitch around for 3 rows.
Drawstring:
-Make a Chain thats big enough to go around your head and make a bow. Then use your hook to wind this through the DC stitches you made to start the brim of the hat.
I don’t know about you, but I am STOKED about Despicable Me 2! The first one is one of my all time favorite movies. If you haven’t yet, you can check out the trailer for the new movie here:
Basically the new trailer inspired me to make this little minion plush:
And I’ve decided to share my pattern with all of you.
You will need:
-some yellow yarn
-some blue yarn
-a teeny bit of grey, white, and black yarn
-I used Red Heart Super Saver in a medium weight. Feel free to use any yarn you wish. (I wouldn’t recommend using a thick yarn though.)
-Size J and Size H crochet hook
-Polyfill stuffing
Abbreviations:
CH: Chain
SC: Single Crochet
Directions:
Arms(make 2):
-Start with black and the H hook
-CH 2, SC 7 into the second chain from hook, join
-1 SC in each stitch around for 3 rows
(switch to yellow)
-CH 1, SC in each stitch around for the next 5 rows.
-Stuff the arm, press the open closed and slip stitch across to seal.
Eye:
You can get creative here, some minions have 2 eyes, and some have one. You could even make one with 3 if you so choose. To make the one large eye like I did on my minion you will follow these directions:
-Start with the H hook and black yarn
-CH 2, SC 8 into the second chain from hook, join
(switch to white)
-CH 1, 2 SC in each stitch around, join
-CH 1, 2 SC in 1st stitch, 1 SC in the next stitch, ect
-Switch to your grey yarn, CH 1, 2 SC in 1st stitch, 1 SC in the next 2 stitches, ect, then finish off
Goggle Strap:
-Using the H hook and black yarn
-CH 3, 1 SC in each stitch across, join (2 stitches)
-CH 1, turn, SC in each stitch across until the strap fits around your minions head.
Body:
-Using the yellow and the J hook:
-CH 2, SC 6 into the second CH from hook, join into the first CH.
-CH 1, 2 SC into each stitch, join
-CH1, 2 SC into first stitch, 1 SC into the next sticth. Continue that pattern for the entire round, join.
-CH 1, 2 SC into the first stitch, 1 Sc into the next 2 stitches. Continue that pattern for the entire round, join.
-CH 1, 2 SC into the first stitch, 1 SC into the next 3 stitches. Continue that pattern for the entire round, join.
-CH 1, 1 SC into each stitch for the entire round, join. (continue that pattern for the next 13 rows)
SWITCH TO BLUE
-CH 1, 1 SC into each stitch for the next 5 rows
-Here you want to take a break from the blue and sew on your arms. I glued on my eye and the goggle strap, but if you want to sew them now is the time.
-Once you have the arms on then you are going to start decreasing. You will now stuff your minion as much as you can while still being able to work the stitches. There is no need to CH 1 at the start of a new row since we are decreasing anyway. You will skip the first stitch, then 1 SC into the next stitch, then skip the next stitch, then 1 SC in the next ect. You will do this for 1 round, then switch to the H hook and continue the same pattern until your little guy is all sewn up. Make sure you stuff as you go.
Smile:
-Glue down either a piece of yarn or a cut of felt. I used felt.
*Finished size should be about 6 inches tall and about 11-12 inches around.
If you are not the crafty type, but you would like to own one of these minions you buy one one my etsy shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/94670148/little-yellow-dude-plushie
Easter is right around the corner! This post is for all you crafty moms (or dads) out there making your own basket stuffers. I made this little amigurumi baby chick plush, and I wanted to make him an egg shell to “hatch” out of. Well the chick measures 3 inches tall by 8.5 inches around and I couldn’t find an egg shell pattern out there that was larger enough for him to fit into. So I took matters into my own hands, and this is what I came up with.
Large Easter Egg Pattern:
(Finished egg should measure about 5 inches tall by 10 inches around at it’s widest part.)
You will need:
-Medium weight yarn (I used Caron Simply Soft)
-Size P crochet hook
Abbreviations:
-CH: Chain
-SC: Single Crochet
-ST: Stitch
Directions:
You will need to use 3 strands of yarn at one time. To do this I took my ball of yarn and rolled off two smaller balls. That way I had 3 balls, and 3 strands to work with.
Top Half:
-CH 2, SC 13, join
-CH 1, 2 SC in first ST, 1 SC in next ST, ect all the way around, join
-CH 1, 1 SC in each ST around for the next 5 rows. (Join each row and CH1)
Bottom Half:
-CH 2, SC 14, join
-CH 1, 2 SC in each ST all the way around, join
-CH 1, 1 SC in each ST for the next 6 rows (Join each row and CH 1)
*On my egg I switched colors on row 5 of the top half and row 6 of the bottom half to make my pink and purple middle stripe.
I hope you all enjoy my pattern. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Okay, okay, okay I know you’re supposed to post these 30 day challenge things over the span of 30 days. However I neglected my blog over the holidays. I know, I’m horrible. Well, here it is…
Day 12: Where do you keep your stash?
Below is a photo of one of my stash buckets. I get those storage containers from Walmart and I usually have 2 for finished products and 1 for yarn. However, I have been staying with my parents in NY (I’m usually in TN for school and stuff) Well anyway, the point is that my room here is the size of a closet therefore I only have one bucket. I also have a couple of those “green” shopping bags from Joanne’s that I keep some stuff in.
Day 11: Do you have a “Crocheting Hero” or someone that is just way too awesome for their own good? Do share!
Yes, I do actually. I love Rebecca Bessette’s work. She crochets, but she also paints and is basically an all around artist. Her stuff is so amazing, I wish I could crochet like she does. I even love the photos she takes for her shop. She sells so much stuff, I aspire to be like her someday. Here is her etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BessetteArt?ref=pr_shop_more
I absolutely love these two items:
