Gramma Cookie's Solid Granny Square for KAS

My father's mother was known as Gramma Cookie, and she passed away about 12 years ago.  She was a nurse, and she also sewed and crocheted.  She wasn't around when Knit A Square was formed, but I know that she would have sent a square or two to South Africa to help the AIDS orphans and vulnerable children there. 

This granny square design is in her honor, with the sample square done in her favorite color, purple.  I'll add a step by step photo tutorial later.  This one works up really quickly - you can bang out a few of these a day, if you have the time.


Love you and miss you, Gramma Cookie! XXXOOO

Gramma Cookie's Solid Granny Square
















See the free pattern at the KnitASquare forum.

You can personalize the pattern by alternating stripes of color around, or even using different variegated colors to make it super colorful.  You could also switch up the stitches each round by switching between dc, hdc, and sc.  I would not make any stitches longer than dc, to keep it tight and warm for Knit A Square.

Japanese Amigurumi Books

Ok so have I told you that I am absolutely smitten with Japanese amigurumi patterns?! I had first bought Amigurumi Collection 6 from Saucy Louise in Okinawa, and as a birthday present to myself, I've bought five more (Dad's birthday money helped to fund my latest shipment!). The diagrams are easy enough to follow, once you understand the Japanese writing -- had to google that one, lol. I would love to have a translation of all the step-by-step instructions that go along with. I was looking at Japanese dictionaries at Borders yesterday, and they are quite thick and pricey, maybe next time...

So far, I've made a ladybug, dinosaur, and squirrel from #6, and K. wanted a purple chihuahua out of Ami Ami Dogs 2, so I finished that one last week.

The legs are jointed, so the pup can stand, sit, or lie down, and K. just loves that.

The squirrel is our dog Kari's. :-)

My goal is to make one of everything in each of the Japanese books, we'll see if I can pull that one off, Julie/Julia Project-style! In between everything else I've got going, of course...

Knitting and Crocheting for Charity

I have been blessed with so much in my lifetime. Sure my family struggles sometimes like everyone else does, but overall, we have so much more than many others do in the world. I'm working on some charity projects, and I'm hoping to encourage others to do so, as well. If everyone gives a little of their time and talent, the world would be a better place. Come on, we all have yarns we bought and didn't end up using, wasting away in our stashes -- they could be used to make preemie blankets for newborns in the NICU in the hospitals, or hats for the needy who will really need them this winter, or simple knit or crochet squares that will be made into blankets to warm the abandoned children in Africa.

I've found Stitches from the Heart and His Hands Ministry thanks to the generous folks at the Lion Brand Yarn website, charity search page. While looking for some knit and crochet hat patterns, I found Knit-A-Square. Coincidence? I think not! God works in mysterious ways. We just need to listen to Him.

Check them out, or Google for other charities that call to you, search your heart, and take the time to make a small difference. Even one person can help change the world! :-)

Cakes for tea time

I saw LionBrandYarn's pattern for frosted donuts a couple of months ago, and knew I had to make some for KJ's tea set. She also wanted me to make a piece of cake, and when I was googling for a pattern, I came across these patterns for mini cake sachets - so I made one, added a bottom, stuffed it, and voila -- a two-tiered pink icing topped cake. Of course, KJ wants all the cakes on the site, so Mom's back to work on those... I'm still looking for a good pattern to crochet a slice of cake, but I might end up giving it a go on my own... Yummy!

Lucy's crochet bags

One of my very favorite blogs to visit is Lucy's at Attic24. I love her love of color, and she has amazing patterns that she has posted for us crochet-aholics. I had to make her crochet bag for myself, and our youngest KJ wanted one in pink and purple (have I told you they are her very favorite colors yet?!), so here are both.

Some schmuzzies are peeking out of KJ's bag, those little devils ;-)

Mew

Our son S. just turned 9 years old, and his gift choice was for Mom to make him Mew. Of course, he wants me to make him EVERY Pokemon, but I asked him to prioritize please! Thanks so much to Biz for sharing her pattern!

Gotta make 'em all!

Hello Kitty!

Here's my first Hello Kitty for little KJ! I love the blog patterns posted by Armina, I'll be making probably every one she has on her blog.

Dinosaur

Made this dinosaur for my little guy S. He was the second pattern I tried from the Amigurumi vol. 6 book I bought online from saucylouise over in Japan, when I bought my Hamanaka Raku Raku hooks. He's larger than I thought he would be, but S. loves him!

Widget

I finished Widget at the end of April, she's more an ami pattern than Wubbzy was. I've started Walden, but have put him on the back burner for some other projects that have come up. My dh laughs at me and mostly rolls his eyes, because I can't seem to just work on one thing at a time, I always seem to have several going at the same time!

Grumpies

A grumpie for my grumpy gal M...

Free pattern at suncatchereyes.com

Creepy Cute Crochet - robot

After the Twi-DVD release night, I went back to Borders and picked up the few ami books they had there. One was Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden. The figures are cute, though my heads turn out way smaller than the photos -- I must be doing something wrong. Well, little lady K. wanted Mommy to make her the robot, so here he is. I did fudge the head and widened it a bit, and it fit in the helmet way better.

Knock off imitation marshmallows!

Ok so I did get to make some, but not as many as I had hoped for the kiddos. Three chicks and six bunnies aren't too bad -- I sent one to my Executive Director as an Easter treat for her, lol. Chick pattern and bunny pattern. Thanks for posting. Make bunches for next Easter! They are quick, fun and oh so yummy! Maybe I'll get to make the felted nest next year, one for K. and one for myself -- I'll have to hide mine away from her, of course! :-)

Easter amis

I wanted to make special Easter amis for each of our kiddos, I had grand visions of making lots and lots of eggs, chicks, knock off imitation marshmallow chicks and bunnies -- and it just never happened. :-( Maybe I should start now, for next year -- after I get through this year's birthday and Christmas presents first! A hooker's job is never done, I'll tell ya! lol

Ok, K. got the traditional Easter bunny ami, made with Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Yarn!" so it's nice and soft. Here's the pattern - thanks to Britainy at craftymummy2two for sharing! Her arms and legs were tough to do, being so thin, but at least I didn't have to stuff them! I'm happy how she turned out, she's very cute and K. loves her.

S. wanted a blue bird when he saw the yellow one I had made, so here he is, perched on the Death Star shelf in his room. Someday, I'll finish the trench lines on the Death Star and post those pics - what I really did this Spring break! But that's another story.... And the pattern is here. Thanks to Hannah for sharing it!

For M., being a teenager, I wanted to make her something more edgy, so found this pattern for an Urbis - love it! Of course, now I have to do a pink and purple one for K.! It's on my list!!! Here's the pattern, and thanks to funkyflower for sharing it!

I might have to make her a cheerleader Urbis -- I'm still in search of the perfect pattern to make a cheer critter in her school colors...

Amigurumi World - eggs and chicks

For Easter, I made some eggs and chicks from "Amigurumi World," as well as some knock off imitation marshmallow chicks and bunnies (see separate post above), and some plain eggs. K. appropriated them all, of course!

Amigurumi World = 2 new amis

I made two more amis from "Amigurumi World - Seriously Cute Ami," pink bunny and a purple turtle for K. Did I mention that purple is her favorite color? She still wants me to make all the rest from that book, and oh yes all the animals from the other three books I just picked up at Borders, so she will be keeping me busy for just a bit!

All My Ami - to date

A friend asked how many ami I've done so far, and I had trouble trying to count them in my head, so here they are all pictured here, minus the 7 Cub Scout Bear heads in progress, the 5 schmuzzies for Scotty, and my large project that I can't post yet, but safe to say it's almost 60, in less than 2 months. Yes, I'm ami-sessed! :-)

In the immortal words of Jack Skellington, "Confound it all, I love it though!"

Seriously Cute Ami

At the Twilight DVD release party, M. and I were waiting impatienly and reading some books while we were there eavesdropping on the Twilight quiz that the other revelers were participating in. I found the book "Seriously Cute Amigurumi," and had to buy it. The turtle is for our son S., and the mouse and baby lion are for K. She has since requested that I make all of them, the babies and mommies and daddies too. I'm still trying to get my Cub Scout Bears done for our May meeting, so we're in negotiations!

Gnomes

Mr. and Mrs. Gnome are done, thanks to the pattern I bought at Roxycraft.com. Mine are taller and not as squat as the sample photo that comes with the pattern, not sure why. They're cute though, and of course little K. has claimed them, and I'll need to make myself another pair!

Bella has hair!

So our daughter M. and I went to the Borders DVD release party for Twilight -- and that inspired me to finally try putting hair on Bella - it's a bit thin, though I used 2 skeins of floss, it's long so I will probably redo it and use 4 skeins next time. Also crocheted her a head band, as she wore one in most scenes to keep from looking like cousin It with the extra hairpiece she had.

Leprechaun Hat

Here are the leprechaun hats I crocheted for myself and for our youngest, I also made one for our son. Modified Debbie's pattern a little, as the last row on the crown wasn't working right for me, and I think they turned out cute! I've since added some more shamrocks to mine - the more, the merrier!