Happy New Year 2012!!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a great year and hope 2012 is even better!!

Hand Cramps

My hands are killing me! I have been crocheting like it's saving my life or something for the last few weeks and it's catching up to me. I am in a race against time right now to finish up all of my Christmas gifts in time. I can't wait for the holiday to come so I can finally rest my hands... for a couple of days anyway. LOL. I can't stay away from crochet for too long. :) I'm looking forward to sharing all of my projects with you once Christmas has come and gone. I am very excited about some of these. It's killing me not to tell you all about them or to show you yet. I just know it will ruin it for some of the people who will be receiving them for Christmas. Oh well! Guess we all have to wait a couple more weeks.
I would still love to see pictures of all of your completed Christmas or other holiday projects. I would also love to hear what ideas you have come up with. I do have a section on my blog for fan/followers work. I would be happy to share anything you send me on here or even on Facebook. You can send me an e-mail at CrochetCrazyMama@ymail.com or you can contact me on Facebook. Check out the new FB Page! https://www.facebook.com/pages/CrochetCrazyMama-Blog/196370060448021

Gift Ideas?

So what kind of things are you guys thinking of making as gifts for Christmas this year? I love giving homemade things as gifts. I think it's a great way to give unique things that no one else will have. I have a few things I am working on right now and I would love to share what they are but, I have a feeling a few of the people I am giving gifts to might read it. I don't want to spoil it for them! I can say that I am making things that I have never tried before and a few of them are brand new patterns of my own! Aren't you excited?! :D I will be sharing them all once Christmas has passed and everyone has received there gifts.
Any other Christmas ideas? Decorations? Ornaments? I would love to hear your ideas and feel free to share pictures with me. You can send me an email at CrochetCrazyMama@ymail.com , or you can share them on my Facebook page:
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/CrochetCrazyMama-Blog/196370060448021 . Happy Crocheting! :)

Much Needed Update

So I feel like I should apologize for not being on here in so long. I guess everything just started piling up on me with everything that has gone on in my life this past year that I just shoved my blog aside. I even went as far as deleting my wedding blog completely. It was becoming too much to keep up with it, especially with all of the problems we were having with the wedding plans themselves. If you were one of the people following my wedding blog I am sorry to have just vanished like that. We did get married though! :D It wasn't what we originally planned but it happened and it was beautiful! I may write about everything in more detail in a different post for those that are curious about how everything turned out. It will be an easy way for me to share a few photos as well! :)
 I have still been crocheting here and there and maybe once I can get things back on track, i'll show you a few of the projects I have finished and some I am still working on. It's the holiday season and it's always fun to make new things around this time of year. I just really can't believe how long it's been since I have been on here. One thing I can admit that I am very shocked but also very happy about is that I have new followers! :) I haven't been on here in months and I come back to see that I still have people very interested in what I do and what I want to share. That is really really awesome and I thank everyone who has still checked back and continued following me all of this time. I would also like to say to the newcomers... welcome, and thank you for joining! I look forward to further updating everyone on what I've been doing and what my plans are for next year! Until then, God Bless and Happy Crocheting!

Spring Ruffles Baby Dress Set

 This is a beautiful baby dress set I made. The headband and dress are my pattern, the shoes are are a modified pattern by Teresa Richardson on YouTube. I think this is probably the best dress I have ever made so far. I really really like the ruffles along the bottom of the dress. The little flower appliques really add to the overall look. This will not be a pattern listed in the Free patterns section of my blog. This is made with really soft 4-ply yarn, ribbon and ribbon applique flowers. I will be accepting orders for this dress and they will be made to order. We can discuss color options and other details at that time. You can e-mail requests to CrochetCrazyMama@ymail.com.

My NEW Email Addy!

I have created a new e-mail address just for my crochet fans. This way you can ask for help on a project, request something you'd like to see me make, or a pattern you'd like me to review. You can also place orders for things I have made that you are interested in purchasing. I would  love to see pictures of things you have crocheted and I will add them to the new Fan Page section of my blog. I'll even be happy to read short letters just saying hi. :) I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

My new E-mail is : CrochetCrazyMama@ymail.com

Crochet Red Summer Bag

Here is a simple summer bag I designed. It was my first time using the bamboo rings and I found them a little difficult. I like the final look of the bag though. I needed a red bag to match my red summer dress and this will work perfectly! :) I made this using Red Heart brand 4-ply worsted weight yarn and a small amount of scrap yarn for the flower. The flower on this bag is also a new pattern of mine that I will definitely be posting soon. I will try to write up the summer bag pattern for you, as I did write a lot of it already as I made it. When and if I do get it completed it will be posted in the Free Patterns section of my blog.

Crochet "Spring Is In The Air" Purse/Handbag

This is a handbag I made using the butterflies created  from my new pattern. I think it's really cute and girly and would look great with all of your cute spring outfits. This is the first time I have designed a bag like this but i really like it. I used 4-ply worsted weight yarn in 2 colors, metal rings at the base of the crochet straps, and added beautiful ruffles and the butterflies to add to the spring look. I didn't write up this pattern as I was just making it up as I went along. This was a little more difficult anyway so I may not post it as one of my free patterns right now.

An up-close shot of the bag:

The straps do not stand on their own...

The Front:

The Back:

The Bottom:

Crochet Butterflies

Here is another crochet project I have recently come up with. They are crochet butterflies. Butterflies definitely make me think of spring. You can usually spot butterflies fluttering about your beautiful spring flowers too! :) They are made of 4-ply yarn and pipe cleaners. This is my original pattern and I will be writing it up and posting it in my free pattern section really soon so keep an eye out for it! It's a really easy pattern and you can make up a bunch of these pretty little insects in no time at all!

Here are a couple up-close looks at the butterflies:

My First Doily!

This is my very first crochet doily. This is my own design made with regular 4-ply yarn. I've never tried to make doilies before due to the fact they most are made with thread. I have bad eyes so working with such a small hook and thread is hard for me. I also noticed that most doilies look very hard and are for more advanced crocheters. My doily is a very simple design. I didn't quite know how I was going to make it or how big. I just kinda made it up. It's simple, but I like it. I think it's perfect for the coffee table or a small end table. I am probably putting it on my kitchen table with a vase on top. I didn't write up the pattern for this, but I will try to. When and if I do write up the pattern I will definitely share it.

Here's an up-close look at the design of the doily:

Crochet Wildflower Pattern

Crochet Wildflower

Crochet Crazy Mama Original

Skill Level: Easy

Materials: Size H (5.00mm) Crochet Hook

Small amounts of 4-ply yarn in 2 colors

Yarn Needle

Abbreviations Key: 

Ch- Chain

Sl St- Slip Stitch

DC- Double Crochet

HDC- Half-Double Crochet

Directions:

Round 1 - Using first color, Ch 6, join with sl st in first ch. *Ch 5, sl st into the loop. Repeat from * 6 times. You will now have a total of 7 petals. Secure the yarn and tie off.

Round 2 - Attach new color to any petal loop with a sl st. Ch 2, and put 9 DC into the loop. Sl st in space between petals. (This will be in the original ch 6 loop.) Put 10 DC into the next petal loop. Repeat with 10 DC in all remaining petals with a sl st between each petal. Secure yarn and tie off.

Round 3 - Attach first color in any DC. HDC in each DC around each petal. Secure yarn and tie off. You can add a small embellishment or button to the center of the flower if you wanted. Sew in yarn tails and your flower is complete. 

***Terms of use: You may do whatever you wish with the finished product made from this pattern. If you do plan to sell the item, I ask that you give credit to where you got the pattern from. You can NOT claim the pattern as your own. You may NOTsell the pattern itself.

Crochet Wildflower

Here is another "Crochet Crazy Mama Original". I think I designed and created this flower within an hour this morning. Call me crazy lol, but I just had this flower idea with these colors pop in my mind and I had to try to make it. I think it's really neat. It kind of looks like some wildflowers I've seen before so I decided to name the pattern "Crochet Wildflower". I'll be posting this pattern shortly. :) I've been making a lot of flowers lately so i'm planning on changing it up. I have a few more spring ideas in mind and I can't wait to share them with you.

Spring Rose

This is the "Spring Rose" flower pattern by Teresa Richardson. I think this flower looks beautiful. The pattern was easy for the most part. I was confused at first about the shaping of the flower but thankfully Teresa posts videos on YouTube as well because watching the video helped me to figure out the rest of the pattern. I'm still glad I tried this one out although I don't think i'll be trying to make a lot of them. This one was a little too time consuming to me. Very beautiful flower though, excellent artwork! (Find the pattern here: http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2011/03/crochet-spring-rose.html )

Crochet DaffoDil

This is another new flower pattern I decided to try out. It's called the "Crochet DaffoDilly Flower". It turned out to be a pretty big flower but I really like it a lot. It was an easy pattern to do and it worked up really fast. I think the sewing part took the longest. The flower in the pattern was supposed to be yellow but I am using scrap yarn of all colors to make my flowers so I chose 2 different colors to make mine. I think it's pretty! :) (Find the pattern here: http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2008/04/crochet-lilly.html )

Spring Bloom Pattern

Spring Bloom

Crochet Crazy Mama Original

Skill Level: Easy

Materials: Size H (5.00mm) Crochet Hook

Small amounts of 4-ply yarn

Yarn Needle

Abbreviations Key:

Ch- Chain

SC- Single Crochet

HDC - Half-Double Crochet

Sl St - Slip Stitch

*Quadruple Crochet - Wrap yarn over hook 3 times. Place hook into Ch. Yarn over pull through. Yarn over pull through 2 loops 4 times.

Directions:

Center of Bloom: Ch 4, join with a sl st. Ch 2. 1 HDC into the loop. 1 SC, 2 HDC into the loop. 1 SC, 2 HDC, 1 SC. Sl St into the loop. Secure and tie off with tail long enough for sewing.

Row 1 of Petals: Ch 4, and join with a sl st. Ch 4, *Triple Crochet into the loop. Ch 1. Repeat from * 3 times. Ch 4 and sl st into the loop. Repeat for 2 more petals. Secure and tie off yarn with tail long enough for sewing.

Row 2 of Petals: Ch 8, and join with a sl st. Ch 5, * Quadruple Crochet into the loop. Ch 1. Repeat from * 3 times. Ch 5 and sl st into the loop. Repeat for 4 more petals. Secure and tie off yarn.

To complete the flower, sew rows 1 and 2 of the petals together. Then sew on the center of the flower. Shape the petals how you like and your flower is complete. 

***Terms of use: You may do whatever you wish with the finished product made from this pattern. If you do plan to sell the item, I ask that you give credit to where you got the pattern from. You can NOT claim the pattern as your own. You may NOTsell the pattern itself.

/

April showers brings May flowers

One of my favorite things about Spring has always been all of the beautiful flowers. I am allergic to most of them, but I still love how beautiful they are. So what better way is there to enjoy the beauty of flowers without the watery eyes, runny nose, itchy throat and sneezing? Crochet flowers of course! LOL! I sound like a commercial. Anyway I have seen quite a few different crochet flower patterns before, but most of them just looked too difficult to me. Well, I decided to face my fears and go ahead and try a few of them. I was surprised to find out how easy and fun they were to make. I used scrap yarn to make all of my flowers. I think flowers are an excellent way to use up all of your left over yarn and they can be used for a number of different things too.

This one is the "Crochet Marigold Flower". This one is one of my favorites so far. It was a very easy pattern to follow and I think the flower is beautiful. (Find the pattern here: http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2008/04/crochet-marigold.html )

This one is the crochet "Ribbon Flower". I really love this one too! This pattern I found to be a little more difficult for me in the beginning, but once I figured it out I love it! The unique design of this flower is beautiful and I had fun making it. (Find the pattern here: http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2008/11/crochet-ribbon-flower.html )

This is the "Cheerful Crochet Flower". This is a beautiful flower pattern and another favorite. Very fun and easy to make. I will definitely be making more of these! (Find the pattern here: http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2009/05/cheerful-crochet-flower.html )

This is a crochet "Pansy". It's a very pretty flower and I enjoyed making it. It was also a very easy to follow pattern and it doesn't take much time to make. (Find the pattern here: http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2008/09/crochet-pansy-variation-2.html )

This one is the "Radiant Crochet Flower". This pattern was a little different to me. I liked doing it, but it wasn't my favorite. It had a new stitch or two that I had never tried before and I like to learn new things soI enjoyed that about it. Overall it was a very simple flower but still very pretty. (Find the pattern here: http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2010/02/radiant-crochet-flower.html )

Last but not least, this is the "Spring Bloom". This is an original pattern by me. After trying out all of the other patterns, i decided to try to come up with a unique flower pattern of my own. This is the result. I really like it. I did write up the pattern as I went along and I will share it with you in the free patterns section of this blog. it's a layered flower made in three separate parts and sewn together. I think it's beautiful! :)

I enjoyed making all of these beautiful spring flowers and look forward to tryout out a few more new patterns soon. I'll keep you all updated!

Precious Baby Blanket

Here is another blanket I have been working on. I don't really know what I'm doing with it when it's done though. This one is a baby blanket. I found the pattern for this blanket in the book 7-Day Afghans by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. The pattern is called "Rippling Shells". I have changed it up a little to add some texture but for the most part I have kept it the same. I'm really enjoying it and I love the way it looks. I'm about a 3rd of the way done and I'm hoping I can finish it within the next month or two.

Here is a close up of the details:

Popcorn Throw Blanket

I have been working on this blanket for a little while now off and on. The popcorn stitch takes a while so I have to take breaks often so that I don't end up with hand cramps. I'm making it for my living room love seat. It matches  the theme of my living room well. It's my own pattern that I'm kind of just making up as I go along, but I really like it. I just have a feeling it's going to take me a loonnggg time to complete it. I'll have to keep posting my progress as I go. Wish me luck.. I just MIGHT finish it before the end of the year. LOL. :)

Here is an up close shot of the detail in the blanket.

2-Piece Baby Girl Outfit

 I made this adorable little outfit as a baby shower gift for an ex-coworker of mine. She gave birth to her first child, a beautiful baby girl recently. She loves her gift! :)

If the top of this outfit looks familiar, thats because it is made using the same pattern for the baby dress i have made a couple times before. I just changed it up this time to make it shorter to be worn as a top and i decided not to include a flower. ( You can find the pattern here: http://crotiques.com/bgs.htm )  I love the colors in this outfit! I crocheted it using Simply Soft brand yarn in soft pink and off white. The shorts should also be a familiar pattern. They are made from my own pattern for baby shorts. I added a little pink ribbon to the waist to make it even more girly and cute.

Here is my reborn doll modeling this outfit:

I'm Back!

Hey everyone! It's been a loonnngggg time! I have been pretty busy with all sorts of things from wedding plans, birthday party's, holidays and more but now I'm back. I will try to post pretty often these next couple of months to make up for the couple of months I posted nothing at all. I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on crochet projects, but I have some finished ones I can post on and a few i'm slowly working on that I can share with you too.

Spring is here and I can't wait to start working on some new spring projects. Spring is my favorite season. Everything is fresh, new and beautiful! I'm really going outside of my comfort zone lately with everything and trying new things. I'm not going to let the fact that something looks very difficult stop me from trying it out. So I'm pretty excited to learn what new things I can create.

I think I may have mentioned this before, but please feel free to request something you would like me to try out. I would love to try new things and share them with you. I'd love to help you to improve your crocheting skills as I am slowly improving my own. Also, I do take requests to make projects for a small fee. So, if there is something you would like me to make for you or as a gift for someone let me know and we can discuss ideas and prices.

Thanks again for subscribing and reading my blog. See you soon! :)

Granny Square Baby Blanket

This is a cute little granny square blanket I made to match the 7-piece baby boy layette I made. I guess now it's an 8-piece set lol. :) I think it's really cute and goes along with the rest of the set perfectly. I was hoping to get pictures of the set on the new baby when he gets here but we'll see. I'll definitely post them if I do get any.

7-Piece Newborn Boy Layette

I was requested to make an outfit for a new baby boy who's expected to arrive in May this year. If you can remember the beautiful purple and white ballerina dress I made a while back, that dress was for the big sister of this new little boy on the way. :) The request was for a vest, shorts, and hat. I unfortunately could not come up with a vest I was satisfied with and offered to make a short sleeve sweater instead. Since the idea was accepted I went ahead and started the outfit. I used baby blue and white Simply Soft brand yarn. I decided to add little no-scratch mittens and booties to complete the set. I think it is beyond adorable. I had to dress up my reborn to see how it would look and it made me love it even more. I think the mother to be and the new baby will both enjoy it very much.

The hat is my own pattern, the sweater I made using the popular "simple baby sweater" pattern found all over the internet (Changed it up slightly to make it my own), and the shorts are my pattern as well. I changed the shorts up a bit compared to my original pattern by adding an elastic waist rather than a drawstring tie. I think it looks much better and will fit much better also. The mittens and booties were a free pattern I found on http://www.bevscountrycottage.com.

Adorable in Pink

This is the precious little hat I made for my sisters bf's daughter. I think it's absolutely adorable, and it looks even cuter on her. I shrunk down my bear hat pattern to fit a child's head and used cute little pom-poms at the ends of the ties to make it even more adorable. She loves it and so do I! :)

6-point Starghan Blanket

I just realized I never posted this. I finished this almost 2 months ago and it must have slipped my mind to post it. There was just too much going on with the holidays I guess. Anyway, this is the 6-point starghan that I made. The first starghan I made was a 5-point, and I thought I would try something a little different this time. I think it came out really nice. I used some grey-blue and bright yellow from my scrap pile to make this one. It didn't really take me long to make, and would have been done much faster if I wasn't working on other things at the same time. That's just me though, I have a hard time sticking to just one project at a time. Here is where I found this pattern: http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/angelcrafts/patterns/sixpointroundripplebabyafghan.html

I found it very easy to follow and it's the perfect size for a new baby. I'm thinking of selling this one, because I don't have any use for it right now and I don't know anyone with any new baby's at the moment. I think I might make a few more in the future. I've had a lot of nice comments about it. :)