Friday, December 30, 2011

A Tale of Two Floor Mats (W.I.P.)

Once upon a time, there was a store-bought floor mat. 
There was nothing particularly impressive about this floor mat. It's colors were dull, it's style was lacking, and it's overall construction was basic. Nevertheless, it did it's duty and acted as the first defense against dirt in the home and therefore, was in no need of reassignment.
One day, the floor mat met with a substance that required more than a shaking out and a good vacuuming. That substance was.... poop. Who could have done such a thing?? Who would befoul an innocent, albeit unimpressive, door mat?
....


The lady of the house had cleaned such a substance before. After all, with 2 small boys, a dog, 2 chickens, and a kitten, it was a part of her daily routine. Needless to say, she did not faint or shudder at her obligation to cleanse this floor mat. So once a surface cleanse of the offensive substance was completed the lady consulted the final authority to see how she might carry on sterilizing this particular floor mat. She lifted the tag and read the ominous words:

"Not Machine Washable. Dyes May Run"

Oh dear. 
This $8 floor mat had the misfortune of being, of all things, High Maintenance. The lady could not in good conscious trust that the offensive substance was thoroughly sterilized. She could not wash the rug in her  machine for fear of dye running amok. It saddened her that her trusty, cheap floor mat came with such a serious and unexpected flaw. Especially for a floor mat. 

But the lady, being an avid crocheter, knew just what to do. She hastened to her local yarn shop and retrieved beautiful, cotton, washable yarn from the shelves and set to work with her own two hands making a replacement floor mat.
Something useful.
Something sturdy.
Something beautiful.
Something trendy.
Something machine washable.








The lady was so smitten with this Chevron style floor mat and the beautiful colors, she began to take notice of other places her floors needed covering. The area by the front door could perhaps benefit from some grey and magenta. The hallway's absence of a runner in white, grey and black was suddenly a crisis. The lady tried to put these other projects from her head, but it was such a challenge when so much beauty and inspiration was before her. 
The lady, full of joy and pride in her creation-in-the-making, took a moment to photograph it and write up some information about the floor mat to be. She posted the pictures to her online crochet journal so that friends and family might see the new floor mat's progress and be delighted and inspired to create something useful & beautiful for their home as well.
The end.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

The Coffee House Cowl (New!)

Introducing:






I'm thrilled to be designing again! And I'm smitten with this cowl- I LoVe that it's not bulky and hugs in snug to my neck. It keeps out of the way and stays stylishly put. And, hello, did you notice those buttons!! :) I've been hoarding them for nearly a year now. Pretty yellow sunshiney buttons!! And the brown ones (made from coconut, so they say) with the medallion etching? Oh, yes, I love buttons. But I digress....

What was I talking about again?
Oh yes,
Love.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Holiday Orders (Finished!)

Check out all the commissioned orders I made this year!


















I have quite a few more creations that I failed to document, which is the result of finishing things late at night and mailing them out early in the morning. 

What did you make this for your Handmade Holiday? I want to see!! :)

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Wow! (Finished!)

The baby blanket is finished! And in time too, the baby hasn't yet made her debut. Whew! Amy, you now have my permission to have your sweet little Mia. I know that's exactly what you were waiting for. 
;)

 

I hope everyone likes crochet eye-candy because here... we... go!


Since the blanket itself is a bit to take in, I kept the border nice and simple. Nothing fancy, just a half-double-crochet around, skipping where the chain-2 spaces joined up to bring it together more.




Favorite square #1.


Favorite square #2.


Favorite square #3.


Favorite square #4.




Favorite square #5.

Color Info: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease Azalea

Color Info: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease Maize

Color Info: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease Terracotta

Color Info: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease Cherry 
Color Info: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease Blossom

Color Info: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease Berry
(the gray color is Stone)


Here's a better look at my border. Nice and simple!



And I had to take pictures  of Baby Blankie against the blue wall. They look so good together!



The boys tested out it's durability...

 

...snuggleability...


...and general pleasantness and warmth. 


I'm happy to announce that it was baby-approved. 


So, allow me a moment to gush and say: Wow! What a fantastic result to a very fun project! It's definitely resparked my interest in my own blanket WIP. Can't wait to show that one off as *finished*. 

I hope everyone has a beautiful Christmas! I plan to show a sneak peek of another WIP right after Christmas. Be sure to check back then- it's the perfect blend of functional, trendy, and beautiful colors!

PS- I've been awarded with a Liebster award! How fun! My official follow-up post is forth coming, but check out nuresma's blog for the scoop (and learn a little German while you're at it)! Thanks!