Inspired Shrug....in miniature.

So after tweeting "Need ideas for my next #crochet project.....any suggestions?" @KrisFisher tweeted back "@ShopUniqueLeeMe a shrug, then share the pattern with me cuz I'm having trouble w/1 I'm wrking on".  Well it made me think of a couple I have seen on youtube and ravelry....I did send her the ravelry link but could not find the one I had seen on youtube.  It was super frustrating because I thought it was a super easy shrug and super cute.

So I decided I would try to recreate the youtube shrug idea and at that time my two year old came up to me wanting to sit in my lap dragging around her mini perpetually naked cabbage patch doll and the idea to create it in miniature was born.

I scrounged through my "last bits" yarn basket to find the brightest yarn possible in hopes that after I made this mini shrug my daughter would actually leave it on her doll.

The shrug in the video was made from a square into a circle but could just as easily be made from a circle to a circle or from a rectangle for more coverage in the back.  First you measure across your back to determine how wide the square will be and crochet out enough chains for this.  You create your square or rectangle to desired size with really any stitch or stitch pattern that you desire.  Heck, you could even make the back from granny squares.

Once you have your square you determine the number of chains you are going to need to create your arm hole.  This is pretty forgiving because it can be as tight or as loose as you want.

Connect your chain like so with a slip stitch and crochet the number of stitches down this side as there are on the opposite side so that your pattern is even and symmetrical. Make and connect another chain with the same number of stitches as your last chain like so.

Now all you have to do is crochet around your shape making it into a circle, keeping in mind to evenly increase as you go to keep your circle flat and symmetrical.

Crochet as many times around as necessary to get your shrug to proper size, don't forget to try it on as you go frequently from the complete armhole chains on so that you can adjust your pattern where needed.  Once you have your shrug to size you can now add your "flair" or decorative edging, tie, buttons, whatever to add your personality like so. 

My only suggestions would be to not crochet this using a worsted weight acrylic yarn.  It would be softer, fall better and not blisteringly hot, and much more comfortable in a soft non acrylic yarn of a much lighter weight.  I would just swatch a few I was considering.  As for the circle to circle shrug, very same concept only you start with a circle, work it out to desired diameter to cover desired amount of back.  Create armholes the same way and continue your circle shrug until complete. 

I hope this has inspired you to try your hand as this simple shrug, even if it is in miniature as mine is.

 

Thanks to my very cooperative model, my daughter and @KrisFisher for sparking the inspiration.

My Unique Twist on Scrapbook Embellishments

So I did something today I have been debating for a while.  I listed my crocheted embellishments.  You may wonder what is so special about that.  Well, I have never seen embellishments like I crochet listed, not to say that you can't find some crocheted ribbon, flowers, or items like that but specifically ones created with scrapbooking in mind.

I know now that I have put this idea out there, that there will be a million and one crocheters to jump on my bandwagon.  Which is fine, but really sucky from a sales and uniqueness point of view.  I want to be the only one who offers embellishments like this even though that is an impossible thought and very unrealistic.  I do feel that ideas are to an extent copied by others and I know I have done this as well but when I know I am the first to actually list something like this on Etsy I do want the credit for it

I know this is a great idea.  I have been struggling with sharing it for a long while now.   I also know that it would probably be beneficial to the scrapbook community if more people took up this idea because it would equal more variety.  It is just hard to part with my baby, my idea.

How to cope when you know that someone is going to in a sense jack your idea and possibly profit from it when you are trying to profit from it yourself? I don't have the answer.

You can view all of my new listings at www.etsy.com/shop/uniqueleeme.com

A Small Sampling of Past Crocheted Assessories and Monster Dolls

I thought I would dig up some items I had crocheted in the past, specifically accessories and monster dolls.  I really don't have any recent items made except the Alien Monster Chicken, my Kindle cover and whatever has been listed on Etsy or FB at some earlier time.  I don't tend to keep much of what I crochet.  It is always sold or given as gifts as a rule so that I don't end up with scads and scads of crocheted items hanging around that I can not possibly use and love.  I live in the Florida Panhandle now....warm pretty much year round so I don't get to use my hats and scarves very often.   : ( I find this sad of course....miss Utah's winters.  Really, winter clothes are my favorite to wear.  I love bundling up and throwing on the hat, gloves and scarves.  Sadly I have lived in hot places the last six or so years.  Not too conducive to bundling.  Back on topic now. 

The brown and golden yellow pull bag (the colors of WMU), was crocheted back in high school around sophomore year I believe.  It is one of the first real projects I had done since I was six and got back into crochet.  I am self taught.  I figured at the time since I was going to learn to crochet again, might as well do some knitting, and tatting too. 

The two scarves by the white handbag with black handles are knit, one in a Tunisian stitch and the other just a sampler of stitches repeated.

The bright red, yellow and white pull bag was made about five or so years ago for my oldest munchkin but my youngest totes her toys around in it when we go out and about.

My favorite scarves are my multi scarves of several colors and stitches.  The mini one initially was going to be a bolero for my eldest girl but I miscounted and it came out a bit too large and so became a circle scarf for me.

The Monster dolls were all made for my girls and they love them to death, really, to death.  I have had to throw out some horribly tattered ones. 

The tentacle hat and faux-hawk hat behind it were created for my husband's short tour to Korea.  They were party hats and I have a few stupid pics of how much fun he had when out and about wearing them while hitting up the bars. 

I rarely use a pattern when I crochet.  I create my own and if I like it, I will reuse it.  That may be because I was self taught.  I used a book that was basically an encyclopedia of stitches, yarns , and hooks to teach myself.  I don't recall there being any patterns beyond some granny squares and flowers.  I am not afraid to experiment.  I have had some seriously bad attempts at creating stuff but they were a wonderful learning experience.  I think I have learned more from the mistakes than from the successes. 

When I sample something, generally I rip it out when finished and reuse the yarn but sometimes I find this hard to do and the samples are slowly being incorporated into a freeform wall hanging my mom has claimed dibs on.  I will have to dig it out and photograph it one of these days. 

Get out there, try something new, and don't be afraid to really screw up.  It is those screw ups that we seem to learn the most from.

Creating the Alien Chicken Monster Doll

I had this great Candy Print Red Heart yarn that my four year old had given me for Christmas that I had yet to play with.  I was pushing my Christmas yarns around in their box wondering what I could make that would be different from all the other WIPs I have going. 

It isn't new for me to create monster dolls.  I crochet them, sew them, draw them and often at the request of one of my young children or a family member or friend.  I was just looking for a new project that would be relatively quick to complete.

The idea sort of came out of no where.  I simply picked the yarn I wanted to work with from my Christmas box and began crocheting, not even really with anything in mind except that is was starting with a circle and away I went. 

My daughters had plenty of input and suggestions for me along the way, some helpful, most not but it is always fun to connect with them through what I am doing and especially fun to see how much they really like my creation and feel that they helped me create it.

I feel my my Alien Chicken Monster Doll came along quite well.  The name is courtesy of my four year old.  She has a fondness for naming all of the monster dolls I create but only gives them a generic name unless she gets to keep them.  So this doll is definitely child approved, both my four year old and my two year old love it, in fact my two year old ran off with is doing some strange clucking noise.  I guess her interpretation of what and Alien Chicken Monster should sound like.

Where did my motivation go?

I am sitting in my craft room/office staring at the herd of pencil topper animals trying to get motivated, heck for anything. I should be cleaning house, working out, making some products, mowing the lawn, anything really, but I find that my motivation has fled the building after a long tussle of words with my daughter about picking up after herself so that I can vacuum.

I know every one struggles to get motivated from time to time. To find that inner spark that revs the engine, gets you to go. I thought I had that this morning. I was ready, with my long mental list of things to do and yeah, I managed to empty and then refill the dishwasher and wipe all of the counters and table down and then came the verbal battle with my four year old to clean up her couch pillow fort and put away toys so that I could vacuum. Some where near the end of that encounter I realized I was drained and all I really wanted to do was crawl into bed with my napping two year old and take a nap myself.

Instead of being tempted with sleep and leaving the four year old tornado unattended to further wreck the house I am in here staring at those pencil toppers thinking that their shelf really could use a good dusting and they may display better if I rearranged them a little. To be honest I would feel guilty climbing onto the treadmill that sits before this shelf just to dust it when I should be using that treadmill to run. So what little motivation was building to dust those poor pencil toppers quickly vanished with the reality that I am merely finding other less important things to do. Ugh! Motivation or not, I must pull myself up and move forward, crossing off those items from my mental list the best that I can.