Crocheted Creation - Diaper Bag

Unfortunately, this will be lacking in some pictures. Like I think I only have one "in between" except for the final eff up. Anywaaaaay, my good friend Mandy is pregnant (due date in four weeks, eeeeee!) and back when I learned of her knocked-up status, I told her I wanted to get her a diaper bag. Super nice friend, right? Yea, I'm a super AWESOME friend, but not one with HUNDREDS of dollars to spend on a dang bag! And those were on sale.... Soooo then I almost made her a star blanket . Like to the point that we picked out super cute colors and everything!

But why do that? Why make something she KNOWS I'm making for baby Emeline? So I decided to surprise her. And of course waited until the last minute. And little did I know this project would take a REALLY good amount of time. But dang it, I promised her a diaper bag, and I was going to deliver! So out of, I think, the THREE patterns on ravelry that were for crochet, had a picture, and were free, there was thank God ONE that didn't look like yarn took a giant poo. And it was this one: http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/HookedBags.html#materialsMenu

And here is the picture I had to go off of, so you can giggle at some of the mistakes that I made along the way... like the first one being gauge. I was CLOSE to the gauge they wanted. But had to make my own measurements for half of the things after I got the first sides done to make everything work. Oops? Ah well.

SUPER cute right? So in love ♥

So yes. Awesome. I really had no idea how LONG it would take to make two big sides, two pockets for those, a long gusset (and yes, this is the pattern where I learned just what a gusset was. Who knew?!), pockets for the sides, and handles, all doing single crochet, double crochet, single crochet, double crochet..... But it was worth it! Seeing everything start to come together was so great! 

Soon, I was done the sides, pockets, and gusset. Time to start on the handles!!!

We all saw from the pattern picture that the handles are different colors, right?... Yea.... I guess I was a little purple hungry (that was the main color (MC) for this project. The contrast color (CC) was green. So yaaaay I'm DONE the major crocheting! I made the handles! And then I swore. A lot. I mean lots of profanity. Then I learned a fun pinterest tip of using a clothes pin for spare yarn, so I took apart and used on to roll up the rest of the purple yarn from the handles! And I began it in green! Yes, no other way to screw up! I make it, put it all together, and I'm grinning because I'm so happy I made it! It felt weird to hold it the way the handles were, but no biggy, I'm sure it was meant to be that way........

Effffffffffffff

Ok one, ignore the fact that it doesn't have a button yet. That was the last thing I needed! Then I FINALLY realized that I had done the handles wrong. While they were SUPPOSED to just be one length curved up and then back down on the same side, I made one handle go one side straight back to the other. I was MAD. Either way, thank God it was easy to actually unsew it and redo it! An hour or so later, and thankfully with a cute green button, the final project emerged! She liked it, and I hope she realizes that she can throw it in the washer and dryer and it'll come out just as awesome (or it should. I really shouldn't jinx myself on this.)

And that's that :) As much as it takes forever to make, I'm so excited with the simplicity of the pattern and how well it turned out! I can't wait to make another for the next close friend whose eggo gets preggo. :)

Crocheted Creation - Star Blanket

So, a couple years ago, I found the cutest star blanket pattern ever! I loved it! And then I made it. And either the pattern never told me to decrease even time you're in the middle or something, but it was a messed up dead starfish creation. I had my cats sleep on it. And was very ashamed.

But alas, one must move on and try to improve! So I found a non-granny-square-like version of it, called "Beth's Little Star Afghan". A little harder to start off, but my GOODNESS did I like the results! But the cats already had their shameful dead sea star, so I made this one for a friend back up in DC who has what one might called, oh, an OBSESSION for objects with five points.

Tada! (please don't mind the fact that the points are cut off. Turns out I was wobbly standing on another part of the couch. Whoops? Alas, it still makes me smile so shush)

Yay! A star shape! A pretty star shape that I wish gave magical powers like in Mario and came with reallllly fast music when you touched/magically absorbed it into your skin! Alas, just a regular star shaped blanket. I'm pretty sure SHE used this as a blanket for her kitties too! (loves stars and cats, she's pretty awesome).

So even, after washing the shameful blanket enough, I REALLY needed to make a new one. I had used different scrap yarn, so the orange got realllly poofy, the blue looked withered... it was just bad. So I decided it was time to make the kittehs a special, actually from the heart and not from shame star blanket. And how I LOVE it! Even though it doesn't match the decor in the living room at all (eventually I'll make it ALL work), I love love LOVE the colors I chose. I wash it with the lights every week to keep it clean for kittehs, and they love to sleep on it! So alas, a kitteh and blanket montage for your entertainment...

The finished project! Yay!

Peaches kept bugging me to finish it already!

Gizmo's favorite spot to look cute while she's plotting evil schemes with her mustache.

Cuteness, right? 

Next up: well for the star, one to match the decor or one for a baby shower or something. Besides that, I'm working on Christmas Stockings right now! So I'll post about the diaper bag awesomeness for a great friend I already miss dearly, then eventually the hilariousness that will be stockings when I've never made them before and half the pattern has me going, "Ahhh, what? Isn't this supposed to be on the easy scale?!"

-Em-