The “poncho”
After knitting those animal hats for my kids, I wanted to knit something for myself. I started this project back in January and it took me close to 3 months to do. Don’t get me wrong, the pattern was not 
difficult. I just took my time. I made a few rookie mistakes, but overall, I’m happy with this as it keeps me cozy on chilly mornings.
Oh, and thank you to many trusty fold up chair for modeling the poncho 
Pattern: Yarn Girls’ Guide to Beyond the Basics
Penguin
The long awaited penguin that I had promised (back in the Fall) my friend’s child…finally completed in early Spring.
This penguin is definitely better looking than “Hippy Hippo” (pattern from the same book).
Pattern: Tiny Yarn Animals by Tamie Snow
Little Totoro
Here is my crochet version of little Totoro. As you can see, I struggled with its eyes (its got two black eyes).
I crochet this because Deanne and Cecelia were also making one. Both were surprised that I didn’t know the story of Totoro. So, I set out to find the video and watch it…and I did. I watched it with my kids during the Christmas holiday. They loved it!
Pattern source: http://heavens-hellcat.livejournal.com/730.html
The Poke hat
This was my first foray into knitting. Deanne kept telling me that it was easy. I figured it couldn’t be much harder than crocheting the Pokeball (how naive), so I gave it a try. Well, it was certainly an adventurous learning experience. What made this hat challenging, was that I had to knit a hat size that was smaller than what the pattern called for. Lots of time was spent on figuring out number of stitches, when to change colour, etc. This hat ended up being a little too small for Nicholas (just covering the top of his ears).
When I was half way through the hat, Deanne tells me how impressed she is that I knitting at an intermediate level! Oh Deanne…thank you for your faith in me and for encouraging me along.
Deanne found this Poke hat pattern on the Ravelry website (Sasha Knits)
Animal hats
Hats, hats and (no) more hats!
When I was browsing through this book, Nicholas spotted the Hippo hat right away and requested it (something about hippos lately). Sabrina saw me working on Nicholas’ hat and browsed through the book and picked out the spotted eye doggy hat for herself.
After working on the Poke hat, these animal hats are much easier (patterns are suited for child size heads). The finishing reminds me of the finishing work we do on the amigurumi dolls that we crochet.
Thanks to Deanne for showing me this book, Knitted Critters by Jean Adel
My scarf
I’ve been in need of a scarf for some time. On a few shopping occasions, I was tempted to purchase one. As the weather started to get colder, I finally started on my scarf. I thought the colour was too light, but it was one of the softest yarns that I had among my yarn stash (and soft was important).
The pattern called for tassels, but I’m not a fan of tassels, so looking a little plain, I decided on a shell edging (with inputs from Dea and Cec). The flower was an after thought that added colour and a personal touch. This is my very first handmade “wearable” piece…and it was completed right before the snowy weather hit us (perfect timing).
Pattern idea: Hooked on Crochet by Candi Jensen
Crochet bracelets
I wanted to crochet something for Sabrina’s birthday goodie bag. But with time running out, I finally decided to do something simple for her little friends. The Poke bracelet idea was inspired from the Pokeball (I just couldn’t mass produce them in time for the party).
A recent perusal through my stuff and I came across the pattern that gave me the idea for these bracelets. They came from a book by Kristin Spurkland, Crochet from the Heart.
Little Chick-a-dee
After having mastered the Japanese Magic Ring (and crocheting two more Hearts), it was time to move on. Since I made something for Sabrina (the sunglass caddy), it was only fair to crochet something for Nicholas (my 4 year old). I had initially attached the hat on his head, but Nicholas liked him more without the Santa hat (something about the Santa suit that frightens him).
Pattern source: Holiday Chick from Pepika’s website
“Bunno” the Bunny
Affectionately named by Sabrina, Bunno is shown here with another of Sabrina’s bunny friends.
Initially I thought this variegated yarn would look great on the bunny. While I was crocheting this project, I flipped back and forth on my yarn choice. After completing it, I think a solid colour would have looked much cuter. I found that my bunny’s ears are a little too stiff and will use a looser tension the next time around.
Pattern source: Lion Brand Yarn website
Sunglass caddy
While I was stalled by the Magic ring, I was still eager to try out my crocheting skills. So, when I saw this book “Kids Can Do it Crocheting” from a book store (hey, remember, I’m a slow learn…so starting at kid’s level seemed appropriate for me) I bought it right away. The sunglass caddy seemed straight-forward enough for a (adult) beginner like me. Sabrina, my 7 year old, loved it.
Thank you Cec for your help with Photoshop.
The “Heart”
This is my very first crochet project from my sessions with Cecelia (our crochet “mentor/advisor/teacher”). What began as a casual visit turned into a crocheting session. During the course of that evening, Cec taught us how to make the Japanese Magic Ring and started Deanne and I on the Heart. I finished the heart at home and later attempted to crochet another. I got very *frustrated* and lost many hours of precious sleep over the Magic ring. Cec finally came to my rescue and emailed me a link that I found very useful (I was pulling on the wrong yarn to close the loop). Yes, I’m a slow learner.
Sabrina asked me to crochet two more for her friends.
Pattern source: http://www.pepika.com/free-patterns/heart.htm
Pokeball
My niece is a Pokemon fanatic, so I made her this Pokeball for her birthday.
I modified Deanne’s original pattern a bit, using other books as reference on how to crochet a round ball. I went up to 36 stitches. As I didn’t like how the decreasing stitches looked, I made two halves and stitched it together.
Hippy Hippo
I was purchasing yarn when Nicholas grabbed this color and insisted that I get it. When we got home, he wanted me to make him a hippo.
I sewed Hippy’s (name given by Nicholas) head with the clear thread. But the way Nicholas plays with him, Hippy’s head migth soon “bob” off. Nicholas has ditched his beloved lamb and is currently favouring Hippy.
