Category Archives: Have made

‘Merica

Posted by jennanana in Afghan, Craftyness, Have made, Projects and tagged with , , ,

Yes, it’s been a while since I posted last. No, i haven’t had a chance to fulfill all of the promises I made in my last post. But I am here to tell you that, five months later, I finished the American flag afghan! It’s a beauty, for sure.  And my Captain America boyfriend loooves it, as does his dog =).

I won’t lie, I finished it over a month ago, but I haven’t had the time or patience to sit down and blog about it. But we’re on the verge of a blizzard right now and I’m in between homework assignments during Spring break, so what the hell.

I got a lotttt done on our trip down to Memphis, because crocheting makes an 8 hour car ride go by a lot faster! Take my word for it….

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The blanket turned out to be a little under 6 ft. long, about 3 1/2 ft wide, so the perfect size for him to curl up with on the couch like he’s been doing every day with it! But he’s not the only one; Midge wanted to stake her claim when I was photographing it, but I sadly had to inform her that it was for Matt.

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Already, my mom told me to make one for my Grandma, and a friend is begging me to make him one, but I’m in no hurry to do that all over again. I don’t even think I can recreate it… I winged practically the whole thing and I’m honestly surprised it worked out.. I mean.. I knew what I was doing the whole time! Not. Anywho, here’s the happy camper with a disgusting smile on his face because he finally got his American flag afghan..! I hope my Midwest and East coast friends are staying warm during the Winter storms! And happy March, everyone =)

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Jenna

Afghan: A Finished Product

Posted by jennanana in Have made, Projects and tagged with , ,

At the end of July I posted about an afghan I was commissioned to make.  Well I made it! I actually finished it a little over a month ago, but haven’t had the time to get around to posting about it.  So let me explain a little bit more about this afghan…

I have a friend in Pittsburgh whose co-worker was looking for someone who could make an afghan.  He sent me a pattern and liked my sample, so a week and a half later I got a big box of yarn in the mail.  I used this pattern from Caron (he sent me a free pattern you would get from a craft store) and though it was a little difficult to figure out in the beginning, I got the hang of it and started cranking out the squares.  I worked on it during most of my free time, and even took it with me on a road trip to the East coast. It took me all summer to make, but it turned out just beautiful! The colors are gorgeous together and, though the yarn was a little cheapy, it ended up being nice an slinky and soft.  So now this afghan has a cozy home somewhere in Pittsburgh and I was able to make someone’s Winter a little more snug.  After I finished it I of course had a photoshoot with it, so here are a few pictures of the finished product..!

 

Yay for completing big projects! This is probably the most time-consuming and most rewarding thing I’ve made, and I couldn’t be happier with it.  If you’re a fellow crochet hooker, what was your biggest yarn endeavor?

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Best Birthday Present EVER?

Posted by jennanana in Amigurumi, Have made and tagged with ,

Maybe not ever, but pretty damn sweet! So remember when  in my last post I mentioned that I had something to share for my sister’s birthday?… Well she had her birthday this past weekend so I can finally show off my gift for her! I’ll preface it by letting you know that my sister LOVES Pac Man.  We grew up with a table top Pac Man machine in our basement where my sisters and I would spend hours playing.  The sounds of Pac Man gobbling up yellow dots and those elusive fruits was always coming from our basement (wakka wakka wakka wakka wakka).  In fact, Krystle is so obsessed with Pac Man that she has the little yellow dude and Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde tattoo’d on her! So when I came across a pattern on Ravelry for Pac Man and the ghosts I couldn’t resist.  I don’t know how I kept it a secret from her for so long and didn’t show her as soon as I finished…

I’m happy to report that she looooves them! Their eyes are kind of wonky  and it looks like they’re wearing skirts, but that’s just the perfectionist in me.. They’re so fun and easy to make, I wouldn’t mind making them again! Maybe a Mrs. PacMan?? Hmmm!!…

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I’m still here! And with a baby afghan to show you.

Posted by jennanana in Have made, Projects and tagged with ,

I have a confession. And I’m probably not the only ‘blogger’ who does this.  Sometimes I wait weeks to post about a craft or project I’ve done. =O UH OH SECRET’S OUT!! Seriously though, I have things I’ve finished months ago that I haven’t posted about simply because either I forget, I neglected to take a somewhat professional photo of it, or I’m just overwhelmed by the thought of it possibly being a very involved post. However! The semester has come to an anticlimactic ending, and I now have so much free time that I’m planning to be more active in my posting.  Wait, did I say free time? Just yesterday I felt overwhelmed with all of the things I need to get done now that I’m not worrying about deadlines with school! This is why I’ve been AWOL from my blog. Library school is way more involved than I could have ever imagined. But the crochet hooker is still alive and kickin, and swamped with summer projects which I need to find motivation to finish.  It always seems so hard to sit down with a skein of yarn and my hooks when the sun is shining bright in the sky and the birds are beckoning me outside. Of course, I can always work on things outside, but who wants to fuss with a big afghan on your lap when it’s 75 or 80 degrees outside?? Not this gal.

Anywho, I recently finished a baby granny-square afghan! Commissioned by a friend to make it for her friend, it turned out ADORABLE. it was just a simple granny square pattern, but the colors go really well together and it was so nice and cozy that I know any baby would be obliged to sleep with it. Granted it did take me a lottt longer to make and put together than I had anticipated. That’s okay though, it gave me something to do while I listened to audiobooks for my young adult literature class =) Lots of people are amazed I can crochet and listen to an audiobook at the same time.. multitasking!

Since my last post, I’ve been busy with lots of projects which I’ll share now that I can shift my attention from schoolwork to hobbies (I promise!) Previews: another granny square afghan that is a whooole lot more advanced than this, a family of beard hats, and a birthday present for my sister!! I’m way too excited about this last one! Stay tuned!

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p.s. I’m starting a new job today at a car dealership. (Is my excitement just exuding through the computer?) I worked as a cashier/receptionist for the last 5 years in another dealership and thought I was getting away from that. But hey, a job is a job right? Wish me luck!

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Posted by jennanana in Amigurumi, Have made and tagged with ,

As a library science student, I obviously love books.  But what I love most is finding fun ways to do more than just read them.  I love to do more interactive activities and find ways to get kids into reading.  My friend Beth has a beautiful baby gal named Brooke and when she came to me and asked if I could recreate her favorite book character, I jumped on it!  The book is Itsy Bitsy Spider by Kate Toms

I haven’t had a chance to take a gander of the book, but apparently Brooke goes crazy over Itsy! So when Beth showed me the cover of the book it looked fairly simple to recreate.  The shape is just a flattened pear shape and the feet, big long tear drops.  I’m so happy with how he turned out! His legs are kind of wonky and dangly, but he’s handsome nonetheless.  I’m  happy to report that Brooke loves her Itsy!  Hopefully she doesn’t love him to pieces…

Itsy and I had a photo shoot =P What is your favorite character you’d love to pieces?

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uhmeeguhroomee

Posted by jennanana in Am making, Amigurumi, Have made, Projects and tagged with , ,

I promise I know how to spell. This post is about amigurumi! For the last year I’ve been seeing these cute crochet and knit animals and things with little faces like carrots, cupcakes, acorns, you name it.  I wanted to make them so baaad! I finally gave it a go with an adorable pattern I found for peas in a pod which I posted about back around Christmas. I made them for my pseudo-sister Jessica as a gift (it took everything in me to part with them..)  Since then I’ve made two more attempts at little amigurumi guys and I have to say, I was pretty successful. Toot toot (me tooting my own horn).

I made a pig for my gramma for Valentine’s Day; she’s obsessed with oinkers.  I couldn’t find the perfect pattern so I based one off of this pig from Lion Brand and tweaked it to my liking. Since posting the picture on my Facebook I had a few more requests for the pig! Someone also asked if I could make a bunny so I used this pattern from Lion Brand which resulted in a wittle wabbit. Next project: an owl.  I can’t wait to get started on a little hooter for my friend’s baby =) So here are a few pictures of the little guys… That amazing backdrop is a huge piece of fabric I found at an antique store for only $2.50 btw!

It’s very tedious to make each individual part then sew it on, and they take a little more time to make than I had expected, but they’re so cute that it’s totally worth it.  Stay tuned for future cuteness!

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P.S.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day! I made cupcakes! ..I wish I could actually send you one through the computer, but you can take my word for it that it tastes delicious. Happy Patty’s day to my fellow Irish folk!

What I’ve Been Doing Lately

Posted by jennanana in Am making, Craftyness, Have made, Headbands, Projects and tagged with , , , , , ,

Since my last post about the beard hats, I’ve been obnoxiously busy with school work and crochet orders, but I’m not complaining. I love hearing feedback about all of the items I make and it makes me smile when someone loves something so much they want one for their own! So I want to take a second to say thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to place an order and bump up my “business.”

I don’t really have anything super exciting to post about, but I do want to show off share the lovely things I’ve been creating lately aaaand brag about my new crochet hooks my friend Nick was so generous to buy me as a Christmas gift (they took forever to come through the mail!) So here’s what I’ve been up to:

My grandma bought me some fun beads that look like berries — Can’t wait to find a cute project for these!

I’ve been dealing with an adorable nuisance while cranking out lots of ginger colored beards for the upcoming South Side Irish Parade here in Chicago

Had a few orders for the “Boho” style headband I posted about a while ago.

Started making and mass producing a new coffee mug cozy that can also be used for travel mugs. I’m obsessed with these little guys!

Finally finished my first attempt at leg warmers. I’d say they were a success! A friend of mine showed me a picture she found on Pintrest (I wish I could link it but I have no idea where she found it!) and asked if I could recreate them. I may just make a pair for myself…

Aaaaaand finally, my new obsession – my new bamboo crochet hooks! Nick bought them for me for Christmas and they finally came in the mail from Singapore. I never knew what was the big deal about bamboo hooks. But, they’re super soft and light weight compared to the metal hooks I’ve been using, and they just feel really nice to work with. Thank you, Nick!

So that’s about it… School work, insane amounts of reading, fulfilling crochet orders, and filling the left over time with friends. What have you been filling up your time with lately??

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I’m a lumberjack and I’m okay…

Posted by jennanana in Am making, Hats, Have made and tagged with , ,

I could only wish to take credit for the infamous beard hats which have been floating around in magazines and websites like SnorgTees.com. About a year and a half ago, a friend sent me a picture of a beard hat and asked if I could replicate it. First I laughed my ass off at the concept of a hat with a connecting crocheted beard and proceeded to tell her “ABSOLUTELY.” I got really excited as I tend to do when I get new ideas, and got cracking on it. I did good.

The result:

Fantastic. BUT after making this style for a long time, I found there were a few things I needed to work out.. 1) The beard is completely attached to the hat and, if you have a big head, it’s not so easy to slip on and off without squeezing the ever lasting life out of your skull and 2) it was just a simple mustache portion that hung straight across. It needed a little more pizazz.. a mustache worthy of the British spelling “moustache.”

After some trial and error, I finally recently came up with a new beard! This time, I added a fancy moustachio AND figured if I only attached the beard to the hat at one end I could sew a button on the inside of the hat at the other end, making it much easier to take on and off. Evolution, people.

But it gets better. What can be better than a full face of lumberjack, you ask? I made it detachable.

VOILA! Presto cabob, I grew a beard-o:

“Cheers, mates!”

Right now I’m making and selling the beard hats as 2 separate pieces (Interested in making a purchase? Send me an email! We’ll talk) so I’ll see how that works out. Maybe if I feel like sharing my tricks of the trade I’ll make a post sharing a pattern on how to make these bad boys! But for now, I’ll share some photos of the famous beards slutting their way around Nashville, TN.  Everyone looks handsome in a beard!

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Knitting Hooker!

Posted by jennanana in Have made, Headbands, Knitting, Projects and tagged with , ,

Fantastic news! Regarding my previous post, I have officially become a “knitting hooker.”  If you haven’t been following me (=O for shame!!) I received a request from my friend Jessica to make an adorable bohemian style headband last week.  First I was going to crochet it, but being that I’ve been wanting to actually make a knit project I found this the perfect opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone.  The pattern seemed easy enough and I’ve had the basics of knitting down pat for some time, but I could just never get over that hump of following through with a project. Finally, I sat down and (…6 hours later) came out with a gray headband.  As adorable as it is, I don’t think I will  be knitting another one for some time.. I think I’ll stick with being a crochet hooker and a small time knitter for those special projects on which I don’t mind spending my precious, precious time.

Drum roll, pleaaase…..

TA DA! And as an added bonus, a headband I whipped up inspired by vintage headscarf-ware.

I’ve already crocheted two headbands like this and they look just as cute as the knit version; they just take about 5 hours less to make! I love the style and they do a dandy job of keeping the ears cozy. Jessica loves hers and reported that it bore the Chicago Winter just beautifully!

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Headbands, Headbands and More Headbands!

Posted by jennanana in Have made, Headbands and tagged with , ,

My favorite winter accessory?: Scarves. My second favorite?: headbands!

Within the last few years I started noticing these adorable knit and crocheted headbands that were super wide and usually adorned with a flower. They’re super cute, and actually very good at keeping one’s ears nice and toasty. Last winter, I was about to buy one, but since I’m one cheap chick I said “Screw that!” and made one for myself! The very first one I made was a simple gray band with a slinky flower.  I joined it together with a button and, VOILA! I had my own fashionable winter headband! Little did I know this would be the item I’d find myself making the most, because, as it turns out, I wasn’t the only gal looking for one of these headbands. As soon as I posted a picture to facebook I got lots of requests from friends and family. Recently I found a new flower pattern which I’ve talked about here a short while ago and started using that on my flower headbands.  After making that first headband I got a little more crafty and creative  and played with more ideas..

SOOOO, I’ve decided to share some of the different wintery headbands I’ve made.  Maybe I’ll find the time to make a tutorial/pattern for some of them in the future.. Here are a few of the wonderfully wintery accessories I love =) They look cute in all types of hair. So now that the cold weather has finally started nipping at us, bundle up and sport a headband; your ears will thank you!

What is YOUR favorite thing keeping you warm this winter?

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