I can make things!

Wow! It's been almost a month since I last posted. Hard to believe, especially since I took the month of February off work.  I really needed it -- besides some health problems (which are why I had the month off) I just need to be home and nest.  I spent my first three weeks sleeping and the last week saying "OMG -- I go back in a week!"

My month off wasn't a complete waste (besides the whole "getting better" thing) -- I learned to crochet!  I had crocheted a bit as a child but never got into it.  I've always wanted to knit but have recently decided that it's just not for me.  I have great intentions but no ability to actually create anything other than a scarf which slowly tapers into a point. 

I saw some cute little animals to crochet on this site and bought myself a crochet hook at the Dollar Store and scavanged some yarn from my mom.  The first thing I crocheted was this:

What is it, you ask?  It's, uh, a wrist band/bracelet, maybe a coffee cup cozy?  It's really just me practicing stitches then sewing a button on them.   

Then I made this hat:

A circle for the top then the sides crocheted on.  I think I did the top wrong but oh well!  I find it boring.  I'm planning to embrodier some evil daisies on it.

Next came a bag.

Don't you love the 70s colours?  Who knows how long Mom had this stuff hanging around.  It's a wool blend and I love how the varigated yarn turned out on the sides.  I "designed" this on myself, based on these bags from Ikea.  I'd hoped to have enough to take the sides to the top of then handles (I made the front and back first) but I ran out and there was no more in the stash.  I did have enough to make the flowers on the front, as I thought it looked a little bland. 

Digging through the stash I found some pretty baby yarn so I made this blanket.

As you can see, it has a pattern stitch rather than the straight single crochet of the others.  I really enjoyed making this, even after I discovered that the four balls of varigated baby yarn were all different!  I mean, I planned that.  Totally.  

Check out the edge -- figured that one out myself.  This will be a baby gift for one of Aaron's co-workers.

Then a special guy needed a hat.  A blue hat.  We found a pattern but it required a chunky yarn, which I didn't have so I used two strands of regular yarn -- blue and grey. It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

That twisty stitch is on purpose.  Took me a while to figure out the pattern.

Where are the animals that originally inspired the crochet?  They will be coming . . .