Sand Dollars 7-29-15

Ive been painting on Sand Dollars lately.. I sent some up north to be on display and sale up in the Farmers market in Waldport... The ones on the bottom are ones Im working on currently.. not finished but i started them...

Back to working on my Kelly dolls for upcoming Toy Drive for Christmas 2014. This will be my 4th year.
Thank you to all who donated the small dollys, I so look for and people who donated time and helped me make outfits while i went for surgery to heal my hands, I am now able to say my hands are working... and Im back at it.

Recently went to the Dollar Tree Store and a lightbulb went off with making TuTu's for Kelly. It seems all the lil girls who like to play with this small doll, all love TuTu's. I see the children all wearing them. So I've looked and looked for something I could turn into a TuTu. I found it at the Dollar Tree. They have these fluffy/curly hair-ties for girls and ones that worked for the neckline. I found thin flannel receiving blankets and made the body suit from skinny tubes sewn and closed up by sewing a small stitch in the crotch.

June 21st 2014, Barbie easy make clothes.

Well It June 2014 and I've been absent  because of Hand surgery, bone removal and non use of hands. I am now proud to say I can use my hands again, limited but they are getting stronger every day. So my first project for the toy drive is dressing Barbies.  I didnt stop buying cheapo Barbies at the Goodwill where i can get a bag of 12 for 99¢, used but cleanable. If not, they become my models. I buy Barbie's lil sister Kellys same way or look for donations. Then I clean them and wash their hair gently and get all the tangles our and make them smell a whole better. 
So also I found a bunch of bags of these stretchy elestic fabric headbands thinking I would keep the long hair out of my eyes and my grand-girls. We all hated them.. So i got this great idea for the barbie. I shall make them tube tops.. this is easy, you can do this too. They also sell these type of headband at the Dollar tree or drug stores. In all colors. I already made two tiered skirt before surgery.

So i made 3 from each headband.. by sewing on the machine inside out. some have to be double sewed so you can cut between them. See Photo and get a neat idea.

November 20th, 2013.
TIS THE SEASON and I'm recycling those 5,000 plus used and unused Christmas cards I bought as a folly for pennies.. Tis time to get it done. made from two used Xmas cards. I ofund a pattern off Pinterest, my favorite crafty site, search for recycled Christmas cards and see what you find!
**Also my first bunch of Kellys in their packages went out the door yesterday to one charitable organization.**

widgets May 24, 2013

Love this widget  on the left with the cat
http://sachsenrose.blogspot.nl/2011/10/verschiedenes-gewerkelt.html

 studying widgets now. bear with me.... see bottom of blog for the Suzy cat.. so cute
UPDATE: she removed the cat that was so cute but her blog is sweet.

Micro Knooking May 3rd, 2013

I became interested in Knooking (knitting with a crochet hook and a satin cord) because I needed  to be able to knit and couldn't teach myself. Knooking offered a way for me to call it knit. But I have small 4 to 6 inch dolls and Hittys, so the ones they were offering in Walmart or JoAnns were way too large... I needed one for fingerling yarn or string even. 
So I thought up this:

I had my dh go to the shop cause i knew he would never let me use his tools *wink, one way to get him involved...* and flatten one end with a vice of a size 10 metal crochet hook and the same for a size 7.
This is what he came back with... wow wonderful! So I also had him make one of those metal caps that go on the ends of a Crochet hook. This is so I can change the size of my knook hook.
this is the photo of what he made

This works for what I needed. add a smaller diameter satin cord or something that not only fits thru the hole but also when you transfer the work in progress loops over the string double.
I experiment with all kinds of loop cord or thread and right now some lacing.

So i will give you a pattern for my SHAWL for Hitty...

Start with a LOOSE crochet chain of 40. 
turn and first row. I want you to pull a loose loop through each chain and leave on the base of the hook like this below:

 then gently pull onto your cord.

* Turn and 1 set of 2 loops, condense and make one loop and then make a loop for each one until the end and take the last two loops and make one. 

Pull out the cord from 1st row and put the new loops onto the cord.
turn and repeat to *
It will decrease as you go.
When you get down to the last three loops on hook so a Single crochet.

I like to make a hdc around the whole project. with my regular cro hook seen below in photo in which i found on YOU Tube instructions to make those fimo handles to relieve some of the death grip one gets during too much crocheting and causes of hurtful hands after time.
Below are some of the projects i have made  doing the crochet Knook method and a combo of each. Anywhere where it straight, like the skirt of the dress or pinny, I use the knooking hook.