Happy Halloween

Vintage Halloween Post Card, originally uploaded by riptheskull.

Amazing Russian Crochet

Found this site that shows tons of Russian crochet or should I say their interpretation of what American's call Irish Crochet.  Sorry I do not have permission from any of the artist to show their photos here but trust me follow this link (warning some of the adds on this site are bad so have an add blocker on)and this (flickr this one is safer)one too.  Please look through all the pages it will blow your mind.  Let me know what you think of it.  I would like to make some stuff like this pretty cool.

peter cotton tail progress

peter cotton tail progress, originally uploaded by sunshine's creations.

Haven't shown any thing on this in a little while. Thought a few of you might be interested in Peter's progress towards completion.

Mitts for art teacher

This set of gloves I did for my two oldest daughters' art teacher last year we gave her a scarf and she wanted gloves to match.

Hat sizing

People have asked how do you make hats for babes with out having a baby around to size. Well there are standard sizes is that answer and I have found old doll heads (creepy to some) and measured them and labeled them as to what size baby they would be.  That way I can have a mannequin around to try hats on. If you do not have such things here are some standard measurements. Remember not everyone is exactly the same size at the same times these are just estimates.

Newborn

Head Circumference 13" - 14 "
Hat Circumference = 11.5" - 13"
Hat height = 5.5 to 6"

Baby - 3 to 6 months

Head Circumference: 14" - 17 "
Hat height= 6.5 - 7"

Baby - 6 to 12 months

Head Circumference: 16" - 19 "
Hat height = 7.5"

Toddler -12 months - 3 years

Hat height = 8"
Head Circumference: 18" to 20 "

Child - 3 - 10 years

Hat height =8.5"
Head Circumference: 19" - 20 1/2"

Teens

Hat height 9-10"
Head Circumference: 20 1/2" - 22"

Adult Woman

Head Circumference: 21.5" - 22.5"

Adult Man

Head Circumference: 23" - 24"


I am 23" and my husband 24" I don't land in the woman's area and he is at the very top end of the mans area. Like I said not every one is the same.

halloween mitts finished

I worked on these in the car over the weekend during a road trip to and from California.  My children had a golf tournament in Long Beach so we went and visited family and went tot eh tournament.  While traveling there I worked on these and finished the set.  I started and frogged about 5 projects on this trip my hand just wouldn't work right and it kept frustrating me.  But this one got doen and one other got closer to compleation.  these are made with a self striping yarn but I also used a solid black to divide did up more.  I think I did pretty good at lining up the repeat in the sock yarn fairly well.

I will post the other set I worked on later. Had a few issues with it.

lace dresses for 2-4 year olds

I started this dress years ago when my youngest daughter was actually a size 2T.  Well it was placed on the back burner along with another one for the reason I didn't get them done before she out grew the size.  I found them recently again I really should get back to them and get them done.  No one in my family can wear them now.  But I could always put them away for the next generation to wear.  I have three copies of the original book in my collection one is missing the back cover and part of the pattern becasue of that, one is torn in the middle but everything is still there and one is mint so to speak.  I have noticed that even though I have three copies they are hard to find on the internet for other crocheters.  But I did find one person who has them in her photos  and a ton more antique patterns check them out.  So I set them up on ravelry and posted the links so others could make these dresses.  there are 7 adorable patterns in the original book I have made one and started two others.  Here is the link on Ravelry where you can find the links to all 7 patterns. These are all thread dresses ranging from size 30 thread which is what the two on this page are to size knit-cro sheen.  These are not yarn patterns. As you can see these are both almost half way done.Who knows why I never finished probably moved and packed them and by the time I found them she was to big.

I posted about Precious Pet a long time ago I had made it larger so my daughter could wear it at 7 years old but as a blouse.  She still does wear  and is almost nine so if you play with the patterns a little you can get them to fit older children.

Here is the one named Flower Girl that I am making.

This one is called Daddy's Pal but I modified it when I made mine and added sleeves and a picot edge to the neck.

I am a guest blogger...

Whip-up invited me to be a guest blogger and post what ever I wanted.  So I thought it would be nice to post a knitted version of a fingerless mitten on Whip-up and a crochet version of the same thing on my blog.  That way both sides of the community have a similar pattern to work with.  Please check out the knitted one on whip up today and checkout the crocheted one on here later in the day.  Thank you and have a lovely Fall season.

crochet fingerless gloves

Fall is just around the corner.  Which for me means cold hands while warming up the car in the morning.  I have never liked my ends of my fingers covered while removing the ice from the windshield makes it hard to hold the scrapper.  So fingerless gloves are in order.  You can hold your tool and keep your hands warm.   If you do not crochet I have also made a similar pair in knitting (if you want the knitted ones snugger just go down one needle size).  That pattern will be on Whip-up in on Oct. 13th.  I hope this makes both sides of the fiber community happy.

**If you like my blog and the free patterns and tutorials and want to say thank you
I have a wish list on ravelry of patterns I would like to make. 
Thank you in advance for being kind and
saying thank you back.

Love Sunshine
But please do not feel like you have to**

Fall Mitts Fingerless

I made the right hand on Sunday now I need to do the left hand I like this pattern it calls for striping of two yarns.  But I also used a yarn that stripes plus a solid black yarn to add more definition to the stripes.  I like the way the first one has come out.  Will be nice for this time of year with Halloween and Thanksgiving in these colors.  Pattern is here if you are interested.

Cloudy sky above us gloves

these are actually the same size one has been washed after making it and one has not yet so they look different.  I did have some laddering issues that I hope go away in the wash also I for some reason got my k2t wrong on one mitt.  My brain just wasn't thinking I guess that day.

Pattern for sale here by the author which is not me.

Christmas stocking done

I have finished my first christmas stocking. Not sure how many Iw ill make in life but at least three becasue I have two others started. I have included 1 photo with my 10 year old daughters hand so you can see the size of the sock.

Pink Irish Crochet Tam

So I have finished the tam still working on the pattern that will come later.  Please enjoy these photos.

the Update

pattern is now available

Dusty Pink tam

This is how far I got by the late afternoon on Sunday on the Tam.  I did finish it last night but I will take photos of that later when the light is much better.  These don't make the hat look very pretty but it is very similar to the first on now that it is done.  In style placement of trims and mother of pearl buttons.  Except this one has a few shades of pale pink, and a few shades of red mother of pearl  buttons.  The one thing I wish they had in common was the color of the thread.  I can live with that I am happy to have been able to make another and not have to reinvent the wheel to do it.

the Update

pattern is now available

There are more pieces than this on the tam but these are all I the different styles of things I had some at the time of this photo.  Still had to make the Romanian cord that I wanted to add to the piece.  The top two photos are closer to true to life color the other one is way to washed out.

Afghan progress

My oldest daughter, as well as my youngest daughter and my self have been working on this as of late. There are only six more color changes till this is done it will be nice to have it finished for the youngest daughter.  My oldest daughters stitches and mine almost look the same, the youngest ones are way different but she has improved tons while making this her stitches are still getting more consistent but she understands them much better these days. This has had eleven rounds added since last posted about it.  All of which were added this last week.

Sky Above Us gloves

Here is the newest pair of gloves I am working on.  The pattern is available here for four dollars.  As you can see I only have 1/2 of one glove done.  there is a lace cuff that is supposed to be on this. I had it almost done but I  frogged it (the cuff) as I made a mistake not the patterns fault but mine.  I have made these in an antique thread that is ecru/cream in color so they will go with more things.