I’ve been getting a lot of emails regarding my pattern, Ruse – A Cloche-Inspired Crochet Hat pattern. I have released a revised copy of the pattern (Rev. 2, as it is the second copy of the pattern) and it has now been uploaded onto my website. You can find the Ruse pattern by clicking here to see the revisions made.

If you have any comments or concerns, please let me know! I do check the comments made on the website fairly frequently and will provide assistance on the patterns that are published by me.

I also still need to figure out the gathering stitch.

Pattern from: Puchi Collective

Model: Eden
Fabric: 100% cotton, pink and white gingham.

Model: Kindred
Fabric: 100% cotton, white and blue swirly pattern.

Model: Sophie
Fabric: Unknown (been saving this remnant since forever), light purple with lightly sparkling silver stars.

I did learn a lot more this time around than the last time I sewed a Blythe dress. I used a similar pattern, both the Empire and Party dresses come from Puchi Collective and are available for free (make sure you print them out correctly!). I plan on doing a few more empire waisted dresses and then try my hand at the Party Dress pattern again. Ironing after every single step helped a lot as I didn’t do that last time… I’ve gotten a new iron since then and I love it (it’s not a craft iron, so I do watch my fingers a lot to make sure I don’t accidentally burn myself – which I have done!).

All of them close in the back with a rust-proof metal snap, I need to buy more as I only have maybe 4 pairs left in the small-enough size.

And just another bonus shot:

My little monster amigurumi is nearly done as well, I just need to make a few final touches and to take photos of it and then finalize the pattern before getting that up, yay! It’s going to be pretty interesting!

What would you name a monster with 3 eyes?

The first pattern is an infant/child hat pattern – it will be available in three sizes and so far I’ve got two of the hat sizes all figured out. I’m still working on the last prototype hat before I get the hats tried out on people who are appropriately aged for them. I’m hoping to get the pattern finalized and up on the site before the end of the month!

The next project I’d like to mention is that I’m working on is a sampler stitch scarf for beginning crocheters who want practice with all the different stitches that there are for crochet (i.e. single, half-double, double, triple) all in one scarf! It’s looking pretty good so far and that pattern should be made available by early to mid July.

The last/third pattern that I’ve been working on is a little monster! I’m really excited about this one because he’s super cute and will be the star in part 2 of the upcoming article all about eyes for amigurumi! The pattern for my little monster should be available by early to mid July as well.

Meet Toadette, a minor character from Nintendo’s Mario series. She first appeared in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as Toad’s (her male counterpart) racing partner. She has since appeared in multiple Mario games.

A total of 24 different pieces were crocheted and then pieced together. A total of 6 different colours were used in the making of Toadette (please note, she is lacking her feet, I liked the roly-poly aspect of her without her feet).

She has 5 white dots on her pink mushroom-like cap and 3 white dots at the end of each braid.

Toadette’s vest, crocheted in bright red and a golden yellow is fully removable from the main body of the toy.

Her facial features were added last, embroidered on with black hair to give her long oval-shaped eyes and small happy smile.

Toadette was crocheted without the use of a pattern and took approximately 10 hours, on and off, to complete.

She is constructed from 100% acrylic yarns from Red Heart Super Saver and Bernat Super Value. I used an H/8 (5.00mm) crochet hook. She is filled with 100% polyester stuffing (and some yarn scraps).

The yarn I used was Nashua Wooly Stripes. This yarn is 100% wool worsted weight and the colour is WS14 Blackened Jade. I used a 5.50mm hook (US I9) for this project and the pattern was one of my own (i.e. I made it up as I went along).

Before fulling:

I decided not to use the washing machine  (mainly because it was so darn small and I wanted to have better control of how much it shrunk). I did it by hand in the bathroom sink. I ran the water as hot as it would go and just squished the hat a lot, along with rubbing the yarn together as much as humanly possible. Once it was more or less as small as I wanted it to be, I wrung it out to get out as much excess water as possible and then allowed it to dry.

After fulling:

What I liked about making this was that it was relatively quick (I started and finished it yesterday). But what I didn’t like about it was that I was actually trying to make it into a moebius (and therefore trying to twist the stitches at the very beginning), but I couldn’t get them to twist. Overall, it was a nice first project done on circulars. Not too difficult to do and I liked doing a 1×1 ribbing all throughout, it shows up quite nicely in the bulky yarn and the ribbon adds a nice accent to everything (especially since the ribbon is variegated throughout).

Modeled by Elijah

My first attempt at knitting in the round was done with double pointed needles. I found it difficult at the beginning because after spreading out my stitches onto three needles, I was left with 6 different pointed ends constantly poking into my fingers or the palms of my hands. But eventually, I did “get” it and ended up with a short, stubby little tube.

My tension was off, there were little visible ‘ladders’ so I could see exactly where the stitches changed from each needle, but it was okay, because I could knit with DPNs!

For my second attempt at knitting the round, I grabbed a pair of circular knitting needles (8mm) for this lovely ball of super bulky weight yarn. The one thing I love about chunky knits is that it works up relatively quickly because everything’s a lot bigger in width, height and overall thickness.

It’s a lot different with crocheting in joined rounds (joined rounds, unless you’ve got the world’s best tension, results in having a noticeable ‘seam’ where you joined the rounds) but it’s quite similar to crochet in the round (no seam, spirals up), which I’m most familiar with. I’m a lot more comfortable with freestyling my own designs in crochet, so unless there’s no shaping involved, chances are that I’ll be reaching for a crochet hook instead of knitting needles for making amigurumis, but I do love the fact that I know how to knit in the round for both DPNs and circulars!

This pattern was inspired by Lisa at q.D.PaToOtieS‘ Blythe Brain Sucking Monster Hat. I saw the image and never saved the pattern and then when I went to find it, I couldn’t! So I came up with my own way of putting together the monster hat (and shortly after I completed my first Blythe Monster Hat, I found the original pattern by Lisa).

Difficult Level: Easy

Size: Fits Blythe dolls (does not fit Petite Blythe).

Materials:
Worsted weight yarn (MC = Main Colour, CC = white)
5.00mm hook (US H/8)
2 buttons (does not need to be matching)
Yarn needle
Stitch markers (optional)

Notes:
For the purple hat, I used Red Heart Super Saver (purple, white) for both colours.
For the pink hat, I used Bernat Super Value (pink) and Red Heart Super Saver (white).
You need to know how to increase with single crochet stitches and how to do the magic ring.

Abbreviations:
sc – single crochet
ss – slip stitch
st – stitch
tr – triple crochet

Pattern Notes:
Number of stitches listed at the end of the row in the parentheses.
Pattern is worked in the round (not joined at the end of each round) – use stitch markers to help with counting.

Directions
Hat (in MC and CC)
Round 1: In MC, crochet 6 sc in a magic ring (6).
Round 2: *2 sc in next st* repeat 6 (12).
Round 3: *sc 1, 2 sc in next st* repeat 6 (18).
Round 4: *sc 2, 2 sc in next st* repeat 6 (24).
Round 5: *sc 3, 2 sc in next st* repeat 6 (30).
Round 6: *sc 4, 2 sc in next st* repeat 6 (36).
Round 7-12: Work even in sc (36).
Round 13: With CC, ss each st around (36).
Round 14: *sc 1, 1 tr* repeat 18 (36).
Fasten off, tuck in ends.

Eyes (in CC) – Make 2
Round 1: In CC, crochet 6 sc in a magic ring (6).
Round 2: *2 sc in next st* repeat 6 (12).
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing.

Assembly
Attach buttons to eyes prior to attachment to hat. For a fun look, have the buttons looking in opposite directions or have the monster be cross-eyed.

—

This pattern is an original pattern by Michelle W. (March 2010). Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but do not sell or otherwise distribute it. Items made from this pattern may not be sold as the pattern is for personal use only. Please contact me via my website http://chelle-chelle.com if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

Safety Eyes

Incredibly popular, safety eyes are most commonly used in commercially produced stuffed animals and can be bought in stores – some general craft stores will carry them, as well as some fabric stores and online websites. Safety eyes have require some assembly – there’s the piece for the eye that has a post and a washer (metal or plastic). What you do is put the post through the piece and then place the washer over the post and push it down the post until it’s all the way down. Safety eyes are very snug and difficult to pull apart. However, a safety concern is that crocheted or knitted fabric can fray or the spaces between the stitches (especially in crochet) can stretch or get larger, allowing the eye (washer and all) to come through, creating a choking hazard for children and pets. One way to remedy this is to use a small piece of felt between the washer and the crocheted/knitted fabric. Safety eyes can be pricey, if you’re purchasing them in pairs, so consider a bulk purchase – this would require you to buy a large amount of eyes in the same size and colour though. So if you’re an occasional amigurumi creator, you might want to consider other eye options as this would be an expensive option for you.

Safety Factor: relatively child-safe (can be reinforced, if assembled correctly)
Cost Factor: most expensive

Yarn Eyes

One of my personal favourites for eyes is to crochet a circle or oval and then sew it onto the face of the amigurumi project. Another thing you can do is use a tapestry needle and embroider the eye onto the face, embroidering slightly slanted eyes or upside-down U shapes make them look like they’re sleeping, a very cute expression. The great thing about yarn eyes is that they are (for the most part) child-safe. I sew them tightly onto the face of my amigurumi and then, I knot them several times on the inside of the head. If I know that it is going to be gifted to a child or an infant, I dab glue to the knots and allow for them to dry in an effort to ensure that the knots do not come loose. Yarn eyes are also a great way to use up any leftover yarn that you have from previous projects, making it one of the more inexpensive options. An alternative to yarn, which can also be used for embroidered eyes or even crocheted/knitted eyes, is embroidery thread/floss. This is fairly inexpensive and there is usually a huge colour selection in most craft stores.

Safety Factor: child-safe (if reinforced)
Cost Factor: least expensive option (bonus of using yarn scraps/leftover remnants)

Button Eyes

I save buttons when they fall off of shirts, or the extra ones that come with new things I’ve bought. I’ve also went ahead and bought bags of mixed buttons at stores before, in hopes of getting some gems to use in projects. What I also like doing is using buttons as eyes. You can match them up and choose two identical buttons or make it a little different and choose two buttons that are different sizes or colours. Button eyes change the expression on the face of a stuffie and they remind me a lot of some of the older toys – think rag dolls with button eyes. However, a word of caution, I do not recommend using button eyes on amigurumi if you know it will be going to an infant or a small child. Buttons, no matter how secure you may think they are, can get loose and are choking hazard. Button eyes can be very cute, but they are not very safe (at all) for toys that are going to children.

Safety Factor: not child-safe
Cost Factor: inexpensive

Some other popular eye options that will be discussed in Amigurumi: Choosing Eyes – Part 2 will be plastic googly eyes, bead eyes and felt eyes.

In other words, I can do garter stitch, stockinette stitch and ribbing. And… that’s about it.

But lately I’ve been knitting a lot (doll-sized sweaters for my Blythe dolls) and on a whim today at school, I decided to cast on another doll-sized sweater and I felt the need to attend doing cables. I only had two needles with me and yarn. I went through my pencil case (twice) but there was nothing that was thin enough to act as a cable needle (I was knitting on 3mm needles). And then I posted my pad of Post-It notes at the bottom of my purse.

I peeled off the top sticky note and then folded the sticky part onto itself a few times and used my scissors to cut off the excess and I used that as a cable needle. One of my friends (who sees me knitting all the time…) wanted to know why I was knitting with paper. Needless to say, my makeshift cable needle worked!

But… to prevent the need to use up paper again, I’ve tucked a few large safety pins into my bag so I have impromptu cable needles for the future (and stitch holders).

Craft stores and craft departments for general shopping needs
When I was 12 and going to stores to buy beads, it was difficult for me to go find non-plastic beads in places other than stores dedicated to selling craft supplies. But since then, the interest in making jewellery has grown and many other people make jewellery too. Craft departments in department stores have some pretty good selections for seed beads. General crafts stores (like Michaels) do carry decent bead selections. I also like to check out the clearance sections – I’ve bought strands of glass beads marked down from $10 to $1.50. Good deals can be found, if you’re willing to search for them as well as using coupons (they can come in weekly fliers or online).

• Always check out the clearance section/aisle for more good deals
• Join the mailing list on the store’s website for coupons, if they have them available

Some of my favourite beads have been found at craft stores, especially after my local chain craft store was given a makeover. Now I purchase freshwater pearls and turquoise beads when they come up on sale. I never pay full price on the beads that I buy at the craft store, never. I even bought my pliers with 40% off coupons at the same store. It’s a great resource and there’s no excuse to be paying full price at chain craft stores.

Dollar stores for seed beads
A decent source, I’ve found, for seed beads. Some dollar stores also carry some scrapbooking supplies (if you’re into that sort of thing), as well as glass beads (however, I’ve found that they are generally more expensive at a dollar store than at crafts stores), some stringing material (fishing line – which I do not recommend, some wire) and metal charms. I mostly recommend shopping at dollar stores for seed beads – the vials are about the same size as the ones found in crafts stores and you can find glass seed beads. However, they will not have the same quality as Czech glass or Delicas, so they’re probably not the best for doing bead looming, but for other uses they work quite well.

• Buy colours that you know you will use – there’s no point in purchasing every colour under the sun if you really hate using everything except for blue
• Shop smart – compare prices for non-seed beads to those from crafts stores to make sure you are getting a good deal

Seed beads are one of my favourite things. They do come in different sizes and they can be just the right thing to have in a piece if your focal beads are fairly large. Consider making a bead spinner if you plan on stringing (not looming!) a lot of seed beads.

Finds at thrift stores
Most thrift stores will have a jewellery section and you can generally find some nice pieces. I’ve bought very ornate earrings with quality metal charms for the purpose of reconstructing, as well as long necklaces for the purpose of using the beads. I have never paid over $3 for a piece of jewellery at a thrift store and I like the things that I can find there. Some things include a long necklace with all glass beads and a beautiful clasp ($2) and a bag of earrings where some were singles – I reconstructed them for pendants for necklaces or connecting them together to make bracelets.

• Experiment with reconstructing jewellery – make something new from something old
• Anything can be taken apart if you want to use the components, be bold in your new creations

Storage options for beads
I like using plastic boxes to store my beads. I originally started out using film canisters (back when film cameras were used and when I didn’t have a lot of beads) and then graduated to using small plastic containers that were recycled. I eventually ended up getting small plastic containers for the sole purpose of holding onto my beads. You can use medication boxes (you can find them in dollar stores, pharmacies, etc.), I’ve also seen photos of people using tackle boxes for storing beads as well as screw-top plastic or glass containers. I’m a huge fan of using clear boxes – it makes it easier to know exactly what is in a container with just one look.

• Clear containers are the way to go, set them up in a way that you can easily access all of the boxes – there is no point in having them in easy-to-view boxes if you never see the one at the bottom of a box
• If you buy beads that come in a package or prestrung, leave them like that before you need to use them – these keep them neat and tidy until you need to use them and can put the leftovers into their own compartment

Consider buying a beading kit
When I first started beading, my parents bought me a plastic case full of plastic beads to get me started. It had a whole ten pounds of plastic beads which I painstakingly organized before I started to use them. You can find little beading kits nearly anywhere now – at craft stores, in department stores (sometimes in craft departments, sometimes in toy departments, in dollar stores. The great thing about beading kits is that they come with a nice selection of beads (generally in the same colour group), some basic instructions (good for beginners), as well as findings for making the projects that they have in mind. These can include jump rings, clasps, earring hooks and some form of stringing material. I do buy these from time to time – I find them on sale and purchase them for the contents to use in my pieces. I do substitute, sometimes, the stringing material but I like how once you’re done using the beads in the kit, you can use it to store other beads. These can be fairly good deals – especially if you’re buying one on sale or with the use of a coupon.

• Buy beading kits on sale or with a coupon, this makes it an even better deal
• Look for kits that have fresh water pearls or crystal beads
• If a kit comes with fishing line for stringing, consider buying wire instead for stringing the beads
• Once you’re done with the kit, reuse the box for your other beads

Some of my favourite pieces came from beads that were from beading kits. I would test the metal components that come with your beading kit though. I’ve purchased one that had some beautiful beads, but all of the metal components (earring hooks, clasps) rusted soon after the pieces were completed and had to be replaced.

Item #1: Flower hat! Modeled by Belarus. Side view:

Top view (yellow centre should have been made larger, but I ran out):

Item #2: Red and white gnome hat that clearly belongs in December, not Spring. Modeled by Eden.

Item #3: Bright purple scarf. Modeled by Belarus.

Item #4: Navy blue coat. Still needs snaps and buttons. Modeled by Sophie.

Group shot of everything.

Not pictured is a melted knitted sweater (the yarn labeled stated that it was 100% wool, but it was clearly not… It melted after I tried to steam block it with an iron from at least 3 inches away – it was acrylic). I’m still going to be sewing a dress for the swap and then I think my package will be complete. =)

• The hat was knitted – I’m far more competent with crochet than knitting and therefore would be spending far longer on a knitted hat that I would ever want to (for someone else other than myself or a gift of my choice).
• The yarn was, after inspection, was really nice – this person wanted an exact replica. The yarn was nice, a blend of wool, merino, alpaca and yak.
• The hat had colour-work. I barely do colour work for my own stuff (lol). Not because I don’t know how, it’s that I hate weaving in ends (although lately I’ve killing two birds with one stone and just working over the ends – if I can)
• The hat was nothing like I’d seen before – I probably would have had to make up the pattern myself. Did I mention that I’m more competent with crochet than knit? This applies to winging my own patterns.
• The store was selling the hat for $30. Cost of yarn alone would probably be upwards of the same price at retail cost, if I wanted the exact colours and fibre content.
• As the yarn would cost about $30 (estimate), and I’d be spending at least 5-6 hours alone on this one hat at $15/hour, the hat would suddenly cost around $105-$120.

Of course, this completely turned this person off from getting me to make the hat. “At that price, I might as well buy it!” Well good, buy it. It’d be far easier than for me to a) track down the yarn and b) figure out how to make it. This same person told me that there were hats (knitted and crocheted) for far lower prices on sites like etsy and Artfire. I mentioned that people were clearly underselling themselves.

I don’t understand how someone can knit a set of 3 dish towels (with really nice, intricate cables) and price it at $12. I don’t understand how someone can crochet a scarf that is 9 feet long and set the price at $25. I don’t understand how someone can make a beautiful pair of earrings that clearly have detailed wire work and gorgeous beads and then price it at $5 of all things.

Handcrafted and handmade are words that are not synonymous with cheap or low quality. Handcrafted and handmade means that there was a real person making something, not a machine. It means that someone put their time, their effort, their talent and their skill into something.

In December 2009, I had a total of 28,589 hits. In January 2010, I had a total of 69,717 hits. That’s more than double in one month alone and since revamping Chelle-Chelle.com into my crafts site, I’ve averaged 20,000 to 25,000 hits per month. And I would very much like to say thank you, thank you, thank you! For all the interest in this site and my work.

Part of the huge jump in visitors, I will admit, is due to the two free patterns that I have here (Crochet Ribbed Cowl, posted December 2009, and Ruse – A Cloche-Inspired Crochet Hat, posted January 2010). However, much to my pleasant surprise, some of my articles that I’ve written have also gotten their fair share of hits! Two of the frontrunners would be my articles on amigurumi and finding free patterns.

Despite my, ahem, lack of posts so far from mid-January to now, I’ve been busy with schoolwork as well as working on some projects which include a lace-work scarf (crochet) and a preemie hat (crochet, for donation). I also plan on getting a few preemie hat patterns (free!) to encourage others to make hats for donations to their local hospital as well.

I hope everyone’s been having a lovely February so far! Feel free to suggest article ideas or projects for me to try, I always like getting suggestions.

• DO pick up the balls/skeins of yarn to feel how the yarn feels against your skin. A great place to test is the back of your hand or wrist.
• DON’T pick up the balls/skeins of yarn and rub it against your cheek. Especially if you’re wearing cosmetics and get your makeup all over the yarn.
• DO look at those pads of free patterns hanging by the yarn – take one!
• DON’T look at those pads of free patterns and then rip several off for yourself, or rip them in half and leave the other half on the pad or on the floor.
• DO put the yarn back in the correct bin/box/shelf when you’ve decided that you don’t want to purchase it.
• DON’T leave the yarn on the ground or on a random shelf.
• DO choose enough yarn for your project – you never know if it’s going to be available the next time you go. Make sure you pick all from the same dye lot!
• DON’T buy yarn just because it is on sale/heavily discounted. Buy yarn that is in colours that you like, buy types of yarn that you will actually use and can see yourself using. If you hate working with anything thinner than worsted weight, why would you buy it just because it’s 50% off?
• DO substitute yarns for the ones that are called for in patterns. Could that brand of yarn be discontinued? Or maybe the pattern calls for something with 50% cashmere and the cost is too high? Look for appropriate substitutions. You’ll want something with the same weight and similar content (substituting cashmere-merino with acrylic fun fur will not get the same results as in the photos).
• DON’T juggle yarn balls in the middle of the store. I’ve seen this happen before and it ended badly as the yarn ended up on the store floor.
• DO go shopping with a budget in mind. Don’t spend more than you want to spend. Only want to spend $50 on yarn? Only spend $50 on yarn!
• DON’T go shopping with an open-budget or a credit card with plenty of space for a huge yarn purchase. I’ve witnessed my sister do this. Half an hour later, she dropped $80+ on yarn (beautiful yarn, but yarn that has stayed untouched for over a year).

Happy smart yarn shopping!

The Cloche originates from the 1920s and was made of felt for a form-fitting bell-shaped hat. While I was looking for a new hat pattern to try out, I couldn’t find one for a cloche that I particularly liked. They were either too bell-shaped or not bell-shaped enough, so I decided to try my hand at making a cloche-inspired hat with just a subtle bell-shape that I wouldn’t mind wearing.

I tried out, for the first time, Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Superwash (50% merino, 50% wool). The yarn felt a little stiff when it was in the ball, but once it was crocheted up into the hat, it felt nice and soft. My only complaint about the yarn is that it splits easily when crocheting – this is a common issue with superwash yarns.

The pattern for this hat has been written up and has three different sizes available (21.25″, 22″ and 24″ for head circumference). The name of the pattern is Ruse, there’s no real story about where the name of the hat came from.

Want to make your own hat? The pattern is free! Click to download a PDF copy of the Ruse hat pattern.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Update August 21 2010: Due to some questions regarding how to proceed with Round 1 of the Ruse hat pattern, I’ve updated the pdf file with the second revision and it is now available for download.

100% alpaca yarn, like the yarn shown above, has washing instructions on the yarn label. For this yarn, it is handwashing only in cold water. Gentle handwashing versus the washing machine can mean the difference between a sweater that fits and one that is suddenly several sizes too small.

What happens when you toss a knitted or crocheted item into the washing machine?
It can be fulled (not felted) or it doesn’t – what makes this difference? The type of fibre makes a huge difference in what happens to the final product.

What is fulling?
If you take animal fibres (i.e. wool, which comes from sheep) and make it up into a fabric (i.e. crochet, knit or weave with it) and subject it to water, agitation and (sometimes) heat, you get a dense fabric.

For example, say you knit a pair of mittens for someone out of wool and then they toss those mittens into the washing machine. And then they come out roughly the size of an infant’s finger. The mittens will have shrank, the stitches are no longer visible and the fabric is dense.

How is that different from felting?
Felting is done with the same fibres, but you don’t make it up into a fabric first. You can buy premade felt made in natural fibres or acrylic-wool blends felt – you can buy sheets of felt at general craft stores or dollar stores.

Felt is a really useful material that can be used for making stuffies, as accents for amigurumis as well for making accessories like mp3 player sleeves.

Yarns that can be fulled consist of animal fibres
Some examples are wool, angora, mohair, alpaca. Animal fibres have scales (so does the hair on your head) and when there’s friction, the scales will bond together – that is why when you toss a sweater into the washing machine and it goes from a small to an extra, extra small, it can’t go back to being a small again.

What if you don’t want your project to be fulled?
You can use “superwash wool” – it’s a type of wool that’s been chemically treated so that it cannot be felted. You can also choose to use synthetic yarns (i.e. acrylic, nylon, etc.) or plant-based yarns (like cotton) or even some animal-based yarns (i.e. with a sufficient amount of acrylic in the blend or qiviut, which is the wool from muskox).

Always check the yarn label! If it says that it is not machine washable, it is likely going to full. If it says to only handwash, it is likely going to full. If the majority of the fibre is animal fibre – it is likely going to full (even some wool-acrylic blends will full a little bit, depending on the percentage of wool). Also, it is easier to control the amount of fulling when you do it by hand versus tossing it into the washing machine (you also produce, on average, less lint and can evenly full it so that all of it looks the way you want).

Here’s a selection of crafts that I’ve done in 2009, most of them are on this website.

Not pictured are approximately 30 pairs of earrings that I have not gotten around to photographing, maybe ~5 Blythe hats and another sweater, 2 scarves and the hat that I’m currently working on.

I wish everyone a happy new year and well wishes for 2010.

I used a mix of green beads and star charms to go along with the ‘antiqued’ earring hooks (stainless steel that has been chemically treated, they go well with the star charms). They measure about an inch in diameter, if memory serves.