Felting and Crocheting

So that it doesn't seem like all we did over Christmas break was eat cheese balls and play Farkle we will post a few things we made.

 

Spark got this Alpaca felting kit as a Christmas gift from Grandma Pat.  To felt the wool onto the base piece you need a thick foam block and a needle with barbs on the sides.  Then you stab it up and down over and over and over until it is as flat or as fluffy as you like.  Spark really got into this and seemed to maybe over enjoy himself with the stabbing.  Secretly, I was hoping that he didn't like it because I would have loved to make it and had a hard time keeping my hands to myself as he was working on it. 

 

This turned out so cute but the picture doesn't show it well.  He will put this in the fair as a 4-H project this next summer.  Yeah - one fair project down, several more to go.

 

 

Dancer wanted to make a cover for her Ipod.  It became quickly apparent that the one on the left was going to be way too big for her iPod but the perfect size for her DS.  I finished that one for her so she could get started on a smaller one for her iPod. 

 

The pattern for the DS case was simple. Chain 18, sc in 2nd ch from the hook and in each of the next 15 stitches, 3 sc in the 16th stitch, sc in the back of the loops for 15 stitches on the foundation chain, 3 sc in the next stitch.  From there you just keep sc around and around until it is the height you want.  I put a little loop on the top (as you are on the last round, chain the length of loop you want, skip 2 stitches and keep going).  Sew on a button to fasten. We dc to make but any stitch could be used.  

 

iPod case.  Chain 14, follow directions same as above but instead of 3 sc in each end only do 2 so that it is thinner.  This fit tight enough that it didn't need a loop and button.  After looking at cases on Pinterest Dancer fancied a case with a face on it.  Dancer named her case Betty. 

 

The bow was made by chain 5, sc 4 from the second ch from the hook, turn and decrease to 3 sc, turn and decrease 2 sc, turn sc 2, then increase back up 3, 4, and 4, bind off.

 

The eyes were 14 dc in a magic loop in black.  Crochet two bobbles for the inside of the eyes and thread through the middle of the eye. That is it, just hand sew the pieces onto the case and add a mouth and few eyelashes.   

 

 

I received the Leisure Arts book Kitchen Basics in Cotton for Christmas and I stitched up a couple of the dishcloths.  The one on the left is the Moss Rose pattern and the one on the right is Irish Rose.  These would have been a lot prettier out of four different colors but I used what cotton thread I had on hand.  Need to at least attempt to use up some of our yarn stash.