Crochet Scarf Sample Sale in the Etsy Store

www.etsy.com/shop/MommySaidSew

I'm making space by letting go some crochet scarves (and a few sewn ones too!) that I sewed to test patterns. These are brand new and one of a kind! Sale prices range from $15-30.

Updated Sewing Room

Cutting table in the foreground. Sewing table in the background.

 The girls from my Sewing Socials and I were starting to outgrow the space at our sewing table. Ok. It's my fault. I got a new sewing machine for Christmas. But anyway, we needed to get access to 100% of the table and one side of it was against the wall in a bay window, so the slanting walls weren't helping us feel any less cramped. 

New Janome machine for Christmas!

 I didn't want to give up the chaise lounge either since it's such a nice place to sit if you need to look through a pattern book, crochet a scarf or rip out an entire seam (not that we ever make mistakes around here).

The chaise lounge in it's new home next too the display screen.

 So first things first was to move the chaise lounge out of way and position the sewing table in the middle of the room. After that feat, we decided the chaise had to lose its arm since it was going into the bay window and its arm was on the wrong side. Bring out the tool box. Ok. Arm is gone. Thinking about re-using it as a toddler headboard, but that's for another day. Now the chaise is still comfy thanks to my Patty Young pillows.

The antique hoops are holding my girls custom fabric.

 Now we have room for at least 6 machines to be set up. Bring out the power strips and extension cords. I also will be needing more task lighting. My fabric continues to have a happy home in the Ikea Expedit shelving. No chance in heck that could be moved.

Special spots for my AMH collection and my voile.

So now it's time to get busy sewing things. We've got pajama pants for mommy in the works using voile fabric and this tutorial.The girls are getting some pink skirts (stay tuned) and it's time to put another date on the calendar to sew dresses for Handmade For Africa.

And on last time... there's my fabric! Love you fabric. See you soon.

Jumbo Crocheted Circle Scarves

 I'm not sure how many people are like me out there in the crafting community, but often it just takes one look at something and I'm struck with the "I can make that!" realization... and then I'm down in my sewing studio the first chance I can get and I'm making it. There might be a quick run to JoAnns first, but then I'm on it. Pinterest makes me giddy.

At the last Monday night sewing social, a friend pulls out a crochet project and we all came to a complete stop to admire a big chunky scarf in the prettiest grey yarn. How do you make that, we all had to know. She had been out to lunch with her mom and she saw another woman wearing a big chunky scarf in pretty yarn and her chatty mom found out from this stylish random stranger that the scarf had been purchased from Etsy, so said friend hunted up the Etsy store, looked closely at the pictures and decided she could manage it herself. Which she did beautifully.

 So I fondled her scarf for an appropriate period of time and inspected the size of the crochet hook she used and the next morning I was off to buy my own giant crochet hook and super bulky yarn. The results are 2 scarves in 2 days. The first one pictured is with Lion Brand Yarn in Cape Cod Tweed and a random mustard colored yarn I got at Big Lots last year. The second one pictured is Sensations Sumptuous Yarn in Teal. As a side note, when you can't decide what color yarn to buy, it helps to have a 2 year old in your shopping cart because they just want to hold them all like the skeins are stuffed animals and the result is that you simply must buy all the colors because there's no crying in baseball JoAnns. If there is crying you simply give out candy loving discipline.

The adventure of these crochet projects for me was the new hook sizes (also at JoAnns). This teal one was done with a jumbo plastic crochet hook (comically large, maybe an S size?) It only took 2 hours to make a circle scarf with 4 rows of double crochet (and I'm slow people). I simply wove the two ends together to make the circle when I was done. The gray and yellow one was done on a smaller but still large hook (I'm gonna guess it's about a P in size). I made it longer for a triple wrap. I've been wearing these around non-stop, inside the house and out. This is Chicago and it's winter people.

If you see something you love, go make it!

Crochet Scarf in Gray and Citron

My dear friend Roxy taught me to crochet last winter and I've made a few scarves since then. We need to have another round of teaching so I can have some help figuring out hats ad flowers. In keeping with my recent theme of blogging about scarves... here is a crochet scarf in colors of gray and citron yellow. I loved the result of this thin yarn as a skinny scarf that is long enough to wrap three times around the throat. The ruffle look adds some girly-ness to the hipster color scheme. It's also lightweight enough to wear around... not just for pairing up with a coat.

Pumpkin Patch Outing 2011

The shockingly hot weather this past Saturday drove the crowds out to our favorite Chicagoland pumpkin patch. It was stinkin hot. I tried to wear a cute crochet skinny scarf I had made recently, just wrapped loosely around my neck, but I got all sweaty and hat to take it off and even tuck all my hair up under my hat. And the hot weather even messed with my plans for photographing some of the girls new fall dresses.


 
It was absolutely short sleeve weather but I had packed most of them away when I made the fall transition. So Lauren's t-shirt doesn't match with her dress (which she took off later anyway) and Grace is wearing a short-sleeve dress, so at least she wasn't too hot.


 
Although both girls were dripping with sweat after their 4 allotted minutes of jumping on the giant bouncy pillow - that cost $5 a person. At least you don't have to pay to get in and take lovely pictures nestled amongst the orange orbs.