A Crafty House: Knitting and Crochet Patterns and Crafts

A Quick Knit for the Fall... Berroco's Nimbus Sweater

2012-09-13T14:10:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been in a bit of a design rut..... it seems like there are way too many knitting and crochet bags with design projects started around here, so I decided to just step back and stop getting frustrated with the mess of bags that is consuming the knitting and crochet closet right now and focus on other patterns that I've wanted to try. There are so many great patterns out there and to keep evolving as a designer, I think it's really important to keep knitting other patterns to learn new techniques and get a fresh perspective. This helps to keep you inspired and sometimes it's just simply more fun to knit something from someone else....

Many of you know, I love bulkier yarn and thicker needles, so I recently finished knitting Berroco's Nimbus sweater, a great free pattern that knits up quickly and can easily be modified if desired. I added about 4 inches of length to the body and to the arms and shortened the thickness of the border. I also decided to use moss stitch on the borders and collar. Instead of knitting the back and the fronts in three separate pieces, I knitted them all together and then divided at the arms (no need for side seams!). I also decided to knit the collar right on to the sweater. This was a good project for me because I'm usually a top down fan, but it was fun knitting from the bottom up this time. I really like the look of the shoulder seams --- hmm.... maybe you'll see a bottom up sweater design from me at some point in the near future!

Little Girl Top Down Raglan Dress Knitting Pattern

2012-07-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

The pattern is complete and ready for your needles! This simple but stylish dress is the perfect addition to your little girl’s wardrobe. This is a top down seamless raglan dress, knit in the round, that flares just above the waist. Sizes are written for 2, 4, and 6 year olds, but feel free to adjust the raglan pattern to fit your little girl.

Materials

US 8 (5 mm) 16” & 20” circular knitting needles
US 6 (4 mm) 16” & 20” circular knitting needles
US 6 (4 mm) DPNs for the sleeves
3 Skeins Caron Simply Soft or another similar yarn (1 Skein of Caron Simply soft is 315 yds/6 oz)
4 Stitch Markers
Scrap Yarn (to place the two sleeves on when you divide for the body)

Sizes

2 yrs (4 yrs, 6 yrs)
To fit chest sizes 21” (23”, 25”)

Gauge

9 stitches and 12 rows = 2 inches on size 8 (5 mm) knitting needles

I know it's been a long time....

2012-07-19T21:04:00.002-05:00

I know you haven't heard from A Crafty House in a long time. We took a much needed break from the blogging world to enjoy spring and summer, venturing to the beach and pool, meeting new friends at camp, and traveling to Colorado and Ohio. I can't wait to share more about what we've been up to. In the meantime, I wanted to show you all a little something I've been working on this summer -- the perfect little girl dress. While I took a little vacation from blogging, I haven't taken a vacation from knitting and crocheting. I'm working on sizing and finalizing the pattern, but I wanted to share some pictures that we took today. M hasn't forgotten how to model the clothing as you can tell. She ran around in the dress all afternoon and loved it. It's an easy top down raglan that flares just above the waist, creating a simple but perfect dress for your own little girl.

Monday Morning Coffee

2012-04-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend and your week is off to a great start.

Check out my guest post on Nap Time Crafters today! I whipped up some crocheted dishcloths in great spring colors to help brighten up your kitchen. I was lucky enough to grab a guest post spot over there while Amy enjoys her new bambino. Her blog is one of my favorites -- definitely inspiring me to get back into sewing again. Amy has some other amazing moms guest posting for her Bundle of Joy series, so keep checking back!

We had some fun here over the weekend..... the major highlight of the weekend was our adventure down to the Cubs game. It was C's first game and M's second game. We took the El downtown (which I think was more exciting for the kids than the actual game). While it was bright and sunny, it was not warm here in the Windy City, so we didn't make it more than an hour and a half..... I guess I REALLY can't complain about making it 90 minutes with a one year old and three year old. The hot chocolate helped to keep M's hands warm for a little bit and then we had to call it a game and head back to the train. They were troopers!

C's first El ride

Enjoying the train ride....

We were high up :)

Enjoying his first stadium pretzel....

Like I said, it was COLD

My goal for the week..... finish my Lamb's Lace Cardi!!

Happy Friday!

2012-04-20T10:23:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday all! I hope everyone is gearing up to enjoy a fun weekend filled with crafting and relaxing :) I wanted to share my progress on my Lamb's Lace Cardi..... I would LOVE to finish it up this weekend but don't want to get too ambitious. I've divided for the body and have knitting just below the band that separates the lace top from the stockinette bottom so it should go much faster now since I won't have to keep looking at the lace chart! This lace really wasn't too demanding and it was easy to correct if I made some mistakes --- I'm often distracted!

I'm having fun playing with Little C while his sister is at school this morning.... doing laundry and getting a few stitches in here and there. And of course I'm enjoying a nice cup of coffee in my Knit Happy mug that my mom got me for Christmas. Have you seen these? You can find them here at Knit Happy. I love it.... it's so big and is matching my sweater right now :)

Enjoy your weekend! What projects are you all working on?

I'm Back.....

2012-04-17T10:22:00.000-05:00

I know I've been quiet.... I took some much needed time to step back a little bit. We're back and ready to get crafty again! I wanted to share some of the things I'm currently working on....

I'm a self-taught knitter and crocheter and to keep progressing my skills, I know I need to work on someone else's designs to keep trying new things. This week, I found a great pattern -- Christina Wall's Lamb's Lace Cardi. The look is great and I love the fact that you can wear it pretty much all year round -- Long sleeves under it during the colder months and a tank top underneath in the warmer months. I'm not great with lace so this sweater is supposed to get me more comfortable with it. Maybe I'll start designing more lace sweater after I finish this!

Christina Wall's Lamb's Lace Cardi

Here's my progress so far.... I'm finding that the lace pattern really isn't too hard and I love how fast it's knitting up.

Of course I have a few of my own designs in the works right now..... The first one is going to be a top down raglan made from cotton blend yarn for the body with a neckline and cuffs made from sparkling silver yarn. I'm going to switch the gray at the bottom to white I think.

The inspiration for the top down raglan is this Banana Republic sweater I saw in the store a while back... the neckline and cuffs are made from a metallic bronze yarn.

Source: thestylecure.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

This is the start of another project I'm working on -- an open cardigan for summer. I'm not quite sure exactly what this will look like yet and I don't have any direct inspiration, so we'll see what this morphs into. Sometimes not having a plan is the best way to go!

Don't you love it how all of these sweaters are all about at the same stage in the knitting process?!?! My plan is to finish the Lamb's Lace Cardi first and then move on to finish my other projects :)

Knit and Crochet Bunny Patterns

2012-04-06T12:39:00.004-05:00

.....These are the cutest knit Teeny Tiny Bunnies from Little Cotton Rabbits.....

Source: littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk via A Crafty House on Pinterest

.....Tangled Happy featured an adorable crochet Easter Bunny pattern from Smitten With It All.....

Source: lisapocklington.blogspot.fr via A Crafty House on Pinterest

Knit and Crochet Bunny Hat Patterns

2012-04-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

These are just adorable.... I couldn't resist sharing these knit and crochet bunny hat patterns. There's still time to whip these up before the weekend!

.....Check out this knit Bunny Beanie Pattern from BabyCenter.....

Source: Uploaded by user via A Crafty House on Pinterest

.....Check out this crochet Lil Bunny Cap from You Can Make This.....

Source: youcanmakethis.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

Knit and Crochet Easter Egg Patterns

2012-04-04T09:53:00.000-05:00

Hey all..... I've decided to start my spring break a little early and spend more time with the fam to prepare for Easter and our trip to see my parents next week. In celebration of spring break, I will be sharing a free knit and crochet pattern that I've discovered from my fellow crafters each day until I get back. Enjoy and Happy Easter :)

.....Check out this knit Easter Egg pattern from The Purl Bee.....

Source: purlbee.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

.....Visit Petals to Picots to learn how to crochet these adorable Easter Eggs......

Source: petalstopicots.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

Tutorial Tuesday: Easter Projects

2012-04-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have been neglecting Easter crafting. Yup, I'm a bad crafter..... just can't seem to fit it all in. However, while there hasn't been a whole lot of Easter crafting going on in this house, there seems to be quite an Easter craft extravaganza going on out there in the craft blogging world. This crafty mind seems a bit tapped out of Easter stuff so I thought I would share some awesome crafts that I've found. I mean, how can I compete with this great stuff? There's just no way.... Enjoy these craft tutorials on Tutorial Tuesday!

.....Check out Lil Blue Boo's awesome egg decoration ideas......

Source: lilblueboo.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

....Couldn't help but share another project from Lil Blue Boo. This Easter Skirt made from dishtowels is adorable! This is what is inspiring me to get my sewing machine out this week....

Source: lilblueboo.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

.....Had to get some Martha in here. This is great for setting your table on Easter.....

Source: marthastewart.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

.....Ellinee's Easter basket made from paper bags is adorable and a great way to use up those grocery bags.....

Source: ellinee.com via Moonie on Pinterest

.....I'm not one who goes crazy for wreaths, but I loved this Jordan Almonds wreath from Country Living.....

Source: countryliving.com via Country Living on Pinterest

....Check out this cute banner from Creation by Kara.....

Source: creationsbykara.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

Hope this helps! Happy Easter crafting :)

Monday Morning Coffee

2012-04-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy April! I hope everyone had a great weekend and may your Monday morning be off to a great start with a nice warm cup of joe.

Source: Uploaded by user via Sabine on Pinterest

We had some fun hanging out with some friends, doing a little shopping, and relaxing at home. Yes, we were able to relax today. We went for a Sunday drive to explore some other areas of Chicagoland that we hadn't yet discovered and came home and took an afternoon snooze on the couch. I got some good crocheting in Friday and Saturday nights (woo hoo!) -- I'm working on a project for a friend who just had a baby and hope to share it with you all soon.

If you need a good project this week, check out my Chunky Seed Stitch Knit Rug Pattern that I posted on Friday. I've gotten some great feedback and can't wait to see some finished products from some of you. I've gotten some requests to make a crochet version, so stay tuned and I'll see what I can do!

We're gearing up for Easter this week and I have a few goals.....

.....To finally make some Easter decorations.....

Source: blog.amyatlas.com via Claire on Pinterest

Source: shelterness.com via Sara on Pinterest

...Consider (more seriously) getting my sewing machine out from the back room of my basement....

Source: onthevergeofsnapping.blogspot.com via Denise on Pinterest

...Start packing early for our spring break trip back to Cleveland next week to visit the Grandparents....

Source: modpodgerocksblog.com via Roger on Pinterest

What were you all up to this weekend? What projects have you been working on and what's in store for you this week? Come back tomorrow for Tutorial Tuesday!

Free Pattern Friday: Chunky Seed Stitch Knit Rug Pattern

2012-03-30T14:29:00.001-05:00

It's my first Free Pattern Friday! Come back every Friday for some great patterns to help you knit or crochet through the weekend. For more of my free patterns, visit my free patterns page.

Some of you may recall how I've been crazy about knit and crochet items for the home, especially things that are big and chunky..... well, I finally have a pattern to contribute to your home! I finished my Chunky Seed Stitch Knit Rug that is so very cozy on the toes. If you can get over knitting with big needles and doubling super chunky yarn, this will be a breeze. Some of you may be annoyed with the seed stitch, but it is worth it. The stitch makes the rug so cozy and gives it a fun, textured look.

Size:

The size I knitted is about 2 feet by 3 feet, but it can be easily adjusted to make it the size you want

Gauge:

Note that the gauge isn't too important -- in other words, don't spend a lot of time trying to match my gauge. Create your own swatch and figure out how many stitches you'll need to make your desired width.
For my rug, my gauge was about 3 stitches and 4 rows = 2 inches

Materials:

6 skeins Wool Ease Thick and Quick or another super bulky weight yarn. The rug is knitted holding two strands together
Size US 19 (15mm) circular needles

Instructions:

Note: I knitted this rug so that the length (the longer side of the rug) was the amount I casted on (this was because I had ambitions to make a bigger rug, but liked the look of the smaller one as I got going --- and well, I was excited to finish this!)

Holding two strands together, cast on 50 stitches.

Row 1: K1, P1, repeat from * to end

Row 2: P the K STS and K the P STS to end

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until rug reaches desired length

Bind off in established pattern very loosely. Tie off and weave in ends.

Yes, that's it! Super simple but super great looking.... Enjoy!

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Free Pattern Friday Sneak Peek!

2012-03-29T20:55:00.001-05:00

I just had to share this quickly..... My little guy stayed asleep on the table before his 15 month check up yesterday. He fell asleep in the car on the way there and stayed asleep in my arms all of the way to the table. He wasn't too happy to wake up and find himself in front of the doc.....

And now for the sneak peek. Can you guess what this is??? Here are some pics of what I'll be sharing tomorrow..... get excited. It was so nice yesterday and the kids took great naps. I was able to sit in my new yard for an hour in the sun and work on my project. I'm so looking forward to Free Pattern Friday! Come back soon and check it out.

Some Blogging Resources....

2012-03-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I saw a few things yesterday that I wanted to share with you fellow bloggers. I'm always looking for some helpful tips and ways to connect with fellow bloggers (even though my career was in interactive marketing!). There are so many blogs out there with a ton of information and it can be difficult to sift through everything and stay on top of it all. I now follow a lot of blogs daily through Bloglovin' (this is the GREATEST way to keep track of what's going on everywhere). I highly recommend this tool. Today, I wanted to share the wealth and pass along some things that I've found that are worth a look.

First off, Tutus & Tea Parties has a great post on 7 Sites to promote your blog. Lauren shared some tools to help you get your blog out there and drive traffic to your site. Go on over and check out what she has to say.

I really don't know how all of you bloggers out there have such great looking sites! I know I will eventually spend some time and resources attempting to make my blog a little better, but for now, I'm trying to learn about all of the mommy blogger designers out there to figure out which direction I will go.

Erin at Living In Yellow (an absolutely hysterical blog!), is hosting a giveaway for Cherry on Top Blog Shoppe. Melissa is a graphic design student and is offering a discount for future work if you don't win the giveaway. She is super talented and is very reasonable! Also check out her fun personal blog, 20 Going on 80.

Meet some other small business bloggers at Homemaker on a Dime. SJ is hosting a Market Your Biz link party where you can meet Etsy shop owners, etc.

Alright.... that's what I got right now. Hope this helps some of you!

Tutorial Tuesday: Easy Button Bracelet

2012-03-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is my first official Tutorial Tuesday! Today, M and I will be sharing our Easy Button Bracelet with you. We decided to make a bracelet because M is totally into jewelry now, partly because she wants to have more things to put into her jewelry box that she made at a birthday party, and partly because she just likes sporting things... whether it's a tutu or tiaras, anything colorful and sparkling does the trick. This is super fun and simple to do with your kiddos. M liked helping me figure out the pattern of pink, green and purple buttons. She was so excited to wear this when she was done -- she wore it all afternoon!

Here's what you'll need:

Buttons - you can choose 4 hole or 2 hole buttons. With 2 hole, use 1 strand of elastic and with 4 hole, use 2 strands of elastic
Elastic - we found some silver elastic to add some sparkle
Scissors

We Found some cute buttons in the dollar bin at Michael's. They have a bunch of different sizes in the containers -- I'm sure we'll be using these for other projects!

Start by cutting 2 strands of elastic if you're using 4 hole buttons (use 1 strand of elastic for 2 hole buttons). Draw the elastic through one side of the button and then the other side.

Continue to string other buttons on the same way, making sure not to pull the elastic too tight. The buttons should rest next to each other comfortably when the elastic is not stretched.

Once you have all the buttons on for the desired length, tie a knot to bring both sides together.

Enyoy!

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Monday Morning Coffee

2012-03-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that I've been blogging for almost five months now. It has been a fun journey and I love corresponding with creative people and learning about the blogosphere. At first, I was very anti- "scheduling" or making commitments on specific days of the week with this blog because I didn't want it to become something forced and, frankly, something I dreaded. I didn't want it to feel like "work". Many of you bloggers know that your blog evolves and there are periods where you feel a little lost and frustrated.... there are so many talented people out there and you feel like a very small fish. After feeling a bit blog-frustrated, I've decided to try a few changes. I'm in the mood to stretch myself and connect more with my readers. You will see a few new things so come back often this week and let me know what you think.

Source: xaxor.com via seeke on Pinterest

This is a little peak into our life here at A Crafty House. Let's face it, Monday mornings can be tough. It's difficult coming off of the weekend with friends and family and getting back into the daily grind. Sometimes there's just nothing like that first cup of coffee on Monday morning to get you going. Whether you're at work booting your computer up or at home packing your kids' lunches, that cup of coffee just makes life feel a little better sometimes. This is our chance to catch up over a cup of coffee and ease back into the week......

The weather in Chicago was a bit crazy this weekend. Temperatures were all over the place. It was sunny, it rained, we got some fog......The only thing it didn't do was snow (don't hold your breath though). We spent lots of time outside once our fence went up. If you haven't seen the 'before' pictures, check them out here. I'm in love with red cedar right now..... our backyard smells amazing and it's great to have some real privacy outside. More 'after' pictures will come once we get the yard finished up.

M and I worked on a project that we'll be sharing with you tomorrow on Tutorial Tuesday. Here's a sneak peak..... it involves buttons :)

In other news, we played with our new water table and some other fun toys found at the dollar section at Target. Who would have thought that spray bottles could provide hours of fun!?!

We also celebrated Grandpa's birthday and M learned how to officially catch a ball..... C got more comfortable with the backyard and just wants to do everything that his sister does. It's quite comical to see the two of them interact now. I hope your weekend was filled with fun, relaxation, and crafting of course!

And now it's time to focus on the week ahead.... there are swim lessons, ballet, and school to look forward to with some much needed playdates mixed in. As I mentioned, I'm hoping to introduce some new themed days this week, so I hope you come back and check it all out. What are you up to this week?

Come meet other bloggers at The Kurtz Corner's Blog Hop!

Free Dolman Sleeve Crochet Sweater Pattern

2012-03-23T14:47:00.001-05:00

I have to admit, many crocheted sweaters out there look like something my great great great grandmother might wear (sorry to offend any of you crocheters out there). Yes, sorry to be harsh, but it's rare that I come across crochet sweater patterns that I would actually make and more importantly wear. While I think many designers out there are making improvements, it is still hard to come across fun and stylish patterns. I think crocheting has a bad reputation -- and while knitting has "come back" as cool and fun, crochet hasn't quite caught up yet. I hope to maybe start changing that reputation, one pattern at a time. My goal with my Design Week Dolman Sleeve Crochet pattern was to create an easy and good looking sweater that would inspire people to pick up a hook and try crocheting out if they haven't yet. And for those of you out there who crochet already but wouldn't be caught dead wearing a crocheted sweater, I wanted to design one that you might actually wear. This is great for the spring and summer. You can wear it with a shirt underneath if it's chillier or with a tank if it's warmer. Please don't be intimidated by this.... it really is easy and I'm going to walk you all through it step by step.

Here are the techniques you'll need to know for making this sweater. I will have links to these techniques in another post that will show you how to do everything:

CH = Chain: This is the foundation row that you start with when crocheting
HDC = Half Double Crochet: This is the only stitch
SC = Single Crochet
Turning the work and crocheting the other direction.
Seaming the pieces together
Making sure you have the appropriate gauge or can adjust your gauge to make the sweater fit you

This sweater is worked in two pieces and is then seamed on the sides, under the armpit, and then at the top of the sleeves to the neck. With both pieces, you'll be crocheting the body, the piece will then be turned and then you'll crochet the sleeves. This gives you the vertical look for the body and then the horizontal look for the arms.

Materials:

3 skeins Caron Simply Soft yarn in the color of your choice
Size US 9/I 6.0mm Crochet hook
Tapestry needle to seam and weave in ends

Gauge:

7 HDCs and 5 HDC rows = 2 inches (this is approximate -- don't stress about the gauge, you can pick what you want and then adjust according to the measurements you'd like to make)

Instructions:

Determine the length you'd like your sweater to be from the underarm to the waist. On the version of my sweater, the length from the underarm to the waist was 12 inches total: 9 inches of the vertical body piece and then another 3 inches horizontally before extending for the arms. Determine the totally length you want from the underarm, then subtract 3 inches. This is how wide you will need to make the initial piece of the sweater. Remember the gauge here is the WIDTH since this piece will be worn sideways.

For example, since my piece needed to be 9 inches, I needed to have about 32 HDCs to meet the gauge

CH the appropriate number of stitches for your gauge plus an additional CH. So for my sweater, I chained 32 + 1 CHs.
Row 1: Skip the first CH from the hook and HDC all of the way across
Row 2: CH1, turn, HDC all of the way across, making sure to keep the original number of HDCs for each row
Continue the piece in this manner with HDC rows until the piece measures the width you need. So for my sweater, I made my piece about 18.5 inches wide so it would measure about 37 inches in circumference when both pieces were sewn together. I am about a 36 inches around and gave myself an extra inch -- you don't want to make this too tight or too loose.
When the piece has reached the desired width of the sweater, CH1 and turn to crochet horizontally across the vertical rows

You will now crochet 6 SCs for about every 5 HDC rows across (SC in each row 4 times and then 2 SCs in the next row). On my piece, I ended up with 56 SCs across.
Now crochet 6 rows of HDCs

Once these rows are complete, you'll be extending for the arms. At the end of your last row, CH 21 (or how ever long you'd like to make the sleeves).

Skip first CH from hook, and HDC in each CH and then continue to HDC across the main body of the sweater. Once you've hit the end of the row, you'll continue out for the other sleeve by chaining 21. Turn the work.
Again, skip first CH from hook, and HDC in each CH and then continue to HDC across the main body of sweater and across the other arm.
You'll now be working back and forth across the sleeves and body until this part has reached the desired height. To achieve this Dolman Sleeve look, make sure you allow for ample room for the sweater to hang down below your arm. I continued the HDCs rows so that the sleeve height was 10 inches. Tie off.

Complete these same directions for the other side.

Lay both piece on top of each other and seam up the underarms and sides. Then seam up the tops of the arms and the neck, leaving enough room for the neckline. I left about 11 inches open at the top for my neckline.
Weave in ends and wear with confidence!

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All Buttoned Up Knitted Cardigan Pattern For Sale!

2012-03-21T13:23:00.000-05:00

I just finished up the pattern for my All Buttoned Up Knitted Cardigan! This is a fun but simple top down raglan cardigan that can be buttoned or left open. Whether you’re out and about or hanging out at home, it will definitely keep you warm and cozy. Please note that this pattern can be easily adjusted to fit your body size if necessary. Please use these directions as guides and measure as you go along to make the necessary adjustments to fit you. I used the Bernat Softee Chunky here, which is listed as a bulky yarn, however, a heavy worsted will work just fine on this. You could use a cotton blend and make a great spring/summer sweater for those cooler nights! You can buy the pattern by clicking the "Buy Now" button below or visit my Etsy Shop or Ravelry Page. Enjoy! More pictures to come....

Materials
Size US 10 (6mm) 24” Circular Knitting Needles
Size US 10.5 (6.5mm) 24” Circular Knitting Needles
4 Size US 10 (6mm) DPNs
5 Skeins Bernat Softee Chunky Yarn
4 Stitch Markers
Scrap Yarn
5 Buttons (1 1/8” diameter)

Sizes
XS (S, M, L,) to fit chest sizes 28-30” (32-34”, 36-38”, 40-42”)

Gauge
7 STS and 10 rows = 2 inches on US 10.5 needles

Happy First Day of Spring... We're Getting a New Fence!

2012-03-20T14:39:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the first day of spring! This crafty house has been spending so much time outside (which is partly to blame for my lack of blog posting), that I thought I'd share some of our springtime plans for our backyard. Since spring is in the air a little early this year, we're quickly getting into gear and spending some time (and money, unfortunately) fixing up the backyard early so we can enjoy it more. We're simplifying the backyard by pushing back some gardens that were there previously and laying new sod where that was and then also laying new sod under some trees in the back and on the side. We're also getting a brand new privacy fence! We've been waiting to do this for a long time and finally bit the bullet after getting four estimates -- yes, four. A privacy fence is definitely an investment and we wanted to make sure we did it right. While our backyard is currently fenced in with a chain link fence and a neighbor's white picket fence, we thought it might be a little more comfortable with a privacy fence since we're on a busy street. We also have an alley that runs through the back, so added privacy there is a plus as well. I went to the city to get the permit yesterday and learned that we'll have to push the fence back a bit farther than we thought since 6 foot fences have to be at least 30 feet from the road (I guess that's understandable!). Here are some before shots -- I can't wait to show the after shots.

This is a picture of our backyard looking out from our back door. You can see how the alley runs through the back (our garage is the white structure in the back). We have chain link fence on one side of us and the white picket fence belongs to the neighbors on the other side. The dirt on the left is where new sod will go down.

You can see how we've pushed gardens back. Everything has been pulled out, replanted and the old garden ground has been prepared for sod. You can see the white string, which represents the new line for the garden. The lawn in the back has been prepared for sod as well. This is one area of the lawn that had problems because of the tree covering it. We plan to trim back the tree a bit to allow the grass to grow a little better.

This is a view of our side yard looking into the front. We're going to try to take advantage of having the side yard and push this part of the fence up so it becomes part of the back yard. This part of the yard will also be receiving new sod.

As you can see in this picture, we are pretty close to the street, so it'll be nice to have a fence to help with noise and privacy -- you can easily see us playing in back from the main road.

This picture helps to illustrate the side yard that we'll be capturing from the front of the house. The fence will come up to just behind the first tree.

This is a view from the front on the other side of the house. We'll be bringing the gate up to the front of the house. We'll also regain some pavement for the kids to play on -- since we don't have a driveway, there's limited space for chalk and bike riding!

This is what we've been up to......What are your spring plans for outside?

Design Week.... A Little Late....

2012-03-18T20:25:00.002-05:00

Mommy duties called me away from my Design Week creation towards the end of the week, so I neglected some posts. However, I was diligent this weekend and was able to finish up the dolman sweater and I'm happy to share the final product with you all. I did end up changing the construction of the sweater -- not surprising at all. This usually happens for me as I get going and see how things come together. I had two major changes that I made. I decided to crochet the bottom part of the sweater so that it would have vertical lines and then switched to crocheting horizontally for the arm portion. I thought that it really broke up the sweater well and gave it some definition. I also decided to make two pieces instead of one (front and back). I thought that it would be easier to change directions this way and would be easier to ensure that the front and the back were identical. The only extra seaming required was at the top. This construction also allows you to play with the neck size a little more at the end and even allows you to add more rows to the top if you find you need it. I love designs that allow you to customize the sweater as much as possible towards the end without having to rip out a ton of the piece. Enjoy the pictures.... I tried to illustrate how this all came together. This is really so simple and easy. It's a great first sweater for some of you who haven't crocheted a sweater yet and it's a quick project for you pros out there. I'll be selling this on Ravelry my Etsy Shop shortly!

Design Week Day 3: Yarn

2012-03-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today's design week topic is yarn. Just like Stacey mentioned today in her post today on Fresh Stitches, I also try to choose yarn that is readily available, easily substitutable, and will likely continue to be on the market. I have to add one more requirement to Stacey's -- easily machine washable. I think this is important for sweaters.... I have to be able to throw my sweater in the wash or throw my kids' sweaters in the wash. It's just not practical to dry clean things! Caron Simply Soft fits all of these requirements and just happens to be one of my favorite yarns of choice for knitting or crocheting sweaters because I love the way it drapes, it's so soft against the skin (hence the name!) and has a unique look to it compared to other yarns. The kids took long naps today -- and at the same time -- so I had some time to get some crocheting done!

Caron Simply Soft - Sand

Design Week Day 2: Techniques

2012-03-13T21:27:00.001-05:00

Today's Design Week post is about techniques (if you missed yesterday's post, about sketches, check it out here). I'll be making a dolman sleeved sweater for spring/summer and when seeing these sweaters online and in stores, I was a little daunted by the task of trying to figure out how to put this together. However, when I actually sat down and did some research into the techniques for completing this type of design, I discovered that it's really not that difficult. There aren't any complicated increases or decreases for shaping -- it's basically one big rectangle with two smaller rectangles on either side. I discovered that I could make this two main ways:

Crocheted (or knitted) from the bottom up to the arm, increase on either side for the arms, crochet up to the neck, create an opening for the neck, continue down the back to underneath the arms, decrease back to torso width and finish crocheting to the end.
Crocheted (or knitted) from side to side, starting with sleeve width, increase on either side to account for body length, crochet to the neck opening and work body length on either side of the neck opening, rejoin to crochet all together until sleeves, decrease for the sleeves and crochet sleeve to the end

With both techniques, you're completing the sweater flat and then seaming up the sides and under the arms. Also, there isn't any neckline shaping, it's just a simple, wide opening that drapes a little because of its width. I know this maybe hard to understand in words, so I thought I would put together a quick drawing to explain the two ways to construct this.

I decided that I'll be constructing this from the bottom up because I think the neckline will be easier to put together. I decided that I'll be using primarily half double crochets (HDCs) for the stitching with some variations to create a more interesting look for the upper body part of this. The main part up to the sleeves will be HDC. I put together a swatch today:

Can't wait to get going on this a bit more! To see what other designers are up to, visit Fresh Stitches.

Design Week Day 1: Sketches

2012-03-12T22:15:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, I decided to participate in Design Week, sponsored by Fresh Stitches. Today's post is supposed to be about sketches so I wanted to walk you through my design "process" (in quotes because it's not really an exact science) before I begin a pattern. I have to stay, I'm not one who plans a ton before beginning a pattern. For me, I'll get an idea in my head after seeing something online, on TV, in a magazine, or on someone just simply walking down the street and I'll come home and jump right into it (usually once the kids are asleep at night). For this Design Week, I decided to create a spring/summer sweater with dolman sleeves that can be worn with a long sleeve shirt underneath for colder spring days or with a tank top for summer. While I thought I wanted to knit one at first, I decided to change and focus on a crocheted top given that Fresh Stitches is a crochet blog. While I know the Design Week is for knitting or crocheting, I decided to focus on crocheting because I haven't been brave enough to design an adult crochet pattern for a sweater yet and what better excuse than now! I know this will make me finish something.... I don't really have any sketches but here are some images that I've come across that have inspired my top. My designs are typically not very complicated and can be completed fairly quickly with yarn that can be easily purchased. Knitting and crocheting on a budget is my motto until I hit the big time! So these are some sweaters that have inspired my soon-to-be sweater.... nothing is exactly what I'm shooting for.... I'm planning on combining a lot of different elements.

Source: whitehouseblackmarket.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

ource: maurices.com via A Crafty House on Pinterest

Source: flexiblefashions.net via A Crafty House on Pinterest

Little Girl Legwarmers Knit Pattern.... St. Patty's Day Style

2012-03-12T11:45:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist knitting up some quick legwarmers for St. Patrick's day for M. I've been a little behind on my St. Patty's day crafts, and finally finished these up over the weekend and had to share. These will be great for the fall football season as well -- you can easily change the colors for other occasions! If you're planning on heading over to a parade next weekend or just hanging out outside, these are great legwarmers for your little kiddo if it's still a little chilly out. You can also knit them with a cotton yarn if you live in a warmer climate -- here in Chicago, you just never know what it's going to be like on St. Patrick's Day. I knitted them with an acrylic worsted weight yarn so they'll easily machine washable. Enjoy!

Materials

Yarn of your choice in 2 colors of your choice. I used an acrylic worsted weight yarn
US Size 7 (4.5 mm) DPNs or straight needles and US Size 8 (5 mm) DPNs or straight needles. I knitted these flat and then sewed them up, so I used straight needles. If you want to avoid sewing, use DPNs and knit in the round
Tapestry Needle

Size

This size fits my 3 year old daughter but could easily fit a 12 month old if you wanted to fold down the tops.

Instructions

The directions are written for knitting flat and then sewing up the sides. If you'd like to knit in the round on DPNs, adjust the pattern accordingly.

With Color 1, and size 7 needles, CO 36 STS

Rows 1 - 8: Complete K1, P1 rib

Rows 9 - 14: Switch to Size 8 needles and with Color 2, complete stockinette stitch for 6 rows

Rows 15 - 20: With Color 1, complete stockinette stitch for 6 rows

Rows 21 - 26: With Color 2, complete stockinette stitch for 6 rows

Rows 27 -32: With Color 1, complete stockinette stitch for 6 rows

Rows 33 - 38: With Color 2, complete stockinette stitch for 6 rows

Row 39: Switch to Color 1 and Size 7 needles, and making sure you're on a RS, K to the end

Row 40 - 45: Complete K1, P1 rib, ending on a RS

Row 46: Bind of on a WS, in K1, P1 rib pattern

Sew up sides and weave in ends. Enjoy!

Abbreviations

CO = Cast On

DPNs = Double Pointed Needles

K = Knit

P = P

RS = Right Side

ST(S) = Stitch(es)

WS = Wrong Side

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I'm a Knit and Crochet Design Week Designer!

2012-03-10T21:57:00.001-06:00

Fresh Stitches, a great crochet blog, is hosting Knit and Crochet Design Week and I've decided to participate! Come and follow me and other knit and crochet designers along as we create new items. It'll be fun to see what everyone else comes up with and their design process. Hopefully I'll be able to get through a new design and keep up with the blogging schedule! I have some ideas around what I'm going to knit or crochet, but haven't made my mind up 100% yet. Stay tuned.... If you're a knit and crochet designer or would like to try it out, come join in the fun!

Stacey Trock @ Fresh Stitches