I have the menacing theme from Star Wars running through my head. Dum dum dum dum de dum dum de dum…

Because this is how I spent my day:

 

 

It’s birthday season, and this time I needed a gift for a 10-year-old Star Wars fan. I’m sensing a theme.

I’ve been using a lot of the free patterns from Lucy’s blog, but today I went to her Etsy shop and bought the Darth Vader pattern.  Check out her Star Wars collection!

I used black cotton and a 2mm hook and got busy. Then I reached the waist and realized I didn’t have the silver grey for his midsection and had to pop over to my yarn lady around the corner. I used 9mm safety eyes for Darth’s cold, soulless glare and black felt for his cape. I like the pattern because Lucy doesn’t design with lots of loose bits that need to be sewn together. The arms and snout are the only extras, and they’re easy to place and attach.

As with the golden snitch, I added a loop to the top of his head and hung him from a keychain.

 

 

Darth took the better part of four hours to make, but isn’t he worth it? (Black is slower to crochet because I can’t see what I’m doing.)

Next I’m going to buy the R2D2 pattern. I love the Princess Leia and Yoda, too. And Obi-Wan. And the storm trooper. If the budget allows, maybe I better spring for the whole set.

 

Cost of this Thing: €5.05 (pattern & yarn)
Cost of all Things to date: €84.01

This evening we are going to a birthday party for an eleven-year-old Harry Potter fan. The young lady in question is saving up for a Kindle so we are giving cash, but I wanted to add a personal touch. I googled “harry potter crochet patterns” and found this one over at Inner Child Crochet. Have I mentioned how much talent is out there in the internet? Every time I go out on a google journey, I alternate between inspiration (people are so creative!) and despair (I’ll never be that creative!).

I crocheted this golden snitch up in under an hour with cotton and a 2.5mm hook, and added the loop on top to make it a keychain.

Here it is flying in our garden:

 

 

 

And hanging out on the lilac tree:

 

 

Just waiting to be caught!

 

In other crochet news, the Olaf and Elsa patterns I used for Things 13-15 are now available in English. Merci, Tout un Fil!

 

Cost of this Thing: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €78.96

 

 

 

Today I went back to my favourite crochet blog of the moment, this time for a creature of the deep: mini baby octopus.

 

 

I used the blue acrylic of Elsa’s dress and a 3.5mm hook and he was done in under an hour.  I finally opened a package of safety eyes I bought awhile ago. I like the glassy look it gives him.

His name is Inky, which is appropriate because a) he’s an octopus and b) he looks like the blue ghost from Pac-man.

 

 

Esther made a bed of shredded yarn for Inky and crocheted a little hat for him.

 

 

Cost of this Thing: €7.13 (2 packs of safety eyes, 30 pairs)
Cost of all Things to date: €78.96

Okay, now I’m really done with spending for a bit!

I was going to write about a jacket today, but a sick child at home changed my plans. I instead decided to crochet a get-well monkey.

I went to the same blog as yesterday, and used the Mini Monkey pattern. I used leftover yarn from the Frozen set: the acrylic from Anna’s hair and the cotton from Elsa and Anna’s heads. A 2.5mm crochet hook gave a reasonably tight stitch, though I’d probably use a 2mm the next time.

The pattern was all one piece, and pretty easy except for the colour changes (I never quite know how to do those).

 

 

And looked, it worked! Mini monkey did the job he was created to do: make Martina better.

 

 

Back to school tomorrow! Mini monkey can go too, tucked in a pocket.

 

Cost of this Thing: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €21.79

 

 

I found some pale pink Catania cotton in my yarn basket and it seemed to cry, “This little piggy!” I dutifully googled “crochet pig pattern” and found a gem. My least favourite part of amigurumi is assembling all the pieces, so when I found a one-piece pattern I was sold. I used a 2.5mm hook and this Lucky Little Piggy was born in under an hour.

 

 

It was too much fun to stop at one…

 

 

Aww, they love each other!

 

 

Martina (my oldest) says I should have kept going and made the Three Little Pigs, but I think I’ll stick with this pair. Besides, the same website has some other one-piece animals I need to try, like Incy Wincy Elephant and Boris the Tiny Lion.

 

Cost of these Things: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €21.79

I was rummaging through the crochet hooks my friend, Sophie, inherited from her grandmother. I didn’t know they came in such tiny sizes! I assume they’re for the lost art of lacemaking, which sounds like way too much work. I don’t have that kind of commitment level in me. Yet something in me wanted to try using the hook. 0.6mm! A crochet hook for ants.

 

28 years ago I took my first sewing night school course. I was 13 and the youngest in the class by at least a decade. Armed with my supplies list, I went with my mom to Woodward’s, the local department store. My mom, who does not sew and is baffled by my obsession with all things crafty, wasn’t much help. (Sorry, Mom.) With that total lack of guidance I ended up buying thick topstitching thread by mistake. When I showed up at the next class, my teacher shook her head and lent me some proper sewing thread to get started on my bright pink blouse. (It was the 80s. A time of neon.)

All this is a long way to say that I had some thick pink thread sitting in my sewing basket unused for nearly three decades. What better way to use it up than a crocheted micro-duck, I ask you? There is no better way.

I used the same “Tufty” pattern as Thing 11.

Oh, my bleeding eyes. Micro-ducks are not for the faint of of heart. It’s appropriate that this is Thing 40, because since my I turned 40 my eyes have developed this weird thing where I can’t see anything close up with my glasses on. In order to crochet this I had to take my glasses off to stitch and put them back on again to read directions. I popped a lot of Tylenol for this duck.

 

 

But he turned out so cute. So so cute. He measures about 2cm high.

 

 

Here he is, hanging out by the Cath Kidston caravan needle case…

 

 

But I hope Tufty Jr. likes the only child life because the odds of him getting a brother or sister are slim.

 

 

Cost of this Thing: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €21.79

 

My friend, Erin, was coveting a tissue pack I made at Christmas for another friend. She loved the fabric, an owl print I picked up on that trip to Barcelona. Erin loves all things owl so I figured I could make her happy without sacrificing the tissue pack.

I got out my 3.5mm crochet hook and the same owl pattern from Thing 12.

His body is variegated acrylic and his top and wings are purple wool. I crocheted the beak and eye rings in cotton and used 15mm safety eyes to give him a big owly stare.

 

 

Hoo-hoo! This little fellow is off to Erin’s now.

 

Cost of this Thing: 0
Cost of all Things to date: €21.79

 

My garden is blooming with crocuses and tulips, but I decided to sneak in one more winter set. After the Great Toque Marathon I had a special request.

I have a little buddy, Rebecca, who has a special blanket, made by her Oma when she was just a baby. “Yellow blankie” is beloved, and its only failing is its inability to accompany Rebecca everywhere. Yellow blankie stays at home.

Rebecca’s Oma still had a big ball of the yellow yarn that I could use. So soft, like crocheting with angora rabbits!

I started with a toque, following the same pattern I did for the baby hat, except I increased an extra row and added a few more rows to the bottom as well. I finished it off with white trim and a yellow and white flower.

 

 

But toques are for outside, and I wanted Rebecca to have something she could even wear during the day at school.

Using a 10mm hook, I started with a long chain and joined it to make a loop. I crocheted rows of triple, double and single crochet and switched to a 5mm hook for the edge shell stitch. Then I went back to the original chain row and repeated the same pattern in the other direction. The result was a baby-soft infinity scarf in buddy-size:

 

 

Rebecca calls it “Yellow Scarfie.” That makes my heart melt. That child could ask me for just about anything now and I’d have to say yes.

Cost of this Thing: 0 (yarn provided by Oma)
Cost of all Things to date: €21.79 (lots of buffer now, time for a spendy project)

 

 

The Great Toque Marathon started with a simple dinner out.

I had plans to meet some friends downtown, and as it was cold (January) and as I was taking my bike, I needed something to keep my head warm. But not one of last year’s toques matched this year’s winter coat. So that morning I dug through my yarn basket and pulled out everything that would work with a brown coat. Then, using a 5mm hook, I started crocheting random stripes. I finished with a row of crab stitch, and made a finger pompom to top it off. Done!

 

 

 

Or so I thought. Who knew that so many friends would want a a toque?

I made one in aqua and variegated for Hanneke:

 

 

And in pink for Julianna:

 

 

And in grey for Marko:

 

 

And in purple for Catherine:

 

 

And in pink and purple for Esther (“with three stripes like a flag, please”):

 

 

 

I even made one for Kim when we were in London (bought the yarn at a charity shop around the corner from our apartment):

 

 

Pardon the blurry train station photo. I finished the hat as our plane landed back in Amsterdam, and forgot to take a photo until we were just about to board different trains home.

 

Cost of these Things: €5.11

• Brown: 0
• Aqua/variegated : 0
• Pink: 0
• Grey: €1.35 (grey acrylic)
• Pink/purple 3 stripe: 0
• Purple: €1.35 (purple acrylic)
• London Special: €2.41 (purple acrylic)

Cost of all Things to date: €21.79 (back under budget!)