Welcome Fall with a Crochet Door Bumper

Disclaimer: This is only a pattern review. The original pattern is not mine and can be found here. Changes I made to the pattern are given in this post as well and these changes are mine.

Fall is here and the weather is beginning to change, although in my hometown the changes are harder to feel. As the weather begins to cool, the wind blows, and the doors in the house begin to bang when they are closed. Well maybe not if you live in a newer house, but if your house is older then you will understand and appreciate this post. My house was built in the 70's, but the doors still have a tendency to bang due to poor construction or a crooked foundation. There is one door in particular that can be heard with a loud bang every time it is shut. Despite how annoying this is, I actually didn't go in search of this pattern, but stumbled across this pattern while searching Pinterest for quick yarn stash busters. A pattern for a door bumper came up in the search and I had an idea: I could use up some of my yarn and solve a problem. I quickly grabbed my supplies and made the door bumper in 10 minutes.

As I mentioned I found this pattern on Pinterest as part of a collection of patterns posted, but the original pattern was written by Crochet Dynamite and can be found on her blog Crochet Dynamite!. In her post she speaks of living on an old farmhouse and the creaking of doors, which is the inspiration behind her pattern. She also included a revised pattern to make a different style door bumper, but I chose to use the simple pattern because I wanted a quick project.

Option Two: Button Closure

When I am trying a new pattern, I don't read over the entire pattern prior to starting so I don't know if there is a problem in the pattern until I have already started, which can potentially be problematic. However, this pattern was well written and easy to follow. I didn't find the need to make any adjustments until the very end and then I only made a single adjustment to the closure. The original pattern calls for a tie closure on one end, but even the creator said the piece has enough stretch that you don't need the tie closures. If you don't use the tie closures then you have two options. Option one is to sew the ends of the pieces together to create a loop for the door. Option two is to create a loop on one end and sew a button on the other, which is what I chose to do.

These finishing options are my own original ideas and are not a part of the original pattern. An alternative option, that I thought of as I was writing this, is to connect the loop as you construct the entire piece. The pattern for this is listed below:

Alternate Pattern 

Chain 36

Round 1: Single crochet in 2nd chain from hook, single crochet in each chain across, chain 1, turn.

Rounds 2-4: Single chain in each single chain across, chain 1, turn.

Round 5: 2 single crochet, chain 10, skip 10, 13 single crochet, chain 10, skip 10, 1 single crochet, chain 1, turn.

Round 6: Single chain across, 2 single crochet, chain 1, turn.

Rounds 7-9: Single chain in each single crochet across, chain 1, turn.

Round 10: Single crochet across, 3 single crochet, turn, continue to single crochet around entire piece with 3 single crochet in each corner, slip stitch to join, fasten off.

Weave in loose ends.

In the alternative pattern I used the stripe pattern Crochet Dynamite used. I made mine using the Oakland A's colors. As you can see there are so many possibilities in making these in your own favorite colors or to fit a theme. I think these would be great for a nursery and would make great baby gifts. If I made them for a nursery I would use the button closure option and then use a cute button that matched the nursery theme. What colors would you use?

Stash Buster: Infant Dress and Diaper Cover

If you have children, work with children, or have been around children in the last few months then you no doubt have heard all about Frozen. Frozen was even quite the hit with many adults. I personally have not seen Frozen, but one of my coworkers is a huge fan of Frozen. This coworker is pregnant with her first child, a girl, and I have been wondering how to incorporate Frozen into her baby gift. Then as I was working on another project, the crochet rug from last week's stash buster post, I noticed some white tulle and became inspired. This was the first time I made an infant dress with tulle and yarn as the primary materials. I was a bit hesitant with the outcome, but was pleasantly surprised with the result. This project ended up using several of my crating materials, including all of my white tulle, much of my Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Turqua, and almost all of my snowflake rhinestones. 

I haven't had the time to turn this project into a written pattern, but I can give you a general idea of how I created this infant dress. First, obtain a pattern for the size bodice you want to make. I used my own basic pattern for sweaters and bodices, but there are several great patterns available. I then used a size G crochet hook and the Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Turqua to crochet the bodice, but stopped before achieving the finished length. I stopped an inch under the armpits of the bodice. I then cut strips of the tulle to form the skirt. I didn't measure the tulle length, but just estimated the desire length of the skirt, and then cut all of the strips of tulle the same size. A helpful hint is to double the length of the skirt when cutting the strips of tulle. Doubling the length allows you to create the skirt without sewing. To attach the tulle strips to the crochet bodice I used a crochet hook and the no-sew method for creating tutus. Fold the tulle strip in half and pull the loop through one of the crochet loops on the bottom of the bodice and then pull the tulle ends through the tulle loop. Pull the ends tight and adjust the tulle so it lays flat against the bodice. Continue in this method until each crochet stitch along the bottom of the bodice has a strip of tulle attached.

Once the tulle skirt was finished I then took fabric glue and attached rhinestone snowflakes in various shades of blue to the strips of tulle. Alternatively you can use sequins. If your strips of tulle are uneven you can trim the tulle, but I recommend steaming the skirt before trimming. Another way to steam tulle is to hang it in the bathroom while you take a shower. The steam from the shower will  cause the tulle to straighten, allowing you an accurate depiction of skirt length. I chose to add rhinestone buttons to the bodice, but this might not be necessary depending on the bodice pattern you used. 

Since I used white tulle that is transparent I decided it was important to make a matching diaper cover. Using the same yarn and crochet hook used in the dress I made a diaper cover. Once again I have not had the time to write a pattern for the diaper cover, but diaper covers are very easy to make. Once the diaper cover was finished I cut pieces of Velcro and attached the Velcro to the diaper cover. I didn't add any embellishments to the diaper cover because it will be covered by the tulle skirt, but if the diaper cover were to be shown I would add a snowflake to the back of the cover.

If you are interested in the pattern for this Frozen-inspired tutu infant dress, please leave a comment below. I was really happy with how this dress came out and look forward to making more tutu dresses. If there are any other tutu dresses you want to see, let me know and I will give them a try.

Stash Buster: Crochet Rug

It is officially 2015 and that means it is a new year with new opportunities. I ended 2014 with many goals for the upcoming year, both personally and professionally. One of these goals I was able to put into place before the year ended, but the other goals I am actively working to implement as this new year starts, including moving to a new location. The decision to move to a location is a necessary change in the new year, but a decision that has many factors to consider. While I was initially looking at places that had an extra bedroom to turn into my craft room I have recently had to consider the possibility that my craft room will once again need to occupy only a portion of a room. This is not ideal. 

If you have read my previous posts then you may remember that my existing craft space is a portion of an existing room and that this is prone to unorganized chaos. I am working on a more organized craft environment, regardless of location, which means looking into storage options that optimize space while also fitting in with existing decor. I will post these options when I discover the best storage options for a small space. Another option in maintaining organization in a small space is having less craft supplies. I have thought about this dilemma for the last few weeks and cannot seem to just throw out my supplies. Of course there is the obvious option of giving the supplies to a friend or donating the supplies, but I haven't found anyone that really wants the supplies. My solution, as I work on finding a new location, is to make as many projects with my supplies as possible. My intent is to showcase these projects and provide my readers with quick, stash busting projects they make with their own excess craft supplies.

My first stash buster is a crochet rug made from 3 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Grey Heather, Coffee, and Turqua. I was actually working on a woman's hat, that just wouldn't retain the right shape, and noticed the 3 colors of yarns lying next to each other. This inspired me to create a project using these skeins of yarns. Initially I thought about designing a baby blanket with these yarns, but then thought the colors would make a nice rug. A rug that has become necessary by the new year's project of replacing the carpet in my home. This was a fairly quick project and very easy to make. I used a size G crochet hook. Since I was planning on making a rug I didn't calculate exact measurements. I cast on the set amount of stitches that would make the rug the desired width and then single crocheted in each stitch with the Grey Heather. I then alternated between the Turqua and Coffee. I continued in this manner until the piece reached the desired size for the rug.

I liked the finished rug so much that I ended up starting another rug using the 3 colors that better fit my decor. The rugs are easy to make and would make an excellent housewarming gift. There is no end to the many color possibilities or yarn choices you could make that would use up your yarn stash. If you make these crochet rugs please share your pictures in the comments below. I would love to see your creativity. If you have any other stash busters you would like me try feel free to leave a comment below.