Happy Halloween!

Edited to add: She cast her spell over the customers! Our Witch won!

Instead of Crochet or Knitting, here's what I worked on last night, instead. (Kinda looks like Popeye!)

Finished product:

We're having a pumpkin decorating contest at work:

Here's our "stiffest" competition, a "Biker chick".

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Sponge Bob Square Pants

Dd saw my "Frankie" potholder pattern, and the first thing out of her mouth was: "Who gets this one? Hint, hint!" Then: "Can you make me a Sponge Bob Square Pants potholder, too?" How could I say no to trying a Sponge Bob pattern? :) Basically, I am just following my standby "basic" sc square potholder pattern (ch 31, turn, sc in 2nd ch fm hook, sc across, ch 1, turn (30), then sc 30, ch 1, turn for each row, for 30 rows, just changing colors to match Sponge Bob. So far I have his front made, along with the belt and red tie. All that remains is to come up with facial features for the front, and to crochet his backside, then I will come up with his dangling arms and legs. Watch for the final development.......

Free "Frankie" Potholder Pattern

"Frankie" Potholder

by Cindy Cave

Supplies:

1 skein "Apple" green cotton yarn

1 skein "black" cotton yarn

scraps red cotton yarn

scraps white cotton yarn

scraps of grey or grey brown cotton yarn

1 "G" crochet hook

1 yarn needle

Face:

With Apple green, ch 31

Row 1: sc in the 2nd chain from hook, sc across remaining chains, ch 1, turn.

Row 2: sc across each stitch, ch 1, turn (30)

Row 3 to 24: repeat row 2 (30).

Change to black:

Row 25: sc 4, do dc front post into stitch below, sc 4, 1 dcfp, continue this sequence across row, ch 1 turn. (Front posts don't really have to be spaced this exact, I was trying to make it look like hair)

Row 26 to 30: repeat row 2. On row 30, instead of ch 1, turn, just finish off. (30)

Features: (I will try to recall as closely as possible what I did, but I was just kind of freeforming as I went)

Eyebrows:

With black, chain 23.

Row 1: dc in 4th ch from hook, dc each ch across, turn.

Eyes:

Attach white yarn, crochet 9 sc, ch 1 turn, leaving rest of black unworked.

Row 2: do sc decrease in first 2 stitches, sc 5, sc decrease in last 2 stitches, ch 1, turn (7).

Row 3 on: continue to do sc decrease on each end and sc in each stitch in between, until you can get it rounded down to look like an eye.

To make other white of eye, holding your work with front facing you, black stitches to the bottom and one finished white of eye on the right side of your work, skip two black stitches and attach white yarn, crochet 9 sc to end of black row. Work back and forth as above to finish out white of eye.

Nose:

To add nose, holding your work front facing you, and basically upside down with black stitches on bottom, attach green in beteen eyes,

Row 1: sc 2, ch 1, turn,

Row 2: sc 2 in each stitch, ch 1, turn

Row 3: sc 2 in each end stitch, sc 1 in each stitch in between.

Continue this way until you have as many rows for a nose as you wish. As you did with the eyes, use sc decreases on the last couple of rows to round out the nose as you wish it to look.

With black, sc all around features to outline. My features were kind of "puckering", but it worked out great when I stitched them down to the "face". With a yarn needle and black, embroider center of eye onto each white section at bottom of each "eye white". I also embroidered red "crackle" lines on the eye white to make it look like bloodshot eyes. Sorry this part of the pattern isn't more exactly detailed, but I didn't write any of this down when I was making it. To attach the "features" piece to the "face", center top of "eyebrows" on about row 23, about 4 stitches in on each side of "face". With yarn needle and black, stich "features" to "face". With yarn needle and black, in between about row 6 to 8 under the "nose" and about 10 stitches in from the edge, embroider a "zig-zag" mouth, again just messing with it till you have it how you want it to look. For "stitches" in Frankie's face, I just used red and embroidered random lines, then made a "t"at intervals, so it would resemble crude stitches.

2nd side of Potholder (back of head):

With Apple Green, ch 31, turn.

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc across remaining chains, ch 1, turn.

Row 2: sc each stitch across, ch 1, turn (30)

Row 3 to 6: repeat row 2.

Change to black:

Row 7: sc 4, do dc front post into stitch below, sc 4, 1 dcfp, continue this sequence across row, ch 1, turn. (dcfp don't have to be exact, I was trying to make it resemble hair).

Row 8 to 30: repeat row 2. On row 30, instead of ch 1, turn, just finish off.(30)

On "neck" under hair, with yarn needle and red, I "freeform" emroidered another line, crossed with "t's" to look like a crude stitch.

With right sides facing out, and "face" facing you, through both thicknesses on the edge, attach black to row 25, (right side of face) sc through both thicknesses on remaining edge of potholder to corner (about 5 or 6 sc), sc in corner, ch 10, sc in same corner, sc across top to next corner, sc 2 times in corner, sc about 6 to "edge" of hair, change colors to green, continue to sc through both thicknesses to about the bottom of the nose, ch 1 turn, sc about 7 across, 2 sc in next stitch, ch 1, turn, sc to last 2, sc decrease in last 2. (Again, I think this is how I did it, I was trying to make it look like a regular ear) at this point you should be back where the 2 sides of the potholder need to be sc together, sc through both thicknesses 4 times, switch to grey, sc 4 through both thicknesses, ch 1, turn sc in four stitches, ch 1 turn, sc 4, finish off. In bottom corner attach green again, sc through both thicknesses 2ce in same stitch, sc across bottom, in corner sc 2ce, switch to grey, sc 4 times through both thicknesses, ch 1, turn, sc 4, ch 1, turn sc 4, finish off. Attach green, sc about 12 through both thicknesses till you are at the "mid-point" of the next eye, ch 1, turn sc 6, do a sc decrease in next 2 stitches, ch 1 turn slip st in next st, sc across to end, sc 2ce across top "edge" of ear (I know, I think I did this part wrong, but it looked close enough to the other ear, and remember this is "Frankie" so he doesn't have to be exactly perfect!! :) continue to sc (about 4 or 5 to edge of black. Finish off.

I know this pattern is sort of "slap dash", but this is how he was "born", sort of like the REAL Frankenstein.......(mwhahahahahahahahahahahahaha) HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Halloween crochet fun!

On Friday I was searching online for some crochet Halloween potholders to make. I wanted something that was cute, but would also be usable. I didn't find any patterns I wanted to make, so I decided to see if I could come up with my own design. After looking through my cotton stash, I found a large cone of "Apple" by Peaches n Cream. I also had odds and ends of both black, white and red. I settled on a basic square pattern in single crochet and came up with "Frankie".

Front of face and hair:

Eyes and nose:

Eyes and nose attached to face:

finished face:

2nd side of potholder: the backside of Frankie's head:

The finished potholder:

Frankie was quick and a lot of fun to make! I plan on experimenting with a couple more patterns and hope to get them done by Halloween, too!

Textured Heart Potholder, finished

Here is my finished Textured Heart Potholder by Priscilla Hewitt. AOL.Hometown is


going away (which was where her patterns have been located in the past, but I have since located another URL where her patterns are now being saved: here at
http://home.earthlink.net/~jandkthornton/everythinghewitt/index.html). Priscilla's patterns have been a great inspiration to a lot of crocheters, so I am happy to see someone saving her work so that others can continue to enjoy it.

Weekend crochet

We went to Brownwood, Texas, to meet up with both my son and my daughter and their families for the weekend. While DH drove, I managed to crochet the two sides to the Textured Heart Potholder pattern by Priscilla Hewitt. I didn't get it joined together yet, but that shouldn't take long, and I'll show off the finished product, probably tomorrow. I used some Sugar n Cream cotton yarn I found on sale somewhere a while back. If you want the pattern, be sure to get it printed or saved soon while you still can, I have read that aol. hometown is closing down the website with Priscilla Hewitt's patterns by October 31 this year.

Below is a photo of my immediate family, minus my daughter's twin sons.

Here is a "generation" photo which includes the twins. It was the first time my oldest grandson "X" got to see the twins.
We enjoyed getting to see everyone!

Fall

We went to a pumpkin patch over at Flower Mound, Texas today. There were bounce houses, hay rides, carved trees, popcorn, and rows and rows of pumpkins for sale. I took the photos with my cell phone, so they aren't as large as normal.

Afterwards we stopped and had wonderful Mexican food at Christina's which is close to Trophy Club. Fall is finally in the air! I worked a little more on my mystery baby crochet project. I am hoping I can finally finish it this weekend, since I will be off on Monday for Columbus day.

Being stalked

Ignore the messy house! The top photo is my husband being stalked for food. And before you say anything.....we NEVER feed the cats human food, unless it is a small bite of meat once in a while. But this time, DH was being stalked over a piece of pie!!!!! It was just too funny and I had to take the photo. The bottom photo is my new refrigerator. Other than that excitement, our weekend was quiet. :) And yes, I did clean the house!