Birthday Gift

Birthday Gift to myself.

I didnt finish the whole thing in time for my birthday.  I did complete the outer part it just needs a lining i choose the fabric on top to line it with, and it needs a better strap the one I made just keep rolling off my shoulder.

Its a lace purse in shades of lavander and grey, so no the picter isnt washed out those are the colors.

Which is better? WIP

So I am going to make two version of my black chibi dragon. This first one has the eyes I hand painted with the silver blue paint I mixed myself.  I was lucky I caught some day light towards the end of a rainy day so I got a good natural light shot of these guys.

The sun kind of made his horns hard to see against the wood of my bench that has faded into a beautiful silver.  I used yarn colors Steel and Black from Red Heart.  Steel was a vintage color I picked up at a yard sale so not sure if its still a colorway you can buy.

Besides trying to decide which eyes work best with these guys (hand painted or prepainted) I want to get everyones opinion on something else.   I want to get this pattern typed up into a pdf, but I am struggling with deciding on if it should be free or a donation pattern.  I am also thinking of making a booklet pdf with all my patterns in it free and pay and having it be a donation one and the only way you can get the Chibi Dragon pattern again it would just be for donations of $1 up to how ever much the donator thinks its worth.  
  
If I go with the booklet, it will be most the patterns on the site up to the dragon one.  Any patterns that I publish after, if the booklet seems to go over well, I will bundle up to make a second booklet with an other bonus pattern that can only be gotten in the 2nd booklet.  I dont know if this sounds like a good idea or if I am just nuts.  If I do make the booklet, it is something that if/when I start doing craft fairs I can get copy's printed to take with me and sell as well.

What are your thoughts, hand painted or prepainted?
Free/Donation and if Donation should I go booklet or does that not even appeal to you.

Workingon something new- have a peak! --photo update---

This is my newest WIP.

I went to a yarn swap yesterday, and one of the yarns I got was this Blackstone Tweed, which is a woo/mohair/angora mix thats a 2 ply.  I loved the way the specks in it workd up so I though I would try and make a doll.  The only issue I have is the yarn keeps braking under tention, this is a small doll because I only got a small amount of the yarn (1/4 oz or less) and I have to keep knotting it back together ever few feet because its a 2ply I cant really hide the join.

This is also the second time I painted my own eyes.  Sadly its 11pm here so I didn't get good lighting and they look flat, but in person they are sky blue with a bit of sparkle.

The scarf is a mystery wool that I just did a simple 3 st tunisican crochet till it was almost doublt the lenght of the doll.  I went with blue to try and make the eyes pop out more.  Also because it looked like a Sherlock-ish style scarf (BBC TV version).

I am unsure how I will finish this.  If it will be a guy or a girl or even a creature.  I have enough of the tweed left that I could use it to make a matching cap, ears, maybe a tail, or even wings.

I think if I go with a girl, I will try and do a new blush technique that will not rub off or wash out.  I have avoided trying this because I didnt want to ruin any of the dolls I had avalible to me at the time I learned it but I think this will make a good test run because I dont have plans for it outside of I wanted to use the tweed to make a doll.

I am still unsure if I like the way the nose is or not, it seems kinda chunky.  Which I think leaves it looking old mannish.  So I may cut the threads for the nose out and go with no other facial features besides the eyes and blush.



I was able to take a good(ish) daylight photo to capture his eyes! I added it in below.

One of those days...

Have you ever had one of those days when for some reason you just couldn't do the most simple task?  The last few days have been like that for me.  I am working on an other birthday gift this one for my sister, that is coming up sooner then my moms and I get about 2000 to 3000 stitches in and have to unravel the WHOLE thing because I just cant seem to do the most basic shaping correctly. The first time it went all wobbly so I just assumed i over increased but I didn't see that when I unraveled.  Second time even though I wasn't increasing the shape was increasing.....  I have re-work this first 2K/3K about four times now and I think I have finally got it!!  Still need a few more rows before I can tell if it is going to look right *sigh*.  She better love it when its finished. 

Maybe I have just being crocheting to much and need a 24 brake?

Speaking of the Beatles dolls..... I have kind of put them out of sight and forgot about them >.> now I am dreading going over the to nose/mouth or not to nose/mouth question.

Sneak Peak 97% Finished

I thought I would post a peak at how the boot is going.
This one should be the left boot it still needs some finishing touches like the button closure and weaving in some tails.  I need to get someone to model these for me in better lighting my dark little corner does not do them justice, then again neither does my cell phone camera. 

Now I am off to decode my scribbles so I can rewrite them for a right boot!!

Mizzou themed Girl hat

Finally finished working on this one.  I wasn't sure how I was going to do the girls hat and still keep it girly and not looking like a bumble bee in the gold and black.  I thought I might do kitties ears and strips but as i was getting into the 3rd round of strip's I realized it looked to much like a bee theme and unraveled it all.

So its a  pretty basic hat with a black stripe at the bottom with a twisted edge stitch.  I made three different sized little daisy chain flowers with a pearl embellishment.

I am not sure if the edging I did has a real name I just came up with it when I set my work down and come back and realized about 3 stitches in one of them  looked wrong.  Apparently my hook got twisted around and I had not noticed it but it made for a cute edging.

Irish crochet cord bracelet

I got this stunning hand made glass bead today, a friend Karla keeps inviting me to come to the jewelry conventions she sells at.  I bought a few things while there but I couldn't pass this up.  Its got tiny crystals inside of it that add a little more sparkle and I knew it would be perfect for this bracelet.  My camera did no justice to the colors but its a shimmering rich purple with a river of silver blue and a few sparkling peek-a-boo crystals.

She also had a tiny bat that I was in love with but only one and I don't know what I would have done with one, but two I would make into earrings.  Check out her site @ studiosolana.com

I feel this bracelet is finished. just need to polish up the clasp wrap it and remember who it is for.