I Crocheted My House (Finished!)

I'm a sucker for cutesy amigurumi, and I'm a sucker for cutesy housey thingies. So when I saw these adorable crocheted houses, well, of course I would make a version of my own house!

It helps that I live in a "Cape Cod" style house- it's already cutesy all on its own.

Azaleas in the front...

...and a forsythia bush in the back. Yay, homey goodness!

Initially I wanted it to be pillow-sized, but as I got into the foundation and halfway up the house I realized how unreasonable that is. Frogged it and began anew- and now this little guy is a sweet "miniature". I stuffed it with poly-fil, but I'd recommend that you weight it with some beans in the bottom, because mine tends to topple.

So are you going to crochet your house? Check out the link that follows for some inspiration and instructions to get you going! Crafty Queens: Crocheted House

Have a Lovely Day!
~Jess

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purplechaircrochet.etsy.com

facebook.com/PurpleChairCrochet

pinterest.com/purplechair

I need a Mascot (Fantastic Finds)

I know you must be thinking: "You don't need a mascot! You have one- Ringo is totally your mascot!"

Well... I don't think Mr. Starkey is all that interested.

Yeah, nope.

Ringo seems more interested in being mascot of the backyard. I occasionally carry my crochet out to the picnic table, and am met with Ringo, face to face. I think he disapproves of my less than adventurous spirit.

So since Ringo is the wrong animal for the job, I've taken to pondering Amigurumi sheep. Every now and then I go searching for the perfect pattern. Usually I find cuteness abounding. But I want something more than cuteness in my mascot. I want personality.

And so I discovered Bob and Daisy.

Bob and Daisy The Sheep via irenestrange

Are they not the most perfecterestest Amigurumi sheep you've ever seen? I'm completely smitten by their charming little selves.

I'm buying the pattern as soon as I click the orange "Publish" button on this post. Maybe in my reckless excitement I'll forego proof reading. 

Oops, I kinda just bought it without even finishing this post.

=D

Have a Lovely Day!

~Jess
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purplechaircrochet.etsy.com

facebook.com/PurpleChairCrochet

pinterest.com/purplechair

The Flower Pot Series (New!)

Floating amongst my crochet tools is a notebook. It's tan, small, and the cover art shows a hand giving a thumbs up and the words "Cool Thoughts" written below. My friend Holly gave it to me (Hi, Holly!).

If you flip through its pages you'll find a whole bunch of cool thoughts. Earrings, sweaters, coffee cozies, blankets, hoods, hats, shawls, toys- all sketched in my crude manner (I'm a miserable artist) with notes jotted and crossed out in between.

Some of these cool thoughts have gone on to be finished items and patterns. Some have been abandoned halfway through, forever a work in progress. Some still remain stuck on the page and will likely be forgotten.

Recently I sat outside my backdoor and watched my boys play while I happily slurped my coffee. Nothing unusual there. To my left, a pot of "purple waffle". To my right, a pot of mums. In front of me, my book of cool thoughts. I wanted to make an amigurumi chicken, in honor of my chickens and my cousins chickens (yes, I really just wrote that).

I drew a chicken. I drew a fox. I drew a sheep. I drew a few things in between. And then suddenly, from somewhere, I found myself creating a series. A whole entire series. In about 15 minutes. "The Flower Pot Series". I hastily texted my cousin (the one with the chickens) and said, "TELL ME WHAT YOUR FAVORITE POTTED FLOWERS ARE!" And like the best friend that she is, she asked no questions and promptly texted back with her favorites. Three more for the series. I snagged my pot of mums and sketched the flowers, the shape, the buds and the leaves.

I could not get this project out of my head and into reality fast enough.

And so, less than a week from inception to creation, I'm thrilled (in a big way!) to present to the world wide web:

The Flower Pot Series No. 01: Mums

I hope you're as intensely excited about crocheting your own pot of mums (and all the other flowers I have planned, as well!)

Here's the pattern link::: The Flower Pot Series No. 01: Mums

 !!!

I'm completely geeking out. I can't wait to fill up my windowsill with crochet! Gah!

Have a Lovely Day!

~Jess
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purplechaircrochet.etsy.com

facebook.com/PurpleChairCrochet

pinterest.com/purplechair

Olivia Octopus (New!)

A friend of mine knit an octopus over the summer and included it in a facebook album. 

"Oh, cute!" I thought. "I should crochet one!" And so I did. 

Introducing: Olivia Octopus!

Olivia being kid-tested.

Her removable hat is quite the hit.

Olivia, having been approved by The Stinky One, is prepped for her photo-shoot.

How many pictures can you take of a stuffed octopus before they start getting redundant? 4, apparently.... maybe less.

This Olivia Octopus is destined for Miss Olivia S., my sweet little cousin/niece. My boys bid her farewell as I placed her in the padded envelope. They were quite smitten with her. I think I may be required to create an octopus of their own: Ollie Octopus, perhaps? 

Follow this link to 

Make Your Own Olivia Octopus!

And how else can I close this post than to offer a little Beatles for you all. :)

Have a lovely day!

I Love Ewe! (Fantastic Finds)

The other day in the craft store by my house, I came across a tiny ceramic sheep.

Image courtesy of BunnyBooCrochet

It was painfully adorable! I may have squealed but no one would have minded, I had my 18 month old son with me.

Image courtesy of oneandtwocompany

"I'm getting this!" my inner monologue triumphed. "It can be my little mascot." I snatched it from the shelf and placed it in my basket.

Image courtesy of tutseetoy

But not even a step was taken before I considered...

Image courtesy of Clewinhand

If I want a mascot for my crocheting... shouldn't it be something, oh I don't know, made from yarn? Specifically: crocheted?

Image courtesy of girapha

The answer is, of course, yes. So I put adorable-ewe back and decided to see what the talented peeps at Etsy have come up with. The above pictures are either patterns or finished items of adorable potential mascots for me (or you!). Follow the link to view the listing (and more adorable pictures!).

Have a lovely day!!

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Unexpected and Birdiful (Fantastic Finds)

I tried to splurge at Anthropologie yesterday, but I couldn't do it properly. I picked this up, put that down, picked something else up, put the other thing down. In the end I did make a purchase of 2 things I deemed were needs and not wants (a ceramic egg crate for our hens, if they ever figure out their purpose in life, and a pot holder because mine are too thin and are resulting in first degree burns). During my meander through the store, a colorful granny square caught my eye.

Image courtesy of Anthropologie

Ooh! Delightful, charming, cozy little bird houses! That's a bit of unexpected crochet (I'm always on the lookout)! So much did this use of granny square impress me that it evoked further reflection during the evening and I got to wondering what kind of bird lives in a crocheted bird house?

Image courtesy of Anthropologie

....crochet birdies, of course!

Image courtesy of crochetroo

Image courtesy of morgansboutique

Image courtesy of peachypaws

Image courtesy of peachypaws

Image courtesy of AmyGaines

Image courtesy of BlueMoonCrochet

Image courtesy of HandmadeCottage

Image courtesy of sofiasobeide

Image courtesy of thekeepmecompany

They're all so fantastically tweet! I even found some pigeon costumes in my searches which were quite hysterical.

Speaking of tweet, I signed up for Twitter. Most confusing thing I have ever attempted to navigate in. my. life! I reassured myself it'd be fine once I got into the thing, but alas, there's this lingo everyone knows except me. And so, it remains neglected.

Slight digression, but on with the point. Does anyone else have some birdy crochet to show off? What about unexpected crochet finds that you can't get out of your head? Or a good Twitter tutorial? Anyone?

=)

(Like me on facebook - Purple Chair Crochet)

Pumpkins & Pumpkins (Fantastic Finds)

Next summer, when our garden gets going, I'll be sure to plant a wide variety of pumpkins! For now I'll just enjoy them in their (superior) crochet form. (And how cute are these kids? Every single one is gorgeous!)

Image courtesy of bloomingjasmine

Image courtesy of customcrochetbyterri

Image courtesy of littlemargie

Image courtesy of luvbuzz

Image courtesy of MandicraftCo

Image courtesy of myknittingworld

Image courtesy of seventytwostitches

Image courtesy of stayhomecupcake

Image courtesy of misslis81

Hats, Coasters, Stuffed (for play or display)-- Crochet Pumpkins are today's Fantastic Find!