Busy Hands: Ewok Hoodie

My Little Ewok!

Some of my favorite Star Wars characters are the Ewoks, so when I found this pattern for an Ewok hoodie, I knew I wanted to make one for Stafford! 

I found a free pattern on Ravelry for the Yub Nub Scoodie. The pattern makes an adult size scoodie, but I found a crocheter who wrote about making one of these for her son. She used worsted weight yarn instead of the chunky weight yarn in the original pattern, and she shortened the length. I did the same, and it turned out well for Stafford.

I used a fuzzy yarn for the ears and for the tie in the front. This fuzzy yarn was leftover from Stafford's baby blanket that I made before he was born.

Stafford wore this in the fall, and I think it will still fit him so that he can wear it again this coming fall. I can't wait to see Stafford as a little Ewok again!

I haven't done much crocheting since making this hoodie. My evening energy has been going to other things lately. Sometimes I keep my hands busy by writing cards, texting a friend, or taking notes while studying. But on most evenings I read, nap, or rest my arms while watching tv. Now that I have a toddler again, my arms usually need to just rest when I go to bed in the evenings!

Have you been working on any projects lately? I'd love to hear what you are doing to keep your hands busy.

Busy Hands: R2-D2 Hat

My latest crochet project is this R2-D2 hat for Stafford. I worked on this during the spring and summer this year. I found the pattern several years ago, and I was excited to finally make it.

It is such a cute hat! And I love the little ear flaps. They will be perfect for keeping Stafford's ears warm in the chilly Minnesota winter. 

I think the hat is adorable. Stafford isn't too sure about it, however! He pulls the hat off pretty quickly. Hopefully he will want to keep it on once winter arrives.

I found this pattern for free online. I wish I could link to it, but the blog is no longer available, unfortunately. If I find the pattern online again sometime, I will come back and update this post.

Crocheting was hard for me during the first half of this year, so I didn't get much done. I would often try to crochet, but would have to stop to rest my arms every minute or two. In the past two months I have been able to crochet for longer stretches of time again, which has been great! Now I need to search through my patterns and yarn stash and find something fun to create next!

What fun things have you been creating lately? What is your next project?

Busy Hands: Hats and Shoes

Ever since I found out we were having a boy, I have been working on making little hats and shoes for Stafford. I hope these will all fit him! I think the brown newsboy hat will be too small even when he is a newborn. I made it using the last of a skein of brown yarn, and I made it as big as the amount of yarn would allow.

I used this simple beanie pattern for the top two hats. And I used this pattern for the Yoda hat. I am hoping that the Yoda hat will fit Stafford for Star Wars Day on May 4th. May the fourth be with you! :)

I have also crocheted a lot of baby shoes. The bottom two bootie patterns are made using the Loving Hugs Newborn Booties pattern. I have used this pattern for all three of my children now. The little boots in the top of the picture were made using the Winter Snowflake pattern from Croby Patterns.

More baby shoes! I made the Winter Snowflake booties again, but switched the colors around. The gray boots were made using the Parker Crochet Baby Booties pattern. And the little tennis shoes were made using the Crochet Baby Sneakers pattern.

I am looking forward to putting handmade hats and shoes on Stafford in the months ahead. I think the little tennis shoes are my favorite.

Have you been working on any crafts or projects lately? What have you been doing to keep your hands busy?

Busy Hands: A Special Blanket for Stafford

This is a very special blanket for Stafford. It may be my favorite crochet project ever! I did not make it by myself. I had some help from my Oma.

Oma is my grandmother. She had a lot of yarn leftover from her many projects over the years. Oma passed away several years ago, and after she died I was given her yarn. In the box of yarn there were twelve blue crochet blocks. I didn't know what to do with them, but I couldn't bear to throw them away because of the hours of work that went into them. So I just kept them in the box.

After I found out that Stafford was on the way, I knew just what to do with the blue crochet blocks! I would make some white blocks of my own, and then I would piece them all together in a patchwork crochet blanket.

I found some white yarn, and I crocheted thirteen blocks that are roughly the same size as Oma's twelve blue blocks. Then I crocheted a border using a blue and white yarn. I followed the instructions from Cheryl for a flat braid join.

This is the first time I have done a blanket like this. Piecing crochet blocks together was completely new for me. I searched Pinterest for ideas of ways to join the pieces, and the flat braid join was the prettiest idea I could find. It looked difficult, but Cheryl had such clear instructions that she made it easy!

I love how it turned out! It makes me so happy to have a special blanket for Stafford that was partially made by his great-grandmother. The blanket is about 38 inches by 38 inches. It's the perfect size for a baby. 

For the boarder I did a row of single crochet, a row of double crochet, and then a row of single crochet. I only had one skein of the blue and white yarn to use for the braid join and the blanket border. I wasn't sure if I would have quite enough yarn, but I did! There were only two yards of yarn leftover.

A close up of one of my Oma's lovely blue crochet blocks.

The special blanket is in our living room waiting for Stafford's arrival.

Have you been working on any projects lately? Craft projects or any kind of project? I'd love to hear what you are doing to keep busy.

Busy Hands: Using Up Scraps

After working on many different crochet projects for the past 14 years, I have quite a stash of leftover scraps of yarn. Some leftover pieces are big enough to use for a small project. Other leftover pieces don't go far, but I want to use up all of the scrap yarn I can. I only throw away yarn if it is less than about two feet long. Here are some ways I use up my yarn scraps.

I make cup cozies. I have tried a few different patterns, but this one has turned out to be my favorite for looks, function, and ease of making it. It is made by alternating rows of single crochet and double crochet stitches and then adding a loop for a button on one end. These are nice to give away as a small gift to friends and teachers. I don't know how much they actually help to keep coffee or tea hot, but they are fun to use.

I make crocheted hairband covers. I like the way these feel in my hair when the original hairband is completely covered. I have also made flowers and then sewed them onto hair bands for Adelaide. I let her pick out jewels from my craft stash to sew on some of the flowers.

I am slowly making a Sea Penny Afghan. I learned how to make sea pennies from Julia Crossland. I started making this blanket about five years ago, but I haven't worked on it for about four years now. I need to pick up my scraps and start making sea pennies again! I hope to make this into a nice lap blanket size.

This will not be a color coordinated afghan, but it will be filled with memories. I am making sea pennies using leftover yarn from almost all of my crochet projects. I am also using some of my Oma's leftover yarn. It is fun to look through the all of the colors and yarns in this sea penny afghan and remember the specific projects and people and gifts they represent.

I would love to hear your ideas! How do you use bits of leftover yarn? Please share your scrap project ideas and patterns!

Top Seven Blog Posts of 2017

Hello Friends,

Thank you for reading here at Cranberry Tea Time this year. Whether I know you in real life or not, I am grateful for you, and I am glad to have you as a part of the Cranberry Tea Time community. It has been a joy to write for you and to chat with you this year.

Do you want to know what your favorite blot posts were from Cranberry Tea Time in 2017? Here are the seven that had the most views this year:

• Marriage, Chronic Illness, Christ, and the Church
• Busy Hands: Matching Cowls
• The Gift of Time to Pray
• How to Pray for the Sick and Disabled
• Just a Little Update
• Oh My Soul
• The Best Surprise

I wish you a Happy New Year, and I will see you here in 2018!

Blessings and joy,
Rachel

Busy Hands: A Blanket for Stafford

This fall I crocheted a baby blanket for Stafford. It was made with the same pattern I used to make blankets for William and Adelaide when I was pregnant with them. I also used this pattern last winter to make a baby blanket for a friend. 

The pattern is called "Homespun Crochet Three Color Baby Blanket," and it is from Lion Brand Yarns. I found it on a yarn wrapper 12 years ago, but it is not available to link to online. If you are looking for a quick and simple baby blanket pattern, this one from Lion Brand Homespun is very similar to the one I made.

Homemade baby blankets are one of my favorite things. I look forward to snuggling with Stafford under the warmth of this baby blanket.

I have several other items I am hoping to crochet for Stafford before he arrives. I hope I will have energy to keep my hands very busy over the next four months!

What projects have you been working on lately? How are you keeping your hands busy?

Busy Hands: County Fair Edition

Every year I enjoy entering a few crochet projects at our county fair. I wasn't able to go to the fair this year because I needed to stay home and rest, but I had fun participating by sending in my entries.

For the first time this year, I received first place on all of my entries! So that was kind of fun. But there aren't very many entries, so who knows, I might have been the only one to enter in these categories!

The patterns for the baby booties, baby hat, and scarf are from Crochet One-Skein Wonders. This book has 101 patterns that can all be made with one skein of yarn or less. It is my go-to book for patterns!

This is the South Bay Shawlette that I shared with you back in August. I entered it in the fair, and then a few weeks later I mailed it to a dear friend of mine.

A Star Is Born Booties designed by Anastasia Popova

 Blue Bow Hat designed by Janet M. Spirik

This baby hat, and the baby booties pictured above, have been given to a friend who recently had a baby girl. I love making baby hats and booties. They are quick and cute and make great baby gifts!

Shell Net Cowl designed by Ryan Hollist

Although technically this is named a cowl, I think it looks more like an infinity scarf. This will be used as a gift for a friend one day soon.

Just as quick as my crochet gift stash was filled up, it is now quickly being emptied out! It's time to start crocheting again!

I enjoy crocheting at night when I go to bed to rest. However, I have not been able to crochet as much in the past year or so. I have been able to do more on the afternoons when I am up, which has been great! But it also means that by the time I go to bed at 6:00, I am worn out. My hands and arms are often too tired to crochet, and sometimes I fall asleep and take a nap in the evening. But on the evenings when I have strength left in my arms, I like to keep them busy by crocheting.

What have you been doing lately to keep your hands busy? Are their any projects or crafts you are working on?

Busy Hands: South Bay Shawlette

This spring I kept my hands busy by crocheting a shawlette. I used the free South Bay Shawlette pattern from Lion Brand Yarns. This is the first time I have ever crocheted a shawl, and it was fun! Although I did make mistakes several times, and I had to take out quite a few rows to fix my mistakes! Brain fog and crocheting don't always mix well, but eventually I completed the shawlette.

Here is a close up of the lacy pattern.

I think I will give this shawlette to a friend as a gift. But first I am going to enter it in our county fair later on this month!

I have three more small crochet projects that I am also working on finishing so that I can enter them in the county fair. I am hoping for strength in my arms to finish them up in time.

What have you been doing lately to keep your hands busy? Are there any crafts or other projects you have been working on? I'd love to hear!

Busy Hands: Baby Blanket

This winter I made a baby blanket as a gift for a friend's baby. Apparently I finished the blanket during the Christmas season since those are my Christmas decorations seen in the photo! It just took me a long time to finally get my pictures edited and uploaded to my blog.

This was a fun blanket to make because it was one I had made twice before when I crocheted baby blankets for my own two children. I first found the pattern on the skein wrapper of a yarn I purchased when I was pregnant with William. 

The pattern is called "Homespun Crochet Three Color Baby Blanket," and it is from Lion Brand Yarns. I have searched for the pattern online so that I could link to it, but was not able to find it. If you are looking for quick and simple baby blanket patterns, this one from Lion Brand Homespun is very similar to the one I made.

This is a thick and plush blanket. It was a great project for the winter because it kept me warm as I crocheted! I need to make more blankets in the winter.

What projects have you been working on lately? How are you keeping your hands busy?

Busy Hands: Matching Cowls

I have not been able to do much crocheting in the past couple of months. I have needed to rest my arms on most evenings instead. So this month I am sharing a crochet project from last year. I made a cowl using a chunky, brown yarn from the gift basket I received from a sweet lady in Georgia.

This picture of Adelaide and me was taken in February of last year. I can't believe how much Adelaide has grown in the past 11 months!

I crocheted the Möbius Cowl from my One Skein Wonders book. I then adjusted the pattern to make a small cowl for Adelaide using the leftover yarn.

These cowls are soft and warm. I usually keep mine in Cordell's basket so that I can pull it out if I get chilly. Warm cowls are great for chilly Minnesota winters! And having matching cowls with Adelaide makes it lots of fun.

How have you been keeping your hands busy lately? Have you been working on any craft projects?

Busy Hands: A Bag for Myrtle

This fall I took walks in front of our house with our little dog, Frodo. I bought this seat cane to help me, and I named her Myrtle. This seat cane has worked well for me, but it was difficult to hold on to a leash, my phone, a cane, and any items I needed for Frodo. So I made this little bag to hang on Myrtle.

I liked the houndstooth pattern on my walker bag so much that I decided to make something similar for a seat cane bag. I made the bag in the round and then added a black flap to close over the top. After that I added two single crochet strips to use to secure the bag to the seat cane.

The straps easily secure with black buttons inside of the bag.

As a final touch, I added a vintage brooch from a friend. I thought about adding a crocheted flower, but decided on the brooch instead. When I'm ready for a different look, I can easily change it to a different pin.

This seat cane bag is working out well for me, and I like the way it makes Myrtle look a little bit more fun and fancy. I'm not currently taking walks with Frodo because it is too cold, but Myrtle and I are ready to go whenever it warms up again!

What have you been doing lately to keep your hands busy? Do you have any fun crafts or projects to share?

Busy Hands: County Fair Edition

This year I felt well enough to visit the county fair not just once, but twice! Last year I was not able to attend at all, so I made sure to thoroughly enjoy myself this year! I watched my children having fun on the fair rides. I ate popcorn and cotton candy. I looked at all of the crafts and produce and 4-H fair entries. I visited the vendor tables and collected samples. I petted the goats. I had a wonderful time with my family! My parents were here in August, and they took the children and me to the fair one day while Will was at work. And then Will was able to go to the fair with us on the weekend. 

The county fair is one of my family's favorite events each year. We enjoy entering baked goods, garden produce, and crafts. Throughout the year I work on crochet projects and jewelry to enter at the fair. Some years I am not able to go to the fair, but I always send along some items for entry. It was a bonus that I was able to both attend the fair and turn in craft projects this year!

One of my goals this year was to win a purple ribbon for a crochet project. I have never won a purple ribbon for any of my crocheted items before, so I was thrilled when this infant sweater set received a purple ribbon! I used this free pattern. It's the same pattern I used when Adelaide was a baby. I never made the sweater for Adelaide, though, which I regret.

I entered this baby hat (left) and newsgirl hat (right). I will use the baby hat as a gift for someone. The newsgirl hat is for Adelaide to wear this winter. She even picked out the yarn herself!

I was super excited that my Bristleberry Scarf received a purple ribbon too! I made fingerless gloves out of the yarn remnant, and I will wear these gloves indoors this winter. My medical ID bracelet didn't receive a ribbon.

Since we're talking about the fair and purple ribbons, I want to share Adelaide's exciting fair news! She had never won a purple ribbon at the county fair, and her goal for the fair this year was to win a purple ribbon. She succeeded! Adelaide won a purple ribbon for her caramel candy in the junior division. She was one happy baker!

This fall I am keeping my hands busy by making a shawl. It is slow-going. I have messed up so many times that I have already taken out a total of 8 rows. Agh! Brain fog and crochet don't always mix well. I am also working on creating a little bag to hang on Myrtle. I'll show these to you when I have them finished.

What have you been doing lately to keep your hands busy? Do you ever enter your projects at a fair? If not, you should! It is so much fun!

Busy Hands: Bristleberry Scarf

I have had a lot of sleepy, tired, and brain fogged days lately. It seems that I enjoyed my higher energy levels too much, and after a couple of weeks my body said, "That's it. You're done. It's time to rest." 

I took an unintentional blogging break because I was too sleepy and brain fogged to think and communicate clearly. In the past few weeks I have said a lot of backwards things to my family, friends, and to the lady at the Verizon store! I decided that I should not attempt to write a blog post until the fog cleared! After letting my brain and body rest for a while, I am trying to get back to blogging and gentle activity around the house.

Despite the sleepiness and brain fog, I did have had the energy to work on some crocheting, which was such a blessing. The inability to write gave me the time to finish up this project I started last fall.

I used the Bristleberry Scarf pattern found in the Crochet One-Skein Wonders book. I used most of a skein of this yarn that was a gift from a sweet friend. It is a soft and beautiful yarn.

Yesterday it was cool enough for me to wear my scarf! I probably won't have another chance to wear it this spring, but I can't wait to pull this scarf out again in the fall.

What have you been doing lately to keep your hands busy? Are you working on any projects?