Frost Guard Balaclava for Linda

I crocheted this Frost Guard Balaclava for my sister, Linda, who lives in snow country. Hopefully she will find it useful and cozy. It is the Adult S size. The pattern is a paid pattern by Marly Bird, and it's fun to make. 

Mint green is one of Linda's favorite colors, so I was glad to find Lion Brand Scarfie yarn in this Mint Silver colorway. Scarfie is a fiber blend that contains some real wool, which makes it a good choice for winter wear.

I knitted the 4-stitch i-cord drawstring on 5.5 mm double-pointed needles. I used 4 stitches because that's how many pins are on my French knitter, and typically I would use that tool for making the i-cord, but one of the pins has come loose, and I have yet to get it re-glued. So I knitted the cord with regular needles this time. It probably would have been better if I had used 3 stitches instead of 4, because this 4-stitch cord really fills up the space inside the casing and doesn't slide easily. A 3-stitch cord would probably have fit better (note to self for future reference!).

Marly shared a few quick videos demonstrating some of the fun ways to wear it: here, here, and here. 

 

Jack-O-Lantern Donut Buddy

My collection of Donut Buddy toys needed a jack-o-lantern for some autumn vibes, so I made this little guy. The doughnut base is from Rachel Zain's Donut Buddies pattern collection. She doesn't currently have a jack-o-lantern design, so I improvised the other features for the face and the stem/vine. 

I crocheted the orange doughnut base and the black triangle eyes using a 5 mm hook. I switched to a 4 mm hook for the stem and the vine. Originally, I tried to crochet a mouth, but that didn't turn out well, so then I tried to embroider a simple mouth on. I didn't like the way that looked, either. Ultimately, I cut the mouth out of a piece of black felt and stitched it on as an applique. 

Face, take 1

To crochet the oval stem, start with a magic ring. Chain 2 and work 1 DC, 1 HDC, 2 SC, 1 HDC, 2 DC, 1 HDC, 2 SC, 1 HDC, and 1 DC in the ring. Join to the first DC with a slip stitch. Chain 1 and work 1 round of SC-blo. Continue working 2 more rounds of regular SC. Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing the stem onto the pumpkin. 

Stem & vine

For the curly vine, chain 13. Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work 2 SC in each chain. Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing the vine onto the pumpkin at the base of the stem. 

 

At the fair

We went to the fair today to see how my entries did. I was surprised and excited to see that all four of my entries received a ribbon, so I wanted to make this post to update all y'all. 😊

My Boho Crochet Hexi Cardigan received an honorable mention ribbon. 

Montie's True Blues XL Blanket also received an honorable mention ribbon.

My Ginkgo Night Moves scarf received an honorable mention ribbon, too.

 

And Renee's Stitch Sampler Blanket received a third place ribbon! (The white ribbon is difficult to see against the light background of the shelf, and it's also kind of obscured from view in the angle of this shot. I'll add some better shots after I've brought my entries home.)

 

A funny Fidget Turtle for me

My back went out on me (yet again) on Monday. So, for the past 72 hours, I have been in so much pain that I literally could not walk a single step without using a mobility-assistive device like my rollator or (preferably) my wheelchair. But even with those, the pain is still excruciating, and thus I've been trying to move as little as possible.

My devices don't fit through the doors into our bathroom, so to go there, I just hang onto the door frames and/or walls.

It is not fun.

I'm scheduled for another MRI of my lower back in two weeks. So I'm just trying to survive until then. 

On the upside, I can tell that my back is feeling just a tiny, tiny, tiniest little bit better today. Thank goodness.

Anyway, I've been doing PT for my hips the past few weeks. My physical therapist loves turtles and has turtle iconography everywhere at her practice, including a pair of live turtles in a tank in the waiting room, which are so fun and relaxing to watch. So I decided to crochet some "fidget turtles" (meaning they have beads on them so they give your hands something to fidget with) as little gifts. I made three: one each for my PT, her office manager, and her student intern.

Today, I decided to crochet another fidget turtle for myself. This one (in purple) is slightly larger because it's meant to have a 3-inch mini whoopee cushion inside. It's a mashup between the Beaded Fidget Turtle pattern by Willow & Wild and the Tootie Cuties pattern by Stella Knight. 😂

The three little turtles don't have whoopee cushions inside them, alas. 

Beaded Fidget Turtles

This crochet Beaded Fidget Turtle, a paid pattern by Emily Nigro (aka Willow & Wild) is super cute and very quick and easy to make, and it requires just a small amount of yarn, 2 safety eyes, 16 pony beads, and a bit of stuffing. After you make one, you'll then want to make more in ALLLL the colors!! 😂

I crocheted it using a 4 mm hook and used a 2.5 mm hook for the bead stitches.

It even has a little tail!

This one is a gift for my physical therapist. Anyone can tell the moment they walk into my PT's office that she loves turtles, because turtle iconography is everywhere, and she even has a pair of live turtles in a tank in the waiting room. 🐢 The ambience is very calm and soothing, and it's fun to sit and watch the turtles swim or sun themselves on a rock.

BTW, my PT's name is Rey. It isn't every day that one gets to have a Jedi as one's physical therapist, eh?! She is excellent.

After I saw how adorable the first turtle for Rey turned out, I realized that I also had to make one for Rey's office manager, Hannah, and for Rey's student intern, Cheyenne. So I did. 😊 Now there are three widdle turtles for me to take to my next PT appointment, and each one is slightly different. 💜

I have also made the Beaded Hedgehog Fidget by Willow & Wild. Her patterns are always fun, well-written, easy to follow, and result in some really adorable critters. She has tons of amazing patterns to choose from, so you should definitely check them out. I'm sure I will be making more in the future!