Join the free Halloween CAL

Melanie Grobler of M and M Crochet Designs is hosting a free Halloween Crochet Along (CAL) on her blog and Facebook group. This was a lovely and fun CAL to be a part of, where we were creating two of Melanie's Melly Teddy Ragdolls: Gabby Ghost and Bobby Bat. If you would like to be part of it, too, head on over to her sites and check out the patterns. If you start now, there is still time for you to finish one or both of the ragdolls by Halloween!

My dolls differ from Melanie's written pattern in a few ways: My Gabby Ghost has no nose or mouth. (I like her face with just the eyes, eyelashes, and cheeks.) My Bobby Bat is mostly purple but with black wings and some other different color choices. On both dolls I opted not to stuff the hands or feet. (Again, just a personal preference for the ragdoll aesthetic.) And my dolls both have 12mm button eyes instead of safety eyes. If you want more details about my yarn choices, check out my Ravelry project page.

I made these using a 4mm crochet hook, but my hands would have been more comfortable if I had used a 4.5mm hook. I do own a hook that size, but the set it's part of has been missing since we moved two years ago, and I'm just stubborn enough not to buy another one because I know the set will turn up again once I'm able to fully unpack my craft room boxes. So, in the meantime, I'm making do with a different set of hooks that used to be my traveling set. Le sigh!!😉

Gabby's pumpkin is crocheted from the CAL pattern, but I made the pumpkin accompanying Bobby on my 22-needle Addi Pro circular knitting machine. I crocheted the stem and vines according to the CAL pattern, which worked out fine.

Join the free Halloween 2022 Crochet-A-Long at the following links:

Introduction

Shortcut to Part 1

Shortcut to Part 2

Shortcut to Part 3

Shortcut to Part 4

Shortcut to Part 5

Shortcut to Part 6

Simple Sachet Aromatherapy Set

An easy set to crochet with cotton yarn for bedside aromatherapy. I often have nasal congestion when I first lie down at bedtime, which can make it difficult to breathe, and thus to relax and fall asleep. I've found that using eucalyptus or peppermint essential oils can help make it easier for me to breathe, so I came up with the idea to crochet this aromatherapy sachet and stand set to place on my bedside table. 

I will do my best to describe the process I used to create this, but please keep in mind that it's entirely possible that my descriptions and instructions might not make sense to you. I'm including photos of the finished items not only to show you what the finished product looks like, but also to help you visualize the steps you'll be doing along the way if you want to try to re-create my design. If my instructions don't make sense to you, please feel free to use my idea as a jumping-off point for your own creation that you make in whatever way that makes the best sense to you.

Materials: Cotton yarn, worsted weight (I used Lily Sugar n Cream in white), 5mm crochet hook, scissors, yarn needle 

For aromatherapy disc (worked in rounds, make 2):

Setup: Ch 4. Sl in 1st ch to join in a circle.

Round 1: DC 12 in circle. Join with sl in top of 1st st. (12 DC)

Round 2: 2 DC in each st. Join with a sl in top of 1st st. (24 DC)

Finish off and weave in ends but leave a long tail on one of the discs for sewing the two discs together.

Hold the two discs together with wrong sides facing and use a whip stitch or running stitch to sew the two discs together using the long tail. Finish off and weave in tail.

For base (worked flat, make 2):

Setup: FSC 12. Ch 1; turn.

Row 1: SC in each st across. Ch 1; turn. (12 SC)

Rows 2-5: Repeat row 1. (12 SC)

Finish by SCing evenly around all 4 sides, placing 2 or 3 SCs in each corner. Join with a sl to 1st SC. (Mine has about 40 SC all the way around.)

Finish off and weave in ends but leave a long tail on one of the bases for sewing the two bases together.

Before sewing the two base pieces together, work "stand" on the right side of one base.

For stand:

We are going to use a surface crochet technique to build a "stand" on the top of one of the base pieces; the stand will be where you can place the aromatherapy disc during use.

Stand foundation row: Place a slipknot on hook. Working into the spaces between stitches on the base piece, and staying about 3 stitches in from the edges, work surface SCs in the shape of the outline of a rectangle, placing 2 SCs in each corner. My sample ended up with 25 surface SCs in this foundation row. Join with a sl in the 1st SC. Now we will continue to SC rows on top of the foundation row in joined rounds to build the "sides" of the stand.

Rows 2-4: Ch 1. SC in the top of each SC from the previous row. Join with a sl in 1st SC. (About 25 SC in each round, depending on how many SCs you have in your foundation row.) Finish off and weave in the ends from the stand.

Now we will sew the two base pieces together. Hold the two bases together with wrong sides facing and use a whip stitch or running stitch to sew the two bases together using the long tail. Finish off and weave in tail.

Wild-n-crazy Catnip Balls

This super-quick and easy project makes a fairly large cat toy with a diameter of about 3.5 inches. 

This is a great way to use up small yarn scraps. Grab all the wild colors you have on hand and let your creativity flow! Your kitties will thank you. My samples used about 25 yards each. 

Toy is not washable due to the embedded catnip sachet. Store catnip balls in an airtight plastic bag when not in use to help prolong the catnip scent. Gently squeeze toy periodically to help release fresh scent from the catnip. 

Knit 44 rows on a 22-needle circular knitting machine, such as the Addi Pro. 

Cinch each end and fold as to make a double layer beanie. Tie ends together at top of "hat" to secure. 

Make a sachet with a heaping teaspoon of dried catnip knotted inside the toe of a knee-high nylon stocking. Encase the catnip sachet inside a bunch of fiberfill and stuff it into the open end of the knitted ball. 

Pick up stitches around the open end of the knitted ball and pull to cinch the end closed. Knot to secure, then hide any loose yarn ends in center of ball. Now it's playtime for the kittehz! My grandkitties Marshmallow, Sushi, and Princess are gonna love these. Here's a short video of Princess playing with her new ball. 😍