Spirit of Spring

I was inspired by 60F weather, the thawing of ice, and this womans wonderful crochet jewelry to create a Spirit of Spring.  Most of North America and Europe have suffered from a brutal winter; so it is time for this Spirit to heal our hearts.

The meadow scene is one I made last year, about this time.  The dear little owl on the stump is from a free pattern on the Roman Sock blog by Brigitte Read; patterns for the rest of the scene are available here on my blog.

I've never been a big bunny fan, but bunny ears seemed appropriate for a Spring Spirit :-)  They are crocheted directly to her head:

Bunny ears:  Ch11, dc in the back loop of the third ch from the hook, dc in the back loops of each ch to the last two chains, hdc in the back loop of the last two chains, sl st to the head, turn, sl st in the first st, sc in each dc up to the top of the ear, three sc in the turning ch at the top, and sc in the remaining ch on the opposite side back to the begining, with a sl st in the last ch.  Fasten off and leave a long tail to neaten up the ears where they attach to the head.

For her hair, I used Yarn Bee 'Elvish' (appropriate!) from Hobby Lobby.  I must say, it is a bugger to work with; you can't really see the stitches, you have to feel them.  But, being an eyelash yarn, mistakes are well hidden.  I worked the wig cap for several rounds, then tried it on her head to see where I would need to work openings for her ears.  For the ear openings, ch3, skip three sts, sc in the next three, ch3, skip three stitches, sc the rest of the way around.  Work one or two more rounds, then a final round of (ch7, sl st in the next) 10 times, then (ch15, sl st in the next) the rest of the way around.

Her dress is from a lace pattern, worked in two shades of blue/green, with the final round beaded with fringe beads.  The top of the skirt is gathered up with 42 stitches, then a simple bodice is crocheted from spring green.   Size 11 seed beads were used on parts of the flowers and at the waist and neckline of the dress.  The flower patterns were from different sources, but mostly from 'Crochet Bouquet,' a great book of crochet flowers and leaves.

 She is wearing Elven Boots crocheted from size 8 perle cotton.  With a slight modification (in the pattern) they can become Mary Janes.

Today we have four inches of snow, but the Spirit of Spring is here!

Do you knit?

If you do, you are in luck!  I found this book in our public library and instantly fell in love with Fiona's dolls.  So much so, that I had to purchase her book (from Amazon ) even though I cannot knit a stitch :-)

There are nine dolls in all, ranging in size from just under 20 inches to just over 23  inches tall.  They have the most amazing faces, and you know how hard it is to create a pleasing face on crochet or knit fabric.  Fiona shows you a great way to do this, her instructions are simple and easy to follow.

The dolls have an extensive, removable wardrobe they can share (love that), cool hair, and great accessories.  What more can I say?

Oh yes, Fiona has a website, and has recently posted a free pattern for a 'chibi' girl; a petite knit girl that is way cute.  Check out  Fiona McDonald's blog here.

Normally I would say 'enjoy the crochet,' but instead I'll leave you with  'pick up those sticks!'

Happy Valentines Day!

Logan loves flowers; and she has a basket full for Valentines Day :-)

Her perky hat is another Annie's Attic pattern, in bright white, red, and blue.  Her jumpsuit is a combination of a shortened bodice and attached pantaloons, made a bit fuller, gathered below the knee, then ruffled.

A better view of the lace trim and big flower on Logan's hat.  The flower is from '100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet;' worked in size 3 crochet cotton.  The small flowers on her jumpsuit are the same flower, worked in size 8 perle with slightly smaller petals.

Logan is wishing all of you a very sweet Valentines Day :-)

Ready to travel

Claire says "I'm outta here!"

Claire has packed her bag, put on her hat, and is ready to leave the frozen Midwest.  But where will she go?  Five inches of snow in sunny Dallas?  Frostbite and freeze in the Deep South?  Maybe she'll head for the Caribbean and catch a cruise ship. 

Claire's pretty hat and bag are from the Annie's Attic series "Annie's Miniature Shoe Society," and her mock smock dress is available here on this blog (it is the Christmas dress with cap sleeves and Spring colors).

Closeup of the mock smocking on the bodice.  I love the texture that post stitches give crochet :-)

I sure hope that Groundhog was right; I'm ready for Spring!

After the Storm

Off our back porch

I've never seen ice this thick; it has coated every surface outside to about two inches.  The car is entombed in ice.

But we were lucky!  The storm that has swept from Texas to Main rained down mostly sleet on us yesterday afternoon and evening.  It has stuck to the ground, but not to the power lines.  So we are warm, and connected :-)

Can you see the Cardinal among the sparrows?

Eventually, we'll need to go and chip our way out of the ice, but right now I'm just grateful to be snug and warm.

Go safely out there...It's slick!