Crochet Project: Spider-Man Blanket

When my pals Justin and Maggie Russo revealed that they were designing a superhero-themed room for their expected little one, I immediately knew that I needed to make a blanket to fit in their scheme. My first thought was some sort of blanket based on a cape with logo, but after simply doing a search for "superhero blanket" I quickly came upon this pattern for a Spider-Man Web afghan, based on a dream catcher design.

The pattern was easy to follow, and once I understood the system of increases I didn't need to use it. The author suggests a color pattern and size but I "followed my own likes" based on the amount of yarn that I had on hand. I also used a teal rather than a royal blue, because Maggie indicated teal was a color she wanted to use in the room, and also because my husband informed me that the original Spider-Man blue was more of a teal, and Justin would appreciate this authentic touch.

This is only the second baby blanket I've made. Like all blankets it was time consuming but because it's worked in the round it was fairly easy to whip up. I think it came out well.

I hope Baby Russo likes it!

Finding Nemo

So in my new habit of crocheting presents for small people, AKA children, I decided to whip up something for my nephew Julian's second birthday this month. I purchased the clownfish pattern from BVOE on etsy. The body of the pattern was easy enough, but when it came to the fins, I had a bit of trouble. The pattern didn't make any sense to me, and when I crocheted the fins following it directly, they looked like little cups. So I ended up improvising. I was a little disappointed with how it came out. It was messy. I was also lazy and used buttons for the eyes, and I denied the fish a mouth. You could say I forgot to sew it on, but I'll say that I like the more realistic blank fish stare this lack of lips lends the little creature.

At any rate, on the whole this was not a major success; however, it was a gift for a two-year-old, and he'll probably just drool on it a bit and use it to whack people, and the fish should serve him well in both these feats. Here's more pics if you're interested.

I Can't Sew

In middle school we took "Life Skills" instead of "Home Economics." Call it what you want, it still was a class about cooking and crafting. And our crafting involved using a sewing machine to create a drawstring bag. It was the most horrible week of my life.

I made my bag out of this fabulous Bugs Bunny basketball fabric, which, delightfully, someone is currently selling on Etsy. I was excited about the project, but my ambition quickly fizzled when every step turned into the most difficult task I have ever faced. I'm not sure what it was. I had trouble just cutting the fabric properly. And threading the bobbin and needle? Forget it. In school (excluding gym, of course), I had always churned out nothing but exceptional work, and so sewing this god-forsaken bag turned into a nightmare because I was not good at all. I had to put in extra time after class to finish it, and I'm sure tears were involved. When I finally finished the stupid thing I felt no sense of accomplishment. I was relieved to be rid of the sewing machine, and I didn't touch another one for seventeen years.

My husband, on the other hand, can sew. Whenever I mention the failed drawstring bag, he puffs his chest and tells the story of how in his home ec class, he sewed not a lowly drawstring bag, but a fancy duffle bag, and his teacher thought it was the most perfect specimen of sewmanship she had ever seen. A few years ago I bought him a sewing machine for Christmas. He's only had the chance to sew a few things with it, including this stellar tapestry that now hangs above my desk.

I had figured enough time had passed that perhaps I could try to form a new relationship with the sewing machine. So one day I tried to sew the ends of a small strip of fabric together, and the result: disaster. The thread kept getting tangled and turning into a big clumpy mess. I don't know what I was doing wrong. Bill's theory is that I'm being too timid with the machine, that I have to show it who's boss. I don't know. I had great ambitions of using the sewing machine to create things, but now I think I'll just stick to hand sewing.

My husband, on the other hand, decided to make curtains for our new apartment. We usually paint our apartments in bold colors but this time decided to save time and instead create accents of color through curtains. Bill had an easy go of it. I didn't even try to help. Well, I did cut the fabric for some of the tie-backs. And of course I couldn't even do that correctly; I cut the strips of fabric too small. One thing I was successful at in this entire process was nailing the tie-backs into the wall. I'm not bad with a hammer and a nail. Well, actually, that's not true. If the hammer is to big and heavy it frightens me, and 25% of the time I try to hammer a nail I bend it. Oh, well. DIY isn't my greatest forte. That's what Bill is for.

Behold, the Mustache

My nephew wanted a fake mustache, and so I found a free pattern for one on Easy Makes Me Happy. The night before I was going to see him, I whipped one up. It didn’t turn out perfect, because I did this in the evening in not the best lighting, and the yarn I used was dark brown, which made it difficult to see the stitches. Often I was just guessing where a stitch was before inserting my hook. I also didn’t bother stuffing it, and I left long tails at the ends so that the mustache could be tied behind the head. And this is the result:

I think it turned out pretty cute. After making it I was worried it would not work because it came out very large; however, in the end, I suppose the size only added to the comedic effect. I thought it made Adrian look a little like Mario. He really liked it, and kept asking me if he could take it, even after I told him he could keep it forever because I made it for him. What is it in the world that makes the fake mustache so hysterical?

Here's a few other pics of the mustache in action.