Slipper Love!

I am so excited with how cute the Mary Jane slippers came out! The pattern called for an H hook, which was making them waaaayy to big. That may have had something to do with the cotton yarn. I used Lily Sugar 'n Cream in Hot Blue instead of the wool that the original pattern used, because seriously, who wants wool slippers in Oklahoma in the spring? Ugh! Anyhoo, I went down to a G hook and that seemed to be a better fit.

I found the adorable matching buttons at Jo-Ann for $1.25 each, so with the $1.89 skein of yarn, I made these for about $4.50. They weren't very time consuming, especially after you got past the crochet in the round part.

Zoe wanted to know who they were for. I told her whoever they fit. They actually fit both of us bigfoots (sz. 9-10) and I'm not sure how you would downsize them although a different yarn and hook size would definitely make a difference.

Ocean Blue Masa Bag

It has been awhile since I posted. Chalk it up to keeping busy with my boy's 10th birthday, another family birthday, Spring Break, preventing my children from killing each other, and of course, a magazine deadline that required me to work for a living!

I am most disappointed because I missed an opportunity to get together with one of my favoritest cousins and catch up with her. Growing up we were very close because she was much younger than her siblings and I was an only child. We are just a year apart in age. As it happens so often, life got in the way of us keeping in touch and we are just now catching up via Facebook, the blog, etc. It's nice, but not the best way to spend time with family. That is always best done one on one. I am hoping to change this situation soon.

In the meantime, I have been hooking madly. I made a bag for Zoe, which was a huge undertaking for me simply because it required sewing, which is not my strong suit.


Here is the pattern for the Masa bag. I've been calling it the "Ocean Blue" bag because that what the yarn reminds me of. I used Lily Sugar 'n Cream Stripes in "Tie-Dye."

I did make 2 modifications to the pattern. I added a lining to give the bag a bit more strength and I also added a button closure. Oh! I Scotchgard-ed it as well, to keep all that white yarn from getting filthy!

Clutter Buster Basket

I love the way this looks now that it is completed. It does need either fabric stiffener or some kind of liner to help it keep its shape. The big problem is that I can't decide where I want to put it! I think this one is going in the bathroom to hold the stuff that is always cluttering my countertop. I definitely plan on making more of these, but probably in the small size, as opposed to the medium, because all those single crochets can get a bit tedious.

This is a pretty easy project. I used 3 skeins of Lily Sugar 'n Cream Twists in "Twist Chalet." I completed it in about 2 nights. The pattern can be found on Michael's web site.