Happy Easter, but bunnies are over rated.

My current project is a shawl for my mother, this complex lacy thing with a 150 to 200 row pattern.

It will be pretty when it is done.

Here is a snap shot of what I have done so far.

Well I'm further than that I am close to finishing off the first butter fly... that is what the holes are supposed to draw out... I don't like how hard it is to make out the butterfly. For the next three butterflies, I will be switching it around and the outline of the butterfly will be solid and everything else open.

Ok enough squiring around, let me get to the topic you wanna hear most, why rabbits are over rated for Easter. They are everywhere and we even declared the mascot an Easter Bunny here in the USA. Did you know in Europe, it is the flying bells and NOT a bunny.

Yeah for Diversity!!!!!!

I jumped at the chance to take a two day break form my shawl making, when a co-worker and family friend  requested I make her grandchild a baby hat.

Of course what did she request, a bunny!

Well in the spirit of diversity, and because I refused to do another BORING bunny hat for Easter.
** sigh.. internal thought.....  I mean really you can buy bunny ears every where right now.

I told my coworker, "I've started your grand-baby's hat, but it's a lamb".

Yep the equally cute, fluffy,and adorable baby animal that gets little to no attention, but says spring just as much as a bunny.

She squealed with joy, nodding and agreeing that it would be perfect for her grandchild.

I gain like may of my projects I used the AWESOME pattern at RepeatCrafterMe.com for a lamb hat.

Lamb Hat 

Pattern at RepeatCrafterMe.com for a lamb hat.

Step one follow the lamb ears pattern. 

Step two follow the hat pattern.

By now I hope you know I hate doing what I'm told to do, so I did deviate from the original pattern.

Step Three - Diviate!!!!!!!!!

Ear flap diviation. - Here are my ear flap instructions to get lamb like ear covers for your baby. 

This is for the 0-6 month ear falps.

Ear flap 1:
Chain 2, *HDC in next stitch, bobble stitch in next stitch, repeat form * 3 times, HDC, Chain 1, Turn
Row 2: SC decrease, SC in next 4, SC decrease (finess to get a total of 6 stiches going across), chain 2, Turn
Row 3: *HDC in next stitch, bobble stitch in next stitch, repeat form * 2 times, HDC, Chain 1, Turn
Row 4:  SC decrease, SC in next 2, SC decrease (finess to get a total of 4 stiches going across), chain 1, Turn
Row 5: SC across ( 4 SC)
Row 6: make 2 SC deceases, chain 1, turn
Row 7: SC decrease, chain 30 ( for string to tie hat) tie off.

Two days later this is my end results. 

Hippity Hoppity Hippo Hat

This was a fun hat to make. I must say, I did stick to the directions way more than I normally do. For my Hippity Hoppity Hippo Hat,  I started by using the Hippo Hat Pattern from Repeat Crafter Me. Then got all funky and changed things, adding taking away, adjusting. Since it is a baby hat... no buttons allowed for me!

I'm sure you are more interested in my adaptations than my long winded fluff, so here you go!

Stitches/ Abbreviations:

AC - Accent Color
CH - Chain
EC1- Eye Color 1
EC2 - Eye Color 2
MC - Main Color
SC - Single Crochet
SCD - Single Crochet Decrease
SS - Slip stitch
ST(s) - Stitch(es)

Yarn:

MC - 2 strands of blue "Loops & Threads® Woolike™ Yarn" from Michael's  
AC - 2 strands of green "Loops & Threads® Woolike™ Yarn" from Michael's
EC1 - 2 strands of black "Loops & Threads® Woolike™ Yarn" from Michael's.
EC2 - 2 strands of white "Loops & Threads® Woolike™ Yarn" from Michael's,

I start by using the MC and following the instructions for Size: 9-12 Months (Should fit up to about 16). I complete all 13 rows as outlined without deviation.

My Ear Flap Variation:

Still using the MC I work my way in to my style of  ear flap.
Row 1 - CH 1, SC in next 10 STs, CH 1, turn
Row 2-  SCD, SC in next 6 STs, SCD, CH 1, turn
Row 3 - SCD, SC in next 4 STs, SCD, CH 1, turn
Row 4 - SCD, SC in next 2 STs, SCD, CH 1, turn
Row 5 - Make 2  SCD, CH 1, turn
Row 6 - SCD, CH 30 and fasten off with a tail of yarn form the end of the chain.

Follow the instructions for Hippo Hat Pattern from Repeat Crafter Me for placement of the other Ear flap, but repeat the instructions above leaving a 30 CH tail on the other ear flap.

Hat edging and braided tie:

In the AC.
*CH 30 with a long lead string off the first ST of the CH.SS in the last SCD of the ear flap. SC across front of hat down other ear flap, SS in last SCD of other ear flap, CH 30 fasten off with a tail of yarn hanging form the end. * Repeat for the back of the hat.
Braid together the 3 CHs and Knot the three tails together when the brain runs out of chain,

Outer Ear:

I made my outer ear according to the ear instructions in the Hippo Hat Pattern 

Inner ear:

Using the AC. 
CH 4
HDC in the 2nd CH ST from hook.
SC in last CH ST
CH 1, turn
SC in SC and in next HDC
2 SC in each ST at top of ear.
SC in ST coming down the other side of ear.
SS bottom of ear together.

Sew into outer ear.

White of eye: 

Use EC2.
I made my white eye according to the instructions in the Hippo Hat Pattern, but

Center of Eye: 'Cause I did not want to use a button.

Using EC1.
Magic ring (from instructions)
4 SC in ring,
Pull ring closed.
SS in first SC.

Sew to the white of the eye.

Hippo Eyes & Ears

Teeth:

I made my teeth according to the instructions in the Hippo Hat Pattern.

Hippo Teeth & Snout

 Hippo Snout: 

Using the AC. 
I started by following the instruction in the Hippo Hat Pattern.
The pattern ends just below the nose holes Start by going down away form the nostril.
SC all the way around the lower snout.
Separate out the nostril by placing 3 SCs in the CH that creates the hole.
SC across the top.
Separate out the other nostril by placing 3 SCs in the CH that creates the hole.
SS to first SC of round.
CH 1, Turn.
SC in each SC of nostrils and top of snout.

This is again because I didn't want to use a buttons. 

Snout placement. Sew down the main snout leaving the nostril tops free.

Stitching down the nostril, separate it from the snout to allow the base hat color (MC) to show through. Stitch down between the first and second SC on the snout to allow the nostrils to flair.

Voila One Hip-pity Hop-pity Hippo Hat. 

Hippo Hat- Front

Hippo Hat - Side

The Humans are Dead Robot Hat for the year 2000.

This hat started with me singing The Humans are Dead....  as soon as I found the pattern for a Robot hat on Repeat Crafter Me. Do you know the song "Robots" by Flight of the Conchords, referred to as The Humans are Dead by everyone I know.  I suggest you listening to it over and over and over, and over again.

As I was working on my hat, I had all of the versions available on YouTube playing. Here is the best version combining Doctor Who and the Flight of the Conchords' Robot song... as the title says AWESOME!


Enjoy the video while I explain how I created my hat and what I changed.

Again I was making this for a baby, so I banished the button in the original instructions.
I also adjusted this to be for only 3 yarns.

Stitches/ Abbreviations:

AC - Accent Color
CH - Chain
MC - Main Color
SC - Single Crochet
SCD - Single Crochet Decrease
SS - Slip stitch
ST(s) - Stitch(es)
WY - White Yarn

Yarns: 

MC - 1 skein Patons Metallic Yarn in Pewter
AC - 1 skein Patons Metallic Yarn in Gold (looks more brass/coppery to me)
WY - Some white yarn - I used "Loops & Threads® Woolike™ Yarn" from Michael's.

Square Hat:

Using the MC.
I followed the instructions in the  Robot hat on Repeat Crafter Me to create my square hat for Size 9 to 16 Months.

My Ear Flap Variation:

Still using the MC I work my way in to my style of  ear flap.
Row 1 - CH 1, SC in next 10 STs, CH 1, turn
Row 2-  SCD, SC in next 6 STs, SCD, CH 1, turn
Row 3 - SCD, SC in next 4 STs, SCD, CH 1, turn
Row 4 - SCD, SC in next 2 STs, SCD, CH 1, turn
Row 5 - Make 2  SCD, CH 1, turn
Row 6 - SCD, CH 30 and fasten off with a tail of yarn form the end of the chain.

Follow the instructions for Robot hat on Repeat Crafter Me  to properly place the other Ear flap. However I used my variation to when creating the actual ear flap.

Hat edging and braided tie:

In the AC.
*CH 30 with a long lead string off the first ST of the CH.SS in the last SCD of the ear flap. SC across front of hat down other ear flap, SS in last SCD of other ear flap, CH 30 fasten off with a tail of yarn hanging form the end. * Repeat for the back of the hat.
Braid together the 3 CHs
Knot the three tails together when the brain runs out of chain.

Robot Ears: 

 I followed the instructions from Robot hat on Repeat Crafter Me.
My variation was for the colors:
Magic Ring & Row 1  - AC
Rows 2 through 7 - MC
Rows 8 & 9 - AC

I fluffed out my ears to be more spherical, and sewed them on that way.  

Robot Top: 

I followed the instructions from Robot hat on Repeat Crafter Me.
My variation was with colors:
Magic Ring & Row 1  - AC
Rows 2 through 5 - MC
Rows 6 through 12 - AC

I stuffed my top to make it stay round. Using some old Homespun yarn that was fraying apart as poly fill, it worked out pretty well.  

Robot Eyes: 

I followed the instructions from Robot hat on Repeat Crafter Me.
My variation was for the colors:
Magic Ring & Row 1  - MC
Row 2 - WY
Row 3 - AC

Robot Mouth: 

I followed the instructions from Robot hat on Repeat Crafter Me.
My variation was in the color. I used the AC, so create the mouth.

 The Humans are Dead Robot Hat for the year 2000

Cupcake Confection.... Zero Calories

The day start with me starting on a new hat on my bus ride into work.  To be honest I got distracted by the sky out the window. I mean really would you be able to ignore this?



And then it  moved into this,,,



 I mean WOW! what a morning to be awake.

Once I got into my work building, I just felt that sense of inner calm the day was going to be totally AWESOME. I was right. During my lunch and work breaks I use up some leftover miscellaneous yarns to create the top of the Repeat Crafter Me Cupcake Hat (0-3 month).

I have found over time, I usually cannot follow any recipe without adding my own spice, flavor or flair. Well since this is a cupcake, that is exactly what happened to my version of the Repeat Crafter Me Cupcake Hat .

I followed the instructions for rows one through eight, but this is where my frosting top ended.
My creation was this interesting blue with white speckled frosting top, which looked great (I need to work on taking more photos of my work in progress!).

I got home from work and dug through my yarn collection. I found this super soft microfiber yarn in a hot pink/ pinkish red. It had to be the morning sky that inspired me to even try this color as the cupcake wrapper.

Since my top ended at row eight, I had to do a little pattern rework to find a new place to attach the cupcake wrapper, but still allow for the cute frosting overhang (without scallops).

Here is what I did...

I followed the instructions for "Round 11", but instead attached it to "Round 6" on the inside as the instructions show. I then I followed the instructions for "Round 12-14". Instead of ending after three rows like the instructions say, I added an additional three rows to compensate for attaching at row 6 instead of at "Round 9" as in the original instructions. This allowed for the hat to be just as tall as the original instructions.

The ear-flaps I did some modifications as well.

I followed the instructions for rows 1, 2, 4, 6,  and 8. For row nine I did one single crochet decreased, and then chained 12 to create a tie string. fastening off in the last chain and leaving a long string hanging... the size of the sting was more for an adults BIG fingers than for the child.

For the place meant of the second ear-flap I counted over ten stitched from the first stitch of the first ear-flap on the back of the hat. Then I worked from back to front, following the instructions for "Earflap 1"  rows 1, 2, 4, 6,  and 8. and to finish I did the same as above for row nine.

If you thought the tweaks above was flair.... nope. That was just interchanging some spices, like cardamom for cinnamon which I do 80% of the time with recipes.

Here is where I really deviate from tthe Repeat Crafter Me Cupcake Hat .

I just didn't like the look of the cherry on top of the cupcake, it made me think ice cream instead of cupcake.

After some brainstorming and day-dreaming of cupcakes.... Mmmmmmm, Cupcakes!

I remembered many stores use a really big starburst tip, twisting the frosting to create almost a spiral.

Back to digging in my yarn collection looking for that perfect "frosting" color yarn to create a perfect cupcake confection's spiral. I came up with some left over homespun greenish-blue, and light pink specked.

Mmmmmmm, Cupcakes!

I added the greenish-blue (g-b) first working my way around (starting from the back) single crocheting attaching periodically to the hat a stitch here and there. Since the yarn was so thick it was about every  3 to 4 stitches. around in a circle spiraling to the center.

After the first spiral was placed, I added the pink starting in the front to one side to allow for some blue and white of the original "frosting" to show through.  Again I attached ever 3 to 4 stitches spiraling to the center.

At the top middle, I created an alternating chain of color. I stitched 2 g-b stitches then 2 pink, 2 g-b, 2 pink. I  tied off the chain with two tail sticking out (one of g-b and one of pink).

I twisted the chain to finish the spiral on top creating that "frosting" top look.

To secure the chain, I uses some leftover yarn and a tapestry needle to sew the twist in place keeping the two yarn "frosting" sprouts in the center to stick up. I fasten off the yarn, used to sew the swirl in place, and weave in any extra to hide the tails.


Cupcake confection perfection!

Front view

Front-side view

Bunny is really Le Petit Lapin?

On my bus ride to work I busted out the bunnies inner ears. On my work breaks I managed to attach the ears together, and at lunch bunny was pieced together. (Just in case you missed it this was the Repeat Crafter Me Bunny Hat pattern.)

The bunny lives, but I think he is French. 

I know you have been waiting patiently for the grand reveal, and instead of pulling a rabbit out of a hat I have a Bunny Hat….. Ta da!

Ok kind of anti-climactic, but I had to share with all of you dying to see the finished hat. 

Did I mention I think the bunny may be French? You laugh, but I’m right. 

I didn’t have time to work on a different hat on day four. My excuse this time is I promised my sister to go to belly dancing class (I hurt in places I forgot I had!). Well to my surprise when I got home from dance, I found my crock pot full of French Onion soup. We just finished my first batch of the French Onion soup, so I had to laugh. I can only deduce that it was the bunny’s doing since no one else was home, therefor he must be French. Cotton white tail, I mean caught by the tail, Le Petit Lapin!

Since I’m slacking on the hat creation front, I thought I would at least share my French Onion Crock Pot Soup recipe. I tweaked, twisted and combined to create this recipe over a week ago. It was a huge success with family and friends. 

 ENJOY, and let me know what comments you receive on the creation. 

French Onion Crock Pot Soup

Ingredients (Part 1 – Onions, Onions and More Onions):

·         5 Large Yellow Onions sliced thinly, or into bit size pieces

·         3 Tbsp. Olive oil, & 1 Tbsp. Coffee Rich  creamer (non-dairy w/o casein)

o   OR substitute 4 Tbsp. butter, for an authentic French flavor

·         3 Tbsp. white sugar (May not be need if you use sweet onions to start)

Directions (Part 1 – Onions, Onions and More Onions):

Place these in the Crock Pot (7 to 8 quart) on HIGH for 2 ½ hours. Stir periodically about every 15-20 min. This is to sweat the bitterness out and create translucence in the onion.

This may also be done on the stove top in a large skillet/pan to save time, but I didn’t want to dirty another dish to clean.

Ingredients (Part 2 – Better add broth for a soup):

·         8 cups Beef Broth (Substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian version)

·         ½ tsp sea salt (double amount if using regular table salt)

·         1 tsp Thyme, ground (I had French on hand but I’m sure any will work)

·         2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce*

Directions (Part 2 – Better add broth for a soup):

Add to Crock Pot, turn to LOW for 8 hours or continue on HIGH for 4 more hours.

Ingredients (Part 3 – French Flourish to Finish):

·         Swiss cheese, sliced (or I guess you could use Gouda)

·         Onion & Sage stuffing cubes (we used Brownberry, or your could use croutons)

Directions (Part 3 – French Flourish to Finish):

Place cheese slice in the bottom of the bowl, ladle hot soup over the top, add a small handful of stuffing on top to cover.  Enjoy.

Other notes:

If you are like us, the rest will store nicely in the fridge, reheat on the stove or the microwave.

 If you opt to nuke it, place the cheese on top just after the soup is reheated to melt the cheese, stir, and add stuffing.

 If you reheat with the stove top, follow  Part 3 – French Flourish to Finish directions to serve.

* Worcestershire Sauce – We couldn’t find one in the stores without monosodium glutamate (MSG), so I took multiple different recipes from all over the internet and created my own vegetarian version. I store my sauce in a small 3 oz. jar in the fridge. I put all my ingredients directly in the storage jar (adjusting to taste). Here are the ingredients: 1 Tbsp. lime juice (I used the from concentrate in a squeeze bottle, but I’m sure fresh would be better), 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder, 1 Tbsp. Molasses, 1 to 2 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce (I first added one with everything else then tasted and found it needed two to be correct for me), 1 Tbsp. Rice vinegar (I’m sure any vinegar will work if mild colored- apple/ white/ malt), 1 tsp onion powder, 3 drops Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce (any hot sauce would work I’m sure), and a pinch of sugar. Shake vigorously to mix, taste end product and adjust to taste but remember it is supposed to be Worcestershire Saucy.

The bunny that almost isn’t!

As a Repeat Crafter Me fan, I can truly say the instructions are fine. As an imperfect person, I am full of errors and have the ability to create my imperfectly perfect world. 

What a great start for day number three and my Repeat CrafterMe Bunny Hat. I got to crocheting right away on my morning bus ride to work. I add some more stitches during my break times. Yep, you guessed it; I finished the beanie hat on the bus ride home. Woo hoo!!!!

That is where I got stuck, not in the pattern, but in my everyday life. 

I forgot, I set aside the evening to talk finances; something I highly recommend everyone schedule into their life, be it weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. It's an every two week thing for me prior to the money hitting my account, so dollars go where they should and not where they want.  Finances are one of those things if you don’t pay attention to them they have a tendency to run a muck. The normal two hours I hope to work through everything, morphed into five and a half hours. The plan is in place for the money, but I'm drained after thinking numbers all evening. 

Back to working on the bunny hat to help unwind a little before bed. I managed to finish off the outer ears. Notice how they are different heights and widths? 

 I roll myself into bed; slightly disappointed the bunny hat is not finished.

The bear hat I made twice.

Sometimes searching the internet for free crochet patterns turns out to be a total FLOP.

My first attempt at a cute bear hat was a total dud, because I followed the online pattern  (with holding the site name for anonymity purposes) without question. My first clue should have been that the pattern had a total of 26 rows. Most other infant patterns I do only have 10 to 13 rows maximum. Instead, I saw the picture online, thought cute, and took off following the instructions.

Here is an excerpt from bear hat pattern, or what I am now calling the brown coaster pattern. Note: the pattern's abbreviations and instruction wording have been changed to protect the anonymity of its owner.

 Brown coaster pattern:

 Abbreviations:

ch = chain
sc = single crochet
ss = slip stitch

Pattern: 

Use a magic ring.
Row one -  6 sc in magic ring, ss in first sc of row, ch 1
Row two -  2 sc in each sc around (12 sc), ss in first sc of row, ch 1
Row three -  2 sc in first sc, sc in next sc, repeat around (18 sc), ss in first sc of row, ch 1
Row four -  2 sc in first sc, sc in next 2 sc, repeat around (24 sc), ss in first sc of row, ch 1
Row five -  2sc in first sc, sc in next 3 sc, repeat around (30 sc), ss in first sc of row, ch 1
Row six -  2sc in first sc, sc in next 4 sc, repeat around (36 sc), ss in first sc of row, ch 1
Row seven -  2sc in first sc, sc in next 5 sc, repeat around (42 sc), ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Rows 8 (48 sc) and 9 (54 sc) were just one stitch increase the second part before repeat.

After I got to row 7, I had a coaster the size of my hand with no decrease in sight. I looked at the coaster in my hand for 2 minutes, wondering what I did wrong. I'm a little dense sometimes. 

I grabbed my yarn and yanked the coaster back down to a pretty little brown circle - row 2 in the coaster instructions.

Below  is what I think I did to create my finished hat.

 

Cute Baby Bear Hat

 Disclaimer: This is my first pattern attempt. I forgot to write down what I did. If it doesn’t work go someplace more reliable like Repeat Crafter Me for a hat with ear-flaps pattern, OR do some triage of your own. 

 

Materials:

Crochet Hook: H/ 8 also known as 5 mm

Yarn: a thin Boucle Yarn – sorry I don’t have specifics it was a remnant ball. To help find the thickness it was thinner than “Sugar 'n Cream” cotton yarn (washcloth stuff), but bigger than “classic 10” cotton yarn (for more like doilies/ lace).  

Tapestry Needle

Abbreviations:

Magic Ring Tutorial

ch = chain
sc = single crochet
ss = slip stitch

scd = single crochet decrease

Hat Pattern:

Use a Magic Ring.
Row one: 6 sc in magic ring, ss in first sc of row, ch 1
Row two: 2 sc in each sc around (12 sc), ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Row three: 2 sc in first sc, sc in next 2 sc, repeat around, ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Row four: 2 sc in first sc, sc in next 6 sc, repeat around, ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Row five: 2 sc in first sc, sc in next 8 sc, repeat around, ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Row six: 2 sc in first sc, sc in next 10 sc, repeat around, ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Row seven– nine: sc in each sc, ss in first sc of row, ch 1

For me somewhere along the way I lost my start and end of a row. I just kept going in a circle, never ss or chaining 1 at the end, and I just estimated the row I was on.  

Row 10:  sc in each sc in first 20 sc, scd, sc in each sc, ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Row 11: sc in each sc, ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Row 12: sc in each sc in first 30 sc, scd, sc in each sc, ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Row 13: sc in each sc, ss in first sc of row.

Adjust by adding more Row 13’s to make correct length if needed.

Do not fasten off, start on ear-flap if desired.

Ear-flap 

Row one: Chain 1, sc in next 10, chain 1, turn

Row two: scd, sc in next 6, scd, chain 1, turn

Row three: scd, sc in next 4, scd, chain 1, turn

Row four: scd, sc in next 2, scd, chain 1, turn

Row five: scd, chain 1

Row six: sc, chain 10 (to create string)

Tie off

Find the second ear-flap's placement by folding hat in half. Set the ear-flap back two stitches, so there is more space in front.

Create a loop to secure the yarn to the front location for the second ear-flap. Repeat Ear-flap row one through tie off, above.

Bear Ears (make 2):

Magic ring

Row one: 6 sc in magic ring, ss in first sc of row, ch 1
Row two: 2 sc in each sc around (12 sc), ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Row three: 2 sc in each sc around (18 sc), ss in first sc of row, ch 1

Fold ear in half.

Finish: sc though the two sides of the ear to make a half circle. Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew onto the hat.

Fold hat in half and place ears. I just eyeballed it about an inch from the center point on either side of the crown.  I used the side with the excess yarn as the top to make a secure starting point for placement. Using the excess yarn and needle, whip stitch the ear in place.

Ta da, there is a bear in the woods!