A Crocheted Bowl Tutorial

For the past month, I've been playing the bassoon morning, noon, and night at band camp. It was a fantastic learning experience, and I feel I've definitely improved as a musician and have made friends that will last a lifetime. However, I haven't sewn a stitch since I left! I have been crocheting, though. Little crocheted bowls make great gifts for just about anyone! They can hold jewelry, spare change, and various other odds and ends; I'm sure wrapped candies would also work! They won't break if dropped, nor will they scratch the furniture on which you place it. They're also really easy to make! Here's how I usually make them:
1. Pick out a skein or two of worsted-weight acrylic yarn. It holds the bowl's shape nicely. I like to make sets in coordinating colors, too.
2. I recommend using a 3.5 mm hook, since the stitches made with this size hook are tight enough to keep the bowl's shape.
3. Make the lette "P" with the end of the yearn. Make sure that where the yarn intersects, the horizontal piece that goes off to the left is on top.
4. Insert the hook in the loop so it reaches around and grabs the horizontal part of the letter P. Drag it through and make a slip stitch.
5. Make six single stitches.
6. Bring the loose end through the loop and pull the loop shut. I learned this technique from an amigurumi book once, and it's really very handy. Once your circle gets big enough, you can weave the tail through, and there won't be any hole where you started!
7. For the first round of this continuous spiral, increase every stitch. You should have 12 stitches by the end of the round.
8. For the second round, increase every other stitch. For the round after that, increase every 2 stitches, etc.
9. The size of your circle will determine the size of the base of your bowl. When your circle is big enough, start the next round as only single stitches.
10. Once your bowl is the size you want it, finish the round you are on and make a slip stitch or two after the last single stitch in order to smoothe out the rim of the bowl.
11. If you are making a set, then you can thread the loose end on a yarn needle and use that to stitch the bowls together. I suggest making each bowl a different size and color.
*Please comment and tell me how your bowl making went! I would also love to see pictures of the finished products!*
~ Laura
8.

Mr. Bear, a Well-Loved Old Friend

This is Mr. Bear. As you can see, he's seen many years of love. He wasn't always that color. He didn't always have patches. He also used to have a left eye. However, he recently discovered that he likes himself this way, considering that his beloved mistress made him so. This rambunctious mistress has grown up and gotten married, so he often finds himself reminiscing on the same front step upon which, years ago, many a tea party was held. His mouth used to curve up ever so slightly into a tiny smile, but the years without play have made him a little melancholy. Actually, his face used to look quite a lot like this when his mistress was young, too, except he frowned with exasperation as he was dragged through the garden time after time. Thankfully, there's a patch for that.
His mistress never meant to harm her beloved friend; however, she never seemed to realize that teddy bears don't really drink tea. Right now, Mr. Bear only wants to be loved by another little master or mistress who needs him. Considering his petite stature of about 5 inches from ear to foot, he would make a lovely friend for a doll. He's really not very suitable for actual children, considering that he's been aged considerably with a great deal of paint.

A Week at the Beach

I've been at the beach for the past week, and how relaxing it was! I spent my birthday by the ocean, as I do every year, and I quite enjoy not being pale! However, I've missed my blog, and my Etsy will be out of vacation mode tomorrow. Hope everyone is enjoying summer!

New Listings on Etsy!

I'm about to list a bunch of new stuff! I made some primitive pincushions, some cotton washcloths and a pot scrubber, a patriotic doll, and a grungy little bear.
The pincushions come as a set, and the washcloths and scrubbie come as another set.
I made the doll, which is also a wall hanging, and the bear in the spirit of a primtive Fourth of July (also known as my birthday!).
Visit my Etsy for pictures!

Mary, Another Girl of the Mid-1800s

This is Mary. She's a fairly proper girl who enjoys stitching and baking. She's really very proud of her samplers, but I almost wish she'd stop making them! They clutter every spare corner in the house, considering the terrible weather has kept us cooped up inside the house as of late. Being a proper lady, Mary never leaves her hair a mess. Much like in the Swedish style of the mid-1800s, she ma

kes a braid on either side of her head and pins both braids to her head in order to make buns. In order to preserve her fair complexion, she never sets foot outside the house without her brown printed sunbonnet. She also neglects to wear shoes, but this is only to preserve her only pair for church on Sundays. Most of the time, she prefers to wear pink. At the moment, she is wearing a pink dress that she made herself with a pink gingham apron over it. Mary has a nice, weighty feel, since I stuffed her with natural wool roving. So, she'll sit nicely and brighten up any room! She's available on Etsy, and comes with a little brown bird sewn from the same fabric as her bonnet.

Emma, a Girl of the Mid-19th Century

Meet Emma. She's a lively girl of the mid-1800s with a penchant for sunbonnets, running barefoot, and cows. It's no use trying to tame her; she refuses to wear pantalettes or shoes! She eays that shoes would only slow her down, and no one lays down on the ground at her ankles in order to check for pantalette hems. Hence, she thinks that a petticoat will do the job of pantalettes quite nicely.

Emma loves bright flowers, and it shows in her garments. She wears a bright purple printed frock (her favorite) and a pink calico pocket that she sewed herself, which she uses for the transport of flowers. If I were to open one of her books, pressed flowers would float to the floor in droves.
In order to preserve her favorite frock, she consents to don a white batiste apron; it's really rather miraculous that she hasn't entirely ruined it by now. Forunately, she values her complexion to some degree; she never sets foot outside the house without her mustard-colored bonnet.
Emma is an entirely hand-stitched OOAK doll. She's been stuffed with natural wool roving, and her clothing is also my design. Her bonnet is not removable, and I don't recommend removing her frock, either. Emma is available on Etsy!

Cora, a 19th Century Reproduction Rag Doll

This is Cora, a doll that I picture as being the companion of a little girl living on the prairie in the mid-1800s. Cora is an original design and was made without a pattern. She was hand-stitched and is stuffed with natural wool roving, which gives her a nice, weighty feel. Her sweet countenance was hand-embroidered and needle sculpted. Her braids are made of English mohair that

I dyed myself. She wear

s a calico bonnet to keep the sun from burning her fair face. A sunburn would be unsightly! She also wears a green calico dress with long sleeves and a hem that reaches her ankles. Over that, she wears a simple muslin apron and a shawl. Under her dress, she wears pantalettes that she tries very hard to keep neat and clean; however, the dusty prairie makes this a trifle challenging! Her legs are made of blue and white ticking, so she has "stockings" on at all times. Also, unlike most of my other dolls, Cora wears shoes. Cora quite enjoys wearing her little boot-like shoes. She says they make her feel like she's a fancy girl from the town where her little mistress' papa brings the crops to market.