Crochet

Crochet Projects For My New Giant Hooks

June 22, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 17 Comments

The boys and I received bags of treats from our family in the US today (yay, thank you, family). One of the things on my wishlist was a set of large crochet hooks. I am so lucky that there’s a Michael’s store near my in-laws’ place, and so my crafty wishes are usually granted. With this batch of pasalubongs came a set of Boye hooks, sized 8.0mm, 9.0mm, 10.0mm and 11.5mm. Happy dance.

Right after our lunch meetup with my sister-in-law at Buffalo’s Wings and Things / Chubby’s Rib Shack in Commercenter (which I will blog about soon, promise), I checked Ravelry for nice projects to make with my new hooks. I already had a certain project in mind, which was actually the reason why I had asked for the big hooks in the first place. I also knew that I wanted to make a rug.

After a couple of hours of browsing, I finally decided on these seven as my priority projects. I just need to figure out the right yarn weight for these, coz honestly I didn’t really read through the details all that thoroughly. Lol, yes, my excitement took over. So, if any of you guys know where I can get chunky chunky yarn in Manila (or cord that’s nice to crochet with, actually, or tshirt yarn), lemme know!

1. Hopeful Honey’s Basic Chunky Cowl

I think that I could probably get away with making this using several strands of worsted weight yarn. I don’t think I have that many skeins of the same color, so i just might multi-color it and see how things turn out. Check out the pattern for this cowl here.

2. Caron One Skein Summer Wrap

This was the pattern that made me want to have large crochet hooks. I actually tried making this with an 8.0mm hook, which I already had on hand. It obviously didn’t turn out as nice as it was supposed to, hence my big hook bilin. So now I’m really excited to get to work on this. I also received a nice light yellow skein of Caron One Pound, and that’s what I plan to use to make this wrap. Pattern here.

3. Lion Brand Simply Shrug

I know that it’s probably too hot to wear crocheted shrugs made out of thick yarn here in the Philippines, but I don’t care, I still want to make this. Good luck to me, though, if I can find yarn this thick. I wonder if there’s anywhere I can have some made? Pattern here.

4. Ireland’s Scarf from Crochet in Color

Honestly, I love the color that the pattern designer used for this scarf. So pink! Thing is, the listing on Ravelry says it needs a 10.0mm hook, but the pattern on the Crochet in Color site says I hook, which is only 5.5mm. Oh well, I will try to make this in worsted weight with one of the bigger hooks and see how it turns out. If I wanna be able to use it here, it has to be on the lace-y side anyway.

5. Ombre Basket from Crochet in Color

Yep, another pattern from the Crochet in Color site. I love the color used to achieve the ombre look here. I now want to lay out all of my yarns and see which would look nice together. I think maybe I’ll do that tomorrow while the boys are out hehe.

6. Round Carpet in 3 Strands by Drops Design

Here come the rugs! I love the idea of a giant coaster-looking rug in my bathroom. I really feel that it will make the space a whole lot prettier, and you know how I like pretty things. It looks like I will need to do some experimenting with this one, though,until I get the gauge right. Get the pattern here.

7. Rust Colored Carpet

This pattern uses the same type of yarn as #6, so at least I only need to do one round of gauge experimentation for both. You can only get this one via Ravelry, so if you don’t have an account there yet, go and get one. And don’t forget to add me as a friend! My username there is mrspcuyugan. Not surprising, no?

So there you go. I can’t wait to get to work on something new. How about you guys? What crafty things have you been working on lately?

Summer Crochet Roundup

May 28, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 13 Comments

In the middle of summer in hot and humid Manila, I decided to crochet a scarf. Weird, yes. But someone wanted it, and so I finished the project.

I actually started working on this piece because I read in one of the crochet groups on Facebook that Baguio yarn is good to use for scarves. I bought a whole lot of those yarns during my last trip up north, and I haven’t been able to make that many things with them, actually, so I was eager to try. I think this was a success. In case you wanna make something similar, I followed this pattern, with some slight modifications.

Over the summer, I also joined a craft swap. This was the first time that I’ve actually made something to be given away to someone who isn’t a friend or a family member. The pressure was on, big time. It took me a while to decide what to make, and to decide which yarn and colors to use. Eventually, I started on it and completed the project in just a few days. I’m really happy with the end result.

My craft swap partner lives on the beach so I decided to make her a bag she can use, well, on the beach. What do you guys think? I got the pattern from a Japanese book I bought on sale at National bookstore. It actually calls for a totally different yarn, hook and gauge, but I thought it would be nice to experiment. Thank goodness it turned out okay.

Last but not least, I made something without a pattern for the first time, ever. Happy dance! It’s just a headband, nothing much, really, but I still feel pretty accomplished. Plus, lots of people who have seen photos of it online have said that it’s really nice, so yay for me. I made one as a sort of trial piece, and another a couple of hours later, my sister-in-law’s request.

There you go. I should get started on a phone pouch that I owe another friend, soon. I feel like making more headbands also, and maybe a scarf and a bag for myself. So much to do, so much yarn, so little time! Do you crochet? What have you been working on?

Reset (Plus, the Winner of My Mind Museum Giveaway)

April 21, 2014 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 3 Comments

After unknowingly (again!), and unintentionally overloading myself to the point of not functioning properly, I am officially declaring this first day after Easter my RESET day. I went on an unplanned vacation from blogging over holy week because my hosting provider has some Heartbleed issues, and the server was shut down for a bit. I also chose not to work from Good Friday onward, and instead hung out with the boys, crocheted a bit, did some fun Easter crafts and, basically, enjoyed myself. Sure, I now have a bit of catching up to do, but I also am more focused, organized and motivated to work. And that, my friends, is why taking a break and hitting the reset button is a must, every once in a while.

We spent the no-work days at home, playing cards and board games

My friend, Martine, recently published a similar post, sharing about how she is learning to make time for nothing, over at Make It Blissful. It’s a really great read, and something that I actually learned a lot from. One of the changes that I am making after this reset, as I’ve learned from Martine’s post, is to incorporate blank spaces in my schedule. No more overloading my days. I am definitely gonna start making time for nothing. I need those blank hours so that I can do the things that I like. Generally, I work better when I’m happy, and so I need to figure out how to stay happy. Makes sense, right?

Me time = happiness. MrsC me time means reading, crochet and felt crafts!

Over my two years of WAHM-ing, I’ve started to realize my daily work limit, and I think that it’s time for me to apply this. I also need to remember to make time for chores and errands, not exactly my favorite things in the world to do, but important stuff nonetheless. And, most importantly, I need to solidify my daily time with the boys. With MrC, this is usually TV time in the evening, after the kiddo goes to bed. The kiddo and I, on the other hand, have the luxury of doing whatever we can and want to do together during the day, the absolute perks of being a WAHM!

This Easter banner was something that our whole family was able to work on together

So today, Reset Day 1, has been well-spent so far. I got a good night’s sleep, got to see MrC off to work this morning, prepared a nice big breakfast for myself and the little boy, and I’ve already submitted one of my two articles due today. This blog post is another thing I can cross off my list already, and it isn’t even noon yet. Oh, and I also allowed myself to watch The World’s Cutest Cats on TV with the little boy earlier. Yup, this is definitely a great day already.

Easter Sunday was a great day, too, spent with the boys, my best WAHM friends and their families. Blogging about this soon!

I hope that you’re all having a great day, too. I wish I could help make today amazeballs for all of you, but right now I only have to power to do this for one – the winner of my Mind Museum giveaway. Congratulations Astra C. Alegre! Please send your full name, contact number and complete mailing address to mrspcuyugan at gmail dot com.

What, for you, makes a great day? A little gratitude goes a long way, and I’d also like to know what you’re thankful for today. 😀

September Crochet Roundup

September 29, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 7 Comments

I have been happily reunited with my hooks and yarns over the last few weeks. I’ve decided to make a conscious effort to make time for the things that make me happy so that I can manage to relax more and not burn myself out with work. I realize now that one of my weaknesses as a WAHM is being able to properly manage my time, and making sure that there are hours dedicated specifically for family, for work, for errands, for learning, and for relaxation. A Facebook conversation with Dainty Mom, Martine, and some of my other friends over at our WAHM group actually triggered this need in me to allocate blocks of time for different things within the day, and that most definitely includes crochet, sewing and my new-found love, felt crafts, all of which really help to relax me.

Since it’s September, I’m starting to think of Christmas gifts already. Like I said yesterday, I hope to DIY most of our gifts this year, which is gonna be a major challenge. So my crochet hooks and I have been working overtime, making little and big things that might make good presents for the special people in my family’s life. Here’s what I have so far.

How Do You De-Stress, WAHMie? I Crochet!

April 17, 2013 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 4 Comments

Some people go for a walk to clear their heads when they are stressed out. Others choose to listen to music, meditate, play with their kids, or eat their favorite comfort food. I believe that it is important to have an outlet for stress. Of course, a healthy outlet such as exercise is better for you than maybe going out for a smoke or indulging in sweets. But ultimately, in whatever way you can, you should be able to find a way to let go of whatever stressful things bother you each day.

My outlet is crochet.