It has been entirely too long...

It has been 2 years since my last blog post.  I think I need a photo scavenger hunt or something.

[Edit] In fact, I'm going to do this one:

Anyways, I've been pretty busy with teaching online from home at a brand new online school.  I started out as a high school math teacher (the very first teacher hired) and have become the lead teacher mentor in charge of onboarding new teachers, helping staff with their training/professional development, perform walkthroughs in live sessions and in the online classroom, and many other things that I will not bore you with the details about.  It's been a wild ride so far, and I LOVE IT.



Some stuff has happened personally as well...back in August, we got pregnant and had a miscarriage.  We are heartbroken.  People have been helpful...but people have also said some pretty stupid stuff as well.  I got a tattoo on my foot...thought I was done with tattoos until I lost my baby.

Along with the changes professionally and personally, I've kept busy with some crafting and some nerding...

Doing slides at WCC

I'm still crocheting.  Here are some of my most recent projects (links to the original patterns in the captions):

Kitty! for a cutie

Lacy infinity scarf for a smarty pants

Snake for a fun little man

Bobble hat

I also received a cabinet sewing machine from my great-aunt.  I learned how to sew this summer and finally made the t-shirt quilts that I've been meaning to make for years:

So what have you been up to?  Feel free to share in the comments below.

Who says #crochet is just for winter?

Usually, I reserve my crochet spurts for wintertime when I can cover my legs with my current project to keep me warm.  This spring & summer, I have done plenty of projects that are not blankets to keep learning more!

Crochet Craze: Newborn Edition

My husband's cousin's wife is pregnant.  (say that 5 times fast)  Instead of buying them gifts for their baby shower, etc., I decided to crochet stuffed animals, hats, and a few other things for them.  Here is what I've done so far (I'm linking the original pattern to give credit where credit is due):

Baby Elephant Pattern

Newborn Hat Pattern (I made it without the ears)

Men's Hat - to match the newborn hat

Granny Square Tortoise Pattern

Happy Frog Pattern

More Detailed Pattern for Crochet Pencil Toppers

I found a pattern for crochet pencil toppers that was originally in another language then translated into English.  The pattern is sufficient, but I found myself making mistakes that a little bit more detail would avoid.  Julie also had the same issue (phew, I'm not the only one).  Check out her link for a pattern for 5 petals by clicking her name. :-)

So here goes (btw, as you're looking at the pictures and are thinking, "This is backwards!", it's because I'm left-handed):

1. Ch (chain) 6.

2. Join to the 1st chain with a slipstitch, but don't make a magic ring.

3. Ch 1 then sc (single crochet) into each chain (6 sc total). Join to the 1st sc w/ slipstitch.

4. Ch 1, then sc in each sc (from before) for 2nd row (6 sc total again).

5. Repeat step 4 (3rd row of 6 sc total).

6. Ch 1, then 2 sc in each sc (now there should be 12 sc total). This is typically called an increase (inc).  Join to the 1st sc w/ slipstitch.

7. Ch 3, dc (double crochet) into FIRST sc, dc into 2nd sc, ch 3, slipstitch into 3rd sc.
This makes the first petal.  Notice only 3 stitches were used (2 for the dc, 1 for the slipstitch).
(12/3 = 4 petals...when I skipped, I ran out of room & only made 3 petals.)

8. Repeat step 7 all the way around, not skipping any sc.

9. Join w/ a slipstitch and use your crochet needle or a yarn needle to tuck in the ends. (If you don't have a yarn needle, they are CHEAP and very helpful...also easy to lose, so I recommend buying quite a few at a time.)

I recommend using tacky glue to attach them to your pencil.

Made4Math - Crochet Project

Check out my other blog themathsmith.blogspot.com...I crocheted a pi guy today.

http://themathsmith.blogspot.com/2012/07/made4math-1st-project.html

After a short hiatus

After crocheting a ton, I took a bit of a break.  Tonight, I decided to finish some slippers that my husband requested [pattern taken from (and slightly altered to fit his feet): http://zoomyummy.com/2011/01/21/how-to-make-simple-crochet-slippers/]:

Crochet Craze

so hats off to the new year...more like hats galore!

a student last year encouraged me to look up how to make a sock monkey hat...i finally did it!

sock monkey pattern link

here's another one i made.

i made this hat for my friend, shannie.

domo hat pattern

i made a small purse to resemble toast with jelly on it. the other side is tan to resemble the toast side.

toast purse pattern

my friends and i made 50 hats for babies in afghanistan

one night, i felt particularly goofy and crocheted a mustache.

this is my husband sporting it with pride...

here i am demonstrating its versatility.

i made shannie's kids kitty cat hats to their specifications, with hearts and flowers, of course for their birthday...naturally, with matching mustaches...(shannie took this picture).