Regan from The Exorcist Crochet Doll

Using the word doll to describe this is kind of hilarious. Around the holidays, my friends Charles and David sent me a link to The Exorcist playset that someone crocheted. They wanted one bad. It was pretty detailed, with a bed and even a crocheted pillow and blanket.

I wasn't ready to commit to that, but I was ready to commit to just Regan. Now she's living happily with Charles and David.

Pattern: Regan from The Exorcist by Greybriar Hollow on Ravelry
Yarn: Random scraps from my stash

Back Yard Yarn Bomb: Crochet Mandala

I have a new respect for yarn bombers. These are not easy to hang!

I crochet this mandala/doily in just one Sunday using bulky yarn from my stash. (I almost emptied out an entire drawer of yarn! Woo!) It takes a LOT of yarn to make yarn bombs.

Pattern: Bits of Mandy's Mandala pattern, plus my own additions to the last several rounds to make it larger

Yarn: Lion Brand Hometown USA, Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick, Bernat Mega Bulky

I used about 5 full and 2 partial skeins of yarn. 

Alex helped me hang the crochet mandala on the chain-link fence in our back yard, and it was a lot harder to hang than I thought. If you ever decide to try yarn bombing, these are some of the things I learned:

Katina's Flip Flop Crochet Slippers

A few years ago, my cousin Katina posted a pair of flip-flop sole crochet shoes to my Facebook wall, saying that she was sure I'd get her name for our family Christmas drawing. (Hint, hint.) She was so sure that she even gave me her shoe size.

I didn't get her name that year, but I did get it two years later, and I somehow remembered her posting that. I went on the hunt for a pattern, and I made these cool shoes for her. I hope they fit!

Pattern: Lightweight Slippers with Flip Flop Soles by Make & Do Crew (free pattern on Ravelry)

Yarn: Cloudborn Pima Cotton DK in Lavender

Crochet Taxidermy Parade Continues: Raccoon, Jellyfish, and Octopus

I love these crochet taxidermy critters sooo much, so I'm now making them as gifts for EVERYONE. All of these creatures are from Crochet Taxidermy by Taylor Hart.

I made this raccoon for my friend Erica for her birthday back in October. I love the oval plaque and his perky little ears.

September Birthday Crochet Taxidermy: Skunk, Owl, and Toucan

My crafty friends -- you know, the ones who made me this awesome hoop for my wedding -- always trade birthday gifts, and three of the gals have September birthdays. This year, I decided to make everyone a crochet taxidermy animal.

I'm kinda obsessed with these lately, and I think everyone needs one! Plus when you have an endless stash of yarn like I do, you have tons of color combos to play with.

Patterns: Little Stinker, Little Hooter, and Timid Toucan from Crochet Taxidermy by Taylor Hart
Yarn: Scrap yarn from my stash

The owl was for Tara. (Alex liked this one so much that he asked me to make one for us, too.)

Stephanie got the skunk.

And Krista got the toucan.

Madie's Crochet Bun Hat

I rarely jump on fiber and stitching trends, but thankfully I have cool young family members like my cousin Madie to keep me on my toes.

Madie messaged me after Christmas with a photo of a bun hat. She wanted to know if I could make her one, so I said sure.

Pattern: Easy Peasy Messy Bun Hat (FREE!)
Yarn: Red Heart with Love Solids in Bubble Gum

Little Stinker Skunk and Fox Crochet Taxidermy

I bought Crochet Taxidermy by Taylor Hart on a whim one night when we were in Malaprops, our local independent bookstore here in Asheville.

I first thought I would make these as Christmas presents for lots of friends, but I then realized that wasn't going to happen. (I ended up going for fox brooches instead for many of my friends,which was much faster.) I made the skunk as a gift, and then Alex persuaded me to make the fox for our house.

Pattern: Sly Fox by Taylor Hart from Crochet Taxidermy
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Carrot and Lily Sugar'n Cream in White (both from my stash)

Pattern: Little Stinker by Taylor Hart from Crochet Taxidermy
Yarn: Black acrylic from my stash and Red Heart Buttercup in White

Crochet Giant Doughnut Floor Pouf

It's rare that I see something I want to make and then get started on it immediately, but that was totally the case with this Giant Donut Floor Pouf.

I spotted the Giant Donut Floor Pouf on both designer Twinkie Chan's Instagram account, as well as on Lion Brand's page. I showed it to Alex, and we both agreed that our living room needed it. Bad.

Cuddly-Cute Crochet Ripple Blankets

Last fall, a friend commissioned me to make Christmas presents for her two little ones. The result: two cuddly-cute blankets in the kiddos' favorite colors.

I miraculously finished both before Christmas, and our friend sent sweet photos not long after to show us how the kids were enjoying the blanket. I love knowing that these blankets are being smothered in sticky popcorn-butter hands while the kids watch movies. (Thank goodness they're washable.)

Crochet Mermaid Tail Blanket

Yes, I'm still posting Christmas gift photos. There were just so many! This one was a crochet mermaid tail blanket for my 4 year-old niece, Kinsley.

You may remember that I made a shark blanket for my nephew, Carson. This is the shark blanket's much gentler counterpart. No bloody teeth here!

Carson's Crochet Shark Blanket

I'm still in awe over how many projects I managed to finish for Christmas. Today I'm featuring the crochet shark blanket that I stitched for my 7 year-old nephew, Carson.

Pattern: Eaten by a Shark (FREE pattern from Off the Hook)

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Gray, plus scraps of red and white

The red yarn is supposed to be blood, but Alex says it looks like the shark's gums instead. He's no fun.

See that weird stripe near the fin of the shark? That's where I used an extra skein of Red Heart Soft that I had left over from another project. It looked like it matched the Simply Soft, but I guess I was wrong.

FREE Shrug, Owl, Boot Cuff Patterns + More for Last-Minute Gifts

The holidays approach, whether you like it or not. If you're stuck with last-minute gifts to make, try one of these free patterns from Craftsy. They're free, and if you have some random skeins of yarn in your stash, you can start stitching right away!

 All finished with your handmade holiday gifts? High five! Save these for projects in the new year -- or to get a jump start on next year's holiday gifts. (Hahaha, yeah, right!)

Let's Talk Crochet!

Do you have a question about crochet? Or want to join in on making really lame crochet jokes? Join me on Craftsy's Facebook Crocheting Club tomorrow night from 7pm - 8pm EST to talk everything crochet! Get the details here.

Lots of FREE Sewing, Knitting, and Crochet Patterns

When I'm writing for Craftsy, my favorite posts are free roundups. There are so many awesome free sewing, knitting, and crochet patterns available for download from talented designers. In fact, I often end up downloading most of them as I'm writing.

Spend your money on fabric and yarn -- because you know you need more of those -- instead of patterns when you download these fab freebies from Craftsy.

Get FREE Accessory Sewing Patterns

How to Crochet a Lobster Stitch Bracelet

I'm finding less and less time to craft these days (where oh where does the time go?!), so quick projects are the only way to get my craft fix. In the spirit of quick crafting, check out my tutorial for crocheting lobster stitch this week on Craftsy.

Lobster stitch is a cool crochet stitch that doesn't require you to decide the number of chains before you start crocheting. The stitch actually builds right off the previous single crochet, meaning you can make that cord as long or short as you'd like without having to decide in advance. As you can see, it makes a pretty rad bracelet.

Pop over to Craftsy and get the lobster stitch tutorial! What kinds of quick craft projects are you working on? It's gonna be a busy summer!

Spring Cleaning: Organizing Yarn Scraps

Ugh. Spring cleaning. I get as far as washing my duvet cover and that's pretty much where it ends. But this year, I decided to include some hefty craft organizing in my spring cleaning. Organizing yarn scraps is one of my biggest problem areas.

My solution? I came up with this scrap yarn organizer that makes a pretty display -- and a great organizer.

 

Want to make one of your own? Check out my Craftsy spring cleaning post for this yarn scrap organizer and ideas for donating yarn you're not using anymore. Let's clean up those craft spaces!

 

And if you don't launder your curtains this spring, I won't judge you.

Sea Coral Crochet Necklace

 

It's funny what can happen when you're just messing around without any creative direction. I was getting burnt out on knitting and sewing one day, so I grabbed my trusty crochet hook and just started crocheting. This necklace is what came out of that.



 

A day or even a necklace like this would've never happened when I lived in New York. Since moving, I've been feeling so much more relaxed and creative. That's why this necklace really makes me happy.

 

Have you ever started creating without a project in mind?

Crochet (Possibly Old Lady) Ruffled Collar

 

When I saw this Crochet Ruffled Collar designed by Drew Emborsky, The Crochet Dude on Simplicity, I thought it would look good over solid-colored shirts.

 

Naturally, I had to take a shortcut. Instead of working the collar with crochet thread doubled as the pattern suggested, I dug into my yarn stash and used a lightweight cotton yarn.

Crochet Toddler Cleire Cardigan

During Hurricane Sandy, I uploaded an in-progress shot of this cardi on Instagram. Because I was trapped inside for days, I actually completed it in time to give it to my niece for Christmas.

Why isn't there a photo of your niece wearing this, you ask? She's not a fan of clothes these days, and by the time  you get her to put one article of clothing on, she's stripped off three other things (including her diaper) and is running around screaming, "Nakie!"

After trying this on her, I replaced the buttons with larger, flower-shaped ones because these kept slipping through the buttonholes too easily.

The pattern for this came from Comfort Knitting & Crochet: Babies & Toddlers. It worked up fairly quickly, and I love that it looks a bit like a little swing coat on her. The tricky part is when to wear it. It's not heavy, but it's not ideal for hot weather either. I think my sister-in-law will end up pairing this with a long-sleeve tee shirt underneath for transitional spring and fall weather.

Have you made any baby or toddler clothes? How was the fit?

Handmade Holiday Gift Exchange

Today is the last day for my Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway! Hop over to the giveaway post to win vintage and modern sewing patterns!

It's Handmade Gift Exchange time again! Over the summer, I made a lovely Anthropologie-inspired bracelet for my new friend Martha. This time, I traded with Jenni at Kissed by a Frog. Here's what I sent Jenni.

Crocheted Cupcake
I thought Jenni could use this as an ornament or just a cute little touch to her kitchen. I got the pattern from blog Bitter Sweet.

Wire-Wrapped Ring
This is my newest obsession after taking a wire ring class. (More photos of the other rings to come!)

Many thanks to Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous for organizing the Handmade Gift Exchange again! And thanks to my new friend Jenni for being my trading partner!