Happy Halloween

  Hi, crazy lady here... I haven't been posting much because I'm trying to get my backup of free patterns in order. However, this persistent bout of insomnia is bringing productiveness to a screeching halt. Just typing a sentence that makes sense is difficult, and any attempt at translating my notes into true written patterns have ended with me staring blankly at what looks like gibberish. It kinda feels like that first time you open a calculus textbook.


  This, too, shall pass. In the meantime, more crochet is being done! Right, like I need to create more things and record them in more gibberish/chicken-scratch nonsense that mocks me from the page... Still, it happens. What happened this time was supposed to be for my Halloween costume, but my Halloween plans got wrecked. It really sucks to work feverishly on short notice and finish the pieces for your costume, just to have plans change and be left with no reason to dress up at all. 


  Oh, cry me a river... It's not the end of the world. I'm tired and I've let other people pull me into a bad mood, ruining my favorite holiday. But, um, didn't the title of this post have the word "happy" in it somewhere? I can still look forward to trying again next year, so I'll do my best to forget the day and share some happy crocheting. So... What do you do when you can't get display photos of your Halloween accessories in-use because you have no reason to dress up?


You put them on a pumpkin and say: Happy Halloween!


crochet, snakes, Medusa, hairbands, Halloween


  That is a small pumpkin, so those aren't giant snakes. Each is about a foot in length, with two a little longer at about 18" (45 cm). I was playing with my new creations, wondering how big they would be if that was a full-size pumpkin. It made me realize that this pattern would be easy to create in any size, and doesn't have to include the hairbands I attached to make a Medusa costume. They could just be cute/cuddly/evil/venomous little (or big) snakes.


crochet, snakes, Medusa, hairbands, Halloween


  If you're a return reader, then you probably know about my lack of sewing/embroidery skills. A similar skill level applies to stuffed projects, too. So you can see by the cutesy one with the crooked eyes that my first attempt was off. It's okay; We were going to be in the dark, and I planned to hide that one a bit with some of the others. The second go-round was better, but the eyes just weren't right and it was horribly over-stuffed. By the third try, I knew the eyes needed to be a different shape, and maybe a bit farther apart. The last two (dark green) came out perfect other than one spot with too much stuffing. Those are my "keepers" that will eventually be a free pattern.


  But let's not rush it, okay? I promise it will be a pattern by this time next year, but I have enough things backed up and Halloween is almost over. You know how far behind I am? I made some simple coffee maker doilies for my dad, on request when Hurricane Matthew was rolling through. Like a dummy, I finished them at his house and never took pictures, despite having packed my camera. He was awesome enough to send me some pics, but I haven't had a chance to share them!


  Dad saw the doily I made for my coffee maker, and asked if I could make two so his coffee and tea makers would stop scratching the counter. Yes, Dad makes tea in a coffee maker. He probably puts tons of sugar in it, too. Gasp! The things we do to tea in the south... Never mind that; there's people around here that think cheese in a can is a delicacy. Now I bet Dad will ask me what's wrong with making tea in a coffee maker, and if I'm feeling okay because I'm talking about cheese on my blog ;)


crochet, doily, jute twine, coffee


  The answers are nothing at all and yes, but I'm hungry - for Halloween candy, not for cheese in a can. Back to the doilies: Instead of using the same pattern as the doily I made for my larger coffee maker, I just made some simple granny rectangles - The same pattern I've been using for those blankets I made, too. I added a single crochet border to stiffen up the edges, and I think they only took six or seven rounds. The original piece I created for mine was interesting, but these were quick and easy to make in any size. 


  Between this project and the snakes I created, I realized how much faster I can crochet and complete something when I'm not writing a pattern for it. (Duh.) And completing patterns makes me so much happier than stopping to write all the time. There are free patterns waiting to be published. For now, I'm just going to concentrate on crocheting to save what little is left of my sanity. If a pattern happens from it, then that's great! However, I'm not going to think about that spiral-rectangle blanket I started until I get some sleep. Dad needs another doily to go under the canister. I think I can handle a granny square to match.


  For those of you who celebrate Halloween, please have a safe one. Eat lots of extra candy for the girl who can't have any. Enjoy those rainbows of sugar. Really get into character and rock your costume... Unless you're a zombie. Please don't get into character too much if you're a zombie. I don't want you to eat what might be left of my brain.
   

Happy Crocheting!
and
Happy Halloween!

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