Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Ewok Scoodie (Free Pattern) by Kristen Stevenson

Well, it took me long enough to get back! Hello! Today, I want to show you a free pattern provided by Raverly! Raverly is definitely one of my top favorite crochet pattern sites, and when I'm searching patterns on Pinterest it's always dominating the search results. And it always seems to come through for me, as demonstrated through this pattern I'm about to introduce you to!

Photo credit: www.whatevo.com
You remember when Disney bought out George Lucas Films? A tragedy for some, but, for me and other Disney fans, something quite interesting and anticipated! Originally, I had convinced myself that I did not like Star Wars (in spite of having not watched any of them other than Episode 1 completely through). But after Star Wars became part of the Disney empire, I had a little talk with myself and reasoned that it might not be a bad idea to at least give the series a try. My boyfriend at the time--who's now my fiance--was eager at the thought of me wanting to watch the series (he's a Star Wars fan!), and was quick to have me over to watch Episode 4. It wasn't bad. Then came Episode 5--BINGO! WE HAVE A WINNER!!! Yes, I liked it. Quite a lot. After watching the originals, we moved on to the prequels. Now, I know why my heart lied: I still did not like Episode 1, but the rest were pretty fine in my book. And the ewoks were cute as you-know-what. I mean, how can you say no to this? Or this? Or even this? Search your feelings: you know that's just too cute.

Anyway, having thought the ewoks were just too cute, it suddenly occurred to me one day if there were any sort of ewok hoodie-scarf-do-thingie crochet patterns out there. I typed in "crochet ewok" into Google and BAM! There's Raverly with a free pattern, designed by Kristen Stevenson. By the way: Thank you, Kristen!!! I really like this pattern, not only because it it simply cute, but it's quite easy to work up. I chose to do things a little different for some parts, such as single crocheting around the finished scoodie (hood + scarf) to satisfy my own tastes. As well as doing this, I also whip-stitched the ends of the scarf together to make an infinity scarf.  I also did a different pattern for the ears. And the yarn: instead of using Lion Brand Wool Ease as recommended by the designer, I used two skeins of I Love This Yarn in #154 "Burnt Pumpkin". Since this is only 4 ply yarn, I worked with both strands of yarn from the two skeins. This made the piece more bulky (and warm) as it was intended to be with the Lion Brand Wool Ease. Honestly, you can use whichever yarn you want, but the reason I went with my choice is because of the cost. If I remember correctly, Lion Brand Wool Ease is at least $6-$7 a skein depending on the store. I Love This Yarn is only $3.99 a skein, even only $3.66 when it's on sale at Hobby Lobby. The yarn I used for the ears is one skein of Yarn Bee Tender Touch in #103 "Sable".

Oh, and here's the ear pattern I used (optional alternative):

Ears (make 2)

Foundation Row: ch 20
Row 1: sc is second ch from hook, sc in each ch across, ch 1, turn (19 sc)
Row 2-7: sc in each ch across, ch 1, turn (19 sc)
Row 8: sc in each ch across, finish off (19 sc)

*Once done, fold piece "hamburger style" and sew up the sides to make the ears. Then sew onto scoodie.

Once you're done with all of this, you also have the option of embellishing your new ewok scoodie. Whether it's an infinity scarf or not, you can use some dark brown yarn to hold the piece closer to your body, or not if you choose not to. I found that using the yarn to draw the piece closer made it warmer and more cozy.

Okay, that's it! I hope you like your scoodie as much as I like mine! Be sure to check out Kristen Stevenson's other patterns HERE (there's a pattern for a baby-sized ewok scoodie too!) Thanks for checking out my blog, and I plan on posting more soon!

Oh, and please, if you would like to share pictures of your project, finished or in progress, please share it in the comments section!!! I would love to see it, and am sure others would, too!



Friday, September 12, 2014

Friendly Introduction!

Hello to whoever's watching! I'm Rachel, and I've been crocheting since I was 15. Although for the first 3 years of it I didn't take crochet too seriously and only did it every so often, my passion for it has definitely blossomed within the last few years, and I've recently decided that I really want to get more involved in the crochet world! Unfortunately, there aren't many crochet groups in the town I live in. So it looks like I'm going to have to rely primarily on the Internet! But that's not a problem--don't get me wrong! I'm very eager to interact with other crocheters (Mikey from the Crochet Crowd affectionately refers to us crocheters as "hookers", lol!) and for us to share our love of the craft through pattern, picture, and crochet tip sharing--as well as offering our own personal opinions and reviews of products and materials utilized for crocheting. I intend on soon sharing a cool pattern I found online and a picture of the finished project, but I need just a little more time to get it all organized for posting.  I'm excited! Although the pattern is not my own, I did do just a few little things differently. I do very much so intend on committing myself to writing my own patterns to share with you. I have so much to learn with pattern-designing! Tips are definitely welcome and appreciated!. I've already got a finished project that I'm going to start writing up the pattern for, which, convenient for both you and especially me, is going to be very easy to follow...at least, it should be! So, with all that being said, I'm going to say goodbye for now and continuing preparing for my first pattern sharing post. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I'm so eager to get this blog going and to build a relationship with other crafters through our love for such a wonderful hobby! Talk to you soon!