Crocodile Stitch Booties. Pattern Adaption. Free Booties.

Here are photos of completed Crocodile Stitch Booties made using the free pattern.

The first pair shown was made using Bernat Baby Coordinates in soft mauve. The second pair (the detail picture) was crocheted using Caron Simply Soft in white. **

I followed the pattern for the soft mauve pair and you'll see it has only three rows of the "crocodile stitch" even though most of the images on the net (the ones with the three little buttons on the side) have had five rows of the pattern.

Although the pattern gauge is correct, you can see from the photos that, in the newborn size anyway, three rows of the pattern looks "balanced" whereas four rows would make the booties seem a bit top-heavy. imho

They really are cute, but after making so many of the Galilee Booties I think my preference is for the booties with the defined footprint.

It's all a matter of personal preference really.
 
TIP for DIY: When you come to the second row of "V" stitches and are crocheting through the "chain stitch" AND the stitch behind it will give a more finished look to the project.

The take-away from this project so far is the confidence to adapt the pattern so that it combines the  Galilee Booties with upper crocodile stitch portion of the free pattern.

Would you like a pair of the booties shown in the photo (size 3-6 months)? Petunia Magpie is looking for volunteers to 'test' the pattern to make sure it fits. If you'd like to have a chance at being one of our volunteer product testers, hop over to our Facebook page and comment which color you'd like. If you are selected you'll need to provide us your mailing address and agree to take a picture of your baby wearing the item so we can share it with others (and learn from your feedback).

Y'all have a great day.

Blessed be.


* The Bernat and Caron links will take you over to see the products on the Mary Maxim website. They not only came up in the top of the results when I googled the product, I have long-standing personal experiences and good memories of this company. It's where my grandma [RIP, sweet lady] purchased patterns for afghans and sweaters she made so many in the family. Patterns I inherited from her. Classic designs never seem to go out of style, do they?

If you're a crafter while you're there you may want to check out their patterns. They even have some FREE patterns that are pretty awesome (tested and re-tested for accuracy and coherence). I forgot to turn on my pop-up blocker and was prompted to enter my email to receive their promotional emails for a chance at their WEEKLY $50 drawing. Eh - I'm feeling pretty lucky today so I entered. I can always opt-out at a later date, right?

Finally Friday. Panama/Cloche. Forest Reflections Shawl.

Panama/Cloche Paid Pattern

You may have previously read about the Panama/Cloche hat crocheted using the free pattern and how after making a hat I purchased a paid version of the pattern in hopes of obtaining a better result.

Am not entirely happy with either the paid pattern or the way it's developing. Mostly because I'm an old lady and working with the super-fine yarn and size C hook that this pattern calls for is a little more delicate than these eyes with "multi-focal" goggles can handle.

Part of the pattern problem is its inaccuracies. For example, there's a difference between "standing double crochet" and a plain old double crochet. A standing double crochet is generally used when changing colors. A double crochet... well, you use it when the pattern tells you to. Why on Earth you would even write 'standing double crochet' when you mean 'double crochet' is beyond my comprehension. Fortunately the pattern maker (NOT designer) was able to quickly respond with proper terminology.

Another part of the problem is gauge -- my fault entirely. In my haste to get the project underway I exercised bad judgement rather than caution. First by not making a pattern swatch. Second by using a larger than necessary hook. (C versus E).

Plus the yarn itself is smaller than the pattern calls for. When I started the project my reasoning ran along the lines of "surely two strands of lace-weight yarn will equal one strand of super-fine weight." Uhmmm: NOT. But the yarn is pretty, has a nice hand and is easy to work with.

The gauge is just off.

Anyway, the gauge problem can't be immediately be remedied as I have no super-fine yarn in The Closet of Doom. The photo shown is merely a visual reference of how the purchased pattern is starting to shape up using a double strand of Harmony lace weight yarn by JoJoland* in the color they call "Lavender Fields".

Obviously, until I can get some disposable income and make the journey to JoAnn's to purchase said yarn, this project is on hold.

In the interim I'm working on Crocodile Stitch Booties using a free crochet pattern which you can find here.

On that note I'm signing off for the time being. Y'all have a great Friday!

 * A note about the purple Harmony yarn. It's such a beautiful color that when I saw it in a friend's shop I couldn't keep from buying it. Soft to the touch. A pleasure to work with both when knitting and crocheting. I know it's country of origin is China. Normally I try to limit purchases from that region to essential items only ( for humanitarian reasons, of course ). Consider this the exception to the rule. Two small balls are all that remain from the skeins I purchased to make a shawl from the Forest Reflections pattern in the Summer 2010 issue of Interweave Crochet. Shown unblocked while I decide whether or not to add fringe.

Work In Progress.

You've probably seen this photo on various social media. Absolutely darling hats with a link that takes you over to "whoot" or wherever to download a free pattern which in turn takes you to another link which in turn takes you to another link.... Well, you get the idea.

It took literally HOURS to locate the pattern and although the pictures don't match these the pattern is the same. I found one version of the free pattern without flowers and a pattern-to-purchase with the flowers for $8.99 (OUCH).

Doesn't sound like much, but right now $8.99 for a pattern isn't in the budget. So... I downloaded the free pattern and set to work.

An Honor Bestowed!

Friday's are always special in this house (it's date night), but this Friday is extra special. This morning's surprise was to wake up and find that four of the project photos I've uploaded to Ravelry have been chosen for a "Featured Photo" on the pattern page.

It's really an easy pattern and I like how pretty it worked up. The photos don't really do it justice.

If you'd like to take a look for yourself here's a link to the page: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tulip-baby-bonnet

Mine are the photos with the "Hope4TheBest" caption (my user name).

Feeling rather blessed.

Y'all have a great weekend!

New Items on Petunia Magpie: The Etsy Shop.

BootZee King of the Counter-Jungle

This is BootZee. Not a very original name, but hey - it's a better name than what his former owner called him. "Jinxie, because he's always getting stuck in a door or hurt in some other way." Hmmmm.... Yes. BootZee is a rescue. Probably between eight to ten years old. Tuxedo cat that sheds, sheds, sheds. Gets up on the counter when he wants. Is afraid of the dog even though the dog has never even tried to hurt him. I don't particularly like him up on the counter, but quite frankly I don't have the energy to chase him off. I love him anyway. He is a cuddle-kitty and I enjoy him climbing on my lap in the evenings.

Yep, here is now. Sitting proud as he can be under the plant lamp pretending he's King of the Jungle. I think he's mad because I moved all the sprouting plants out of his reach and he won't be able to have his way with them. [i.e., i gotz some re-plantin' ta do]. I've been placing plants in high traffic areas in an attempt to convince myself that spring is right around the corner. ONLY 59 DAYS!

The wood-man was kind enough to start a fire in the woodstove when he dropped off this month's load of wood. The roaring fire and all the green plants in prominent places are helping keep the SAD at bay.

On to other matters....

Patterns: Free or Purchased?

The Morning Work Table. Check out that basket of booties!

For the last few days I've been looking for small projects that crochet up quickly. How quickly? Say an hour or less.

Preferably easy projects that don't require a lot of thought. [i.e., that can be made while watching TV or a movie.] Twenty to thirty lines for the entire pattern.

With so many choices available it's hard to narrow the search enough to come up with viable results. I DO have a few "go to" sites. Google, Ravelry, Pinterest, Etsy and CrochetPatternCentral. Searching for free narrows the search results, but if you're like me you're likely to follow that rabbit down the hole. Sometimes it can take days of research to find a worthy project.

Meatless Monday. A Healthy Breakfast.

It's 2015 and like many others with New Year's resolutions healthier eating is a goal this year.

This morning's repast was a cup of old fashioned oatmeal cooked down with a chopped Macintosh apple then sprinkled with two teaspoons each of raisins and brown sugar.

Along with a half cup of orange juice that's 341 calories (thank you SparkPeople for your free calorie counter).

YES. I count calories. I also look at the ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fat content of the food I eat. It's one of the ways to maintain a healthy BMI. Along with eating as close to the earth as possible. Fresh fruits and veggies whenever possible (in season or on sale). Frozen fruit and veggies are the next choice. Organic when it's in the budget. Home-canned as much as possible.

Are you eating healthier this year?