Oh Who wants to be by the seaside?

This was the question posed in a recent challenge in my threadanimals group. I decided to participate and created the mermaid below. Well...mer bear. She is made with dream yarn for her body and camilla yarn with glass beads for her tail. She is also wearing a wire crochet crown.

Her fish friend was done with worsted weight yarn and i used a ribbon yarn for his tail..the fins are cotton. his eyce was done with black onyx bead and a sequin.

Berta of ThReAdTeDs.com recently sponsored a challenge in the yahoo group I run. She gave every participant a copy of a pattern for a bear and doll and then we were each to make our own version of the patterns. Here is my entry.

There were 135 total entries. To see all of them visit

http://www.threadteds.com/challenge_01.htm

They were judged by a "who's who" in the crochet world who narrowed it down. To see the finalists and winners visit...

http://www.threadteds.com/Nominees_01.htm

I recently designed another purse. It is made of Elann.com camilla cotton/silk thread. It was fun to make. I have all the notes but haven't typed it up yet. Sound familiar? But that hasn't stopped me from submitting it for consideration. And it didn't stop them from saying "not at the moment..thanks".

So now it sits in a bag in limbo...should i get it out and use it? Or save it in the hopes that I one day actually sell the pattern and have to send in the fabric. When I do use it it will be perfect for carrying yarn and crocheting as I go...hence the handy sngu wrist strap.

Since my baby was born (two years ago!!) I haven't gotten near the work done I would like. I have only sold one bear since she was born, it was a special order....for a lady who collects not bears, but boxes.

If you are interested in trying your hand a making thread bears I am running a special on my patterns through the rest of July. (see blog below).

This is a picture of me and my daughter. We attempted to enter a look alike contest with this picture but were late sending it in. I finished a beret for her at midnight last night that i started years ago, she wanted it for a camp she was heading to this week. but she took off for camp this week

deBBittybears Pattern Sale !!

For a limited time I am offering my bear patterns at a discount.
They are regularly 5 dollars each, but I am offering the three of them for 10.00.
I can send the patterns via email, or please add 2.00 for a black and white mailed copy.
I will also send a copy of my spiraled purse pattern for free.
And of course I will be available in threadanimals to help with any questions you have when making my patterns

The three patterns

.

Mini Thread Teddy Bear. The sample was crocheted by Berta of ThReAdTeDs from my original pattern. My pattern is written for worsted weight yarn and a G hook but Berta made the sample with perle cotton size 12 and size 14 hook.

Snow Baby bear. The pattern is for the one on the top, but the one of the right can be made by using wool embroidery floss instead of worsted weight yarn.

and Humphrey, who is kind of the base for the rest of the bears I have made.

I can accept paypal. Please email me at debbish@molalla.net to order.

I will also include this purse pattern free.

This offer expires on August 1st 2008.

I have crocheted a lot of bears and even knitted one or two, but this is my first sewn bear. He was made from a kit I bought from ThReAdTeDs.com. It was fun to see him come together and to learn the new technique.

When I met Berta in San Jose a few years ago i purchased the little brown bear. Now they can be friends.

What is a Reborn Doll?

I discovered the art of reborning about the same time I started making thread bears. Reborn dolls are regular vinyl dolls that are taken apart and remade into more realistic and beautiful creations that are no longer toys. Ebay usually has MANY examples of reborns, and recently added a category just for them.

I haven't made one for a little while. They are time consuming, and the process takes several days between applications of paint, glue, etc.

The one below was my very first attempt. The kids named him Tom after Tom Sawyer because of his mischevious grin.

These were my second and third dolls. I am just starting to learn how to do the dolls. I went back and re-did their lip.

I started with the reborns about the same time my 7th daughter was born. She is 4 years old now.

I intended making reborns to sell on ebay but almost all of my dolls have been sold or given to friends and family. The ones below were sold to my sister and mom
My reborns have also ended up as comfort items. Both of the babies below went to women who had lost babies. While I would never suggest to someone who had lost a baby, "here hold this doll, it will make you feel better", that has been the case. The dolls are weighted to feel much more real in the arms than the original toy did and the women who recieved these commented on what a comfort they were.

Below are pictures of the only doll that ever made it to Ebay. She cost about 95 dollars to make and list. She sold for 180.00. A friend helped me with doing a nice HTML listing which probably helped with getting a higher price. I probably made about 10 dollars an hour.

These were made for two aunts. They had admired a doll I made for another aunt (Their Sister) so they requested ones of their own. These sleeping dollars are less expensive to make. I don't buy wigs or new bodies. They cost about 65 dollars to make.

All of the above dolls were made with Berenguer dolls that are available at most toy stores. prillycharmin.com has a nice selection of the dolls as well and they seem to be a higher quality than the ones i bought at department stores. They are also more expensive than the lesser quality dolls, but she has the entire available line.
She also has instructions available.

Thanks for stopping by!

love, deBBie

This is a picture I took for a "bears at play" contest we are doing in Threadanimals.

Some of my favorite artists' work is represented here. The bear in the front right is needlefelted. The baby in the crib is actually sculpted from polymer clay with crocheted bear cap. All of these bears were received as gifts from members in Threadanimals

I finished another bear. Her name is Bloom. She is made from the same yarn as the bear in the last blog but I divided the yarn. The bear is made with one strand of knobbly variegated wool, and the dress is made with the other strand. The other strand was a thin acrylic eyelash yarn in white fuzz with black flecks.

I did not yet find a publisher for the hat in my last post, so I may sell the pattern myself. Not sure yet.

I found another bear I started two years ago and never finished. I also have the christmas ball bear from a workshop by Berta at threadteds.com that I need to finish.

What are you working on?

love, deBBie

Recent Projects.

A Baby Bunting Doll. This pattern can be found at

http://www.freepatterns.com/list.html?criteria=baby+bunting

It is on its way to France in hopes of bringing comfort to a friend and a smile to her daughter.

This silly bear is also on his way to France. He is made with a yarn called Nob Hill that I am really enjoying working with. It also divides beautifully and I am working on another bear with just the colored strand.

Another hat design. Hopefully the pattern will be available soon. I will let you know where.

I am also trying something new. I have taken the wool roving pictured below right and divided it several times into long stands about 1/4 inch wide. I have been crocheting and unraveling it and found it quite durable. I am hoping to make a small purse with it and then try felting it. I have seen a hat pattern crocheted with unspun roving but can't remember where.

If you would like to see a gallery of my bears they are pictured on my website www.debbittybears.com.

Have a great day!

love, deBBie

A few more hats

A few more hats that the fiber guild at my church has done for humanitarian. I am taking them to the "Babies in Need" day this Saturday. Both the bumble bee and the bunny hat came out of issues of crochet world.

Hats, Hats, Hats

I have been working on baby hats for a Babies In Need humanitarian project that our church is holding this Saturday. They are asking for donations of baby items as well as people to come and make items. Just for fun I timed myself this morning when making the hat above. It took 40 minutes. Not too bad. The pattern for the hat is from

http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/capstothecapital-kit11.pdf

The pattern did not include the flower, I just made it up. Email me if you would like the flower pattern.

Above are some more hats I made. The "tall" pattern is one I just created. The pattern is at the bottom of the blog.

Below is a piture of a hat I made a long time ago but was recently fished out of the halloween box. It is one of the first patterns I created without a pattern. And I didn't write it down, sorry.

My daughter didn't like wearing the hat very well.

Newborn Elf Hat Pattern

Materials: Caron Simply Soft Worsted Weight, Lime and Strawberry. Crochet hook size H.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, entire hat is worked in rounds that are not joined. All sc are worked in the Back Loop. In the last st of each rnd drop the current color and pick up the other color, keeping the strands to the inside of the hat.

Size: Newborn. (see note at bottom of pattern for suggestions on altering the pattern).

Rnd 1: With Pink Ch 3, work 3 sc in the first chain, drop pink and pick up green

Rnd 2: (work in back loops until otherwise noted) 2 sc in first sc of last round, sc in rem stitches, drop green, pick up pink (4 sc)

Rnd 3: 2 sc in first sc of last round, sc in rem stitches, drop pink pick up green

Rnd 4-31: repeat rnds 2 and 3

Rnd 32: repeat round 2 (34 st)

Rnd 33: *2 sc in 1st sc, sc in next, repeat from * around (52 st) drop pink, pick up green

Rnd 34-41: sc around switching colors at the end of each rnd (rnd 41 should be pink, then switch to green and fasten off pink)

Rnd 42: Joining round, with green sc around, jn with a sl st to first sc, and chain 2 (do not turn)

Rnd 43: (Work the last two rows in both loops) dc in next st and in each st around, jn with sl st to top of chain 2, chain 2

Rnd 44: (ribbing) *dcfp around next st, dcbp around next, repeat from * around, join to chain 2 with a sl st and fasten off.

Work in all loose ends.

Note: To make a bigger hat work more increase rounds after round 33. To make a taller and wider hat continue rounds 2&3 more times.

Please let me know if you make this hat!~ Also let me know please if there are mistakes in the pattern.

I also have a website with my bear patterns for sale. http://www.debbittybears.com/

Thanks for reading my blog, leave a note that you were here!

I finished another bag today. I am so enjoying making bags!! This one is made with voodoo yarn which creates the fuzzy, lambs wool effect. I did it in tunisiain crochet. i also used bleached sari yarn with the reverse side of the tunisian showing , and then switched again to create the fuzzy around the opening at the top. it was fun to make and i am planning on giving it to one of my daughters friends. i hope she loves it and doesn't think it is too weird. The reaction to my bags seems to sway between "That is so cool!" to "Well...OK...Hmmm". What do you think?

...love, deBBie

Follow up on Friend Bear....I sent him to a friend who had moved away last year. She reallly liked him. A few weeks ago her brother died in a tragic freak accident. I was glad that I had sent the bear to her. I hope it brought her comfort.

Helen won my trivia contest from the last post. Helen, please email me.

SARI YARN SAGA

I purchased 10 skeins of recycled sari silk yarn from 888kn on ebay. The yarn is made from the threads cut off the ends of looms where Sari's are woven. It is very beautiful and textural.
I LOVE the colors.

The yarn had a very musty smell...so I hung it outstide for over a week, it looks lovely hanging on a line on my front porch but it didn't help dissipate the smell. I think it gets musty because the women (or men?) who spin it, also wash it well and then perhaps it isn't quite dry when twisted into skeins and shipped. I still really enjoyed working with it. And when I finished the first purse I washed it in the washing machine and line dried it. It still smelled funky so I washed it in a bowl with just a drop or two of bleach and now it smells fine. AND, for being washed and bleached the purse still looks OK. Here is a picture of my oldest daughter with her new purse. I enjoyed making my daughters purse which was basically two squares in tunisian.
But I wanted something a little more funky and stiffer for myself. Below is the purse I made for me. I haven't bleached it yet, but i am already using it a lot. It weighs quite a bit. I am beginning to see why plastic handles are popular because the crocheted ones stretch so much. I reinforced my purse handle with a reverse single crochet around the edge.

The entire thing was crocheted in back loops with bobbles and a flower. It also has a tie to close it. There is also a flower, but I don't know if you can see it?

Hope you enjoyed my Sari Yarn Saga. Have a great day!


Love, deBBie

Visit my web site at www.debbittybears.com

The Trivia Question is at the end of this post.

I needed a headband for my 3 year old daughter...so I crocheted one. It took less than an hour. The one above I made the next day for my baby.

They were really easy to make. I just did crochet ribbing by sc in the back loop of each row until I made a band that fit their head. I had to remove a few rows from the first one because it was too loose. The next one I made more snugly. And added an extra row of flower petals.'

The flower is the pattern found in the book called "Crocheting School" but any crochet flower pattern would work. I simply left two yarn tails hanging from the first round and tied the flowers on.

Now...for the TRIVIA QUESTION....

look closely at the TV in the background of the first picture. Can you name the movie that is playing?

The first person to reply by comment on this blog with the correct answer will win a free Humphrey pattern, OR

you can choose another pattern.

The patterns are located here...

http://debbittybears.com/?page_id=5

Enjoy!

Coming soon....My Sari Yarn Saga!

BBB

Blue Bedtime Bear

I finished this bear yesterday. That leaves only two bips left. (bears in progress)

He is about 5 inches tall and is made of a fuzzy crystal palace yarn and a variegated chenille that was such a pleasure to work with! I purchased both items at the flock and fiber festival in Woodburn last year.

My husband thinks he looks like he has a headache! What do you think?

Friend Ben

New Bear.... I made this little guy for a dear friend who moved away. I haven't come up with a name yet.

He is made from the daisy pattern that was written by Berta from www.threadteds.com. (Except the ears)

I made him from mohair which I bought from a yarn shop (now defunct Darhma's yarns) on the Oregon coast.

I ran out right before I got the ears done. Not one inch to spare. So I used a different mohair (from my friend Bobbie R.)... for the ears.

I don't know why I couldn't leave him a bare bear. I always feel a need to adorn my bears with SOMETHING....this one got a scarf knit from a fabulous thin mohair i purchased from a toni a http://www.desertsrose.com/ He is also my first bear jointed with Steel thread that she carries...it was slippery but very strong. I had to modify my usual jointing technique but am please with the joints.

Sometimes when I see a bear looking back at me I know there is something special about them. I can't help saying 'Well...hello!". This was one of those bears...something about his sad eyes but funny smile....he is a good little bear...I can just tell.

Maybe it is because so many friends "helped" make him. His name just came to me....Ben....

Friend Ben.

have a great day!

love, deBBie

www.debbittybears.com

This is my first real attempt at a free form project. My older daughter really wanted her turn posing with my work.

FRONT OF BAG

BACK OF BAG

The bag was a lot of fun to make and pretty easy because I cheated.

How did I cheat?

Well, all the yarns are the same brand and were next too each other in a display. They are all different textures and gauges but simliar hue. (Or is it shade?) Anyway...and the yarn did most of the "work" for me.

Here is a close up of the stitches..

It actually started out as a scarf with the dangling "scrumble" and some real free formed loose stitches. Then, when I reached a spot where I realized I wanted it to be a purse I started making the squares. The back I did to match size wise with the front but I did it in stripes and fun stitches.

Thanks for looking. I had planned on selling the purse but I don't think my daughter is going to give it back.

Do you think I should try to make some more purses? Let me know what you think.

My website is www.debbittybears.com

Love, deBBie