My Butterflies: Pictures

I have been working on my butterflies over the past few days and have finally been able to take some pictures! 

Butterfly 1

I think this one is my favorite so far. I'm going to add embellishments. This is the 2-D Butterfly pattern. I used worsted weight yarn. 

Butterflies 2 and 3

Butterfly 2 (top) is made of Sugar n' Cream cotton yarn using Nellie's Crochet Butterfly pattern. Butterfly 3 (bottom) is the same pattern but with Row 3 of the pattern skipped to make it smaller. To make the red border I slip stitched around the border. 

The next step I have planned for Butterflies 2 and 3 is starching. The bodies of the butterflies themselves are strong enough on their own, but I am finding that the antennae are too flimsy and don't stick up to my liking without some help. My mother-in-law has some spray starch called "Stiffen Stuff" that I'll be using. 

Also, I'm working on a butterfly pattern of my own. It is currently in the trial and error phase as I try to crochet and write the pattern. I hope to be able to share it with you soon!

♥ Amy S

My Butterflies: The Butterfly Project

In Spring 2013 the Holocaust Museum Houston has scheduled an exhibition called The Butterfly Project. This exhibition remembers the 1.5 million children who perished in the holocaust with 1.5 million butterflies, based on the book "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" which is a compilation of drawings and poems by children of the Terezin Concentration Camp.
The neat thing about this exhibition is that all of the butterflies are handmade donations that can be from anyone. The Butterfly Project offers an activity that is children appropriate for use in the classroom. There are a few guidelines regarding what materials can NOT be used; the following is directly from the Project Page:

• Butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches. 
• Butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred.
• Glitter and all glitter-related products should not be used.
• Food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables) also should not be used.
• If possible, e-mail a photograph of your butterflies, to butterflyproject@hmh.org.

The museum has approximately 800,000 butterflies so far, and the deadline is June 30, 2012. The submission form can be found here.


A special thanks to The Left Side of Crochet for one of the patterns and for including the link to the Butterfly Project -- I had not heard of it until I found her pattern.


I hope this will inspire you to consider donating as well! I'm currently working on several crochet butterflies to donate; I will post pictures and links to patterns soon!


♥ Amy S

Design Time: Poncho Pattern Phase 2.5

(This post was transferred from a previous old blog.)


I've had time on my hands lately to think more about the poncho I WILL get around designing one day (crosses fingers), and I realized that as far as the random stripe design goes, I'd rather go back to the simple two-color, same-size strips like the movie's design. Now I must choose the colors....and this time, I have to make a final decision. Suggestions, anyone?

  

Design Time: Poncho Pattern Phase 2

Princess Mia's Pink Poncho

(This post was transferred from a previous old blog.)

Earlier I posted my decision to create a pattern for a crocheted poncho based off the one featured in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Now that I've selected the poncho I want to crochet, I've been thinking about the colors and the stripe pattern. I want something a little more personal in color, as well as a varying stripe pattern.

I created a color palette for various colors and shades, based mostly on combinations of my favorite colors. I ended up choosing the first pair, brown and pink.

I used a Random Stripe Generator to create this stripe pattern:

This is the mark-up that I will use to start measuring and counting size and stitches:

The pattern progresses...

Design Time: Poncho from Princess Diaries 2

(This post was transferred from a previous old blog.)

When The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement came out in 2004, I recall being captivated by one of Anne Hathaway's costumes that sadly got so little screen time: her poncho. It looked so comfortable and casual that I wanted to wear it. At the time, however, I gave little thought to trying to make one. Fast forward to 2011. As I skim the seemingly endless crochet patterns for a poncho/wrap that will suit my style, I suddenly recall the one I admired 7 years ago.


After YouTube-ing several videos to capture screen shots that covered enough angles, I finally came up with a reasonable pattern idea in my head. Transforming the image into a beginning sketch took a bit of time, though, and honestly, doesn't look all that great right now. I'm hoping my sketching skills will get better as I progress with the next step: measurements.

Wish me luck--I'm heading into an area of pattern creation that I've never been before, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.