17 September 2010

buttoned beverage sleeve

Having been busy with work and home, I haven't had a lot of extra time to crochet in the last week. I did however manage to finish another new custom pattern last night. Once again, it isn't the most difficult to make, but it is exactly what I had in mind.

This beverage sleeve works perfect for coffee cups, beer bottles, soda cans, beer cans, and even plastic cups for iced coffees. While I was picking out yarn for a few other projects, I came across a small skein of bamboo yarn that intrigued me and felt great to the touch. Its calm and beautiful blues and warm beige and mocha notes really inspired me to do something hands-on and coffee-related!

I have a few other patterns for coffee-cup jackets and sleeves, but most involve texture. Since this yarn is so fuzzy and fills in area around the stitch, I decided to make a very simple pattern that showcased the yarn and is accented only by two complementary buttons.

This project works up quickly in an hour or two, and is simple enough for someone's first attempt at reading a pattern. It requires very little experience and knowledge of stitches, using only the double crochet, turning, and finishing techniques.

I will have this pattern posted and featured in this blog post as soon as I have a chance to type it up. You will also be able to find it on ravelry.com in the free patterns section.

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Love, Rabbit

10 September 2010

cool late summer coasters

I started a new pattern a few nights ago! With summer on a close, I used some colors reflecting warmth yet a sign reflecting the oncoming season. The pattern I used is quite simple, involving the magic adjustable ring, double crochet, and single crochet. It was challenging and fun to continuously work for the same consistency.


I chose three contrasting colors and made four variations. Though I could do two more, I decided to make a set of four. The yarn colors I used are "Sungold" and "Antique Teal" by I Love This Yarn and "Rust" by Lion Brand Vanna's Choice.

The only thing I was not expecting with this pattern was how tight the work turned out to be. I had to buy a very fine yarn needle to work in my ends! A heads up if you choose to use this pattern. Awesome coasters though! I hope to do more color combinations in the future.


You can find the pattern here at Through the Loops! courtesy of Kristen Kapur! She also has some beautiful knit patterns for the ambitious. I originally found the pattern on ravelry.com, as there is always great stuff there!

I rate this pattern as easy/beginner-capable and fun to do in-between tasks during the day or evening! I found myself constantly wanting to go back to work on them. It would also be a great way to use those random color scraps from larger projects.

Love, Rabbit

huskaroo banded kitty sweater

So here is my finished Huskaroo Banded Kittie Sweater! I'm pretty proud of it. My 3-year old long haired Haru is such a large cat (over 20lbs), he didn't fit in many of previous patterns for cats I have tried in the past. This fits him very well, and he doesn't seem to mind it at all! He's been running around in it all morning.

This project worked up fairly quickly, and I didn't use less than half a skein of yarn between two colors. I would rate it as an easy project!

This pattern is capable of doing anything with color patterns, so I may revisit it later in a different season or fashion! Knowing that, I decided to take notes as I crocheted and when I was finished, compiled them and made a pattern!

It is the first pattern I have written, but it is pretty simple, involving mostly dc (double crochet), turning, and slip stitching. It was great to practice changing colors!



I decided to post it here for anyone else out there with Haru-sized kitties! If you have any questions or find any mistakes in the pattern, you can email me at berserkeramor@gmail.com

You will need the following items for this project:

5.00mm crochet hook
1 button
1 foot of thread
1 yarn needle
1 or 2 skeins of worsted weight yarn (for solid or striped)

Love, Rabbit


Huskaroo Banded Kitty Sweater Pattern
by Rabbit Abby

Beginning: With your first color, chain 62. Join to form a loop. Careful not to twist the chain!
Rows 1-4: Ch 3, turn, dc around. *Join to beginning, ch 3, turn, dc around. Repeat from * 2 more times.
Rows 5-8: With your second color, join to beginning. Ch 3, turn, dc around. *Join to beginning, ch 3, turn, dc around. Repeat from * 2 more times.
Rows 9-12: With your first color, join to beginning. Ch 3, turn, dc around. *Join to beginning, ch 3, turn, dc around. Repeat from * 2 more times.
Row 13: With your second color, join to beginning. Ch 3, turn, dc around.
Row 14: Join to beginning, ch 3, turn, dc in the next 37 stitches.
Rows 15-16: *Ch 3, turn, dc across. Repeat from * 1 more time.
Rows 17-20: With your first color, *Ch 3, turn, dc across. Repeat from * 3 more times.
Row 21: With your second color, Ch 3, turn, dc across. When you reach the end, Ch 13, join to opposite side. Careful not to twist the chain! Ch 19.
Row 22: Ch (an additional, for the turn) 3, turn, dc across until reaching the overlay. (Stop Here!!)
Row 23-24: *Ch 3, turn, dc across. Repeat from * 1 more time.
Finishing: With single crochet, finish the edges on collar and hem with slip stitches and weave in all ends. Attach button(s) with thread/yarn of choice, making sure to go through both the band and the neck of the collar.

07 September 2010

candy corn kittie sweater

I started another project a few days ago! It is a pretty simple Candy Corn cat sweater that I found on Ravelry. It said that it worked for kitties between 10-15 pounds, so I hoped it would work for my very large male cat, Haru.

Unfortunately, after completion and even an extension/alteration, the pattern was just too small for his build.

It did however fit his smaller roommate, Kubel, a little better! I don't think he appreciated it very much though, LOL!

I'll be making a pattern of my own for Haru-sized kitties soon. In the meantime, I found this pattern courtesy of DIY Maven at her blog.

06 September 2010

simple kawaii flower scrubbies


With autumn fast approaching and feeling crafty, I decided to take up crocheting again. I found a simple yet fun pattern containing many different stitches that I thought would be a good re-introduction to crocheting. This was my first time using the magic adjustable ring and also crocheting in the round. It was a little difficult getting used to counting again; I've got the worst attention span!

For this project I used a 5mm hook and just a simple pink in "I Love This Yarn!" You can find the free pattern at Shh, I'm Counting! courtesy of Marte.



They turned out better than I had imagined for my first project in almost a year! I made these in a set of six. They are the perfect size and softness to be great makeup remover scrubbies! I gifted this set to my coworker, Laura.

Love, Rabbit