Spinning wheel

My dad and I have been trying to build a spinning wheel.  We've basically just been going by photos of other handmade spinning wheels and the Louets.  So far we've gotten all the pieces cut, some drilled, and we took a bike wheel off my an old bike.  Since we aren't sure if it's going to work or not, we've just been using scrap pieces of pine and other cheap supplies that we have lying around.  If it ends up working good,  I'll probably end up building a second with oak or poplar.    He'll still have to cut the pieces though because he would never let me use a saw unless it were a hacksaw.  

Sorry I don't have any photos to show.  I'll get some photos when we're a little further along :)

Raspberry dress

My mom had bought a bunch of the Simply Soft raspberry to make a blanket, but decided she didn't want to.  So I bought it from her and began making a few things with it.  One of which is this dress I crocheted a little while before last Christmas.  I did it using tight shells.  This is a project where the Simply Soft actually work well for something as large as a dress.  I think it probably worked out so well because the dress was too tight and short when I first finished it, but after a washing or two, it fit perfectly!  And it still looks great with a cute pair of black mary janes!  I think I need to make another, with a few alterations, out of cotton or wool so that I can write down a pattern.  It's the kind of dress that I've always loved but have never been able to find one at Goodwill that fits me.
Well, here it is.

Yellow placemats

I made these using a pattern from a crochet book from the 1970s I bought for $1.50 at the local library book sale.  Of course, I altered it as usual.  I though they were cute.  I made a set of six with crochet thread to put sell.  I also made a set for my brother and sister-in-law out of worsted weight acrylic yarn.  I have for sale on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/listing/77961548/6-yellow-lacy-crocheted-placemats-or) and Madeitmyself (http://www.madeitmyself.com/item-detail.aspx?itemid=71493)  if anybody is interested.
I've been trying make up a pattern for the same kind of circle with the diamonds but with it going in a spiral instead.  I just can't figure it out!  Out of all the different things I can do with crochet, I can't get spiraled diamond circles figured out!  It's making me feel less confident in my crocheting abilities!  Ugh, I'll figure them out someday!
Anywho... here are the placemats!

About crocheting things for people

A few months ago, I crocheted an afghan for a friend of a friend of a friend.  I had crocheted my friend an afghan as a Christmas gift.  When her friend's friend saw it, she wanted one.  So, I went about crocheting her a lacy afghan, with no pattern.  After spending hours and hours crocheting it, I gave it to her.  I guess she thought she only had to pay for the yarn, because that's all she wanted to pay me for.  Except she didn't have the money to pay me for either.  So, my friend ended up paying me $40 even though I argued and argued with her that it wasn't her problem to have to pay me.  
A plain shelled afghan can easily cost $50, not including the yarn, depending on the size.  I normally see single bed sized afghans for about $120-$150.  But some afghans, such as the extremely lacy ones, can cost thousands.
I'd hate for another crocheter or knitter to go through all that work, only to find out the person doesn't expect to pay you.  So, before you go and crocheted somebody an afghan, make sure to figure out a price with them.  If somebody thinks they don't have to pay for an afghan, or any crocheted thing for that matter, that they want you to make for them, they need to know how much of your life it takes up to crochet.  Knitting takes ever longer than crochet.  


And by the way, you can save a load a money on yarn at Michaels if you go to Retailmenot.com and print out Michaels coupons.  You just type in Michaels in the search bar on the front page and it'll show you different coupons.  They are usually 40% coupons which you can only use on one regular priced item.  I tend to go there with my mom and her friends and them each the cash for the yarn and a coupon so that I can get several items in one visit.

Weird crocheted gladiator sandels

Another odd crocheted creation of mind.  I really need to start writing down patterns for things while I'm making them.  These were crocheted with leftover yarn from the teal dress.  They are super uncomfortable because I didn't put any fabrics on the soles.  I've never worn them out anywhere.

Dark teal dress

Here is a dress I recently crocheted.  I just made it up as I went.  I used Simply Soft which I would never recommend.  It is not a good yarn to use when crocheting lacy clothing, but it's all I can afford.  
Anywho... it's amazing what you can crochet when you grab some yarn and a hook.

Here's a shrug I crocheted with leftover skein of Lion Brand Homespun.  It's also a sharper photo of a little bit of the dress.

And this is another shrug I made with Simply Soft.  You can definitely crochet things like shrugs and scarves with Simply Soft, it's just not good for large lacy items.  The photo is extremely blurry.

I've been working on a crocheted top for my mom that will match a skirt I crocheted for her as well.  I'm also knitting a pair of fingerless gloves/wrist warmers as a test for fingerless glove that I plan on making for the family as Christmas gifts.

Coasters

To make these coasters, I used Royale size 3 crochet thread in country blue.  Unfortunately, I don't remember what size hook I used.  Their diameter is 4 1/2 inches.  They were actually pretty quick to make.  I altered a pattern I found online to make them.
I'm selling a set of six of these on Etsy and Madeitmyself.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/77042024/6-country-blue-cotton-coasters
http://www.madeitmyself.com/item-detail.aspx?itemid=71492