Skywalker Boots

The internet is one of the best craft tools around. Some days I think to myself, "Hmm, I wonder how to crochet a heart..." A few clicks on google later and ...bam! Crochet heart. 

"Hmm, I wonder how to crochet a flower..." 

"What about an owl...?"

It usually works for a lot of things I search.  But of course, the one time I need to find a free pattern for booties, I can't find one in the right size. I ended up making up my own based on a pattern I found for a larger size bootie.  I found this Toddler Double Soul Moccasins Pattern pattern for toddlers and kids, they are about 6.5" in length. The kid I'm making the booties for is barely 12 months old, and his foot measured 5 inches.  So here's the pattern if you need to make one for your little one! 

I made the pattern almost exactly like the one in the link above, but smaller. I also changed the shaft of the bootie a little, I wanted my booties to look wrapped, like Luke Skywalker's boots in Star Wars. My stitches are in US terms.  And I use the typical pattern short hand.

For example, SC # means to crochet one 'single crochet' in the next number stitches. And # SC means to crochet # 'single crochet' in next stitch. Please let me know if you have any questions, this is my first time writing a pattern...

Stitches used: 

SC Single Crochet

DC Double Crochet

HDC Half Double Crochet 

sl st Slip Stitch

ch Chain

SC2TOG Single Crochet two stitches together 

DC#TOG Double Crochet # of stitches together 

Worsted weight yarn, Size G6 hook (4.00 mm)

In sole color (I used Red Heart Coco Bean), slipstitch, chain 13.

Round 1: 2 SC in 2nd loop from hook, SC 5, HDC, DC 4, 7 DC in last chain, working opposite side of starting chain DC 4, HDC, SC 5, 2 SC in last chain, sl st to first stitch

Round 2: ch 1, SC, 2 SC, SC 9, (HDC, 2HDC) x4, HDC, SC 10, 2 SC, SC, sl st join to first sc

Round 3: ch 1, 2 SC, SC, 2 SC, SC 11, HDC, SC 11, 2 SC, SC, 2 SC, sl st join to first sc

Round 4: ch 2, 2 DC, 2 DC, HDC 14, (DC, 2 DC) x3, (2 DC, DC) x3, HDC 14, 2 DC, 2 DC, sl st join to first DC

If you are doing the contrasting side double sole, fasten off. Make another sole in boot color and continue the pattern below...

Round 5: Stitch both soles together, carefully keeping them straight, using SC. ~58 stitches

Round 6: HDC in each stitch all around, should end with 58 stitches in total, decrease or add where ever if you need to

Round 7: DC in each all around, 58 stitches

Round 8: ch1, SC 21, SC2TOG, HDC, DC2TOG x5, HDC, SC2TOG, SC 21, sl st join to first

Round 9: ch 1, SC 17, SC2TOG, DC2TOG, DC3TOG, DC2TOG, DC, DC 2, DC2TOG, SC2TOG, SC 17, sl st join to first st

Round 10: SC 13, SC2TOG, DC2TOG, DC, DC3TOG, DC, DC2TOG x2, SC2TOG, SC 13, sl st join to first st

Round 11: SC 6, SC2TOG, HDC, DC2TOG, DC, (DC2TOG, DC) x4, DC2TOG, HDC, SC2TOG, SC 6

That's it for the shoe part, the next part of the boot is just 5 rows of double crochet.  I slightly modified the boot shaft from what I saw in the tutorial I looked at when creating my pattern.  I did 5 rows of double crochet then one last row of single crochet in a lighter beige color for some contrast.  I think I get the Luke Skywalker effect with these boots, the texture of the stitches help it looked wrapped.  I'm pretty happy with how they came out!  I hope you enjoyed the pattern.  Here's some fashion photos of the booties, I got inspired... 

AND you could fold down the booties for a different look!

...for those fashionista babies

Thanks for checking out my first pattern!  I hope you have as much fun making yours as I did! 

Stay tuned for more pictures of the Star Wars twins costumes updates! 

TTFN

~The Craftmeister

Happy October

Beautiful autumn sunset over the mountain behind my house

It's juuuuust barely October and I have been thinking about Halloween for weeks!! ...Okay, maybe months... I love love love   Halloween!  This Halloween I'm making some costumes for some very adorable twins, and they're going as a pretty badass set of famous twins, Luke and Leia from Star Wars!

The twins are barely a year old so the costumes have to be sized down from the originals in the movies (just a bit).  Leia's dress I figured would be easy enough, and Luke's Jedi tunic can be a re-purposed Karate Gi.  However, no karate gi is made for an eleven month old, so I'm making it from scratch.  I haven't made too many things with my sewing machine, so it's been a fun challenge. 

I've crocheted a hairpiece hat for Leia's buns, and it came out really cool looking! 

It's a single crochet hat with two very long braids wrapped in a coil.  Very easy, and warm too just in case it's chilly Halloween night.  Here's the Leia hat prototype (the real one is bigger and a darker brown).

Speaking of hats.... Check out these candy corn hats my sister Heidi ordered for some of the kids in our family.  I crocheted a total of six hats, and I had a ton of fun doing so.   I followed the tutorial on The Worsted Crochet Blog (seen here: http://theworstedcrochetblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/candy-corn-hat-pattern-for.html)  The only difference is I didn't make ear flaps and I did one extra row of yellow. We had the kids try them on ...and hilarity ensued. Trying to get three kids under three to sit still for a cute picture was really difficult, so I just took a ton of pictures.  I took so many, my phone made a mini video of all the pictures, I love the result! Its almost as crazy as being there in real life!

Thanks Google+! ... said no one ever. Except for me. This one time. 

Hats! Hats! Hats!!  Here's another hat I made! It came out totally differently that what I was expecting.  I followed the pattern exactly, but I think I was stitching too tight and using too thick yarn.  I think it came out kind of cute looking anyway, so I kept going the way I was going and added a scalloped edge to it for more fun.  It's really warm!  And it's a piece I can totally keep for myself!

#SelfieMirrorPic

Back to Halloween...

Now that I have a huge dining room table, I figured it would be fun to make a cool Halloween table setting.  My table is a nice dark wood so I wanted to use a table runner instead of a table cloth. Why cover up that beautiful wood?!  I haven't gotten around to making a long table runner just yet, so I decided to do three small centerpieces in a row as a table runner.  I used three round multi colored straw placemats that had autumn colors like crimson, gold, amber, and brown (only $2 each). 

I set a small centerpiece on each; a large sugar skull I got from Home Goods, a bouquet of spooky purple and black roses with sparkly spiders from the dollar store (YES! The $1 Store!), and a cool collection of four candles in interesting holders.  Paired all that with orange place mats (great for all of the fall/harvest season, not just Halloween) and I have a cool Halloween table! 

The Halloween wine glasses were a gift from my sister, they really complete the table spooking - I mean table setting

You know that Christmas song The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?  That is totally a fall song... totally.  Autumn is the BEST time of year!  

Stay Spooky!

~The Craftmeister