In no particular order, here is a list of my five favorite sites for free patterns.

• Lion Brand Yarn is a great website for patterns. Once you sign up for a free membership, you can search their database based on yarn, knit vs crochet, weight, project, size, difficulty level and key words. Though they suggest that you use their yarn for the projects, you don’t have to. As long as you match the weight and gauge of the yarn, your project they should be fine. Also, those in the New York City area have the benefit of the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. Here you can find yarn, crochet/knitting help, books, supplies, classes, free group meetings and a crochet/knit doctor to help you when you get stuck. They also have computers and printers available so you can print your pattern, buy your yarn, and get it started right in the yarn studio. I have been there for a class, and the women there are lovely. I highly recommend those living in or visiting NYC to check it out.

• Red Heart Yarn has a database very similar to the one at the Lion Brand Website. Though I find the the Lion Brand database a little more extensive, Red Heart has the benefit of Debbie Stoller and The Double Stitch Twins.  Debbie Stoller is the author of the Stitch and Bitch series; books on knitting and crochet. She also has her own line of yarn, and writes for Bust Magazine (one of my favorite craft magazines). The Double Stitch Twins  are sisters, who have written several pattern books. By collaborating with these three talented women, Red Heart Yarn is able to supply patterns that are a bit more edgy than those found on the Lion Brand website.

• Nerdigurumi is a crochet/amigurumi blog that I adore. The author of this blog has patterns, videos and tutorials for all sorts of characters. She has video game characters, cartoons, and a lot of random fun projects. She even has a no-sew cheese burger. I love this blog, and strongly suggest it as a resource for those looking to crochet neat little amigurumi dolls or just to be entertained by random cuteness.

Before the class we all had to pick out several skeins of yarn of an animal fiber. Though you can dye any kind of fabric, the class was geared towards wool. I chose two skeins of pure wool, and one of their organic wool.

To dye the yarn, we soaked the yarn first in a solution of warm water and citric acid for 20 to 30 minutes.

After using Jacquard Acid Dyes in squirt bottles to dye the yarn, we sealed each skein in a plastic bag and cooked it in a slow cooker.

Out of my three skeins of yarn, I think the purple one is my favorite.

The middle skein is the organic wool, and the other two are pure wool.

What other characters would you like to see turned into Zombies? I think next might have to be a Bride Zombie.

Cop Zombie

Business Casual Zombie

The first WIP is a pillow inspired by a Mario blanket that I found on the blog Gege Crochet.  I love this blanket! My pillow isn’t nearly as epic as this blanket, but it’s a start. First of all, The blanket uses Tunisian crochet, and I am using tapestry crochet. Tapestry crochet is much simpler. It uses a single crochet stitch and you carry the colors that you are not using along the back. I am about halfway done with it, however I underestimated the amount of blue yarn I would need. As a result, this project is on hold. Once I pick up some more blue yarn, I will finish it and post some completed pictures. Also, I plan on learning Tunisian crochet so that I can attempt something as amazing as the Mario blanket.

Here is a preview of the pillow:

The other Project that I am working on is a  Zombie Duo for a friend from my undergrad. I am completely done with one of them, and about 75% done with zombie number two.

For this zombie I decided to do something different with the legs and created a monstrously disproportional creature that would be an embarrassment to all things zombie.

As much as I love destroying zombies in video games, disemboweling something that took several days to make is not nearly as fun.

After salvaging what I could, I needed to take a break from the zombie in order to problem solve how I would reattempt the legs.

While doing this I made some things that I will be selling in my soon-to-be Etsy shop.

This bed bug cat toy is filled with fiber fill and organic cat nip.

This eyeball was made with craft cord rather than yarn. It also has a clip, making it the perfect addition to any key chain or book bag.

The brown eye was made with acrylic yarn rather than craft cord, making it a little bit larger. It also has a clip.

Now that I have taken a few days to think on it, I have resumed zombie number two and I am very happy with it. I will post pictures of both zombies when they are finished. What projects do you have laying around the house that need to be finished?

"Won't you please recycle me?"

I had heard someplace that you can crochet with them, so I decided to give it a try. I googled it, and found these instructions on how to crochet an air pot with “plarn”. Air pots allow the roots to grow through the holes rather than clumping and wrapping around the bottom of the pot. They are then pruned by the air, which encourages new growth to come from the base of the plant. They also allow for drainage and air circulation.

All that you need for this project is scissors, a crochet hook and a bunch of plastic bags.

Step 1: Fold the plastic bag and cut one inch thick plastic strips that you will use as yarn.

Step 2: Take the loops and attach them to each other. You slip one loop through another, and then slip it through its self.

Step 3: Crochet as you normally would.

I found the plarn to be a little difficult to use with the magic circle, so I made two chain stitches and crocheted my first round into the second chain from the hook.

To make the basket shape you just crochet in a spiral (continious round), in the amigurumi fashion.

Round one should have 6 or 9 stitches, depending on how flexible you find the material.

Make your stitches loose, because the plastic doesn’t slide as easily as yarn.

In each subsequent round the amount of increases should equal the same amount of stitches as your first round until you get to the width of the pot that you want.

This is a pretty simple pattern: Round 2: 2sc in each st. Round 3: *2sc in the first st and 1sc in the next* Repeat till the end of the round. Round 4: 2sc, 1sc twice. Round 5: 2sc, 1sc tree times. If you keep increasing your stitches in this way, your circle will grown until you get to the desired size. If you started with 6 stitches in the first round, it will increase by 6 stitches in each round. If you would like to follow more precise directions to this pattern, you can find them here.

When you have reached your desired width, begin putting a single crochet in each stitch. This will give your pot height.

When your pot is done, add dirt and some plants. The pot I made now has basil and cilantro. What would you make with plarn?

To make this project, I started with some variegated yarn, crazy glue, and a washed yogurt container.

First I carefully poked holes in the yogurt container bottom, because I wanted to use it for some of my basil sprouts.

I then glued the yarn around the container while being careful to make sure it stayed in a neat little row. Once I got to the top, I secured the yarn end with glue under the lip of the container.

Voilà! A cute little planter.

I enjoyed this project because it was quick and easy. Plus my herbs will fit perfectly on my window sills.

Though this project is wonderful, there are two things I will do differently for the rest of the seedlings. I am not going to use crazy glue for the rest because, #1 it smells downright foul, and #2 it is not fun to get off your fingers. The second thing I am going to do is experiment with a different type of material. I found that the yarn is not the best for a project that involves dirt and water. For the rest of the planters, I think I will try a type of twine. This hot pink one seems like it would make a very nice flower pot!