I LOVE Ladybugs!!

I am a big ladybug fan and wanted to share a few projects I found:

I made a baby blanket for a coworker with all kinds of dishcloth designs I either found or made up myself (I will post about that project later), and one of the squares is a ladybug I found on Designs by Emily:



And a few more ladybug related patterns:

• a kid cardigan with a ladybug (on Ravelry)

• ladybug mittens:

• a ladybug bookmark:

• a ladybug hat:

• and another ladybug hat (on Ravelry)

• a ladybug beret and scarf:

• little crawly bugs (also on Ravelry):

• and more creepy crawlies:

Body

At the end of each round, join with a slip stitch to beginning sc.
With red,
Chain 2, (starting at top of bug body)
1) 5 sc in 2nd chain from hook
2) ch 1, 2 sc in each sc around (10 sc)
3) ch 1, (2 sc in first sc, sc in next sc) repeat around (15 sc)
4) ch 1, (2 sc in first sc, sc in next 2 sc) repeat around (20 sc)
5-7) ch 1, sc in each sc around.. DO NOT FINISH OFF...
Embroider spots now. With black yarn, embroider small X's on bug body.
Resuming with red yarn,.
8) In BLO, ch 1, sc-dec around (10 sc)
STUFF
9) ch 1, sc-dec around (5 sc)
FO leaving long tail. Use tail to sew hole shut on bottom
Weave in ends
Head
With black
Chain 2
1) 5 sc in 2nd chain from hook
2) ch 1, 2 sc in each sc around (10 sc)
3) ch 1, sc in each sc around
FO leaving long tail.
Sew head to body.
Antennas
Cut a 2½ piece of black pipe cleaner. Push through head and bend up.
Trim as desired
Finish
Glue on google eyes.

• I also found this crochet pattern for a ladybug baby rattle (I have not made this yet, but just thought it was way cute!!!) on Crochetville:

Finished size: 2 1/4 inches tall, 4 inches long, and 3 inches wide
Lady bug is worked in one continuous spiral, unless otherwise noted.
Body
With main color, and F hook,
Ch 2
1) 6 sc in 2nd hook from chain
2) 2 sc in each ch around (12 sc)
3) (2 sc in first sc, sc in next sc) repeat around (18 sc)
4) (2 sc in first sc, sc in next 2 sc) repeat around (24 sc)
5) (2 sc in first sc, sc in next 3 sc) repeat around (30 sc)
6) (2 sc in first sc, sc in next 4 sc) repeat around (36 sc)
7-11) sc in each sc around
Slp st to next sc, Ch 1.
12) In BLO (just for this round) (sc-dec, sc in next 4 sc) repeat around (30 sc)
Now, back to working in a continuous spiral,
13) (sc-dec, sc in next 3 sc) repeat around (24 sc)
Now add stuffing and cat ball inside body. Continue stuffing as you go.
14) (sc-dec, sc in next sc) repeat around (16 sc)
15) sc-dec around. (8 sc)
FO leaving longer tail.
Use tail to close hole, weave in end.
Head
With black, and F hook
Ch 2
1) 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook
2) 2 sc in each sc around (12 sc)
3) (2 sc in first sc, sc in next sc) repeat around (18 sc)
4-6) sc in each sc around
7) (sc-dec, sc in next sc) repeat around (12 sc)
Slp st to next sc and FO leaving long tail.
Stuff and sew head to body.
Spots (make 6)
With black and f hook,
Ch 2
1) 7 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
Slp st to first sc, and FO
Sew spots only ladybug.
Antennas
Figure out where you would like the antennas to be.
Cut a piece of yarn about 12 inches long. Fold yarn in half. Using your hook, draw up the middle of the yarn piece, around the stitch where you want one of the antennas. Now, chain an additional 4 chains, using both yarn ends.
You are now going to have a thicker chain for your antenna. Tie a few knots at the top of the antenna. Snip yarn ends close.
Repeat on other side.

I will add patterns to this site as I find them. So please check back...

Toe-up cabled socks

These socks are pulled together from bits and pieces of the following patterns:

Wendy's Fingering Weight Toe-up Gusset Heel Sock
Judy's Magic Cast-on
Freaksngeeks' Noro Kureyon Socks (on Ravelry)



Yarn:
ONline Supersocke 100 Cotton Summer Color

Needles:
Size 0, Knit Picks Harmony dpns

Cast on 28 sts with Magic Cast-on method
Divide sts over 4 dpns (7 sts ea)
Increase 4 sts every other round until you have a total of 68 sts
Divide as follows:
Two sole dpns: 19 sts ea, these will be knit
The remaining 30 sts can either go onto one dpn or you can divide them onto two any way you like. Divide them as follows:
p2, k8, p2, k8, p2, k8, p2.
Every 8th round, the instep sts will be worked as follows:
p2, slip2cnb, k2, k2cn, slip2cnf, k2cn, p2, k8, p2, slip2cnb, k2, k2cn, slip2cnf, k2cn, p2.
Or, alternatively, you can have three cables, in which case you would do this:
p2, slip2cnb, k2, k2cn, slip2cnf, k2cn, p2, slip2cnb, k2, k2cn, slip2cnf, k2cn, p2, slip2cnb, k2, k2cn, slip2cnf, k2cn, p2.

Work this until you get to where you increase for the heel (about your foot is about two - two and a half inches shorter than you want it to be). Now, every other round, m1 st at the beginning of the first sole dpn and at the end of the second sole dpn until you have 30 sts on each sole dpn, like so:

work dpn 1 and 2 (instep dpns) (or 1, if you decided to put the remaining sts all on one dpn) per above pattern
work dpn 3 and 4 (sole dpns) (or dpns 2 and 3, if you have all the "pattern" sts on one dpn) as follows:
dpn3: k1, m1, k rem sts
dpn4: k to the last st, m1, k1
(Remember to increase (m1) only every other round!)
Repeat this until you have 30 sts ea on dpns 3 and 4.

To turn the heel work dpns 3 and 4 as follows (the rest of the sts are resting during this):
k33, ssk, k1, turn
sl1, p7, p2tog, p1, turn
sl1, k8, ssk, k1, turn
sl1, p9, p2tog, p1, turn
sl1, k10, ssk, k1, turn
sl1, p11, p2tog, p1, turn
Continue this way until all sts are worked and you have 34 sts left. Divide them up over 2 dpns again and continue working in the round again.

Combined with the 30 sts from the instep dpns, you now have 64 sts.

For the cuff, I decided to have cables all around. For this I needed 70 sts. I picked up 3 sts on each side of the heel (this has the added benefit, that you can avoid any holes you might have there).

Work the heel dpns with plain knit stitches until you have picked up the right number of sts, then start your pattern with the instep dpns, and then continue from there with the cable pattern: p2, k8, p2 until you get to row eight again, where you do a round of: *p2, slip2cnb, k2, k2cn, slip2cnf, k2cn, p2* as with the two cables, except that now you have seven cables around.

Work this pattern for as long as you want your cuff.

You can also add a ribbing, if you like. I chose not to do that with this pair of socks.

Bind off with your favorite loose bind off.

I used:
2nd to last round: m1 after every 2 sts.
Last round: k
*Ssk, put st back from rhn to lhn, rep from * until all sts are gone.

This makes for kind of a wavy bind-off. Use a different method, if you don't like this.

Enjoy!