Stars, Stripes, and Rings

Figure skating is my first love. It’s the thing I first remember falling in love with. I started figure skating when I was 6 years old. I skated all the way thru college (and beyond), and started coaching as a college student. In fact, I coached on my skates while pregnant with my twins up until the point where I could no longer bend over enough to tie my own skates (at about 7 months).

In case you didn’t know, the 2018 Winter Olympics are about to start (opening ceremonies air February 9 on NBC here in the United States), and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m one of those Winter Olympics fans that annoy the non-Winter Olympics fans in my house. When you grew up figure skating, the way you watch the figure skating events is like none-other. For some reason, figure skaters clench and feel the moves happening on the ice. Even if we could never pull those moves off. I want to say it’s muscle memory since that’s what was ingrained in my head during every practice. Perhaps it’s the excitement of the event. Or a combination. Whatever it is, it happens. And I’m looking forward to going thru this again starting next week :)

You can find all the information on when each event is happening here on this awesome schedule: Time’s Winter Olympic Schedule PyeongChang2018

Or on the official PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics website.

It’s been cold here lately and I’ve been cuddling up in my house with scarves and sweaters and blankets galore. I knew I’d want to watch the Pyeongchang Olympics with something…festive. So, I whipped up a little something to wear–a Team USA scarf. Now I’m ready to cheer on all of the amazing athletes as they represent their own countries (of course I’ll cheer a little louder for our own athletes).

I worked up this super scarf using a size H (5.0mm) hook, worsted weight (on the lighter side) yarn from Hobby Lobby’s line I Love This Yarn, and a traditional corner-to-corner (c2c) stitch. The entire scarf is worked up in one piece, with the stars added on afterwards as appliques. I finished the piece off with a simple single crochet border around the edge, taking care to do sc+chain 2+sc in each corner.

You can grab the file for this graph right here:

ChaosAndChopSuey-Team USA Olympic Scarf-Graph pattern

You can grab the file for the written instructions (for the graph) right here:

ChaosAndChopSuey-Team USA Olympic Scarf-Written Instructions

Here are the colors that I used for this scarf:

And those awesome star appliques? Well, I found them in two different places. The large stars are from One Dog Woof. I followed her directions as written for my 3 largest stars, making the stars one layer thick, then attaching them to my scarf with a needle and the long remaining tail from each star. And the 2 smallest stars are from Repeat Crafter Me, again, as written.

As always, feel free to use my patterns to make gifts or items to sell, but do not copy my images or patterns in any shape. It’s awesome when you link back to my page on social media. To check out more of my patterns, head on over to my Ravelry store!

Don’t forget to tag me or use my #ChaosAndChopSuey hashtag when posting on social media–I love seeing what you all are doing!!

#CHAOSANDCHOPSUEY

<3, Angela

Happy Fall!!!

Fall is my time of the year. I love seeing all the leaves changing colors. It truly is a magical sight to see. I grew up in Hawaii where there is no fall. When I moved away from the islands at 25 years old, I immediately fell in love with the drop in temperature and the beautiful colors of fall. One of my favorite things to do is have a glass of hot apple cider and sit by the firepit in our backyard with a campfire going–all while wearing a sweater. Now, because of where I live, our fall is short (sometimes you can wear shorts on Thanksgiving), but that just means I savor every moment.

Photo: Wide Open Country

To celebrate the first day of fall, I have designed a few fall themed graphing panels that you can grab for free, right here on my blog.

Like I said earlier, I love hot apple cider. Don’t throw rocks at me, but I don’t understand the love for pumpkin spice lattes. My husband loves them, but I’d rather have some hot apple cider. So, the panel I chose to work up is my Hot Apple Cider. I plan on turning this into a fall throw pillow for my living room–it’s the perfect size!

For those of you who are PSL fans, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered:

Just because I’m not a PSL fan, doesn’t mean I don’t like pumpkin! I love pumpkin pie!

These graphs are the perfect size for making a seasonal throw pillow or two. Or, if you’re feeling ambitious, you could always arrange them in a grid and make a small lap blanket!

To grab your FREE copy of my FALL TRIO graphs, just click on this link. It’ll take you to a Google Drive document that you can download at your leisure.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Be sure to tag me (#ChaosAndChopSuey) in your photos so I can check them out (and possibly feature)!

#ChaosAndChopSuey

Happy Fall y’all!

<3, Angela

Halloween 3 Witches Graph: Hocus Pocus

“I put a spell on you, because you’re mine…”

Last weekend, the weather outside my home started to feel a bit like fall was peeking it’s head out from between the leaves of the trees in my backyard. The mornings were chilly (by my standards, 55 degrees is chilly) and the days were warm. The leaves out back have begun to change colors and fall to the ground. Besides the pumpkin spice lattes, hot apple cider, autumn leaves, and Halloween decor in the stores, Halloween movies that are starting to creep into television programming are getting me in the mood for—HALLOWEEN! And what better way to get you in the mood for Halloween than to crochet or cross stitch up your favorite witches–the Sanderson sisters from ‘Hocus Pocus!’

D23.com

My Hocus Pocus “Halloween 3 Witches” graph is now available for purchase in my Etsy store!! Follow me on Instagram for an awesome Hocus Pocus themed multi-maker giveaway coming up! You will seriously want to see what’s in this giveaway! Head on over to my Etsy shop to grab your own copy of my Hocus Pocus “Halloween 3 Witches” graph!

I am now open for CUSTOM GRAPH orders as well. The current turnaround time starts at one week depending on the level of detail required. Prices start at $8 for a custom graph that includes several sizes (for printing purposes) of colored graphs. I can also include yarn color suggestions if that is desired. To create a custom graph order of your own, message me on Etsy and we can discuss everything there!

For more information on this Hocus Pocus graph, head on over to my Etsy store. For more information on my current GREASE CAL or to purchase your copy of my GREASE crochet-a-long, head on over to my Ravelry store. It’s never too late to join us! Once you purchase your GREASE CAL pattern, you can even come and join us in our special Facebook group reserved only for those that are doing the GREASE CAL

Don’t forget to tag me or use my #ChaosAndChopSuey hashtag when posting on social media–I love seeing what you all are doing!!

#CHAOSANDCHOPSUEY

<3, Angela

I’m now on ETSY!!!

Guess what everyone? I’M ON ETSY!! That’s right, you can now purchase my patterns in both my Ravelry shop AND my Etsy store!

My IN-PROGRESS crochet-a-longs are ONLY available on Ravelry, NOT in my Etsy shop. That’s because Ravelry makes it soooo easy for us designers to update our patterns–they even send out automated messages and emails anytime there is an update. Have no fear, my crochet-a-longs will be added to my Etsy shop as they conclude and the pattern is in it’s entirety.

I am now open for CUSTOM GRAPH orders as well. The current turnaround time starts at one week depending on the level of detail required. Prices start at $8 for a custom graph that includes several sizes (for printing purposes) of colored graphs. I can also include yarn color suggestions if that is desired.

While you’re here, check out my most recent custom graph. This ‘Hocus Pocus’ inspired graph will be available for purchase in my Etsy store on Friday, September 15, 2017.