Granny Mandala Ottoman Cover

Seems like it's been a while since we've checked in with you guys. We've been taking down Christmas decorations and clearing clutter just like everybody else! But now that things are starting to get back to normal, I wanted to share a quick crochet project with you. It's actually one that I had put on my craft wish list last year, but then I decided to devote all of my extra crafting time to crocheting afghans for charity. So I back burnered all of the crafting items on my wish list so that I could devote more time to that project.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get to a few more of my back burnered craft projects this year!

This is the first one and I'm so happy with how it came out. It's a crochet granny mandala ottoman cover. I love it for two reasons. First, I was able to upcycle a very old ottoman that I had squirreled away in Jaxon's room. He used it as a step stool to reach things when he was younger, but this is actually MUCH older than Jaxon. (HINT: The hunter green color should be giving off a strong 1990s vibe - I purchased this when I was in college.) Here it is in all its pleather-y glory. Soak it in, it's just too good:

Second, it's always fun to crochet a quick and colorful project during the dreary days of January. This colorful ottoman is going to brighten up our sunroom.

What Is a Mandala?

For those of you not familiar with the term mandala, it's basically a doily with a few minor differences. While they're both circular, mandalas are usually colorful and they're usually made out of yarn instead of thread. But if you find a vintage doily pattern that you like, you could probably convert it into a mandala pattern easily.

Pattern, Hook, and Modifications

For this project, I started with a free crochet granny mandala pattern and then I worked the pattern as written through row 12 with a size K crochet hook, which gave me a flat circle the same size as the top of my ottoman. Then, I switched to a size J hook and stopped increasing while continuing rounds until I had enough rounds to cover the sides of the ottoman. I switched crochet hook sizes to make sure that the cover would fit snugly to the ottoman.

If I were to do this project again, I might try not increasing on row 12 and then working the entire pattern with one size hook. You will need to adjust the pattern for your size ottoman specifically, trying the work on your ottoman periodically to ensure it fits correctly.

Yarn Choices

The yarns and colorways that I used were as follows:

• Red Heart Super Saver Bright Yellow
• Red Heart Super Saver Pretty 'N Pink
• Red Heart Super Saver Pale Plum
• Big Twist Damson Purple
• Red Heart Super Saver Light Blue
• Red Heart Super Saver Light Periwinkle
• Red Heart Super Saver Royal (from Captain America Hat and Spiderman Afghan)
• Red Heart Super Saver Pumpkin
• Bernat Super Value True Red (from Captain America Afghan)
• Red Heart Super Saver Shocking Pink
• Big Twist Light Teal
• Big Twist Medium Teal
• Caron Simply Soft Limelight
• Caron Simply Soft Watermelon
• Red Heart Super Saver Aruba Sea
• Big Twist Buttercup
• Loops & Threads Impeccable Orange
• Vanna's Choice Radiant Lime (from Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary Baby Blanket)
• Vanna's Choice Fern (from Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary Baby Blanket)

As you can see, it's Smitty approved!

Notes:

This really was a simple project, so if you have a little ottoman or even a stool that doesn't match your current decor or that's seen better days, maybe consider giving yours a makeover too. It's really like making a very large hat for it!

My best tip for any project that uses a lot of different colors of yarn is to weave in your ends as you go. Weaving in ends is my least favorite part of any crochet project, but with 35 different pairs of yarn ends to weave in, leaving them ALL to the end of the project was not a good option. Weaving in two ends of yarn after each row made it into a manageable task that really seemed like no trouble at all.

I did not stretch it around the bottom and attach it (it's hanging freely), but you could easily do that if you'd like a more fitted look for yours!

If you like the look of colorful crochet projects, check out these past projects for a burst of rainbow inspiration!

Granny Square Scrap Afghan

The Lucy Bag

Color Block Toddler Dress

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'Twas the Site by Three Sisters - 2018

So the saying goes, it's the most wonderful time of the year. AND that means, it's also the time of the year that The Harris Sisters present to you our 2018 year in review in the form of a 'Twas the Night Before Christmas parody.

For those of you new to our blog, this is a Harris Family tradition that dates waaaayyy back (back before computers, and blogs, and social media, and such). Yes, these were originally created with good old fashioned pencil and paper while sitting at the kitchen bar on Christmas Eve night.

So, to keep this grand old tradition alive, we still bring these to you on Christmas Eve (albeit in a slightly more newfangled way).

We had lots of fun this year! We're so glad we got to "meet" some of our new friends and keep up with our old ones. We hope that you had fun reading along with us!

'Twas the Site by Three Sisters - 2018

Twas the site by three sisters, Two Zero One Eight

The fun we've had this year has been really first-rate;

In Spring we showed you some ways to garden so cheap,

In hopes they're ideas that you'll want to keep;

And then in May, we soon followed suit

with tips for planning a family photo shoot.

With an old truck and costumes, it'll come together in a flash,

Gather the kids and the grandkids, and you'll make a big splash!

Gather up your driver, ready for a cameo,

You'll recognize our driver - it's our Daddy-o!

More rapid than eagles his kiddos they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, DEANNA! now, MISTY! now, DONNA and JAXON!

On, CHARLOTTE! on EMMA! on, LEXI and AIDYN!

To the top of the truck! Photograph us all!

Now flash away! flash away! flash away all!"

And then in June we could not refrain

from telling you all about our ride on a train

From antiques to hiking to the old Warrior Motel, 

and a See Rock City Barn - so many stories to tell!

In September, Misty headed to a prom (second chance)

So you voted just what should she wear to this dance.

And once every tally and ballot was cast,

She revealed her 1980s look at last!

October - our costumes, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary!

25 years for the Sandersons, but these witches aren't scary.

And don't forget to stop in for a visit,

To our Halloween Home Tour  -  a video with it;

And then in November, we thought it was high time,
To give our blog a brand new design,
With a new look and feel, we'll bring you content next year,
We're already planning and preparing, my dears!

As January 1 nears - oh my, how time flies!
We wanted to make sure we acknowledge you guys,
To all who have followed, shared, commented, and liked,
"HARRIS CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

Merry Christmas from Deanna, Donna, and Misty! (and Daddy - we're pictured here in 1979)

Take a look at our previous year's Christmas Eve parodies.

A Thoughtful Christmas

Every year as Christmas draws closer, I would like to think that I come up with some pretty good and creative gift ideas. This year, I bring you two years worth of crafty gift ideas!

For one Secret Santa gift exchange last year, the kids wanted the presents to be homemade. I made a prayer box:

This was a pretty easy project. I took an empty Altoids tin and decorated it with scrapbooking paper, a favorite Bible verse, and a nice pom pom fringe.

I then added some small Post-it notes inside to finish it off. As with most of my homemade presents, I wanted one for myself when it was finished, so I knew this one was a winner.

Homemade gifts were where it was at last year, as we found ourselves trying to figure out another idea for our 4-H Christmas gift exchange. Our "giftee" liked jewelry, so we tried our hand at making a necklace.

The beads on this necklace are actually torn magazine pages. You roll long skinny pieces of paper  around a skewer and glue the ends to create the beads. We threaded the finished beads through some twine and paired the necklace with some sausage balls for a gift.

This year, we didn't have as many crafty gift exchanges, but my oldest daughter wanted to stretch her gift giving buck to include everyone she has ever met, so we landed on creating photo cubes. The first one I attempted came out great. I printed pictures on regular paper and sized them exactly to the size of the cube using the Paint program on the computer. That was probably the trickiest part and the most time consuming. I glued them on and then applied a layer of Mod Podge over the top. The corners looked like they may present a problem, so on the next one I changed it up a bit.

The kids painted the corners of the cube to allow for a smaller photo on each side. That way the photos would lay flat and be easier to decoupage. However, I liked the look of the first cube better, so I did some engineering.

I cut out frames for the smaller photos, and I added a felt bottom to both of them so they can be used as paperweights. Because these specific cubes will be cousin presents, each cousin got their own side of a cube.

For my last craft, I made teacher gifts! In keeping with the theme of being cheap saving money, I stole one of my daughter's ideas. Our movie theater has one night a week when the movies are $5, so I bought $5 gift cards and added a note: "Treat yo'self, to a movie (on a Tuesday)."

I scrapbooked the explanation onto a card and put it all into a popcorn box along with a snack:

So, if you're still mulling over what to get that mailman who has been inundated with delivering your Amazon packages, break out the Mod Podge and be sure to make an extra to "Treat yo'self."