A month or so ago, I wrote about how I was going batty trying to figure out a pattern for my not-yet-born niece’s blanket. You might remember that I was crocheting lots of little things just to give me a break from rearranging skeins of yarn on the floor and frogging my test squares. I blogged about the cupcakes and headbands and baby bottles I had made, but I didn’t blog about everything I’d been crocheting, because some of the things I’d made were gifts, and I didn’t want to spoil anyone’s surpise.

I crocheted this adorable little alien dude for Kuky‘s baby boy Nathan, based on this free amigurumi alien pattern (registration required) from Lion Brand Yarn. The cupcake was a big-sister gift for Kuky’s daughter Isabelle. Like the other cupcakes I’ve crocheted, it’s based on a free cupcake pattern from BitterSweet.

Annalie saw the alien I was making for Nathan, and was very sad when I told her it wasn’t for her. So I crocheted one for her one too. Annalie named her alien “Prettiest.”

Another crocheted baby bottle. I…made this so long ago that I can’t remember if I started it at the bottom or top. I know I did one with the first one, and then I tried it the other way with this second bottle, and I liked the second way better. I can’t remember which was which, though.

I had to send a little care package to Anna after her visit here, because a piece of her stroller fell off in my van. I stuck in these balls that I crocheted for her kids. Annalie chose the colors especially for Apple and J.

These stripey crocheted balls were a gift for my friend Mike‘s two boys, to include in a package I was sending to their family. Mike, whom I know from 7 Days, is the one who described the show Chuck to me as "Get Smart meets The Hunt for Red October," which convinced me I needed to watch it immediately. The rest is history. To thank him, I wanted to paint him a mug. He suggested I paint one for his wife, too, so I did.

Mike’s mug, on the right, has a Casey quote on it ("I don’t kid about quiche"). His wife’s mug, on the left, has a less direct Chuck reference. The first line in the Cake song "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" is "I want a girl with a mind like a diamond." An instrumental version of that song is used over the credits of "Chuck." Mostly I just really like that line, and knowing Mike I suspect that it describes his wife pretty well. (There is a photo in Mike’s flickr of him and his wife posing with their mugs in the last run of 7 Days, too.)

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work on the blanket I’m crocheting for my niece.