Sith Scarf

I’m calling this my sith scarf because it turned me to the dark side - that’s right – it’s knitting….

I’ve said before that the few times I’ve tried knitting in the past it’s been a horrible disaster and I found the whole thing very awkward and slightly traumatic but when I saw this leaf lace scarf from the purl bee I fell in love and had to give it another try.

I went back to basics; loaded up you tube, starting looking at different techniques and ended up knitting left-handed (moving the stitches from the right to the left needle, holding the yarn in my right hand). But I still found purling a bit awkward and got my mind in a knot trying to think about slanting decreases and if they would need to be swapped.

After a few more frustrated attempts I settled on working the knit rows from the left needle onto the right with the yarn in my right hand but then instead of purling I knitted into the back loop of all stitches and worked from the right needle back onto the left. This is much more comfortable and I never have to swap the needles over – just move stitches from one needle to the other and back again with the right side always facing me. Those of you who knit – is this a valid method? or are you appalled by the idea? Every odd row of this pattern is just purl so it works well but I don’t know if it would be any good for any other projects.

Anyway I’m happy with my scarf so far, it’s not perfectly neat but not too shabby and soon I’ll have completed my first ever knitted project!

Filed under: Not crochet, knitting, lacy, pink, scarf

Circle Scarf

DIY circle scarf – the easiest sewing project in the world.

Take a big rectangle of stretchy fabric, fold in half, sew the ends together and you’re done. wrap it around your neck twice and you have a stylish and warm scarf in less than 20 minutes. I’ve been meaning to make one of these for a while but seeing this tutorial from come on Ilene made me actually get the sewing machine out and make it today. Have a look at that tutorial for proper instructions. Not that you need many – mostly just getting the right length of material so that it will nicely wrap around twice. She also gives tips on different ways to wear it – as a shawl, wrap, dress (!) etc. I apologise for the poor photos – these were the best of a few terrible attempts to balance the camera and use the self timer :)

Filed under: Not crochet, easy, instructions, scarf, sewing

Placemat & Coaster Set

I’ve only made 3 coasters and 1 placemat so far but that’s enough to let you know how it was done. They were made using the same stitch as the vintage phone case, they’re nice and thick and seem quite robust so far. As always I’m using English crochet terms so look at the conversion chart for the American equivalents.

I’ve used quite a thin recycled grey cotton doubled up so that it’s ~dk/worsted weight and a 4mm hook.

Placemat

row 1. Chain 50

row 2. chain 3, turn, tr in 3rd chain from hook, *skip one stitch, dc and then tr both into the next stitch*

* repeat to the end of the row and just 1dc in the last stitch of the row.

row 3. chain 2, turn, tr into the dc at the end of the last row (the 3rd chain/stitch from the hook), *skip one stitch, dc then tr both into the next stitch*

* repeat to the end of the row ending with 1 dc in last stitch of the row.

Repeat row 3 until the piece is as big as you would like the placemat – I completed 30 rows in total.

Do not fasten off but turn the work 90 degrees and continue in the direction you are going – dc all around the edge with 3dc in each corner. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Coaster

Follow the same instructions as for the placemat but to begin chain 14 and I completed 12 rows but you should add or subtract a few to make them square. Finish by dc-ing all around the edge as for the placemat.

Filed under: crochet, instructions, coaster, crochet, crochet pattern, easy, instructions, pattern, placemat

Snowflake scarf

My most recent crocheting project was this snowflake scarf. It was fairly quick to make and once it’s blocked it is lovely and lacy. If you want to give it a try then the pattern is by Elizabeth Myers and is available to download for free from Ravelry.

 

 

 

 

Filed under: clothing, crochet, crochet, crochet pattern, easy, instructions, lacy, pattern, scarf, snowflake

Monster Baby Booties

This weekend I became an auntie! I made these little booties for when I go to see him. I didn’t want to try writing a pattern myself as I have no idea how big babies’ feet are! So I ended up using this Simple Crossover Bootie pattern but then also using this Lizard Monster Baby Bootie pattern for inspiration and turned them into little lizards. I hope they fit – A woman walked past me today with a tiny baby and I found myself staring at its feet trying to figure out how big they were. You can’t really go up to a stranger and ask to measure their child’s feet can you.

……can you?

Too late now anyway :)

Filed under: clothing, crochet, baby booties, crochet, lizard, recycled yarn

Flower Headband

Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything and I do apologise. I recently moved house and started a new job so I’ve been quite busy - I have found time to crochet but have ended up working on three or four big projects at once and none of them are finished! This weekend I really wanted to actually finish something and ended up making this headband. The flower is inspired by this Finnish rose pattern and I actually made two versions so you can choose which you like best or even go with the original. As always I’ll be using English crochet terms so have a look at the conversion chart for the American equivalents:

Headband

I used dk yarn and a 4mm hook but you can use whatever combination works best for you.

Row 1. In grey chain 10

Row 2. Chain 1, turn, htr into the back loop only of each stitch of the row.

Repeat this row until the piece is long enough to wrap tightly around your head. Working into the back loops only should give a ribbed effect making the piece slightly stretchy.

Once the piece is long enough slip stitch the ends together to create a loop. I first twisted one end 180 degrees to give a narrower, folded section to sit more comfortably at the nape of my neck but It’s up to you which way you prefer.

Flower One

Again I used dk yarn and a 4mm hook. Different combinations will result in different sized flowers.

Row 1. In grey chain 61

Row 2. Chain 3, tr into the 6th chain from the hook, *ch2, skip one stitch, tr next stitch*

*Repeat to the end of the row

Row 3. Chain 2, turn, skip the first stitch of the previous row, tr next stitch, ch2, 2tr into next stitch. *skip the treble from the previous row, 2tr, ch2, 2tr*

*Repeat to the end of the row

Row 4. Change colour to pink. ch2, turn, *6tr into the ch2 gap of the previous row, dc between the next two groups of 2tr*

*Repeat to the end of the row

Fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing. Coil/wrap the piece up in a pleasing way and then stitch through all layers using the tail to secure in place.

This one is based quite closely on the Finnish pattern and I like the flower but thought it was a little big for the headband and I wanted slightly less pink showing so I made another version:

Flower Two

Row 1. In grey chain 41

Row 2. Chain 3, tr into the 6th chain from the hook, *ch2, skip one stitch, tr next stitch*

*Repeat to the end of the row

Row 3. Chain 2, turn, skip the first stitch of the previous row, tr next stitch, ch2, 2tr into next stitch. *skip the treble from the previous row, 2tr, ch2, 2tr*

*Repeat to the end of the row

Row 4. Chain 2, turn, *6tr into the ch2 gap of the previous row, dc between the next two groups of 2tr*

*Repeat to the end of the row

Row 5. Change colour to pink. ch1, turn, 2dc each stitch to the end of the row. Fasten off. As with the first flower coil it around and stitch through all layers to secure.

Here are the two flowers side by side for comparison:

Whichever one you’ve decided to go for sew it onto the headband and enjoy!

I tried for ages to take a decent photo of this headband actually on my head but it turned out to be very difficult! So here are a few rubbishy photos just so you can get the idea of how thick the band is, how big the flower etc:

Filed under: crochet, instructions, crochet, crochet pattern, flower, headband, instructions, pattern

Running Armband

I hate running but gimmicky gadgets will get me to try anything and so I found myself looking forward to a jog around after I installed miCoach from adidas on my phone – it’s really cool and free so I do recommend giving it a try. This means I need my phone with me though and not hidden in a pocket since it needs GPS signals to let me know my speed and plot my route and things. Crochet to the rescue! My first attempt at an armband was just a stretchy band with a simple phone case sewn on. This worked ok but not great – It felt tight enough when I put it on but as I jogged up and down it shifted and felt too loose. This is my improved design with a long strap and velcro so you can pull it as tight as you like and if the crochet stretches or you lose weight or someone else wants to borrow it then you can just pull it a bit tighter. It also has an extra pocket for my keys.

What you will need:

*About 50g of DK weight yarn and a suitable sized hook (I used 4mm)

*A small amount of Velcro (you could use a loop and button to close but then it won’t be adjustable)

*A yarn needle for sewing the work and a regular needle and thread for sewing on the Velcro

*A metal or plastic ring for looping the strap through – I used one from the strap of an old bag – it is square and works fine but having used it a couple of times I think a circular one would be slightly better as it tends to twist.

*Knowledge of English crochet terms – have a look at the conversion chart for the American equivalents.

Step 1. Leaving a longish tail for sewing later, chain the length of your metal or plastic ring (if it’s circular then chain just less than the diameter). I chained 7.

Step 2. Ch1, turn, dc each stitch to the end of the row.

Repeat step 2 until the work is about 4cm (1.5″) long.

Step 3. Place your phone/mp3 player/ipod so that the work is in the centre of one edge and chain to reach the edge:

Step 4. ch1, turn, dc each stitch of the row. Now instead of turning chain until the total length of the work is twice that of your phone/ipod etc:

Step 5. ch1, turn, dc each stitch to the end of the row.

Repeat step 5 until the work is wide enough to cover your phone. If you would like an extra pocket for your keys etc then continue adding rows until the work is large enough.

Step 6. ch1, turn, dc each stitch until you reach the point opposite the end of the initial little tab.

Step 7. ch1, turn, dc the same number of stitches as you chained in step 1. You are creating a strap the same width as, and directly opposite the initial tab.

Repeat step 7 until you have a strap long enough to wrap completely around your arm twice. This will seem very long but wrapping it all around makes it more secure. Fasten off:

Step 8. Fold the initial tab in half and sew it around the ring:

Step 9. Fold the large section of work up and sew up both edges. If you crocheted extra to hold keys etc. then insert your phone and sew up the edge to create two separate pockets. Leave a gap in your sewing at the position your headphones will plug in:

Step 10. Sew a small square of the hook type of Velcro to the end of the long strap:

Step 11. Put your phone/ipod into its pocket and any keys or anything else you’ll be carrying. Insert the long strap through the ring and fold it back on itself. Put the armband on and wrap the strap around your arm. Pull it as tight as feels secure and mark the point the small square of Velcro reaches. Take the armband off and sew a long length of the loop type of Velcro to the strap at the position you marked (this should be on the opposite side of the strap to the first square of Velcro). Line up the centre of the Velcro strip with the position you marked to make the strap adjustable in either direction. The longer the strip of Velcro, the more adjustable the band will be:

Weave in any loose ends you have and go for a jog :)

Filed under: crochet, instructions, useful stuff, armband, case, crochet, crochet pattern, easy, exercise, instructions, mobile phone case, pattern, running

Watermelon Coin Purse

A crocheted coin purse with lining and zip. I used DK yarn and this purse is big enough to fit several cards inside as well as money. Crochet terms are English so have a look at the conversion chart for the American equivalents.

1. In red chain 3.

2. 3dc in 3rd chain from hook.

3. chain 1, turn, 2dc in each stitch. (6 stitches total)

4. ch1, turn, *2dc, dc

*repeat twice more. (9 stitches)

5. ch1, turn, *2dc, dc, dc

*repeat twice more. (12 stitches)

6. ch1, turn, *2dc, dc, dc, dc

*repeat twice more. (15 stitches)

7. ch1, turn, *2dc, dc, dc, dc, dc

*repeat twice more. (18 stitches)

8. Continue in this way for 9 more rows – adding one extra dc between increases on each row. You should now have 45 stitches.

At this point fold your work in half and notice that because we’ve been increasing in the same places each time the curved section is not smooth and doesn’t match up well. We will now correct this:

9. ch1, turn, dc first 7 stitches, 2dc, dc next 14 stitches, 2dc, dc next 14 stitches, 2dc, dc final 7 stitches. (48 stitches total)

10. ch1, turn, dc first 8, 2dc, dc next 15, 2dc, dc next 15, 2dc, dc final 7. (51 stitches)

11. ch1, turn, dc first 8, 2dc, dc next 16, 2dc, dc next 16, 2dc, dc final 8. (54 stitches)

12. ch1, turn, dc first 9, 2dc, dc next 17, 2dc, dc next 17, 2dc, dc final 8. (57 stitches)

13. ch1, turn, dc first 9, 2dc, dc next 18, 2dc, dc next 18, 2dc, dc final 9. (60 stitches)

14. ch1, turn, dc first 10, 2dc, dc next 19, 2dc, dc next 19, 2dc, dc final 9. (63 stitches)

15. ch1, turn, dc first 10, 2dc, dc next 20, 2dc, dc next 20, 2dc, dc final 10. (66 stitches)

16. ch1, turn, dc first 11, 2dc, dc next 21, 2dc, dc next 21, 2dc, dc final 10. (69 stitches)

Change colour to cream/white

17. ch1, turn, dc first 11, 2dc, dc next 22, 2dc, dc next 22, 2dc, dc final 11. (72 stitches)

18. ch1, turn, dc first 12, 2dc, dc next 23, 2dc, dc next 23, 2dc, dc final 11. (75 stitches)

Change colour to green

19. ch1, turn, dc first 12, 2dc, dc next 24, 2dc, dc next 24, 2dc, dc final 12. (78 stitches)

20. ch1, turn, dc first 13, 2dc, dc next 25, 2dc, dc next 25, 2dc, dc final 12. (81 stitches)

21. ch1, turn, dc first 13, 2dc, dc next 26, 2dc, dc next 26, 2dc, dc final 13. (84 stitches)

Fasten off. Fold in half again and the curved edges should now match up much better than before.

SEEDS (Make 6)

I used black crochet thread and a 2mm hook to create the seeds – if you don’t have these then small scraps of black felt cut to the same shape would work just as well.

1. Chain 6, slip stitch into the 2nd chain from the hook.

2. dc into next chain, (htr, tr, htr) all into next chain, dc, sl.

3. ch1, do not turn but work down the opposite side of the starting chain, sl, dc, (htr, tr, htr), dc, sl. Fasten off.

Sew the seeds evenly around the watermelon.

Fold the work in half with the seeds facing out and whip stitch along the straight edge using the loose tails from crocheting – use red on the red section, green on the green etc.

LINING

To make the lining I highly recommend this fantastic tutorial from futuregirl. I just made my lining up as I went along – it works and I’ll go through how I did it but her’s are things of beauty in their own right.

1. Cut a semicircle of green material to the same size as the crocheted semicircle:

2. Fold in half and sew down the straight edge:

3. Create a hem along the curved edge by folding outwards and sew the zip along the top:

4. Put the lining into the crocheted watermelon and sew along the top edge to secure the lining in place:

5. Use green yarn to hide the edges of the zip.

Filed under: crochet, instructions, case, coin purse, crochet, crochet pattern, instructions, pattern, watermelon

Thread Butterfly

I saw the pattern for these little butterflies on Ravelry and had to give them a try – they were very easy and quick to make – the second one much faster than the first. The pattern gets you to make a sort of rippled flower that won’t lay flat and when you fold it in half it makes this wonderful butterfly shape. These are the only colours of crochet thread I have at the moment so I just made these two to try out the pattern – I think a couple would look really good added to a basic green hat for a baby or toddler. I used crochet thread I had lying around and a 2mm hook making the finished butterflies ~5cm (2″) across the widest part of the wings. If you want to give them a try the pattern is a pdf that can be downloaded for free from Ravelry called Butterfly Grace.

Filed under: crochet, butterfly, crochet, crochet pattern, easy, thread

Experiments with a lap loom

The internet is a wonderful thing. A few weeks ago I posted a photo of something made of yarn and asked if anyone knew how it had been created; within minutes lots of you wonderful people left links with ideas and it turned out to have been created by something called a hexagonal lap loom. You can buy these online but they are from America and I was too lazy to look for suppliers in the UK… And they were expensive… And ordering one would involve waiting for it to be delivered and I’m very impatient. So I decided to make my own and while I’m not sure how much I actually like the results it was easy and works brilliantly so here’s how I did it:

To make a loom like mine you will need some nails/tacks (maybe drawing pins or similar would work if you can manage to push them securely into the wood) a hammer and an old picture frame that is quite wide. Also a ruler and pen for marking where to put the nails.

Use your ruler to mark the centre point on each of the shorter sides of the frame. Draw a line from this point to the corner of the hole in the centre of the frame and continue in a straight line to the edge (as shown by the red line/arrow above). Repeat this for all four corners of the frame.

Now mark on where to put the nails. You will need one nail at each point of the hexagon (so that’s 6 in total) and then the actual number all the way around doesn’t matter – the important points to remember are that you need the same number of nails on opposite sides of the hexagon (nails should be opposite each other) and if you want your patterns to have the same height and width then all nails need to be equally spaced so measure the length of the sides and choose a spacing that will fit nails in evenly (it doesn’t have to be very exact – you can fudge it a bit as long as opposite sides have the same number of nails). As you can see on my loom I ended up with 11 nails along the long edges and 8 nails on each of the short edges all roughly 2cm apart but yours will be different depending on the dimensions of your photo frame.

Now you have your frame you need to choose your yarn and wind it around. I got instructions for winding from LapWeaving.Info which clearly show where to start and how to turn the loom. This step is very quick and easy once you get the hang of it and you can keep going around as many times as you like to make the piece thicker. To create the flower effect in the photo from my earlier post you will need 2 contrasting colours. In the first colour weave around as you are shown in the tutorial but only use every other nail:

Change to the second colour and wind around the nails not used the first time:

From the front it now looks like this (the white tape is to cover up the nail points that poked through!):

All that winding should only take a few minutes but now it’s time for the painstaking part – tying all the sections together. Again detailed instructions are available on LapWeaving.Info. It is very time-consuming and I’m still undecided if it’s worth all the effort! I guess it depends how much you like the results:

I finished off this place mat by crocheting around the outside a couple of times but I wasn’t sure I even liked it at all! The pink and green colours are what attracted me to the mystery photo in the first place but here I think they look a bit too bright and gaudy.

I didn’t want to waste my very first attempt (when the nails weren’t even and the flowers ended up looking stretched) so I cut it up to create some coasters with loose edges and I like these much more than the place mat for some reason:

I also had a go at a more subdued grey place mat:

But I still feel like it’s missing a certain something that I can’t quite put my mind on. What do you think?

Filed under: instructions, Not crochet, coaster, flower, hexagonal lap loom, instructions, loom, placemat, wool