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Free Pattern – Contoured Eye Mask
The Spa Basket Crochet Along is in full swing, and this is the 5th pattern! Visit the Spa Basket CAL main page for more details, and be sure to join in the fun on Facebook and Ravelry! (Note: You need to join or be a member of the Crochet Playground group on Facebook in order to get to the Facebook event). This week’s featured sponsor is Red Turtle and the Plant Spirits. This wonderful Etsy store carries all sorts of things you may want to add to your basket! They have balms and salves, herbal sleep pillows, and a wide variety of herbal tinctures for every occasion. One lucky winner…
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Scrappy Stitchers Link Party #23
Halloween is just around the corner. Have you been working on anything spooky, cute, or just fun? Show us in this month’s link party! Congrats to A Country Yarn for the most clicked link in September – her Boho Duster. I love the detail on the back, but I think my favorite parts are those huge bell sleeves, and the way it ruffles on the bottom. It fits her perfectly too! Now it’s your turn Remember, any fiber related project you’ve made is fine – it does not have to be your own design and you don’t have to have a blog. You can link up your Ravelry project pages or Instagram photos too,…
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Free Pattern – Darkness
Sometimes you just want to wrap yourself up in darkness. Unfortunately, black or dark colored yarns can be difficult to work with, because it’s hard to see the stitches. The softer and fuzzier the black yarn is, the harder it is to see. Well now you can get your softest, snuggliest, blackest yarns out, because this hooded scarf pattern was designed just for them! Why does this pattern work well for black yarn? First, the construction is different from most hooded scarves. With this design, there’s no need to work into the edge of the scarf to create the hood. Second, except for the foundation row and the edge stitches, you’ll…
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Edging – Jacob’s Ladder
I’m mildly obsessed with Jacob’s ladders. Ever since I did the Jake’s Blankie Crochet-Along last year, I’ve been hooked. I used Jacob’s ladders in my Jacob & Julia bracelet, in my Accidental Beanie, and in my Criss Cross Applesauce square. I love the chunky, braided look, and the versatility of this stitch. A bold, Jacob’s Ladder edging just seemed like the perfect way to wrap up our 6 week discussion on crochet edgings. Basic Jacob’s Ladders: The idea of a Jacob’s ladder is to make a series of loops, and then chain those loops together. The loops can be made with chains, or with very tall stitches. If you’re working…
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Edging – Shells and picots
Shells or fans are very popular for a decorative edging. If you get them spaced properly, they will lie flat and create a nice scalloped edge. Picots work well with shells too, and can add a little extra elegance and interest.
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Edging – Ruffles
This week, let’s get frilly! Ruffles are a fun and versatile way to edge your projects. Almost any stitch pattern can become a ruffle. The key is to work extra stitches into every stitch. Simple DC Ruffles If you’ve seen my Anemone blanket, you’ve seen a basic double crochet ruffle. To make this edge, I just worked 2 dc in each stitch. This ruffle isn’t particularly full – since this is a baby blanket, I wanted something that wouldn’t catch on little crawling fingers and toes. You can make a ruffle as flat or as full as you want to, by adding more or fewer stitches. Here is a comparison…
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Scrappy Stitchers Link Party #22
With the kids back in school, it’s time for all things fall! I’m hoping to see lots of pumpkins and leaves and other autumn items this month, along with anything else you’ve been working on. Congrats to My Places for the most clicked link in August – she had the most clicked link last month too! This month, it’s her Colors and Laces embroidered and crocheted bookmark. Such a pretty design. The embroidery is not a technique I am familiar with, but looks very delicate and precise. Now it’s your turn Remember, any fiber related project you’ve made is fine – it does not have to be your own design and…
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Round Up – What to Make with Caron Cakes
This post contains affiliate links (click here for more info). By now you’ve probably seen the new Cakes yarn from Caron. You can’t turn on facebook without seeing pictures of projects made with it, and you may have noticed some have worked out better than others. Caron Cakes is a self striping yarn with extremely long color sections, but the colors change very abruptly. Some designs work very well with this, and others look disjointed or choppy. So you want to give it a try yourself…but what should you make? The key is to find patterns that work well with large sections of color, but also have features that hide/mask…
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Edging – Crab Stitch & Twisted SC
Crab stitch was one of the first decorative, single row edgings I learned. It creates a rope like edge by working backwards (from left to right). I recently learned a stitch called the twisted single crochet, which creates a very similar edge, but working forwards. Crab Stitch (Reverse Single Crochet) The instructions are simple – single crochet in each stitch, working from left to right. Actually doing it can be a bit awkward. For the first stitch, just make a single crochet as you normally would. Now without changing anything, insert your hook into the next stitch to the right (instead of to the left). The loop on your hook will naturally…
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Spa Basket Crochet Along
Welcome to the Spa Basket Crochet Along! This event will run from 8/30/16 through 12/7/16, and features 12 patterns from 12 amazing designers. The patterns will combine to make a lovely spa basket, perfect for gifting.
