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My Mandala for Marinke
If you’re not familiar with the #MandalasforMarinke and #MandalasforWink projects, you can read more about them here. For my mandala, I chose her Crochet Mandala For Your Home pattern. Her main pattern picture, which is done in grey, yellow, and white, looks so sunny and bright that I had to pick that one. Here’s my version. I used some yarns from my stash, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. The pattern has a lot of little details and was fun to make…even if it was a little sad at the same time. I will be sending it off soon for the #MandalasforMarinke project, and I hope it ends up…
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Free Pattern – Last Minute 4th of July Headband
Do you need a last minute accessory for tonight’s festivities? There’s still time! I waited until the last minute too, and this headband is what I came up with. This design combines 2 of my previous patterns with a simple red chain. It only uses basic stitches, but combines knitting and crochet. This is a great project for a beginning knitter with a little bit of crochet experience. This pattern is protected by copyright. Please do not distribute or share this pattern in any way other than by sharing a link to this page or to the pattern page on Ravelry. Click here for copyright information. This pattern contains…
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Tutorial – Basic Filet Crochet
Filet crochet can look intimidating, but it’s really an easy technique and can be used to make just about any design! You can make something simple, like this Heart Filet Block by I’m Hooked, or something more complex, like this Four Rose Doily by Elizabeth Ann White. There are even filet versions of the Last Supper and the signing of the Declaration of Independence! Below is a filet crochet chart for a small motif. I’ve also included a traditional crochet chart version of the exact same design. See how clear and easy the filet chart looks in comparison? For this tutorial, we’re going to ignore the traditional chart and focus on how to read the filet chart. Each…
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Remembering Wink
As you probably already know, the crochet world lost one of its rising stars this past weekend when Marinke (Wink) of A Creative Being lost her battle with depression. The overwhelming response is shock and sadness, but also love and support for her family and a need to DO something…to somehow make some small positive come out of all of this. I didn’t get the chance to know her personally. She was one of several people who shared their stories in a book called “Crochet Saved My Life.” Though not quite the same, I’ve had my own struggles with depression, and went through many (too many) dark, hopeless years before I found the help I needed.…
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Loving lover’s knots!
Have you heard of lover’s knots or Solomon’s knots in crochet? I’ve been coming across them a lot recently, and decided to try them out. I’m officially in love. Basically, this stitch is made with very long chains and single crochets. You can adjust the size of the chains to get the look you want, though the key is consistency within a project. This great video tutorial got me started, and then I picked up some stash yarn and started playing. Here’s how far I got last night: I love how quickly it works up – the stitches are so big and open. Once you get the hang of it, you…
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Product Review – Susan Bates Digital Row Counter
As you may remember, I recently received a package of free items to review, from Red Heart. Included in the package was a Susan Bates digital row counter. This is a brand new product for 2015 (UPDATE: it’s now available on Red Heart’s site and I have updated the links in this post!). I’m not typically a big fan of row counters, but this one looked intriguing and I wanted to give it a try. I was at my LYS yesterday evening, knitting on my current pair of socks, and it seemed like a good opportunity. In the past, I’ve used the type of manual row counters where you turn the dials on…
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Free Pattern – Criss cross apple sauce
The back and forth, crossed post stitches (cables) at the center of this square form a lattice like texture. There is a Jacob’s ladder / braid stitch in each corner, tucked under smaller chain spaces for a more criss-crossed look. The back of the square has a completely different, but also interesting texture, which looks a bit like layered shell stitches. The pattern is written with color changes, but works equally well in one color. This is a more advanced pattern that uses a lot of different stitch techniques, but with the recommended tutorials by Moogly, they shouldn’t be too hard to learn. It could be a great learning tool for a more adventurous beginner or intermediate crocheter.…
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A package from Red Heart!
Look at the free goodies the postman brought me the other day, from the lovely people at Red Heart! There’s a skein of Boutique Twilight in the “Romantic” colorway, and a coordinating skein of Boutique Infinity in the “Enchanted” colorway. Hmm…an enchanted romance indeed! They’re both generous skeins in gorgeous shades of purple, and both with a subtle sparkle. They’re surprisingly soft and silky to work with too. I can’t wait to make something with them. I have a couple ideas in mind but we’ll have to see how they turn out! Also in the box was a Susan Bates digital row counter (also in purple, of course). It wraps around…
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Meeting Moogly
Last weekend, Tamara Kelly from Moogly taught a workshop for our local CGOA chapter. That’s right, I finally got to meet her, and it was awesome! I know I often joke about Tamara being my hero, but the truth is I’ve really admired and respected her for a long time now.
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Free Pattern – Dreaming of Pinwheels
This whimsical blanket combines my Windy Square and Pinwheel Square patterns. It uses a couple of different joining techniques and a simple striped border. It is made with Anne Geddes Baby yarn by Red Heart, and it has come out really soft and squishy. I had to resist the urge to cuddle up in it myself! At the end of the pattern, I have included a couple of suggestions for alternate color combinations. I have quite a bit of extra yarn left over, so I plan to make another coordinating item – maybe a sweater. I don’t have anything in mind yet so it may be some time before I have…
