Saturday, 7 May 2016

Turning your crochet granny squares into wall art

Have you ever wanted to display your crochet or other fabric craft work?

This tutorial will show you how to fix your work into a deep frame so that it does not get squashed but is held in place for all to see:- Creating crochet wall art tutorial: https://youtu.be/-Qinm8Kwhw4

The picture is made using just 4 granny squares held together with flat chain stitch.

If you don't know how to make the granny squares with the daisy centre I have a full tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rT2NU0Eb2E and also a tutorial of how to join them with the flat chain stitch crochet technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1qKDJwCxmo


I think they would make lovely gifts and you could even personalise them with a favourite colour or flower centre.

You don't have to do 4, I'm sure one would be equally effective or do lots of very small ones in a fine thread, the possibilities are endless!

Happy crocheting!




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Thursday, 28 April 2016

Bride and Groom Love Birds Amigurumi

This is the second pair of little amigurumi love birds I've made, again as a little gift for a friends wedding.

I changed the pattern slightly as I decided to crochet the wings rather than use felt, I just made 4 crochet wing shapes and sewed them on each side and I also added a decorative heart at the top, joining the two birds together.

I used Drops Cotton Light in white for the birds, it is a DK yarn which I always buy from the Wool Warehouse.

The flowers, heart and top hat were just oddments of yarn that I had in my stash, a little bit of netting finished off the bride's veil and I added two felt beaks, but you could embroider or crochet them.



The pattern is free on Ravelry, big thank you to magg314 for sharing it for free: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bride-and-groom-lovebirds

The pattern for the tiny heart is from Attic24 "Teeny Tiny Heart", thank you to Lucy for that, again a free pattern: http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/teeny-tiny-hearts.html 

It was really easy to do and the instructions are clear. This is the first one I made a few years ago:




Happy crocheting!



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Saturday, 23 April 2016

Tutorial - Adding beads to a crochet edge

Having finished my butterfly shawl (See my blog post for details of the pattern etc. http://www.pookiedoodlecrafts.co.uk/2016/04/butterfly-stitch-crochet-shawl.html)

I decided to add some beads to the final edging, both to give a bit of weight when wearing it and also to give it a nice decorative finish.
Adding beads is very easy, although to begin with it can be a bit fiddly to get hold of the beads and crochet at the same time, but it is well worth persevering and having a go.

I've made a video tutorial to show you how it is done if you want to have a go :)




Happy crocheting!


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Butterfly Stitch Crochet Shawl

I've now finished the Butterfly Stitch Shawl, it was a lovely pattern to do and thank you Sharon and Debi for sharing it for free.

The design is by njSharon and DebiAdams and can be found as a free download on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/butterfly-stitch-prayer-shawl

It is worth noting that the pattern uses US crochet terms, so you will have to remember to convert them to UK terms if you prefer to work with them.

I used 100% mercerised crochet cotton from 'Boyes' the high street store, I used 2x65g balls in Ecru.

The pattern is really easy once you get into the rhythm of doing it and it grows really fast, I actually started it in December 2015 and finished in April 2016 but was working on it in between doing other things too, it is nice and relaxing to work on while watching TV.

Because it is worked from the back point you can make it as big or small as you want, so once you are happy with the size you simply stop crocheting!

Each of the pattern repeats creates an offset butterfly design.





When I had finished it I added a beaded edge to give it a bit of weight.If you would like to know how to add beads to edgings, see my video here:
https://youtu.be/wBb92wE0wgc


Happy crocheting!


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Saturday, 16 April 2016

Teeny Tiny Crochet Kitten

As soon as I saw this pattern I knew I had to have a go!

I didn't have a crochet hook as small as the pattern suggested and I think my crochet cotton was a bit thicker than it should have been so it came out a bit larger than the photo on the pattern. But I'm happy with it, I think it is the smallest thing I've crocheted ...... so far :)

It was an easy pattern to follow and I made it in one evening.

Big thank you to Julie for giving the pattern away for free, you can find it here:

http://www.armigurumi.com/wordpress/language/en/teeny-tiny-kitty-cat-free-pattern/







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Fusion Crochet Cushion Cover

Some might wonder what Fusion Crochet is, if you haven't heard of it it is a technique using fabric and crochet and they are worked together to create various items.

You can make blankets and throws, or table mats and coasters, scented bags for your wardrobe - the possibilities are endless.

I made this cushion cover using a remnant of material and 4 ply Drops Cotton 'Safran' yarn but you can use any yarn you wish.

I haven't got a written pattern but have done a video tutorial which takes you through the stages to make the cushion cover, or you can just watch the general technique and then make whatever you want. Click here to watch the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz39TEqpS_A
 

I hope you have a go and enjoy trying something new or something different. 


Happy crocheting!




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Saturday, 2 April 2016

Stand and Work Yarn Holder Bag - Crochet Tutorial

Are you like me and sometimes find it hard to find a clean place for your yarn? I often crochet and knit out doors but the ground can be too dirty for my project bag and I find that my yarn will often fall off my lap and onto the ground, getting dirty. This bag was my solution to the problem and I hope it helps you too.

The bag simply loops over your arm to hold your yarn as you work - I find most bags have the handle the wrong way for this and they won't sit comfortably on your side, hence this design.

Ideal if you often stand at craft fairs and work too, or like I say if you don't have a clean place for your yarn, maybe on a train, bus or outdoors in a chair.



Although it isn't intended as a work/project bag, it would hold small items such as Amigurumi, socks, parts of projects etc. However if you did want a bigger bag there are details in the pattern where to add more rows to make it larger.


There is a full written FREE pattern here both with photos and without:

Pattern including photos: https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B3r0r1j1kA2ZeFZ4THoyYkpmNTg

or if you would like to save on ink and don't need the photos, this link will give you a pdf without photos: https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B3r0r1j1kA2Zd2NWTENpZGxFb3M

There is also a full video tutorial here:
https://youtu.be/tq3gqOE_Dnw

I used James Brett Marble http://bit.ly/1V0f4Mb for the grey bag and Drops Cotton Safran 4 ply for the purple one. http://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/drops-safran-light-purple-53-50g

Happy crocheting and let me know if you make it and how you get on - always happy to help if you have problems or if you find any errors let me know.



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