Crochet

Spring Flowers (No Rain!)

This week I am switching up my crafting and presenting my latest crochet endeavor to you. I needed some decoration for my craft sale on May 5th and really didn’t have anything around that would do.

All of my booth and table decorations are geared toward Christmas as I normally only do sales at that season. Etsy, Made in Canada, is now promoting year round local sales with three, one each in spring, fall and winter. Robyn (aka DD1) made a string of crocheted Christmas lights last year that really looked great draped along the front of our table. She suggested doing something similar in a spring theme, so the idea of a flower garland was born.


I love to simply crochet, to heck with a pattern, when I am making three dimensional things. I have made many flower decorations for baby hats, so I am quite confident in basic flower design. If you are not comfortable winging it and want to create some loveliness for home, I highly recommend the Mypicot website. For a one time fee, you can download hundreds of stitch patterns including booklets of flower and leaf designs.


Back to my flowers, I made these in the evenings by trial and error, lots of error, and am really pleased with the final design. I crocheted a double yarn chain and joined all of the flowers, varying size and colour of both flowers and leaves.


I am very happy with the finished garland. It is more than I imagined; don’t you love it when that happens! I have a few extras that I am going to leave as individual with leaves attached for scattered adornment, maybe with wired stems.


I have been sweating over my knitting machine as well and have another almost sewn up yoked sweater done. I will post that photo next week after it is blocked.  Now I just need to settle on a hand knit project!  I have kind of hit a creative blank so having the garland turn out well is a big morale boost for me.

Happy crafting and may all of your yarn be untangled and all of your work come together beautifully!

Crochet, Knitting

Undone Dollies

Well, another week has zipped by and I seem to be amassing more UFO’s! I actually have a couple of topics this week, but I will start with the UFO problem that seems to be growing again.

I am setting up at an Etsy craft sale in early May (May 5th in Okotoks at the Elks Hall for any of you that live in the Calgary/Okotoks area) and, as I was reviewing my stock, realized that I am woefully short of babies. I always think that little knitted dolls won’t sell and they always are the first to go.

     

I like to knit or crochet while watching TV in the evenings so this was a project that fit the bill to a T. Look at what I have done! I have created a monster pile of dollies to finish and I can’t watch or read while I am doing it. Oh well, I had better dig in and start sewing. I have all the needed pieces made including the wigs (fuzzy stuff at the top of the photo) and found two elephants and a hippo with their dresses that I knit on vacation over a year ago and forgot about. I am on a roll, just don’t know where to!


I joined a machine knit KAL to make a rainbow yoke sweater last month and finally got around to making it last weekend. The pattern was great, thanks Claire Djuve, and I really like the finished sweater. It was my first go at a yoke and found it surprisingly easy even without the garter bar that I was too chicken to use. I will make the first row of the yoke in the body colour next time to minimize the jogs from the short rows.  The small size (4) was a good way to start as well. Fun stuff and I will be making more as this style seems to be a current fashion trend.


The next topic that I want to discuss is patterns. I have talked about this before and really am still stumped. Why do you download free patterns? Is it simply because they are free and you can’t resist free even if you will really never make them? Do you buy patterns that you never make? I am guilty of both of these. What makes a pattern more appealing than other, photos, recommendations, posting of finished projects?

These stats are from my Ravelry store:
Another Cake Shawl
Added May 26, 2017
8205 unique downloads       111 projects

If you have completed a pattern, free or paid, that you downloaded from Ravelry, please, please post your finished project. It means so much to designers to see that someone has liked their pattern enough to not only choose it but to actually make it.

Thank you, I will step down off of the soap box now.
Have a wonderful week and I hope that all of your yarn is untangled and every needle and hook is right at hand when you need them.

Crochet

Tiny Bag and Easter and (Hopefully) Spring

Even though it is still snowing and snowing and snowing here, Spring has to be on the way. It just has to be on the way. I love Canada and the prairies but really!

With Spring comes Easter and all of the bunny, chicken and egg stuff. When my kids were little, I always tried to make a little toy for them to play with to match the season. I remember crocheting eggs that tied closed and had a crocheted chick waiting inside. I crocheted little ducks and rabbits as well. It is always fun to make something for little kids, they are just so happy that you spent time to make something just for them. It is a privilege, really, to see a little person enjoying your handicraft.

This year, instead of a toy, why not make a little bag for your little kid. This tiny messenger bag can be dressed up girly or made in macho colours. You can hide a little surprise inside and see the delight when the little bag is opened.

The little bag is a free pattern in my Ravelry store, but I am reprinting it here for you to look at and, I hope, make for a little special someone.

Tiny Shoulder Bag

This little bag is the perfect size for a two to four year old. Make it bigger by increasing your starting chain and working more rows for the base. Be sure to increase the flap size by using the number of sc across one half of the bag minus 4.

Material: 50g worsted acrylic yarn (I used Bernat Super Saver), scraps of worsted weight for flowers.

Tools: 5mm crochet hook, tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge: 8sc = 5cm. Exact gauge is not important.

Bag Body: Begin at base of bag with ch13.

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each ch to 2nd last ch, 3 sc in last ch, sc in opposite side of each ch back to beginning, 2sc in beginning ch, sl st to join.

Row 2: (ch1, 2sc) in same st, sc in each sc to sc before 3sc in one on previous row. Work 2sc in 1st sc, sc in next sc, 2sc in 3rd sc, sc in each sc on opposite long edge to next increase group from the previous row, 2sc in sc, sc in sc, 2sc in sc, sl st to join.

Row 3: repeat row 2.

Row 4: ch1, sc in same st, 2sc in next sc twice, sc to last 5 sc, work 2sc in sc twice, sc in sc, 2sc in sc twice, sc to last two sc, 2sc in sc twice, sl st to join. 44 sc.

Row 5: ch1, sc in back loop of each sc around. This will make a ridge where the base and side of bag meet. Mark the end of the round with a removable stitch marker or safety pin.

Work sc in each sc around until a total of 17 rounds have been worked. I work in a spiral to eliminate the join line keeping track of the round end with a pin or marker.

On the 18th round, stop 2 sc before the marker, ch1 and turn to start the flap.

Flap:
Row 1 to 14: sc in sc below 18 times, ch1 and turn.

Row 15: skip 1st sc, sc in sc below 16 times, sl st into last sc, ch1 and turn.

Row 16: Repeat row 15 working sc 14 times.

Row 17: Repeat row 15 working sc 12 times. Fasten off.

Strap: Attach the yarn to the sc at the top of the bag closest to the flap, ch 60 and attach with a sl st to the opposite side of the bag top closest to the flap. Be careful not to twist the chain.

Row 1: sl st into next sc at bag edge from the flap and sc in each ch (60 sc), sl st into next sc at top of bag and then again into next sc, ch1 and turn.

Row 2: sc into each sc across, sl st into next sc on bag edge and then again into next sc, ch1 and turn.

Row 3: sc into each sc across, sl st into next sc on bag edge and fasten off.

Finishing: Work a row of sc around edge of bag flap. Work a row of crab st or backwards sc around edge of flap.

Work a row of crab st across the front of the bag.

Sew a Velcro closure or a snap on flap and bag front to close.

Work flowers and sew to bag flap.

Weave in ends and lightly steam so flap and strap lie flat.

Flowers:
Row 1: ch2, 9 sc in 1st ch, sl st to join.

Row 2: (ch2, dc, ch2, sl st) into 1st sc, skip next sc , repeat * to * around and fasten off.

Make 2 to 4 flowers in the same or contrasting colours.

Crochet, Knitting

New Pattern and Crocheted Edge for Last Week’s Freebie

During the madness of my life (good madness not bad) this week, I have managed two things, well actually almost three. I have that crocheted edging pattern ready for you down below in the post that goes with the knitted cardigan pattern that I published last week. I have finished, but not written up, the cardigan knitted edging, can you say girly ruffles, and am very happy with it. The test knit is a size four and I am working on a two now before the pattern is complete.

      

Most importantly of all, I have, tada, finished the crocheted wrap that I have been teasing you with.  A Wrap for Spring is a paid pattern and is available for you to download on Ravelry in my store. If you act now (do I sound like an infomercial yet?) you can use the coupon code 50OFF at checkout to buy the pattern for half price until March 7th. That is a cool $2.50, such a deal!

I am still offering half off on my Gradient Cable Poncho and Northern Rose Shawl patterns as well. These are $2.50 with the same coupon code at checkout.


Now that I have given you my sales pitch, here is the promised edging for those of you who crochet as well as knit.

Crocheted Edge for Size 5/6 Cardigan:
This edging is crocheted all in one piece around all of the edges of the knit cardigan. Ideally you will only have the beginning and ending ends to weave in, my kind of project! As you will be switching from in the round to back and forth while you work, I have not broken the instructions down into rounds and rows. I will name the edges that are being crocheted on instead.

Tools: 5mm, US H/8 crochet hook, tapestry needle for weaving in ends.
Materials: 100m or 110 yds worsted weight yarn in the same colour as knitted cardigan or a contrasting colour.
Abbreviations:         sc = single crochet           dc = double crochet
ch = chain                         sl st + slip stitch

With right side facing you, at the bottom left corner, join your yarn.

Bottom: Work 28 sc along the edge of the left front, 56 sc across the back, 28 sc across the right front. Work 1 sc in the same place as the last sc on the right front to make the corner.

Right Front: You will now make the buttonhole band. Work 36 sc evenly up the right front to the neck edge, ch 1 and turn. If you sc into the knots at the row ends rather than the bars, you should have 1 sc in each knot. This will also result in a firmer edge.

Working back down the right front into the sc edge that you just completed, 1sc, ch2, skip the next sc, 4sc in each of the next 4 sc, ch2, skip the next sc, 4sc in each of the next 4 sc, ch2, sc into each of the remaining 24 sc to the end, ch1 and turn. Here you have made three buttonholes.

Working back up to the neck edge, work 1sc into each sc and 1sc into each ch2 space of the prior row. Do not turn.
The front band is finished except for the scalloped edging which is done later.

Neck Edge: ch1 into the same place as your last sc of the front band, work 2sc evenly across the top of the band, work 14sc evenly across the right front neck, 18 sc across the back neck and 14sc across the left front neck, sc in corner to begin the left front band.

Left Front: Work 36sc evenly down the left front edge (right side facing), ch1 and turn.  Work 1sc in each sc below, ch1 and turn.  Work 1sc in each sc below. Do not turn. You will be at the bottom edge where you started and the left front band is complete except for the scallops which come later.

Bottom: 1sc in same place as last sc to make the corner. Work 2sc evenly across the bottom of the band, then 1sc in each sc across the bottom to the right front, ch3 and turn.
The ch3 that you ended the last row with will represent a dc and ch1. Skip the first sc, (dc, ch1) in every second sc seven times, (dc, ch1) in the next sc. This will make an increase to ease the finished edging around the curve of the bottom. Skip next sc, (dc, ch1) in every second sc to the next outside curve, make the increase by working in the next sc and continue on with skip next sc, (dc, ch1) in every second sc to the next outside curve. Complete the row increasing at each outside curve (a total of four times), dc in last sc, ch1 and turn.  Working back across the bottom, sc in each dc and ch1 space. Do not turn.

You will now work the finished scalloped edge all around from the right front, across the neck, down the left front and across the bottom.

Right Front Scallops: skip the first sc on the right front, (5sc in next sc, skip the next sc, sl st into the next sc, skip the next sc). Repeat the instructions in the brackets eight more times. Work 5sc into the next sc, skip the next sc and sl st into the last sc.

Neck Edge: Work 1sc into each sc of the neck edge. Work 2sc evenly into the side of the left band at the end, sl st into the corner sc.

Left Front Scallops: Skip the first sc, 5sc into the next sc, skip the next sc, sl st into the next sc to the bottom. The last sl st should be in the bottom corner.

Bottom Scallops: Skip the first 2 sc in the row below, [(dc, ch1) four times, dc in the next sc, skip the next 2 sc, sl st into the next sc, skip the next 2 sc], repeat the instructions in the square brackets across to the end. Work the last repeat without the last skip 2 sc, just sl st into the last stitch on the bottom. Fasten off.

Sleeve Edge: Join yarn at the underarm seam and work 35 sc evenly into the sleeve edge.
Following the instructions for the Bottom Scallops, make six scallops around the sleeve edge. Fasten off. Repeat for the second sleeve.

Weave in your ends and block. Sew buttons on the left band to match the buttonholes on the right band.

Crochet, Knitting, Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Great Banana Bread

Like a lot of people who love the needle arts, I also love to cook and bake. I posted this recipe a while ago but thought that this would be great with Christmas morning breakfast or as a quick thaw from the freezer change from the overload of cookies at this time of the year. Start the coffee pot or put on the kettle and enjoy this not too sweet treat with your favourite tea or coffee.
I hope that you like this recipe as much as I did and I promise that I will go back to knitting and crocheting for my next post.

Banana bread 1

Coconut Banana Bread: Makes two loaves,
Ingredients:

3 cups flour (I used all purpose but you could use half whole wheat)
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup shredded coconut
3 ripe bananas mashed
3 eggs
½ cup butter melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups buttermilk

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease and flour two standard loaf pans.
Mix flour, brown sugar, coconut, baking powder, and baking soda in a large missing bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat eggs lightly, stir in mashed bananas, butter, vanilla and buttermilk. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until mixed, do not beat. Spoon equal amounts into your prepared loaf pans.
Bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hours or until top is firm when touched. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack. Enjoy when cool enough to slice!!

DH and I are taking a break from winter and visiting New Zealand!  I will share some of our adventures and photos in my next post if I can.  In the meantime, visit my pattern store at ravelry.com for some great free patterns.  You still have time to whip up some handmade goodies for your great family and friends.