Treat yourself and head on over to Ravelry and enjoy 30% off all patterns till the 14th May 2019 NO CODE NEEDED
Tag: fsc
Hearts
Hearts seriously who doesn’t love them?
I have just released the Heart blanket that can be made from crib size up to a king you can find the pattern on Ravelry or Etsy
I started to design this Heart Triangle Shawl / Scarf back in Feb 2017 and of course i could not just stop with the Shawl, (keep reading there’s more) you can make this as a big wrap shawl or a small bandana style bib
What i used:
Yarn: DK, 8 ply
Hook size: H (5 mm)
Or any weight yarn and the appropriate hook works well for this project.
US Stitches/Terminology Used
Ch = Chain
Sc = Single crochet
MR = Magic ring
Dc = Double Crochet
Sp = Space
Sk = Skip a stitch
Rep = Repeat
sts / st = Stitch /es
dc3tog = 3 double crochet together
dc5tog = 5 double crochet together
Skill level: Easy – Intermediate
I had to also make a Poncho because little girls in hearts ❤ available in Size child 1 all the way up to a woman’s 22
You can even add a hood like the very cleaver #Fullhandsfullheart did
This gorgeous pink one below was made to fit a size 22 adult
A vest, It is written for a 1-2 year old with “Hints” for bigger sizes
You can add arms to make it a cardigan (not included in the pattern)
a long scarf
and a Market bag
I have this continuous granny heart pattern with my testers It should be available to purchase in a week’s time
If you can not wait I have this 8X8 inch square that would make a cute cot size blanket Oh the possibilities are endless
Special stitches and techniques I think every crocheter should know!
Special stitches that you should learn! seriously they will improve your crochet.
Most of my patterns have one of these stitches what am I talking about? The foundation single and double crochet of course.
Why will the improve your crochet? well let me tell you
#1 No more starting chains!! How annoying are they! not to mention they don’t actually look that flash
#2 They look great
#3 They have more stretch
#4 Did I mention NO MORE STARTING CHAINS!!!
How to do a foundation single crochet
Step 1: Ch 2
Step 2: Insert your hook into the first chain stitch.
Step 3: Yarn over and pull through one loop (chain made)
Step 4: Yarn over and pull through one loop again
Yarn over and pull through both loops to make a single crochet
How to do a Foundation double crochet stitch:
Step 1: Ch 3
Step 2: Yarn over, insert hook into the first chain, Yarn over, pull through loop. (chain made)
Step 3: Yarn over, and work as a double crochet (dc).
Step 4: Yarn over, insert hook into top two sts at the base of the just completed dc.
Step 5: Yarn over, pull through one loop (chain made) Yarn over, work as a double crochet.
Repeat step 4- 5 until you have the stitches you need.
And another is the Long Tail Chain Cord
How many times have you had to make a chain cord? they really do not look great, sure you can SC in each stitch but seriously why?. Or maybe you have tried the icord wow how fiddly is that!
Let me introduce you to the long tail chain cord
With a H/8-5mm hook 2 meters of DK yarn will make a 1 meter long cord
Let me show you using two different coloured yarns my tail is the pink and my working yarn in purple
Make a slip knot
Step 1: Wrap tail yarn (pink) around hook from front to back, two loops on hook (i know i have 3 but i am using two strands so you can easily see what i am doing)
Step 2: With working yarn (purple) yarn over and pull through both loops, you should have one loop on hook
And repeat
and voila we have a nice easy cord
Repeat until you get the desired length,
Blocking your crochet
Blocking is an important step toward making your crocheted pieces look more professional.
It’s a way of finishing your projects using moisture and or heat depending on the yarn. Proper blocking of a crocheted garment or accessory can go a long way toward making it look and fit better, and it can help pull it back into shape,
Blocking helps to set the stitches and can even enhance the drape of the fabric.There are different methods for blocking crocheted pieces, Choosing the correct blocking method depends on what the item is and what type of yarn or thread is being used. Also, certain Yarn’s might not be suitable for blocking.
I make at least one Christmas ornament every year and every year I get less and less left over when I am packing up!! They seem to like walking out the door with my visitors, without blocking they would not hang right.
I will do another blog post on how I stiffen them
Getting Started
You’ll need a blocking board or foam mats, rustproof pins, a steamer or steam iron, a spray bottle, and your yarn or thread labels. A blocking “board” needs to be a flat surface that’s large enough to hold the piece or pieces you want to block.
Choose Your Method
Blocking methods may be described as wet, dry or cold. The actual method you choose will vary depending on your yarn. Always consult the yarn label.
Most natural Yarns such as wool, cotton, linen and mohair may be either wet or dry blocked.
Some synthetic Yarns like most acrylic yarns can only be wet blocked, never use hot steam.
Novelty and metallic Yarns may need special care and may not be suitable for blocking.
Wet blocking is suitable for those Yarns which can be washed. Thoroughly wet it and gently squeeze out excess water. Do not wring or twist! lay the piece out flat, and gently pat and shape, Pin the piece securely in place using rust-proof pins Leave the piece undisturbed until it is completely dry.
Dry blocking is suitable for Yarns which can tolerate moisture and heat (steam). Pin the piece into the desired shape and size on the blocking board. Pins should be close together and evenly spaced so as not to distort the fabric. Blocking wires also work well.
Cold blocking can be used for Yarns which can tolerate moisture but not heat. Pin the piece into shape on the blocking board as you did for dry blocking. Mist with a spray bottle of clean water until the piece is completely wet.
12 Crafts in 12 Months a journey of discovery
In 2017 my friend Tash (and probably my most loyal supporter) and I decided we need to get together and try new crafts (you should see our pinterest boards) as opposed to only getting together to drink Vodka! which always turns into a sleep over as we live 40 mins away from each other.
We both love the idea of crafting but never get the time, Me a Mother of 3 boys under 8, and Tash who works full time has 3 cats and has a hubby that actually likes to spend time with her!
So 2018 was going to be the year whoo hoo
Well it did not start great at all. January was a bust and never happened. With the Christmas rush of visitors and family moving closer yay, It’s so nice to be able to see my Nephew his wife (Hana) and their baby my great niece more often!!
And to be able to add another Girl to our craft days
So we book in for Feb 10 just us 3 girls NO Children or Men!!
So now the decision of what to make? where should we meet? What food drinks etc?
Well the food was easy another friend had made a cob loaf dip so I messaged Sanne “Hey how do you make that dip thingy you made at that BBQ,” and as soon as i hit send I thought how have i not thought to invite her to our craft days she loves DIY and has a candle business, and then we were 4
And another craft we could all learn candle making.
What did we make? Macrame plant holders
from left to right Tash, my great niece, Me, Sanne and Hana
We did managed to make a Macrame plant hanger each it was harder than we all thought it would be. But that may have been the wine……
This weekend we are going to be making Nail Art you know hammer, nails, wood and yarn we will see how it goes …….. stay tuned
Craft #2 Nail Art!
What a success! we all accomplished out nail art pieces NOT! haha well nearly, It took a few glasses of wine to get motivated
but with hammers in hand we did finally got started 2 1/2 hours after we arrived, tummy’s full and all caught up on the everyday stuff that had happened in between seeing each other last
Hard at it trying to get the stubborn nails in
On to the yarn wrapping
Tash’s cacti
Sanne’s nearly finished Lenyx
Hana’s & for her bedroom wall and below my heart for my Great niece
April 14 we made be making dream catchers!
Craft #3 Dream catchers!
Knowing that we would be making dream catcher I got in the grove by designing 3 new mandala patterns
This is # 1 https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hanging-mandala
#2 Diamond hanging mandala is doing well on Ravelry and was in the top 50 “hot right now Patterns” and can be found here https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/diamond-mandala-dream-catcher
#3 and finally Cockle shells mandala
These are all made to hang using a hula hoop and are a huge 78cm round!!
We all made something to eat Sanne made a delish salad with sweet potato, chick peas and quinoa, Hana made club sandwiches some scrummy garlic cream cheese and salami bites, Tash made an apple slice and I made ginger slice after we had had our full, we got on to the serious business of learning a new craft
Hana had me make her a centre for her Dream catcher and it turned out great it is now hanging proudly on her Bedroom wall.
Sanne managed to complete hers on the night and as you can tell she was super stoked to beat us all haha
Unfortunately Tash did not finish hers and I am still waiting for a pic ……………
May 27th we will be making Jam!!
Jam
Well May has come and gone that was quick!
Jam was a lot easier than we all thought
Rhubarb and apple
Ingredients
10 stalks of rhubarb, which was about 5 cups of chopped rhubarb
3 apples, unpeeled and diced – which was about 3 cups diced
1 cup of water
2 cups of sugar
Put it all in a large pot and simmer for fruit is soft
Whilst it is simmering wash jars and boil them to sterilize
The second one was Blackberry
This was probably the easiest as we just used frozen berries
Ingrediant
2 cups of frozen berries
2 cups of suger
1 cup of water
1 packet of jamsetta
Put all ingredients in a pot and simmer for around 15-20 mins mash the fruit and transfer to sterilised jars, Turning the jars upside down helps to seal them!
June we will be doing wood etching!!
In June we failed to meet so never got a chance to do wood etching
July we did Photo onto wood transfers
This was a fun experiment none of us had done this before so it was a learning curve
Supplies needed to transfer a photo to wood:
Unfinished Wood Painting Panel the smoother the better(so we found out)
Photocopied Image on Regular Copy Paper (you must use a photocopy of your image or it will most likely not turn out correctly)
Mod Podge
Sandpaper
Clear Glaze Spray
*If you want the wood grain to show through, use regular Mod Podge Matte. If you want a white background with no wood grain showing through, use Mod Podge Photo Transfer Medium.
Step 1: Apply a generous amount of the transfer solution to the image. You’ll need a thick layer.
Step 2: Press the image, photo side down, onto the wood panel. Rub firmly to smooth out the image and remove air bubbles. Let it dry completely. Ours took 12 hours
Step 3: Use a damp cloth or sponge to wet one section of the paper at a time. Begin rubbing gently to remove the paper and expose the transferred image below. I like to remove the top layer first, let it dry slightly, and then repeat the process as needed to remove the “fuzzies” that were left behind.
Step 4: Once you are satisfied with the image, sand the edges lightly. Seal the photo to wood transfer with a finishing spray.
August was Canvas painting
We thoroughly enjoyed this more than we thought although one of us did go to art school, we would and I will definitely be doing more of it
