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Archive: Crochet
November 16, 2009
Crocheted Laptop Sleeve
Yoonie-at-home shows you how to make a crocheted laptop sleeve complete with felt flower and button embellishment.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Nov 16, 2009 03:00 PM
Crochet, Tech Accessories |
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How-To: Bird Feeder Bowl With Crochet Collar
I'm loving this bird feeder from Regina at Creative Kismet. She took a thrifted bowl and added a crochet collar of twine and a chained hanging line to create the beautiful feeder.
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Nov 16, 2009 06:00 AM
Crochet |
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November 13, 2009
Intern's Corner: Crochet-Along Panda Party
Every other week, CRAFT's awesome interns tell about the projects they're building in the Craft: Labs, the trouble they've gotten into, and what they'll make next.
By Lindsey North, projects intern
In September we launched a new feature: the CRAFT Crochet-Along brought to you by Lion Brand Yarn. Readers followed along online, live with Tamie Snow from Roxycraft, to crochet a cool Fuzzy Panda Amigurumi in three lessons, then entered their finished pandas in the CRAFT Crochet-Along Flickr Group for a crafty prize giveaway. Tamie's the author of Tiny Yarn Animals, she's extremely talented, and she created this fun pattern just for us CRAFT readers. Pretty sweet!
Download the Fuzzy Panda Amigurumi pattern in PDF format
It's a wonderful project for someone who's always working on the same types of knit and crochet projects. If you feel like you're endlessly making hat after scarf after afghan after hat, you should really try it. If you already crochet, it's a walk in the park, a lovely sunny day when the leaves are starting to turn and fall from the trees. And if you're new to crochet, the stitches are easy to learn, and as long as you use your stitch markers you can be confident your panda will turn out just like it's supposed to. Tamie gives row-by-row instructions the whole way.
So after I completed my little top-heavy, adorably fuzzy panda, I decided to challenge myself by trying to change the scale and making a panda party. At the moment, I'm playing around with both scale and color -- here's my original Pinkie and a larger-scale Rusty -- and I encourage everyone to do the same. Have fun with this cute little ball of fluff, make it your own.
Enjoy the other Crochet-Alongs in the future. It's a great way to make the most of the free time you may have in this busy season to do something creative and fun!
Your CRAFT intern,
Lindsey
- Related: CRAFT Crochet-Along home page
Posted by Keith Hammond |
Nov 13, 2009 10:03 AM
CRAFT Projects, Crochet, Crochet-Along, Intern's Corner |
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Three Scoops, Please!
This three-scoop ice cream cone was crocheted in the late 70s by Pepperknit's mom. [Via Inspire me, now!]
Posted by Becky Stern |
Nov 13, 2009 07:15 AM
Amigurumi, Crochet, Vintage |
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November 9, 2009
Mystery Christmas Crochet Project From Sarah London
Sarah London has just announced her mystery Christmas crochet project, which runs through the end of November. I'm in love with the idea of jumping in to a project without knowing what the end result will be!
As I said, it is our Mystery Project for November, so no reveals til the end, plunge in if you have faith, plunge in if you love to crochet and plunge in if you're looking to decorate with crochet this Holiday Season!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Nov 9, 2009 10:00 AM
Crochet, Holiday projects |
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November 5, 2009
Paper Cutout Winners and a Crochet Pattern by Maria Merlino
I love the enthusiasm for paper crafting shared in the comments for this giveaway! Reading each message has really been fun, and I think that everyone who goes through even just a handful of them will find the inspiration contagious. There can only be 10 winners (congratulations paperazza10, Hilde, Bethany, Sam, danierenae, Kristen, MafiosaGrrl, Pooja, Marlene Brady, and Eva) to recieve the paper prizes, but, due to the generosity of an amazing craftzine reader, I have a treat for everyone!
Maria Merlino, of Crochet Living, has transformed the peacock papercut into a fillet crochet pattern! Her work in crochet is creative and skillful, and she just happens to also be a member of the Guild of American Papercutters. Maria's pattern is the perfect intersection of two distinct craft medias, and I love that she created the crossover. And I love even more that she has offered to share it with all of our readers! A PDF download of the pattern, with two graphs and detailed instructions, is available for everyone, with only the condition that it be used for personal, not commercial purposes. For more of Maria's amazing crochet patterns, please visit her etsy and her blog. Cheers, and happy paper crafting!
Posted by Brookelynn |
Nov 5, 2009 02:00 PM
Crochet, Paper Crafts |
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October 30, 2009
Intern's Corner: Cover It with Crochet, Escama-style
Every other week, CRAFT's awesome interns tell about the projects they're building in the Craft: Labs, the trouble they've gotten into, and what they'll make next.
By Meara O'Reilly, projects intern
Ever since I found out about Brazilian craft cooperative Escama (featured in CRAFT Volume 03, "Pull-Tab Crochet") and saw some of their work at Maker Faire a couple of years ago, I've been on a thread-crocheting kick. I just love the way that the process involves a sort of functional, enterprising spirit (what can I cobble together and how do I invent the stitches to do it?) as well as a really interesting aesthetic.
Once I learned the basic stitches and figured out how to wrap them around just about any object, I was off!
Apart from making this pull-tab wallet for the CRAFT Archive and a few demonstration flowers from the article, I started covering everything I could think of: hoop earings, bracelets, and yup, recycled bra under-wire!
I'm still trying to figure out the best way to secure the ends of my crochet (I've so far used beads and glue on the end of each wire to keep the stitches on) but I love the structure of these bra-wire necklaces and I think somebody could make something really beautiful with the idea -- baby mobiles or lampshades, anyone?
Posted by Keith Hammond |
Oct 30, 2009 10:03 AM
Crochet, Fashion, Intern's Corner, Jewelry |
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October 23, 2009
Threadbanger's Roundup of Knit and Crochet Halloween Costumes
If you have nimble fingers, you should be able to whip up one of these knit or crochet masks in time for Halloween. Lee Meredith at Threadbanger has gathered up the coolest and weirdest knit and crochet costumes for the season.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Oct 23, 2009 07:00 AM
Crochet, Halloween, Knitting |
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Scrabble Afghan
Craftster user, azabuey, crocheted this fabulous Scrabble afghan as a wedding gift for her Scrabble-addicted friends. That is my kind of wedding gift!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Oct 23, 2009 06:00 AM
Crochet |
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October 17, 2009
Free Halloween Amigurumi Patterns From Lion Brand Yarn
These wee Halloween amigurumi patterns from Lion Brand Yarn would make for fun decor projects or teacher gifts. They've offered up a happy pumpkin, a ghost and (not pictured) candy corn!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Oct 17, 2009 03:00 PM
Amigurumi, Crochet |
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October 11, 2009
Crochet Version of Easy House Slippers Pattern
Thank you Mommy Knows for coming up with a crochet version of our easy house slipper pattern. The knitting pattern by Liecel Tverli Scully was featured last month in our Cozy Up to Yarn theme.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Oct 11, 2009 07:00 AM
Crochet |
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October 6, 2009
Cthulhu Baby Blanket
This awesome cthulhu baby blanket was lovingly crocheted by Craftster user Fickle Pegasus. The velcro tentacles can hold onto toys so they don't roll away. [via Neatorama]
Posted by Becky Stern |
Oct 6, 2009 07:00 AM
Babies, Crochet |
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October 2, 2009
Crochet Jägermeister
Kristin Rask, who runs the Plush You! show recently did an interview with Yummy Pancake, who made (among other things) this crochet Jägermeister bottle. Happy Friday!
Posted by Becky Stern |
Oct 2, 2009 09:07 AM
Amigurumi, Crochet |
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September 30, 2009
Sarah London's Wool Eater Blanket
This Wool Eater blanket looks so very complicated, but Sarah London's instructions make it seem easy. The colors are quite inspiring, and the texture is to die for!
Posted by Brookelynn |
Sep 30, 2009 03:30 PM
Cozy Up to Yarn, Crochet, Yarn |
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September 29, 2009
Crochet-Along: Show and Tell + Giveaway Results!
It's been such a fun experience doing this Crochet-Along with you all! We've had some great participants who have made some incredible dolls.
If you want to start now check out the lessons here.
Giveaway Results!
The Winner of 1 signed copy of Tiny Yarn Animals by Tamie Snow:
Flickr user : SugarCoatedCreations
The Winner of 1 signed copy of Feltique by Brookelynn Morris and Nikola Davidson:
Flickr user: crissybell
The Winner of 2 skeins of Lion Brand Alpine Wool Yarn:
Flickr user: sumrsprite
The Winner of 1 copy of Lion Brand Yarn Vintage Styles for Today:
Flickr user: loves2design
The Winner of 1 CRAFT T-Shirt:
Flickr user: Ernessa_Theodora
Check out the rest of the amazing entries and post your own picture at the Crochet-Along Flickr Group Pool.
It has been a huge pleasure to this with you I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
For more wicked amigurumi patterns check out my website Roxycraft and take advantage of my 50% off sale running until Sept 30th!
Enter Code "CAL2009" to get your discount.
Posted by Tamie Snow |
Sep 29, 2009 11:00 AM
Amigurumi, Cozy Up to Yarn, Crochet, Crochet-Along |
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Picking the Right Hook and Needles
One of the things that many experienced yarnies take for granted is how to know what hook or needles to use for the yarn you have. This is especially important if you are making up your own project as you go along or if you are altering a pattern you already have. Being able to take a pattern and look at your stash, grab the right yarn, and then grab the right hook or needles is so handy to getting your yarn leftover pattern off to the right start.
First, take a good look at the ball band. It has a ton of great information to get you started in the right direction. You can see what all the symbols mean by going to Skein Lane Studio and Yarn Standards.
Look at the yarn's weight (lace, fingering, sport, dk, worsted, aran, bulky, chunky - each yarn brand is different though) and the suggested hook and needle size. You can see general yarn standards for weights and suggested hook and needle sizes on Yarn Standards as well as suggested gauge.
Now here is the tricky thing - we all knit and crochet differently and with different tensions (how tight our stitches are) so for me I like to knit worsted yarns with size 6 needles tops. And I often crochet it with a size D hook. And it also depends on the type of fabric we want to create. Do we want a tight thick fabric or an open fabric? Not to mention all yarns are not created equal so some yarns are spun tight and others loose. You have 1 ply, 2 ply, 3 ply, etc ply yarns all wound up different ways. And then there are fiber types. Some fibers look a lot better knit loose while others tight. Alpaca will drape heavily and straight wool will have a bit more bounce.
I make sure to look at the weight they say the yarn is, what the suggested needle size is and then what the gauge is. Those are the big indicators of what the yarn will knit up like. All the same it's always best to get it wrapped around your needles/hook and work a few short rows to see what it's like. The yarn shop I used to work at had a huge basket of yarn just for this purpose, so crafters could see what the yarn worked up like and if it would be right for their pattern.
The easiest thing to do is to knit with the recommended yarn and needles/hook recommended by your pattern - but who does that? In an ideal world sure, but we work with what's available, what's on hand, what's in our stash or our local yarn shop. Yarns get discontinued too, so sometimes it's just impossible to find.
I found this great "Thinking Beyond the Pattern... A field guide to yarn substitutions" on Knitty.com about doing yarn substitutions. And this is wonderful to know. I think that was the number one question I was asked while working at the Yarn Exchange "what yarn can I use for this pattern?"
So to recap - swatches are your best bet, experience will help you get a feel for it, there are standards but they don't always apply, once you figure out how to do yarn substitutions you are golden for any project.
I hope this helps and that you will be well on your way to grabbing the right hook the first time around!
Posted by Kristin Roach |
Sep 29, 2009 10:00 AM
Cozy Up to Yarn, Crochet, Knitting, Recycle |
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September 28, 2009
Lion Brand Yarn Studio Hat and Scarf Collection for Charity
The Lion Brand Yarn Studio in New York is collecting hats and scarves for The Partnership for the Homeless, a organization committed to helping New York City families in need. From now until December 1st, let the staff know you are working on a hat or scarf for the charity and you'll get 10% off all yarn, hooks, needles, and supplies. Once you finish making all your hats and scarves, drop them off at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. As a thank you, you'll receive a 20% off coupon for your next purchase.
Starting October 1st to November 22nd, the staff of the Lion Brand Yarn Studio will be knitting and crocheting scarves in the window during operating hours to donate to The Partnership for the Homeless. (We'll post some pics of these when it happens!)
For more information, visit the Lion Brand Yarn Studio blog.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 28, 2009 11:00 AM
Cozy Up to Yarn, Crochet, Knitting |
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September 27, 2009
Crochet Elf Slippers
Gabriela of Josefina Y El Amanecer created these fun crochet elf slippers. She's included a pattern for creating your own. Some of her blog is in Spanish, but most is translated, and the pattern is universal. Thanks, Sylv!
Posted by Rachel Hobson |
Sep 27, 2009 03:00 PM
Crochet |
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September 25, 2009
Compost Critters: Fingerless Mitten Pattern
Of course we need our mittens and gloves when taking walks, but there are many times we need are fingers, say when we are turning compost piles, taking pictures, or drawing little sketches of squirrels running around the warmed up soil.
These are really fun to work up because they are both simple, cute and really quick. How can you make a pair of fingerless mittens in just an evening? Well, you just let a little knit fall in love with a little crochet and then you have some great little fingerless mitten critters to keep your hands nice a toasty warm in a snap.
Read full story
Posted by Kristin Roach |
Sep 25, 2009 02:00 PM
Cozy Up to Yarn, CRAFT Patterns, CRAFT Projects, Crochet, Knitting |
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September 24, 2009
Brimmed Beanie
Brimmed Beanie
By Juliene Ford and Jamie Chan
This brimmed beanie is a fun cap with stylish small brim, different from the hats we typically find ourselves knitting or crocheting each year. Dress it up by adding your own embellishment to it with special stitching or a crochet flower!
Download the PDF for the Brimmed Beanie
(Note: If you are having problems viewing the PDF, please right-click on the link to download the file to your desktop or read directions here.)
About the Authors:
Juliene Ford has been crocheting and designing patterns since 2002. She recently placed in the juried California Creative Arts exhibit at the 2009 California State Fair with a purse that she designed using crochet, knitting, and sewing. Details can be found on her blog, www.stitchify.com.
Jamie Marie Chan is a crafter, shop owner, and educator in San Francisco, Calif. She runs Urban Fauna Studio, San Francisco's only green-certified fiber arts workshop and Mary Jane's Attic an online hand dyed fiber web shop.
Posted by Natalie Zee Drieu |
Sep 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Cozy Up to Yarn, CRAFT Patterns, Crochet, Fashion |
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