By Hook or by Crook

Crochet Candy Corn

2011-09-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Candy Corn Garland

I/9 Hook

Yarn Sugar n’ Cream

Yellow

Hot Orange

White

Brown

Using Yellow Chain 27

Row 1- hdc in 3rd chain from hook. 1 hdc in the next 25 sts.

Row 2-Ch 2, hdc in every st for a total of 25 sts. Ch 2, turn.

Rows 3-6-Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts, ch 2, turn.

Row 7-Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts. Join Orange color and ch 2, turn.

Rows 8-14- Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts, ch 2, turn.

Row 15- Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts. Join White color and ch 2, turn.

Rows 16-23- Skip the first hdc st, hdc in remaining sts. Finish off.

When you have made all your corn pieces, continue on to edging.

Edging

With Brown chain 10.

Row 1- Attach brown chain with sc to first stitch in first yellow row of candy corn. 2 sc in the side of each row.

When you reach the bottom chain 1 and sc across the bottom row,

chain 1, 2 sc in each row to the end. Chain 5. Repeat from * for each piece made.

Row 2- Chain 2. Hdc in each chain and across the top of each Candy corn to end.

Tea Time

2011-03-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

I have come up with a tea cozy for my tea pot.

The bottom is the African flower pattern. I actually followed the directions and worked the correct number of stitches. I did change the HDC to DC and the SC to HDC to make the flower larger.

The rest was word vertically with a seed stitch.

I added a button and a loop to keep it on the pot.

As usual I used Simply Soft Yarn. This is a quick and easy project to work up, It only took a couple of hours. I think I need to go buy more tea pots so I can make more cozies! I love seeing all the cute tea cozy people have crocheted. My favorites are the ones loaded with flowers and textures.

Crochet African Flower Soccer Ball

2011-03-17T04:41:00.000-07:00

I found a tutorial for the African Flower Soccer Ball and wanted to make one for my dog. Unfortunately I can never seem to follow directions properly! I am convinced it is A.D.D. The instructions call for 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons, I however tend not to read the entire instructions, see the number 20 and somewhere the number 5 so I proceed to make 15 hexagons and 8 pentagons (how I came up with this number is beyond me at this point). By the time was finished crocheting my African flowers and am ready to assemble I was at work and did not have all my yarns with me (thinking I had made the correct amount of pieces why would I bring it all...right?), I begin assembling and am getting frustrated so I refer back to the diagram provided by Crochetbug. Wouldn't you know she had way to many hexagons on that picture. Some people should pay more attention to detail.......So I sat there with not enough of either shapes ready to quit. I decided to just start piecing them together and see what I come up with. Maybe I will come out of it with a placemat or something. As I was pinning them together I found that they still could form a ball. I ended up using 8 hexagons and 10 pentagons. It is not a perfectly round soccer ball that it should be, but a ball all the same. And since I was not planning on using it to try out for the world cup with it and it was going to be a ball for my dog it worked out just fine. In fact I had to wrestle it away from Juno to snap a picture of it.

Thank you Crochetbug for the tutorial and the inspiration!

Fingerless Gloves

2011-02-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

These are my first creations using broomstick lace. It is a simple technique that works up quickly. This is a four strand loop. The only draw back using it with fingerless gloves is that there is not alot of stretch to the stitch-or maybe it is the way I make it. I will play with it some more and see what I come up with.

Yarn Bomb!

2011-02-13T04:15:00.000-08:00

We did a large Yarn Bomb this weekend. Here are some pics. After all the time we put in making the pieces, I was surpised that it only took about an hour to put everything up. We had a lot of fun and plan on doing more. Can't Wait!!

My first shrug

2011-02-08T23:25:00.000-08:00

This is a shrug that I crocheted. The stitch is a simple shell design, here is a rough diagram.

While I am not wild about the fit, it is not bad for my first time and without a pattern.

I used Red Heart Soft in Grape. I really like the feel of the yarn, especially compared to the super saver, however, when you consider how much you get for the price I feel that either Caron Simply Soft or Lion Brand POL are the more economic way to go.

January Purse

2011-01-27T01:13:00.000-08:00

I found this pic on a blog (can't remember which one).

I fell in love with this purse and had to make one. There was not a pattern so I just kind of made it up as I went along. I actually started to write out a pattern for it, but my ADD kicked in and that never got finished!

The purse itself only took a few days to work up. The liner I had some challenges with. I wanted to make sure it was real stiff since the purse was not. I used 3 layers of fusible webbing on each side. On the bottom I used fusible webbing on the lining and also added a piece of plastic cut into an oval to make the bottom very firm.

Here is what I came up with.

Ultimate Sweater Machine

2011-01-20T23:53:00.000-08:00

When I am learning something new, be it for work or play, for some reason I can not just be happy learning as it is taught, or mastering each step before moving on to the next part. Noooo, I have to jump ahead, make a mess, cuss, get mad, ruin some yarn, cuss, eventually throw something, possible break something, cuss, walk away and come back in an hour or so, go back to the beginning and then follow the steps correctly. I do this with almost everything I do. Sometimes I am able to figure it out when I jump ahead, but this was not one of those times.
Last November I purchased an Ultimate Sweater Machine. I wanted this to mass produce pieces for yarn bombing and I have to tell you-it is great! I am not a knitter. I can knit basic stitches, but I am definatly crochet dominate. I highly recomend this machine! It took some time to work out the kinks (I refer you back to the opening paragraph). Once I got going I was able to bang out some knit in record time. Most of the items from the Yarn Bomb post were done on this machine. All in all it took about an hour or so to realy develope the correct tensinion and presure to get it flowing smothly. I have done some intarsia and one beanie. This is my first pass at making a cable stitch. I made a small swatch and then used it as a cozy for my water bottle.

I have made a lot of pieces. I will post pics of all of them just before the yarn bomb.

Scaled Wrist Warmers

2011-01-19T05:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some wrist warmers that I made. The cuffs are done in a scalop stitch. There were crocheted with Caron Simply Soft Yarn. They were fun and quick to work up.

tatted snowflake

2011-01-18T23:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some snowflakes that I tatted over the holidays.

Starling Bag

2011-01-18T01:31:00.000-08:00

Here is my Starling Bag. I realy like the way it came out. It was quick to work up and easy to line. It was crocheted with Peaches and Cream Cotton Yarn. I think I will try another one using some acrylic yarn (I hate working with cotton). To find the pattern click here.

My First Yarn Bomb!

2011-01-07T18:20:00.000-08:00

At my place of employment, there are a few of us who like a good practical joke every now and again. A few weeks ago one co-worker (we will call her #1) played a joke on another co-worker (we will call him #2) by placing severed body parts (plastic of course) in his locker. #2 assumed that I was the one who did this-I have no idea why..........so he decided to do this-

Very clever! Quite a surprise to start my work day. No these were not gifts, they are my items that were in my locker. Quite Funny!

After some careful consideration I formulated a follow up prank. I am a fan of yarn bombing and have been wanting to get my feet wet with a yarn bomb for a while now. So off to the knitting machine I went. After a few days and lots of Red Heart Yarn I was ready.

Here is the state I found his locker in at the beginning of my shift

After about 5 hours of stitching, yarn stretching and accessorizing his locker now looks like this

Here are some detail pics

I would be Leah.

I win!!

Hmmm Those vases look a little chilly

2010-10-06T01:15:00.000-07:00

I love this tutorial. It is such a wonderful way to recycle sweaters. However, I do not wear sweaters (love that Central Coast weather). So, off to the goodwill I went and found several intricate sweaters and several vases that needed covering. Got home, plugged in the hot glue gun and went to town.
These are from 3 sweaters with plenty left over.

Even prettier with candles.

The candles did not do much for the dark colored ones. Flowers may work better.

Crochet Windmill Bag

2010-09-22T00:15:00.001-07:00

This is a crocheted version of a Knitted purse seen on Ravelry.

I created a crocheted version and use the original as an assembly guide. Each panel is approximately 6” x 16 1/2 “. It is done with four balls of Sugar and Cream Cotton Yarn.

The biggest challenge was attaching the fusible webbing to the lining. Trying to get everything to lay flat when it is in a swirl pattern is quite challenging.

Vision Tatted Necklace

2010-08-27T02:46:00.000-07:00

This pattern has been shared by Yarnplayer. I modified it a bit. As do most of my first tries, it did not come out as smooth as I would like. I am going to give it another shot. I love the pattern and Yarnplayer has made it in several colors. Iwill experiment with different beads and needle sizes to find what works best.

Tatted Pendant

2010-08-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

This pendant was tatted with DMC Linen Embrodary floss.

I have been busy Tatting!

2010-08-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

I have been busy tatting. Here are few pieces that I have made.

These first two are from the tutorial by Totusmel for her Tatted Pendant.

The tread is size 10 lizbeth.

The next is inspired by the Petal Perfect created by Krystle Dawne. The tread is DMC cotton pearl size 5 (It may be embroidery floss). I just kind of winged it with out a pattern.

And the last is one I came up with to go with the medallion I found at the craft store. The thread is the same DMC size 5.

I am very anxious to get started on my Halloween Crafts, however, I have committed to completing all my WIP's before starting anything new. I am currently working on a Starling Purse by Craft Girl. Also a Windmill Purse-I found a Knit pattern for it and am coming up with a crocheted version. Hopefully I will complete them by the end of the week. I also am involved in Sock a long through Ravelry. I have started and scrapped it about 3 times now. I really need to get going on that.

Beret Cap with Brim

2010-08-02T04:21:00.000-07:00

I found the pattern for this cap here.
This cap is crocheted with some left over Vanna's Choice in mocha. It took about 1/2 a skein. I checked several patterns before I found this one. It had the clearest instructions.

I really like the style of this cap, however I had a hell of a time with the brim. I pulled it out and redid it 5 times. I could not get it right. I want the brim to go out rather than down. It covers my eyes and I can't see when I wear it. I tried brims from several different patterns, followed a couple of different YouTube videos and still had the same problem. Am I missing something?

Any suggestion?

2010-07-24T02:23:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when a crocheter has way too much yarn and way too much time on their hands!

Nostepinne

2010-07-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

I saw one of these a couple of months ago and I really wanted to make one for myself. So a trip to Home Depot for a wooden dowel (just a plain one, nothing fancy) I think it is made of pine and some sandpaper and I have a weekend project.

I wanted a 12 inch nostepinne, so I cut the dowel to 13 inches to leave room for sanding and for errors. I sanded, sawed, sanded, shaped, sanded, dampened, sanded, sanded, sanded and finally stained and wiped, stained and wiped.

The final piece came out at 12 & 3/4 inches long and it is 1 inch at the top, tappered to 1/2 inch at the tip. Of course I wanted to do an ornately carved handle with wonderful rings and decorative stains like the ones you find on Etsy, however, for my first one I am quite pleased with how it looks with out all the frills. Tomorrow I will wind me a ball of yarn!! Yeah!

Swirl Purse

2010-07-06T07:46:00.001-07:00

I made a new purse! and I Love it! It is done with 2 strands of Bamboo cotton in

a double stitch pattern. With a single stitch for the bottom.

Too many grannys!!

2010-06-26T03:38:00.000-07:00

I am so sick of looking at granny squares. I crocheted about 100 2 inch granny squares last week. Hopefully I will have them put together as a pillow case this weekend.

A bowl for my husbands nuts.

2010-06-26T03:28:00.000-07:00

This was done with Pattons wool that I had left over from a beanie I made last winter. I used 3 different colors, Black and 2 shades of grey. The bottom is done in a granny square and then I used a granny stitch up the sides. Next I tossed it in the was with 3 different loads to get it good and felted. It came out great.

Sock Trouble

2010-06-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how long I have been wanting to crochet a pair of sock and finally I get started. I use the Cozy Crochet Sock Pattern on LB. I worked it with a Merino SUPERWASH by Schaefer Yarn. I wear a size 7 shoe so I made the large size sock. I checked my gauge and I made sure I had the right yarn. It started so well. I love the way the yarn was striping. The cuff came out so cute. It worked up quickly, only taking one evening. Then before I stitch the toe closed, I tried it on.........GRRRRR!!!!

Off to find a new sock pattern.

Tatted Barrette

2010-06-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

This is my weekend accomplishment (besides a clean house), a tatted barrette. I do not remember the manufacturer of the thread. I bought it at Michael's. It said it was size 10, although it is actually much larger than that. It is almost the same size as peaches and cream cotton yarn. I do believe I will be making more of these. It was a quick project that was done while watching TV.

Striped Crochet Bag

2010-06-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

I saw this bag and had to make one. It is the first crocheted bag where I actually like the way it came out and I actually carry it out in public. The pattern can be found here. As I was finishing I felt it was a little to large so I stitched it on my sewing machine before I added a liner. It helps the sides stand up.

Tatted Mask

2010-06-01T11:41:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to try this mask by Totusmel for quite a while. I have been putting it of because it seemed quite difficult. After getting started I found it was not as intimidating as it first seemed. All told it took me about a week to complete (I took several breaks to ease my frustrations). Not too bad for a first try. This was done using a pattern by Pamela Quevedo (Totusmel). The instructions link is here. I varied from the instructions a bit due to the size of the eye wires. I used Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread size 10. I don't feel this was the best choice. It does not hold its shape well. Next time I will use tatting thread.

Camera Lost!

2010-04-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

Well I have not posted in a while because my camera has been lost to the camera gods. I swear I packed it when I went to San Diego, but when I stopped in Bakersfield and went to retrieve it, I could not find it anywhere. I searched franticaly and it was not at home either. I have no idea what happened to it. *SIGH* Untill I find the time to research and shop around I can not take picks of my works. So what I am going to do is show other peoples works that I admire or that make me cringe. Hope you enjoy.

This is a chair that was displayed at an art museum in Boston. Yes it is completely crocheted.

How can you tell its almost summer time?

By the Shorts of course!

Outside the Lines Purse

2010-03-25T23:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a purse made with the pattern at Lionbrand.com
I just used Red Heart Yarn for my tester purse. I did not like the way the pattern had the purse put together. I am not sure if it is because I am a lefty-or if the directions are unclear. I added a strip to stitch the pieces to and continued it up as the handle. I don't think I will be redoing this one.

That'll do Pig.

2010-03-24T15:50:00.001-07:00

Here is the Amigurumi Pig from lionbrand.com. Anyone wanting to start making Amigurumi's and is looking for a starter animal, this would be perfect. It is quick and easy. My biggest issue is the leg placement, but I have that issue with all Amigurumi.

If only He would have smiled!

2010-03-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

My wonderful husband decided to take me to San Francisco on valentines day. We stayed for 3 days and had a great time. I however neglected to take any pictures. So on our last day in the city, we drove through the precidio, I wanted get a shot of my husband with the GG bridge in the background. I had a limited window because the fog was coming in fast. So, I found the best spot, put him in the proper place, crawled in a ditch so I could get a good angle, snap a few shots before the fog obscured the bridge. I just made it. When I get home and load them on the PC I find 5 pictures. The bridge looks cool half covered with fog, but in every one. Not a smile to be seen. Grrrrrrr.

***

Yes I know he is too dark in the pic, however I was so frustrated about the smile I did not bother trying to edit it in Photo Shop. So there!

Warning!! Religious trepidation ahead!

2010-03-21T00:59:00.000-07:00

I am an avid Blog hopper. I can spend hours reading and searching other people's blogs. I do not always find blogs that I would quote or comment on. However I found THIS post which I found to be well written and true.
I do not consider myself to be 'Religious', although I am Catholic. I do not force my beliefs on others, nor do I tolerate them trying to do that to me. I believe that we should simply treat each other with respect and kindness. There is enough anger, hate and negativity out there. Leave it out of religion. We have evolved from the times of the Reformation.

Okay I am done now. Back to crafts.

Needle Tatting Work

2010-03-20T01:34:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling prosaic with my crochet for the last couple of weeks. So, because I have to be doing something all the time, I picked up needle tatting again. Here are few pieces that I tatted out.

This pendant is the first one that I designed. I tatted it in several different sizes.

Here is Quincy modeling it for me. Unlike most models this one works for food.

Key Chain

And the same design as a necklace

This is a pendant that is similar to a piece by TotusMel. I modified it some to match my tastes.

Here is another that I designed

This is Thor modeling the earrings-he is not as good of a model as Quincy!

I saw a design similar to this (done with a shuttle) in an old tatting pamphlet from 1895. I modified it a bit and all though I am happy with the way this one came out, I have not been able to duplicate it.

These earrings are ones that I made based on earrings that I saw someplace, I can not remember where, If you know who is the original creator of this, or if it is your design and would like credit please email me.

Just a simple design

Here a couple of simple necklaces.

As my mother gets older her skin has become rather fragile. She had to stop wearing her Saints medallion because the chain would sometimes tear her skin or leave abrasions. This white necklace is one that I made to wear the medallion on. That way the soft cotton would be gentle on her skin and she would still be able to wear her medallion.

Coffee Sleeves

2010-03-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

Here is my attempt at goin' green! Although I am not sure how green it is when I tossed more than I kept because I was not happy with the way they came out.

This one is was done with alternating front and back post double stitches to create a ribbed look. One of the workers at the Starbucks I patronize really like this one so I made him one as well.

These were made with ribbon. Crochet with in a single stitch. The ribbon had a bit of stretch to it.

Stratford "Circle" Afghan by Lionbrand.com ???

2010-03-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

You know how things do not always work out the way that you plan? Well this is one of those projects.
When I started in mid December, this started out as this blanket.

After working 30 or so rows, with it getting wavy and distorted and having to pull it all out, time and again (5 TIMES!), I soon decided that I SUCK at crocheting in the round. I then came to the conclusion that a Square afghan would be lovely. So, This is what I ended up with.

All in all, I am very happy with the way it came out. The colors go well with my living room and I love the Homespun Yarn from Lion Brand, and I have a several left over from each color, so pillows will be coming soon.

HSSSSSSSSSSSS!!

2010-02-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

It can not get any easier than this Snake. This project took about a an hour and a half. After making the head you do not need to look at the pattern again. Just sat in front of the T.V. watching Criminal Minds and by the time it was over I was done. Easy as can be.

2010-02-22T00:47:00.001-08:00

Wow I really like the way this rabbit came out. This only took a day to do, I think that the ears took the longest. I added the Belly button at last minute. I am glad, I think it adds to the bunny.

Hmm not quite realistic.

As well as this came out I will be redoing the hippo now, I found a pattern that may work up easier. I will post when I complete him.

My first Amigurumi!

2010-02-20T01:46:00.000-08:00

Well here is my first Amigurumi critter. I plan on making a zoo for some bratty kid I am related to for easter.

2010-02-01T03:43:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog I was very passionate about scrapbooking. I had joined a scrapbooking club that required you to have a blog, and here I am. Now I do still scrapbook but I am no longer in that club. I have not posted anything here since I left that group. Lately I have been really focusing on Crocheting and Needle Tatting. So as the passion goes, so goes the Blog!

I started crocheting when I was 8. My grandmother taught me the basics back then. At that time I did not get past a single crochet. I have since taught myself by info gathered first from neighbors, then from books or magazines, some from friends and more recently on the Internet. I have made several scarves in the past few years, However some of the techniques that I taught myself I have found that I do them incorrectly. I have had to relearn several stitches. I would love to be able to create my own patterns to share or sell. I often come up with projects, but I seem to put it all together as I go, frequently pulling out and redoing several rows. This makes it tough to keep consistent notes, especially when a lot of my crocheting is done on the go.

So I will be posting pictures of recently completed projects, as well as some of my first works (some are kinda sad) tomorrow.

2009-11-21T04:21:00.000-08:00

"So occasionally you stumble upon strange, pointless and bizarre pages on the web. Today I found this one. Is the creator being funny? Mentally Ill perhaps? Simply have way too much time on their hands? You decide.

http://www.macrameowl.com/index.html"

Adventures in Tatting!

2009-09-17T00:26:00.000-07:00

I have found a new obsession! Tatting. Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace constructed by a series of knots and loops. I was searching the web for crochetted flower patterns to make for my scrapbooks and came across this womans wonderfully amazing blog. http://totusmel.blogspot.com/ She has amazing talent. You can also check you her etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=36519-great stuff.....
So of course I think...hey I wanna do that (I mean-who wouldn't). So I started searching for tutorials and found that she has some youtube tutorials. So here I am with my first tatting tries.

This was my first try-can you say YIKES!

This was the second one--much better.

Third time is a charm! Can't wait to move on to bigger projects.

Work Binder

2009-07-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is my work binder, It was just a plain white binder. Now its all scrappy!

If Basset Hounds ruled the world

2009-06-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

Okay I work nights, so on my days off I am up all night, by myself, Everyone else in the world is sleeping.....I have to find something to do....right?

Gotta Love a Basset

2009-06-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

This is an album I made for the adopters of a Basset Hound that we were fostering. I wish I had waited untill I had the pics in it.