Archives for November 2012

Beyond Broomstick Lace – A Review

November 23, 2012 By Yarnitect (Dana)

My Review: “Beyond Broomstick Lace”

Online Crochet Class

Riveting…that’s how I’m describing the class, Beyond Broomstick Lace, at Craftsy. I’m a little bias…I’m a crochet addict, after all. So I’m already predisposed to like the class. But it is a combination of many, many factors that lead me to describe this class as riveting.

The instructor, Jennifer Hansen, was entertaining to watch and the subject matter, Broomstick Lace, was spellbinding.

This class has ignited my passion to make something lacey and fun. I want to drop everything else I’m working on and work up some broomstick lace!

Jennifer’s presentation style is relaxed yet her content is comprehensive. As an advanced crocheter, I learned a ton of great tips and tricks in addition to Broomstick Lace. The newer crocheter will be equally comfortable in this class because every stitch, join and component is demonstrated.

I Give “Beyond Broomstick Lace” An A+

Great Instructor:
Jennifer Hansen knocked it out of the park with this class. She was personable, professional, organized, informative and funny. I feel like we could be best buds…only we’ve never met…Drat!

Here are some of my favorite items Jennifer covered:

Removing the awkwardness of crocheting around the #50 knitting needle
Traditional Broomstick and a lot of beautiful variations
A seamless way to decrease on tall stitches
Tips for washing (without rinsing) and blocking
Tutorial on different hooks and needles

Those are just a few of my favorites. There are really too many to list!

Amazing Projects:

The main project, the Rebel Lace Cardi, is truly inspirational. The garment beautifully displays traditional broomstick lace and a ton of variations to the stitch. I never tired of looking at it. It seemed a special treat to see Jennifer wearing it at the end of the course.

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the other Broomstick Lace projects as well. It felt like pure eye candy. It’s amazing how diverse broomstick lace can be. I can’t wait to incorporate it into my own designs.

Fantastic Website:

Craftsy is a wonderful platform for learning. The video player is top notch and worked great on my laptop, tablet and smart phone! I watched several segments of the class while traveling and enjoyed taking the class and Jennifer with me on multiple devices. The video quality is very clear and the close up shots of the stitches were beautiful.

I love that we can take notes, ask questions and upload photos, too. Craftsy is easy to navigate around….I loved that the videos remembered where I was and picked up right where I left off. And the class doesn’t expire…so I can rewatch any portion I want. Oh, and I’m looking forward to connecting with my fellow classmates, too.

If you’re looking for a riveting good time, take Beyond Broomstick Lace on Craftsy!

I’m a Craftsy Indie Designer and Affiliate.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: beyond broomstick lace, craftsy class, review

Peppermint Bark Recipe and Santa Jar Cozy

November 23, 2012 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Peppermint Bark Recipe and Santa Jar Cozy

This peppermint bark recipe will melt in your mouth. You better give some away as gifts…cause you’ll be tempted to eat it all yourself! It looks deliciously adorable in a pint size canning jar all dressed up in a Santa cozy!

Let’s get right to the recipe…cause it needs to cool in the fridge. That’ll give you lots of time to whip up a cozy or two.

Peppermint Bark Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

10 oz Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate baking chips
11 oz Ghirardelli Classic White baking chips
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract – divided
10 candy canes

DIRECTIONS:

peppermint bark with santa ornament Line a 9×13 pan with foil. Spray with non-stick cooking oil.

Melt Bittersweet chips in microwave stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Spread into foil-lined pan.

Place candy canes in ziplock back and crush into big chunks with a hammer. Lightly press 1/3 of the candy canes onto chocolate layer. Place in freezer for 5 to 10 minutes as you prepare the next ingredients. You want the chocolate just firm enough that you can spread the next layer on top without them swirling.

Sift remaining candy cane pieces. Set aside bigger chucks to be used as topping at the very end.

Melt White chips in microwave stirring every 15 seconds. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Stir in smallest pieces of crushed candy canes. Spread smoothly over chocolate layer. Sprinkle remaining larger chunks of candy canes on top and refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely firm.

Turn pan upside down on a towel and remove foil. Break from bottom side (Bittersweet layer) into large pieces. Breaking from the bottom will prevent the candy canes on the top side from being crushed.

Store in the refrigerator.

The Santa Ornament pictured above is available in the Christmas Balls and Baubles Set.

This Peppermint Bark Recipe is Perfect for the Santa Jar Cozy – Here’s the Crochet Pattern

With the peppermint bark cooling in the refrigerator, let’s get right to the Santa Jar Cozy. This cozy fits nice and snug around a pint size canning jar. Which is the perfect size for storing home made goodies like soups, cookies, fudge and…peppermint bark!

This is a great stash buster! We used Lion Brand yarns from Vanna’s Choice, Vanna’s Glamour and Fun Fur. The colors of these yarns make the Santa cozy jolly and bright!

Supplies:

1 Pint size canning jar
Vanna’s Choice: Medium Worsted Weight (4)
CRANBERRY, BLACK, WHITE
Vanna’s Glamour: Fine (2)
GOLD
Lion Brand Fun Fur: Bulky (5)
WHITE
Crochet Hooks: H, C
Yarn Needle

COZY INSTRUCTIONS:

White and White Fun Fur held together

Hook: H

Ch 34 Join with a sl st.

Rnd 1: Working in counter-clockwise direction, sc around. Join with a sl st. (this allows the hairiest part to be on the outside). (34)

Finish off and weave in ends.

Attach Red and work in clockwise direction here and throughout.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc around in back loop only. (34)

Rnd 3-4: Sc around in both loops (now and until otherwise stated). (34)

Rnd 5: 33 sc, sl st. (34)

Drop red. Attach Black

Rnd 6: Ch 1, 33 hdc, sc, join with a sl st. (34)

Finish off Black and weave in ends.

Pick up Red.

Rnd 7: Working in the back loops only this Rnd: *4 sc, fptrc in the red post below the black (from Rnd 5)* 3 times. 8 sc, fptrc in the red post below the black (from Rnd 5). *4 sc, fptrc in the red post below the black (from Rnd 5)* 2 times (34)

Rnd 8-11: Sc around in both loops. (34)

Sl st. Finish off and weave in ends.

Trim white fun fur to ¼” length.

BELT BUCKLE INSTRUCTIONS

Gold

Hook: C

Ch 17

Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook. 3 sl st, ch 1, *skip ch-1, 4 sl st, ch 1* 2 times. Skip ch-1, 4 sl st. (16)

Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Pin then sew belt buckle in a square over the black “belt” centered between the fptrc’s that have 8 stitches between them (sts 15-24). Weave in ends.

More Cozies in Store

Love this Santa cozy? There are more seasonal, holiday and just for fun cozies in the store in our Crochet Cup Cozy eBook. We’ve created an entire collection with 28 designs one ebook.

Looking for the cup and mug version? They’re in the ebook.

Each design in the ebook has instructions to fit Mugs, Cups and Mason Jars. Every design has a delicious recipe or fun craft.

All 3 of the Santas pictured above are in this ebook! And there are 4 new designs – Dracula, Vampire, Mummy and Blue Jeans.

Party Mix Recipe and Crochet Football Jar Cozy

November 9, 2012 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Party Mix Recipe and Crochet Football Jar Cozy

The party mix recipe is a staple during American football season. And we’re jazzing it up with a fun jar cozy! We’ve tweaked the recipe to add some of our favorite ingredients. Here’s our take on the original.

While this delicious party mix is cooling…whip up a cozy or two. They are super fast and fun!

Party Mix Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Bugels
1 cup cashew halves
1 cup Goldfish pretzels
1 cup Three Cheese Snyder Nibblers
6 Tablespoons butter
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cajun seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

In large bowl, mix together the Rice Chex, Bugels, cashews, pretzels and Nibblers. Set aside.

Melt butter. Add Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder and cajun seasoning. Pour over cereal mixture. Stir until evenly coated. Spread in 9×13 pan

Heat oven to 250°. Bake Party Mix for 45-60 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. Cool on paper towel. Store in an air tight container like pint sized canning jars!

Crochet Football Jar Cozy for Party Mix

This crochet footall cozy fits a pint size canning jar…making it a great gift idea or fun home décor item for your next football party! Fill the jar with your favorite party mix and get into the game.

Crochet a brown cozy to represent an NFL football. Add white stripes to represent college and high school football. Crochet in pink for a feminine touch or to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month in October.

This is a great stash buster…pictured is Vanna’s Choice (a soft and vibrant yarn). I’m particularly fond of the Raspberry football cozy! =)

The cozy tapers in the back to give the cozy a football like shape.

Supplies:

1 pint size canning jar
Vanna’s Choice Yarn: Medium Worsted Weight (4)
CHOCOLATE (RASPEBERRY – optional), WHITE
Crochet Hook: H
Yarn Needle

Instructions:

Chocolate (or Raspberry)

Note: Footballs used by the National League do not have white stripes. College and high footballs have white stripes. Use White for Rows 8 and 21 if you want stripes.

Ch 5

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sc across. (4)

Row 2: Working in the back loops now and throughout: Ch 1, turn. Sc inc. Sc across. (5)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc inc. Sc across. (6)

Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Sc inc. Sc across. (7)

Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Sc inc. Sc across. (8)

Row 6: Ch 1, turn. Sc inc. Sc across. (9)

Row 7: Ch 1, turn. Sc inc. Sc across. (10)

Row 8-21: Ch 2, turn. Hdc across. (10)

Row 22: Ch 1, turn. Sc dec. Sc across. (9)

Row 23: Ch 1, turn. Sc dec. Sc across. (8)

Row 24: Ch 1, turn. Sc dec. Sc across. (7)

Row 25: Ch 1, turn. Sc dec. Sc across. (6)

Row 26: Ch 1, turn. Sc dec. Sc across. (5)

Row 27: Ch 1, turn. Sc dec,sc across. (4)

Row 28: Ch 1, turn. Sc across. (4)

Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing.

ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

1. With White yarn, embroider football threads to the peaks and valleys of Rows 11-18. There are 8 short vertical stitches that cross one long horizontal stitch down the center. Weave in ends.

2. Join foundation ch with Row 28 with a whip st. Weave in ends.

More Cozies in Store

Love this football cozy? There are more seasonal, holiday and just for fun cozies in the store in our Crochet Cup Cozy eBook. We’ve created an entire collection with 28 designs one ebook.

Looking for the cup and mug version? They’re in the ebook.

Each design in the ebook has instructions to fit Mugs, Cups and Mason Jars. Every design has a delicious recipe or fun craft.

All 3 footballs pictured at the beginning of this post are in this ebook! AND the ebook includes 4 new designs – Dracula, Vampire, Mummy and Blue Jeans.

Christmas Door Knob Hanger Card Keeper

November 7, 2012 By Yarnitect (Dana)

Christmas Door Knob Hanger Card Keeper

This door knob hanger is a cute and functional card keeper! This little pocket is just the right size for storing all the greeting cards you’ll receive from family and friends this holiday season.

The handle of this adorable pocket hangs nicely on hooks and door knobs. Of course, you could crochet this in other fun colors and use it all year long to hold your mail and keys.

Christmas Door Knob Hanger Card Keeper – Pattern Details

The Door knob hanger has cute details like the fun fur collar, simple snowflake and easy stitch pattern of the burgundy bag (a double crochet and single crochet pattern).

Skill Level: Easy