Women’s Fingerless Gloves – Free Knitting Pattern

February 22, 2014 By

Women’s Fingerless Gloves – Free Knitting Pattern

These fingerless gloves are simply adorable. They are easy and quick to make with a bit of elegance and touch of flair.

fingerless gloves free knitting pattern

There a lot of fun elements to these mitts. There is a simple 4 stitch cable, buttons and cuffs at the top and bottom accented with fun fur.

Deborah designed these gloves for a knitting contest we had with our local knitting and crochet group. We’ll tell  you more about that in a future post.

White Mistress finglerless gloves are available on our Free Knitting Patterns page.

FREE Patterns

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Mittens, Patterns for FREE Tagged With: ,

Tips for Crocheting a Bean Bag Chair

February 21, 2014 By

bean bag

Tips and Tricks for Crocheting a Cover for a Bean Bag Chair

Crocheting a cozy to cover a bean bag chair is easier than it looks. It’s similar to making a cup cozy…just a bit larger! Here is some designer feedback with tips and tricks to help you as you crochet your own bean bag creation.

#1 – Make it a tight fit

Stretching CozyThe first and foremost important tip: make the cozy smaller than the bean bag chair. You want it to be a really tight fit, as in…super tight.

“I didn’t think there was any way the bean bag would fit into the cozy.“
– quote from Deborah

Yarn stretches. Which is helpful when stuffing the cozy. But not so good after people have played with and sat on the bean bag chair. After lots of use, the yarn will stretch to the point that the cozy may sag. To prevent future issues of sagging, make sure the cozy is a tight fit around the bean bag.

yarn sags after play

The Owl Bean Bag, pictured above left, is one of our first bean bag projects. Several nieces came over for a visit one afternoon…and after only a few hours of play, the yarn on the owl was loose and sagging…a lot! Needless to say, we corrected the issue and every bean bag project we work on has a much tighter fit (as seen in the Soccer Ball on the right)!

Owl Bean Bag pattern available on Etsy.

Soccer Ball Bean Bag pattern available on Etsy.

#2 Tie it up

tie bean bagBean bags by nature are malleable; they reshape with a little bit of pressure. This makes them more tricky to stuff into a cozy. So, we recommend that you tie up your bean bag with yarn into a tall cylinder type shape. After it’s stuffed into the cozy, remove the ties so the bean bag chair is free to reshape when people sit on it.

Use yarn in a contrasting color and tie a bow with long tails. This will make it easier to locate the tied yarn through the cozy so you can pull it out.

#3 You only need a few rounds to close it up

For some bean bag designs, you’ll stuff the bean bag into a partially finished cozy, then crochet a few rounds to close it up locking the bean bag inside.

“I didn’t think the pattern had enough rounds left to close up the cozy.“
– quote by Dana

bottom of bean bagWhen the bean bag is stuffed into the cozy, there will still be quite a bit of the bean bag left uncovered. Surprisingly, you won’t need very many rounds to finish off the cozy. As tip #1 says…you want a tight fit.

Work a decrease round, then tug on the cozy to stretch the yarn as you stuff the bean bag into the cozy. Crochet the next decrease round, tug and stuff. Repeat a few more times. The last step is to grab each loop in the last round and cinch closed with yarn.

Bean Bag Chair Crochet Patterns

We have several Bean Bag designs. Here are a couple of fun sets:

Filed Under: Bean Bag - Pouf, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

Boston “B” – Photos of Each Row

February 14, 2014 By

Crochet Boston B – More Details

Boston fans asked us for more photos on how we crocheted the B we blogged about on our post: Boston Red Sox – Crochet B Applique.

Here are some tips and photos that may help.

Tips:

  1. First crochet this with a worsted weight yarn (4) and a J hook. Once you are comfortable with it, then switch to a C hook for a nice tight applique.
  2. There are slip stitches that are worked into a chain and the side of a single crochet. If that’s too complex, just sl st into the ch.
  3. Take liberty to wing it. If you aren’t liking how your B is looking…try inserting your hook in different places and using different stitches to get the look you want. It won’t hurt our feelings if you don’t follow our pattern to the letter. =)

Crochet Boston B Photo Help

“B” INSTRUCTIONS

B Row 1

Ch 13

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook. Ch 3. Sl st into 2nd ch from hook. Ch 1. Work sl st in 1st ch made in the ch-3 and side of last sc made. 5 sc. In next st work sc, ch 3 and sc. 5 sc, ch 3. Sl st into 2nd ch from hook. Ch 1. Work sl st in 1st ch made in the ch-3 and side of last sc made.

B Row 2

Row 2: Work on the other side of the foundation ch. Sc inc. Ch 10, skip 4 sts, sc (in sp opposite of ch-3 sp), ch 10, skip 5 sts, sc, sl st on top of work.

B Row 3

Row 3: Turn, skip the sl st. 6 sc, ch 3. Work sl st into 3rd ch from hook and side of last sc made. 4 sc, skip a st, sc dec, 3 sc. Ch 3. Work sl st into 3rd ch from hook and side of last sc made. 6 sc, 2 sl st (last sl st will be on top of the B). Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing.

OUTLINE INSTRUCTIONS

B Row 4

There is no “right side” to the letter. Choose which side you want to be the top.

In the back loop only, loosely sl st around the outside of the “B” and the inside holes. If your sl sts are tight, the “B” will bunch making it harder to stretch the “B” to its desired form when pinning it to the hat. Finish off and weave in ends.

Attach the B to a little baby baseball cap. Check out the Baseball pattern set on Etsy.

Filed Under: Appliques Tagged With: , ,

Sock Monkey Toys and Gifts Crochet Pattern

January 14, 2014 By

Sock Monkey Toys and Gifts Crochet Pattern

Sock Monkey Toys and Gifts

Hey all you Sock Monkey lovers out there….we’ve done it again. We’ve created some toys and cozies that you are gonna love and brought them all together in one set.

Mini Sock Monkey

This mini sock monkey is the perfect size for carrying around with you wherever you go. He can be made into a key chain, a backpack buddy or even an office accessory.

Sock Monkey Christmas Ornament

The sock monkey ornament takes on the shape of a traditional Christmas ball, but with the face of sock monkey! He loves hanging on the tree!

Sock Monkey Applique

The sock monkey applique is the perfect size for sewing to bags, scarves, hats and more. We’ve sewn it to a cozy…making it a fun gift idea!

Trio of CoziesSock Monkey Cozies

We love cozies. This pattern includes two unique designs in three sizes each. There are directions for mason jars, mugs and tapered cups/glasses! That’s six cozy patterns!

There are two delicious recipes, too! You can make monkey bread in the morning and banana pudding for dessert in the evening!

Sock Monkey Toys and Gifts – Available in the Store

The Sock Monkey Toy and Gift Set is available in the store.

Sock Monkey Toy and Gift Set also available on Etsy.

Available in the Store

That’s 9 crochet patterns and 2 recipes! See the store for more details.

Filed Under: Adult, Animals, Appliques, Child, Christmas, Cozy, Great as Gifts, Home, Kitchen, Mason Jar Series, Patterns for Sale Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Sock Monkey Hat, Mittens and Scarves

January 1, 2014 By

Sock Monkey Hat, Mittens and Scarves – Crochet Pattern

Love Sock Monkey? This crochet pattern has Sock Monkey Hats (Beanies), Mittens and Scarves to fit everyone in the family from newborn to adult men!

sock monkey hat, mittens and scarf

Skill Level: Easy

The colors of this set are gender neutral and look adorable on boys and girls. The sock monkey applique gives this set a touch of whimsy.

sock monkey hat and beaniesSock Monkey Hat / Beanie

There are 6 sizes of hats in this crochet pattern fitting newborn to adult men.

Crocheted in the round, top down, this beanie has a ribbed brim crocheted in short rows directly to the work. Add a pom pom (pictured above) for even more charm.

Worked primarily in half double crochet, this hat whips up quickly.

sock monkey mittensSock Monkey Mittens

There are 5 sizes of mittens fitting baby to adult men.

Crocheted in the round, top down, these mittens also have ribbed cuffs crocheted in short rows directly to the work.

Worked in single crochet, this is the perfect accessory for early winter or cool spring weather.

sock monkey scarvesSock Monkey Scarves

There are 3 scarf patterns fitting children to adult.

Constructed in rows, each scarf is a series of stripes. Each is unique with different width striping but equally fun with the addition of the sock monkey applique.

Worked in primarily single crochet, these will keep you and your family warm all winter long.

Sock Monkey Crochet Pattern

Teen wearing sock monkey setThis Sock Monkey Winter Accessories crochet pattern is available in the store.

Sock Monkey Winter Accessories pattern on Etsy.

Available in the Store

Boys and girls of all ages will love this set. There’s just something about sock monkey that makes people smile.

These are so much fun, you’ll probably catch the kids wearing them inside the house! If you do, just throw coats on them and send them out to play.

Filed Under: Accessories, Adult, Age & Gender, Animals, Appliques, Baby, Boy, Child, Girl, Great as Gifts, Hat, Mittens, Patterns for Sale, Scarves, Cowls & Shrugs Tagged With: , , , ,

Published in Love of Crochet – Winter 2013

December 14, 2013 By

Published in Love of Crochet Winter 2013

Love-of-Crochet-Winter-2014

We have another crochet pattern in Love of Crochet Magazine!

If you’ve been following our blog for any length of time, you know that we love cup cozies. We created a special design for Love of Crochet Winter 2013.  It’s the last pattern in the issue…so if you read from back to front…well, it’s the first pattern you’ll run across!

Have you ever wrapped both your hands around your mug to warm up your fingers? If you have, then you’ll love this mug mitten cozy! This cozy allows you to tuck your fingers inside a pair of mittens…keeping your drink and your fingers toasty warm.

mitten-cozy

We love these mug mittens for soo many reasons.

  • They fit around mugs, cups and mason jars of various sizes (adjust with a pony tail band).
  • Your hands hug the mug and stay toasty warm in these mittens.
  • They are quick and easy to make.
  • The winter design makes them a great gift all season long.

These mug mittens are crocheted in CotLin yarn by Knitpicks.com in Swan and Nightfall.

The Cozy is a great gift idea for the holidays and it would also make wonderful thank you gift, too! We love that the design works for our family and friends of various faiths.

Filed Under: Christmas, Cozy, Great as Gifts, Mittens, Publications Tagged With: , , , , ,

Soccer Ball Bean Bag Chair and Soccer Blanket

November 30, 2013 By

Soccer Ball Bean Bag Chair and Soccer Blanket Crochet Pattern

Soccer fans of all ages will get a kick out of this soccer ball bean bag chair and soccer ball blanket set.

soccer ball bean bag chair and soccer blanket

The bean bag chair is a cozy around a bean bag chair we picked up at Walmart. It’s constructed with the same number of pentagons and hexagons as a real soccer ball!

The soccer ball blanket is shown four different ways – rectangular afghan with and without a border and circular afghan with and without a border.

Skill Level: Easy

Stitches Used: Chain, Slip Stitch, Half Double Crochet

Techniques Used: Crochet in the Round

Set Pattern Includes:

  • Bean Bag Chair Instructions
  • Rectangular Blanket Instructions
  • Circular Blanket Instructions
  • Edging for Blanket (Rectangular and Circular) Instructions
  • Pentagon Shape Pattern
  • Hexagon Shape Pattern
  • Half a Hexagon Shape Pattern

Soccer Set with baby standing on it.The Soccer Ball Bean Bag Chair and Soccer Ball Blanket is available in the store.

Soccer Set shown here with a two year old who’s ready to get into the game!

Soccer Set available on Etsy.

Available in the Store

Filed Under: Afghan, Bean Bag - Pouf, Boy, Child, Girl, Home Decor, Patterns for Sale, Soccer Tagged With: , , ,

Vote for Mad Mad Makers 2013 Contest

November 15, 2013 By

Vote for your favorite!

Mad Mad Makers is having a contest and giveaway. Vote for your favorite hand made item.

The Owl Set has been entered into the contest…might we suggest you vote for that?

Here’s how it works:

  1. Enter the drawing…lots of ways to get extra changes of winning.
  2. Scroll down (below the entries) and browse shops.
  3. Click on heart in the top right corner of your favorite item.

VOTE by November 30, 2014.

logo

 

vote

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Owl Bean Bag Chair Crochet Pattern

November 10, 2013 By

Owl Bean Bag Chair Crochet Pattern

This award winning bean bag chair is now available as a downloadable crochet pattern!

owl bean bag chair crochet pattern

Kids of all ages go crazy for this chair. They love to sit on it, jump on it and fall over it.

Not only does it look great in vivid colors…but it looks fun in earth tones, too! The yarn used in both photos is Vanna’s Choice. There are sooo many great color in that line of yarn…the color combinations are endless.

brown owl set modeled

The crocodile stitch wings and the spike cluster stitch transition give this design an extra feathery look and feel.

This is a bean bag cozy…meaning you crochet the owl and stuff it with a bean bag (we bought ours at Walmart).

Skill Level: Intermediate

Stitches Used: chain, slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, treble crochet

Techniques Used: crocodile stitch, spike cluster stitch, working in the round and in rows, crochet in both loops and front and back loops.

The owl bean bag chair won 3rd place in the Artistic Expressions category of the 2013 Crochet Guild of America Design Contest. Now you can have your own award winning owl, too! The pattern  includes photos, written directions, supplies list, check boxes to mark your progress and more.

Owl Set AvailableThe owl designs are available as a set or as individual pieces.

Available in the Store

Onesies pictured are from Chic Couture Boutique.

Filed Under: Animals, Bean Bag - Pouf, Boy, Child, Girl, Great as Gifts, Home Decor, Patterns for Sale Tagged With: ,

Frameable Non-Crochet Non-Knit Project Challenge

October 26, 2013 By

Frameable Non-Crochet and Non-Knit Yarn Project Challenge

Our local knit and crochet group came up with another quirky challenge. Here’s a list of the criteria:

  1. No knitting or crochet could be used in the project.
  2. It had to be frameable.
  3. It had to be between 8×10 and 11×14 inches in size.
  4. It had to be 25% yarn or more.

Two people were up for the challenge and two people were up for the judging. Interestingly enough, each judge favored a different project…so in the end, it was a tie for first place.

bamboo

Bamboo Plastic Canvas Project

This mixed media piece was inspired by the panda bear, a native species in China. The black and white background is made of yarn stitched on the diagonal over plastic canvas. The bamboo is created with scrapbook paper. The Chinese characters is the word “Bamboo”, which is the common diet for panda bears.

Yarn: Vanna’s Choice Black and White

Measures: 11″ x 14″

This project was designed by Deborah, who also designed the free panda baby hats.

Starry Night – Fauxchet Hook Rug

starry-night-hook-rug

This hook rug project was created with a fauxchet tool and a variety of medium and bulky weight yarns. The image was drawn onto canvas with a marker, then hooked right from the skeins of yarn. The cut loops and the color and texture of the yarns simulate the impressionist style of the original painting.

This frameable piece would require the use of a 3D frame, though the judges thought the softness of the piece would make it better suited as a pillow.

Supercoloring.com has a free coloring page of Starry Night which was used as the template for this project.

Yarn: Lion Brand: Vanna’s Choice and Homespun

Measure: 8″ x 11″

This project was designed by Dana who also designed other free fauxchet patterns.

Filed Under: Challenges & Contests, Fauxchet, Plastic Canvas Tagged With: , , ,
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