Vote for the Sunny Day Skirt!

I had some exciting news this morning! My Sunny Day skirt from Crocheting Clothes Kids Love, has been nominated for a Flamie in the Skirts category! The voting is now open on the Crochet Awards Website. Go and vote now for all of your favorites in each of the apparel categories!

There is just something about wearing the color yellow that makes you feel cheerful and optimistic.  I designed this skirt with that feeling in mind. When I ordered the yarn for the skirt, I wasn't sure what it would look like. It was one of those projects that really started with the yarn and then developed from there. 

The next thing I decided on was the shape. I loved the idea of an a-line wrap skirt. Easy to wear and forgiving if you are in between sizes. I love lacy crocheted skirts, but often the problem with many lacy skirts is that you need to wear something underneath, and it can be difficult to find a suitable undergarment. This skirt was designed to have the lacy side panel in front, but the full front panel is not see through. So you get the best of both worlds, a somewhat lacy skirt that can be worn on its own.

By making the front in 2 colors, it created the perfect canvas for crocheted appliqués. It was a little nod to the work I used do as an embroidery designer. You could even take it a step further and use the pale yellow to make more flowers and dots to be stitched to the darker yellow part of the skirt, or make the flowers and dots in all different colors.

This skirt has many interesting small details such as the decorative edging on the top edge of the skirt, the belt loops at the back to keep the tie in place, and the filet mesh edging, complete with surface crochet detail, that carries the look of the side front panel all the way around the skirt. The icing on the cake is the embroidery embellishment on the buttons and dot appliqués. If Appliqués aren't for you, I think the full front panel done in multi-colored stripes would look wonderful as well.

It is fun to have a special occasion to tell you a little more about the Sunny Day Skirt, one of my favorite patterns from the book!

Sunny Day Skirt as seen in Crocheting Clothes Kids Love

Front View

Close-up to show button and bow 

Close-up to show appliqué details

Close-up to show belt loop and decorative top edging

Close up to show surface crochet detail on the bottom edging

Back View

So Many possibilities for the Woven Placemat!

Remember the Woven Placemats I designed for the Interweave Crochet Home issue?  I believe you can never have too many placemats, so I wanted to show you a few fun things you can do with this pattern...

Below is a close-up of the original version of the placemats. One color for the background with 2 different colored cords woven through.

You could also add a little more color by adding another color cord:

If you like monochromatic, try making the cords out of the same color as the background:

Or how about changing the texture of the mat, simply by changing the yarn to a heavier weight, and increasing your hook size accordingly:

If you want to make the mats in a shorter amount of time, or if weaving the cords through doesn't appeal to you, I think the stitch pattern of the background of the mat is lovely on its own:

You could also weave ready made cords or rick rack through for an interesting effect. Or vary the pattern of the colors of the cords when weaving them in, to give you the look of a plaid.

Try out different ways of making the mats in small square swatches, which can become coasters! So many possibilities! How would you make yours?

Free Valentine Crochet Ring Pattern!

There is just something about heart shaped jewelry that I love. You may have guessed that from my previous post!

Just in time for Valentines Day, I have designed a pattern that can be crocheted in minutes with a snip of yarn. They would be fun to make as friendship rings or party favors. Try metallic yarn for a bit of glitz, or you could even stitch small beads or pearls between the rounds instead of doing the surface crochet detailing. It is a pattern you can really have fun with. I would love to see photos of the rings you make, if you choose to use the pattern! The pattern is available on Ravelry as a FREE download!

Back of Ring

Crocheting Modern Mixed Media Pendants

For the eWoodStory line, we want to offer kits as well as ready to wear pieces. I have been experimenting with new shapes for pendants, and I am really excited about these new Modern Pendant necklaces. The shape is unusual and eye-catching, and including a bit of crochet adds just the right amount of texture and color to the piece. 

I have made a limited number of these to be sold at the Sadu House in Kuwait, and plan to add some to our Etsy shop in the future. Each pendant is a one of a kind due to the variations in wood grain and color changes in the yarn. The unpredictable color transitions in the yarn emulate natural stone, which is why we feel it works so well with the exotic wood.

Charming Pendant- Another Use for the Charming Bracelet Pattern

The most favorited pattern from "Crocheting Clothes Kids Love" on Ravelry, is the Charming Bracelet. Actually, it was my favorite pattern to design as well! I love charm bracelets and I love crocheting things with small details, so it was the perfect project for me!

Since there are a lot of components to this design, there are a lot of ways to use this pattern. I already made a statement necklace version for women, using this pattern. Now I want to show you an idea for a quick and adorable necklace.

First, crochet the large heart pattern with its connecting link, exactly as they are written in the book. Then, attach a jump ring to the connecting link, and then it is ready to add the chain or cord of your choice. It is amazing how useful it is to have jump rings and a pair of pliers around the house! Instant jewelry!

If you crochet the heart in yarn instead of thread you will make a larger heart, for a different look.

Charming Bracelet as it Appeared in Crocheting Clothes Kids Love

Charming Necklace-a variation of the original bracelet pattern

Here is a link to my post about how to alter the bracelet pattern to create the Charming Necklace.

My Guest Appearance on the New Season of Knitting Daily TV!

I am excited to announce that the new season of Knitting Daily TV is launching this month, and I had the honor of being a guest on the Space to Space segment on episode 1406- the Accessories episode. 

I got to do the interview from my workspace in Kuwait! The host, Vickie Howell, and I talked a little bit about how I love designing crochet accessories, and also about the Nouveau Necklace kits that my husband and I are making for our eWoodStory line. We are really thrilled that Vickie wore one of our necklaces on the show!

Also on the Accessories episode: Dorinda Balanecki shows how to incorporate crystal buttons, Louisa Demmitt, demonstrates how to make warm and stylish mittens, Tanis Gray adds texture with the oyster stitch, and Vickie Howell, shares a stranding technique to make a cozy cowl.

To find out when Knitting Daily TV will be airing in your area, visit this page, and you can find links to previews of all of the episodes here. Just click on an episode to read a full description, and find the link to the video preview.

You Tube Preview of the Accessories Episode-1406

My Crochet Adventures in 2014!

This year was my best crochet year yet! Today I have been thinking about all of the wonderful things that have happened, and that I was so fortunate to have had so many wonderful opportunities this year!

To start off the year, I was asked to lecture and teach at a crochet group in Kuwait, called Only Crochet. This opportunity led to me writing an upcoming magazine article about how they created the Largest Crocheted Blanket in the world. I even got to witness the blanket being certified as the largest, by the Guiness Book of World Records. It was so exciting watching crochet history being made!

The first book I co-authored, "Crocheting Clothes Kids Love" was released. It was such a thrill to go through the entire process of writing the book, see it all come to life when it was released in February, then finally get to promote it.

I had the honor of judging 2 competitions in Kuwait, one for crochet items related to Kuwait's National day, and one for members of Kuwait's Textile Arts Association, who had made pieces for the art and fiber category for their 15th annual exhibition.

The next big highlight of the year was attending the Chain Link Conference in Manchester New Hampshire, and getting to meet and sign books with my co-author Ellen Gormley, and meet so many friends I only knew online. It is a strange feeling to know several people in a room, but have to walk up and introduce yourself, because you have never met in person before! I hope I will have the chance to attend a conference again, because there are still more people I would love to meet!

During the conference, my husband and I launched our eWoodStory line of wood products and kits to stitch. Our kits are the first of their kind to offer instructions in English and Arabic. Since then we have been selling worldwide, and are planning to expand our line of products and our market in 2015.

 

I had designs published in Interweave Crochet, Interweave Crochet Home, Inside Crochet, Crochet!, "It Girl Crochet", and I also created designs for Premier Yarns, and Kreinik. One of my most popular necklace designs, the Crawford Necklace, was translated into Italian!

We were so thrilled to win an Awesome Blog Award for Best Mixed Media Business, for eWoodStory.

To end off a marvelous year, yesterday me and my husband were featured in an article the newspaper for our eWoodStory collaboration and my crochet design work! 

May this next year be a happy, healthy, prosperous, and creative year for all! Thank you dear readers for visiting my blog throughout the year. I hope you will continue to follow my crochet adventures in 2015!