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Showing posts from 2007

Drops of Rose Necklace

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Well, it';s been awhile since I posted, mostly because the projects I've made over the last few months have been gifts, and I don't want to post the pictures until the people they were made for get them. Today, though, I am posting because I have been playing with crocheting jewelry using wire again, and I made something I am so proud of, that I actually wrote a pattern for it. So what I am looking for is 2 or 3 people to test my pattern. This offer is only open to members of the Crochet Talk group on Yahoo, as I don't want to post my email address on my blog, and I certainly don't expect anyone else to post theirs. So, this is the necklace. Let me know your thoughts, and if you are a member of the group, contact me to let me know if you want to be a tester.

Spiderweb Cardigan

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I must start this post off by saying how much I love Interweave Crochet magazine. The designs are contemporary and beautiful, and I love how they write the pattern instructions. I'm not a "normal" sized person, and because of how well the patterns are written, I have a much easier time adjusting things to fit me. On to the post at hand. When I saw the Spiderweb Cardigan pattern designed by Marty Miller in the Spring 2007 issue if Interweave Crochet, I just had to make one for myself. I love how it turned out. The pattern had a great flow to it, and I found it worked up quite quickly. I also loved that it started off using a technique they termed "foundation double crochet" rather than a starting chain, a technique I plan to adapt into other patterns wherever I can. It makes the foundation row look exactly like any other dc row, and whereas with a foundation chain, I usually have to use a larger hook than in the rest of my work to prevent warping, With this tec

Lazy Sunday

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Well, I was being lazy today, so I actually ended up crocheting a couple more jewelry pieces. It's rather addicting to make them. First, another bracelet, done in amethyst tones. Secondly, another pendant. I'm not as happy with the pendants so far as I am the bracelets and necklaces, but I am hoping with time and experience I can come up with some great designs.

Crochet with Wire: The adventure continues

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I've only got 4 more finished pieces to show you. The next is a single strand necklace I made in amethyst shades, which I quite like. Also, I have started to get the hang of wrapping the ends, and I am hoping to get that really nailed down soon. Here is what I originally intended to be a bracelet, but it ended up a wee bit bigger than what I planned, so I have declared it an anklet. I really like the colours on this one too. I decided I wanted a necklace that was colour neutral and that could be worn with anything. This is the one I like best out of all my attempts so far. Lastly, I thought I would try to use a stitch other than the chain or single crochet. I decided to make a pendant using dc's in the round. I think it turned out quite cute. That's it for my crocheted wire pieces so far. I find making the jewlery very enjoyable. Also, so far, I've spent an average of a little over an hour on each piece, which when most of my other projects take me some time to finish

Crochet with Wire

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I decided I wanted to try something different, so I bought myself Nancie M. Wiseman's book, Crochet with Wire . My older sister quite thoughtfully bought me Annie Modesitt's book, Twist and Loop , wanting to get me a unique Christmas present on the subject that I love. So I spent a while studying both books, trying to get a feel of the general techniques and strategies, such as how to attatch the closures. When I felt I had a grasp of the concept, I headed on down to Michaels, where I got a few things to get me started. The first item I made was a necklace. It turned out a little long for where the neckline of most of my shirts fall, but other than that, I am pleased with it as a first effort. Emboldened by my success, I decided to try my hand at a bracelet. I will say here I attempted to use 24 gauge wire, which to me felt extremely stiff and difficult to work with. I may try that gauge again with more experience under my belt as the finished piece is still flexible enough to

Lapghan

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I know I'm not the only one out there. I hate sewing squares together. I have tried to buckle down and do it, and given up, and donated the squares to a loving home to be assembled and actually used. But, I really like the look of some afghans and other items made from motifs. So, I grit my teeth in determination, and happily began crochet 8 inch squares made in the "Arches" pattern . Then, I decided to give the flat-braid joining method a try. I figured it had to be more enjoyable than sewing. And indeed it was more enjoyable. I actually finished a small lapghan put together with squares. So now that I know I can do it, I am putting a full queen-size throw on my "works I would like to make someday" list. Which has approximately eleventy bajillion projects on it. But then, what crocheter doesn't have a wish list that long?

Lisette Sweater Shawl

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I actually completed this well before Christmas, but never got around to taking pictures of it. This is made from a pattern I purchased from this site . The pineapple rounds took awhile, but I really love it. I made it with a slightly heavier yarn, as my office can get cold, and I wanted a shawl-type thing to wear that wasn't constantly falling off my shoulders. I am very pleased with the versatility of this pattern, and would not hesitate to recommend purchasing the pattern.

More Baby Fun!

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I finished the afghan in the previous post, and had a fair amount of leftover yarn. I thought to myself "what am I to do with this yarn?" And then I stumbled upon the February 2007 issue of Crochet World (who does have a website. I'm looking at you, editors of Family Circle Easy Crochet) I mean, look at it. It's a baby hat. With bunny ears. And a flower. How could I not make it?

Babies!

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Is there anything more fun than crocheting for babies? I have no idea why, but I get so excited when I hear someone I care about is having a baby, not only because I am happy for them, but because my mind starts racing about all the cute baby patterns I have seen. This is a baby afghan I made from a pattern I found in the Fall 2006 issue of FamilyCircle EasyCrochet (who do not seem to have a website. What self-respecting magazine these days has no website?) I used a white and yellow variegated yarn for the main body of it, and plain white for the border. I think it looked great with the open, lacy design of the stitch.

Simple Afghan

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This is an afghan I made for my sister and brother and law. It's just dc's with a scalloped edge, but the boucle yarn makes it rather beautiful. I chose a very neutral off-white to go with their decor, and I think with the simplicity of the design and colour, it's not something that is going to fall out of style.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

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One of my Christmas projects this past season was to crochet snowflakes as ornaments. I got some of the patterns from magazines, some from free pattern sites such as Crochet Pattern Central . There are a lot of possibilities out there. My mom liked them enough that she asked me to make pink snowflakes for a Breast Cancer fund raiser her office is doing next year. It was my first real experience working in thread, and I have to say, I didn't find it tedious, as I thought I would. I almost feel brave enough to face trying a thread table runner or tablecloth.

Cute Little Cap

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I haven't updated this blog in quite some time; as you can imagine, I have several finished projects from that time I will be adding now. So, let's get started! First up, we have a little cap I crocheted for myself after picking up a skein of recycled cotton yarn. I was curious to see what it would be like to work with and what the result would feel and drape like. I wish I knew where I put the label, because I quite liked it, and would recommend it to anyone wanting to give it a try. Next time I am out yarn shopping, I will purchase some more for a project I think it would be perfect for, and I will update this post with the name. I didn't really use a pattern for this. It's done in sc, I started by chaining 4 and joining. I then crocheted in the round, increasing until it was just less wide than the diameter of my head. I then worked sc in each sc around until it was almost the length I wanted, and then decreased for about two rows to give it a bit of holding on to my