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scrappy crochet scarf

woven scarf

I’ve been sorting my odds and ends of yarn by color. I have this idea that a woven pattern might tie the different hues together with a subtle color change rather than stripey.

My first one is made up of greens and browns. The greens are blending nicely, but the brown is pretty dominant. I don’t want to rip this out and start over, so I’ll probably repeat the brown every five rows to keep some sort of balance.

I’ve left the ends hanging. Not sure if I like the fringe look or not. It needs to be a little wider before I can decide.

Are you working on a scrappy project? Share in the comments!

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tiny crochet flower pattern

I wanted to make some tiny crochet flowers last week, and figured I could just add a petal to my four leaf clover pattern. Five petals were too bulky, however, and they looked crowded. I reworked the petal a little bit and came up with these cuties. Happy Spring and enjoy the pattern!

tiny crochet flower pattern

Tiny Crochet Flower Pattern
worsted weight yarn
size F/5 (3.75mm) crochet hook
tapestry needle for weaving ends

dc: double crochet
hdc: half double crochet
sc: single crochet
sl st: slip stitch

gauge: not important, but my worsted weight flowers are about 1 1/2 inches across.
Note: The smaller flowers were made with a smaller hooks and different sock yarns.

Make a magic ring.
R1: chain 1, sc into loop 5 times, pull loop closed, join with sl st in first stitch
R2: continue in the first stitch with a hdc, dc, chain 1, dc, hdc; *sl st, hdc, dc, ch1, dc, hdc* in each of the four remaining stitches, finish with a sl st

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I’ve been trying to document my creative projects at least once a day using Instagram. It automatically posts my pictures to twitter, facebook, flickr and my rss feed. If only it could update the blog! Anyway, if you are on any of these platforms, stop by and say hello!

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tiny crochet flowers + other small things

tiny crochet flowers

I’ve become enamored with small things lately. I think the little pin cushions started it. After finishing them, I felt all those little yarn odds and ends calling me. This week has been all about flowers. I’m also thinking about tiny baskets, boxes and more pin cushions.

Small projects are so satisfying to me. They’re finished quickly, so I can squeeze them in between helping with homework and waiting for the pasta water to boil. They are an easy way to dress up a tote, shirt or ponytail. They make all of those leftover yarn bits feel useful.

What are you in love with right now?

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crochet pincushions in spring colors + etsy shop update

crochet pin cushions in my etsy shop

I had a hard time figuring out what to do with the Easter egg yarn. Once I saw the colors, I immediately wished I had dyed more. I wanted to use every last bit of it, so I decided to make something that I could start from the bottom and go until I ran out.

I love, love, love how these turned out! They were a lot of work, and I don’t think I’ll make them regularly. The pink one with flowers is my favorite.

These are too pretty to just sit around in my “finished” pile of projects so they’re available for sale in my etsy shop.

I also spent the weekend working on a crochet pattern for tiny flowers. Stay tuned!

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granny square scarf from yarn scraps

granny scarf

Too many of my projects are in progress. I really needed to finish something, so I did what any crazy crafter would do. I started something new.

Last week I grabbed some scrap yarn from my bin of miscellaneous ends and started making squares. I used up almost every bit of these colors with about one yard of white and a few inches of pink left over.

I don’t know what I’m going to do with a kid-sized scarf at the beginning of spring. It was 80 degrees today! My daughter tried it on, but hasn’t asked for it. Maybe I’ll tuck it away and see if she changes her mind in the Fall.

pattern: the motif is from Red Heart’s Copenhagen pillow designed by Yvonne Eijkenduijn of Yvestown. I added an extra round to make the squares bigger — basically repeating round three with a chain between the double crochet clusters.

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crochet flower hair ties

crochet flower hair ties

These are way overdue. I promised them to my daughter a long time ago. I even put the hair ties on my desk to remind myself to make them. I found them last week when I cleaned my office. Whoops.

I had made her pink and blue ones, but she needed red and white. Why? Husker colors, of course. She’ll be happy to see these when she gets home from school today.

The pattern is the Five Petal Pointy Flower from Crochet Adorned. Yarn is from my thrifted stash of cotton.

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pattern: crochet troll doll dress

I’ve had this little troll for almost 20 years. She’s worn a Tae Kwon Do uniform for most of that time. I’m not sure exactly when my daughter decided the troll was hers. Isn’t it funny how kids kind of take over your things without you realizing it?

troll dress crochet pattern

The other night my daughter announced that she was naming the troll Isabel. Apparently, Isabel has grown tired of her Tae Kwon Do uniform and asked for a dress. Could I make one?

I thought there might be some other trolls out there who’d like a dress, so I’m sharing the pattern. It may seem big while you are making it, but remember it has to fit over those cute, chubby feet.

Pattern is written for the four-inch size troll doll.

Materials
sport or dk weight yarn (yarn was from my stash and is 12 wpi)
size F/5 (3.75 mm) crochet hook
small button
needle and thread for sewing button
tapestry needle for weaving ends

gauge: 4 stitches per inch

ch: chain
hdc: half double crochet
hdcDecrease: half double crochet decrease
sl st: slip stitch

half double crochet decrease: yarn over, hook through stitch, yarn over, pull through stitch, yarn over again, hook through next stitch, yarn over, pull through stitch, yarn over one more time, pull through all five loops

  • ch 32, join with sl st in back loop* of first chain to make a circle
  • ch 2, skip next stitch, hdc around in back loops* of chain, join in the round with a sl st in the top chain – 32 stitches
  • ch 2, skip next stitch, [hdc 6, hdcDecrease] around, join in the round with a sl st in the top chain – 28 stitches
  • ch 2, skip next stitch, [hdc 5, hdcDecrease] around, join in the round with a sl st in the top chain – 24 stitches
  • ch 2, skip next stitch, [hdc 4, hdcDecrease] around, join in the round with a sl st in the top chain, break yarn – 20 stitches
  • find the front six stitches of the dress, join yarn, chain 2, hdc next five stitches, turn work
  • ch 2, hdc next five stitches, do not break yarn
  • sew on the button and put the dress on the troll

troll dress crochet pattern

The next step depends on how tightly you chain and the size of your button. Chain 20 stitches or however many you need to make the strap go from one side, around the back of the neck, to the front and around the button. Break yarn and use the tapestry needle to thread the end a few stitches back to make the button loop.

Weave in ends.

*Go into the bumps on the back of the chain, not the stitches on the front of the chain.

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valentine rose redux

Am I going to make these pins for my daughter’s teachers every year? Possibly. They are my favorite crochet flower.

crochet rose valentine pin

This year I did a little something different with the backing. Instead of just sewing it on to the felt, I snipped two holes and poked the pin portion through. That way you don’t have to see the bracket on the back (like last year’s pins).

crochet rose valentine pin

I can’t believe how long it took me to figure that out!

Did you do anything crafty for Valentine’s Day?

project details: Pattern from Crochet Embellishments. All supplies were from my stash.

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crazy crochet lady

crochet dishcloths

Yes. The woman crocheting dishcloths in the line waiting to see Santa is me. Who knew rows and rows of half double crochet could be so calming during the holiday rush. I think they’ll go nicely with the soaps.

What last minute projects are you finishing up?