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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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mini hanks of easter yarn

dyeing yarn with easter egg dye

I have never considered myself a yarn dyer. I have so many odds and ends in my stash, I can’t imagine ever needing a specific color for anything. But while I was cleaning up from Easter egg dyeing last Saturday, I decided to dunk a few balls of yarn in the leftover dye just for fun.

dyeing yarn with easter egg dye

It was a really sloppy attempt. I soaked my yarn under the kitchen faucet before plopping it into the cups. I let them sit for a long while before I remembered to microwave them. Some of the mini-hanks were wound too tightly and are pale on the inside. The colors, however, are absolutely beautiful! They make me want to try my hand at dyeing a larger amount.

I’m not sure what I’ll do with this little bit of yarn. Maybe I’ll crochet some eggs.

details: The white yarn is from my stash of unraveled sweaters. I didn’t follow a tutorial for dyeing the yarn. If you google “easter egg dye yarn” you’ll get a bunch of links.

I haven’t been spending a lot of time in front of my computer lately. Thanks for putting up with all of my instagram photos.

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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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felted wool sweater mug cozy

felted wool sweater mug cozy

Why yes, I did make a wool sweater for my mug.

Even though the Autumn temps are still beautiful here in Nebraska, the mornings are a bit chilly. My tea needed some help staying warm.

I tried not to over think this project — it is a mug cozy, after all — but a quick search on Pinterest and Etsy turned up so many cool ideas. Only problem was that while I was lost in cozy-land, my tea was getting cold.

So I dug into my stash of felted wool sweater bits and found a piece long enough to wrap around my mug. I secured it with a few buttons and embroidery thread. The buttonholes are just little slits. (You can cut felted wool and it won’t unravel.)

So there you have it. Cozy morning tea.

* * * * *

Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts on decluttering and congratulations to Erica Arehart on winning the sewing book. I’ll have a knitting book up later this week.

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five minute fleece scarf

no sew scarf

They are the words that all knitters, crocheters and sewists don’t want to hear:

Mom, I lost my scarf.

I’m not too worried. I’ve stitched her name and my phone number in all of her handmade woolens. I’m also in the process of replacing the lost scarf with something to match her kitty cat hat and mittens. I’m not too invested in this little brown scarf. Now, if it was one I made out of Noro Kureyon…

It will probably turn up tomorrow, but it’s going to be cold in the morning. Usually, I’d just give her one of mine to wear. However, the thought of one of my scarves spending the night out on the playground makes me kind of queasy.

So, I made a little stand-in scarf. It took more time to take a photo and write this post than it did to make the scarf. I used a fleece scrap from my stash, folded it from selvedge to selvedge, cut a 5 1/2 inch wide strip and trimmed off the selvedges. The fringe is 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.

It actually turned out really nice. So nice, that when her brown scarf finally makes it’s way home, I might have to keep this for myself.

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finished: flower motif scarf

flower motif scarf

I’m on a roll finishing scarves. This one turned out a little longer than I planned. I just kept joining motifs and forgot that each one is a little bit bigger after blocking.

flower motif scarf

This has got to be one of my favorite yarn projects. I love the colors and the pattern, plus it has amazing drape. Who would have thought a few thrifted balls of sock yarn could be transformed into something so lovely?

details: Pattern from 201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Projects and Ideas. Yarn is Knit Picks Parade (ravelry link). I used 2 1/2 skeins for the scarf and I’m crocheting the leftover bits into bookmarks.