Sunday, January 13, 2013

Snowflakes for Sandy Hook Elementary School Students



My goal is to make 2 things each year that would bring a smile to somebody or help a good cause.  When I heard about making snowflakes for Sandy Hook Elementary Children, I decided to crochet a couple.  While I know Connecticut PTSA was overwhelmed with people's donation of snowflakes from around the world, this was also my way of saying "I'm thinking of all of you that left this world way too early, you are all in my heart as well as all those that were affected by the Sandy Hook tragedy."  

I wish all the best for all the students and teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary and I hope you can find peace.







Where I got these patterns?



Tuesday, January 8, 2013

9 Beautiful, unique crochet projects that will make you want to learn how to crochet or spice up your ToDo list


Because my crochet ToDo list is not long enough (yeah, right!), I had to find new things to keep my crochet hook busy and inspired (it gets bored making the same thing over and over again).  I always like to try new things and keep myself challenged.  

This list consists of crochet projects that are something different than usual hat, scarf, granny square or pot holder.  If you have never crochet before, I hope this will give you an inspiration to learn this great craft (it’s not as hard as it looks!)
If you’ve been crocheting for a while as I have been, I hope you find something new and unique and add it to your ToDo list.


I hope to post a new blog entry for each of the accomplished item on my ToDo list.  This may take a while :)
Leave feedback and let me know what you like best from this list and if you’re planning to make it or wish somebody made it for you :).

1. Basket
I’ve seen baskets or bowls crocheted with soft yarn and then shaped and stiffened to keep that shape.  However, this one is different.  It uses a rope and you crochet around it.  Great idea for many different projects too.
Crochet Hemp Basket by CraftPassion.com



2. Rope Rug
As soon as I saw it, I found a nylon rope I had laying around in my house, the biggest crochet hook I had and never used before and found a doily pattern I thought would work great..  Only to be stopped quite early on because I ran out of rope.  Since I bought that rope years ago, I have no clue where I can find more of it.  In any case, it’s not the best rope for a rug anyhow.  Instead, I just ordered 100% cotton rope and cannot wait for it to come in the mail so I can try a rope rug.  It will look great in my sunroom!
Mega Doily Rug by Ladies & Gentlemen




3. Butterfly Wall Hanging
So this one is already crossed off my ToDo list and the picture of the finish product is shown below.  
I love it so much that I had to include it here.  It also makes me feel better to have something done on my ToDo list!  I made it for my daughter’s room and it goes great with the flower-butterfly curtains I made as well (see my earlier blog post).  If you search the internet for crochet butterfly, most hits you get are patterns of small butterflies or doily-like look which I’m not fond of.  This one is quite unique.  Check out other patterns on mypicot.com - great website.



4. Very cute Amigurumi
If you’re not familiar with amigurumi, it is a Japanese art of crocheting stuffed toys.  I’ve done some in the past and it’s always a fun project.  My kids love watching them emerge from the ball of yarn, though it’s never fast enough for them. There are lots of amigurumi patterns out there, but a lot are either very simplistic or the results are just not cute enough.  However, amigurumipatterns.net is one of the websites that has a great selection of very detailed oriented patterns.  Some you have to pay for, but once I get to this ToDo item, I will be willing to pay for a pattern like this.  Here are some examples.  I think the princesses definitely shine above the others (I might be slightly biased since my daughter loves princesses).


Sweet Pup
Graduation Owl
Armchair with 2 cushions and rug

Princesses



5. The smallest crocheted amigurumi ever

So the previous bullet gave you an idea what amigurumi is.  While detailed and may require some time to accomplish it, it is doable.  This one on the other hand will be one of the most challenging project yet for me.  I’m not even sure how to accomplish it because the smallest hook I have is .75 mm (and trust me, it’s very small) and it’s way too big to accomplish these creatures.  So tiny, and Su Ami still manages to make them very cute and very detailed.  Love it!




6. Clock - and it works!
This clock would be perfect for a little girl’s room.  I think my daughter’s room has enough crochet decoration, so I will have to think of a clock design that would fit a different room...  My head is already spinning with ideas...  This one is beautifully done by Natasja from UK.






7. Bag or purse from Italy
I’ve seen many crocheted bag patterns but none of them grab my attention as much as these ones done by La Catenella from Italy.  I wish they sold the patterns, but I guess I’ll have to try to figure it out on my own.  First thing is to find out what type of yarn or maybe fabric/trim is being used here...






8. Wire bowl
I’ve been thinking of making a centerpiece for my new sunroom.  One idea that came to my mind is a crocheted bowl but using wire instead of thread or yarn.  I actually never used wire for crocheting yet, so I’m looking forward to making that one.  I like the simplicity of this bowl made by CatsWire, but I may put my own twist on it...  I’ll know once I try using the wire and see how it works.



9. Wire necklace
I love making jewelry using thread (that’s what I sell in my Etsy store) and I love to try new techniques.  So my next venture that would hopefully end up in my Etsy store is crochet wire jewelry.  Here’s the piece  by CatsWire which I really like and it gives me some ideas for what I would like to do.  




Bonus. Playground
So to make it clear, this is NOT on my ToDo list.   I’m just so impressed with the idea and the sheer size of this project, that I had to include it as a bonus.  I can’t even imagine how long it took to make a whole playground!  It was designed by Japanese artist Toshiko Horiuchi-MacAdam.  My hat off to her.  I wish I could go there to play on it :)