How to Crochet 5: Seaming Your Work In this how-to series we could move right on from single crochet to the other stitches (double crochet, half double crochet and triple crochet) but I'm pausing to talk about "seaming" because if you want to make anything other than washcloths or rectangular scarves or afghans (which are all good) you're going to need to seam some pieces together. Seaming is a good skill to have and it can be the difference between a cute sweater looking handmade instead of homemade. I am going to share two different methods. The first is the invisible mattress stitch, which works equally well for knitting or crochet by the way, and the second seaming method uses a single crochet stitch. Click to view the full tutorial. SEAMING WITH THE MATTRESS STITCH: You will need a tapestry needle to do the seaming, which is a large blunt needle and a big eye for threading the yarn. The mattress stitch is so fabulous because it's virtually invisible if you line up the stitches correctly. That is the mattress stitch!
caramels Three day weekends are so dreamy. We took advantage of the extra day by taking a trip to Boston to visit some of our best friends, Ari and Jillian. They led us to some great food that I’ll be sharing later this week. The recipe calls for fleur de sel, which is a fancy salt that may take a little looking to find. fleur de sel caramels via design sponge via gourmetmakes about 40 candies 1 cup heavy cream 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 teaspoon fleur de sel 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup water 1 Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment. 2 Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside. 3 Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Nibble nibble, hop hop Nibble nibble, hop hop Posted on Updated on If you are a regular follower you will immediately notice that these bunnies are very closely related to some particularly cute owls made recently. You see a distant aunt on their mother’s side fell in love with a completely unsuitable (if you are an owl) rabbit… the rest, so they say, is history. Right, on with the tutorial. Various scraps of yarn and a corresponding hook – I used 8ply and a 4mm hook.2 x 9mm safety eyes (or beads or buttons)A very small amount of black crochet cotton or embroidery flossA needle to sew your creation together with. Round 1: Make a Magic Circle and chain 3, then crochet 13 DC into the circle and pull tight, join with a SS to complete the round (14 DC). Round 2. Round 3. Round 4. The round goes like this: Chain 2, 2DC into next stitch, 1 DC into next, 1 DC into next, 2DC into next stitch, 1 DC into next, 1 DC into next, 2DC into next stitch, 1 HDC into next, Chain 1, SC into each remaining stitch around. Round 5.
DIY BRACELETS There has been so much chitter chatter on pinterest lately about the stacking bracelet trend (or as some people call it - "an arm party") and I think I am jumping on the bandwagon. The bigger, bolder, chunkier, gold-er :: the better. And, in effort to be financial friendly a lot of people have starting making their own to layer. I created a DIY board to house all of my funky finds in hopes it will inspire me to tackle one.Dana and I have collected almost all the supplies to make a few DIY jewelry projects, but we are still searching for a few supplies. Here are some of my favorite pinterest DIY jewelry ideas: Rope & Hex Nut bracelet via truly smitten, or another take on this bracelet could be used with leather or suede (below). This chain & rhinestone bracelet is one of my favorites, but it has been difficult finding the right chain. These friendship bracelets are a total throwback to middle school, but I love the updated look with the metallic thread. via honestly wtf
Zooty Owl's Crafty Blog: Starflower Mandala: Row by Row Two or so weeks back I posted my STARFLOWER MANDALA PATTERN The original plan was to provide photos of each row - but there was such a high demand for the pattern (long weekend = lots of crochet time) - so I decided to go ahead and publish with just the few photos of the first four rows!Hundreds (maybe thousands?) of people have by now made the Starflower Mandala (the pattern has been viewed some 65 000 times! YAY! My original STARFLOWER MANDALAS were crocheted with Stylecraft Special DK and a 3.50mm hook, giving a finished Mandala of 33 cm in diameter. The Starflower Mandala in this post was made with Raeesah Cotton Soft DK and a 4.00mm hook, giving me a finished Mandala of 45cm in diameter. The photo above is a little bit out of focus (I was precariously perched on a wall when taking this photo!)
Justina Blakeney: DIY's Partners Credit + Disclosure + All images posted on the Justina Blakeney Blog are taken by me, or otherwise credited with source. + If at any time you see work that is inaccurately credited, please let me know and I'm happy to update. + If you find an item of yours that you wish to be removed from this blog, just holla and your wish shall be my command. + All items that I post are things that I adore and would use and/or wear myself. + On occasion I also work with affiliate links on my Pinterest Pins. + Giveaways that are sponsored are marked as such. What is Knooking? What is knooking? Think crochet hook + fabric that has been knitted. Knooking has been said to be the new style of knitting, using a specially designed crochet hook. Why Use a Knook? The knook is a special crochet hook that helps you to create knitted fabric, without the worry of dropping stitches, as can be encountered with regular knitting. With a knook (hook), you create actual knitted stitches. Kooking is said to have originated in Japan. Names for Nook Hooks Super Miracle Needle (Japanese)Amazing Needle (American)Magic Needle Knooks are crochet hooks with the usual hook on one end but with a hole at the other end, that is threaded with a cord. If you've always wanted to knit, but like the ease of crochet, now you can do so, using a knook--a handy crochet hook that replaces knitting needles and creates knitted fabric.
Micro-Macrame Micro-Macrame differs from regular Macrame only because the thickness of the materials used is much finer. This includes the beads, pendants, and other decorations. The delicate cords used in Micro-Macrame are usually between 0.5mm and 2mm thick. When making handcrafted jewelry, controlling fine materials can be challenging. Be very sure you know how to tie all the Macrame Knots in the pattern, BEFORE trying to make the projects in this section of Free Macrame Patterns. Go to the Learn Macrame section, and practice the decorative knots until you are completely comfortable with them. Don't know what types of cord materials are suitable?
I Spy DIY Tutorials « 14 Shades Of Grey I confess, it’s been too cold for outfit photos these past few days, and my outfits weren’t that interesting anyway. I have these pictures left over from the Lunar New Year, so I thought I might as well post them. This year we added a new desert – shortbread cookies – to our usual Lunar New Year fare of candied fruits and preserves, because my sister bought an oven for her new apartment. We had a lot of fun making them, they’re so versatile and the recipe is really simple, so here goes: What You Need: 2 C butter, softened 1 C white sugar 4 C all-purpose flour 2 ts vanilla extract Optional: dry fruits (we used cranberries and dried plums, random, I know, but we needed to clean out the pantry), jam, coconut flakes, sliced almonds, chocolate, etc. Instruction: 1. 2. 3. 4. I’m not big on trend, but one of the trends I’m sorry I miss this fall/winter is the animal graphic sweater. Instructions:1. 2. 3. 4. And you’re done! Instructions:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. No, that’s not some witch’s cauldron 2. 3.