We are in Kindergarden countdown around here. I have become school obsessed. I wanted to make something fun for myself, since I'm getting ready to start a new class too!
Remember my Fancy Pen covers? Well, I made a fun version:
The Pencil (Pen) Cover!
Supplies:
Embroidery floss in 4 colors (I'm going to give you the DMC floss color numbers to make a classic yellow pencil, but you can use any color for the body of the pencil. The colors for the ends are what sells it as a 'pencil')
Wood: 437 (light brown)
Body: 972 (yellow)
Metal: 415 (light gray)
Eraser: 3326 or 894 -they both look good! (pink)
Size C crochet hook
Tapestry needle
Ballpoint pens (I used a Papermate Eagle, but I think a Bic Stic would work too. Make sure you get one that has a black plastic tip holding the ink in... Which means that you're going to have to get a black ink pen...)
R1: With Wood color, make 6 sc in a magic loop. Don't pull the loop tight, but close it enough that you can sl st the last sc to the first to join the round. (6 st)
R2-3: (from now on, the rounds are going to be done amigurumi style, continuously in one long spiral without joining) sc in each stitch (6 st)
R4-?: Change to Body color, sc in each stitch (use the entire skein - you'll know it's long enough when you run out of embroidery floss) (6 st)
R?+1-4: Change to Metal color, sc in each stitch (6 st)
R?+5-8: Change to Eraser color, sc in each stitch (6 st)
Sl st in next stitch. Fasten off. Leave the Eraser and Wood ends, but weave in any other loose ends.
The tube is going to be very long and skinny. It isn't easy to slide the pen into it, but I'm going to quote Julia Child here and say, "You just have to have the courage of your conviction" and shove it in. I promise, it will fit, and if we made it bigger it would be too loose and wouldn't stay on.
Once you've got the cover on your pen, use your tapestry needle and the loose ends to really snug the cover onto the pen as you wind the ends in.
The 'pencils' would look great in a Pencil Case...
Okay, now I have some business I need to ask you about. Jake and I have been knocking this idea around for a while, and we can't make a decision, so I thought I would ask YOU, Dynamos, for your opinion. Quite often, for my posts, I make several versions of the item that I'm making. I have to make the extras to pattern test before I unleash the pattern-y awesomeness on you guys. (For example, I have 2 of these pens earmarked for a present, but the rest??!) So my house is starting to fill up with unused crochet goodness, and I'm running out of room. I was thinking of starting an Etsy shop to get rid of share the extras, but we're not sure that anyone would even be interested. What do you think? Even if you don't normally leave a comment, I really would appreciate it if you would go ahead and leave one this time. Think of it as a donation to my site. In fact, I'll sweeten the deal, leave me a comment saying if you would be interested in my Etsy site or if I should donate/garage sale my leftovers. Either way, I'll enter you to win one of my Pencil Pens, any color you want (I'll make it for you special!). So leave me that info too. So, since this has gone on so long, and just to clarify:
Please do me a solid and leave me a comment with your opinion about what I should do with my leftover crochet goodies (to Etsy, or not to Etsy), and the color Pencil Pen that you'd like if you're selected. (I will ship anywhere, international shipping is no problem)
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll select the winner next Friday, September 7th.
Okay, so hooray for unexpected goal achievement! I've wanted to get onto the Craftsy leaderboard ever since I joined the site. Last night I noticed THIS:
Thank you to everyone who downloaded my pattern and made this happen! It's as cool as I hoped it would be. Now I have to set a new goal. I'm thinking I'll shoot for the paid pattern leaderboard... LOL!!!
While I was pregnant with Mims I got very into quilting. I really enjoyed the idea of quilting, but there is a personality that quilting is really suited for and I am just not that type. But, dang I tried really hard to become that type. Unfortunately, I am just not that exacting and precise, even when I am trying my hardest.
I ended up making several freeform quilts, which gave me the quilty good times with out the frustration for cutting the fabric in the wrong direction, sewing it with an incorrect seam allowance, and never ironing enough. I also made a couple of small art quilts. I hung one in Mims' nursery, and one I hung by the side of my bed. It had a pocket, and I figured I could slip stuff I wanted to keep close in there. Heh. It never worked that well (it was just too small and everything falls out when there is the slightest breeze), so now I just use it as a place to stash needles and pins when I'm working at night in my room.
It occurred to me that I needed an upgrade. So, today I'm doing a crochet DIY!
Memo Board
Supplies
Worsted weight yarn in assorted colors
Size G hook
Yarn needle
An 8"x10" wrapped canvas
Small binder clips (optional)
I crocheted an 10 1/2" granny square out of worsted weight cotton which is large enough to wrap around the canvas.
I laid the canvas on top of the granny square, and then used a long piece of the green yarn to weave in and out between the final row open spaces.
I pulled it snugly and tied the yarn in a knot. The loose ends are in the picture, but I just snipped them off. **If you get canvas board instead of a stretched canvas, you could use the loose ends to make a hanger by stretching them across the back and tying them to the other side.**
This is what it looked like when I first put it up.
I tied on a couple of binder clips using embroidery floss. Since they're just tied on, I can move them if I need to. For now, I like them where they are. Once I actually put it up in my room (the pic was taken in the bathroom, since it has waaay better lighting - Jake works at night so we keep our room in constant blackout status so he can sleep during the day), I took all the straight pins, yarn and sewing needles off the quilt and poked them through the stitches up the side of the board.
(That's my fave family photo from this year! The photo booth at Ro's wedding rocked!)
I like that this I could change out the colors on this as quickly as I can crochet a granny square. I like that there's nothing permanent, and if I wanted to paint the canvas I could. For now, I'm digging it.
A couple of days ago I got a question from a gal who's London Crochet Bag had gone wonky. It had turned out tiny! I didn't put a gauge guide at the beginning of the pattern, since (for the most part) if all the parts are crocheted by the same person with the same tension the bag will work. Unfortunately, this was one of those exception-to-the-rule times...
So I crocheted a swatch. I thought you might be interested in swatching, so I'm going to share what I know. As a bonus, you'll be privy to the awesomeness that is the 'correct' gauge for the London Crochet Bag! Ahahaha!
Okay, so I made my swatch 20 stitches wide and 14 rows long. You don't need to measure the entire swatch, the most accurate sample of your stitch gauge is found in the center of the swatch.
**If (on another pattern) you see that the gauge is telling you the number of stitches that you should have over a certain number of inches - like 8 stitches = 3 inches - start with more than 8 stitches. I multiply the stitch number by 1.5 (which in my example would give us 12 stitches) to use for a sample swatch. Those side stitches are not an accurate representation of your stitch tension.**
On my swatch, if you count it in the picture, you'll see that I get twelve and a half stitches measuring from the 1" mark to the 5" mark. I'm going to round that up, since it's more than 12. **This works for bags and scarves, but if you're crocheting a sweater that half stitch would be a big deal over a couple hundred stitches. Designers don't round up on clothing.** So my measurement is 13 stitches = 4 inches. This is the most important number in a gauge measurement.
The row measurement is taken across the swatch in the other direction.
Measuring from the 1" mark to the 5" mark gives us a measurement of 10 rows = 4 inches. This measurement is harder to control than the stitch measurement. If your measurement is waaaaay off, you might want to adjust the yarn and hook, but if you're close (and the stitch gauge is dead on... or close to it) I wouldn't worry about this number.
So for those of you who are making a London Crochet Bag, and want to do it 'right', your correct gauge is:
Okay, so when I'm not hanging out here, I'm on Pinterest. A lot. It has digitized my hoarding tendencies, which I guess is kind of a good thing, since they're not manifesting as much in my actual real life anymore. LOL!!!
I was clicking around Pinterest, searching for a new haircut, when BAM! I started finding the kind souls who do hairstyling videos. Have you ever watched any of those videos? I realized that Kate from The Small Things Blog has hair close enough to mine that I can rock her styles, and Mindy from Cute Girl Hairstyles has daughters with hair the same length as Mims. So instead of cutting our hair, I'm learning how to style it. I know, I know, I should have learned this in Junior High. But I didn't. So, thanks to Pinterest and YouTube, Mims and I have been looking ah-mazing!
My new-found hairstyling confidence has led me to try other styles as well. In particular, I'm really attracted to boho styles involving head-wraps and headbands. I keep seeing THIS and THIS style pinned almost daily, and after the 40th time of seeing it, I decided that I needed to try something like it myself.
Of course, I don't have any cute scarves to use for this style, but I know where I can get an even cuter headband... I can make it myself from leftover yarn that I have laying around! Recycling! And fashion! And a cute hairstyle! Win, win, win!
Okay, so this pattern is ridiculously simple. I feel a little weird writing it out. But, I'm going to anyway...
Boho Headwrap - Multi-stripe
approx. 37" long x 1.5" wide
Supplies:
Worsted weight yarn (I used leftover cotton yarn in 5 different colors, you can use whatever you've got too. If you want a summertime-beachy look, use cotton.)
Size H crochet hook
Yarn needle
ch 115
R1: sc in the back loop of the 2nd chain from hook, sc in the back loop of each chain across (114 st)
R2: change color, ch 1, sc in each sc across (114 st)
R3: change color, ch 1, sc in each sc across (114 st)
R4: change color, ch 1, sc in each sc across (114 st)
R5: change color, ch 1, sc in each sc across (114 st)
Fasten off. Weave in ends.
This is Mims. She's working as my model today. She's getting paid in My Little Ponys...
First I sectioned off the front of her hair and pinned it out of the way.
Then I wrapped the headband around her head, and included it when I wrapped the rubber band around the ponytail (instead of tying it! A neat trick I'm going to use even when I'm not doing this style.)
I separated the ponytail into 2 sections with each side getting one of the headband tails. I twisted the sections and then wrapped them around the headband as many times as it took to get the ends woven in and lookin' cute.
Her hair is pretty long, and the headband is not as light as a silk scarf, so I had to use some bobby pins to keep the wraps in place.
I unpinned the front and separated her hair at her part. I twisted the side and wrapped it around the headband.
I used a bunch of bobby pins to hold it back and in place.
I sectioned the other side into 3 sections. I twisted each section, and then wrapped it around the headband, pinning everything in place.
My little boho baby! At this point we were both getting a little silly, so getting her to smile and be happy for the camera required some very crazy questions. This picture was her thinking about the best ice-cream in the world that hasn't been invented yet...
She loved this look. I loved this look. It softened a little over the day, despite the cloud of hairspray that I used. But that made it look even a little more hippie-baby, which was awesome. She especially loved having her hair off of her neck (this is a big deal, she loves wearing her hair loooooong!).
It's been so hot and humid lately, that all I want to do is sit in my room with the air-conditioning blasting (intermittently, since it's on energy saver, yo) and crochet... and watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Hulu.
I've been crocheting a lot!
Last week, my friend Nyan over at NyanPon's Knits and Crochet posted the cutest scarf pattern. I absolutely had to make it! She gives you the instructions for an average width scarf, but suggest that if you'd like a chunkier scarf you can double the foundation chain when you start. Chunkier scarf?! I am all over that! (Crossing my arms and nodding my head like I Dream of Jeannie) Done!
This was a perfect project for four reasons:
1. I already had the yarn (Bernat Handicrafter 100% cotton worsted weight yarn in Country Red) and hook (size H).
2. One of my friends has a birthday next month and I've been agonizing about what to make her. She'll love this.
3. Chunky scarves look really good on those of us that don't wear size 4 jeans. The proportions make us look good, especially if the scarf is a little long.
4. This pattern is fun and quick, even as large as I made mine. It's also a little brainless (in a really good way) which means you can crochet and watch a movie at the same time without worrying that the pattern will get all messed up.
The finished measurements of my scarf ended up being 16" wide by 84" (that's 7 feet long, peeps!). You, of course, wouldn't have to make yours this big. Or, you could make it even larger! I think I'm going to make a 2nd scarf this size for myself, and triple the foundation chain stitches (up to 60) and make a scarf/wrap. Perfect for SoCal winters!
Okay, so I have to tell you a funny story about the 'photo shoot' for this scarf. I don't look super happy in the picture, but I swear it's not the scarf (in fact, everyone who has seen the scarf 'in person' has wanted one)! It's the fact that it was 102 degrees out. Did you notice my dead lawn? It's reverting back to desert, people!!!
Also, that shirt was too hot. I had the perfect shirt on earlier, when I went to my oncology check-up (No sign of the lymphoma in my bloodwork! All my stats were normal. Yippee!), which was the one I wanted to wear for the picture. But I did something dumb involving dry shampoo and couldn't wear it...
Has Pinterest suckered you in to making your own dry shampoo yet? No? Give it time...
My batch was approximately 2 cups cornstarch, with about 1/2 cup baking soda added in. I use about a tablespoon on the days between washings (my hair is a little pretty damaged from switching back and forth between blue-black hair and blonde hair... twice...). So I get the super bright idea today that I should 'refresh' my hair so it would look good in the picture. It was so hot, and I was a little sweaty and my hair was looking a little flat, so I figure that it needed a little boost from the dry shampoo. Uh, I'm going to blame the heat for this synaptic misfire...
So I get my hair loaded up in cornstarch and baking soda, not giving a single thought about my shirt, or my makeup or the fact that I had already done my hair this morning and used hairspray... Epic fail. I got it everywhere... I had to change my clothes... I had to wear a too-hot shirt... I think that this would be really funny if it had happened to my sister... but since it's me, not so much.
The only redeeming thing is that I was right. My hair did look really good afterwards, 'cause that stuff works really, really well...
Okay, Dynamos, go make some scarves and your own dry shampoo today!
So, on to Part Three - Where Jaime shows you some stuff you might not have seen before... And hopefully finishes the Pencil Case... Finally!
The Supplies we're using today are:
12 1/2" zipper (or longer, since zippers don't come in that size)
Yarn needle
Scissors
Matches
Sewing pins
The cotton yarn you used to make the crocheted outer shell in Part One
Knit Picker
As you Dynamos may already know, I can never find a 'right-sized' zipper. I haven't put a un-customized (that's not a real word, btw) zipper into any of my crocheted projects. I cut and stitch and melt all of them. I was lamenting this sad fact to Jake a while back, and he suggested I find someplace that I could purchase big lengths of zipper, if I was just going to customize it anyway. Brilliant!
Did you know that you can buy a big, fat roll of zipper?! Okay, smarty pants, well the rest of us didn't know about it! I got mine online at Joann.com. They have two kinds of the Make-A-Zipper, regular and heavy duty. I got heavy duty, since most of my projects are meant to be used a lot. So, lucky for me, I was all ready to go when I needed a 12 1/2" zipper!
I was able to zip the zipper pulls along, up the spool of zipper, until I got the length that I needed. Then I just cut it off. So easy peasy! There are instructions on the package on how to sew the ends closed (in fact, they HIGHLY recommend sewing the ends before cutting the zipper), but we fly without a net around here. Usually, I elaborately stitch the ends closed with sewing thread, but this time I knew that I would be stitching across the ends when I sewed the zipper in, so I just used a piece of yarn and sewed it once around the zipper teeth. Even more simply, I tied the ends in a knot on the back of the zipper. Seriously, Dynamos, it was freeing to work so loosely!
I used a match to (very slightly) melt the cut ends of the zipper fabric. This will keep it from fraying. I don't know how necessary this step is for this particular project (the ends won't show, get rubbed or abused or handled in any way), but on the off chance that I would ever need to wash the case, I did it for good measure.
Putting a zipper in, without wanting to throw the project across the room, requires some prep work. First, we're going to pin the zipper in place. Grab your pencil case with liner and your pins!
Decide if your case has a front and back (if you used one solid color, this doesn't matter, but two or more colors will have a slight jog in the stitches on one side, thus necessitating a banishing to 'back' status). I put my zipper in so that it would unzip from left to right. You can, of course, put your zipper in however you like.
Start by sliding the end of your zipper about a half inch in between the liner and the crocheted outer shell. Pin it in place (I put the pin in sideways, across the zipper). Unzip the zipper to make it easier to see what you're doing. Slide the zipper fabric in between the liner and the crochet, slowly working around the edge of the flap. Pin it in place as you go.
When you get to the corner of the flap, you're going to want to fold the zipper fabric over to miter the corner. Make sure you catch both layers of zipper fabric when you pin it between the liner and the crochet flap so it doesn't spring apart.
Make your way around the case, sliding the extra length of zipper end in between the liner and crochet outer shell when you get to the other side. Pin, pin, pin everything. Once you've got it pinned in place you can check it by (very carefully!) zipping it closed. If the zipper pulls the fabric weird, or in some way aggravates you, NOW is the time to adjust it. Also, check to make sure that the liner fabric and crocheted fabric are spaced evenly (maybe 1/8th inch?) from the zipper teeth. Go around and adjust the pins until you are thrilled with how it looks, and you're sure the zipper pull won't get caught on too-close fabric.
Now, get out your Knit Picker and yarn, 'cause we're going to crochet it all together!
If you didn't see my previous Knit Picker project (the Simple Ruffle-Butt Onesie) I would strongly encourage you to go and look at the step-by-step pictures of the knit picker in action. It's okay, open it up in a new tab and read through the instructions on how the tool works, we'll wait for you because we are covering so much info today that this next part is bare bones, baby! Okay, not bare-bare bones, but it will be really confusing if you don't know how to make it work. If you've used one before, or you're familliar with the latch-hook mechanism as it pertains to this application, then you're ready for this next part!
This project is harder than the onesie, since you're going to have to go through multiple layers of fabric. I found it was easier to get through the layers of liner, then go through the zipper fabric, and come out in a crocheted stitch.
The good part is that you don't have to mark your stitch guide, just use the crochet stitches on the flap as a guide. Your knit picker stitches will be evenly spaced if you go through each crocheted stitch across the top of the flap. Down the sides of the flap I used the rows as a guideline, but I just eyeballed the spacing. The stitches don't show on the outside of the case, so it's hard to make a mistake on the side spacing.
Pulling the (much thicker than the yarn we used for the onesie) cotton yarn through all those layers of fabric is not easy. Once you've done a few stitches you'll get the hang of it, and you'll know how hard you need to pull to get it to work.
I started in the center of the back, since I figured that was a spot that was least likely to show, and wouldn't have much tension placed on it in the zipping/unzipping process.
That reminds me, make sure that you really pay attention when you get to the bottom of the flap, as you go across from one side to the other, put a stitch on each side of the zipper teeth. One on one side, go across and one on the other side. This will really secure the zipper in place.
Once you've gone around the case, pull the last loop out just a little extra.
Come in from the outside, so that you can pull the loop through. This will make it really easy to weave the end in when you're finished.
Once you've gotten the loop through, pull it out really long. You may need to grab a crochet hook for this part. **In fact, if at any point you are having trouble pulling a loop out far enough for it to 'chain' to the other stitches, use a crochet hook. You will feel like you're going to break your knit picker if you pull very hard, and it's just not worth the sick feeling in your stomach if you've got your tool kit nearby. The knit picker is super sturdy, and it shouldn't break, btw. I'm just sayin' why take the risk if it makes you nervous?**
Fasten off and weave in the ends, 'cause you are done, baby!!!
Oh yeah! Inside!! And now Outside!!!
I know I say this about every project, but I really am so happy with how it turned out. I have made a few more that need to get the zippers put in, but I'll share those with you when they're done (and I don't have anything else to talk about that day...).
In the meantime, I thought I'd share this video. This is the one that my friend Eliz sent me that really kicked off my knit picker love. If you'd like more info you can click HERE and it will take you to TECHknitting, who pioneered this technique. (And I know that in-blog videos are annoying, but pop it open to full-screen because this one is really good and well worth watching.).
Okay, so when I started making this pencil case, honestly it didn't seem like that much work. But, as I've been putting this sewn liner tutorial together, I realized that I'm going to have to break this project into three parts. The lining instructions are so flippin' image heavy that it would just be cruel to give you this and the Make-A-Zipper/Knit Picker all at once. So, today we're making the lining the pencil case! Ooh, so very exciting! :D
**This is my first full-on sewing tutorial. It's not hard, but there are quite a few steps.**
Pencil Case Lining
Supplies:
Two 20" x 5.5" strips of fabric that coordinates with your crocheted outer shell (a single fat quarter would make both pieces!)
Sewing thread that coordinates with your fabric
Straight pins
Scissors
Ruler
Cut your fabric into 20" x 5.5" strips. You need two. The aqua is going to be the outside of my lining, and the print is going to be the inside. That way the crazy bright print will look awesome on the inside of the pencil case, and the aqua won't show through the crochet outer shell. Win!
Pin your fabric strips right sides together. Put one pin in the center of each short end, and a pin on each side 3 1/4" in from each end (You will have 6 pins all together). The pins on the side are your guide for the first step. You're going to sew the ends closed, and they're going to become the flap lining. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew from one pin up to the corner, turn, sew across short end, turn and sew down to the other pin. Repeat on the other end. Do Not Sew The Long Sides Closed.
Once you've got both ends sewn together, clip across the corners (be careful not to snip the stitches). Okay, this is where my sewing tute inexperience is showing. The white stitching is crazy hard to see on the fabric. I drew in the stitches in the pic below to make it easier to see what I'm talking about...
Now we're going to make the bag part of the liner. Open up the two layers of fabric by sliding your hand between them. (Ooh, did you notice I was wearing my awesome Surfer Girl bracelet?) Now turn your hand sideways, like a knife, and let the fabric 'tube' open up. Now you can lay it down, with the print fabric on one side, and the non-print fabric on the other side of your flap sections...
Make sure you match your flap seams. This way your lining will line up and look neat.
Match the seams!
Pin the 'inner layer' (print!) together. You don't need to use a lot of pins, we just want to keep it from sliding around while you sew. **Don't worry about pinning the other (outer, non-print fabric) side right now. The extra pins will just foul you up at this point...**
I wrote on the picture, since once again, my white thread didn't show up well. When you start your side seams, you will want to start just a smidgen past the end of the flap seam. This will help keep the side of the case from getting bunched and wonky. Sew both sides with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Now, flip your flap pieces the other way and pin the other, non-print side. Sew one of the side seams. On the last side seam, leave a 2 inch gap in the seam. We need that opening to turn the liner when we're done, so Seriously!! Make Sure You Leave A Gap!
The pencil case has a flat bottom. We're going to give the liner a flat bottom as well! Open up the corners and flatten them the other way to create triangle points. Center the side seam and pin in place. Do this for all 4 lower corners. (Don't do this to the flap corners.)
The bottom of the case is 1 1/4 inches across. Using your ruler, find the spot where the triangle measures 1 1/4" across. Move your pin to that line, or use disappearing ink to mark the line. That's where you sew the corner seam. Mark and sew all 4 lower corners.
Once you've sewn all your corner seams, snip the excess triangle fabric off. This will help keep the liner corners from becoming bulky and lumpy.
This is what your liner should look like at this point:
Turn it right side out using the gap we left earlier. I had the best luck pulling the flaps through first, and then using a chopstick to really poke at the corners of the flaps (to make them nice and sharp!). Then once I was happy with how the flaps looked, I went ahead an finished turning the liner right side out.
Now, this is what your liner should look like:
The gap is easy to sew up. If anyone was ever going to see it, I would have stitched it beautifully and invisibly by hand. Since this is going inside a crocheted cover, I just zig zagged it to keep it from unraveling. No one is ever going to see it, so make it easy on yourself.
The secret, I have discovered, between sewn items looking Handcrafted versus Homemade (do you get the distinction?) is Ironing!!! Iron the heck out of those flap parts. The rest of the bag it doesn't matter as much, since it's not really going to be seen (and who would know if the inside had been ironed or not?), but those flap parts need to be flat and beautiful before we move on.
At this point you can put your liner into the crochet pencil case shell. I pinned the corners of the flaps together to help hold it in place as I smoothed the liner inside the lower (bag) section. This is a good place to stop, take a break, get an ice-blended something to drink and relax. I'll show you what that crazy roll of zipper is, and how to use the Knit Picker to put it and the liner in on Tuesday... Click HERE for Part 3...
xoxo
p.s. If you missed Part One - The chapter where Jaime gives you the pattern to make the crocheted part of this project - you can find it HERE! ;D
