Book Review & Giveaway: Colorful Crochet Lace by Mary Jane Hall

crochet lace book

I had the pleasure of meeting Mary Jane Hall many years ago at a CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) conference. She’s a very talented crochet designer and I love many of her designs! I’ve also had the pleasure of tech editing one of Mary Jane’s previous crochet books, “Crochet That Fits”. In that book, Mary Jane designed many crochet projects using her “graduated stitch method” for shaping garments. She uses this fabulous method to shape many of the projects in her new book, “Colorful Crochet Lace: 22 Chic Garments & Accessories”, too.

 

Colorful Crochet Lace book
Colorful Crochet Lace book

 

There are 22 garment and accessory projects in Mary Jane’s new book. Each one is made with lace: from a little lace all the way up to lace in the whole project. The projects range from small projects like belts, scarves, bags and capelets to larger projects like shawls, wraps, shrugs, skirts and garments. Each project is made with a pretty color of yarn (lace doesn’t always have to be made with white or off-white!). The yarns used range from lace weight to worsted weight, with the majority of them being fingering, sport and DK weight. The hooks used range from E (3.5 mm) to L (8 mm). Many of the garment projects include sizes XS to 3X. Each project includes crochet symbol chart(s) for parts of the projects (or the whole project for the small projects in the book). Those of us who LOVE visual instructions always appreciate crochet symbol charts in patterns!

 

Some of my favorite projects in this book are:

 

Tunique Unique Pullover
Tunique Unique Pullover

 

I love the shape of this pullover!

 

Boutique Bolero front
Boutique Bolero front

 

Boutique Bolero back
Boutique Bolero back

 

I love the stitch pattern and the collar in this bolero!

 

Magnifique Modular Tunic
Magnifique Modular Tunic

 

I love the comfortable look of this tunic!

 

Haute Couture Peplum Top
Haute Couture Peplum Top

 

I love the pineapples along the bottom of this peplum top!

 

I had hopes of crocheting one of the projects in Mary Jane’s book before my scheduled blog tour date, but life got in the way (in several very good ways). Here’s what’s been going on at my home in the past few months:

 

First, my son and daughter-in-law were here from China for a visit. It was wonderful to spend time with them again. When we went to China in April/May of this year, we spent the whole 2 ½ weeks with them, along with our youngest son, who was living there at the time. If you’d like to read about that trip, check out this blog post. It’s so nice to be able to spend time with our grown children, especially since our “nest” is empty! We even went to a Diamondbacks baseball game with all 3 of our sons and our DIL! It was great to spend some time with all 4 of them, which happens even less these days!

 

Second, we got a new puppy! Her name is Maggie and she’s adorable, fun, exhausting, funny and more! This is Maggie:

 

Our new puppy, Maggie
Our new puppy, Maggie

 

We rescued her after she was left behind when a family moved away across the street from my mother-in-law in CA (we were in CA for my niece’s wedding almost 3 weeks ago). I don’t know how anyone can leave a puppy behind when they move, especially a cute puppy like Maggie! We’re guessing that she’s a cross between a Jack Russell Terrier and a Beagle (that was the vet’s guess and we think it’s pretty accurate). Apparently, there’s a name for that cross in breeds: it’s called a Jack-A-Bee! We’re working on lots of “appropriate” behaviors, like “no biting”, “no chewing”, “no digging”, etc! She has so much energy when she’s awake, but drops after a few hours of play and takes many naps during the day. I’m finding that taking a nap is more appealing to me these days, too!!!

 

Third, I was the co-chair of the 2015 CGOA Design Competition, which meant that I received almost all of the design entries, cataloged them, photographed them, drove them to the conference last month (which was held in San Diego, CA), drove them back home and shipped them back to the designers. I finally finished shipping them all back last week, so now I have a little time to get back to crocheting! I just need to decide what project I should start on first!

 

Mary Jane Hall’s new book, “Colorful Crochet Lace”, retails for $24.99 and can be seen/purchased directly from Interweave/F&W here. You can also take a look at the inside of this book and purchase it on Amazon here. If you’d like to see all 22 of the designs in this book, check out this page on Ravelry.

 

Now for the giveaway part of this blog post. If you’d like to win a FREE copy of “Colorful Crochet Lace”, just leave a comment about the book in this blog post to be entered to win. If you live in the USA, you’ll have your choice of a hard copy or a digital copy of the book. If you live outside the USA, you’ll receive a digital copy. This giveaway will end on August 31, so don’t delay in entering! I’ll pick the lucky winner on Sept. 1 and will announce the winner right here on my blog. Good luck everyone!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at Mary Jane Hall’s newest book, “Colorful Crochet Lace”, and that you’ll check out this fabulous book soon.

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

Adorable Baby Sun Hat

baby sun hats

Do you have an adorable baby in your life who gets the sun in her/his eyes outside? Then I have the perfect solution for you! Our Baby Sun Hat crochet pattern is perfect for keeping the sun off baby’s face and head, while looking great at the same time!

Baby Sun Hat
Newborn, Baby and Toddlers sizes

This pattern comes in 3 sizes for newborns, babies and toddlers. The circumference of the hat (made with the same gauge as the pattern) is 12” for newborns, 14” for babies and 16” for toddlers. Our hats were made with Red Heart Baby Sheen, which is a fine/sport weight acrylic yarn, but you can make your sun hats with any comparable yarn you choose.

Small Size of Baby Sun Hat
Newborn size

 

Medium Size of Baby Sun Hat
Baby sizeLarge Size of Baby Sun HatToddler size

The instructions for each size of this sun hat are written separately, making it easier to follow the instructions for the size you’re going to make. The hat includes an optional crocheted flower and a contrasting bottom edging (worked in reverse single crochet).

The woven strands of yarn at the top of the brim make the hat slightly adjustable. Just untie the bow. Loosen or tighten the strands a little and tie the bow again to give your baby a custom hat fit! So as your baby grows so will the hat.

Flower on Baby Sun Hat
Flower on Baby Sun Hat

 

Trim on Baby Sun Hat
Trim on Baby Sun Hat

Here’s a photo of the sun hat on Ivy, my sister-in-law’s granddaughter last year:

Baby Sun Hat on Ivy
Baby Sun Hat on Ivy

Doesn’t Ivy look adorable in this sun hat? I think so!

The pattern is available for purchase on our “Patterns” page for just $4.95.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy this new crochet pattern. If you have any questions about it, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m happy to help!

Happy crocheting,

Susan

Crochet Swag Patterns

crochet shells swag

Do you enjoy decorating your house with crochet projects? Do you have any part of your house decorated in a seashell or beach theme? Here’s my newest published design in the June 2015 issue of Crochet World magazine:

 

 

Shell Motif Swag
Shell Motif Swag

 

This shell swag is quick to make and I think it’s a great decoration for any shell/beach-themed room! You can make just one motif and sew it onto a napkin or towel for a nice decoration, too.

 

Shell Motif Napkin
Shell Motif Napkin

 

You can see all the projects in the June 2015 issue of Crochet World magazine here.

 

I really enjoy designing and crocheting small projects that are quick to finish and make nice decorations. Here are some other crochet swags that I’ve designed over the years:

 

Christmas Swag from Dec 2009 issue of Crochet World magazine
Christmas Swag from Dec 2009 issue of Crochet World magazine

 

Egg Swag from April 2010 issue of Crochet World magazine
Egg Swag from April 2010 issue of Crochet World magazine

 

Halloween Swag from Oct 2009 issue of Crochet World magazine
Halloween Swag from Oct 2009 issue of Crochet World magazine

 

Heart Swag from Feb 2010 issue of Crochet World magazine
Heart Swag from Feb 2010 issue of Crochet World magazine

 

Rattle Swag from April 2009 issue of Crochet World magazine
Rattle Swag from April 2009 issue of Crochet World magazine

 

Star Swag from June 2008 issue of Crochet World magazine
Star Swag from June 2008 issue of Crochet World magazine

 

Snowflake Garland from Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Crochet Today magazine
Snowflake Garland from Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Crochet Today magazine

 

As you can tell, each of these projects is from a past issue of Crochet World magazine or Crochet Today magazine. I don’t own the copyright to any of these, so if you’d like to make one of them, you’ll have to check your personal crochet magazine library, search for a past issue of the magazine for sale online or ask a friend if they have that issue that you could borrow.

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at some quick and fun crochet projects.

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

Crochet a Shawl for Less Than $5!

crochet shawl

Are you looking for a crochet project that won’t break your bank? I have just the thing for you. Here’s my “Keepsake Lace Shawl” that was originally published in the May/June 2010 issue of Crochet Today magazine. The pattern is available for FREE through the Coats & Clark archives here:

 

Keepsake Lace Shawl
Keepsake Lace Shawl

 

In the past 3 weeks, I’ve crocheted 2 of these shawls with just one skein of yarn each from Michaels! The yarn is called “Loops & Threads Woolike”. It is a light fingering weight yarn with 678 yards in the skein, made with 85% acrylic and 15% nylon fibers. And the best part is it retails for just $2.99! Yes, you heard me right. You’ll get 678 yards for just $2.99 (plus tax)!!! Now that’s a great deal for yarn!

 

Here is one of the shawls I crocheted last week. It’s for my Mom for Mother’s Day:

 

Mom's Keepsake Lace Shawl front
Mom’s Keepsake Lace Shawl front

 

Mom's Keepsake Lace Shawl back
Mom’s Keepsake Lace Shawl back

 

To read more about this shawl, you can see my Ravlery project page here. If you’re looking for a relatively quick, inexpensive shawl to crochet, you might want to consider this shawl and yarn!

 

The original pattern is for a 60″ long shawl. This shawl is about 42″ long with 9 pattern repeats across. I started with a foundation chain of 251 chains so I wouldn’t run out of yarn (I knew I wouldn’t have enough yarn to make it the full length and I didn’t want to go buy more yarn). I think the length is very nice! This color of yarn is called “beige” and the other shawl I made was with the color “mauve” (which is much more like burgundy).

 

I really like this yarn AND the amount of yards you get for only $2.99 (or less with a 40% off coupon)! If you don’t have a Michaels store near you, you can always order this yarn through their website here!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at this crochet shawl pattern and this wonderful yarn!

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

Free Lacy Granny Scarf pattern

crochet scarf

I’d like to share a new FREE pattern with you. It’s called “Lacy Granny Scarf”. The pattern is available on the Red Heart UK website here.

 

Lacy Granny Scarf
Lacy Granny Scarf

 

I designed this scarf about 4 months ago for Red Heart using their Red Heart “Precious” yarn, available in the UK. This yarn is a #1 weight yarn, made with 80% acrylic and 20% mohair fibers. I really enjoyed using this yarn and the scarf blocked up very nicely! As with any mohair yarn, you need to be careful with your stitches because ripping out can be a “challenge”!

 

The scarf measures 6″ wide x 60″ long and is made with 10 motifs, each measuring 6″ square. The motifs are joined as you go, so there is no sewing required. There is a simple single crochet edging worked around the joined motifs to give the edges some stability.

 

Since this pattern is published in the UK, some of the crochet terms are different in the pattern than the crochet terms we use here in the US. Here are the different terms used in this pattern:

 

UK “dc” = US “sc”

UK “tr” = US “dc”

UK “dtr” = US “tr”

 

It can sometimes be hard to wrap your head around the different crochet terms used in another country in a crochet pattern! I’ve rewritten patterns from the UK before with the US crochet terms in them to help myself remember which stitch to work when I’m making something from one of these patterns! And sometimes I draw a symbol crochet chart instead of using the written crochet pattern. I do whatever it takes to understand the pattern in order to make the project accurately!

 

If you love lacy crochet projects, I hope you’ll give this pretty Lacy Granny Scarf a try.

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

FREE Baby Baseball Cap Crochet Pattern

crochet baby cap

In honor of baseball’s Spring Training, today’s FREE crochet pattern is a baseball cap for babies!

 

Spring Training Cap
Spring Training Cap

 

This Spring Training Cap pattern was designed by Linda Permann for the Mar/April 2012 issue of Crochet Today magazine. The pattern is available for FREE here.

 

Isn’t this baby adorable? Of course, this baseball cap would look great on any baby!

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

FREE Crochet Duck Pattern

crochet duck

In keeping with the Easter theme, today’s FREE crochet pattern is an adorable duck!

 

Crochet Duck
Crochet Duck

 

This duck pattern includes a removable bonnet! How cute is that? And the facial expression on the duck is priceless!!! Jackie Laing from the website, Amidorable Crochet designed this cute duck. You can find the free pattern on her website here.

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

Bunnies, Bunnies, Bunnies Everywhere!

crochet bunny

If you love bunnies, you’re going to love today’s FREE crochet pattern!

 

Spring Bunnies
Spring Bunnies

 

This is the Spring Bunnies pattern by Stephanie Jessica Lau of the All About Ami website. You can find this FREE pattern here. I think this is the 3rd FREE crochet pattern of Jessica’s that I’ve shared this month! I really like Jessica’s designs! She has a great style of designing and her projects are so cute!

 

I hope you’ll enjoy this FREE crochet pattern and make a spring bunny for someone you love this week!

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

FREE Baby Chicks Crochet Pattern

crochet chicks

Since Easter is coming, I’ve got another FREE Easter crochet pattern for you today. These chicks would work up in very little time (at least for one of the chicks, not a dozen of them)!

 

Baby Chicks in Eggshells
Baby Chicks in Eggshells

 

This is the “Baby Chicks in Eggshells” pattern by Lani Herschensohn of the Red Hot Fibers website. You can find this adorable pattern here. This is what Lani wrote about the pattern:

 

“This pattern is a great way to make a game for young children. Mix up the baby chicks and the shells and the child learns to match their colors. It helps with their fine motor skills as they match up the correct chick with the eggshell.”

 

The pattern doesn’t say anything about stuffing the chicks, but I think I’d stuff them with some polyester fiberfill to help them keep their shape.

 

I hope you enjoy this FREE crochet pattern.

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan

 

FREE Sheep Crochet Pattern

crochet sheep

Today’s FREE crochet pattern is for an adorable amigurumi lamb, designed by Stephanie Jessica Lau from her “All About Ami” website.

 

Chinese New Year Sheep/Lamb
Chinese New Year Sheep/Lamb

 

I just love this cute sheep/lamb that Stephanie designed to celebrate the Chinese New Year. You can find this FREE pattern here.

 

Happy crocheting,

Susan