We’ve added two new pages to The Crochet Architect website. The first page is called “Reviews”, where you can let us know what you think about our crochet patterns. If you’ve bought one of our patterns and you like it, please let us know. If there is anything unclear about the pattern, please let us know, as well. To write a review on the pattern you’ve purchased on this website, simply go to the page for the pattern you’ve purchased. Then scroll down, click on the button that says “Click here to submit your review” and fill in the appropriate spaces. Once your review is approved (everything has to me moderated these days due to all the “spam” out there!), it will show up on the website. It’s that easy!
The second page we’ve started is a “Gallery” page (in the dropdown menu below “Reviews”). This is where I share customer project photos that you’ve made from our patterns on The Crochet Architect website. If you’ve bought one of our patterns and finished your crochet project, we’d love to see your project and show it to others. Please share it with us by contacting me through this website (on the “Contact Me” page in the dropdown menu below “About Me”). I’ll reply to your message and arrange to post your project photo here at The Crochet Architect on the “Gallery” page. I love to see the finished projects of my customers and students, and I’d love to share your project photos with the world!
I hope you’re enjoying our patterns here on The Crochet Architect. I strive to create crochet patterns that are clear, accurate and easy to understand. I’ve been crocheting for over 35 years, designing crochet patterns for 15 years and editing crochet patterns for almost 10 years. I love what I do and I hope you enjoy the crochet patterns here at The Crochet Architect.
It’s finally done! If you’ve enjoyed making (or have thought about purchasing) my Faux Tatted Necklace pattern, you might be interested to learn that I just self-published a pattern for a whole set of jewelry (necklace, bracelet and earrings). If you’re wondering why I call this “Faux” Tatting, it’s because it isn’t tatted. It’s crocheted to look like tatting! The only stitches used are chains, slip stitches and single crochet. The pattern is easy to follow, includes step-by-step photos and a symbol chart for the necklace (once you’ve made the necklace, the bracelet and earrings are a piece of cake!). Each of these jewelry pieces is crocheted with size 10 cotton crochet thread (for all of us “threadies”), using any buttons, beads or charms you desire.
I designed the bracelet and earrings for this set last summer before the CGOA Conference in Manchester, where I taught a class on making the Faux Tatted Necklace. But in my usual “procrastinating” style, it’s taken me this long to self-publish it! In my defense, though, I’m busy with other crochet work, I’m a perfectionist and I may possibly have ADD because I get distracted very easily (just ask my husband)!!! Aren’t all creative people like that (or many of them)?
Focus, Susan! Back to the jewelry set. I just love making these necklaces! It only takes a few hours to make each one, so I have less chance of getting distracted! Now I can crochet the matching bracelet and earrings for each of the necklaces I’ve made for a complete set (my ears won’t be bare any more). And now YOU can have coordinating sets, too!!!
Here are some close-up photos of the bracelet and earrings for you to see:
The bracelet pattern includes instructions for buttons/beads/charms on 1 side (in the brown/blue bracelet photo) or on 2 sides (in the black/green bracelet photo). The bracelet uses 12 or 23 buttons, beads or charms. The earrings have just 1 button on each of them and use earring wires (or your favorite earring findings).
I hope you enjoy this new pattern. And I hope you’ll share photos of your Faux Tatted Jewelry Sets with all of us.
This is the last stop on the Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths blog tour. Boohoo. I’m sad to see it come to an end! It’s been a lot of fun!
Today, we’re going to visit the blog of Andee Graves. I first met Andee at a CGOA Conference (I think it was in 2009 in Buffalo when I had a broken wrist – I definitely wasn’t able to crochet for a while then!). Here’s a photo of Andee and I, along with Shari White (one of my mentees and a very talented designer) and Joyce Bragg (another very talented designer), waiting to meet with the editors at the Buffalo conference (from left to right: Shari, me, Andee and Joyce):
Waiting for Editors at CGOA Conference in 2009
If you’ve been reading my blog for more than a few weeks, you might recognize Andee’s name. I wrote a blog post for Andee’s blog tour of her new Texting Mitts booklet, published by Leisure Arts, on February 10th. Here’s a photo of the front cover of her booklet:
Texting Mitts front cover
Andee’s texting mitts are fun to make! I made 2 pairs of them when I was preparing for her blog tour. You can read more about this booklet on my Feb. 10th blog post or on Andee’s blog!
Andee is a fantastic newer designer (newer than me). She is a bundle of energy and a wealth of information! And she’s a really nice person, too! Andee already has over 50 published designs in just the last 3 years! Wow! Way to go, Andee! You can see all of Andee’s published designs on her Ravelry designer page. This is one of my favorites of Andee’s designs:
Andee’s Heart Pillow
This heart pillow was published in Crochet World magazine’s Feb. 2012 issue. Isn’t it pretty?
Please hop on over to Andee’s blog to read what she’s written about my Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths booklet and the dishcloth she’s made from the booklet.
Since this is the last stop on my blog tour, I will be picking and announcing a winner for the free autographed copy of my Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths booklet on Friday. If you haven’t entered yet, just leave a comment by 6PM (Arizona time) tomorrow on my blog post from either Jan. 27 or Feb. 9. I wish you all good luck in the giveaway!
My good designing friend, Andee Graves, has had her first crochet booklet published by Leisure Arts. Way to go, Andee!!! Woohoo!!! It’s always very exciting to have your first crochet booklet published and Andee has done an excellent job with her designs in this one! If you’re not familiar with Andee’s work yet, you can read about her and follow her blog here.
Texting Mitts front cover
This booklet includes patterns for 8 pairs of fingerless gloves, which are ideal for texting! I suppose you could use them for doing just about anything that involves having your fingertips free while keeping your hands warm, like talking on your cell phone, crocheting, etc. Since I’m not a big texter (I have to put my reading glasses on to read the small letters, so I don’t text every day), I’d be more likely to use these gloves for keeping my hands warm while crocheting!
These 8 patterns are very nicely designed, mostly starting from the wrist and worked to the fingers. With different stitch patterns and skill levels, there is something for everyone! There is 1 beginner pattern, 3 easy patterns, 2 easy+ patterns (Whatever that means! Perhaps it’s somewhere between easy and intermediate!) and 2 intermediate patterns. Andee has used super fine weight yarn (#1 weight on the yarn label) and a size E (3.5mm) or F (3.75mm) crochet hook for each pattern. A list of the specific yarns used in each pattern is included at the back of the book.
What I find to be very exciting and innovative in this booklet is the online videos for different stitches and techniques that are available on the Leisure Arts website for some of their booklets. Whenever there is a different/challenging stitch in this booklet, a video camera icon is printed in the booklet, letting the reader know that she/he can watch the video online for that particular stitch/technique! I LOVE that!!! If you’ve never done a Front Post double crochet, a foundation single crochet or any of the other “special stitches” in this booklet, all you have to do is watch the video for that stitch/technique that is associated with the pattern in this booklet on the Leisure Arts website and you’ll be mastering that stitch/technique in no time!!! It’s almost as good as having a crochet teacher right next to you to show you how to do these stitches/techniques! Make sure you type in the website link on the first page of this booklet to go straight to the videos for these texting mitts patterns, though. I spent a while looking around their website one day trying to find the videos and finally found them after a lot of time spent looking!
Another nice thing in this booklet is how they used different colors of print in the patterns for the stitch counts and information in each of the 3 different sizes of mitts (some of the mitts patterns include 3 sizes and others have only 1 size). This makes it much easier to find the information you need associated with the size of mitts you’re making!
I made 2 pairs of these mitts last week. Here are photos of the texting mitts I made:
My Diamond Back Texting MittsMy Seashell Texting Mitts
The lighter-colored mitts are from Andee’s Diamond Back Mitts pattern (intermediate skill level) and are made with Patons Kroy Socks yarn. The darker-colored mitts are from Andee’s Seashell Mitts pattern (easy skill level) and are made with Red Heart Stardust yarn. I had both of these yarns already, so I was able to make a small dent in my stash crocheting these mitts!!! I really enjoyed making both of them, especially since I’ve never crocheted mitts/gloves before for some strange reason! I decided to make a few modifications to the lighter-colored mitts (I couldn’t help it! It’s the designer in me! Or maybe it was my “gauge issue” rearing its “ugly head” again!). Anyway, I can still crochet while wearing these, so they’re very handy for keeping hands warm and still being able to crochet (or text or type or whatever) with your fingertips!
To see and purchase this booklet online (and see photos of all 8 of the texting mitts), visit the Leisure Arts website. This booklet is available in print or digital format.
All in all, I like Andee’s first booklet very much. The patterns are well-written and easy to follow. Well done, Andee!!! I look forward to seeing your next booklet when it comes out!
To celebrate the publication of my “Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths” booklet, I’m going to have the first of many giveaways on my blog. At the end of the blog tour for this booklet, one lucky winner will receive an autographed copy of “Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths” in the mail. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this blog post (or the blog post from January 27th on my “Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths” booklet, where you’ll find more information about the patterns inside). Good luck!!!
Front cover of Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths
I’ve finalized the blog tour dates of this booklet with my crochet friends. Here they are in the order in which they’ll appear:
Please visit these blogs to read more about my Wiggly Crochet booklet and what each of these very creative people think of it! You’ll also see some fantastic designs and ideas on each of these websites and blogs from some very talented ladies!
As many of you probably already know, Brett Bara is very crafty. She was the editor of Crochet Today magazine for many years and is the host of Knit and Crochet Now, along with other crafty endeavors!
Kathryn White is an extremely talented, award winning thread designer. Her designs are fabulous!!! And she’s a very good friend, too.
Ellen Gormley is a force to be reckoned with in the crochet world! She has many published crochet designs and is a crochet expert on the Knit and Crochet Now show.
Andee Graves is an up and coming crochet designer. She’s gotten a great start on her designing career. She just had her first crochet booklet published by Leisure Arts called “Texting Mitts”. Check it out on her blog or on my blog post for her blog tour (on Feb. 10th)!
Kara Lyon has an awesome talent for designing amigurumi figures. You’ve got to see her designs! I love them!!!
I hope you enjoy this blog tour and getting to know these very talented ladies!
I’m very excited to announce the publication of my newest crochet booklet, “Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths”, published by Annie’s! Here are photos of the front cover and the other 3 dishcloths that aren’t shown on the front cover:
Front cover of Wiggly Crochet DishclothsFour Squares dishcloth
Concentric Squares dishcloth
Diagonals dishcloth
This booklet includes photos, instructions and charts for 6 different wiggly crochet dishcloth projects. These dishcloths are made in an array of beautiful colors of Omega Sinfonia yarn, which is a light worsted weight cotton yarn. Each project measures from 10 ½” x 11” to 12” square, the perfect size for dishcloths. These dishcloths are fun to stitch and make fantastic gifts! If you’d like to order a copy of this booklet, you can find it on the Annie’s website.
If you aren’t familiar with Wiggly Crochet, let me tell you how it’s done. Wiggly Crochet is made in 2 steps. The first step is to crochet the foundation mesh. This mesh looks a lot like the open mesh of filet crochet, made with double crochets and chain-2 spaces. Here’s a photo of a Wiggly Crochet foundation mesh:
Wiggly Crochet foundation mesh
The next step is to crochet the “wiggles” onto the top of the foundation mesh, which makes these wiggles stick up and gives the wiggly crochet piece dimension and thickness, which is not found in most other crochet techniques. The wiggles are usually made up of double crochets worked on top of the foundation mesh: around the post of the double crochets and in the chain-2 spaces (not IN the chains themselves, but in the spaces created by the 2 chains). You work the specified number of double crochet in/around each post/chain-space, making a 90 degree turn each time to fill the appropriate areas with the wiggles. It’s the act of turning 90 degrees that makes these stitches wiggle and stick up instead of lying flat! Here’s a photo (taken from the top) of the first round of wiggles worked on a wiggly crochet foundation mesh:
Wiggles shown from top
Here’s a photo of those same wiggles (taken from the side), so you can see how dimensional they are:
Wiggles shown from side“Hot Stuff for the Holidays” booklet
Isn’t that cool? I love this technique so much that I’ve previously had 2 crochet booklets published on it. The first one was “Hot Stuff for the Holidays”, published by Jeanette Crews Designs in 2003. There are patterns and charts for 6 “holiday-themed” hot pads and coasters in this one (for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, July 4th, Halloween and Christmas). This booklet is extremely hard to find, so if you find one for sale online (and it’s not too expensive), you might consider snatching it up! These designs are worked with size 10 cotton crochet thread (for all of us “threadies”!). Here’s a photo of the front cover of that booklet:
“Wiggly Crochet Rugs” booklet
The 2nd wiggly crochet booklet was “Wiggly Crochet Rugs”, published by Annie’s Attic (now just called “Annie’s”) in 2009. This booklet has 5 wiggly crochet rugs in it, complete with instructions and full-color charts. These rugs are made with yarn: the foundation mesh is made with sport weight yarn and the wiggles are made with worsted weight yarn. This booklet might be easier to find, since it was published just 4 years ago. Here’s a photo of that cover:
I’ve also designed some other wiggly crochet projects, which were published by Annie’s (mostly in Crochet World magazine from June 2008 to Feb. 2010). If you’d like to see all of them, please visit my Ravelry designer page. Oh, I almost forgot! I have a FREE wiggly crochet pattern, available on the Red Heart website. You can try this technique for free and see how you like it! Isn’t that great?
If you’re more of a “hands on” type of learner and would like to learn to do wiggly crochet, I’ll be teaching a Wiggly Crochet class at the CGOA Conference this year in Indianapolis. The class schedule hasn’t been made yet, but this class should be scheduled between July 17 and 21 (either from 9AM-12Noon or 2-5PM). To read about this CGOA Conference, please visit the CGOA website (look under the “events” tab on the left-hand side of the page). I would be thrilled to meet you and teach you how to do wiggly crochet in my class!
To celebrate the publication of my new Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths booklet, I’m doing a Blog Tour in February with several of my crochet friends/designers. Each person will blog (or post on Facebook) about this new booklet and possibly give away a copy to a lucky entrant. Please visit each of these blog posts to find out more about my new booklet, as well as reading the blogs of these extremely talented individuals!
The blog participants are as follows (dates to be announced next month):
At the end of the blog tour, I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of this new booklet to a lucky winner (US residents only please). To enter the contest, just leave a comment on this blog post telling me which of these dishcloth patterns is your favorite. It’s that simple! A winner will be chosen at random from all of the comments at the end of the blog tour. Good luck to you all!
If you’ve never tried wiggly crochet, you don’t know what you’re missing! If you have tried it and are looking for more wiggly crochet patterns, we have a few of them here at The Crochet Architect. Here they are for your viewing and crocheting pleasure:
Wiggly Flower Hot Pad & Coaster
Our Wiggly Flower Hot Pad & Coaster Set is the perfect pattern for learning to do wiggly crochet. The small size of the coaster is a quick project and the hot pad is a natural progression for increasing your wiggly crochet skills. The cotton crochet thread that is used makes them ideal for soaking up the moisture from any glass or pitcher in humid weather!
Wiggly Crochet Playing Cards Set
This Wiggly Crochet Playing Cards Set includes a centerpiece and 4 coasters: one for each of the suits of playing cards. This set is unique and would make a great gift for that special person!
Wiggly Crochet Fish Rug
When you’ve learned to do wiggly crochet and want to take your skills to the next level, this Wiggly Fish Rug is just the thing! It’s great in any fish-, seashell-, ocean- or tropical-themed bathroom. The texture of the wiggly crochet makes this rug “squishy” to walk on, too!
I hope you’ll give wiggly crochet a try and come to love it as much as I do!
Do you love crocheting with FREE patterns? Everybody loves a bargain and I’m no exception! When the pattern is FREE, that leaves more money in our budgets to purchase the yarn or crochet thread for the projects we’re going to make! I’ve designed some FREE crochet patterns over the past few years and I thought I’d share photos, as well as links, to my FREE patterns that are available on the internet. It’s my Christmas/Holiday gift to YOU! I hope you enjoy these FREE patterns!!!
Available from Coats & Clark:
Star Table Runner
Star Table Runner
This table runner is made with 4 balls of Aunt Lydia’s Fashion Crochet Thread, size 3 in #926 Bridal White, or in any color of your choice. It is made with a total of 28 stars (join-as-you-go) and measures 15” x 50”, but can be made longer or shorter, if desired. The pattern includes written instructions, symbol crochet charts and an assembly diagram. If you are new to thread crochet, size 3 crochet thread isn’t as “intimidating” as size 10 (or smaller) crochet thread! For free Star Table Runner pattern, click here.
Mosaic Basketweave Placemat
Mosaic Basketweave Placemat
This placemat is made with Red Heart Super Saver yarn in #885 Delft and #320 Cornmeal, or any colors of your choice. Each placemat measures 13” x 19” (including the fringe) and 1 skein of each color will yield many placemats! These placemats are made in the mosaic crochet technique of working into previous rows to make the vertical lines of the basketweave design. The rows alternate back and forth between the light and dark colors. There are no ends to weave in because the ends form the fringe on the 2 side edges. Who doesn’t love a project with no ends to weave in? What a time-saver!!! For free Mosaic Basketweave Placemat pattern, click here.
May Flowers Hot Pad & Coaster
May Flowers Hot Pad & Coaster
This hot pad and coaster set is made with 7 colors of Aunt Lydia’s Classic Crochet Thread, size 10. The hot pad measures 6” x 5.5” and the coaster measures 4” x 3.75”. They are made in the Wiggly Crochet technique of making a foundation mesh for the base of the piece, then adding the wiggly crochet stitches on one side of the base to make the design on top (the flowers, leaves, edging and white background). The pattern includes written instructions and 2 wiggly crochet charts. Wiggly Crochet projects have thickness, making them ideal for hot pads, rugs and more! For free May Flowers Hot Pad & Coaster pattern, click here.
Celtic Placemat
Celtic Placemat
This placemat is made with 1 ball of Aunt Lydia’s Classic Crochet Thread, size 10 in #226 Natural. It measures 11.5” x 19.5” and is made in the filet crochet technique with open and closed mesh. The pattern includes written instructions and a filet crochet chart. For free Celtic Placemat pattern, click here.
Available from Caron:
Starlight Baby Blanket
Starlight Baby Blanket
This blanket is made with 6 colors of Caron Simply Soft Light yarn. It measures 36” x 47.5” and is made in the filet crochet technique. The pattern includes written instructions, a filet crochet chart and an assembly diagram. If you’re not a fan of using crochet thread, you’ll love making this blanket in the filet crochet technique with yarn instead! For free Starlight Baby Blanket pattern, click here.
Sorrel River Sweater/Tunic
Sorrel River Sweater/Tunic
This sweater/tunic is made with Naturally Caron Spa yarn. The pattern comes in 3 sizes: S/M, L/1X and 2X/3X and is made with motifs set on point, joining as you go for no seaming! The pattern includes written instructions, as well as symbol crochet charts and schematics for each size. This is one of the few garments I’ve designed!!! For an extra chart showing how to join 4 motifs, visit the Ravelry page for this design here. For free Sorrel River Sweater pattern, click here.
Europa Scarf
Europa Scarf
This scarf is made with Naturally Caron Spa yarn. It measures 12” x 54” and is made in the filet crochet technique. The pattern includes written instructions and a filet crochet chart. This is another filet crochet project made with yarn instead of crochet thread! For free Europa Scarf pattern, click here.
Vail Mountain Wrap
Vail Mountain Wrap
This wrap is made with Naturally Caron Spa yarn in #0008 Misty Taupe and #0007 Naturally for exceptional drape. It measures 66” x 18” and is made in the Bruges Lace technique with 33 join-as-you-go motifs. The pattern includes written instructions and an assembly diagram. If you love Bruges Lace, or simply want to try Bruges Lace, give this free pattern a try! For free Vail Mountain Wrap pattern, click here.
Available from the Crochet Architect (me!):
Baby Booties
Baby Booties
These baby booties work up quickly with sport weight yarn. They measure approx. 3” long and are worked from the sole up to the top edge. There is an optional drawstring added near the top to help keep the booties on the baby’s foot! These are smaller than many baby booties, making them perfect for preemies and hospitals!
Heart Coaster
Heart Coaster
This coaster is made with worsted weight cotton yarn. It measures 4.75” x 5” and is worked in rows of red, then edged with white. It is a great pattern for learning to make increases and decreases.
Smiling Face Coaster
Smiling Face Coaster
This coaster is made with worsted weight cotton yarn. It measures 4.75” diameter and is worked in rounds from the center to the outer edge. The face is embroidered on after the coaster is crocheted. It is a great pattern for learning to work in the round.
To download the PDF files for these free patterns (from The Crochet Architect), just visit the “Free Patterns” page here.
I hope you enjoy all of these FREE patterns, courtesy of The Crochet Architect, Coats & Clark and Caron!!! I’d love to see photos of your finished projects made with these FREE patterns linked to my designer page on Ravelry. If you’re not already a member of Ravelry, check it out. It’s a FREE website for knitters and crocheters to share their projects, look for new projects, communicate with other knitters/crocheters and get inspired by each other!
I hope you’ll give some of these crochet techniques a try (Filet Crochet, Mosaic Crochet, Wiggly Crochet and Bruges Lace). They’re a lot of fun to learn and to make!
May you have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, etc.
I really love to crochet and to design new crochet patterns (basically, I love to make things!). But not just the typical types of crochet projects: scarves, hats, ponchos, shawls, garments, potholders, coasters, placemats, jewelry, etc. Sometimes I like to design something different and challenging. I get bored doing the same thing over and over. That’s why I like to change what I do from time to time!
Did you know that you can make artistic, 3-D items in crochet? I’ve designed and crocheted several myself. I’ll show you those a little later in this blog post. But first, I’d like to show you some of the amazing things that some crochet artists are creating around the world. These projects are very inspiring and really amazing!!!
Lion Head from The Lionheart Project
The first artist I’d like to share with you is Shauna Richardson. Shauna spent 2 years and used 36 miles of Swaledale wool from the Derbyshire Dales to crochet three giant 29 foot lion figures, known as “The Lionheart Project”! These lions are an interpretation of the three golden lions on Richard the Lionheart’s coat of arms. These lions are amazing!!! It would be wonderful to see these in person! These are just a few of the photos of this amazing creation. In these two photos, Shauna is chatting with the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire as they stand next to her project on May 1, 2012 in Chatsworth, England. The work will tour the East Midlands before moving to London’s Natural History Museum as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. There are more photos of Shauna’s work and this impressive sculpture here: www.shaunarichardson.com and www.lionheartproject.com. And here is a website where you can watch a BBC video on this project: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-17922125.
Display of The Lionheart Project
Crochet Pistols
Now for something a lot smaller! I saw these crocheted pistols online one day by Inger Carina and thought they were pretty amazing! I hadn’t seen any crocheted guns before I saw these. Isn’t it amazing what you can create with just a crochet hook, some crochet thread and some fabric stiffener (and some guns to mold them around, of course)? I would have never thought to crochet guns!!! Now that’s imagination for you! You can see more of Inger’s work at www.hellocraftlovers.com.
Piano covered with doilies
If you’re wondering what to do with all those doilies you’ve made and/or collected over the years, here is an idea for you. How about covering a piano with them? I think this covered piano is awesome!!! There are a whole lot of doilies covering this piano! Of course, I LOVE doilies!!! This was done by Joana Vasconcelos. You can see more of her work at www.joanavasconcelos.com.
These are just a few of the crochet artists in the world. Aren’t they amazing?
Well, my crochet art isn’t as nice as these fabulous pieces, but it’s not bad! First, here is my locomotive afghan and toy, which were published in the December 2009 issue of Crochet World magazine:
Locomotive Afghan
The locomotive afghan was made with 9 colors of Red Heart Super Saver yarn. It measures 48” x 60”. When designing this afghan, the first thing I needed to do was find a good photo of a locomotive at the desired angle I wanted. Since I had trouble finding a good photo, I took some photos of a plastic toy locomotive that we used many years before under our Christmas tree (it had optional smoke, too). After making a gauge swatch, I decided how many stitches and rows the afghan should have for the desired size. Then I imported the photo into my computer charting program and tweaked the colors in the chart to make a good intarsia pattern that didn’t have too many color changes involved.
Locomotive Toy
The locomotive toy was made with 5 colors of J&P Coats Royale Classic and Metallic crochet thread in size 10. Many parts of the toy are crocheted with 2 strands of crochet thread held together. I used plastic canvas, cut into various sizes, to provide a “skeleton” for the crochet to fit over for the body of the locomotive. I also used polyester fiberfill to stuff many of the pieces. Since I didn’t know much about locomotives at the time, I checked out some books at my local library with photos of locomotives. And I asked a friend’s husband with locomotive knowledge some questions about the names of the parts of the locomotive so I could label them correctly in the pattern! It was a long process, but I think it was well worth it! This locomotive toy was a challenge to design, but it was actually quite fun!
Here’s a tent, sleeping bag, beret, vest and ammo belt that I designed for a GI Joe (or similar) doll:
GI Joe Tent and Gear
This pattern was published in the August 2009 issue of Crochet World magazine (it was called “Camouflage Gear” in the magazine). The vest, beret, ammo belt and sleeping bag weren’t too difficult to design with the doll that I had received from the magazine editor to use. But the tent was a challenge!!! After trying several times to make the tent, I decided I needed to make a paper form of the tent first. Then I crocheted the pieces to fit the form. I cut a wire coat hanger and bent the wire a little to form the tent “poles”. I used pieces of a glue stick for the ends of the tent poles so they wouldn’t poke through the crochet pieces at the bottom corners of the tent. I even crocheted the door flap for the tent, with crocheted chains for tie straps to keep the door flap open or closed. I used Red Heart Sport yarn for the tent and sleeping bag and Aunt Lydia’s Classic size 10 crochet thread for the ammo belt, vest and beret. And I used bugle beads for the “ammo” in the ammo belt!
Here is my Majestic Butterfly afghan that was published as a web bonus in Crochet! magazine’s Spring 2012 issue:
Majestic Butterfly Afghan
This afghan was made as a request from Cari Clement at Caron yarns. She liked my locomotive afghan at the CGOA Conference the year before and asked me to design an intarsia afghan for Caron. So I started looking for photos of butterflies to use. I finally found one and used the same computer charting program to import the photo (after deciding how many stitches and rows the afghan would need). I had to do a lot of tweaking on this one to get the colors to work and not have too many color changes throughout the rows. I think it turned out nicely!
And last, but not least, is my Dragon Ship, which was published as a web bonus in Crochet World’s February, 2011 issue. The reason it wasn’t published in the magazine itself, but as a web bonus, is the pattern was way too long!!! I also won a Flamie award for this ship last year! The ship is designed to look like the ship in “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” movie! The editor for Crochet World magazine at the time, Michele Maks, asked me to design this ship well before the movie was released, so finding online photos of it being built wasn’t all that easy!
Dragon ShipThe head on my Dragon Ship
This dragon ship was the biggest challenge for me so far! I made at least 3 different heads for the dragon before I got one that didn’t look dorky!!! The dragon itself has a head, neck, wings and tail. I included teeth and a tongue in the open mouth, along with a goatee under the chin, horns, ears and bead eyes with eyelids on top of the head. The crochet stitches I chose for the sides of the neck and the tail look like scales! And I used some post stitches for added texture on the dragon’s wings. The ship includes a hull with embroidered port holes, deck, stern cabin (at the back of the ship below the tail), 2 masts, a sail, flag, lookout and side railings. I used 7 colors of America’s Best Crochet Thread, size 10 for this ship. I added cardboard pieces under the deck and under the top and front pieces of the stern cabin for strength and added shaping. I put poly pellets at the bottom of the hull and stuffed the rest of the hull with polyester fiberfill. I inserted wire at the bottom of the sail to help shape it. I stiffened the flag, lookout and 2 pieces that I made to attach the masts to the deck. My only regret is not engineering the masts and deck so the masts would not flop around! But all in all, I think this dragon ship looks pretty good!
I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at these pieces of crochet art (mine and the other designer’s pieces)! And I hope I’ve inspired you to try some crochet art in the near future!
You’ve probably seen crochet jewelry all over the place, but have you made any of it yet? I absolutely LOVE making (and wearing) crochet jewelry, whether it is one of my designs or someone else’s design!
Crochet jewelry that is made with cotton crochet thread (my favorite) is hand washable, so it will last for years! You can use any colors of crochet thread for making your crochet jewelry to coordinate with your wardrobe. The fasteners on crochet necklaces can be barrel clasps or buttons. Some are even long enough to fit over the head, so they don’t need any fasteners! Many crochet jewelry pieces take just a few hours to make, so they’re instant gratification projects, which I love!!!
Here are a few pieces of crochet jewelry that I’ve made from other designer’s patterns:
My Favorite Necklace
This is my favorite necklace, made with size 20 thread. The pattern is from a Magic Crochet magazine, Issue #64, Feb. 1990. I LOVE this necklace! It looks great on and is easy to clean when it gets dirty. I wear it a lot! I even made some coordinating leaf earrings to wear with it. The clasp is a simple button and crocheted buttonhole.
Necklace With Balls
This necklace is fun to wear. It’s made with size 10 thread and includes matching “ball” earrings. I think this pattern was from a Japanese book by Kazekobo.
Irish Crochet Necklace
This Irish Crochet Necklace was made with size 20 or 30 thread. It’s too fancy to wear with just anything! The chains near the back of the necklace (at the top of the photo) twist easily, so I don’t wear this one very often. This necklace may have been from the same book by Kazekobo.
Here are some crochet jewelry pieces that I’ve designed for Crochet Today magazine over the years:
There is a large, clear crystal sandwiched in the center of the 2 sides of crochet in my Crystal Pendant Necklace! It’s pretty cool!!!
Bouquet Earrings May/June 2012
The Bouquet Earrings were made in white for a bride, but can be made in any flower color you choose!
Winter Berry Earrings Nov/Dec 2012
The Winter Berry Earrings are made with some shiny crochet thread, called Anchor Artiste Metallic. It’s a very pretty thread. The photo doesn’t do it justice!
Here are some of the other crochet jewelry pieces that I’ve designed:
This is my Beaded Shells Necklace, available for purchase at TheCrochetArchitect.com. The pattern comes in 2 versions: long and short. They both have small beads throughout, but the longer version includes 1 large center bead and 2 medium beads.
Faux Tatted Necklace with buttonsFaux Tatted Necklace with beads
This is my Faux Tatted Necklace pattern, also available for purchase at TheCrochetArchitect.com. This necklace is actually crocheted to look like tatting, which has rings, chains and picots. This pattern can be made with buttons, beads or charms. It is a fun project to make with heirloom buttons or buttons with memories attached!
I love making these crochet necklaces and earrings because they’re so versatile!
For my Faux Tatted Necklaces (I’ve made quite a few), I’ve used many different colors of size 10 crochet thread and beads or buttons to coordinate with some of the outfits in my wardrobe. This necklace doesn’t have a clasp, so you just pop it over your head and wear it (it’s great if you have an injured hand, wrist or arm!). I should be coming out with a pattern for a coordinating Faux Tatted Bracelet and Earrings soon, so you can wear a complete set of Faux Tatted jewelry, if you like!
Why not make some crochet jewelry for your next project? If you do, please drop me a line and let me know how it turned out!
Learn Bruges Lace back coverLearn Bruges Lace front cover
When I taught my Beginning Bruges Lace class at the CGOA Conference in 2010, I had no idea that one of my students would go on to design so much in Bruges Lace. But she did! That student is Ellen Gormley. She not only has had many Bruges Lace designs published, but she’s also come out with a new crochet book/leaflet called “Learn Bruges Lace”, published by Annie’s. You can see and purchase this book at http://www.anniescatalog.com/detail.html?prod_id=90152.
Ellen has done a great job with this book. It includes step-by-step instructions for 10 stitch patterns in Bruges Lace to learn this crochet technique. Once you’ve learned the technique, you’ll want to make some (or all) of the 8 Bruges Lace patterns in the book, which Ellen has designed: 3 hats, 2 scarves, a blanket, a bracelet and a cowl. Each pattern (and each beginning stitch pattern) includes written instructions, as well as a symbol chart. If you haven’t learned to read crochet symbol charts, you’ll really want to learn. Crochet symbols are a visual representation of the project, showing all the crochet stitches worked in the project in symbol form. Here is an example of crochet symbols:
Crochet Symbols
Once you learn to read crochet symbols, you’ll never be the same! You can make many more crochet projects from patterns which are only written in crochet symbols, such as in Magic Crochet and Decorative Crochet magazines, along with Japanese and Russian crochet magazines, such as Duplet. I’ll be teaching a class at the CGOA Conference next week in Reno on Crochet Symbols. If you’re in the area, there is still room for a few more students in this class! You can read about the CGOA Conference and all the classes being offered here: http://www.knitandcrochetshow.com/fall-special-events.asp?i2s3. There are a lot of great classes to choose from, both crochet and knitting!
Back to Ellen’s book! If you’ve never tried Bruges Lace, it’s easy (and fun) to do once you know how. You can use crochet thread or yarn, whichever you prefer. Ellen’s book is easy to understand, laid out well and has great stitch patterns, as well as projects. My two favorite projects in this book are the Spiral Cowl and the Dune Throw. Here are photos of those two projects:
Spiral CowlDune Throw
Bruges Lace uses regular crochet stitches, such as chain, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet and sometimes treble crochet. It’s just the way the stitches are laid out that makes it Bruges Lace! If you’d never heard of Bruges Lace before, it is a lace technique which originated in Belgium. The “real” Bruges Lace is made with many tiny wooden bobbins that are filled with thread and crossed over each other to create intricate lace. Here is a photo of the bobbins that are used for the “real” Bruges Lace:
Lace making bobbins
Doesn’t that look confusing and difficult? There are master lace makers in Belgium, as well as other parts of the world. They put us to shame here in the US! I love lacy things, so I might learn to do bobbin lace someday, but not for a while. There are many more crochet projects that I’d like to design first!
Crocheted Bruges Lace is much easier to make than this “real” bobbin lace! All you need is a crochet hook and some yarn or crochet thread. You can combine Bruges Lace with crochet motifs in the same project, too. You can use one color of yarn/thread or multiple colors in different sections of the lace.
Here are a few photos of some crochet Bruges Lace that I’ve designed:
Daisy Tablecloth
This is a tablecloth that I designed with colorful center flower motifs which are done in regular crochet (not Bruges Lace). Only the white around the edges of each motif is done in Bruges Lace. This tablecloth was published in Crochet World magazine’s Spring 2011 special issue called “The Joy of Thread”. It was actually on the front cover, too. The tablecloth is made with size 10 cotton crochet thread. You can see all of the projects in this magazine here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/crochet-world-magazine-spring-2011.
Vail Mountain Wrap (Bruges Lace)
This Bruges Lace Wrap that I designed is a free pattern on the Naturally Caron website. It is made with Naturally Caron Spa yarn. This yarn drapes beautifully and the wrap is very soft! You can download this free pattern here: http://www.naturallycaron.com/projects/vail_mountain/vail_mountain_1.html.
In conclusion, please check out Ellen Gormley’s new book, “Learn Bruges Lace” on the Annie’s website or at your local craft store to learn this crochet technique. You’ll be delighted with the Bruges Lace projects you’ll be able to create with your knowledge of this fascinating crochet teachnique!
