The Last of Summer

Our two weeks of summer holiday have come up to a close. We literally soaked up the last crumbles of summer. And every minute was worth cherishing.

I've made tons of breath-taking pictures, which I hope will help me endure the bleak winter ahead :)

 

My favorite activities on the beach, aside from swimming and beach-combing are reading books and crocheting; I read all the books I took with me and highly recommend "Home Before Dark" by Riley Sager if you are a thriller/horror lover - it kept me on my toes until the end. 

 

When packing for our holiday, I had second thoughts of taking my crochet with me. Shocking, I know! I never leave my crochet work even when we go away for the weekend, but this time I wanted to let my brain rest. Luckily, I decided against it and have already made a pattern for a crocheted sewing kit. 

Beach-combing was not as successful as I hoped it would be, because the places we visited had hardly any shells (due to the rocky/sandy bed), and the ones that had, cradled broken ones. I am already brainstorming a craft project with the shell remnants I brought back with me. 

 

 

Frida Top in Gray

Here is the Frida top in gray with a different flower set-up. Unlike the first top where the flowers are arranged in such a way to make (certain parts of) the bust area inconspicuous, this flower arrangement requires a strapless bra top to be worn underneath.  

 

For this one I also used sport yarn, but changed the hook to a bigger size. 

The pink Frida is made with a 3 mm (UK11) (US 10/3), and this one is made with a 4 mm (UK 8/US F). With a simple change to a DK yarn (150gr for the top and leftover yarn for the flowers) and a 4 mm hook, a size M is achieved. 

 

The pattern: etsy, ravelry, lovecrafts. 

 

 

My Office For Now

Greetings dear blog friends!

This has been the view of my office for the past several days and will continue to be for the next week :)

We are in Greece, enjoying the last crumbles of summer. We are refreshing and thoroughly replenishing our bodies, minds and souls. 

It is amazing how vitamin sea can have and immense and powerful impact!

I hope you are all well!

On My Hook - Crochet Folk Art

This past winter I wanted to delve more into folk art and make some Scandinavian inspired crochet decor, but I got carried away with everything life served me on my plate, and the idea did not sprout further from my drawing pad.

However, that little spark continued to smoulder and I finally got round to shape the designs. Normally, the flowers were the first I focused on, the other designs, which I am still wavering whether to include or not are still just drawings.

 

It seems I need more time to cook the designs in my head for a while.

Our Newest Dangling Earrings

I love dangling earrings, though I don't wear such often, and I've made the design of these to go with my Frida top. 

However, I didn't match the colors of the flowers to go with the top (God knows why), so we didn't include them with it. I think these would be a great addition, and my next project is to make them matching.

What project are you currently working on?

What I have Pinned Lately - Vintage Crochet

Vintage crochet is very dear to my heart. I swoon and drool at lovely, vintage, lace crochet clothes, but I have lost the patience of working with tiny hooks. I wonder if that would change over time? I'd like though to have something similar to these in my closet. Maybe I should transform some of my tablecloths and runners? 

 

Another thing I've noticed is that I cannot stand written patterns. Strange coming this from me that earns money by writing patterns, but the patterns given in magazines, and those that I create are two completely different things. 

 

Recently, a friend requested I look at a written pattern for a mesh dress, and I dropped it at row 3. It could have been an alien tongue if you ask me. I didn't have the nerves, the head, nor the inclination to continue deciphering it, and said that I'd rather make it up on my own, than burning and blowing my brains out with it. 

 

So, I guess I'll just keep swooning and drooling over lace crochet blouse until something changes :)

 

The credits for all the photos in this post can be found on my  Crochet-My Obsession and Vintage Crochet boards. 

Frida Top - pattern release

This a top inspired by Frida Kahlo. I used the mash front of it as canvas to add the flowers and turn this into a joyful bohemian piece. 

This top is made by working the front-mesh side first, and then the back. They are not done separately, but after the front is crocheted, we continue by working the back. The pattern given in the pattern fits a size XS/S. However, by following the given instructions, you can make this a custom top per your own measurements. 

The pattern is here: etsy, ravelry.

 

Rose Ring - free pattern

My youngest niece simply adores my kids' crochet necklaces that she is a proud owner of several and she  wears them often, so I decided to surprise her with a couple of rings.

Before I share the pattern, please note that: The written  pattern in its entirety along with the photos are for personal use only. All property rights belong to Maya Kuzman of The Little Treasures.

Yarn and hook: sport yarn of your choice and colors (I love working with Phil Cotton #3 and Tango) and a 1.9 mm hook (UK4) (US 6). Note that you can use whatever yarn size/ weight (and relevant hook for that weight ) you like/have at hand. That will only influence the size of your flowers. Hence, smaller weights will yield tinier flowers, heavier weights will yield bigger flowers.

Stitches (American terminology): chain (ch), chain space (ch-sp), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), double crochet (dc).

Other: tapestry needle for weaving ends, sewing needle for sewing the ring, and scissors.  

Pattern

Foundation and round 1: In color 1, ch4 and join to make a ring. Sc6 in ring (6).  

Round 2: Sl st into next st BUT at the back. Ch5 and sl st into the 1st st of that chain. This is very important: we are next going to single crochet inside that ch(space) we just made, and we are going to do it counter-clockwise. So the petal has to stay in parallel with the center and always facing up. To not let it twist and turn, (with center face up), bring yarn up-front (last picture of collage above) and sc6 inside that ch-sp. Sl st into next st and repeat petal pattern (ch5, sl st in 1st st of that chain, sc6 inside chain).

 

Continue working the petal pattern around. After the 5th petal, sk the last st and sl st into the 1st one to end round. Do not cut yarn.

 

Round 3: Ch6, sl st into 1st st of that chain, and then holding chain and yarn as before, sc8 in that ch-sp. Sl st between next 2 petals at the back, ch6 and work the next petal. Repeat pattern to make a total of 5 petals. When done, sl st into 1st one of this round, cut yarn and work tails. 

Adding leaves

Row 1: Insert green color in-between 2 petals and sc7. Sl st in 2nd st, then sc1, hdc1,dc1 in next 3 sts. One leaf is made. Sl st it between next 2 petals. Again ch7 and repeat the leaf pattern for the second leaf.  

 

 

Making the ring

Foundation and row 1: Insert green yarn in the stitch of the end of the petal opposite the leaves, and sc1, then sc1 in-between that petal and the next one, and then sc1 in the stitch (beginning) of second petal = 3 sts. 

Row 2: ch2 (counts as 1hdc), turn work , sk1, hdc1 in next 2 sts (3). 

Rows 3-5: repeat row 2.  The length should be sufficient for a kid's finger. For adults, work row 2 until the base-ring part fits on a finger. When appropriate length is achieved, cut yarn leaving a long tail. Thread tail and sew it at the leaves on the other side. Weave tails when done. 

 

To make these roses more interesting, use 2 shades of the same (or maybe contrasting) color for each round of petals.

Azure Kiana Bracelet

 

 

Happy Monday! I have a new cuff/bracelet in the shop.

This is the Azure Kiana, and it was the prototype (if I can refer to it as such) I made, and then redesigned to make the peach/pink Kiana bracelet. The upper part of both is the same, but they differ in the bottom edging.

I beaded this differently as well and added an interesting mix of seed/ plastic beads, sequins and pearl discs. 

Can you tell I cannot leave my beads alone? :)

 

Heirloom Crochet

 

Whenever I visit my MIL, I love going through her heirloom crochet tablecloths and doilies made by her mother. Although she gifted me a lot, she's still got a full cupboard of them. 

 

All of the tablecloths and doilies are made with crochet thread, and with minuscule crochet hooks to achieve a spider-web quality. Surprisingly, the tooth of time has had no influence on them. 

 

I've selected a couple I would like to recreate, and I have already started drawing the chart for a couple of them. I don't know how grandma Lena had made them, because my MIL doesn't remember seeing her using charts or patterns. 

 

But it is an interesting project, and I really hope to make at least one. I have no plans of using crochet thread and tiny hooks, and I know the project won't be the same; nevertheless I am sure it will be an exciting and fulfilling experience.

 

Crochet Beach Top

 

Eva is going on holiday in a couple of weeks, so we've been making some crochet tops that she wants to wear at the beach over her bikini. 

She is actually making her first top herself (I'm in tears from happiness!!), and I made this one following an idea of a design she showed me on tik-tok. 

 

If I have to be honest, the upper part should have been narrower, because when she ties it around the neck, it protrudes a bit, but when she ties it straight down, it is fine. She didn't want me to frog it and re-d0 it; but I can't stand looking at it - it just pokes me in the eye and messes with my OCD :)

 

We used 100 gr of 100% DK cotton yarn and a 5 mm hook. It always amazes me how big hooks and heavy weights make crochet projects work up fast. This was done in an hour (give or take).

Happy International Granny Square Day!

Happy Granny Square Day!

Grannies are one of the things I will never get tired of making. This year I was quite dedicated to them, and there are more projects coming up in the future.

 

If you a granny square or other granny shape lover, to mark the day I am having a sale of all my granny related projects. Apply code "grannies" to get them with 15% off. Sale will last for a week.  

Thumb Yarn Winder - how to wind mini yarn balls

Small-size crochet projects leave me with small quantities of yarn that I like to wind into mini yarn balls. 

Now, I filmed a video how to do it, but sadly blogger doesn't let me post it here because it is too large, so I'll try explaining how to do this the best I can. 

 

I am right-handed so I hold the yarn with my left hand and wind it with the right.

 

1) Take the tail of the yarn and hold it firmly with your thumb and index finger.

2) Turn /wind yarn around the bottom of your thumb nail several times to make the base. 

3-4) Next wind it sideways several times (from the right up, to the left down), and then change direction (from down right to left up). If you have enough yarn left, repeat this several times. It will start to look like a mini yarn cake. Do not let go of the tail while you are winding it on.

 

5) When you have a fair amount of it wound on, carefully remove it from your thumb. 

6) Insert thumb into the hole, and wind yarn over your thumb, but rotate / roll ball with each turn. Do this until there is no yarn left. Take thumb out and push the other tail in the hole.

 

7) When it is done, just pull the other (bottom) tail a bit so that it is ready for work.  That bottom tail gets out easily, so you won't have any problems starting a new project with these minis. 

 

 

These mini yarn balls are difficult to store, so here I have shared some ideas how to store them. 

 

Wishing you a happy weekend!

Amazing Crochet by Moda Operandi Designers

 

Via

 

As much as I like to promote and support indie designers and slow fashion, it is hard to look away from what high fashion designers have to offer on the crochet front.  Thus, I became bedazzled by the latest crochet creations by Moda Operandi. 

The above Zimmermann's matching crocheted raffia top and skirt shows the free-spirited femininity with a vintage, jet-set glamour. Gorgeous!

 

Via

 

This dress is by Jonathan Simkhai. It's called Marie, and it has a simple tank silhouette crocheted from recycled fibers with a cutout bust, low-cut back, and fringed hemline. 

 

 Via

Then there is this simple mash skirt turned glamorous by adding fringes. The designer is Alejandra Rojas. 

Via

 

The 'Manaure' top is constructed from a beautiful tassel-tipped circular crochet knit is designed by Andres Otalora and hand-crafted by local artisans. Amazing use of (half-)mandalas in a top.

 

Via

 

This top and matching skirt feature a hand-crocheted construction made from colorful cotton with ladder-stitched edges. The designer is Julien Dossena.

Via

And the last top that uses my favorite granny stripe stitch by Ulla Johnson. 

Isn't it amazing?