The Best of 2019

2019 is counting its last days and it's time to look back at what has marked the year on the blog. 

These best offs  are a kind of an inequitable review because posts at the beginning of the year have an unfair advantage in regards to the  the posts made near the end of it, but nevertheless, here they are according to my stats.

The absolute winner this year is The Frida Kahlo brooch, closely followed by the Frida bag. 

The Art Brooches have charmed the internet beyond measure and I am quite thankful for all the love they have received. Equally loved were the Coral Necklace and the Margarita Sandals.

Among the most viewed were two patterns I retired this year - the African Flowers Bracelet and the Vintage Bib Necklace.

We beautified the summer with these 3 free crochet patterns (and one video): the Shells Necklace, the Ariel Bikini top and the Boho Clutch. 

Features

We had the honor to be featured in 2 magazines this year and an internet site:  

The collaboration with the Sewing Box Magazine for which I created the Peacock Necklace and the interviews for the CraftBusiness magazine and Fakulteti.MK.

10th Blog Anniversary

Without realizing I missed my blog anniversary this past May, can you believe that? I always say I started blogging back in 2008, completely forgetting that I registered my blog then and started blogging later in 2009. So to mark the occasion  here are the top 3 with the most views:

1. The Fabric Carnation Tutorial with 119 356 views.

2. The Ruffly Scarf Tutorial with 115 639 views and 

3. The Larksfoot Stitch Demistified with 98 253 views.

Best of 2018

Best of 2017
Best of 2016

Best of 2015

Best of 2014

Best of 2013

Best of 2012

Best of 2011

Wooden Spoon Dolls

Yesterday we had a school bazaar at my school and to contribute to my class' stall I made these wooden spoon dolls and a bunch of my bohemian pom-poms. I didn't have much time due to many piled up obligations so managed to whip up these two the night before the bazaar. 

I wanted to explore more this idea when I made this doll, but sadly, running two jobs doesn't give me much time to dedicate myself completely to my wondrous flow of ideas.

Both dolls were envisioned and made differently. The bigger is posher than the smaller, but because of her sturdy dress the smaller gets to stand on its own, while the pink doll needs a slight support. Also, I am sad for not being confident to draw their eyes so I sewed beads instead. That is something I would love to work on more.

I worked on their attire on a whim, and not being prepared for how everything might turn out - I am quite satisfied with the final result. 

As I am perpetually drawn to make kids' stuff I would love to have more time in the future to make more toys that tickle my fancy.

Merry Christmas!

 

From our family to yours! 

 

Crochet Rose Scarflette - free crochet pattern

Hello and happy Monday!
This is my newest pattern for a rose scarflette and if you are still lacking ideas for a nice and heartwarming last minute gift - this is it!

To make it you need worsted yarn -  I used Austermann's Souflé  (150 gr) and a 4 mm hook.

To make the rose:
Foundation chain: ch 55
Row 1: dc1 in the 4th ch from hook, next ch2, sk2 and dc1 in next st. Repeat this pattern to the end.   
Row 2:  ch1 and in the chain space work the following: sc1,hdc1, dc2,hdc1,sc1. Repeat this pattern for all the ch-spaces. Leave a really long tail that you'll use to sew the rose in place. Start rolling the rose until you get the desired look, pin it in several places to hold, thread the aforementioned tail and sew all the layers together. Be careful not to distort the shape of it when sewing. 
Make 11 roses. You can make the scarflette bigger and richer so you may consider making more if that is the case. 

To make the rose holding collar: 
 And this is the same foundation and row 1 as for the rose, but for the collar you chain 65. For row 1,dc1 in the 4th ch from hook, next ch2, sk2 and dc1 in next st. Repeat this pattern to the end. Dc1 more in the last st. 
Repeat row 2 above as is. Work the tails. 
 

Place the roses as shown in the picture, starting from the second chain space of the collar. Pin the roses and then sew them on. There are 6 roses sewn on the collar. The second row of roses is sewn between 2 from the row above. 
Since you have the first chain spaces left free (on both ends), sew a velvet ribbon (on both ends) and your job is done. I didn't have a velvet ribbon in a matching color, so for my scarflette I used lace.

I hope you enjoy making this, and if you do, please share your experience in the comments.

15 Last Minute Gifts to Crochet - free patterns

 

Christmas is just a couple of days shy and you still have gifts to make. Well you needn't worry because I have compiled a lovely collection of crochet projects you can whip up in no time. 

All three above are easy and fast projects: the rose necklace, the crochet button necklace and the hanging flowers bracelet.

Lace crochet has always been my forte and I quite enjoy making lace jewerly and equally love wearing it. 

You can make jhumka earrings, a rose ring or festive bracelets.  

Also my newest art brooches have made quite a stir lately, so you may want to give them a try. 

 Elegant and romantic earrings for the lady you know.

 

Effective Bohemian Earrings, maybe?

All of the above are made with cotton yarn. These projects here are made with  wool / acrylic yarn. 

A scarf, a coral necklace and warmers.  

The Bohemian Scarf. 

 And lastly, a non-crochet project, but equally beautiful and useful. Instead of bookmarks, you can make them into a lariat with chunky yarn.

Happy Holidays! 

I am having another, last Christmas project on Monday, so drop by to see what it is.

Bottle / Jar Cap Christmas Ornaments

 

 

Every year I try to add a warm handmade touch to our Christmas decor around the house: giving new life to vintage ornaments, crocheting a star garland, recycling ornaments and turning them into table centerpieces. 
This year I decided to make bottle and jar ornaments. 

The idea sprouted from a box filled with tiny wooden figurines / toys we have. A couple of years ago, I succumbed to my urge and bought 2  boxes with approximately 40 such toys and normally, not all get to be hanged on the tree. 

So I decided to use several of these toys and make some new ornaments for our tree.

I used:
- bottle and jar caps
- tiny wooden toys
- printables (wanted to use Christmas related ones; instead I used a music sheet, dictionary extract and snowy village scene). Check out my saved printables for more ideas.
- branches
- cotton 
- foil
- ribbon
- beads

For the Santa ornament I wrapped the cap into alu foil, added a dictionary printable. Glued cotton in a semi circle, added some wooden pieces to look like branches and added beads. The santa came at the center. On the outer side I glued a piece from the tree garland and was to add a golden and a red bow on top of it, but successfully managed to lose them around the place. So this is not completely finished. 

This is a bottle cap ornament and not quite spectacular, but cute anyway. It was a breeze to make. 

I glued sheet music inside, then glued a piece of a garland around the cap (again- not a full circle). I glued an angel at the center as added beads to make it a tiny bit richer. I glued and then tied at the center a golden mash ribbon. 

As you can see below, they have already found their place on the tree. 

I hope you get inspired to make some yourself!

Sewmaker's Dummy Into a Christmas Tree

 

I am always impressed with wonderful ideas creative and talented people share. Every Christmas, our all-time favourite cafe impressively dresses their Christmas tree and it wouldn't be anything unusual if the tree wasn't a dressmaker's dummy. 

Quite taken by it, I explored the internet to see if / what others have done and I am bedazzled with  my search. 

More images of these beauties on my original post.

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DIY Christmas Ornaments

 

 

Via Purl Soho

Here's my selection of non-crochet DIY ornaments. I've chosen these bearing in mind that almost all of them can be made out of recycled or repurposed materials, a quality that gives them a green stamp. 

So, while browsing through these,  think of old fabric, old felt pieces, left-over yarn, ribbons, books, glasses, pegs - the sorts you can (re)use, make something beautiful and prolong their life. 

Pine cones and pipe cleaners have never been more cuter together! Idea by Handmade Charlotte.

It's never a dull idea to give a new shine to old baubles. By Maria Marie.

 

I absolutely love Claire's repurposing DIYs - that woman has a wondrous mind! I am linking to two of her projects - ornaments she made out of eye-glasses and cotton reels + maps. 

Get some wooden beads and turn them into magical ornaments. Via pinterest. 

 

Here I might throw in my Bohemian Pom Poms tutorial. These make quite a sight on the tree!

Make your pegs' lives more exciting! Via pinterest.

I don't think it's wise to hang these adorable pillows baubles on the tree, but if you feel adventurous, go for it!  

Studio DIY shares the sewing tutorial for these ornament pillows, and I also found this holiday lights pillow tutorial by AwwSam.

Make your Christmas magical!