Granny Square Wall Hanging

There are a million and two different patterns for granny squares available for free. This particular pattern is one that I just made up while I was crocheting. You can choose any one that you like. As you can see I did this one in a solid white.

I went out back and got an old twig from one of the trees and broke it to size. I used a yarn needle to 'sew' the square onto the twig and then just made a chain to use as a hanger.

For the bottom I just wrapped yarn around a piece of cardboard 20 times and then tied the ends around the top to make tassels in different colors. I had a bunch of the little craft clothespins laying around on my desk and my son suggested attaching the tassels to the pins so that I could change out the colors if I wanted to. I think it would be a great way to add a splash of color for the holidays. Maybe some pastel ones for Easter, orange and brown for Thanksgiving, red and green for Christmas, multicolors for Birthdays ... that sort of thing.

However you choose to do this, always remember that if you are not having fun then you're doing it wrong! =)

Beaded Suncatcher

I just love working with beads. Love them! 

I saw some beaded wire suncatchers on Pintrest and was inspired. I just had to make some of these for myself. Here is my very first one. I don't think it came to bad. I really like it and it was super fun to make!

I am already nagging the hubster to get me a nice camera. I am so tired of my cell phone camera. What a pity that with as much power as these new phones have these days the camera can be so bad. Maybe it's just user error and I need a better camera that can compensate for my total lack of photography ability. I think I am going to stick with bad cell phone camera. That is my story, and I'm stickin' to it! HA!

So I didn't actually follow any real instructions when I made this. I just looked at some pictures from Pintrest and just gave it a shot. It is really simple to do and I'm sure that most everyone can do the same thing but I'll go ahead and throw down here some basic instructions just in case.

The materials come from the Dollar Tree and Walmart. I love me some cheap DIY! The beads were the most expensive part of this and I have plenty left over to put into other projects so I didn't really mind the $10 it cost me. Okay, that's a bit of a lie, I hate spending $10 on a single thing unless it's going to be an epic project but for this I went ahead and shelled out the money. 

Materials

Beads

Thick wire

Thin jewelry wire

Pliers - jewelry pliers are best but regular pliers will work

Yup, that's all there is to it.

I used the thick wire, in this case the Dollar Tree only had it in black so that is what I used. It came curled up already and I just snipped off a bit of wire and then grabbed both ends and pulled a little to make it elongate into a spiral. Then I just worked the wire a bit to make the curl at the top and bottom a bit smaller and widen it out in the middle. You can work your wire however you want it. Super easy, no measuring and no having to have a form to wrap the wire around. 

Then I chose what beads I wanted. For this I went with a rainbow theme. That took the longest amount of time, separating down the beads into the different colors. The package I bought was one of those all mixed together glass bead packages. There were a lot of beads that are unfortunately unusable because the hole in the middle is clogged. But they came from Walmart so it's not like I was expecting high end beads. I will just find something else I can hot glue them to. Oh, the hubster was thrilled about that. lol

To put the beads on the thick wire I used the thinner jewelry wire and snipped off about a foot and a half of wire. I tried other lengths at first but longer than about a foot and a half and the wire started bending and crimping up on me. It was a mess and I was frustrated. When I wanted to add another length of wire I just wrapped it around a couple of times and kept on movin' and groovin'. The whole point of this is to look hand made. If I wanted factory production quality I would have gone out and bought any number of suncatchers. So I embraced my handmade'ness (if that is not a word I am officially making it one). 

I fiddled with the top for a good long while before I found something that I liked. 

For the bottom I just strung a couple beads on some jewelry wire and hung them. Presto! A suncatcher is born. (cue angels singing)

There really isn't any one set way to do these. With the free form of the wire you can make these however you want. I hope you have fun with this and I would love to see pictures of your beaded suncatchers. 

Rainbow Scarf with Curlicue Clouds

I love this scarf <3 It is a fantastic project for someone just learning crochet to take on. Because the stitches are so simple and repetitive it is an excellent way for a beginner to really get the hang of basic stitches. It is also a great way to let your creativity start to flow because each color can be done in any stitch you want. This pattern is how I made it but feel completely free to change each color to whatever stitch you want.

I made this scarf super long just because I like the way it hangs down to my knees. It is so incredibly warm and because it is a little wider than most scarves I can wear it over my shoulders and let it drape around my back and arms if it isn't cold enough to wrap it around my neck.

Materials
8 skeins yarn - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Purple, Black
Hook size J

Abbreviations
st - stitch
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
tc - treble crochet

Pattern

Red

Foundation chain - ch 203

Row 1 - in 4th ch from hook dc. dc in all chains, turn

Row 2 - ch 3. Beginning in 2nd st dc in each st to end. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Black

Row 3 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Orange

Row 4 - ch 4 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st tc in each st across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Black

Row 5 - ch 3 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st dc in each st across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Yellow

Row 6 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st across, turn.

Row 7 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st to end, turn.

Row 8 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st to end. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Black

Row 9 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st hdc in each st across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Green

Row 10 - ch 4 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st tc in each st across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Black

Row 11 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Blue

Row 12 - ch 3 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st dc in each st to end, turn.

Row 13 - ch 3 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st dc in each st to end. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Black

Row 14 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Indigo

Row 15 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st across, turn.

Row 16 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st to end, turn.

Row 17 - ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st to end. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st..

Black

Row 18 - ch 3 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st dc in each st across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Purple

Row 19 - ch 4 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st tc in each st across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st.

Using a yarn needle, weave in all ends.

Edging 

Black

ch 2 for first st. Beginning in 2nd st sc in each st across. In last st, sc, ch, sc to create corner.

Turn scarf and sc along the edge. 1 sc for each sc, 2 sc in each dc, 3 sc in each tc. In last st, sc, ch, sc to create corner.

Turn scarf and sc in each st. In last st, sc, ch, sc to create corner.

Turn scarf and sc along the edge. 1 sc for each sc, 2 sc in each dc, 3 sc in each tc. In last st, sc, ch, sc to create corner. slip stitch to ch 2.

Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st. Weave in end.

Curlicue Clouds

Across one short edge

Red

Row 1 - ch 2 for first st. sc in same stitch. 2 sc in each stitch across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st. Weave in end.

Orange

Row 2 - ch 2 for first st. sc in same stitch. 2 sc in each stitch across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st. Weave in end.

Yellow

Row 3 - ch 2 for first st. sc in same stitch. 2 sc in each stitch across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st. Weave in end.

Across second short edge

Green

Row 1 - ch 2 for first st. sc in same stitch. 2 sc in each stitch across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st. Weave in end.

Blue

Row 2 - ch 2 for first st. sc in same stitch. 2 sc in each stitch across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st. Weave in end.

Purple

Row 3 - ch 2 for first st. sc in same stitch. 2 sc in each stitch across. Cut yarn with 3-4 inch tail and pull through last st. Weave in end.

I really hope that you have fun with this. If you make this or a version of this I would love to see pictures and let me know how you enjoyed doing this!

Detailed tutorial for curly crochet for beginners.

Today I am creating a tutorial on how to make beautiful curly crochet. Most people know this as a crochet spiral. Here is an image of a typical spiral:

These spirals are fantastic and versatile. These two are ones that I made and hung on my Christmas tree as decorations this year. As you can see there is a difference depending on yarn weight and hook size. 

Another really neat thing I have done with these spirals is to turn them upside down and sort of straighten out the 'curl'. Here is a project where I turned them 'upside down' and fluffed them out for a different look:

And a box of Ginger Ale on the massage table for an added bonus! haha I am going to have to make myself a picture taking area for future photos. 

You can change the look of these spirals and curls by changing what stitch you use. For the tight Christmas spirals I used a mix of double crochet and single crochet. For the hanging mobile I used all single crochet. 

Here is a look at a project where I pulled all of the curls to the front and used a combination of treble crochet, double crochet, and single crochet:

Using this neat curly stitch is also excellent for whimsical edging like on the rainbow scarf I made. Changing colors for each row created a neat effect:

Rainbow Scarf with Curlicue Clouds

(After I have finished posting the tutorials for the mobile, dragonfly and scarf I will come back and put in links)

So now that you know how much fun you can have with this technique let me show you how I did this.

The typical spiral technique requires for you to use the same size hook for each row. I have found that I prefer to use different sized hooks to give me a super clean finish. I like how the center looks bolder while the edges have a more dainty look. You can certainly choose to do either one but for my purposes here I am using 4 different hooks. 

ch - chain

sc - single crochet

Materials:

Yarn - weight/color entirely up to you. 

4 crochet hooks - sizes K, J, H, and I

For this tutorial I am only using a 4 chain base. In your project you would chain as long as you would like for it to be. Remember, the chain will run through the middle and determine the length. If you are using this as edging then do not make a chain and use the last row as the chain.

Start by chaining 4 with the K hook for the base and then an extra 1 chain for the turn. 

Now, some people like to crochet into the back of the chain for a more finished look but in this case we want to go through the side of the chain. This gives more flexibility to the curls. Here is our first sc into ch 4.

Here is another difference I have. Most of the tutorials for spirals and curls will have you do 2sc per chain but I often keep my 'bottom' with only 1 stitch. I like the way it tapers the end. The 'top' of the spiral I sometimes do 1 sc and sometimes 2 sc depending on how wide I want the top to be. So we have 1 sc in ch 4 and we are going to do 2 sc in ch 3,2, and 1. This is the first row. The original chain is not considered a row. 

Already you can see that the yarn wants to curl. Be careful of your tension and don't pull too hard or else you will have difficulty with the other rows.

Row 2:

This row is going to use the J hook. Remove the K, insert the J and then turn your work without making any stitches. You can see in this picture that the curve is now on the other side. This is what we want.

Using the J hook we are going to make 2 sc into every stitch except the last one. Only 1 sc 

The yarn is starting to curl a bit tighter and might even begin spiraling around your fingers while you are working. Don't worry if the curls don't spiral, you can adjust the way the curl falls when you are finished. 

Row 3:

This row is going to use the I hook. Remove the J, insert the I and then turn your work without making any stitches. 

Keep in mind that we are now starting at the 'bottom' so only 1 sc in the first stitch and 2 sc in every stitch after.

These curls are starting to get serious! haha Don't worry if you have to hold your work straight while you are crocheting. It will fall back in line as it goes. Also at this point your curls may be going every which way. Totally normal and nothing to worry about. As I said earlier you can adjust how the curls fall when you are finished. 

Row 4:

This row is going to use the H hook. Remove the I, insert the H and then turn your work without making any stitches.

This row starts at the 'top' so we will use 2 sc in the beginning stitch and each stitch to the bottom with the last stitch having just 1 sc. 

At this point you should have curls going all over the place! Snip the yarn, I give myself a good 3 - 4 inches for weaving in the ends, and finish off.

See how springy the picture above is? This is with a base of only 4 chains. Imagine how curly this would be with more chains! Here is what these 4 chains look like flattened out. You can see the progression of the stitch sizes that we got by using different hooks. Nice big stitches in the center out to more delicate stitches along the edges. 

There are a lot of super frilly and fringed yarns out there and they would be amazing as edging for this technique. I highly recommend you do NOT use the frilly and fringed yard for making these. The frills and fringe make it nearly impossible to see your stitches. If you want to add some texture to this I highly recommend using the special yarn as edging. To do that simply go up one hook size from what you last used, in this case go from the H back to the I, and then edge with the special yarn 1 sc per stitch. If you try to use 2 sc per stitch you will increase the curl even further and use up tons of expensive yarn. 

Just to give you an idea of how much yarn you are going to need for this I pulled out all the yarn and took this photo:

This was all used for only 4 chains and only using a small single crochet. If you are going to use double or even treble crochet then make sure you have plenty of yarn. This is a nice project to use up some of the less expensive yarn for the curls and trim in the expensive yarn for a very luxurious feel.

I sure hope that this gives you another technique to work with and always remember to have fun!