New Pattern Alert!!
The Citrus Beret is based on, well, citrus! This hat features a segmented design reminiscent of the inside of a sliced citrus fruit, with a textured underside meant to evoke the peel.
This hat is worked in the round, some details are worked directly onto the top of the hat, no sewing required!
The Citrus Beret crochet pattern is now available on both Etsy and Ravelry!
This bag is maybe a little late for this Valentine’s Day, or maybe it’s just really early for the next one? Whichever it is, it’s a fun, textured bag that’s a good use of some smaller balls of yarn!
The bag itself is made up of 18 granny squares crochet together, with a denim lining and a crochet strap. The pattern for it details how to make the granny squares, as well as how to put it all together and make a bag. A good thing about this pattern is the granny squares themselves can be used to make any other item that uses granny squares as a base!
Not only is this pattern up for sale on Ravelry, but it’s now up for sale on Etsy too! Please be sure to check it out!
Recently I was lucky enough to be a test knitter for the Stellar Sailor Dickey pattern by Paul Haesemeyer. It’s definitely one I would recommend as a good weekend project – as long as you’re comfortable with charted cables, this is a pretty quick knit!
I worked mine up using my favorite yarn – Joann’s Big Twist. I did deviate just a touch by adding in some store bought pompoms instead of making my own, but the color was a perfect match! How could I resist?
One of the things that I really like about this piece is that it tucks in really smoothly. Wearing it outside a coat or jacket really shows off the cables, but wearing it tucked in does an incredible job of shielding from wind and snow. I’ve actually already started on a second one in brown, which is going to go to my roommate.
If you haven’t already, be sure to head on over to Paul Haesemeyer’s ravelry page to check out his patterns!
First thing’s first:
Happy New Year!
One of the last things I did in 2021 was make and design this Mushroom Beret. This is definitely in my top three designs of 2021. I made this hat using two colors of yarn and fairly simple stitches.
I’ve had the idea to make a Mushroom Beret for a while, but was only able to focus on this project recently. This beret’s design was inspired by amanita muscaria, or the fly agaric mushroom. One of the things that was super important to me was the look of the “gills” on the bottom of the hat. I managed to achieve what I was looking for in just a few days, and then patterned it and have uploaded it to Ravelry!
As always, thank you for reading, and be sure to share your projects when you’re done!
I picked up some Lion Brand Mandala yarn and immediately knew I wanted to make a shawl with it. The question was: which shawl? I searched for a while, but was unable to find any pattern that fit my specific vision, so I decided to design and make my own.
Over the course of about ten days, I turned my 2 skeins of Lion Brand Mandala in Spirit into a shawl and wrote up a pattern for it! This shawl pattern requires knowledge of basic stitches, as well as front post and back post stitches. The shawl uses about 1000-1200 yards of DK yarn and a size 5 mm (H) crochet hook Instructions for bobble and puff stitches are included. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for a link to purchase the pattern!
For the most part I was super happy with the yarn I used. It didn’t become ‘fuzzy’ even after ripping out and crocheting repeatedly, and the colors were beautiful. Each skein had 1 complete repeat of the colors so they were easy to cut apart and match up when changing over.
My only complaint is that inside the second skein, there was a tiny knot tying two completely different shades of blue together. I’m used to yarn having a small knot in it, but I am not pleased with the color change. I ended up cutting it apart and was able to match up the colors, but it’s not ideal.
However, I’d still recommend using Lion Brand Mandala for this shawl. It has good drape and stitch definition. I also think that the length of each color in two skeins creates a very nice gradient.
Click here to purchase this pattern in UK and US terms for $4.99
Use code ‘autumn’ to get 20% off your total pattern purchase in my ravelry store from now until Halloween 2019!
Be sure to upload a picture to Ravelry and link it to the pattern! I love seeing everyone’s creations!
I’ve completed yet another pattern! This time I used a bunch of my leftover yarn bits and bobs to create a rainbow sweaters I have dubbed the Scrappy Stripes Sweater! This pattern is available as a free downloadable pdf on Ravelry.
The sweater body is worked from the bottom up, while the sleeves are worked from the top down. Each colored stripe only uses about 80 yards of each scrap, and about 440 yards of a base color, in my case I used cream. This brings the total amount of yarn to about 1720 yards.
If you’ve got sharp eyes, you might notice some yarns that I have used in previous projects! The sweater is primarily made from aran weight yarn, but there are a couple dk and worsted bits snuck in there, with careful consideration as to how that would affect the gauge.
The sweater is made from dc and sc, the cuffs using the back loop only to create texture and stretch, while the sleeves use dc2tog for shape. The stripes keep their clean look using the standing crochet stitch. If you’re unfamiliar with what that is, I’d recommend checking out this tutorial on Moogly.
Although the weather is a bit warm for this scrappy sweater, I still want to wear it all the time! It was fun to use up the ends of yarn and think about other projects I had made using it.
The pattern is available for free download here. I listed all the yarns I can remember here, but I can’t guarantee the one you’re eyeing is listed. Remember to let me know if you make something using this pattern! You can link it to the project page on Ravelry, or tag me on social media.
I’ve just released a new pattern for sale on Ravelry! The Tanabota Top comes in sizes XS-XXL, fitting a bust range of 32-49 inches. It uses a size L/8mm crochet hook and worsted weight yarn. It’s the perfect top for summer – it’s sleeveless with an open, light stitch pattern. The patterns is also fairly easy to make, using only half double crochet, chain stitch, and slip stitch.
The yarn I used is Caron Cotton Cake in Hydrangea. It’s an easy to work with yarn with good stitch definition. However, the 530 yard ball I used had eight knots tying ends together in it. I’ve never come across a yarn with so many knots in it, but the colors are so pretty I didn’t mind too much.
The Tanabota Top is worked in one piece from front to back with side seams. Here’s a close up of the join between the front and back along the sides, joined with a whipstitch. I was a bit worried with the color changing properties of the yarn that my stitches might look out of place, but it blended in rather well, I think.
This pattern is currently available on Ravelry for $2.99. If you’re interested in this pattern, please check it out or click here to buy it now! Be sure to share pictures of what you make, I love to see what everyone comes up with!
I’m back in the states which means I can go back to Joann’s! One thing I was particularly excited about getting my hands on was the Harry Potter fabric collection. I gave myself some rules, though. I wasn’t going to let myself get any fabric without having at least a rough idea of what I wanted to make with it.
The thing is, I have this tiny window in my room (27.5″ by 18.5″) through which I get a huge amount of light at night. Curtains would definitely improve my sleeping experience, but what fabric to use?
Of course! Deathly Hallows fabric! This fabric is metallic and dark, but it is a little thin, so I added a second layer of black cotton. I knew I wanted to have two curtains in the window and just a small amount of gathering around the curtain rod. To get the sizes of the curtains, I took the width of the window (27.5″), divided it by two (13.75″), added two inches for seam allowance (15.75″), and added four inches for gathering (9.75″). For the other side of the curtain, I simply added two inches to the height for seam allowance (20.5″). I cut two of these from the Harry Potter fabric and two from the black cotton.
I overlocked all four edges of each piece of fabric. However, I only hemmed the sides and bottoms of each piece. After this, I matched up the black side of the curtains to the Harry Potter side, right sides together, and sewed along the top edge. Flipping this right sides out, I topstitched along the edge of the top of the curtain, then added a row of stitching about an inch and a half below that. This creates a double sided curtain with a channel going between the two pieces of fabric.
When I went to put up the curtain, I realized the window was a bit odd in that it gets wider as it gets deeper. Luckily this wasn’t a problem because I’d added 4″ of extra fabric to either side for gathering, so it turned out fine. This serves as a warning to anyone else making curtains – be sure to measure the exact spot your curtains will go and don’t assume your window is the same size all the way through!
This curtain definitely did its job. The above picture and the first picture were both taken in daylight with the ceiling light on. I am very pleased with the end result and add a bit of personality to the room!
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve released a new floral fabric on Spoonflower! Pansy Field is also available in a gift wrap and at a smaller scale.
I was inspired to make this fabric when I went to the garden center and saw all the different flowers they had there. The fabric pattern is made using my photos of some of my favorite pansies.
I had the fabric printed onto Sport Lycra in order to make my sister a crop top. I was a little worried about the print appearing faded or washing out, but these pictures were taken after the shirt had already been through the wash. The print is just as bright as when I got it! 
The shirt itself is simply two pieces of fabric zig zagged together at the sides and shoulders. The neck, armhole, and bottom hem are folded over and zig zagged in place.
If anyone ends up using my pansy fabric, please send mp pictures! I’d love to see what you make!
Apologies for this coming out a week later than promised, a few things came up so it took a bit longer than anticipated to edit. I hope this video on how to make Elastigirl’s wig and makeup is helpful!
Base:
Nyx Mineral Stick Foundation in Fair
Nyx Blotting Powder in Light/Medium
Makeup Obsession Blush in Bloom
Eyes:
Snazaroo in Bright Red
Makeup Obsession Blush in Bloom
Estee Lauder Eye Pencil Duo in Black
L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Excess in Black