First, I wanted to share this FREE pattern of mine: the Pill(ow) Popper, courtesy of Caron. The pillow is made with a few skeins of Vickie Howell’s Sheep(ish) and it was pure fun to design it. Vickie requested wanted a retro modern pillow and the yarn is so smooth and has such strong stitch definition that I knew I wanted to do bobbles. I also knew I wanted to start in the middle, for two reasons. One, I like to avoid foundation chains as much as the next hooker. Two, I know *a lot* of crocheters don’t swatch (tsk tsk!!) and this way it’s easier to stop when you achieve the desired size for your pillow–this one is sized for a 16 incher. I started with the whole thing being bobbled but quickly realized I would run out of yarn, so I futzed with it and came up with this rendition, which I absolutely love. I like that the bobbles create these diagonal lines that are punctuated by the tuft of the grey crocheted button. Make this one, it’s fun and inexpensive and fun and fun. And if you like bobbles as much as I do, be sure to check out my Artichoke Hat and Cherry Cordial Scarf pattern PDFs.

In other orange news, I may have started something over at Yarnivore. I think my coworker (and knitter extraordinaire) Wendy has gone over the crochet edge making birdies using my Bird Mobile pattern from Little Crochet (see more info on how in this post). She showed me all of her birdies at work today, there are at least 20 of them and they look GREAT! She said she got about 11 of them from one skein of Noro Silk Garden sock, including tassels and winding off bits of less desirable colors. I would stage an intervention soon except that I’m thrilled that my evil plan is working and have no problem with her hooking away. Plus, she still does plenty of the knitting. Be sure to check out a few of her sock patterns on Ravelry (I’m told there are more to come!).

And for my last update on the orange theme, I’ve been trying to gain speed on this can’t-tell-you-about-it-just-yet tang orange project (made with the wonderful Cascade Pure Pima, delish!) but every time I get going this happens.

In case you’re wondering, this is closer to the true color of the yarn.

Side snorgler view. It’s a good thing he’s cute, but dang, I feel like my productivity is definitely suffering. Oh well. It’s hard to say no to him.

What color is on your radar right now?

The basic idea is to take two yarns- one fine, one worsted or chunky, and knit a few rows in the fine one and then one row in the chunky. This technique is called scribble lace and I did not invent it nor am I claiming to, but this pattern explains how I made the store sample and shawl above. I knit my first Fiesta Scribble Shawl back in April of 2010 (prime Fiesta season for us San Antonians) using Colinette Parisienne (a mohair blend) and Giotto (a ribbon yarn).  When I saw a sample of a new yarn called Colinette One Zero sitting behind the counter last month,  I absolutely fell in love with it. My boss must have seen the forlorn look in my eyes because she let me have it. I took it home to pet and ponder, and realized it matched a skein of Parisienne I had purchased when I first started working at Yarnivore. It was a yarn pairing made in heaven, and so, I began to knit my second shawl.

I know this photo is sort of ridiculous, but it shows you my deep love for this shawl.

Of course, halfway to North Dakota I realized I had nowhere near enough mohair to finish it –I had previously crocheted a shawlette with most of the ball- and I tried ripping it out but there was no. freaking. way that was going to work. I searched around and was able to get another skein on e-bay. I enjoyed every minute of knitting this shawl, the thick and thin wool was great and scribbly and fun– it tamed somewhat with blocking but is still delightfully artsy, and the softness of the yarn is divine. This is definitely a project where I really enjoyed the process and the product. Sure, it can get mind-numbingly boring to knit stockinette, but it’s a great project to pull out when you don’t want to think. It’s nice to let the yarn do the talking once in a while.

The Fiesta Scribble Shawl is whisper thin and great for travel- scrunch it up in your suitcase and take it anywhere. Give it a shake, and it’s a shawl; wear it around your neck, it’s a scarf. I thought I’d finally share the pattern here on my blog for those of you who don’t live near enough to come find yarn at Yarnivore. Picking out yarns for this shawl is fun no matter how many times I help a customer with it. If you end up making one, I’d love to see a picture on Ravelry. Enjoy and feel free to share!

FIESTA SCRIBBLE SHAWL PATTERN
www.lindamade.com

YARN*
Yarn A: About 85 yards of ribbon yarn, chunky thick/thin wool, or other pretty yarn
Yarn B: 240 yards of mohair, lace, or fingering weight yarn
*Any mohair or thin yarn will work, but you need all of the 240 yards to make a shawl the same size as the finished measurements. If using slightly shorter yardage, cast on 10 fewer stitches for a 20″ wide shawl, or buy 2 balls of mohair.

Shown in:
1 skein of Colinette One Zero (bulky wool), 100 m/109 yards, 100g/3.5 oz [A]
1 skein of Colinette Parisienne (lace mohair), 221 m/240 yds, 25 g/.87 oz. [B]

NEEDLES/NOTIONS
24″ US #15 (10 mm) circular needles OR size to obtain gauge. Note: I am the loosest knitter in the shop, so you may want to go up to size 17 needles.
Yarn Needle
Stitch marker (optional)

FINISHED SIZE: 24″ wide by 64″ long.

GAUGE: 9 sts worked over 9 rows measures 4″/10 cm square using stitch pattern below.
Gauge is not critical BUT you will need to match the gauge closely to end up with the same size shawl without running out of yarn.

TIP: Mark the knit side of the shawl with a marker so you’ll know at a glance which type of stitches you should be working (marker facing you= knit, marker on reverse side=purl). After a few rows, it will be easy to “read” the stitches, but it can be confusing at first, especially for beginners.

SHAWL
With A, cast on 54 stitches.
Row 1: Change to B, knit.
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: Change to A(carrying it loosely up the side), knit.
Row 6: Slide work across to opposite needle, switch to B, knit.
Row 7: Purl.
Row 8: Knit
Row 9: Purl.
Row 10: Slide work across to opposite needle, switch to A, purl.
Repeat Rows 1-10 until you are almost out of B. Ending on a Row 4 or Row 9, switch to A and bind off, weave in the ends. Wet block to finished measurements and let dry completely.

Craft is sharing the Cozy Crawlers Leg Warmers, which are made with a solid and variegated sock yarn (but of course, you can make them any way you’d like!). They’re sized for little ones up to age 2, with a recipe-style tip that will help you upsize them for older kids.

Now, before you laugh, let me tell you why mamas like legwarmers. Two words: Potty Training. Two more: Diaper Changes. No pants to pull down. They also make good padding for kids who are still scooting around until they figure out how to walk, and, I love them because you can use up your random sock yarn bits to make something new. Also: baby thighs. Need I say more?

Have fun, and be sure to add some pics to Ravelry if you end up making these!

If you’re not a knitter, you might not be familiar with Petite Purls, but it’s the brainchild of two moms, Brandy and Allegra, two knitters turned designers who each gave birth to a sweet baby girl within 2 days of each other. Despite their geographical distance, they started this adorable magazine to fill in a pattern gap–namely, beautiful designs for kids. We somehow got in touch on twitter before my first TNNA show, and I loved the idea of doing a crochet design for them, what with the nearly perfect timing for the release my book, Little Crochet.

And so I designed Little Sister (ravelry pattern page), a hat formed from a sweet shell pattern that grows organically from the top down. The pattern is free, and Iwrote  it in four sizes, from baby to adult, so no sister would miss out on the fun! The hats work up beautifully and quickly from Cascade Ultra Pima (a new favorite yarn of mine), and the hand-sewn fabric flower really sets them off (photo tutorial included!). One crocheter already shared a cute variation on my facebook page, she attached the flower to a crochet headband instead of making the hat.

I’m thrilled that my crochet design made the cover of this mostly-knit publication, as it has already  inspired some people to speak my favorite words: “I guess it is time for me to learn to crochet!” and “I didn’t know you could do that in crochet!” Here, the hats are shown on Brandy’s two little girls (she also took the stunning photographs)–scroll down to the bottom of the pattern page for a cute story about what happened to the blue hat.

If you make this hat, I’d love to see it! Please share with me on ravelry, facebook, twitter or here in the comments.

This issue contains my very first adult garment pattern, Peanut Butter (ravelry link). PB is worked side to side in sport weight yarn (which gives grrrreat drape) with feminine smock stitch detailing on the bodice. There’s also a knit version, Jelly, if that’s more your persuasion. Here are both together:

Adorable! We worked very hard to make this pattern, and I am super proud of it. I don’t do a lot of garment patterns (yet) and there are many reasons, but the most important is that I want each one to be a special design that has a long-lasting appeal, and it’s also tricky to find a pub that allows me the space to include the detailed instructions that make it easier on you, the crocheter.  Tracy St. John (whose name you might recognize from the pages of Interweave Crochet) really helped me go over this one with a fine-toothed comb. I think and hope this cardigan satisfies my goals, and I want to make one for myself soon! It comes in six sizes ranging from a 32″ to 52″ bust, and includes a diagram of the smocking pattern. You can purchase the pattern on Tangled for $6.50 (just click “add to cart”). I would love to see your version if you make one! And the yarn I used–Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine, was perfect for this sweater–it’s soft, affordable, has a generous yardage per skein, and comes in great colors. I’d use this yarn again in a heartbeat. Thanks to Berroco for the yarn support.

My second, FREE pattern is a little combination of crochet and weaving, called Shimmer (ravelry link). Shimmer is a scarf that’s crocheted in a worsted wool-silk blend (Louisa Harding Grace Wool+Silk), then the sparkling ribbon yarn (also Louisa, Sari Ribbon)  is added by weaving it through the stitch pattern, which creates little windows on the front that let the sparkle shine through. I designed this scarf specifically because I’d been drooling over both yarns at Yarnivore, and I wanted to find an enjoyable way to crochet the ribbon. KFI was generous enough to donate the skeins so I could design this free pattern.

The scarf looks cool from either side, but the ribbon is much more visible on what is the “back” to me (what you see in the photos in the mag). If you look at it from the front, it’s a much more understated,  subtle shimmer, which is what my original vision was. I like them both, but wanted to show you what my vision of the front looked like.

There are plenty of other awesome patterns in this issue, including Radicowl!, a brioche-stitch uspired crochet cowl (knit version here!), Helleborus, stunning flowering mitts by Shelby Allaho and a lovely Jane Austen inspired knit, Elinor Dashwood (crochet version here!). Please check it out and tell all of your friends. Cause see, we can all get along! Happy hooking and sticking!

Crocheters, dig through your scraps and whip up some of these festive autumn leaves using my pattern/tutorial at Craftstylish. Each leaf takes oh….five minutes to make? Use various yarn weights to change the sizes and you’re good to go. I like the idea of scattering them on the table, or connecting them with a long chain to make a garland. Be sure to block the leaves to get the points in shape.

No matter your skill level, you can make your own place cards, which can be just as simple as stickers on a sheet of paper (as seen in the leaf photo). Here, I sandwiched different patterned and solid papers with felt flowers and sewed them all together for crafty effect. Check out my tutorial here. If you use cute cardstock, there’s really not a whole lot else you need to do to make your table fun!

And just in case you need something to show off your homemade rolls–the best part of the feast in my opinion!–sew up one of these coiled fabric baskets. Making them is mesmerizing, and might be a welcome break from your holiday stress. They also make great hostess gifts. Here’s my tutorial, again from an old Craftstylish post.

Hope your holidays are full of fun and sharing!

The first thing I picked up to keep my hands busy was my own Blooming Sun Hat (my design,  in Crochet Today May/June 2010) worked in Knit One Crochet Too’s Ty Dy Cotton. I have been reading about the yarn on Ravelry,  and crocheters like it because it has long color repeats (important for the tall and yarn-eating crochet stitch). I finally found some of it close-to-locally when Paul took me on a Hill Country Yarn Crawl of my very own for my birthday last month, so I bought a ball to swatch with. The yardage is generous –another plus for crocheters!– so I figured I would be able to make the hat with enough to spare for swatching. Overall, I like how the coloring worked out, but I actually think that a stiffer cotton (such as the Red Heart Eco-Cotton I used for the magazine) was well suited for this hat, as it made the whole thing a bit more stiff. A cotton linen blend would be nice as well–it all depends what you are going for. I do love that the lighter weight of this yarn and I already wore the hat outside  to do some gardening this morning.

I’m also thisclose to finishing another pair of Easy Does It Crocheted Socks from the aptly named book, Crocheted Socks: 16 Fun-To-Stitch Patterns. I started these with my sock class that I taught at  Yarnivore using Stroll sock yarn from Knit Picks (leftover from a forthcoming design). Since I needed a sock to demonstrate on I figured I would go ahead and make the pair, I just made them short anklets since I had used part of the skein for the other project and knew I wouldn’t have enough to make a full cuff. I am proud to say that I guessed just right and ended up with just a few yards left of yarn– it feels so good to USE it UP sometimes, doesn’t it? I have so much stash leftover from book and mag projects and I really hate to let it languish, but I do start to get sick of a yarn if I already made the intended project, the scrap project, and still have more left! Heh! Anyway, the socks fit perfectly, I just need to sew up the toe. Unfortunately, in my opinion these socks are an example of what short color repeats look like in crochet—ugly. While I love the colors of this yarn, I don’t really like the way it pooled here, which happened because the repeats are too short (for this stitch pattern, in crochet). If you end up with a yarn like this, try alternating it with a solid to space out the pools–that’s what I did for the forthcoming project and I like it much better. But, hey, free socks to wear around the house!

The last thing in the works right now is actually on my knitting needles– I got them out last night and cast on for my Rippley Sweet BonBon Baby Blanket, a free pattern on Ravelry,  from Austin’s great yarn shop, Hill Country Weavers. One of my favorite students came in with the yarn and pattern for a couple of these and I helped her with them, and then when I was in their store this weekend I could no longer resist starting my own.  I had about 3 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton left over from Tricia Royal’s Mod Cross Pillow in Crochet Adorned and they all matched well with one of multicolored Filatura Di Crosa Bon Bon skeins (the pom-pom yarn) in the store, so I went ahead and got it, along with the red cotton. I’m going to make my blanket stripey so I can work with what I have. This is another favorite way for me to use stash/leftover yarns–buy just a little of something new to make them fun again. And- knit with them instead of crocheting with them (or vice versa). The stitch pattern on this project  is relatively simple but I find that it helps to place a marker between each repeat so that if you get hung up somewhere it’s easy to follow the repeat and figure out which section is the problem. It’s very addictive to work this, too- in fact I’m trying to avoid it right now so I can actually get some things done today.

That’s what’s new over here– what’s on your hooks and needles?

I’ll be working at Yarnivore all this week, so all will be quiet on the blog front!

If you’re seeking crochet inspiration, might I remind you that Easter is coming up and I have a free crochet pattern for easter eggs, chicks and bunnies? A reader recently sent me a pic of one of the eggs she made– she lined the bottom with fabric and turned it into a pin cushion– what a great idea!

Craft  zine also recently republished my wildly popular Crocheted Reversible Swiffer Sock pattern in an easy-to-print format.

And if you still haven’t gotten your hands on Crochet Adorned (which was nominated for a Flamie!), Blue Bird Luxe is giving away a free copy on her blog!

Have a great week!

The drawing above is by Paul Heaston–it’s my yarn swift.

It’s fun to play with the colors for this pattern, since I have quite a few different cottons in my stash. Although, as far as stashbusting goes, let’s just say you’d have to crochet a heck of a lot of these before you bust much stash. But- since you can toss these in the wash (unline a sponge), it’s good to have a few around anyway.

After making so many of these I have a few suggestions/additions to my pattern.

*For Lion Cotton (Or Sugar’n'Cream) switch to a size H hook and ch 17 or 19 stitches to start (reducing the dc in each row to 6 or 8), to get a smaller or slightly smaller tawashi, respectively. I also only crocheted 21 rows instead of 24.
*Add a ch-15 hanging loop at the beginning of one row (before you make the first sc)- this will help you hang it up to dry if you use it often.
*Leave the first end long (to sew up one end of the tawashi) and the last end very long (to sew up the side and other end of the tawashi)– you can crochet over all of the other ends as you go to save some time. You don’t need to sew the top gathering point to the bottom one, either– you can, but it will lie flat without that step and it gives you the option of using it as shown above, which might be good for a bath scrubber.

These are addictive to make because there are quick. And of course there are lots other cute and fun tawashi patterns to knit or crochet out there, so have fun with it! I figure I’ll stack a few together with some nice dish soap and have a start on holiday gifts. If you end up making a tawashi or two, I’d love to see a photo–whether on Ravelry, Craftstylish, or via a link in the comments! Get hooking.

Since  ideas are still running around in my head,  I will still be posting over there occasionally, but I wanted to let you know what was happening. and why there won’t be as many updates from me and the other bloggers. The plethora of great how-tos remains at the site, though, so I hope you’ll still check in.

While we’re on the subject, let’s take a tour of some of my projects from May. The theme was celebrations/DIY Weddings.

Above is my paper flower bouquet- I was really impressed with how easy these flowers were to make and how pretty they were, considering they were made with crepe paper. When I was styling the “finished” photo I spotted this ball of yarn and knew it was destined to be the vase. I really love this project.

And here’s a sweet little crochet/beading combination: a bridal necklace. Of course, you do not have to be a bride to make or wear this necklace– try it in a bright color for every day appeal!

My final project forMay was this gnome place card holder. Here I was just having fun with my cupcake toppers and styrofoam balls because there are only so many DIY Bride projects that I can think of in one month. But worry not- two more bride/wedding posts are on their way from me in June. I just raided the silk flower section of the craft store this weekend to prepare myself for the challenge.

If you’d like to see more of my tutorials and posts, check ‘em out right here.