Saturday, September 19, 2015

Give An Old Light Shade A Face Lift


 
crochet an old light shade 
Don't throw those tired old light shades out, they can be be brought back to life with a bit of imagination, a crochet hook and some yarn. Here are three that I plan on working on and I have finished the first one.

crochet an old light shade 2

I wanted a simple and open light light shade to go over the dining table.

I cut and tore the existing shade off it's frame
crochet an old light shade 3
 I then gave it a clean
crochet an old light shade 3
 I crocheted some diamond shapes to fit within each section
crochet an old light shade 4
Then I tied them on at each end
crochet an old light shade 5
I used a budget acrylic yarn
crochet an old light shade 6
 Next I had to secure the diamond shape with some chains and slip st's, I began at the center of the diamond on the frame, to keep it evenly placed
crochet an old light shade 7
I added more rows of chains and sl st's at an even space
crochet an old light shade 8
Then I began to wrap the exposed frame with a sl st, I used my fingers instead of the crochet hook as it was easier for me
crochet an old light shade 9
I could have added more elements to the light shade, but as I said I wanted something simple.
crochet an old light shade 10
I'm glad I took the time to wrap the exposed frame, the variegated yarn looks quite impressive.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post
I have another light shade I made not long ago if you would like to see that, just follow this link
crochet an old light shade again
 

Sunday, August 9, 2015

I Just Love These Crochet Crocodile Stitch Slippers!




crochet crocodile slipper tutorial

I happened to stumble upon a video tutorial for some really pretty crochet crocodile stitch slippers. It was not just the crocodile stitch that I liked it was the way the slipper was made and formed. It was such a good looking slipper that I had to see how it was made and watched the video's over and over again. I favor visual learning and enjoyed watching the slipper come together, I've made quite a few now and was also inspired to make a baby slipper that was similar.

crochet baby crocodile slippers

With all the slippers I made, I used a 4mm hook and 10 ply yarn.
The Red Heart Aran we have available in Australia is soft and was the perfect yarn choice for these slippers.
The color combo's are limitless!
crochet adult crocodile slipper

crochet crocodile slippers red heart yarn
This pair is for me
crochet crocodile slippers hand made by me
 I used some puff paint for a non slip sole
non slip crochet sole with puff paint

 I couldn't resist to make a baby hat to match the baby slippers.

crochet baby crocodile hat and slippers
You can find the video here or visit Cutie Girl Crochet on facebook

Thank so much Cutie Girl for some pleasurable crochet time.

         


Sunday, July 26, 2015

Crochet A Light Shade


A very cheap alternative to buying a light shade.
Make one yourself with a small amount of yarn, old beads and an existing light shade.
I chose some woolen yarn and began with a single crochet foundation row
I kept placing it around the light shade until if fit, then joined it into a circle.
To get the round to stay in a circular shape I had to make sure the stitch count was dividable by the number 6.
I did a couple of rounds of sc, then placed a shell st into 6 places.
My stitch count for this was 54, 6 x 9 = 54, so every 9th stitch had a shell st placed into it.
The next round consisted of a sc on each side of the shell st and chains replaced the remaining sc stitches.
My pattern went like this.
1 sc, ch 6, skip 6 sc, 1 sc, make a shell in next st, repeat all the way around then join the round.
The following rounds went like this
1 sc, ch 6, 1 sc, make a shell, repeat all the way around, then join.
The very first thing I did was clean the light shade, then began making the new shade.
I had to block it so it would sit nice, I just used the good old iron.
Then I added some beads from an old necklace, they had their own rings which I hooked through a crochet stitch.

My granddaughter loved it once the beads were added, she now has her own type of chandelier in her bedroom.
Now I know I can do it, I can get more daring and make another even more spectacular!

Sunday, June 7, 2015

DROP STITCH KNITTED, HAT AND HEAD BAND



I am really enjoying dropping knitted stitches for that lovely braided effect.
You may have seen my previous post with the dropped and found wrap, I used the very same technique to make a head band and a hat!
Woo Hoo, I'm rockin with the knitting in between caring for my grand kids.
The head band was a no brainer as it was just straight knitting with the garter stitch, I dropped the middle 3 stitches, then braided them with the crochet hook, sewed the ends together and it was perfect!


The hat was more intense, I had to plan it out from beginning to end.
I decided on 4 sets of the dropped st to work evenly around the hat, I knew I had to make the hat on straight needles, I chose to make a baby sized hat and allowed for extra st's that would eventually be dropped.
The 3x3 ribbed edge was the perfect way to begin and I love the look of the braid against the garter stitch.
My original plan was to take the braid all the way to the top of the hat and I was on my way there until I realized that the decreasing would interfere with the dropping of the stitches!
I still believe that the braid can be taken all the way to the top by making the correct calculations
I was not quite sure what the bottom of the band would look like and I was prepared to make adjustments, but once it all came together it looked great!
Then it was onto the finish, decreasing for the crown and sewing it together.
Ta Da!
What do you think?
I love it and it will fit my youngest grandchild called Myles who is 3 months old.
I hope you have found my knitted drop stitch informative and that you may be able to use some of this information for your self.