I Just Love These Crochet Crocodile Stitch Slippers!

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.

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!

This pair is for me

 I used some puff paint for a non slip sole

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

You can find the video here or visit Cutie Girl Crochet on facebook

Thank so much Cutie Girl for some pleasurable crochet time.

         

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!

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.

Knit The Dropped and Found Wrap

Wow what a clever idea.

This wrap looks awesome!

I'm seriously wondering if I made a hat too big, I could drop the stitches then do this technique to make the hat smaller and give it this lovely look!

Please visit the designer for the free knit pattern which includes a video.

Free Knit Pattern
Easy Skill Level
Designed by Jessie Rayot

Knit Log Cabin Blanket and 10 Stitch Blanket In One!

Using Up My Scrap Yarn

 

 

Ooh, don't ya feel cozy when it's cold out side and you are making a blanket along with the satisfaction that the yarn you are using is scrap yarn or discontinued yarn or just yarn that you would never have used.

That yarn is going to keep one of the family members nice and toasty this winter.

 

 

This is my first time using the Log Cabin Style in a blanket and I wanted to make it all in one piece, but the larger it got the more pain I felt in my shoulders having to hold up all of those stitches.

So I changed the style to a Log Cabin come 10 Stitch blanket and it is working out fine!

All I did was begin a corner (just after the log cabin cast off) make that corner, then do the 10 st row join into each cast off stitch.

My very first 10 stitch blanket has been well used.

 

 

I even made a 15 stitch blanket. 

 

I must give credit to Very Pink Knits for her wonderful video tutorials, that taught me how to make both of these styles of knitted blankets.

 Log Cabin Video Tutorial

 

 

10 Stitch Blanket Video Tutorial

 

KANGA RIDGE SCARF, FREE KNIT PATTERN

The Kanga Ridge Scarf Is A free Knit Pattern

Needless to say, I've had the knitting needles out lately 

(pun intended, lol)

I put these knit stitches together and it came out looking fabulous!

So here I am once again to share a free pattern with you, but this time it is a knitting pattern!

The Kanga Ridge scarf pattern is full of texture and bounce!
This easy knit scarf pattern looks fabulous on both sides too
You can make the scarf with fine to bulky yarn
The pattern is a 2 row repeat, so you will have it memorized in no time!
There is a 3 stitch border on both sides, which stops your scarf from curling in.
Apart from the 3 stitch border, the pattern stitch is based on the rib stitch, purling 1 st, then a knit inc in the next stitch, this is repeated until you get to the next border. 

On the other side of the scarf and after the 3 stitch border, is a k1, then purl 2 together, repeated to the next 3 stitch border. I hope you enjoy this fund and easy scarf pattern.

Stitches used:
K, knit
P, purl
P 2 tog, purl 2 together
K inc, knit increase (knit into the back of the stitch, then knit into the front of the stitch)
Supplies, yarn and needles of your choice
Tension not required

Pattern stitch count is, any number of odd st's plus 6 more st's.

To begin: cast on your st's loosely
Row 1, k 3, p 1, *k inc (see notes), p 1* repeat from *to* to last 3 st's, k 3
Row 2, K 4, *p 2 tog, k 1* repeat from *to* to last 3 st's, k 3

Repeat rows 1 and 2 for length desired, finish with a row 2, then cast off loosely

With my scarf I use a bulky yarn, 15 mm needles, and 19 stitches, the yarn was from my stash and had no label, so I can't tell you what brand it is, sorry.

Free Pattern, Courtesy Of Cathy Wood
Aka, Cats-Rockin-Crochet.
2015.

You can sell your items made from this free knitting pattern
I’d love to see this pattern used for charity use
Please link back to this pattern if you use it

AllFreeCrochet’s top bloggers of 2014

This is my letter from AllFreeCrochet, I'm so chuffed to say that 2 of my patterns made the list!

My Witch Stitch Hat pattern  

and my One Piece Wonder Baby Bootie pattern.

Please visit their link and show some support for one of the largest collections of free crochet and knit patterns.

Hello!

I’m excited to announce that you’re one of AllFreeCrochet’s top bloggers of 2014! We’ve compiled a list of 100 of our most popular patterns of the year, and you made the cut! One of your patterns is featured on our Top 100 Patterns list, which is live on our site right now.

Here’s the link to our top 100 list, if you’d like to share it with your readers:

http://www.allfreecrochet.com/Crochet-Monthly-Favorites/100-favorites-how-to-crochet-clothing-crochet-afghan-patterns-crochet-accessories-more

Whilst I am here writing this post, I'd like to advise my followers that 5 months ago I became a grandparent raising 2 of my grandchildren ages 9 months and 3 yrs old.

This has been the reason that I have not been active with my free pattern writing and keeping my blog up to date.

My priorities are quite clear, the children come first!

I do however miss my craft so much and will get back into it when time allows. I really do hope that I see you soon, cheers for now and all of my very best to you all!

 

Crochet Template For The Beginning of a One Piece Dress/Sweater/Jumper

One of the very first things you may ask when using this information is how many chain st's do I begin with?
If you think about making a hat and that you have to increase to a certain amount of st's for the hat to fit, that count will be the guide for you to make this to fit over the head of your subject
My subject is for a new born to 3 months and they need a hat with approx 60 st's that will fit their head, so I made a beginning ch of 60, then divided them as equally as I could to make a rectangle.
The rectangle is the beginning shape to fit the shoulder and neck area, that triangle will then become a square as st's are added to shape the garment and once again equally. 
Here is a drawing of what we are looking to achieve.

We also need to make these calculations knowing what yarn ply and hook size we are using.

This is my stitch count as I made the garment

As you can see, it begins in the shape of a rectangle

This fits well on my model

The increases are being made and the rectangle is slowly becoming a square

Which still fits well on my model

The square is now more obvious

The shape folds and forms a perfect garment

More rows and increases are made

Now you can really see the shape of the square, I have been using 10 ply and a 4 mm hook

If you would like written instructions, please leave a comment and I will be pleased to provide them.
 

Online Photo Editor

I love to make my pictures pop if I have taken a good shot, I then go to a free online photo editor and make a collage, add a frame and even words, here is one  free photo online editor I use the most.

Rocking Knit Chair

Technology advances in the blink of an eye – while many are obsessed with the latest high-tech devices, let’s not forget that low-tech innovation can also be revolutionary. ECAL students Damien Ludi and Colin Peillex have created a brilliant “Rocking Knit” chair that uses kinetic energy generated from the chair’s gliding motion to knit a winter hat while you sit! The pair unveiled the multitasking rocker at ECAL‘s ‘Low-Tech Factory’ exposition during Designers’ Saturday in Langenthal, Switzerland.


The Rocking Knit chair was created by Lausanne Damien Ludi and Colin Peillex, students at the ECAL University of Art and Design. At first glance, the chair looks a lot like a porch swing or glider chair. Settle into the comfy seat, and you’ll find that it takes little effort to rock back and forth. While you become engrossed in your book or phone conversation, something magical is happening above your head. The chair’s to-and-fro motion turns gears in the frame above your head, activating low-tech machinery that draws yarn up from a spool beneath the seat. As you enjoy a rare moment of relaxation, the Rocking Knit goes to work, knitting a winter hat that soon begins to emerge right above your head!

Meet The Crochet Dude

Elevate your next crochet project with three stunning textures. Join popular instructor Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude, in this FREE mini-class!

Follow this link to the video, you can finally see the Crochet Dude in person and along with some great tips!