The Pasta Challenge

The Pasta Challenge

A small group of us meet regularly to chat, sip coffee and crochet or knit. At one of our meetings we got a crazy idea to have a Pasta Challenge. We wanted to see who could come up with the best  hand crafted project that incorporated pasta!

The rules for the challenge weren’t well defined…so the projects varied greatly. No winner was selected this go around…but there will be more quirky and crazy challenges ahead.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get a collective photo of them all…so here is the reveal, one item at a time:

Glitzy Necklace, by Alice

pasta and yarn necklace

This glittery piece includes spray painted noodles! That little detail may not show up well in the photo…but it did have sparkle in person. Some noodles are painted gold and some with glitter making this one glitzy necklace.

Colorful Jar Cozy, by Deborah

Pasta Cozy

This mason jar cozy illustrates two ways to attach “beads” to a crochet project. The little pasta is attached using a beaded crochet technique. The elbow noodles are attached with thread and needle. A vivid example of how to attach beads.

Adorned Purse, by Lorien

adorned purse

Pasta adorns this cloth purse with large painted elements and in the little details, too. It’s difficult to see in these photos, but there are small star shaped pastas lining the opening of the purse and in the center of the flowers.

Beaded Broomstick and Shell Bag, by Dana

broomstick and shell beaded crochet

This bag illustrates beaded crochet with three different crochet stitches including: broomstick lace, shell stitch and single crochet. This bag was created with two handle pieces, two broomstick lace panels and joined with a round base.

The challenge was unusual, but a lot of fun. Stay tuned for the next wacky challenge coming soon!

Summer Scarf – Single Stranded Broomstick Cowl

Summer Scarf – Single Stranded Broomstick Cowl

Summer Scarf

As the temperatures start to rise, a summer scarf project is just the thing. We’ve whipped up our Broomstick Lace and Puff Stitch Cowl in a soft and luxurious Milky Whey yarn.  Oh la la, it’s heavenly!

Broomstick Lace and Puff Stitch Cowl pattern on Etsy.

Not only does the Milky Whey yarn have beautiful drape, it’s extremely soft and comfortable to work with and feels silky and smooth around the neck. It’s my number one go-to scarf these days!

The light and airy single stranded broomstick lace pattern makes this a nice summer scarf. The cowl pictured is extra long…allowing it to wrap around the neck once or twice. For a cooler version (for those really hot summer days) I would recommend crocheting a shorter or thinner piece.

Summer Scarf – The Pattern

milky whey broomstick closeThis summer scarf was made following the Broomstick Lace Scarf Pattern. It’s amazing how different a piece will look when you simply change the yarn!

The Milky Whey pictured has really nice drape. And if you can get your hands on some, I would highly recommend it. You won’t be disappointed, promise! Nice alternatives would be bamboo or silk (or a cotton blend). I think the stitch pattern really stands out with a yarn that has little elasticity.

The repeat in this pattern is easy to memorize. This is a great project to toss in a bag and take with you as you run errands. It uses only a few stitches – chain, single crochet, puff stitch and broomstick lace.

We have created a couple of quick videos that demonstrate the stitches used in this piece. You can see them on YouTube:

Broomstick Lace and Puff Stitch Cowl pattern on Etsy.

Enjoy!

Cell Phone External Battery Pack Bag

Cell Phone External Battery Pack Bag

battery pack bag

Recording video on your phone? You’ll need a cell phone external battery pack because video will drain your power fast. We’ve created a great little bag to stow your battery that can clip to your belt loop, backpack or a tripod.

We’ve dressed up the bag with a “Hangout” appliqué that doubles as a business card holder. “Hangout’s” are a free video conferencing feature of Google Plus. As of today you can video conference with up to 10 people at once. Pretty sweet!

Cell Phone External Battery Pack Bag  – Crochet Pattern

bag on tripodI designed this external battery pack bag for my husband to take on business trips where he might do a lot of recording on his cell phone. I didn’t have black yarn…so used blue for the bag. Probably not the best choice since many people associate blue with Facebook!

Skill Level: Easy

Stitches Used: Chain, Slip Stitch, Single Crochet, Half Double Crochet, Double Crochet, Treble Crochet

Techniques Used: Crochet in Rows and in the Round. Increase and Decrease

Size: 3 ½” wide x 1” deep x 4” tall

Get the Pattern

The external battery pack bag pattern is available on the Free Crochet Patterns page or in the Store.

FREE Patterns

Crochet Baby Monkey Hat Pattern Set

Crochet Baby Monkey Hat Pattern Set

Now available electronically!

baby monkey hat set

This adorable baby monkey hat comes with coordinating mitts, booties and diaper cover! This is a big crowd pleaser. Crochet this for your next baby shower and you’ll get lots of oohs and aahs. This baby set is a popular design at craft shows, too!

Each element is cute enough to stand on its own. The hat is adorable. The mitts are cute. But the tail on the diaper cover and the little booties get the most rave reviews. This is a delightful photo prop.

This design was featured in the 2012 Holiday Issue of “Love of Crochet” (without the diaper cover). Now the crochet pattern is available electronically.

Monkey Hat Set pattern also available on Etsy.

Crochet Baby Monkey Hat Set – the Pattern

Monkey Full OutfitThe pattern for this newborn baby monkey hat set also includes directions for preemie hat and diaper cover.

Like all our patterns, this crochet pattern includes: written directions, lots of photos, checkboxes to mark your progress, materials list, etc.

Skill Level: Easy

Crochet Baby Monkey Hat Set – In the Store

This crochet baby monkey hat set pattern is available as a pdf. Pick up your copy of the Monkey Baby Hat pattern in the store.

Monkey Baby Hat Set pattern also available on Etsy.

Available in the Store

 

Lil Monkey blocks, security blanket and baby blanket

More Monkey Fun

This baby monkey hat set coordinates nicely with the toy set we introduced a few months ago.

For even more monkey fun, check out the matching Monkey Blankets and Blocks Set!

Monkey Blanket and Blocks Set pattern also available on Etsy.

Baby Pilot Hat, Scarf and Goggles

Baby Pilot

A new baby pilot…so sweet and adorable. Little ones like this fly straight into your heart with this hat, scarf and goggle set.

baby pilot hat goggles scarf

Cami Hickman-Adams crocheted this fun baby pilot set for photographer Megan Nagase. Cami modified the Bomber Hat Set a bit but kept the overall look and feel of the piece. Nice work Cami!

Baby Pilot Set Available For Purchase

Crocheted Set
Cami crochetes finished pieces at Cami’s Creative Commodities. Contact her on Facebook for your own baby pilot hat and google set!

Crochet Pattern Only
Buy the Aviator Set pattern in our store and crochet the set yourself. This sent includes 6 hat sizes, 3 adjustable goggles and 3 scarves. The whole family can take to the skies in this set.

Aviator Set pattern also available on Etsy.

Here are more fun photos of this adorable baby pilot.

Nagase Photography

Photography Information
A special thank you to Megan Nagase for sharing these lovely photo. Megan is located in Frisco, Texas and works in the Dalls/Fort Worth area. She specializes in children and boudoir photography. You can learn more about her work at Nagase Photography.

Newborn Baseball Outfit

Newborn Baseball Outfit

A new fan is born! This newborn baseball outfit is a beautiful photo prop. It makes me want to break out some peanuts and cracker jacks!

Newborn Baseball Outfit

Katrina Fox crocheted this for her grandson. We love how it turned
out. And the photo is absolutely darling.

Newborn Baseball Outfit – Available For Purchase

Katrina would love to hook up more new fans with this cute Newborn
Baseball Outfit. It’s available a couple of ways:

Crocheted Set
Buy the crocheted set (hat and mitts) at LissyLooBoutique on Etsy.

Crochet Pattern Only
Buy the pattern “Li’l Slugger” (hat, mitts, bib) in our store and crochet the set yourself.

Li’l Slugger pattern available on Etsy.

A special thank you to Katrina for sharing this lovely photo.

Broomstick Lace Scarf and Cowl Pattern

Broomstick Lace Scarf and Cowl Pattern

Have you tried Broomstick Lace? It is a lot of fun. We’ve incorporated it into this scarf and cowl pattern. Not only does this broomstick lace use two different sizes of knitting needles, it has a repeated motif that includes single crochet and puff stitch.

broomstick lace scarf

This is an adorable scarf and attractive cowl. The design is so fun, you’ll want to make both the cowl and the scarf for yourself!

Don’t be fooled…this is 100% crochet! It only looks like a knitted project!

Broomstick Lace and Puff Stitch Videos

red scarf folded in half

We’ve created a couple of videos to show you how easy those stitches are to crochet. So, if you don’t know how to crochet broomstick lace or the puff stitch…or if it’s been a while since you have…No problem.

The Broomstick Lace video shows traditional broomstick lace and single stranded broomstick lace like this pattern uses.

A link to the videos is in the pattern.

Broomstick Lace Scarf and Cowl Pattern Details

The scarf in the above photos is crocheted in Vanna’s Sequins. It’s a light weight yarn (3). The scarf is shown in Ruby.

The cowl is crocheted in Sensations Enchantment. It’s listed as a Medium weight (4) yarn but it feels similar in weight to the Vanna’s Sequins. The cowl shown below is crocheted in Pink Metallic.

pink broomstick cowl

The pattern includes lots of photos. It has all of our signature stuff like checkboxes to mark your progress, supplies list, instructions for special stitches, etc. And now, the special stitches have videos.

pink broomstickSkill Level: Intermediate

Stitches used: Broomstick Lace, Puff Stitch, Single Crochet, Chain

Once you learn the stitches, this scarf is super easy and fun to crochet.

The pattern is available in the store.

Broomstick Lace and Puff Stitch pattern available on Etsy.

****New photo 4-14-2013

We’ve whipped up this pattern using Milky Whey yarn. It’s sooo dreamy. You can read more about our thoughts on our post: Summer Scarf!

milky whey broomstick close Milky Whey is a yarn from Kollage yarns. It’s 50% Milk and 50% Soy.

Milky Whey is soft and dreamy. I love working with it and wearing it!

Alternatives would be bamboo or silk or some blend of yarn that has little elasticity.

Enjoy!

Free Crochet Santa Hat Pattern

Free Crochet Santa Hat Pattern

santa hatThis free crochet Santa hat pattern is festive and fun. It’s one-size-fits-all, fitting both men and women! Per my husband’s request, we crocheted ours in green. (Caution: someone called him a Grinch because his hat is green!)

This hat is perfect for office parties, wearing at school and even as a warm winter hat! Crochet in red for a traditional look or go wild and crazy with an untraditional color that makes you feel the most jolly.

Santa (and the Grinch) wears a red and white hat. Elves wear green and white or green and red hats.

Free Crochet Santa Hat Pattern Details

The ribbed brim on this free Santa Hat pattern makes the hat naturally adjust to various sizes of heads. Though designed for a man (with 23” head), I’m often seen around town wearing this hat.

The pattern is worked from the bottom up in half double crochet with decreases each round.

Add a 3” pom pom to the top and you’re ready for Christmas!

Free Crochet Santa Hat Pattern Available Now

Just in time for the holidays! The free crochet Santa hat pattern is available in the store or on the Free Crochet Patterns page.

Ho, ho, ho….and Merry Christmas!

FREE Patterns

 

Three Pocket Organizers Crochet Pattern

Three Pocket Organizers – Function Meets Form

pocket organizers

These three pocket organizers are perfect for Winter, Christmas…or any time of year! Crochet your own storage caddy to store hats, mittens and more. These are specifically designed to fit on a hanger or hang from a hook. Make one for everyone in your family and personalize it with their names, like we did! Then everyone can find their winter accessories!

And just in time for Christmas, we’ve created a Santa version that can be hung for the holidays in place of the art you have hanging all year long. To top it off, we’ve created a little card keeper that can hang on a door knob. It’s simple and cute and will hold all the holiday cards you receive this year.

Three Pocket Organizers – The Details

side view of pocket organizersThere are three pocket organizers to crochet in this set. Pattern includes the snowflake design, Santa design and door hanging card keeper. Pattern includes written directions, photos, checkboxes to mark your progress, materials list, and more.

Skill Level: Easy

They measure 14” wide by 30 1/2” tall. Crochet pockets on just one side or both!

Snowflakes can be used as appliqués to sew to the pocket organizer or to make ornaments. Instructions are included for stiffening snowflakes as ornaments.

Three Pocket Organizers – Available in the Store

The Pocket Organizer Set is available in the store. Purchase today and download right away.

Pocket Organizer Set on Etsy.

You’ll love how organized your winter things can be!

Available in the Store

Hard Hat Photo Shoot

This hard hat photo shoot was a lot of fun. The crochet mining set is a great way to capture young people in fun photos. Caves, mining museums or themed playgrounds provide great backdrops to the crochet mining set. We took some friends to Whit’s End in Colorado Springs for some fun and photos.

Hard Hat Photo Shoot – Playtime Unfolds

Let’s watch their playtime in action.

hard hat photo shoot

Here the guys are pointing out their next site to be hit with dynamite.

twins with hard hats

The twins are discussing the plan the boys have come up with.

tunnel with hard hats

As they travel through the tunnels to setup, the boys are thankful for the lights on their hard hats.

cave explosion

Cover your ears, it’s time to blast the dynamite!

We’re happy to report that there were no injuries during the mining excursion. Everyone had a blast.

Hard Hat Photo Shoot – The Ensemble

hard hat and mining setThe crochet pattern for the Hard Hat and Mining Set is available in the store. It comes with directions to make the hard hat, blasting box, dynamite and dynamite storage box (not pictured).

Hard Hat and Mining Set pattern on Etsy.

The shirts the kids were wearing are available on Etsy at Chic Couture Boutique. Check out the Chevron tie t-shirt for the guys and the heart t-shirt for the girls.

Thanks Chic couture Boutique for joining us on this explosively fun adventure.