Children’s Purse Patterns

The other day I posted some fun spring and summer purse projects to inspire you. I have added some children’s purses because they are so darn cute.  One of the benefits to these projects are that they’re a quick project. They also are great opportunities to use up some of your stash yarns!

These patterns just brought a smile to my face.  Although my daughter is now an adult, I think I’ll have to make one up for one of my nieces. Let me know if you like these patterns.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Annie O

Knit and Crochet Spring/Summer Purses

I’ve put together a bunch of free patterns for knit and/or crochet purses and bags for the upcoming spring & summer months. We here in Minnesota have had a cold spring and old man winter just won’t go away. So with that in mind I thought it would be fun to whip up a cute bag or purse to accessorize our summer wardrobes! Here are just a small array of free patterns available to make just in time for the great summer months.

I hope I’ve offered enough pattern variety to get you started on this summer’s accessories!

Annie O

More Crochet Stash Projects

I couldn’t resist adding these crochet projects after finding such creative projects from around the web. I’m constantly amazed at all the creative talent I see everyday. And because I don’t want anyone to feel they have all this stash yarn with no ideas what to make with it, I have included some more crochet patterns for your next stash project. I am going to try and keep a box next to my stash yarns for all my little completed projects so if I need something for a quick gift, I’ll have it on hand (& know where it is)!  That will also help jog my memory as to what is possible when wading through my yarn for my next small project.

hope you have a great day.

12 Crochet Stash Yarn Projects

My last post started me thinking of all the ways yarn crafters can use some of their leftover yarns. Anyone who loves working with yarn, from those just learning to crafters in the business, will understand what I’m talking about. I have yarn leftovers from years past which I have stored in see through containers so I can assess my mess stash yarns used in previous projects. If you’re like me I have containers of all sorts throughout my home (i.e. bedside, living room, craft room) just waiting for me to throw a quick project (great gift) together in a moments notice.    I also have a project list that will consume my time from now until eternity, so I don’t ever believe I’ll run out of leftover yarn! One day I’ll have them all organized together in one magnificent craft room totally dedicated to my creative whims. So here’s a group of small, leftover yarn project patterns for you to make. Think creatively and put 2 different projects together to make your own individual project. You can use a trivet pattern to make a coaster with a finer yarn, or use a coaster pattern to make a cotton face scrubby. A flower pattern becomes a coaster, pin, hair barrette, bookmark. You get the idea. Have a great day.

Crochet a Basket

I have seen a bunch of crochet projects lately on the web and I’m drawn to the baskets of all kinds. Maybe it’s because you can make one with very basic crochet skills and no need to follow a pattern.  Or maybe because it can be accomplished in very little time and very inexpensively.  Baskets will  provide me a place to store all my yarn (believe me when I say lots of yarn) and I can make a basket with leftover yarn (a real concern for all who craft with yarn). It’s a win-win for all of us who craft and need/want more decorative organization. Alexandra at Newcrochet.blogspot.be made this cute basket from rope to make this crochet bowl.   If you haven’t crocheted anything in a circular fashion and don’t want to follow a pattern, start with a magic circle of 8,10 or 12 crochets stitches of your choice (or just chain 8, 10 ,12 & join with a slip stitch). Then increase as follows:

Row 1: 1 stitch into each chain (skip this row if using a magic circle

Row 2: 2 stitches in each stitch of previous row

Row 3: * sc(hdc, dc), 2 sc in next  stitch*

Row 4: * sc, sc, 2sc  (every 3rd stitch)*

Row 4: * sc,sc,sc,2sc (every 4th stitch).*

Keep increasing in this manner until you get to your desired size for the bottom of your basket. Then continue on crocheting into each stitch (without increasing) until you reach your desired basket height.  The possibilities are endless. If you don’t have thick enough yarn, crochet with 2 or 3 yarns together. If you want handles, bind off as many stitches needed for the handle width you want to create.  On the following row, crochet back on those handle stitches plus a few extra to create an arch (see photo below).  You may want to reinforce the handles by crocheting around them again. This will depend on the type of yarn/roping you use.  And what if you don’t have a lot of one color available? What about this possibility from Crochet in Color.

Crochet in Color Hombre Basket

I am drawn to the natural colors of jute or twine too. Why not run down to the big box store and buy some inexpensive roping and whip up a basket or two for anywhere you need a decorative touch to organize things.  Jute and twine are great for these type projects as it gives your basket a great shape and supports  heavier items in your basket.

So what are you going to create today? Why not one of these great ideas. I plan on making some with jute for a couple rooms in my house.

Today I’m ending with a snippet of advise from Mary Engelbreit which I believe to be true! Have a great, creative day.

Crochet Closed Shell Stitch

Today I wanted to add a little bit more about the crocheted shell stitch. The link below is a video tutorial on the closed crochet shell stitch done by Johnny Vasquez over at A New Stitch A Day. His video explains what basic stitches are required and  the required foundation chain involved.  Johnny does a great job at showing how the stitch is done in rows and he proceeds at a slow enough rate for a great tutorial if you know the basic stitches. He also has the basic pattern of the shell stitch in pattern format which is great if you are just learning how to read crochet patterns. So no matter what level you’re at as a crocheter, his blog scores high kudos because he includes all aspects of learning crochet together in one spot. No sense re-inventing the wheel.

And because I’m a lefty and visual learning is much easier for me I have included a link by Art of Crochet by Teresa. She has tons of great tutorials for crocheting and she has tons of videos that also include us lefties.  So there you have both versions of the crochet shell stitch and no excuses to make that next beautiful scarf,hat,shawl or whatever.  Now it’s just a matter of finding the perfect yarn to go with this beautiful stitch!

I’ll leave you with this little bit of crochet humor. Have a great day.

Crocheted Baby Hat Closed Shell Stitch

Today’s crochet stitch is the closed shell stitch. This stitch has a wide range of variations in that you can mix the type of stitch used for the shell (i.e. single, double,treble etc.) and also over how many stitches the repeats are. This pattern is lovely on afghans and garments of all kinds.

Baby hat using closed shell stitch

It’s a very feminine looking stitch pattern  and I love designing baby items with it. Using this stitch, I created this baby hat.  The pattern  here uses a repeat pattern of 6 + 1 and uses the single and double crochet.  Try this simple pattern and create a freeform  scarf, shawl or afghan and simply cast on a multiple of 6+1 stitches. The look changes by using solid, variegated or fancy yarns. You can also change colors at the beginning of your rows and get another beautiful look. It’s also a great way to use up alot of your same weight leftover yarns.

shell stitch using 2 colors

Did you notice how the pattern seems to slant when using a solid color and looks more row like when using multiple colors? It’s a visually subtle difference to keep in mind when designing your garment. Why not give it a try. Let me know what you think about this stitch.

A New Old Afghan

I’m very excited to show off my latest project. I received a beautiful afghan decades  many moons ago as a new mother. It has held up very well from 3 children dragging it everywhere, but the frayed stitches and permanent stains show it’s age. 
 I love it dearly and have always wanted to re-create it. By the time I decided to try, the pattern was no longer available.  Even though I am a long time crocheter, I could not figure out how the majority of the blanket was put together.  However, with the increasing popularity of  Tunesian Crochet I’ve found my missing link for putting the afghan together! Tunesian crochet seems like a lovely mix between traditional crocheting and knitting and I could go on and on….I’m sure future posts will include some fun projects that incorporate this style of crocheting. Once I realized the majority of the afghan was the Tunesian afghan stitch, I was able to figure out how the blanket was put together.

My blanket was completed with 9 skeins of Debrah Norville’s Everyday Soft Worsted yarn (4) in Snow White. It’s not quite as heavy as the original blanket, but still has a lot of weight to it. After experimenting I found that the afghan stitch crochets up densely and requires a lighter weight yarn and also a larger hook than I expected.  The afghan stitch is a very flat stitch and really makes any other stitch pop against it. I am going to re-work the border as the top and bottom edges are somewhat floppy and need to be tightened up.  I plan on making another one fairly soon so I can write down the pattern basics. That way I won’t give myself a headache trying to figure the pattern out five years from now. So what do you think?