4/30/10 Free Pattern Friday: Ribbon Scarf Crochet Pattern

Surprise! You’ve got a guest blogger today. I’m Lisa Gentry. Some of you may already be familiar with my crochet designs (The Crochet Closet), and some of you may know me from my “Leisurely Lisa Forum” here on CrochetSoiree.com. Tamara was nice enough to invite me to share my temporarily free Ribbon Scarf crochet pattern with all of you on this Free Pattern Friday.

This scarf design comes from my book, Teach Yourself Crochet Ribbon Accents, and I’m hoping that once you try my new ribbon crochet technique, you'll be as excited about it as I am. I'm really having a lot of fun making entire projects out of beautiful ribbon yarn and with adding ribbon to my other crochet designs.

This whole technique came about because I had tons of ribbon on hand, and I was just imaging what could be done with all that ribbon when I realized you could crochet it directly onto a project. What a discovery! When I introduced the idea to the women who take my crochet classes, they were so excited about the new projects they were able to finish. It was wonderful to hear them say, “I can do that!” And I bet you can do it, too!

Give ribbon crochet a try on me for free with my Ribbon Scarf pattern! This pattern will only be available for the next two weeks, so download it now! If you like the technique, check out my book—Teach Yourself Crochet Ribbon Accents, for more cool designs like a necklace, hat, pillow, purse, blanket, shawl, bolero, shell, wrap sweater, and a child’s dress.

Wednesday, 4/28/10 Design Contest Piece for Knit and Crochet Show 2010

I am close to being finished with my design contest piece for the July Knit and Crochet Show in Manchester, New Hampshire. I wanted to share with you my method of madness. I had purchased some skeins of Deborah Norville’s sock yarn “Paprika” and was thinking about making another pair of crocheted socks. All of a sudden, I got to thinking about the design contest and the Spring International Quilt Market that my sister Jackie is going to in a few months (without me) and how one of the designs in her new line of fabric looks like my granny square throw that I made for her. I thought about what would it look like if I made a giant granny square with the sock yarn…Then I thought about the halter tops that I made when I was 15 years old and in high school.

It was a halter top made from a man’s big red handkerchief. I turned it on point and tied it in the back and then folded over the top flap and sewed it down and made a little pocket to thread a shoelace through, and I tied the shoelace at the back of my neck. (Yes, believe it or not that was me at 15 years of age.) That was my thought process for my design contest piece, and I hope my sister likes wearing it as much as I liked designing it.

Is anyone else entering something in the Design Contest?

Monday, 4/26/10 Finishing Touches to Steph’s Hex On Shrug

Remember that shrug from the CrochetWear book that I was talking about making for my friend Steph? Well, I got it made, but when it came to picking out buttons for the shrug, I couldn’t find just the right look I was thinking about, so I picked out the size of buttons from my button box and decided to crochet around them.

I settled on these three colors of crochet thread.

I think Steph looks really good in her shrug…

…and it fits like it was made especially for her. Ha! Ha!

Friday, 4/23/2010 Happy Birthday Crochet Soiree!!!

I was looking back at the year, and found that my first Tamara’s Take post was on April 23, 2009. We’re a year old today! I thought this little crocheted cake was appropriate for the celebration, and there are no calories in it. Ha! Ha!

The inspiration for my little cake was this round cake I found in a magazine a couple of years ago. You probably know by now that I have a thing for granny squares. I decided to make my cake in the shape of a square. (If you don’t have a favorite granny square pattern, check out the book 99 Granny Squares for inspiration.) When I had the size of granny square top that I wanted, I stopped increasing on the corners, and the sides started forming. I made it the height that I wanted it and made a chocolate brown fabric cover to cover the piece of foam to stuff it with. Then I made another granny square for the bottom and crocheted the sides and the bottom together as I stuffed the foam square inside the cake.

Of course, no cake would be complete without decorations, and mine had to have some flowers, circles, and rickrack. Where the edges come together at the top, I hand sewed rick rack. Then, I added the flowers on top of the rick rack at the corners and circles in between the flowers. (If you want some cool crocheted flower designs, you need the book—Crochet Flowers For Every Wear!) Then, on the bottom, I poked a hole in rick rack and hand sewed it along the bottom where it looks like a little icing decoration. Then, I added one big flower in the center of the square at the top of the cake. I also placed little yellow pins in the centers of all the flowers and circles. My cake has a purpose too: it’s a pincushion.

How many of you have been members of Crochet Soiree since Day 1? I know there’s one special lady who has, and her name is Barbara Moore. Happy birthday Barbara and everyone else here at Crochet Soiree. Here’s to many more!!!!

Wednesday 4/22/10 Happy Earth Day!

Hope all of you are planning to have a beautiful Earth Day on Thursday! In the spirit of this eco-conscious occasion, I’m trying my hand at crocheting some more green tote bags, and my guide is a book called Enviro-Totes.

This book is really cool. It was first published in 1992, and after a few years, you couldn’t get it anymore, but Leisure Arts has reprinted this old favorite (at the same original 1992 price!) and released it again. The four featured bag designs (all crocheted with cotton yarn) are just as great today as they were back then.

What are you doing to celebrate this wonderful world we live on?

Monday, 4/19/10 CAL Doily Prize

Ok, maybe I went a little overboard when I purchased this Mega Ball of Aunt Lydia’s Classic Crochet Thread, but if you know me, you know that I love doilies, and I love to crochet them, too.

I received a book of doilies and tablecloths as a gift. I’ve been working on making some of them, so the thread will come in handy, and I hope to use the whole ball. When we decided to do the CAL with my Flower Scarf pattern, I decided to make a doily from this book as a prize.

This is the one that I just finished for the doily prize. The doily is about 16" in diameter, and it’s Ecru. I really do love the way it came out, and I hope whoever wins it loves it as much as I loved making it.

This is the next doily that I plan on making from the book, and I think this one might stay with me, but you never know, you know how crocheters are: we are very giving people. Good luck to everyone who joins in on the CAL. And if you haven’t posted your scarf photo yet, click on over to the Flower Scarf CAL to find out how. The CAL ends April 30th!

4/16/10 Free Pattern Friday: Tea Jacket Bouquet

The weather is getting warmer, and my thoughts have turned to cold drinks since along with the warm weather comes the humidity here in Kansas. Because of the humidity, I like to grab a little jacket for my glass to help with the sweating process, so I picked these Tea Jacket Bouquet crochet patterns for this week’s Free Friday.

Since I made the last tea jackets, we have managed to break most of the glasses that I purchased especially for them. Fortunately, I still have my 35-year-old, reliable harvest gold glasses that have held up through the years, and I think my little “Tea Jacket Bouquet” looks pretty cute on one of them, and it fits like it was made especially for it. I used Aunt Lydia’s crochet thread, and I loved making the front post and back post stitches on the base of the jacket, and I hope you have fun making your tea jackets, too.

Wednesday, 4/14/10 Joshua Finished his Afghan

When Joshua decided to make an afghan, he stuck to it and finished it in less than 4 weeks. Along with school, rehearsals, and socializing, he crocheted in his spare time and really late at night. It seemed like the couch should still be warm from his crocheting as I woke to start my crocheting.

Here he is checking to make sure he has all of his tails woven in.

Joshua was so sneaky about who he was actually making this afghan for that I had to keep asking him who he was going to give it to, but he wouldn't tell. I kept telling him that it had better be someone who was worthy of such a wonderful crochet piece and who would appreciate all the time and expense that goes into an afghan. He kept assuring me that the person was worthy, but he wouldn’t tell me who until he had his sister and his dad in the room. Then, as I asked him the question again, he simply replied, “You, Momma.” All I could say was AAAAHHH. I know I didn’t cry at the time, but I now have tears of joy in my eyes as I’m writing this. Ha! Ha!

And just think! It all started with a little help from me and I Can’t Believe I’m Crocheting.

Monday, 4/12/10 Crocheted Prayer Shawls Book

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but Leisure Arts is coming out with another crocheted prayer shawls book, and one of my designs will be in it. I can hardly wait until the book comes out, and I’ll be sure to let you all know when it does.

In the mean time, here’s a picture of the version I made for myself. The yarn I used is the Patons Silk Bamboo, and it can be purchased right here in the store at Crochet Soiree. Oh my gosh, if you haven’t crocheted with this yarn, it is so worth it. After spending so many hours on something that I made for myself, I really enjoyed using this beautiful yarn.

4/9/10 Free Pattern Friday: Chunky Pillows Crochet Patterns

Here’s really fun, temporarily free crochet pattern for you. Check it out now because you’ll only be able to download the pattern for these three different pillows for free for the next 2 weeks!

My pillows are going to be smaller than the pattern calls for…

…because, once again, I decided to use some acrylic stash yarn for the “Olive Pillow” (wavy pattern).

Then, I had some really funky yellow wool yarn that I received from a good friend of mine. She thought I would come up with something really cool to make with it. I added a strip of Lion Brand purple wool, and I like the way it looks with the cool dotted fabric I found.

For the “Pumpkin Pillow,” I chose to use this very nice goldish cotton yarn, and I really think it will go good with this pillow that I’m covering with a recycled sweater.

Remember this pattern download is free for a limited time only, so be sure to download and save it now!

The pillows are from a book called Total Crochet for the Home, by BJ Berti. Thank you BJ for allowing us to have the patterns for the pillows. I can’t wait to get started on some of the other 25 wonderful projects in the book like the latticework place mat and napkin ring, a zigzag tea cozy, a multi-stripe tote, vintage pot holders, a summer farm afghan, and an openwork table runner—just to name a few.

Sunday, 4/4/10 Memories of Past Easters

I just keep looking at these eggs and thinking that they need some little crocheted jackets. Oh well, another project to think about when I have nothing else to do. Ha! Ha! That brings me to this story about Easter Memories. I was going through some of my Easter decorations and found the pretty plastic eggs and the basket that I used to use as a little girl for my Easter eggs. No wonder I love all of these colors, and I love the little bunny that I picked up for Megan, too. I started to remember when I was a little younger than Megan and found these pictures of some of my dresses. Of course, my mom made our dresses, and it seemed like we would get a new dress and a pair of pretty white shoes at Easter time or maybe it was just the clothes that she made for different seasons, and they just happened to land around Easter. I’m not sure, but I wanted to share with all of you a few of my pictures from Easters past.

1959—I remember this picture with my cousin Ruthie and my sister on a quilt in our old kitchen at home. We had a lot of family there from Oklahoma spending the holiday with us, and my mom made my dress and Jackie’s and probably the quilt on the floor. I’m sure it was an overall quilt (or jean quilt) because my Mom doesn’t put any of her quilts on the floor unless they are made from jeans or overalls. I loved how my dress stood out, and I remember twirling in it.

In February 1960, it looks like we got some more new dresses, and I love this picture of my mom holding Jackie.

March 1961—This picture was taken just before my Uncle Oris’ wedding (I was the flower girl), and, of course, my mom made my dress and Jackie’s. I still have the dress, hat, basket, and bracelet that I wore in this picture.

September 1961—It looks like we were still able to wear the dresses from the wedding on one of our trips to Oklahoma, and we’re standing with our cousins Darla (Sis), Sue, and Ruthie. I can’t believe my mom let us wear those white dresses and shoes in the red mud of Oklahoma. I seem to remember someone carrying me out there and placing me on the mud. Ha! Ha!

Now when I look back at the pictures, I still wonder how my mom was able to make all the clothes that she did and keep the house clean, laundry done, and food on the table. But she did, and I don’t think she would change a thing. I know I wouldn’t.

Hope you have a lovely Easter! Tell me about your Easters past.

4/2/10 Free Pattern Friday: Table Scents Crochet Pattern

I chose this crochet pattern for this Free Pattern Friday, and I think I found some yarns in my stash that would look kind of cool. Now to choose between the…

…Red Heart Eco-Cotton or…

…Bernat CottonTots. I hope you have fun making them. Please tell me what kind of yarn you plan on using for your Table Scents projects.