“Does this fur coat make me look fat?
…Be verrrrry careful how you answer that question.”
Otis wishes everyone a Happy Friday!
January 26, 2018 at 9:04 pm (Kitty Cat, slice of life)
Tags: humor, Otis the cat, Ragdoll cat
Sparkle Shawl
January 24, 2018 at 6:39 pm (Crochet & Crafting)
Tags: easy crochet, free crochet pattern, how to make tassels, Lion Brand, Shawl in a Ball, shawl pattern, sparkle shawl, unconventional use for a Dentyne Ice cardboard cover
On one of my many trips to Michael’s, I discovered Lion Brand’s Shawl in a Ball yarn and absolutely fell in love with the metallic versions, particularly “Prism.” The blend of colors immediately brought back visions of exploring undersea reefs during some of my snorkeling adventures in the Caribbean.
I knew right away that I wanted to use Prism to make a shawl that I could throw around my shoulders in the evening on my next cruise or beach vacation and—lo and behold!—a perfect mesh-style crocheted shawl pattern was featured on the label, so I just looked it up at Lionbrand.com. It was probably one of the easiest patterns I’ve ever worked on and is perfect for a beginner.
If you Google “sparkle shawl,” the pattern comes up in several places, as well as in a PDF that you can just immediately download, but I’ve also provided the instructions for you below, since I used a 6 mm hook instead of the recommended 5 mm hook because I wanted a more substantial shawl.
Now… I’ve got my shawl—all I need is a plane ticket south!
SPARKLE SHAWL
-Approx. 19” wide x 58” long (unblocked)
-1 skein of Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball (5.3 oz./150 g/481 yd/440 m) Prism
-6 mm crochet hook
-Yarn needle for weaving in ends
INSTRUCTIONS
Ch 83.
Row 1: Dc in fifth ch from hook (4 skipped chs count as dc + ch 1), *ch 3, skip next 5 chs, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next ch; repeat from * to last 6 chs, ch 3, skip next 5 chs, (dc, ch 1, dc) in last ch.
Row 2: Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), turn, dc in first ch-1 space, *ch 3, skip next ch-3 space, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next ch-2 space; repeat from * to last ch-3 space, ch 3, skip last ch-3 space, (dc, ch 1, dc) in beginning ch-sp.
Repeat Row 2 until you’ve used up most of your yarn. Fasten off.
OPTIONAL: I made 4 tassels to place in each corner of the shawl. I’d never made a tassel before, so I watched this video and it was a big help: https://knitting-crochet.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-tassel-0129500/
In looking for something that was the right size to wind my yarn around, I discovered that using the cardboard cover of a pack of Dentyne Ice gum is a perfect tool for making tassels! (Don’t you just love discovering unconventional uses for household items?)
To make my tassels, I wound my Prism yarn around the Dentyne cover (lengthwise) 20 times. Then I followed the exact process in the video example.
Then, just to take it a little further, I chose four glass beads that I wanted to incorporate; and threaded each bead to the top of each tassel, then fastened each beaded tassel to each corner of my shawl. It was a bit fiddly, but I like the extra glitter. I tied a lot of knots to make sure each was securely fastened.
When all else fails, take a nap
January 22, 2018 at 5:37 pm (Kitty Cat, slice of life)
Tags: cute cat picture, napping cat, Otis, Ragdoll cat
It’s cold and miserable out today. Otis has the right idea.
Crocheted infinity cowl scarf with a surprise pocket
January 17, 2018 at 4:36 pm (Crochet & Crafting)
Tags: crochet diy, crocheted cowl, crocheted squares, easy patterns, free crochet patterns, infinity cowl pattern, unique pattern
I bought some fine yarn in grey and two shades of purple, and had an urge to use it to make some squares. This infinity cowl scarf is what evolved. I made 14 Box in a Box squares (pattern below) and one Flower in the Middle square (pattern also below) which I placed on top of one Box in a Box square to make the pocket. To be honest, I’ve found the pocket to be a bit awkward while wearing the cowl, so if I were to do this again, I’d just skip adding the pocket. Or it may work better if you added a couple of snap closures so it stays closed.
You can choose to make your cowl using 14 Box in a Box squares; or instead, use 14 Flower in the Middle squares; or you can mix things up and use 7 Box in a Box and 7 Flower in the Middle squares together. Whichever ones you use, I guarantee it will look nice when you’re finished.
Here are the square patterns:
Box in a Box Square
- 5 mm crochet hook
- Craft Knitting Yarn (picked up at the Dollar Store!) (3-4 mm/100 g/100% acrylic)
2 balls Grey, 1 ball Dark Purple, 1 ball Light Purple - Yarn needle for weaving in ends
Square is approx. 6” x 6”, blocked.
Pattern:
Using dark purple, Ch 4, join with a sl st to make a ring.
Round 1: In ring: ch 3, 2 dc, *(ch 3, 3 dc), rep from * 2 more times, ch 3; use sl st to join.
Round 2: Ch 3, sk next dc, dc in next dc, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in corner, dc in next dc, sk dc, dc in next dc; rep around; sl st to join. Fasten off purple and attach grey in same sp.
Round 3: Ch 3, dc in each of next 3 dc; *(2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in corner, dc in next 3 dc, ch 1, dc in next 3 dc, rep around, sl st to join.
Round 4: Ch 3, dc in next 5 dc, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in corner, dc in next 5 dc, ch 1, dc in next 5 dc, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in corner, rep around, sl st to join.
Round 5: Ch 3, dc in next 7 dc, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in corner, dc in next 7 dc, ch 1, dc in next 7 dc, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in corner, rep around, sl st to join.
Round 6: Ch 3, dc in next 9 dc, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in corner, dc in next 9 dc, ch 1, dc in next 9 dc, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in corner, rep around, sl st to join, fasten off and weave in end.
Seam together 2 rows of 7 squares each, alternating the dark and light purple centers. Then seam the 2 rows together, also taking care to alternate the colours. To make it an infinity, seam both ends together.
Optional Pocket: Make one Flower in the Middle square using the pattern below. Using a yarn needle and grey yarn, sew it along three sides over top of one of the squares in the upper row of your scarf, so that it forms a pocket.
Flower in the Middle square
Same materials as used for the Box in a Box square
Pattern:
Using dark purple, Ch 4, join with a sl st to make a ring.
Round 1: ch 3 (counts as first dc), 15 dc in ring. Sl st to join. Fasten off and attach light purple in any dc.
Round 2: ch 4, sk 1 dc, sc in top of next dc, (ch 3, sk 1 dc, sc in top of next dc) 6 times, ch 3, sk 1 dc, sl st to close.
Round 3: (hdc, dc, 2 tr, dc, hdc, sl st) in first ch-3 sp, rep in next 7 ch-3 sps. Sl st to close. (8 petals made) Fasten off light purple and attach grey in middle tr of any petal.
Round 4: (ch 7, sl st into tr of next petal) around, sl st to close.
Round 5: sl st in first ch-7 sp, ch 3, (5 dc, ch 2, 6 dc) in same ch-sp, 6 hdc in next ch-7 sp, (6 dc, ch 2, 6 dc) in next ch-7 sp, rep around, 6 hdc in last ch-7 sp, sl st to close.
Round 6: ch 3 in ch-sp, (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in same ch-sp, dc in next 18 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-sp, rep 3 times, 18 dc in next 18 sts, sl st to close.
Round 7: ch 1 in same st as sl st, sc in next st, (2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc) in ch-sp, sc in each of next 22 sts, (2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc) in next ch-sp, rep 3 times, sc in each of next 20 sts, sl st to close. Fasten off and weave in end.
Happy New Year to all!
January 16, 2018 at 4:50 pm (Kitty Cat, slice of life)
Tags: cute cat picture, my cat, Ragdoll cat
Otis and his human look forward to a productive year ahead: lots of crafty projects for the human, and lots of new toys to play with for Otis!
Create-a-holic Writer 