Making the Prim Wristers from Crocheting Clothes Kids Love

Since our book, Crocheting Clothes Kids Love came out, my daughter has been asking me to make her the Prim Wristers, designed by my co-author, Ellen Gormley. I was between projects last week, so I decided to surprised her with a pair! I had just enough Classic Elite Liberty Print Wool leftover from the Caravan Scarf to make them. I had to engineer the yarn a bit by cutting out a few gold and pink sections as I worked, to make the writers both be essentially purple. I was able to crochet the first one while waiting at school, and the other in the evening of the same day. The second wrister went much faster of course, since I was more familiar with the pattern. So satisfying to crochet!  They took less than a skein of yarn, and I was able to finish them in the spare time I had in the day!

My daughter has hardly taken them off, since I gave them to her! The stitch pattern is very interesting and is a good exercise in making post stitches. I also like how it looks on the back side, especially in variegated yarn. I think they could easily be reversible for a different look. If I can get her to take them off long enough, I will add a photo to this post of the back side of the stitch pattern.

I am planning to make her a sparkly gold pair, the next time I am between projects!

Just Released, My New Jewelry eBook!

Since the holiday season is around the corner, I am thinking of patterns that would make nice gifts. My favorite gift to crochet is a piece of jewelry. I have just created an eBook collection of my best selling jewelry designs to make it easier to crochet your gifts this year!

The eBook includes the Crawford Necklace, Bella Necklace Trio (versions 1, 2, and 3), the Monarch Necklace, and the Raindrops Necklace, all for $9.99. When you buy the eBook, you save almost 30% off the price of each individual pattern! All are satisfying projects that  require very little yarn, and chances are you may have yarn in your stash that would work perfectly for these! 

Free Holiday Crochet Patterns From Interweave Crochet, Including One by Me!

Interweave has put together a free downloadable ebook of 6 crochet patterns that are perfect for the holiday season. For the first time ever, you can get my Piper's Chain Scarf Pattern for free! Make it as a scarf, or a festive chain to decorate your home with. It is a nice project for using up the odds and ends in your yarn stash, so you can buy all new yarn in 2015! ;-)

Piper's Chain Scarf from Interweave Crochet Accessories 2010

Woven Placemats for Interweave Crochet Home Issue

Interweave Crochet decided to publish a special issue this year, dedicated to items for the home. There are so many ways that crochet can be used in the home, and if you have a look at the projects in this issue, you will surely be inspired to add some crochet to yours!

The background of this placemat is a handsome stitch pattern on its own. It is easy to crochet and the combination of blocks and spaces is very visually appealing. I love adding texture to pieces I create, so I decided to crochet cords to weave through some of the spaces to add even more interest to the stitch pattern. 

It is often a challenge to find the perfect placemat to match a set of dishes. Making your own placemats gives you the freedom to choose exact coordinating colors. You don't have to limit yourself to three colors, you could make the cords in several colors or you could go monochromatic and make the cords the same color as the background of the placemat. I am hoping to see several project photos on Ravelry with different color combinations that will inspire others!

The Woven Placemats pattern is now available for sale in the Interweave store.