Jade Dew Stole & Scarf to crochet

Jade Dew is a graceful leaf patterned stole to crochet. I named it after a Japanese tea leaf. It is dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

You’ll need 200 grams of fingering weight yarn and a size G (4 mm) hook for make the stole version. I used Knit Picks Palette in Clover green for my 25" wide x 66" long stole. (Instructions are included for making it wider and longer.)

Only two stitches -- dc and ch -- are used in this pattern though some stitch placement is a bit unusual. The chart will help you if you are confused by any of the written instructions. A two row border is worked around the outside edge of the stole. The pattern has line-by-line instructions and has a crochet symbol chart.

A bonus scarf pattern is also included. You'll need about 250 yards of fingering/sock weight yarn to make it. The pink and green scarf was made with Zauberball sock yarn. It's about 1/4 the width of the stole but the same length.

I really love how this turned out. I hope you do too. :-)

All profits of pattern sales through April 30 will be donated to the Mercy Corp for Japanese disaster relief. A payment of $77.00 was sent on May 3, 2011. Thanks everyone for contributing to this.

This pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

Duffle-Upagus Bag to crochet

A friend's fabric duffle bag inspired me to create a felted version to crochet. This roomy bag is crocheted in the round from the bottom up without any seams. The top closes with a drawstring run through a row of eyelets near the top of the bag. A shoulder carrying strap is attached as you make the strap.

Create a unique felted bag with your worsted weight wool scraps or use one or more colors of your favorite felting wool. My sample was made with 12 oz of assorted worsted weight wool yarns (about 750 yards) and a size K (6.5 mm) crochet hook.

The bag stands 12" tall and 30" around.

The pattern has been tested with Cascade 200, Patons Classic Wool, and Plymouth Boku. If you use another brand, you may wish to felt a swatch before you begin and make any necessary adjustments.

One of my Ravelry testers, Vikki, gave the bag it's name. Thanks, Vikki!

The pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

Bathroom Update

Well, there's not much to report as you can see. The half bathroom has now been torn up for 2.5 months. Sigh...it always takes so long to finish house projects. In his defense, hubby spent a lot of his free time moving snow this winter after he destroyed the bathroom. I've kidded him if he doesn't finish it soon that I will turn it into a closet. LOL!

Thank goodness spring is finally here. The last pile of snow in our yard finally melted yesterday. Woo-hoo! Last night a surprise thunder and lightning storm moved through with one bolt hitting not far from us. A fire truck rumbled by soon after it hit. Our weather forecasters are giving a possibility of snow showers later in the week. Ah, changeable spring weather in Michiana! LOL!

Spring is inspiring me to get my studio and my yarn stash tidied up. After a marathon sort yesterday, things look much better in there. I am appalled though at how much new yarn I have accumulated. I have to post a destash notice on the ISO/Destash Yarn board on Ravelry this week so that some of this unwanted yarn can find new homes.

I digress. Back to the bathroom. The drywall work was finished some time ago. Hubby primed the walls two weeks ago. On Saturday, he began painting the walls yellow. The color is a little brighter than I expected. It's more like glow-in-the-dark yellow. Whatever this paint is it almost stunk us out of the house with fumes. My nose and eyes were burning. I closed the bedroom door to try to contain the smell and keep it out of the rest of the house. Didn't work too well. Thankfully it warmed up enough Saturday that we could keep the windows open most of the day to air things out. By evening the smell was still quite potent in the house. I hung a curtain over the bathroom doorway, lit a candle to try to dispel some of the odor, and moved our HEPA air cleaner in there. It helped but it was still too stinky to sleep in our bedroom next to the bathroom on Saturday night. I moved to the couch for the night. You could still smell faint paint fumes by Sunday night. I did sleep in my own bed last night though I got up with a stuffy nose and a headache this morning. I am so sensitive to this stuff. :( Being allergic and sensitive is a pain in the you know what.

Hubby wanted to put another coat of paint on the walls and ceiling yesterday. I vetoed that idea! I suggested that we go back to the paint store and buy the low VOC paint in the same (or a less bright) yellow. He's agreed to that. So no painting until we get the new paint. Hubby didn't put up much of a fight. He didn't like the paint fumes either.

I've been knitting socks. Several pairs of mine have thin spots under the ball of the foot and the heels. Too big a patch to darn. I tried felting some wool over the thin spots but it didn't work too well. Might work better if you dampen the wool before you try this. I'm considering unraveling the good parts of the socks and reusing it for something else.

There are several crocheted shawls on the drawing board. One in particular has been crocheted and ripped a number of times. I've finally put it into time out and started something new. The new project is turning out very nice.

I have a crocheted felt bag in the works. Testers are currently working on it. I hope to release it next week.

Head bands, coasters and a scarf to knit

Here are the last 3 patterns that I donated for use in the 2010 Holiday Mystery Group. These are all patterns that are available as free downloads on Ravelry.

First up is the Twinkle Coaster. These star coasters are a take on the vintage circle dishcloths. They’re fast to knit on two size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles using short row wedges. It’s easy, I promise! Knit 7 points, cast off, and sew the edge together to form a star. A picture tutorial is given for sewing the short seam. Twinkle measures 4.5” across from point to point. Knit them with leftovers from other projects or make a bunch from one ball of worsted weight cotton yarn (about 15 yards per coaster). Knit piles of these for gifts or donate them to charity fundraisers.

Rambling Rows is a narrow scarf that hugs the neck. This scarf is worked in garter stitch and shaped using short rows (no wraps!). This shows off the long color runs in some yarns. Wrap the scarf around your neck and secure it with a pin. You can make it with 100-150 yards of Aran weight yarn and a pair of size 9 (5.5 mm) knitting needles. I used Lion Brand Amazing (red) and Trendsetter Tonalita (green) for the two pictured scarves. Finished scarf sizes are: Tonalita - 36” outside edge x 22” inside edge x 5” wide (100 yards) and Amazing - 43” outside edge x 35” inside edge x 5” wide (150 yards)
Heady Stuff is a trio of three simple headbands to knit. 1) A bulky weight garter stitch ski band that is seamed (in pink) and 2) a bulky weight ribbed ear warmer knit in the round (in red). Both are knit on size 10 (6 mm) knitting needles. 3) A tie on style headband is made with worsted weight yarn on size 9 (5.5 mm) knitting needles. Use up your odd skeins and scrap yarn for these projects. Add texture by combining 2-3 strands of different weights to create your own bulky weight yarn. Have fun using up your scraps!

Click on the underlined pattern title above to go to Ravelry for a free pdf download. Have fun and enjoy!

Diamond Romance Cowls to crochet

Diamond Romance is a set of 2 cowls and 1 scarf made with the crocheted lace motif. (You may recognize the lace pattern from my crocheted Flying Diamonds Shawl.) This pattern contains instructions for a short turtleneck style cowl, a taller cowl that covers your head and ears, and a long tubular scarf that is long enough to wrap around both your head and neck (or add a twist to it for a mobius/infinity look).

You’ll need a size G (4 mm) crochet hook and some fingering/sock weight yarn. For the short cowl 220 yards, 400 yards for the tall cowl, or 500 yards for the long scarf. A solid color yarn or one with long color runs would work well for this design. A fuzzy yarn or mohair would be a good choice too.

The pattern contains complete written instructions plus a crochet for the lace pattern. You get all three styles in one pattern. You can find the pattern in my Ravelry pattern store.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

Mugglers -- Mug Rug and Wrap to crochet

Keep your mugs snug and cozy with these two quick and easy to make crochet projects--a square mug rug to catch spills and a wrap to keep your mug and beverage hot. You'll need scraps of Lily Sugar 'n Cream (worsted weight dishcloth cotton) and a size H (5 mm) crochet hook. Raid your scrap basket for the 16-30 yards needed for each project. You'll also need a button for the mug wrap. A button with a shank works well for this project. The mug rug measures 4" x 4". The mug wrap is 9" x 3.25". Here's a picture with the wrap on a mug and another laying it out flat.

I think this colorway is called Butter Cream Ombre in Lily Sugar 'n Cream dishcloth cotton.

Wrap up a set of these with a mug. Tuck in some candy, a packet of hot chocolate, some cookies, etc. as a thoughtful and inexpensive gift for someone.

These designs are worked in Tunisian (afghan stitch) crochet. This type of crochet creates a denser fabric than regular crochet stitches. You don't need a Tunisian hook for this project. It is small enough for a regular crochet hook. The instructions are written out. A basic understanding Tunisian crochet might be helpful.

The pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

Stone Soup Throw to knit

In the spirit of stone soup--to create something from nothing--gather up yarn from your scrap basket, donations from your friends, or swap scraps to knit this throw. I used about 40 ounces of worsted weight yarn scraps for my 47" x 57" throw. It didn't come close to cleaning out all the scrap yarn I have. LOL! It certainly kept me and my lap warm as I knit it during one cold winter month last year. My husband loves this blanket. :)

You'll need a pair of size 9 (5.5 mm) knitting needles for this project. I found that two double points worked well for the small amount of stitches in each strip.

The easy-to-memorize, simple textured pattern has very few purl stitches. Knit each strip in a different color, use scraps, or do a planned block layout. Two block versions and six planned layouts are included in the pattern.

Here's a closer look at the stitch pattern used in this throw.

Join the strips as you knit for easy finishing and no sewing! Just remember to tuck in all the yarn tails as you finish each strip. Click on this link to see view a photo tutorial on how to do the join-as-you-go method I used for this throw.

The pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.

All money from this pattern purchase is donated to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.