My Summer Trend Pt. 2

In case you missed Part 1, you can find it here – My Summer Trend Pt. 1. It’s basically the same sort of projects, just a different shape.

I finally worked up my nerve and purchased several cakes of gradient fingering yarn. As a self-taught crocheter, I was reluctant to take on what I saw as fancy projects using pricey yarns but I just couldn’t resist the color combinations and the airy drape of the fabrics.

Thankfully, I have my two best guinea pigs models and junior designers in house. It’s only because of them that I was brave enough to take the plunge. I think we were all more than a little pleased that I finally did.

These make excellent cover ups for the beach or pool, btw. And I think they’re trendy enough to wear out for a night on the town, not that the chicklets do much of anything (yet) at night or on the town but you get my meaning. You can find more about these two here – Flight of Fancy Shawl and here – Seraphina’s Shawl. Obviously, these are kid-sized but another cake of yarn would make for a fantastic over-sized adult shawl or wrap.

My brunette beauty is not a big fan of all things cutesy and rainbow, so I used up the leftovers from another couple of projects to make her a Summer Butterfly Wrap. This turned out both dark and fancy and while she wasn’t comfortable in front of the camera she loves it. I promise. She wears it almost everywhere.

Because guinea pigs the chicklets aren’t the only ones who enjoy looking awesome at the beach, I made the Edlothia Shawl for myself. This was the first multi-section shawl pattern I tried, and I was hooked. Thanks to the magic of Pinterest algorithms, I discovered the Lost in Time Shawl pattern which makes a spectacular baby blanket, btw.

My crowning achievement of the Summer of 2017 has to be the two Enchanted Sun Dresses and the matching shawls. As you can see, the chicklets have very different tastes and each of them was the final decision maker every step of the way.

You can find more info on Sarina’s Mermaids and Starfish here and Regina’s Candied Glam dress and shawl here.

It’s been a super creative and productive summer season for me. With the Winter Holidays approaching and cooler temps on the horizon (fingers crossed), I’ve moved on to creating warmer garments; but when I’m not actually working, I’m stockpiling colorful cotton 4-ply!

What are you most looking forward to crafting as the seasons change? Leave me a comment and, as always, thanks for stopping by!

 

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My Summer Trend Pt. 1

I’m not even going to look at the date I last posted here.  Blogging is definitely not in my special skill set, but I’ve set my mind to post more often and to share not only my own work but the independent designers and fiber artists I’ve discovered over the summer.

This post, however, is All. About. Me. and the amazing circular garments I’ve been creating like some sort of possessed hooker. It’s like the 4-ply gradient cotton blend yarns have me under a spell. I could not stop ordering yarn and collecting patterns.

So I started with my two favorite guinea pigs models in the featured photo up there and we shrunk a couple of adult patterns down to fit a pair of 8-year old fashionistas in training. The one on the left is a free pattern you’ll find more info about here – Fall Festival Jacket and the one on the right is a paid pattern you’ll find more info about here – Oceano Circle Vest. I think we were all pretty stoked with the results. But it all changed when I discovered this free pattern you can learn more about here – Summer Circle Vest which uses a vintage tablecloth pattern to make a garment. I finished the black and turquoise on my way to my mother’s birthday party. She wears it all the time!

 

I had to have one for myself, so I headed back to Pinterest and with the help from my beloved eldest guinea pig daughter, we came up with the pattern on the right. You can find out more about that one 4th of July Boho Vest. At this point, I had a couple of custom orders and I was starting to focus on the upcoming holidays (because crafters always have half a brain well into the next season).

The always popular Lotus Mandala Duster was such a hit that the recipient couldn’t wait for the sleeves. Same with this gorgeous vest that had me daydreaming about hydrangeas. You can find out more about that one here – Spring Flair Jacket.

While most of our clan resides in a swamp South Florida, we do have a daughter and granddaughter in Germany and I thought they shouldn’t be left out of the circle (get it? see what I did there?). Of course, I need self striping worsted weight yarns to make jackets that are as functional as they are fabulous and you can find out more about those two projects here – Child’s Kaleidoscope Jacket and here – Fall Festival…with sleeves!

Which brings me to the absolute pinnacle of my Summer Circle Binge. This time, I found myself with a special request for Halloween and for the very first time in my 4-1/2 years of crocheting, I designed something besides a blanket. I used a vintage doily pattern to help me figure out the edging. You can find more info here – Boho Spider Web Jacket.

The center was easy enough but that edging and those sleeves and 9/10 of a mile (really!?) of black silk were tough. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever get it finished.

I’m really glad I did though.

Believe it or not, that’s not all I accomplished so far this year. So stay tuned for My Summer Trend Pt. 2.

Did you ever find yourself in a creative whirlpool? Let me know what took over your craft room in the comments below. And thanks for stopping by.

 

Tote Bag Trio

I try to make sure all the kids have a little something special just from me under the tree each year. I decided on tote bags for the 7-9 year old girls so I could match their personalities but keep the gifts on an equal level. So I headed over to my Pinterest board in search of inspiration and I found a pair of perfect patterns!!

The Candy Colors Tote and the Rainbow Tote were made using the Simple Stripes Tote Bag pattern which is available on Ravelry.

 

The Purple Passion Tote was made using the Give Me Variety Tote Bag also available on Ravelry.

I used Red Heart Super Saver that was leftover from some other kid-related projects. Now I’m thinking about making each of them an ornament with the same colors, maybe start a new family tradition!

As always, you can see more of my work at http://www.facebook.com/acountryyarn

 

 

Kids’ Jackets Round Up

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned that I’m a self-taught crocheter. I first picked up a hook in February of 2013, and I’ve learned everything thanks to the huge number of tutorials and patterns that are available online. My two girls, Sarina my youngest daughter and Regina my oldest granddaughter, are two of my most willing models and testers and my favorite collaborators (and Pop Warner cheerleaders). Because of their interest and enthusiasm in my art I’ve created theses jackets in less than a year’s time!!

I am particularly proud of the Sarina Hoodie which is an original pattern. Sarina chose her yarn and the colors and helped design the pattern. I’ve written down enough notes to recreate my work so I can offer custom orders but I have yet to write out the actual pattern.

This jacket is absolutely Regina’s favorite pattern in her favorite color. You can read more about our variations on this one in this post.

I made both of these last Spring when the early mornings were still nice and cool but the temps were up in the 80s before lunchtime. Sarina chose the Cotton Cardigan which I scaled down to fit her smaller frame. Regina’s jacket is a version of the Bouvardia Hooded Jacket.

This was the first serious “you can wear it in public” jacket I ever made. I had the yarn in my stash and we knew we needed something to go with those red boots! You’ll find the details and a link to the pattern in this post.

The Second Version

I’ve been crocheting for just under four years,  and, as a result of my endless need to practice, my girls have piles of handmade wearables and no two items are the same. I try to make each girl a part of the planning process by having them browse patterns and choose the yarns I use, but sometimes I just grab what’s on hand and start making something without any input from either of them.

My granddaughter Regina isn’t into fashion or following trends. She’s really into comfort and she knows what she likes. And she really likes the Bouvardia Hooded Jacket.

The first version I made with cotton Sugar and Cream yarn that I had bought only because the colors are pretty and it was on sale. I made this one in the Spring and left off the hood. Our South Florida weather is moody more than cold and windy in April. I also shortened the sleeves so she wasn’t constantly pushing them up at school.

I really like the stripes of color around the front and bottom. They give the jacket a kind of hippie chic flair.

When it was time to start thinking about cool weather again, Regina knew exactly which jacket she wanted. We walked the yarn aisles at the nearest craft store for nearly 20 minutes before she chose a variety of purples!  And with the inevitable cold fronts looming in very near future, I made the jacket with the hood.

Because the fabric feels more like a blanket than sweater, I added length at the bottom and the sleeves for an extra snuggle feel. I finished it yesterday and she took it home just in time for the low-40s temps this morning!

You’ll find the original pattern here. I’ve seen comments that some people found it difficult or found errors but I didn’t have any trouble adapting it to fit a child.

Is there a favorite pattern your friends or family request? Leave me a link in the comments.

Sleeping Buddies

Isn’t she cute!? I just finished her today for our granddaughter Milena who lives in Germany. The doll is 8″ tall and stuffed with poly fill and dried lavender. I added a few drops of lavender oil to a cotton ball in her head and she smells divine!

Now that I’m familiar with the Sleeping Buddies pattern, I plan to make up some in festive holiday colors. I think they’d make a fantastic stocking stuffer for baby’s first Christmas.

 

Do you have a favorite small toy or doll to crochet? Share a link in the comments below!

Fancy Footwear

The weather here in South Florida has finally caught up with the calendar and we’re expecting low temps in the 60s this week. That means chilly tile floors and a renewed need for wearing socks and slippers. With two growing girls, I’ve spent a great deal of my time practicing new stitches and techniques on footwear that’s both warm and fun to wear.

Kid Size

Baby Size

Not only was this the first pattern I ever paid for, this was how I learned the make the crocodile stitch. This pattern by Bonita Patterns & Yarns is one of my most popular items. My girls wore theirs for almost three years before their feet outgrew the yarn’s ability to stretch. I guess I should make them each a replacement pair…

I make slippers for adults, too, even for myself. My personal favorites are the Cute and Cozy Granny Slippers because they’re durable and work up rather quickly,  and I can use up leftover yarn from other projects.

I also love the Pozy Toes Crochet Slippers but, much to my surprise, I don’t have a photo.

Dragonflies

Holiday Socks

Basic Boot Socks

Let’s not forget about socks! All of these are mostly my own design (there is no published pattern for that middle pair, but it is someone else’s original idea). I learned the basics here and have added different stitches and designs because there’s really nothing better in the fall than having the cutest socks peeking out of the tops of your boots.

You can see more of my Fancy Footwear on A Country Yarn Handmade on Facebook.

Do you have a favorite pattern? With the cooler weather finally set to arrive, I’m on the lookout for something new!

 

Princess Petal Circle Jacket (toot toot)

It’s been six months since I created an original post, and that is far too long! I get so busy with the crochet process and browsing for inspiration that I forget to make time for sharing my own work. Obviously, I’ve made time today because I want to toot toot my own horn.

So warm and comfy

Not to mention stylish

We live in Southwest Florida where cold days are few and far between. Normally we add a few layers under a hoodie and hope that the temp rises before lunchtime but we’re not always so lucky and this week we’re faced with several days that will be colder than normal. I just happened to have several skeins of Caron One Pound acrylic yarn in the closet that match those red boots perfectly (claret, black and cream). When paired with Caron Simply Soft, it black made for a thick and soft fabric. You can read up about Caron at the Yarnspirations site.

I have made robes and sweaters, but this is my very first circle jacket. It worked up so quickly, mostly because the garment is child-sized but I don’t think an adult version would take up a daunting amount of time. I found the pattern for Princess Petal at the Garn Studio web site. If you are confident in your crochet skills and love free patterns, I highly recommend starting there for inspiration and video tutorials. The patterns aren’t written in the way we see them in magazines or on blogs in the US, but I’ve always managed to figure them out with a bit of practice.

I’m working on a set of claret mittens and a hat in all three colors to match the fabric of the coat, so I’d best stop with the blogging and get to hooking!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve got a favorite kids’ cold-weather pattern.

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Robe for Kids II

I have two little girls, aged 6 years each, who are always ready and willing to browse patterns and create color palettes and basically be my pint-sized crochet companions. They are my go-to models for adapting and trying new patterns, and because kids are brutally honest I have complete trust in their opinions about my work. They also have distinctly different tastes so I rarely make the the exact same crocheted item twice.

Not quite two weeks ago, I made a pretty little candy colored robe for Sarina (Summer Robe for Kids I) and started a different style for Regina. We found a very summer looking pattern for a ladies shirt (Crochet Scalloped Top – Yarnspirations) that I felt could be easily adapted to fit a kid.

Does she look happy or what?

the back view

Turns out I was right!

I used yarn from my stash, Bernat Softee baby yarn in white and Baby Coordinates in soft lilac. and a 4.00 mm tapered steel hook. The robe is considerably longer than the shirt pattern but it’s not as wide.

I crocheted the back as directed, beginning at the bottom of the garment and ending with white when I reached just above Regina’s waist. I then made two front panels of the same length, but only 1/3 the width of the back. All three pieces were finished in soft lilac and slip stitched together.

left and right front pieces

Left front, detail

Sleeve detail

The sleeves have two oval shaped gaps at each shoulder where only the tops of scallops were attached. I used a single crochet stitch all the way around for the edging and made a simple 50 chain slip stitch tie for each side.

tie detail

I finished with single crochet stitches all around for the edging and 50-chain slip stitch ties.

It’s a very light and airy feeling robe, perfect for feeling pretty and girly on hot Florida mornings. And I learned a fabulous new lacy stitch that can be easily adapted for a scarf

Let me know what you think in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jennifer