Ho Ho Ho!

In case you didn't know....

.... Christmas is in 8 DAYS!

This is such a wonderful time of the year, and I am finally done with classes and back at home to enjoy it! And now that I am out of school, I have all this free time, which means there is plenty of time for....

CRAFTING!

I have quite the number of projects to do before the holidays are over, including this wonderful garland to hang all over the house! (See Pattern Here)

This is my first project that I have started since I came home from school. It's a very easy pattern and it's quick to work up! The original pattern photo uses green and white yarn to make the garland, but I decided to use I Love This Yarn!'s metallic sparkle holiday yarn. I only bought one skein, but it is plenty to make a decent-sized garland, or multiple shorter strands!

I plan to post all of my projects once I finish them - I have so many ideas and a lot of time and leftover yarn to make things with. I'm very excited to share them!

If you're looking for another holiday pattern to work up, I came across this pattern at Crafty Queens, and it is just precious.



My mom loves Santa Claus, she decorates the whole house with his likeness, so this would be fun to make for her as a gift. I haven't gotten into amigurumi yet, so I'm wondering if this would be an easier pattern to start with....
What was your first amigurumi? Comment below! :)

Why I LOVE crochet

This blog isn't 'Crazy For Crochet' for no reason, now ;)


To me, there is no feeling that compares to the sense of accomplishment and joy of creating something; coming up with the idea, the type of yarn you'll use, the colors, the pattern and stitches; making something from start to finish. You can't help but feel a little sense of pride. Because hey, I made this! Look at it!



But what is even more awesome than that is making something for somebody else. Making something specifically for this one person and putting so much effort and care and thought into that project because it's for that special person. And when you're making it, all you're thinking about is the memories that you've shared with that person and what that person means to you. That gives me so much more satisfaction than making anything for myself ever can.




I think one of my favorite parts about starting a new project is getting the yarn. This is also a very stressful moment, because I obsess over the colors and I can be so indecisive on what colors to choose! I spend way too much time looking at 2 colors of yarn and not being able to decide which one to get. It's pretty serious - but so much fun!

Crocheting is just such an orderly, methodical, and relaxing hobby. (I'm a Capricorn, so I love the orderly part.:) ) It's almost like when you start reading a new book; once you start it, you can't put it back down until you finish it! I just can't wait to see what the finished product looks like and what all my work came to be. Crochet is a truly wonderful craft and I'm so grateful to have had it passed down to me by my great grandma - it gives it that much more meaning to me than if I had decided to pick it up on my own.

I'll be that crazy old cat lady someday that has tons of cats and dogs and sits in a rocking chair or a rocking recliner, crocheting granny squares and afghans all day. I do love a good rocking chair.... :)

One of My Own!

I thought I would go ahead and share one of my own projects that I made - I plan on sharing some others too!

This is the Sparkly Chevron Bag that I found on allfreecrochet.com (I get tons of emails from All Free Crochet that have bunches of crochet patterns in them, so I can't help but get patterns mostly from their website :P )



The picture on the site shows a navy blue sparkly color instead of the black like I chose for my bag, but I decided I wanted it to be a little more versatile, season and occasion wise.



It is a pretty small bag and it took a couple of tries to get right, but I managed to get it done! The most difficult part for me was to grasp the dc3tog stitch... Making this bag was the first time I had encountered it but I'm glad that I figured it out because now I can make an awesome chevron/ripple afghan, like these :)

Neat Ripple Pattern



Addicted to Chevron Afghan

Holiday Crochet Projects!

The holidays are upon us! I seriously couldn't be any more excited!

Here are just a couple of some of the really fun holiday crochet projects that I found!


Granny Tree Skirt Crochet Pattern by Red Heart



This pattern is for those who have mastered the beloved granny square. (I am still working on mine!) This is a gorgeous skirt to put under a tree at Christmas time.

Christmas Crochet Garland by Julie Huston from Treasures Made From Yarn



This is an easier pattern to follow and uses the fun popcorn stitch to make some cute garland that you can hang or drape anywhere around the house! I will most likely be making this!

Crocheted Jingle Bell Garland by DIY Maven



I really love the idea of putting this Crochet Jingle Bell Garland on a Christmas tree - it's an easy/beginner pattern that just requires knowledge of the chain stitch and plenty of jingle bells!


Ho Ho Ho!


& Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Allie

A Brief History of the Craft

There is no doubt that crochet has been around for a long time - but no one really knows for how long it has existed. There is no evidence to support that crochet existed in Europe before the 1800's. However, there is a theory that crochet existed in Italy in the 1500's under the moniker "nun's work" or "nun's lace". It also has no specific country or area of origin. Arabia, Tibet, China, Ireland, Italy, France, and Denmark all have connections to the craft. Although we don't know much about crochet's origins, we do know that it is quite wonderful! 

Throughout the years, many different mediums have been used to crochet with. Hair, hemp, grasses, animal fur, wire, plastic strips, wool, and fabric strips have all been used to make various works. More popular mediums today are cotton, synthetic yarns, and wool. 

There were also many types of tools that were used to crochet with. In the earlier times, we used bone, wood, ivory, silver, and even more mediums to make crochet hooks. Today, we can purchase hooks in various places, even just as simple as Walmart, made of aluminum, plastic, steel, or bamboo.

An excellent article I read on the history of crochet provided all this information and even more interesting stuff; check it out! http://www.crochet.org/?page=CrochetHistory

For those who may be reading this that don't exactly know what crochet is, crochet is a form of handwork, like embroidery, weaving, and knitting. (Please note that there IS a difference between knitting and crocheting! Knitting is done with 2 knitting needles and involves different techniques; crochet is done with 1 crochet hook and is also done with it's own set of techniques and stitches.) 

Knitting needles and yarn (www.sheknows.com)

Crochet hook and yarn

Many, many things can be made by crochet: afghans, scarves, hats, rugs, coasters, dog collars and booties, bracelets, lace detail for the pockets on shorts, shawls, sweaters, purses and bags... The list can go on and on! Crochet is a seriously amazing craft and is actually quite simple and relaxing once you get the hang of it!

I was lucky enough to have crochet passed down to me by my great grandma (I always just call her Betty). She is one of the main reasons I crochet now, as well as to continue to carry it on through my family! She has made so many afghans and blankets for family members, and I would love to do the same for my family... when I decide to start one, that is!

On a sidenote: I had to create this blog for my ISOM 125 class at my college... I have been wanting to make a crochet blog for a long time but never really had the time or capability to put forth the effort into making one - until now! I'm seriously excited to finally put my own work out there and to interact with other crocheters, as well as to have a serious blog in general. Bear with me as I begin this new hobby to go alongside my favorite one! :) :) :)

Cheers, 

Allie