Is it too late for candy corn? I have a bag of it in my pantry, so I think it’s still the season.
This is an easy, cute crochet project for your fall décor.
I made a bunch and put them in this Halloween cat basket.
The pattern, called Amigurumi Candy Corn, is here on Lion Brand’s website. (The pattern is free, but you may need to create an account and log in to see the pattern.) I also saw a bunch of other cute candy corn patterns on Ravelry.
Have you seen these glass tile pendants at craft fairs? They’re easy to make yourself, and if you have a lot of design ideas, you could put together a bunch of these assembly line style.
Pretty paper is a good starting point; if you’re a good collage maker, you can add more layers to your design. These are both from the same floral paper.
There is a nice tutorial and supply list here on Crafts Unleashed. That’s the blog for the Consumer Crafts website, so the supply lists links to their site. Note that if you sign up for Consumer Crafts emails, you’ll occasionally get reduced-rate or free shipping offers. I don’t like paying for shipping, so I try to save my ordering for when there’s a deal. Of course, you can also shop at your local craft store.
Project notes:
A while back, I pulled out a tote bag full of embroidery supplies which included a couple of unfinished projects. The tea towel already had a coffee pot and cup on one side, and I added a bundt cake on the other side. I had a stack of plain flour sack towels, and I stitched a champagne bottle and glasses on one of them.
I still have an unfinished 4th of July and Bastille Day towel, which maybe I can finish by next July.
I have a ton of men’s handkerchiefs, which come in handy but aren’t very attractive. They’re a great place to practice and work on small designs, like this cupcake and camping trailer.
Embroidery can get pretty elaborate, but so far I’ve stuck with simple stitches. It’s relaxing and not too expensive – that’s my kind of craft! If you don’t know where to start, there is some helpful how-to information on Sublime Stitching.
Pattern notes:
This is an easy crochet jewelry project, and it doesn’t even require jewelry-making supplies or skills. It does, however, require a lot of beads. I chose this project because I had some beads to use up, but I had to buy more beads to have enough to make a bracelet.
You can make this as long as you want; mine wraps around three times.
Here it is not on a wrist. It’s just a long chain of single crochet with beads incorporated.
And here’s the closure – it’s a button that slips through a loop of thread. I like how this looks, and I appreciated not having to struggle with attaching a jewelry clasp, which is not my strong point. I even happened to have a clear button that looks like a little jewel.
Project notes:
This is a really simple crochet project. String beads on some thread, do a simple crochet chain, adding beads as you go, and voilá, a pretty necklace!
I used a mix of gray Swarovski crystal beads, round clear beads, and larger dark gray beads. The thread is a 2-ply silver metallic thread.
This is one of my all-time favorite projects. It’s pretty, I wear it often, and no one has identified it as homemade. I should probably include a photo of me wearing it so you can see how nicely it hangs, but I really don’t want a close-up of my neck posted on the internet for eternity.
Project notes:
I don’t have a lot of experience sewing, but do enjoy trying easy projects that help to build my confidence with this mysterious machine. I borrowed a copy of The Feisty Stitcher from my library and these Conical Coin Purses caught my eye.
What I really like about this project is that it uses 1 1/2″ wide grosgrain ribbon (you can see the strips of ribbon best in the flowered purse on the left). I found a similar pattern online that uses fabric, but I like the effect that you get from the ribbon. The instructions and illustrations in the book made this project a breeze. Before this I’d only sewn two zippers, and I was very happy with the zipper instructions in this pattern.
Next, I made a super-easy tissue holder using these instructions. I’ve had this one in my purse for a while and it works great. I made a few more of these for Christmas gifts.
I found that it worked better to use two pieces of fabric measuring 7″x7″ (instead of 6 1/2″x7″). With those measurements, there is no “long” side, but I considered the side with the 1/2″ opening to be the long side. I did do the 1/4″ overlap as noted as an option in the instructions.
I hope to do more sewing and crafting this year, so if I make anything else worth sharing, you’ll see it here!
I have a thing about making craft projects that are useful. And what’s more useful than a pair of shoes? I saw these on the Crochet Today blog and bought some flip flops even before the issue was out.
Adding flowers is a fun way to dress up flip flops, and covering the straps with yarn makes them much more comfortable. I don’t wear flip flops that often, but that might change!
Project notes
There are lots of crochet flower tutorials online, so with a little searching, you can find just the one you’re looking for. Here’s one that shows how to decorate crocheted flowers with buttons and beads. I haven’t tried that yet, but I might for my next pair!
Lately I’ve been keeping my hands busy with some crochet projects. First up is a scarf I made for myself.
It’s easier to see the color against my off-white coat.
Notes: This is from the Boutique Scarf pattern on Crochet Today’s site. I’m not a fan of wool, so I used Lion Brand Quick & Easy Mohair Look yarn in color 403, Camel Spray (pretty color, bad name!). I bought three skeins and used just a tiny amount more than two. If I would have known I’d have so much yarn left over, I would have made the scarf a little longer.
I also made several cup cozies for myself and for friends. They’re cuter than a cardboard cup sleeve!
I even made a little tag so that people would know what it was.
Notes: I used this pattern as a starting point, using a different color for the stripe in the middle three rows. Then I topped it with a row of bobble stitches (a 4dc bobble stitch, followed by 2 sc, repeated around the top).
By the way, if anyone out there crochets, be sure to check out Crochet Spot. There are great tutorials and free patterns. I don’t remember how I found the site, but I’m glad I did!
Once in a while I get crafty. My love of sweets + my desire to craft = crocheted treats!
How about a cupcake?
Maybe a doughnut?
Or one of each?
There are a ton of free patterns on Lion Brand’s web site, including the doughnut I made and lots of other cute things I hope to get to soon!
