Memories of one of my first crochet projects in 2012

I watched a Youtube podcast video from Wool Needles Hands, and one of the bags she listed reminded me of the first crochet items I used to make ALOT in my beginning journey of crochet. This post also connects with Earth Day coming up soon, as I was very interested in making things out of recycled items (I am still interested in this!).  

I found the Market Bag pattern on Ralvery in 2012 and it was one of my favorites. Also, this is how old the pattern is. I can't find a better photo from the website.

One of the lessons I learned when I began crochet was that Homespun yarn was very difficult to use! I should have tried a larger hook than the H hook they suggested. There was no Homespun yarn thick and quick back then either. If I thought to use 2 strands of homespun it might have been easier to work up. But I did complete a few bags and even sold them at markets.  

 

I also completed a large plarn version of the market bag. It was painful using a regular hook to make the stitches, but I completed it. I wish I took better photos of the finished product. I also don't remember what happened to the bag. I believe someone might have bought it.

 

 

I definitely want to try this pattern again, and maybe I will bring out my stashed plarn to complete a new bag. 

What was your first crochet, knit, or crafting project? 

Part 2: Free Pumpkin Patterns (Pumpkins I made in 2020)

This is part 2 of the free pumpkin patterns post. You can read part 1 of the first pumpkins in my previous blog post. 

I wanted to pick different pumpkin patterns this year, and I used leftover yarn from the Crochet Cancer Challenge beanies.  The pumpkins will have corresponding beanie patterns as well (some free and some paid). 

Autumn Harvest Pumpkin

The first pumpkin I made was from the Autumn Harvest Pumpkin pattern by Danielle from A Knotty Habit Designs. This was a wonderful pattern to follow, and I used up two colors from the remaining yarn that I made the Herringbone Slouchy Beanie from Underground Crafter. 

You can find the free pattern on A Knotty Habit Designs website. 

Pumpkin Spice

The next pattern I found on Ravelry was the Pumpkin Spice pattern from Jennifer Edwards. This website was interesting because Jennifer does a variety of crafts, and she has a few free patterns to choose from. You can find the Pumpkin Spice and other knit and crochet patterns on the Free Patterns section of her website. The links in red open PDF documents with the pattern.  

I made this pumpkin from the scrap yarn I had leftover from the Brave Beanie pattern by Made with a Twist.

Kelsi Pumpkin

The third pumpkin I tried was the Kelsi Pumpkin pattern from a Plush Pineapple. This is also a great pattern to use up scrap yarn. Since the pattern is made flat, you can add sections of scrap yarn as you go. I used the yellow scrap yarn from the last beanie pattern I used, the Garden Path Beanie (paid pattern) 

Pike Pumpkin Patch

The last pumpkin I made for the Oct/Nov month was the Pike Pumpkin Patch pattern from Maxine Pike. This is a free PDF download pattern on Ravelry. I liked how variegated yarn looks with the pattern design.

You can also find all these patterns on Ravelry to save in your Library. I hope you enjoy trying these patterns! 

February: 11 Valentine Hearts Roundup

Happy Valentine's month! It's still Februray, so I can do a hearts roundup for the month!

I love looking at heart crochet patterns on Pinterest and on  Google searches. I created my first list of free crochet heart patterns in 2017. I wanted to add a few more ideas to the list. All these crochet patterns are linked to my Creative Hearts board on Pinterest, as well as paper crafts and decorative containers for Valentine's gifts. Take a look!

Heart Appliques

Boho Hearts
Pattern from Cherry Heart

1. These boho hearts from Cherry Heart are so cute and quick to make. They can be strung up as a banner or used as a decoration for a gift. Why not make a bracelet or a necklace out of them?

Rosy Heart
Pattern from Mia's Heartful Hands

2. This rosy heart pattern has been on the webs for a while, but it is still a great pattern. It would be nice to wear as a pin or brooch. There are also a few videos on Youtube to make a rosy heart, if you need more visual help. Looks liek the original pattern came from Mia's Heartful Hands.

Heart Skin Care/Beauty

Here's My Heart Scrubby
Pattern from Yarnspirations

3. Scrubbies are all the rage along with handmade soaps and scrubs. Did you buy some scrubby yarn and are not sure how to use it? You can download the pattern from the Yarnspirations website.

DIY mini granny square crochet baskets
Patten from guest blogger Vika Moka on This Little Street

4. Here's a cute idea for a crochet basket with granny squares from guest blogger Vika Moka from A Moka Day. She guest posted on This Little Street with this cute basket design. I know this doesn't have a heart on it, but you can make the granny square design into a heart shape with the alternate color. This basket is great to store beauty products or even your current wip. 

Heart Home Decor

Conversation Hearts pattern from Sisterly Studios

5. This next section is my favorite. I love me some decorative pillows, and these pillows from Sisterly Studios are so cute! (Paid pattern only on Ravelry)

Candy Hearts pattern from Once Upon A Cherrio

6. If you are looking for an equally cute free pattern, this pattern from Once Upon a Cheerio is it! I really like the cross stitch letters better, and she also has a free tutorial on how to cross stitch.

Heart C2C Sherpa Pillow
Pattern from Nana's Crafty Home

7. Another lovely crochet pillow, this heart corner2corner pattern from Nana's Crafty Home is a great addition to the creative hearts board. 

Crochet Pillow pattern from Make and Do Crew

8. Here's another great pattern for a granny square style crochet heart from Make and Do Crew.

Heart Book Cover

Heart Notebook Sweater
Pattern from guest Little Things Blogged, posted on ClaireabelleMakes 

9. On my last post I listed a few bookmarkers. I found this beautiful heart notebook sweater notebook cover. Once I searched notebook covers on Pinterest, I fell into the depths of lovely book covers. This is a great way to personalize a notebook. You can find this crochet pattern on ClaireabelleMakes. 

Heart Kitchen

10. I found two dishcloths patterns that I really liked. The hearts dishcloth above are originally from Mailinn on Ravelry, but the pattern information is in Norwegian. Filetstueck on Ravelry created a inspiration and posted the pattern in English. 

BONUS! 11. The last item is a crochet heart doily from NotikaLand on Youtube. This doily is made with thread, but if you make it with cotton yarn it could be made into a nice discloth or placemat. NotikaLand on Youtube.

Check out more of my pins on the Creative Hearts board on my Pinterest! 
(One of my pet peeves is not having the correct link on my board or a link that doesn't work anymore. Sometimes the blogger changes their site and moves their posts to the new website. Please let me know if a link doesn't work!)

10 FREE Crochet Hearts Patterns for your Valentine

Valentine's Day is here, and I wanted to put together a list of 10 FREE crochet heart patterns that are easy to make and adds a personality to your gifts and decorations. These patterns are great to decorate a gift, to add to a festive banner, or to decorate your home.



June Gilbank from PlanetJune created 4 different types of heart shapes to choose from, each with its own pattern. I think the large puffy hearts can be made into a lovely banner.

PlanetJune

Here's a lovely granny square heart crochet pattern from Undisthreadness. this is done in cotton thread, but it can easily be created using worsted yarns.

Undisthreadness

You can add a crochet granny heart to chains and make a lovely choker.

Heart Slider Choker by Jaybird Designs

Or add granny hearts to a crochet basket to give goodies to your little one.

Valentines Day Basket by The Stitchin' Mommy

Here are three crochet bookmark patterns for your favorite book nerd.

Heart bookmark from Just Plain Fun

Suzies Heart Bookmark

Heart to Heart Bookmark

And a heart cup cozy for your coffee lovers.

Heart Cup Cozy - One Dog Woof

Last but not least, hat patterns with hearts!

Whistle and Ivy

I'm working on this hat right now...

Wilmade - Lovely Heart Hat

Let me know which heart pattern you like
or any other heart crafts you have made. 

You can also share your blog posts for the month on my 

What Are You Doing? Blog Hop! <--- CLICK HERE!

Guest post for Tea for Two !

Good morning! I got a chance to write a little bit about myself and write a guest post on 2 Crochet Hooks' Tea for Two post on the blog! Click on the link to read more about myself and other fellow yarnies on the Tea for Two posts every other Monday. Welcome all the new readers to my page!

St. Patrick's Day pattern: Charming Green Necklace

Happy St. Patrick's day! I have an easy project to share with you. Whether you need decorations for your home or to decorate yourself, this easy Crochet Charms necklace is Is what you might need! 

All you do is take your favorite four leaf clover pattern and connect them together with a chain stitch. If you don't have a favorite pattern, I have a simple one for you.

Terms:
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
tc = treble crochet
sl st = slip stitch

1) Make a circle, either by making a magic circle or doing a chain two or three and slip stitch to complete the circle. Then chain 1 and sc 8 stitches. Sl st to first stitch.

*I decided to use three treble crochet stitches because it makes the leaves stand taller. If you are unsure how to do this you can do two or three double crochet, however big you want your leaf to be.*

2) Chain 2. Three (3) double or treble crochet into the next stitch. Chain 2 and sl st into the next stitch. This is one leaf. Do this sequence 3 more times (chain 2, 3 dc or tc in next stitch, chain 2 and sl st in next stitch).

Once you have 4 leaves, then you make the stem.

3) Chain 5. Flip the project to the back sl st on the back of each chain. This will make a short stick. (4 stitches total)

You can add more chains here to make it longer.

4) You'll want to slip stitch towards the center of the clover to secure the stem and start chaining to the next clover.

5) This is how the back of the finished clover looks like. Now you can chain 20 or more stitches, make a circle with 8 single crochet stitches and start another clover.

You can either keep on going and make a long clover garland, or keep it shorter and make a necklace or skinny scarf. My three strand necklace has 18 clovers. You can make it as long as you need!

I hope my instructions and pictures were clear. if there are any questions leave me a comment. Now I will have no excuse to forget to wear green. Enjoy your new project!

Monthly updating - new plans and babies (not mine)

My blogging has come to a complete halt. I have been so busy this past month. I am part of the many happy couples that have been recently engaged. It's been more than a month of starting to plan one of the biggest events for us. I am used to doing other types of events, and I think those were easier to come up with that our own. You can see the mess of pins in the "Our Wedding" board that we've put together.


To tell you the truth, I don't know what I want in terms of the specifics. I never really had a dream plan of what I wanted my wedding to look like. If he has some creative ideas, by all means I will follow what he wants! My fiance is so creative, and he is a big part of the process. I'm a go-where-the-wind-blows type of gal.

One of our photobooth jobs. See how unique and creative he is? :)

Luckily, we've been to a few weddings last year as second and third shooters and photobooth assistants, and we have a few more to go to in the next few months (Lorenzo is the professional camera man, and I'm learning a few things in the process). I will pay more attention to these weddings for more inspirations.

The venue is the most difficult thing to figure out. We want a unique place, and we've been to weddings and parties in so many places around the city. I don't know if I want a beach wedding. The weather is always questionable in Florida. Downtown looks pretty unique. We both love brick accents and rustic designs, but there are so many barn weddings. I hope we find something at a reasonable price and a unique look.

We are also trying to keep the guest list small, but I don't know if it is possible. Too many people like us and want to be at the wedding. Why it is so difficult to say no?

Besides the wedding planning, I've been getting used to my new job. They're trying to figure out what I will be doing, so I'm starting to get some work this week. I've been cleaning the office, especially when people have been coming in sick. It's no fun having the flu in Florida, when it gets really cold in the morning and nights, and it's blazing hot in the afternoons. The weather can't decide what to do.

On the crochet side, I've been making hats for all the new babies in church. Its like all of a sudden, 5 ladies are pregnant and 2 of the 5 had their babies a couple of weeks ago. I've made some more turban hats for the ladies.

I'm working on some boy beanies too. I call them lumberjack hats. They look like these, but they will be smaller. I love how they look and how stretchy they are. It's perfect for this changing weather we're having.

Well, that's all for now. I will be pinning and hopefully posting more instagram pictures. Maybe do a little more writing as well. I hope I can figure out some great things to make and share too.

Pattern Review: Braided scarf and Yarn Stash: Franks Crafts Wintuk

Last month, I had the chance to make this Braided Scarf. I think I've had it in my Ravelry queue since the first time I signed up. 



I used three of my stashed yarns, including the Ombre Sayelle yarn I used in the Baby Bear Hat. The lighter green is the Caron Simply Soft Sage color I used from the Nautilus Cloche pattern. The bright green Frank's Crafts Wintuk yarn is one of a large bag of green and white yarns I purchased from a yard sale, when I just started crocheting. I used some of this green in the Poinsettia ornament pattern.

I used a I (5.55mm) crochet hook, and I did a foundation hdc of 120 stitches.

The blog wasn't really clear on how to sew the braid to make an infinity scarf. You can see in the picture below that I crocheted the three mini scarves together in a row. Now that I think about it, I would have stacked them and crocheted them together. I think I was almost running out of that yarn, so I didn't want it to go to waste. I might sew the stacks later.

I think it would look better if the braids were chunkier. But I am happy with the color combo, and I hope someone would like it.

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