Two Stitch Crochet Pot Holder

Happy New Year! I've meant to share with you a new stitch and lovely project for a while but the holidays have been busy. I'm here to share with you today a quick project I worked up today. It'was inspired by a lot of holiday cooking! A pot holder! For this project, I used a cotton yarn and two simple stitches, the single crochet and half double crochet.

To be honest, the pattern is my own making. It is simple, tightly woven and will serve well to hold a hot pot or pan in the kitchen when your stove top is full. I think I will be using this quite often. Want the pattern? I'm willing to share. 

Chain a length appropriate for your pots/pans with a cotton wrosted yarn and a 4.25mm hook.

Row 1: Half double crochet in the ridge of each chain. Ch 1, turn. 

Row 2: Single crochet in each stitch across. Ch 1, turn. 

Row 3-4: Repeat row 2. 

Row 5: Repeat row 5. 

Continue the pattern until the pot holder is an appropriate size. Fasten off, weave in ends. Finish with a single crochet edging in each stitch around. 

Easy peasy and useful! I hope you try this quick project. Let me know how it turns out in the comments section. 

Happy Hooking,

Jewels

My Easy Peasy Shawl!

I have been working a few larger projects, and today I am going to share one that I've finished up with you. It's a shawl! I'm starting to feel like I've made several shawls and initially, I was going to make something else with this yarn using a pattern from I Like Crochet, but I had time reading the pattern so I decided to go with another one from that fall edition and here it is!

I'm going to come right out and say taking a picture of this was not easy. I take all my own photos, have no photoshoping knowledge and no one to model projects for me. Finding the right kind of background and lighting in my home is not always easy, and getting this shawl to drape so you can get an idea of it was quite the challenge. But, this was the best picture I could get. I do adore the colours in this piece and how soft the yarn is. I haven't worn this yet, but hopefully I can soon.

The stitch was easy to work and looks lovely. I'd share it with you, but I don't think I can without violating copyright, but I did it get it from this issue of I Like Crochet, though I chose my own yarn. I subscribe it to on my iPad and I've already used a pattern or two from them, so I would recommend you look into it. It's especially good for the intermediate crocheter, but it has easy patterns, such as this one, as well. 

So, I've one of three larger projects done! We'll see when the other two get finished! But I will be back soon with another post with a new stitch for you soon. 

Happy Hooking,

Jewels

Crochet Gifts for the Winter Season

I think I need to apologize for being absent from this blog for so long. It was a far busier fall than I expected it to be! I had a lot of fun crocheting in some down time, but little time to write up a post. But, I am going to share with you a project I made as a Christmas gift today.

For this lovely scarf and earwarmer, I used some basic patterns I was already familiar with. For the scarf, I used the lemon peel stitch, which I've shared here before and for the earwarmer, I used a great pattern from Rescued Paw Designs that I've also shared here before. I loved the way these worked up and look and I hope the person I am giving these to likes them too. I chose the cherry red because my friend will likely adore the colour, and because sometimes in winter the colours gets a bit blah. So I thought I'd keep things lively and bright. 

Now, a while back I showcased some yarn and mentioned I was working on a few bigger projects. I have one done. The other needs more attention than I have time to give at the moment, so it might be something I get back to over the holidays. A third larger project I'm kinda feeling iffy about so it's on pause until I decide whether or not to continue. But, I've also crocheted up a huge yellow infinity scarf (stay tuned for that project, I adore the stitch I found for it) and I've made several earwarmers that I've had some luck in selling. 

My next project will be a baby blanket in the lemon peel stitch at the request of a friend and I'm looking forward to working with a chunkier yarn. 

I'll be back soon with more to share!

Happy Hooking,

Jewels

Shades of Autumn Scarf

I absolutely love fall and it's colours. In fact, I might have gotten a little carried away with years with fall crochet projects--I started in July hehe. I whipped up a lovely, thick and easy V-stitch scarf in July and today I decided to share with you.

How do you make the V-stitch? Well, it's easy, and you find out more about it in my July post  which provides instructions on how to make this stitch. If you can double crochet and chain, you are set. This stitch is perfect for a lighter scarf since it is a bit open weave and since this yarn was self stripping, the colours organized themselves beautifully for me. I love self stripping and variegated yarns. They add such variety to projects!

For this project, I used a thicker, wooly yarn. Some might find it itchy, but since I used a number 6 hook, it worked up quick and actually, it's quite long. I tried it on today and loved the colours but I have yet to sport it around the town, but I will say, I don't know why I made it as long as I did! I usually measure the length of my scarves by lying them across my shoulders and if the ends fall to my hips, I stop. That way, I get a scarf that will wrap nicely around my neck and keep off the cold wind. This one is a little longer, but I don't think it will a problem.

I hope to be back soon to share with you some other projects--and I am working on three larger ones because I'm nuts--soon. Until then,

Happy Hooking,

Jewels

I've Gone Yarn Crazy!

In my last post, I mentioned that I'm currently working two larger projects. I haven't yet finished either, but yesterday there was a sale and I went yarn shopping. And I found some lovely yarn that I can't wait to work with even though I have two big projects that I'm still in the middle of! I've got crochet madness that's for sure.

I'm not sure the photo does justice to the colours in the Red Heart yarn, but let me assure you it's a beautiful yarn, soft and rich with the colours of autumn. I instantly fell in love and I knew just the project that this yarn would be perfect for. I hope I bought enough. Let me tell you a little story; I recently subscribe to I Like Crochet via my iPad and the October edition has two projects I want to hook up, one with the Red Heart yarn, and the other with that bright yellow that I just love. And as I was standing in the store, I cursed myself because I didn't have access to the app. So, I'm hoping I have enough. I have yet to even double check if I do! Which I really should, come to think of it. 

So what are the projects I have planned for all this lovely yarn I bought? The yellow yarn is going to be hooked into a braided ear warmer. I can't call it a headband as it will be too thick I think, for that use. It ought be perfect as an ear warmer though. The other yarn will be a big lacey scarf/shawl. I have to say, I don't think there are enough hours in the day to crochet lately! 

What are you hooking up? You can share in the comments below. 

Happy Hooking,

Jewels

Projects Under Construction

I'm going to start this post by saying wow. I've taken on a few bigger projects lately and I love working on each of them. Since I can't show you a finished project as of yet, I decided I'd share with you today two projects I'm working on and where I found the pattern.

The first is a hooded scarf that I am loving to work up. So far it's easy. We'll see what happens when it comes time to assemble *wink, wink* But the pattern is cute, and I found it through All Free Crochet, which sends me daily newsletters FULL of free patterns. I save all them all in my inbox but wow, I've NO idea when I'll ever get to try all the lovely free patterns they share with you. You should seriously check them out. The pattern for the hooded scarf is on a blog site called CrochetNCrafts, for which I've provided you a direct link to the pattern. Just in case you want a hooded scarf yourself. I myself chose not to use a red yarn however. Too Red Riding Hood for me.

Picture is not my own work

The other project I'm working on is a poncho I found on Ravelry. I did pay for the pattern and so far (and this is really my first garment project) it has been simple to work up. If you can double crochet you can do this. I've learned to dc2tog thanks to this project, and I haven't had problems yet. I'm again providing you a direct link because you should at least see how cute this looks. Again, I didn't use the recommended yarn, but a colour stripping worsted yarn instead and so far it's turning out fine. 

I hope to be back in a few days to share with you some other projects and resources I've found. So check back soon! 

Happy Hooking,

Jewels

Lemon Stitch Peel Purse

Hello everyone! I apologize for being absent for a while, but I'm back today with a cute little project I whipped up a couple of weeks ago. It's a little purse, easy to make and I learned a new stitch that I love while I was at it.

The lemon peel stitch was really easy, and anyone can do it. If you can single crochet and double crochet, this is that easy. I decided to try out in a simple project and thought it was perfect for a purse. I did get the idea from the site I found the instructions for the stitch on, but I created my own strap, which is longer than pictured, so this is an over the shoulder bag perfect for your phone and keys and a credit card or two. I worked up a length using the lemon peel stitch, then when it was long enough, I made sure to leave a button hole space. I simply chained four, skipped four stitches and followed the pattern till the end of the row. Then, I continued the pattern in the next row till I reached my chain in which I single crocheted across and then carried on with the lemon peel stitch till the end of row and then fastened off. I stitched the sides together using a craft needle and yarn and then made the strap which is just three rows of single crochet. Then I sewed those on to the purse as well. 

It was as easy as that! I haven't used this little purse yet, but I plan to and I have to say, I love the look this stitch lent to this project. It's simple but pretty and that's certainly what I was going for so I'm delighted with the way it turned out. 

Happy Hooking,

Jewels