I usually crochet my rounds in spirals: which means that I go around and around continuously. It’s an easy technique.
The main downside, though, is that if you’re crocheting stripes, you get pesky little jogs in the color changes.
The solution is to crochet in joined rounds. That means, at the start of each round, you chain one, and then slip stitch into that chain at the end of the round.
Update – If you want to keep crocheting in a spiral but minimize that pesky jog in your stripes, there’s a video here showing a different technique.
It’s pretty easy to accidentally add stitches using joined rounds… which makes a chevron shape instead of a nice, flat join. Oops.
The trick to avoiding accidental increases is to know your stitches! Here’s a little graphic of the stitches involved:
So, when you’re crocheting, you don’t want to single crochet into the slip stitch of the previous round. It’s funny because it feels like you’re skipping a stitch. But that’s the trick.
Yay!
Here are handy links to all the posts about changing yarn color in crochet. . .
Okay, so you’ve gone through all of that work to knit or crochet a sweater… and now it’s time to attach the buttons. How do you make sure you sew on the buttons in exactly the right spot? I’ll show you how!
First, close your sweater so that the button band overlaps exactly how you’d want it closed when finished, with the holey side of the button band on top.
Starting at the bottom (or top), poke your locking stitch marker through the first hole, and attach to the solid side of the button band.
This stitch marker marks where your button will go! Lock the marker.
Notice that the holey side of the button band will pull off… the locking stitch marker goes right through the hole!
When you’re finished sewing (or at least have finished the first few, securing stitches), remove the stitch marker. It should just slip out once you unlock it.
Now it’s time for the other buttons! Repeat this trick for each button.
Each time, button up the buttons you’ve already completed so you can ensure they line up properly.
No more wonky button problems!
Sample sweater is Gramps knit using the Rainbow Yarn Sampler Pack.
This post originally appeared on November 20th, 2013. But it’s such a great cause, I’m reposting it with additional information!
What happens to a child in the foster care system when they turn 18? They’re ‘adults’, and are set out into the world alone, and without a network of family or social resources.
Sad, right?
If those kids are awesome enough to get themselves into college… who sends them care packages? Who do they call if they need an emergency $50 for a surprise textbook?
In most cases, they have no one to turn to.
Makes you sniffle, right?
That’s why I love Foster Care to Success, an organization that supports foster care children who have ‘aged out’ of the system. The organization collects money for emergency funds and runs other great drives to support this often-overlooked population.
The Red Scarf Project collects scarves from September 1st – December 15th every year, and then distributes them to a foster student on Valentine’s Day.
Isn’t that sweet? Can you imagine how special you’d feel if a handmade scarf with a sweet note showed up on your door? And what a boost that would give to your semester?
That’s why I’m knitting one!
I didn’t feel like I had the time: the Kit Club packages, hosting Thanksgiving dinner, planning for the holidays… and then I told myself “Balarky! You can make the time! These college students don’t have families!”
And surprise… I’m finding the time!
Join in!
Can you spare the time?
Nothing fancy is required, just a simple red knitted or crocheted scarf. Check out the guidelines, here.
This link tells you where to mail the scarves, as well as the not-too-hard guidelines (basically is red, gender neutral and about 60″ long). Pattern suggestions, too!
Sweet extras, such as a hand-written note, are welcome!
I get a lot of questions about what stuffed animal eyes are safe for babies.
Even though craft eyes are often called safety eyes – they are not recommended for use in toys for children under the age of three.
I’m often asked, “can I use buttons instead”?
In short, the answer is no.
To explain why, let’s talk about why craft eyes aren’t baby safe for stuffed animals. It’s incredibly unlikely that the washer will accidentally come off of the back of the eye. (In fact, it’s pretty difficult to remove the washer from an eye with plastic ridges, as I showed in this blog post on how to remove craft eyes.)
The danger with craft eyes is that a baby (or dog) could chew through the fabric that the eye is attached to, dislodging the eye. A plastic eye securely attached to a scrap of shredded fabric is still a choking hazard.
Now what about buttons? Many people assume that since they’re sewn on, they’re more secure. But it’s not true. A baby can use their set of chompers to chew through the thread attaching it to the piece. It’s actually easier for a abby to chew through the threads holding a button eye in place than it is to chew through the fabric surrounding a craft eye.
Baby-safe stuffed animal eyes
For completely baby-safe stuffed animal eyes you have a few different options.
For crocheted stuffed animals, the easiest solution is to crochet the eye.
One more option for baby-safe softie eyes is to embroider them! This also works on both crocheted and sewn stuffed animals. On small stuffed animals you can use this stitch, and for larger eyes I recommend satin stitch or split stitch as fill stitch.
So many options- and all baby safe. Choose the one you like the look of best!
Maddie decided that she wanted to be a gnome for Halloween… and I thought it was a good excuse to put my craftiness to good use. This is a great costume to make! It’s adorable, and you only need to make a few components. Combined with store-bought clothes, it looks amazing!
If you’re wondering why these photos are so cropped, it’s because I let Maddie play with the November Kit Club sample- she just loves it! But, it means that I needed to crop it out to avoid a major spoiler!
Let me give you a quick run-through all of the components!
Knitted Hat
There are loads of pixie-style patterns on Ravelry. You can follow one of those, or modify a normal hat pattern. To do this, work two plain rounds in between every decrease round of the crown. That’s how you make the point! This technique works for knitting or crochet!
To make the belt, I cut a piece of belting (yes, that’s actually what it’s called! You can find it by the yard in the notions section of a craft/sewing store) to length. I sewed snaps to each end to fasten it on. I cut a square of felt (about 2″ longer in each dimension than the width of the belting) and cut two slits in it so I could run the belting through. Easy!
Clothing
I bought red pants and a blue cardigan from Primary (the Baby Pants in Cherry and the Baby Snap Cardi in Pool). I bought the cardigan one size too big, which gives the outfit a cute, oversized gnome look!
Happy Halloween!
I hope you have a blast today! And you might want to download my free pumpkin pattern for a fun little project! Or crochet a sweet gnome!
You can get craft eyes in lots of fun colors, and I show you how to use them here. But, what do you do if you want something you can’t find in a shop? Like pink eyes? Or glitter eyes? Or polka dot eyes? Hmm… those would be hard to find.
You can paint them yourself! Today, I’ll show you how to paint your own craft eyes! All you need is clear craft eyes and some paint. And since there are oh, about a thousand, colors of paint available… the possibilities are endless!
Scroll down for the video!
Glitter eyes!
Have you seen Beanie Boos? They’re a group of Beanie Babies with glitter eyes!
I’ve been getting lots of requests for glitter eyes, because you want to add this awesome touch to your own stuffed animal creations. I can’t find anywhere where they are commercially available… but, I have found the perfect glitter paint!
Aren’t these amazing? And they’re even more sparkly in person!
Painting your own craft eyes is easy! All you need is some acrylic paint and clear craft eyes.
You’ll get more details in the video below, but here are the basic steps:
Apply a thin coat of acrylic paint to the back of the craft eye
Allow paint to dry
Repeat. I’ve applied 2-3 thin coats for maximum glitter
Video Tutorial
I filmed this tutorial before I got the fancy palettes, and I realize my thumb is often in the way… oops! But, I think you get the idea!
Isn’t that easy? And here’s the result!
Of course, you don’t have to use glitter paint. Any acrylic paint will work! And you don’t have to paint them all one color. Try painting little polkadots before you lay down a solid background color. Or maybe stripes! Or a starburst effect! The only limit is your imagination!
Ombre Glitter Eyes
An ombre effect is a little more tricky than simple stripes, so here’s some more info on that.
Aren’t these amazing?
This ombre effect is super-easy to achieve with glitter paint because the paint is actually clear with specks of glitter. That means that one coat leaves little gaps for another color to shine through!
TUTORIAL
Here’s how to do it in three easy steps!
I’m so excited about the possibilities… I’m thinking my next ones will be white and pink ombre.
What color combinations do you think would be amazing?
Get glittery! 🙂
Here are handy links to all the posts about amigurumi eyes. . .
Besides your hook and yarn, a crochet stitch marker is your best buddy and most useful tool!
You want to look for a locking stitch marker, which is a lot like a fancy safety pin.
Locking stitch markers come in a few varieties, but the most important thing is that they open and close! Don’t get fooled into buying those ordinary ring markers that are for knitting needles. . . they don’t work for crochet.
Do you have your stitch markers ready? Let me get you and your new best friend acquainted!
Handy Use #1: Mark the End of the Round
The most common problem crocheters have when crocheting in the round is losing track of where the round starts and ends – which leads to an incorrect stitch count and mayhem! So, I’ll show you how to use a locking stitch marker to mark the end of a round.
I don’t tend to use a stitch marker for the first couple of rounds (because there are so few stitches per round), but I usually start at the end of the third round. Here I’m crocheting the snout of the cow, but many circles begin the same way.
Since I crochet through the back loop only the front loop is available to hold a locking stitch marker.
Slip the stitch marker into the front loop of the last stitch in the round, close it up, and keep crocheting!
I know I’m finished with my next round when I’m just above the stitch marker, like this:
Then I can move the marker and start my next round. No confusion!
Handy Use #2: Counting How Many Rounds You’ve Done
A lot of amigurumi are made by crocheting in the round. When teaching classes, I’ve noticed that counting rounds is something that gives a lot of crocheters trouble… I mean, who wants to count every stitch? I’ll show you how a crochet stitch marker can help you in counting rounds.
Let’s do a little example.
I’ve been following my pattern instructions for the first three rounds, and now my pattern says:
Rounds 4-6: sc in each st (18)
How can we do this without counting?
I take a crochet stitch marker (the orange thing in the photo above), and lock it onto the last stitch of the round. Then, I’m just going to keep crocheting around and around until I’m exactly 3 rounds above my marker!
Check out the photo above… and you’ll also see why I prefer crocheting through the back loops- each round leaves behind a little horizontal ridge that makes each round super-easy to count!
Handy Use #3: Position Your Pieces for Attaching
Attaching pieces can be a little tricky, too… but stitch markers can help! So, let’s look at some instructions that say, ‘attach legs to rounds 9-14’.
What you want to do is find out where round 9 is, and place a locking stitch marker there. Start counting (see the ridges?) from the center:
Count until you’re at round 9, and place a marker. Place another at round 14. Now you know where your leg should be located on the body!
Handy Use #4: Use Crochet Stitch Markers to Hold Pieces While Seaming
So now you’ve marked where your pieces should go… but locking stitch markers have one more great use. I use crochet stitch markers to hold my pieces in place while I’m sewing pieces together. It’s like having a few extra hands!
They’re big enough to go through a couple layers of crochet fabric, and by placing a couple around the piece that you’re attaching it’ll be held in place – making your sewing even easier. Yay!
I’ve been showing you lots of examples of circles… but this exact same trick can be used when assembling a sweater or afghan blocks! It keeps everything nice and even!
Handy Use #5: Keep Your Work from Unraveling When You Travel
Throw your crochet into your bag, and you’re just one snag away from all of your work coming undone. Eep! But not with a stitch marker!
Put your locking stitch marker through the loop when you’re done… and it can’t unravel even one stitch! Fabulous!
Caring for Your Crochet Stitch Markers
I bet you didn’t think these handy tools needed any special care, but there’s one little trick that will make them even easier to use.
Store them open!
That’s it! That’s the key to a healthy and long-lasting locking stitch marker.
Why? If you store your marker closed, the plastic slowly bends until the ‘open position’ isn’t very open anymore.
It’s not a huge deal, but it makes the marker just a little bit harder to slip onto your crochet piece. Store them open and there’s no problem!
There you go – lots of handy ways to use your crochet stitch markers to make your projects just a little easier and more fun.
Here are handy links to all the posts about crochet tools and supplies.
I hear you. Doing a gauge swatch is boring. You have a lovely ball of yarn in your hands and you just want to get started!
But did you know that if your gauge is off, you may end up using more yarn than is recommended? And if you’ve purchased a kit, that may mean you run out!
eep!
What does gauge have to do with yarn usage?
We’re used to thinking about gauge as telling you how big your finished product is going to be. If you’re crocheting a stuffed animal, you may not mind if the result is 1/2 inch bigger… but that doesn’t mean you can skip the gauge swatch!
When you measure gauge, you measure the height and width of the stitch.
But a stitch is made by wrapping the yarn around your hook or needle. And bigger stitches are made with bigger loops.
A bigger loop on your hook or needle uses more yarn!
If you’re a loose crocheter or knitter, that means that your loops are a bit bigger than standard… and you’ll use up a bit more yarn!
What to do
First of all, do a gauge swatch! It’s the only way to know if you’re really on target with your stitches.
Finally… this is only tangentially related to the issue of gauge, but it’s a great chart, so I want to share! There are more tidbits about calculating yardage in this blog post.
I learned loads of techniques from the book Bead Crochet Jewelry, and I highly recommend it as a starting place for learning!
But what if you want to do more? Today I’m going to show you how to read bead crochet patterns, of the type you’ll find on Pinterest and online!
Finding a Bead Crochet Pattern
Much of the bead crocheting comes out of Eastern Europe, so it’s a good thing that patterns don’t use a lot of words! If you search Pinterest for ‘bead crochet pattern’, you’ll find oodles! You can also search Etsy and you’ll discover a number of patterns.
They vary greatly in complexity and size, but don’t worry… I’ll talk about all of that!
Today, I’ll be using this pattern by Snow Mirna that I found on Pinterest. It’s the pattern I used to make this ombre chevron necklace:
The Anatomy of a Bead Crochet Pattern
If you’re familiar with regular crochet patterns, you’ll find a bead crochet pattern very short! They’re about a half of a page and look like this:
There are essentially 4 parts:
A description of the pattern (top right)
A list of the materials you will need (middle right)
A sequence instructing how to place the beads on the string (bottom right)
A view of how the pattern will look when crocheted (left)
I’ll explain each of these sections in turn!
How to select a pattern
All of the information you need about selecting a pattern is in the upper right hand corner:
One of the most important dimensions is the circumference. This tells you how many beads need to be in the circumference to get the required pattern. You’ll see that this pattern has 6. I personally like patterns with 4 or 6 beads. The larger the circumference, the larger thickness your finished piece will be. A larger circumference will give you more pattern options, but will produce that a thicker piece that may be difficult to find notions and findings for.
Purchasing Materials
Now, have a look at the middle right:
This tells you not only how many beads you need, but how many you need of each color.
This particular pattern uses equal amounts of beads, but other patterns will vary.
You often purchase beads by the gram.
Stringing beads
The hardest part of following a pattern is stringing the beads in order!
Begin at the top left, and work your way down, stringing the number of specified beads for each color. You’ll see that this chart mostly instructs you to string one or two beads of each color, but that too, can vary.
You will repeat this chart according to how long you want your finished piece to be!
Then, crochet!
Once your beads are strung, the crocheting is the same no matter which pattern you’ve chosen to follow. The chart on the left will show you what your finished piece will look like:
The leftmost view is what the piece would look like flat, and the one on the right (which is optional) gives an idea of how the piece will look in the round.
Ready to try?
With such a variety of patterns, these simple tips will open up a whole new world of bead crochet to you!
Okay, so here’s a question I get often: when making a stuffed animal, is it important to weave in ends?
I’ll tell you!
Weaving in ends
What is weaving in ends? When you change colors (or start a new skein of yarn), you’ll have little tails left behind. Those are called ‘ends’. Weaving in ends just means using a tapestry needle to hide those ends.
What about stuffed animals?
Are you ready for some good news? Because the ends of a stuffed animal are on the inside of the body, you don’t need to weave the ends in!
That means, no matter how many messy tails there are on the inside of the stuffed animal, you’ll never see them!
