My Smarty Pants Daughter's idea of a Photo Tutorial

I was telling my daughter about my photo tutorial for Spider's Web sleeves and she made fun of me :P.

"A photo tutorial?! "Here's what you do. Get a camera and something you want to take a photo of. Point the camera at the thing and click!".

Cheeky monkey.

How to make Spider's Web Sleeves. Free photo tutorial.

These spooky babies are probably the easiest things you'll ever make! All you need to know is how to slip stitch and chain!

You'll need white wool, a 4 mm hook and a tapestry needle to sew in your ends.

Chain 43

Then join the two ends with a slip stitch. As the gloves are supposed to resemble spiders' webs, it doesn't matter too much if your yarn twists over.

Chain 46.

Now go right back to the beginning of the chain 46 you have just crocheted.
Find the third chain from its start and slip stitch into it to create your second loop.

Chain 46 and slip stitch into the third chain seven more times. This is the arm section. Your work should start looking like this as you go.

Now we're going to make the loops a bit closer together for the hand sections of the arm warmers: chain 44 (not 46) and slip stitch into the first chain (not the third). Repeat this step four more times. The picture shows how they look spaced closer together. Then break your yarn and fasten off.

Next, reunite your hook with a new piece of yarn. If you look at the picture above, you will see that I've slipstitched into the yarn on the opposite side to the side we've been working on up to now. This is how we will join the other side of the loops together, otherwise we'll just have all those loops joined on one side and flapping around on the other!

Slip stitch into the very first loop you crocheted directly opposite from the side already joined.

Chain 3. Slip stitch into the same point on the next loop. Repeat until you reach the first of the loops on the hand section. Follow the same process to join the loops together, but only crochet 1 chain in between loops.You should end up with this.

Now, I stopped at this point because I was happy with how it looked but if you want, you could add more chains between the loops to make a more spiderwebby-effect. To do this, find the point halfway between the chains joining the loops and follow the same process - attach your yarn with a slip stitch, chain 3, slip stitch into the next loop, continue to the hand section, chain 1 etc.

Ta-Dah!

Denim rug now available

This piece of rug-shaped art has given me new muscle definition, I can tell you! It's a unique item that I haven't seen anywhere else - crocheted denim. I've snapped a hook or two on it. I'm really pleased with it though. This one is 18 inches and hexagonal shape, plus warms up nicely. It feels goooood under bare feet too. For more information or to buy one, please click here :> 



 

Wow, I learned something ... about insecurity

You don't get to be my age (ahem) without learning a thing or two about life and these lessons are only half as valuable if I don't share them with anyone so I'm going to start posting observations. If they help you, great. If they don't, I'd love to know why. My crafting won't stop though, don't worry.

I notice more and more than people are far more insecure than I thought, especially confident people. The phrase "Everyone has insecurities" is really not the cliche I thought it was. I thought *I* was the only insecure person in the world but I think everyone might be.

This makes me look differently at loud, brash, seemingly confident people, those who seem to have it all together. The loud, brash ones, I have realised, are the opposite on the inside and that makes me feel a bit sorry for them. I don't feel pity, I feel empathy. They're not being loud and brash because they think they're better than everyone around them! It's the opposite! They're trying desperately hard to prove they are "good enough" for you and me, and they think that by being loud about it, we'll notice and approve of them. I know this because it's something I used to do myself.

I also noticed something I did myself: when someone tells me something about their life, I throw in an example from my own to show how similar and connected we are. I didn't realise until someone did this to me that it actually looks like cocky one-upmanship. While I was trying to show that I understand, it came across as trying to prove my life was harder.

While these life lessons may have been difficult to experience, even painful, they've made me a calmer, nicer person because I understand where other people are coming from better.

My Ladybug pattern is now an instant download!

You can get it here. It's a really easy pattern with LOTS of instructions and help. Proving to be popular!

Translating crochet terms from around the world

I found this wonderful blog with more information on it than my previous post about crochet terms from around the world. Not only that, she helps you to learn how to read crochet charts too. Do have a look - she has made it seem so easy!

Bynumber19 from Birgit (is in German and English).

Tutorial: coin purse from yarn leftovers

I made this cute little purse from wool scraps. I had a metre or two left, not enough to make anything significant but too much to throw away (I can't bear chucking out wool!). To give you a sense of scale that's a tapestry needle at the top of the picture - you know, the needle you use to sew in all your ends. This whole project should not take you more than an hour.

Here's how to make it:

I used fat wool with a 6mm hook. Adapt as you please :>

Start with a magic ring. 6 dc (sc in US terms) into ring.
Row 1: dc (sc) all the way round into each stitch.
Row 2: 2 dc (sc) all the way round into each stitch.
Row 3: repeat row 1.
Row 4: repeat row 2.
Row 5: repeat row 1.
Row 6: repeat row 2.

If you like, you can stop at this point, or crochet a few more rows. To judge how big the purse will be, just fold your work in half. If you would like the top edge to be wider, repeat row 2. If you want it to be narrower, repeat row 1.

Once you are happy with the size, fold your work in half and start crocheting the edges together - but ONLY a third of the way across. Once you have crocheted a third, switch to slip stitching ONE edge only. If you crochet all the way across, you'll have a purse with no opening! Slip stitch across another third, then switch back to crocheting the two edges together.

I sewed in a button, as you can see, but you could make a tie, leave it open, whatever you like. Your stitches will be loose enough so that you don't have to make a button hole.

Tie off and sew in all ends.

This item is also for sale in my Etsy shop.