Category: Craft

Macrame shaping

On By CarynIn Craft

I’m slowly progressing on my macrame wall hanging. I finished the central design, now everything else will be storage pockets. The central design was my first attempt at making shapes with half hitch knots. The petals of the flower aren’t as even as the pictures in the tutorial (beware, the site is chock full of ads), but I was learning. Next time I’ll put a sketch behind the work to help keep the balance, rather than just eyeballing it.

Photo description: macrame wall hanging in progress with a six petal flower and leafed vines on each side made with cotton macrame cord

The side vines were an add-on from seeing variations of leafed vines, and I wanted to attempt them. I’m still having some left/right issues on my half hitches, and sometimes I get a full hitch and have to take it out. Here’s my tip: if you have a line of knots that need undoing, pull out the core cord so all the half hitches fall open. Much easier than untying each one.

Throwback Thursday: fused box

On By CarynIn Craft

Sliding back to June of 2010, here is a fused glass box with lid that I did in my small Paragon kiln. The lid and base are made with separate molds, so I put strips of glass in the mold, put them in the kiln, and let it fuse together.

Photo description: fused glass box showing the outlines of the shards used to fill the mold

It is a cute little box, but I didn’t make many. (This is the first and might have been the last.) It took a large amount of shards.

Star beanie

On By CarynIn Craft

I’ve made a star topped beanie that I’m pleased with. The star has some aesthetically pleasing sparks, and it definitely reads as a star.

Photo description: rows 1-3 of the crocheted star
  • American notation
  • Row 1: 10 double crochet (dc) in a magic circle, slip stitch (sl st) to first dc (count is important for these rounds)
  • Row 2: Chainless Double Crochet Start (CDCS, Moogly has the tutorial where I learned this stitch) Increase (inc: two dc) in each previous dc. 20 stitches.
  • Row 3: CDCS in white, inc in next sc, 1 dc add in blue on last move of the dc, *inc in blue add in white on last move of dc, 1 dc, inc, 1 dc add blue, * repeat from *, inc in blue, join to CDCS with blue. Carry off color around by stitching in.
Photo description: rows 1-4 of the crocheted white and blue star
  • Row 4: CDCS in blue add white, *dc in white, dc in white add blue, dc in blue, inc in blue, inc in blue, dc in blue add white* repeat from * sl st in CDCS in white
  • Row 5: CDCS in white add blue, *dc, inc, 3 dc, inc, dc add white, dc in white add blue*, repeat from * dc, inc, 3 dc, inc, dc, sl st in CDCS in blue.
  • Row 6: CDCS in blue, dc around, don’t carry the white, but don’t cut it. The diameter of the circle will be the size of the hat, add rows of blue, increasing as necessary.
  • Sides: no increase stitches, work half the stitches in white, switch to red, join the white at the other side, chain 2, turn the work, and do the red back to the white, pick up the white and stitch to the red.
Photo description: top of hat showing sparked star surrounded by blue
Photo description: finished hat showing red and white sides

Crochet star, first attempt

On By CarynIn Craft

Looking at the embroidered star I posted about a couple days ago, I wondered if I could crochet the star into the top of a hat.

Photo description: crocheted white star with blue background

I started with ten stitches in a magic circle with white yarn, and did the second row still all in white, increasing each stitch. On the third row I added in the blue for the background and did the increases for the round in blue. I carried the white and blue yarns around, and switched color on the last move of the prior stitch. I finished with a row of blue, then made alternating rows of white and red down the sides. (I actually managed to make a beanie this time, instead of a beret, because I found the white yarn that matched the weight of the red yarn.)

Photo description: alternating rows of white and red crochet for the sides of the hat

I think I can make the star better. The nature of crochet makes it twist a little left, I think I can use that trait to make the points pointier.

Texas beret

On By CarynIn Craft

There was red, white, and blue in the acrylic yarn I was given, and I had the idea of making a Texas flag beanie with a blue top and the sides red and white. My beanie-to-beret mistake here was I used a crochet hook a size or two too big, and the white yarn was a smaller diameter than the red and blue. The crown spread out flat instead of making a gentle curve, so once again I changed the plan to make a beret. The white yarn was the softest, so I used that for the single crochet ribbed band. To finish it off, I embroidered a star outline with the white yarn.

Photo description: blue crocheted circle rimmed with half white, half red, with a chain-stitch embroidered star in white on the blue
Photo description: band side of the hat showing the ribbed band inside the white and red sides

To get the two halves of the hat different colors, I didn’t work in the round, and didn’t carry the yarn, but rather worked half the stitches in white, switched to red, joined the white at the other side, chained 2, turned the work, and did the red back to the white, picked up the white and stitched to the red. All stitches are double crochet (American notation).