Freebie Monday April 27, 2009

I've spent so much time at work, I don't even have time to crochet. But I'm still crocheting when I can. Too bad I can't crochet with my feet.....

If you're in the Maryland area, the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival
is this coming weekend. There's a lot to look at (from sheep to
shawl, various exhibits of needlework with wool) and of course, lots
to buy - if you choose to. Currently they are calling for rain on the festival days, but that will probably change 6 times before Saturday. If you want to buy any of the festival gear (t-shirt, bag), I'd advise buying it online. The line is extremely long at the festival and while you're in line, waiting for your stuff, somebody else (maybe me) will be buying up all the good yarn and accessories. Admission is free
http://sheepandwool.org/

For those of you around Portland, Oregon, you might want to check out the Mandy Greer exhibit at the MCC - here's a little taste
http://www.fiberarts.com/back_issues/April-May-2009/mandy-greer.asp

This coral reef video shows the relationship between the math and the crocheted coral reef.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/margaret_wertheim_crochets_the_coral_reef.html


How to crochet a bunny nose (among other things)
http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-crochet-bunny-nose/

Here's a cool beret pattern from Australia
http://cats-rockin-crochet.blogspot.com/2009/04/beret-with-simple-cross-stitch-free.h

How about having a ball? Here's a free Roxycraft toy pattern
http://www.roxycraft.com/crochet_play_ball.htm

This is cool looking - a v-stitch hat
http://www.crochetcabana.com/Patterns/Hats/sassy-stripes-double-v-hat.pdf

And here's what you could really use - a free crochet pattern from SweaterBabe
http://www.sweaterbabe.com/wwmag/

This is for a boy's fishing hat, but you could decorate it any way you wanted to
http://suzies-yarnie-stuff.blogspot.com/2007/08/gone-fishin-boys-hat-c.html

The designer for this one (and she knows best, she designed it) said this is a great little doily. But I think it could make a great motif for an afghan. You check it out and decided for yourself.
http://www.jpfun.com/patterns/free/doilies/f111011simplysmall.shtml


This is so pretty - it's called "Mollie Flowers"
http://littlegreen.typepad.com/romansock/2009/04/mollie-flowers-the-tutorial.html

As usual, I receive no payola for listing these links. I will be at the Sheep and Wool and if they want to shower me with gifts I will take them, but I doubt that's going to happen;)

FM 2/23/09

Hello again. Not too much happening here, just slogging along. I was sorry to hear "Craft" magazine is shutting down. If you are a subscriber, you will get your remaining subscription issues in "Make" magazine or you can request a refund. I can't say I was thrilled about it, but I am happy they made an effort to contact the subscribers by email to let them know what was up. Sometimes you find out the magazine has disappeared (with your money) from word of mouth (Yes, "Crochet Fantasy", I am talking about_you_. My efforts to secure a refund from "Crochet Fantasy" have been fruitless so far. Just polite "someone will get back to you" answers.)
Enough with the whining and complaining already...Here's the freebies

Most of you are familiar with Winnie the Pooh, the bear of very little brain. Here's a crochet pattern for him.
http://arminas-aminals.blogspot.com/2009/02/crocheted-pooh-bear.html

I really do like the star stitch because of the way it looks, so here's a pattern for a star stitch shawl
http://web.archive.org/web/20070703031929/groups.msn.com/TheCarrotPatchCarole/crochetedstarstitchshawl.msnw

This is really cool - how to make your own amigurami eyes
http://mygurumi.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-amigurumi-eyes.html

Another heart, this time a pop heart. Yes, it is after Valentine's day, but love is for every day of the year:
http://mygurumi.blogspot.com/2009/02/pop-heart-pattern.htm

I have been (impatiently) waiting for the daffodils to come up. They are a bit behind previous years as they have just begun to grow. I've had years where they start blooming the end of January. But with this crocheted daffodils pattern, I don't have to wait any longer.
http://wahasweden.blogspot.com/2009/02/crocheted-daffodil-pattern.html

This is called Red Hat society doll but you could modify it to suit your purpose.
http://www.orble.com/free-red-heart-society-doll-crochet-pattern/

Here's some free crochet patterns from Barnes and Noble
http://www.thediscountheroes.com/2009/02/free-knitting-and-crochet-patterns-in.html

I'm not familiar with the video game "Guitar Hero". I've heard of it, that's about as far as it goes. But if you want to make something special for your own guitar hero, here's a pattern for how to make the "Guitar Hero" scarf
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/21/how-to-make-the-guitar-hero-scarf/

As usual, no fees or goods exchanged hands for the posting of these sites.
_Enjoy_

fm 1/28/08

I can't believe I missed the chance to see this very cool car in person when it was at Artscape. But I did, unfortunately. But here's your chance to check it out and read all about how the yarn card came to be. It's amazingly cool.
http://www.yarncar.com/


It's the end of January and some of you have had a long snowy winter. (Some of us haven't). But if you need some beautiful, colorful crochet to check out, here's the site:
http://www.gusset.net/kip/archives/000479.html
I love the abundance of colors used in the skirt.

Check out this cool frog:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22811120@N06/2199939448/

and now for the free patterns

Did you buy that combination soy/acrylic yarn? Did you know you could dye it with Kool Aid?Here's a site about doing just that:
http://k2sc1.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/dying-soy-acrylic-yarn/

Want to crochet some slippers? Here's a site with a lot of free slipper patterns:
http://fabricfolliestwo.wordpress.com/2008/01/19/crochet-slipper-pattern-links-free-crochet-slipper-patterns/

I would have never thought of this in a million years, but it's so _cool_. I could have really used it when both of my sons were still living at home. I could get 4 to 5 milk bottle caps in a week (or less).
http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=69985

Is there such a thing as "too many handbags"? Some people say that could happen, but I say it's just not possible - it's like saying "that's too much yarn". So if you want to make some new purses, check this out:
http://www.freewebs.com/ceciscreations/freepatterns.htm

I love flowers, but it will be a while before I see any in my yard - even the crocuses haven't bloomed yet. But to help tide me over, here's a great flower pattern I want to share with you:
http://mycrochetstuff.blogspot.com/2007/03/loopy-flowers-free-pattern.html

_enjoy_

freebie Monday 11/12/07

Most of you probably know about the "Annie's Attic" site, but I especially liked this one:
_Annie's Hooked on Crochet!: Free Pattern of the Week - Ribbon Candy Afghan_
(http://www.annieshookedoncrochet.com/freepatternoftheweek.html)


I like Stevie Nicks, from Fleetwood Mac to her solo career. Another crocheter likes her so much, a lot of her crocheting has to do with Stevie Nicks:
http://www.theedgeof17.com/crochet/


How about a crocheted earring tutorial? This is really cool.
kardemumma - http://krumbukta.blogspot.com/

For those of you who can't get enough granny squares, here's a picture of a "granny square rec room".
http://pattihaskins.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/mocca_4.jpg


And here's the pattern for the purse you'll need in the "granny square rec room". You might lose it there, but what the heck: http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/mika/mika.html

Wondering want to whip up quickly for a gift exchange? Try this fancy dish cloth:
http://crochet.about.com/od/kitchenpatterns/a/cstfancloth.htm


Priscilla Hewitt has some lovely free patterns for Christmas (and other times as well). Check out her terrific website: http://members.aol.com/lffunt/christmas.htm

Another "quickie" for a gift exchange - you could make them in Christmas colors or maybe to match something else:
http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/2007/11/crochet_coaster_flower_pattern.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954

And now for the winner of the Sylvia Cosh "The Crochet Sweater Book". It's CrochetLassie, I have emailed her for her snail mail address. Thanks to all who participated in the contest.

"Craft" and carving your own crochet hook

If you see this magazine* in the store, you may think it's a bit pricey. I would suggest that you use one of the 40% coupons that a lot of craft stores advertise if you feel it's a bit too high. It really is not expensive for the amount of projects you get in each issue. It has almost every craft you can think of and if it's not there, it probably was in the last issue or will be in the next issue. Similar to a 50s/60s craft magazine (I bought a few on a whim) "Craft" presumes that you wouldn't only want to work a needlepoint pillow, but you'd want to do copper etching or glass blowing or perhaps make new bookshelves. Apparently in the 1950s, people had more time and energy to devote to crafts - probably because cable tv and the internet hadn't been invented yet;)

So what's that got to do with crochet? On the cover is a "crime scene" knitted scarf. Somebody who is clever with their hook and wants a crime scene scarf can probably easily figure out how to do it in crochet (and sell the pattern, too). But I promised how to hand carve a crochet hook, didn't I? Turn to page 130. There's an article by Jim Price on how to make a hand carved crochet hook. And who is Jim Price - here's his blog: jimbosfrontporch.blogspot.com

now you see what I mean. I have never carved a hook, but I do have a hook one of my younger son's friends** carved for me. It is massive and really too big for my hand and I have often thought of making some changes to it but I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. I've never used it for a project because it's so big. Reading this article gave me some tips on how to approach that project. And If I chicken out of carving the hook, well I can always buy one carved by Jim Price at his blog.

Think about creating your own custom hook. It could have a thumb rest (which I like) or not have a thumb rest. You could make the throat as shallow or as deep as you could want. Plus you could experiment with various combinations and sizes. If you ever wondered how to create a hook that would be uniquely yours, I suggest strongly that you check out this magazine. It is much cheaper if you subscribe - here's their info craftzine.com/subscribe .

There's a lot more articles in this issue I want to explore. There's the sourdough bread baking as well as the crochet cocktail ring. I have had a lot of success with yeast breads, but my sourdough bread has never been successful and a look at the recipe given might have a clue for me. Every other recipe I tried called for using yeast as well as the sourdough starter. There's tessalations as well as a stained glass grocery cart. (wouldn't that be cool to take to the yarn shop?P That almost makes want to go grocery shopping. It's just a great read and a great thought provoker.

*"Craft: Transforming Traditional Crafts", Volume 04, newstand price $14.99 US, $17.99 Canadian.
I did not receive any kickbacks from any of these folks, but I can be bought. If I am ever bought, I will definitely declare it so you will know I'm shilling for a product. I hope you check out this magazine, it is _cool_

(I wonder what happened to Ben? His family moved away quite some time ago. He definitely should be working in fashion designs, he could do amazing knitting and crocheting.)


Payton update: He is doing okay and there was a recent fundraiser for him. Here's that link:
http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery.php?source=ppsl&instanceid=78760672

new ezine

I thought I'd share the website for a new craft ezine. It's done by Chloe Nightingale and it's pretty cool

chloe@galvanic.co.uk
http://www.galvanic.co.uk

I just love the sock doll on the front, but I'm a fool for sock dolls.
Speaking of socks, I just finished my youngest sister's hot pink socks. (Did I say I was working on them?) They aren't as cool as my "Jupiter socks" as my husband calls them, but still pretty cool, I think. I got to use some fabric paint on the bottom so she can wear them as slipper socks. Or more correctly, "non-slipping socks".

Check out the ezine. As always, I don't get a kickback but I can be bought;)












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