shark week & fm July 28/08

It's shark week! Here's an English translation of a German pattern.
http://www.ullrykka.de/iblog/B567792918/C947144548/E20070508153639/Media/shark_english_version.pdf

And if you're waiting for the Olympics to begin, here's a way to join in - 2008 Crochet Games of Ancient Greece Challenge
I decided I'd join in and make Carol Ventura's tapresty kitty bag. *thanks Noreen for poiting this out to me) I've never done tapresty crochet before, so I thought why not give it a shot. It is also a free pattern, not sure if I posted the link before....
http://www.tapestrycrochet.com/KittyBag.htm


Remember peace signs? Sure you do - check out the pease sign battette (it looks like a barrette to me)
http://shala-beads.livejournal.com/218625.html#cutid1

Here's a lovely hairpin lace shawl by the Stitch Diva. Her work is always so beautiful. (Stitch Diva also has tutorials on how to do hairpin lace)
http://www.stitchdiva.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=FREE008

Michaels website has some crochet patterns on it, here's a V-neck vest:
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/projectsheet?pid=e06596

It's hot, you don't feel like making anything that's going to lay across your lap, try this pattern. You can customize it with a fancy button, it's a wreath pin.
http://craftside.typepad.com/craftside/2008/07/bullion-stitch.html

I've made a lot of toys in my life, but I have never seen this technique used before. Next time I make a toy, I'm trying this. It's a tutorial on how to make a toy with ears and legs all in one piece.
Click here: http://www.esunbeams.com/knittycat/patterns/knittycatsLoopyLegCrochetTechniquetutorial.pdf

"Woman's Day" also has some crochet patterns - these are a preview from Tamie Snow's "Tiny Yarn Animals"
Cuddly Crochet Creatures

Or maybe you're in the mood to make motifs to put together - here's a flower (daisy like) motif
http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa051300.htm?nl=1

Want to make something cute for a child - here's a bear-ghan.....hmm, I wonder if I can make it big enough for an adult....
http://web.archive.org/web/20021009171701/http://home.earthlink.net/~bollandbunch/bearghan.html

Somewhere along the way, I missed the July edition of "Black Purl". Here's the link so you don't....
http://www.black-purl-magazine.com/

I ran into some sites that feature free patterns:
http://www.yarncat.com/crochet.html
http://www.crochetstuff.com/
http://www.grannys-garret.com/pattern/crochetpattern.html

Have you watched the "Tour de France" ? or maybe "The Triplets of Belleville" (a beautiful movie, by the way, great for kids and adults). Perhaps you'd like to know about the "Tour de Fleece"
http://www.tourdefleece.com/TdF_2008_home.ht


FYI, no kickbacks were given for mention on this blog :(

_enjoy_

Knitty Gritty and Hairpin Lace

I do not receive a kickback* from "Knitty Gritty", Jennifer Hansen (or "Stitch Diva") or Ed Jenkins. I just want to share what I thought was a great show on hairpin lace.

Last Friday (April 6) on "Knitty Gritty", Jennifer Hansen from "Stitch Diva" was on the show to give a tutorial about hairpin lace. Vickie Howell, the host, kept referring to hairpin lace as a knitting technique, but M's Hansen told her it was a _crochet_ technique. (woo hoo!) If you ever wondered about how to create hairpin lace or even what you would do with it, I suggest checking out that particular "Knitty Gritty" (if you can). M's Hansen gave clear, concise instructions and showed how to combine hairpin lace and knitting. It was if your friend stopped by and showed you how to do a new skill. But the hat she created could be adapted to a crochet hat.
M's Hansen gave a tip I thought was _very_ helpful - okay, to me it was. She said when you are making hairpin lace, always make it longer than you think you will need. That way, when you match up the two (or three) pieces to crochet together, you will always be able to match the stitches precisely. Whatever hairpin lace you don't need can be eaily unraveled.
I was really impressed with the way she demonstrated the technique. And the hairpin lace tool she used was just _gorgeous_. I have an ancient Boye hairpin lace pin. It does the job, it's practical and it's probably older than I am, but I was quite impressed with the Ed Jenkins beautiful hairpin lace tool.
I'm including the link to the tutorial on the "Stitch Diva" site:
http://www.stitchdiva.com/custom.aspx?id=73

I'm thinking of maybe a shawl using hairpin lace....

*but if they offered me a kickback, I would take it.