Mosaic Snowflake Hood

It's a great honor to have a pattern in the latest issue of Interweave Crochet Winter 2019. The new issue is packed full of beautiful designs!! Yesterday they sent me the photos of my Mosiac Snowflake Hood taken by Harper Point Photography. They are so awesome!!! To get your issue go to Interweavecrochet.com or look on the magazine stands at your local craft store. For more info you can check out the pattern on Ravelry at the following link.... https://www.ravelry.com/patte…/library/mosaic-snowflake-hood I hope you will give this easy to make hat a try!! It really is a fun pattern that works up really quickly

#interweavecrochet @interweavecraft

Battery Box Covers

I always like to use battery light strings especially during the holidays but I can't always hide the battery pack..... So I got the idea to cut an old Christmas card to cover the box!!  

I just applied it with glue dots. 

I also have one laying on it's side with my Cat's Meow houses on a shelf so I cut another piece of a card to glue to the side edge of that box.  

Works great and I can still get to the switch on these since these don't have timers on them.  

Pretty way to put some old Christmas cards to good use!!  

Snowman Snowglobes

Just finished up these little cuties. They won't be at the Burkittsville show they are just something I worked up for myself. Last year around Christmas time I was in Michael's and happened across these little plastic globes. I couldn't resist picking up a large one and a small one but I didn't know what I was going to do with them. I had seen something about crocheting with wire and got to thinking about these battery wire light strings I use all the time but I needed some length so I went to Amazon and did a search and found these ones that are 33' long. I thought that should give me plenty of length to work with. The lights came as a 3 pack thankfully I started to crochet a chain with a size K hook and was going pretty well until the wire broke.......I was busy since it was the holidays so I just put everything in a bag and forgot about it. Well, last week I came across them again. So the ideas started coming to me then. I was able to fit the piece that broke over the smaller globe and use some of the end that broke off to kind of tie it together so it would stay on the globe and all the wire matched. Then I got out a new string and started.....carefully....crocheting the wire around the larger globe. This time it didn't break!! I did have to take a piece of the broken wire to help hold the bottom close to the globe but it really blended in. Then I thought about this little snowman ornament I had made a few years ago. It would fit perfectly in the larger globe. Then I thought about the littler one I made that is in the December issue of Crochet World. It fit perfectly in the smaller globe!! The only difference in the two snowmen is the size of the thread they were made out of. The larger one is size 10 the smaller is size 40. The larger one the head is 1 1/2" and the body is 2". The little one the head is 1" and the body 1 1/2". Amazing how things turn out using the same pattern but different size threads!! I added little skis to them, they are just the same pattern as the scarf made as long as desired with the last row decreased to form the point end. There is no set pattern for any of it except the snowmen and the link is below. The wire design over the globe isn't perfect, the wire is a little tricky to work with. The snowflake they are sitting on inside the globe I just went with from another pattern and then I added the shell "doily" around the bottom to hide the opening of the globe. It has a large circle opening that I just slipped over the opening. All very simple to do and it didn't take all that long. Plus I have a few more ideas that came to me of other similar patterns I can make like this, too!! One project always leads to another !!! I doubt I will ever write up the pattern to this but maybe something similar in the future😉

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/holly-jolly-snowman

I can't believe it's November already!!  I made up a few wreaths during a rainy stretch.... not like there haven't been many of those!!!  and they will be available on November 17th at the craft show at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Burkittsville.  They are $35 each and the red bandanna print is 12" the rest are 14".  The grapevine one might be a little larger I didn't measure that one to be sure...If you are interested let me know I can hold one for you if you can't make it to the show or we can arrange pickup and even shipping.  I only have one of each and I don't see having time to make anymore before the holidays so get yours now!!  They are great for all winter long or even all year long.  I leave some of my snowmen out all year if they don't look like a holiday snowman.  Who doesn't like a little snowman in the middle of summer to make them maybe feel a little bit cooler!!  

Crochet World December 2018 issue

I am very happy to share two of my patterns that are in the Crochet World December 2018 issue...

First is this Christmas tree pillow.  I originally made just the little tree doily....

I then thought about framing it so I got out my fabric box and found these two fabrics I liked.  I had an 8x10 frame on hand so I used that to put the tree in.  The glass held it in nicely so no stitching required!!  When I submitted it to Crochet World they wanted just the doily part and they made a pillow and attached it to the pillow.  I love how it looks both ways!!  A very easy and versatile pattern!!

Also last year around Christmas time I got the idea to make these little snowmen out of size 40 thread to fit inside a clear plastic ornament.  It was just the right size to fit in the 80 mm ornament that comes in two to fit it in.  

I wanted to add a little more to it so I crocheted a cover for the plastic ornament.

Crochet World shows it both ways but it's kind of hard to photograph the ornament cover clearly.

I had made the same ornament cover for a solid color ball in size 10 thread so I am showing the detail of the ornament cover so you can see it better if you decide to make your own.   Crochet World gives the instructions to make the ornament cover as well.

I really love how these turned out and they did very well at the fairs I entered them in this year!!  I hope you will check out the latest issue for all the great patterns and give some a try for your holiday decorating this year :)  They make great gifts, too!!!

Middletown Community Show

The Middletown Community Show was this past weekend and I entered a few things.... Some of them you have seen before from the fair posts but the doily is different... I sold the other one!!  

Altering jean pockets

 When I buy jeans they usually last me 3 years or so.  It's very frustrating when I go to get new ones and they don't make the same style anymore or have changed them some.  This was the case.... 

I got these jeans and can you believe that this was all the deeper the pockets were !!!!  My phone barely fit in and when I'd squat down it would pop out and fall on the floor!!  Even my Chapstick and Leatherman scissor tool in the other pocket fall out all the time!!  I have been watching this show on PBS called "It's Sew Easy"  They are always showing neat tricks for altering clothes so I thought why not add on to the pocket..

So that's what I did!!  I cut a piece of fabric out of my stash wide as the pocket and twice as long as I wanted the pocket to be deep. 

  I cut across the bottom of the pocket and opened the side seams just a little bit. Then I sewed one edge of the new fabric piece across the one bottom cut edge then folded it and repeated it on the other cut edge of the bottom of the pocket.  

Then I sewed both side seams up to where the original seam started.  Voila!!!  Works great!!!  They never reduce the price of the jeans but they sure cut corners!!!  Hope these last me 3 years too!! I also added a couple darts in the back to pull in the waist a little bit.  Had to wear a belt with these and I hate wearing belts!!!  Maybe this little bit of info will help you if  you run into this problem.  It was really very easy to do :)  

The Great Frederick Fair

Went to the fair today to pick up my entries.  VERY  happy with the results!!  Thought I'd share them with you....

By the Seashore scarf didn't win anything but I wasn't really surprised by that....

Pastel Potholder...

Bunny Wall Hanging...they had it backwards on display so only the white side was showing!!

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Very excited about my second attempt at a sweater!!! 

Pillow...

Cosmos Doily...

Table cloth crochet edging...

Snowman ornament

Christmas Tree Table runner...folded in half..

Snowgirl... 

Plaid Purse

Front of appliqued shirt..

Back of same shirt...

Snowman Rug (one of my favorites!!)

Jewelry

  

and last but not least my first attempt at a messy bun hat..... wasn't surprised that didn't win anything either!!  But I thought it turned out well for never making one before...

And that's the results for 2018.  Already starting on 2019 entries!!  Stay tuned.....

Autumn Decor Pattern Pack

It's that time of year again and I wanted to share with you the link to the free pattern pack download Autumn Decor.  You get patterns for all of the designs in the photos.  Actually the ghost and the candy corn are the same pattern!!  I hope you will give one or all of them a try.  They are very easy to make the hardest part is waiting for the stiffener to dry!!  They hold up very well, too.  These were made in 2014 and still hold their shape!!

To get your free download go to the following link....

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/autumn-decor