Lady Luck

I found some fun dice beads that I thought would make awesome rings.  I think they're really fun, and a playful twist on the chunky ring trend that's so hot right now.  You're gonna need these lucky beauties, since you never know when a spontaneous road-trip will end in Vegas...

Lady Luck Cocktail Ring

Fits a ring size 7, but will stretch for larger sizes
Supplies:
7 plastic dice beads
.5mm Silver elastic beading cord
Size D crochet hook
Scissors

Load all of your beads onto the elastic.

R1: ch 4, sl st to first ch to close round.
R2: slide a bead up and sc through the center of the ch 4 circle.  Repeat until all of the beads have been used. Sl st into the first sc to close the round. (7 st)
R2: chain 20 (add more stitches for a larger ring, leave some off for a smaller ring).  Sl st to the 2nd ch of R1 (or whatever stitch is on the opposite side of R1 from the chain).  Fasten off.  Weave in ends (which there isn't much space to do, I just tied it in a surgeons knot and used my crochet hook to weave it between the beads a little.) Snip off any extra elastic.

And don't forget to send me a postcard from Vegas!

xoxo

9/14/12 edit: You know, it has occurred to me that these would also be good for a Yahtzee party... you know, if Vegas wasn't your thing... :D
xo J

Project Runway

Hi Dynamos!  I know I usually post every other day, but I was watching the latest episode of Project Runway on Hulu last night and I almost freaked out when I saw what Heidi Klum was wearing.  No, not her dress.  Her ring!

Okay, it's not a crocheted ring, but it was chunky and pearly and looked so similar to the ones I made yesterday that I just needed to share.  I consider this solid evidence that we are on trend, people!

So, go Dynamos, and Make It Work!

xoxo

Playing Dress Up

When I was little, my mom used to have a dress-up box for us to play with.  It had some old formal gowns that she had worn in college, and some costume jewelry.  My favorite piece of jewelry was this glamorous beaded ring.  It had jet black beads and a band of stretchy gold.  I am pretty sure I never let my sister wear it.  I loved it so much.

Click HERE for the Boutique Ring pattern

I was probably in high school before I realized that the ring had been crocheted.  I haven't thought about it in years, but the other day I had a dream about it.  I woke up wondering if I could find a pattern for a 60s-70s crochet beaded ring.  Google Image Search to the rescue!  I found exactly what I was looking for here.

6mm glass pearl beads and .5mm silver elastic cord

After I made a handful of rings (aha! no pun intended) I was talking to my dad about them, asking him if he remembered mom's glamorous beaded ring.  He did remember her beaded ring, but he remembered another one she had that was red, white and blue.  Apparently she had worn it out to dinner one night, back when they were still dating.  He noticed it, and asked if he could look at it.  She handed the ring over to him to inspect.  He looked at it and frowned slightly, and then took another ring out of his pocket and said that she should wear that one instead.  It was an engagement ring.

I knew that my parents had gotten engaged at a restaurant, but I had no idea that a crochet ring was involved!  Now I'm extra excited about my rings!

I got really excited about the rings, so I experimented with some other beads to see what other looks I could achieve.  The glass chip rings turned out awesome!  They were also sooooo big!  I ended up leaving rows 5-6 off and only using 15 beads for these rings.  They are very bold.  My inner 5 year-old adores them.

I will say that the big, 70s style cocktail ring is quite a statement piece.  I am not entirely sure how many glamorous events that I will be wearing mine to, although I am thinking that they will be playing a large part in any princess-themed birthday parties I throw, as well as any upcoming bachelorette parties.  Well worth keeping in my crochet arsenal.

I do like chunky rings, though, so I've updated the idea.  I wanted something a little smaller, and more of a fun, everyday piece.  It's still chunky, but totally wearable (in fact, I wore one today!), and dead simple to make.  The hardest part (by far) is getting the beads on the elastic.  After that, it's a piece of cake.

Again, I used the glass beads, which make me think of sea-glass (ooh! Sea glass would be awesome for this ring!).  I liked that they weren't perfectly round, or perfectly perfect.  I think it made the ring look more modern.  You can make your ring to whatever design aesthetic your heart desires, though.

The Updated Crochet Cocktail Ring
Fits a ring size 7, but will stretch for larger sizes
Supplies:
5 beads (I used Seabreeze Mix Cracked Glass Large Chips, but any 6mm bead will work)
.5mm Silver elastic beading cord (I got a giant spool for $6.  I've made 10 rings so far, and it doesn't look like I've even made a dent in it... if you were wondering...)
Size D crochet hook
Tapestry needle (optional-ish)
Bead Reamer (optional-ish)
Scissors

Load all of your beads onto the elastic.  This is, by far, the hardest part.  **I ended up putting the elastic through the eye of a tapestry needle and using that to thread the beads on.  It was not easy.  If the hole in your beads is super small, like mine were, another option would be to use a bead reamer and open the hole up a little larger.  If I could have found my reamer last night, that's what I would have done/what I will do in the future**

R1: Get a magic loop ready, leaving a tail of 12-18" of elastic at the end.  Ch 2 at the start of the magic loop to get it started.  Slide a bead up and sc into the loop.  Repeat until all of the beads have been used. Sl st into the first sc to close the round.  Pull the loop tight. (5 st)
R2:Using the magic loop tail AND the working thread, chain 20 (add more stitches for a larger ring, leave some off for a smaller ring).  Sl st to the 3rd sc of R1 (or whatever stitch is on the opposite side of R1 from the chain).  Fasten off.  Weave in ends (which there isn't much space to do, I just tied it in a surgeons knot and used my crochet hook to weave it between the beads a little.) Snip off any extra elastic.  Admire your awesome new ring!

If you're going to make a bunch of rings, I highly recommend loading all of the beads on the elastic at once.  I cannot emphasize enough that loading the beads is the hardest part, so if you get that done right at the start, the rest of the project will be fun.  Maximizing fun is what we're all about here at Crochet Dynamite, so heed my cautions!!!

xoxo

Oh, and in case you missed it, Crochet Dynamite is now rockin' Facebook.  Check it out!
And, Tweeting Peeps!  I am on (and using!) Twitter.  Pocket size inpiration to-go! You can find me @CrochetDynamite

Aaaaand, you can feel free to check out my newly re-designed (and much easier to navigate) Free Patterns section.  I spent an hour and a half re-typing and linking everything, so please go admire my hard work.

Friendship Weekend

According to Mimsey's Fancy Nancy calendar, today is friendship day.  According to the internet, tomorrow is friendship day.  Instead of choosing sides, I'm declaring this friendship weekend!

I'm a child of the 1980's, so of course the first thing that pops into my mind are friendship bracelets.  How did we celebrate friends before them?  LOL!!  Alas, my days of endless macrame knotting are far behind me, despite the lure of new embroidery floss.  If I was going to make friendship bracelets, they needed to be simple, quick and pretty.  Grown-up girl friendship bracelets.  Jake suggested the name "grown-a$$-woman friendship bracelets."  I have vetoed that name...

I adored the way that my surfer girl necklaces turned out.  They were simple and pretty, but I wanted something with a more sophisticated aesthetic for these new bracelets.  It occurred to me that if I used Super-Lon (instead of hemp) I might get more of a 'Breakfast at Tiffanys' look.  It was worth a try...

The first version turned out horrible!!  Ahahaha!!! But, the second try was just what I had hoped for.  Part sophisticated, part fun, appropriate for every occasion!  Mims also wanted me to make sure to tell you that it's waterproof too (in case you wanted to go swimming with her in her auntie's pool).

Grown-Up Girl Friendship Bracelets
size: approx. 7 1/2" bracelet
Supplies:
Super-Lon #18 micro-macrame thread (I used Montana Blue)
Size D crochet hook
4 mm round pearls, 70 (I used Crystazzi glass pearls)
10 mm round pearl, just one (I used Crystazzi glass pearls)
Scissors
Tapestry needle

Load all of your beads onto the Superlon, adding the 10mm bead last.   I used the same snip-cord-at-an-angle technique to put the beads on as I used on the Surfer Girl Necklace.  Add a slip knot to the cord about 3 inches in from the loose end.

Slide the first bead snugly against the slip knot.  Using your crochet hook, yarn over (from the other side of the bead) and pull a loop though the slip knot to make the first chain (this bead will become the first half of the fastener for the bracelet).  Chain 2 more times.

Slide the next bead up snugly to the chain.  Yarn over from the other side of the bead to pull the loop through and attach the bead.  Then slide the next bead up.  Don't put an extra chain between stitches.  Add a bead with each chain.  **Handy Tip:  Chain loosely! It pulls the bracelet out of shape if you chain too tightly.**  Once you've added 35 beads (halfway done!), chain 8 without beads.  That 'blank space' will become the loop for the other side of the bracelet fastener.

Begin adding the beads to the chain again.  Keep chaining/adding beads until you run out of beads (35 beads, for those of you keeping score at home).  Fasten off, leaving a 18 inch tail.

Line up your two sections of beading.  Make sure that they aren't twisted, since you're going to sew the two sides together in the next step.  I found it easier to make sure they were straight when I was  looking at the front of the bracelet.

Gently flip the bracelet so that you're looking at the back (the side with the stitches).  Thread your tapestry needle with the tail end of the cord.  Whipstitch the two rows of beads together. I whipstitched mine together using only the inside thread of each stitch.

When you get to the last bead, whipstitch through the first of the 'empty' chains on the end.  This helps to secure the loop for the closure.  Weave the ends in at both ends of the bracelet.  Snip off any extra cord once the ends are sufficiently woven in.

Now that you've finished the first one (Hooray for you!!!!), start the whole process over and make sixteen more for all of your friends!

You can use other types of beads.  I used pink bicone crystals (6mm) and seed beads (they came together when I bought them) with some Black Superlon.    I used both strands of crystals/seed beads for the bracelet (16 crystals, 15 seed beads for each side).  I also used a 10mm glass pearl for the fastener.  I had to extend the 'empty' chains on either end to make it a 7 1/2 inch bracelet, which I just stitched together when I was whipstitching the two sides together.  DO NOT add extra 'empty' chains between beads to lengthen this bracelet.  It will cause the bracelet to twist horribly (that was what I did on that first disastrous version), and it won't look cute.  Just add extra chains after the 10mm clasp bead (I used 5 stitches instead of 2) and add more to the blank space in the middle that becomes the loop (I used 15 stitches instead of 8).  Are you completely confused?!  LOL!!!  It's incredibly intuitive, and not a big deal when you're actually making the bracelet.  Mostly I really wanted to drive home the point that if you need to lengthen the bracelet, do it in the empty chains, not the beaded part... Unless you have more beads that you could use... In which case, why are we even discussing this?!  Just add more beads!

One last thing before I go:  Karen and Laura, your prizes are sitting in my living room.  Please email me your addresses so that I can mail them out to you.  This is your last chance.  If I don't hear from you by Sunday night, I'm going to have my Mema draw 2 more names... ;D

xoxo

Endless Summer

When my dad was a teenager he lived in Oceanside, near the beach, and was part of the surf community down there.  He and his friends used to go to watch Bruce Brown's movies, back when that meant that Bruce himself would narrate the film footage from the back of the room with a microphone.  If you haven't seen The Endless Summer you should check it out.  It's a peek into the surf culture of the '60s.  And I particularly enjoy it because it's funny to think that my parents were ever that impossibly young...

Myself?  I was never part of that beachy lifestyle.  I loved the beach, still do in fact, but I am too fair to be able to enjoy it without 70 spf sunblock, a hat, and an umbrella.  Some of us were just not made for sun worship... I think that I've joked on here before that I'm part vampire, since my skin seems to catch aflame with the tiniest bit of sun exposure.  I'm still rockin' a painful (and bright red) sunburn from our 3 hours at the craft fair last weekend.  And I was wearing sunblock! LOL!!!

Still, I love the laid-back beachy vibe.  Even though we live about 10 miles inland, in the heart of Disney, the beach and surf cultures still seem to permeate much of the fashion and music in this area.  I don't get dressed up to go out, I wear flip flops year-round, and Mims listens to Jack Johnson for bedtime music.  And I love, love, love beachy bohemian jewelry.

So, inspired by the beach, I've created some jewelry that every surfer girl needs (even if the only thing she surfs is the internet).  If you want to make some too, this is how you do it:

Surfer Girl Necklace/Bracelet

approx 23" long

Supplies:
Beads (I used some potato-shaped freshwater pearls that I picked up on sale.  You're going to need at least 20 for this project)
Hemp Cord, about 3 yards (The back of the package said that it was 10# cord, which seems to be about the same weight as size 10 crochet thread.  It's stiffer than cotton crochet thread.  You could also use Super-Lon #18 nylon thread for micro-macrame, which would make the necklace/bracelet virtually indestructible.)
Size D crochet hook (I used a Boye hook after I discovered that my Susan Bates hook what noticeably larger than the Boye.  If all you have are Susan Bates hooks, use a size C hook.)
Ruler (Pardon the scribbling and general crappiness of my little wooden ruler.  Mims got ahold of it a couple of years ago and decorated it for me.)
Scissors (Not shown in picture.  Because, come on, it's a pair of scissors...)
Tapestry needle (Kinda sharp would be helpful.  Kinda small is also good, as long as the end of the cord goes through the eye...)

Thread all of your beads onto the hemp cord.  I wouldn't cut the cord off the ball of hemp (or card, as it is in my case), even if you were planning on making several necklaces.  Just thread all of the beads on at once.  It's easy enough to keep sliding them down, it a pain in the butt to keep worrying if they're going to slide off the end of your cord.  **Tip!  I snipped the hemp cord at an angle, to give the end a sharp point, versus the blunt end you would get with a straight-across cut.  That way I didn't need a needle to thread my beads onto the cord, and if the end got too 'dull' I just re-snipped it a half inch lower and it became pointy again.**

Once all of your beads are on, make a slip knot in the front end of your cord (the end you were just using as you put the beads on).

Slide the first bead snugly against the knot.  Using your crochet hook, yarn over (from the other side of the bead) and pull a loop though the slip knot to make the first chain (this bead will become the first half of the fastener for the necklace).  Chain 4 more times.

Slide the next bead up snugly to the chain.  Yarn over from the other side of the bead to pull the loop through and attach the bead.

I used a pattern of 5 chains between beads, which was almost an inch, so that my necklace would be about 23 inches long.  If you would like a longer or shorter necklace, you can adjust the number of chain stitches between your beads.

This is what mine looked like once I got all of my pearls added to the chain.

To make the closure, I made 8 chain stitches from the last bead.

I slip stitched the last chain to the 7th chain from the hook to form a ring.

I made 2 single crochet stitches around the remaining stitch in front of the bead, and then I fastened off the cord.

I used my tapestry needle to weave in the ends.  They were pretty easy to hide along the chain.  Snip off any extra cord once the ends are sufficiently woven in.

This is my finished necklace.  It's a good length for my wardrobe.  It also wraps around my wrist 3 times for a stacked bracelet look, which is a trend right now.  A 16 inch necklace would wrap twice around most wrists, and a 34 inch necklace would wrap five times as a bracelet.  A 34 inch necklace would also make a cool doubled-up 17 inch necklace, which makes it super convertible and a perfect choice if you were going to make this as a gift... in my opinion...

I made this one out of glass beads and glass pearls, with some dyed jasper (although turquoise would have been nice too).  I only used 2-3 chains between beads.  The end pearl is 10 mm.  I love it.  It's so beachy and fun.  I made one for Mims, who wore it swimming and declared it to be perfect mermaid jewelry.  I made one for my sister, who declared that she was absolutely not going to wear it swimming, despite my assurances that it was completely water safe/waterproof.  But I found out later that it was just because she wanted it to stay beautiful and perfect to bring her good luck at an appointment she was going to the next day.

If you make some surfer girl jewelry, I'd love to see it!  Send a quick picture to CrochetDynamite@gmail.com and I'll add it to the Dynamo Gallery!  Mahalo!

xoxo

Oh, and Karen, Nancy, Charlotte, Leah and Laura were the winners of my giveaway.  I had my  91-year-old grandma pull the names out of a bag. Thank you all for playing!

Wedding Wishes

Happy Monday Dynamos!

Remember how I was talking about that book on DIY weddings that I had checked out from the library?  It inspired the wishing stars, which I originally put on this soap dispenser cover.  I was so happy with how it turned out that I've gone ahead and made a whole wedding set.  My Wedding Wish set includes ornament favors, a guest book pen, and comfy wedding flip flops for the reception/honeymoon.

Like I mentioned before, I just adore the idea of making an ornament favor to give to wedding guests.  I love the hand-crafted aspect of the favor, and I love that it's something that guests could treasure for years to come.

Wedding Wishes Star
Supplies:
Small amount of worsted weight yarn (I used Bernat Handicrafter 100% cotton in White)
Size G hook
6mm plastic pearl beads
4mm plastic pearl beads
Size 6/0 glass seed beads
Tulle netting (I used white)
Sewing thread (I used white)
Yarn needle and Sewing needle
5/8" ribbon (I used white organza)
Fiberfill

Make a Wishing Star  using the worsted weight yarn and size G hook.  Before you sew the 2 sides together, decorate the front piece with the tulle and beads.  I began by cutting a small circle of tulle and tacked it to the center of the star piece.  Then I hand sewed an assortment of plastic pearl beads and glass beads to decorate the star on top of the tulle using a sewing needle and thread.  Hide knots on the back of the piece.  Then using yarn and yarn needle, whip stitch the two sides of the star together, leaving the top point of the star unstitched.  Weave in end and fasten off yarn.  Stuff the star with fiberfill.  I used a 3" piece of ribbon for my hanger, but you are welcome to use a longer piece if you would like.  Make a loop with your ribbon and insert the ends in the open top of the star.  Pin in place if desired.  Using a needle and thread, stitch the top point of the star together, being careful to catch the ribbon in your stitches to attach the hanger to the star.   Fasten off the thread with a small knot and hide the ends invisibly.  Snip off any excess thread.

Of course, if I'm completely honest, I really just wanted a wishing star ornament for the medicine cabinet in my bathroom.  I am beyond thrilled.  But I still think it would be neat as a wedding favor, especially with a "A Wish Come True! Jaime and Jake Maraia 10/7/00" type tag.  You can feel free to use your own names and wedding date...

Wedding Wish Guest Book Pen
When I first envisioned my pen covers, I imagined that a covered pen would make a gorgeous guest book pen at weddings.  I also am enamored with the idea that it's a special pen the bride could use afterwards as a special reminder of her special day.

Supplies:
Size 3 crochet thread (I used Aunt Lydia's Fashion 3 Crochet Cotton in White)
Size D hook

6mm plastic pearl beads
4mm plastic pearl beads
Size 6/0 glass seed beads
Sewing thread (I used white)
Yarn needle and Sewing needle

I made a the cover with my Fancy Pen pattern.  I finished the pen completely, weaving in all the ends, before I began sewing the beads on to the top inch and a half of the pen.  I used a doubled piece of thread, since I wanted the beads to be stitched on sturdily.  I randomly attached the beads, using the pearls beads as the focal pieces, and filling in with the small glass beads.  Fasten off the thread with a small knot and hide the ends invisibly.  Snip off any excess thread.

The Wedding Wishes Flip Flops
Okay, this is my favorite project from my wedding set.  There are a ton of tutorials all over the internet on how to cover the straps of your flip flops in single crochet.  I knew that if I wanted to make some flip flop covers, I needed something special.  Something a little more glamorous.  The crochet design is simple, and the same as everyone else out there, but what we're going to do afterwards is what's going to take it from "Uh..." to "Ooooh!!!"  Trust me.

Supplies:

Small amount of worsted weight yarn (I used Bernat Handicrafter 100% cotton in White)
Size G hook
6mm plastic pearl beads
4mm plastic pearl beads
Size 6/0 glass seed beads
Sewing thread (I used white)
Yarn needle and Sewing needle
Pair of flip flops

I used the worsted weight yarn and single crocheted around the strap of the flip flop.  I really smooshed the stitches together to make sure that no part of the strap would show, and to give myself a good base to stitch the beads on to.

 I used the larger pearl beads and sewed them to the top of the strap with a doubled piece of thread so that they were extra sturdy.  I used about two dozen of the large beads.  I alternated which edge I stitched them to, and I sewed them about a 1/2" apart.  I added extras at the toe-strap V, since that part is going to show the most.

Next I sewed the smaller pearl beads to the top of the strap.  I added a small pearl bead between each large pearl bead, and one on each end, which will give it a sort of zig-zag effect.  It took 26 small pearl beads.

Then I went in with the glass beads and just added them wherever there was an empty space.   I really wanted to create the illusion that the top of the flops were jewel encrusted.   I paid special attention to making sure that the single crochet edge of the cover was included in the beading to break the line up and make it more difficult to figure out how the flip flops were made. When you feel like the flops are adequately bejeweled you can fasten off the thread with a small knot and hide the ends invisibly.  Snip off any excess thread. 

 These are my finished flip flops.  You don't have to feel limited to the bead choices that I made.  If your budget allows, I would highly recommend adding Swarovski  crystals to the mix.  It would be super cute to add a blue crystal as a something blue, if you need one.

I think that it would be super sweet to make pairs of reception flip flops for your bridesmaids and The Moms.   Everyone's feet hurt from pinchy shoes by that point of the day.  I made the black pair the same way as I made the white, except I used black yarn to cover the straps.  You could make them to match your wedding colors, and your bridesmaids would be super grateful!

Of course, you don't have to be planning a wedding to make these.  I pretty much live in flip flops, so I'm planning to wear these as just regular footwear.  Cheapy dollar flops aren't really my style, but these are so well disguised I would be comfortable wearing them everywhere.

Okay, Dynamos, I'm off for the day.  But I'll be back on Wednesday, with a giveaway!!!  So come back to get in on the fun!

xoxo