Odor Neutralizing Fun!

Oh yeah, SOAP DISPENSER WEEK Bonus Day!!!  5 was just not enough! When I say a week, I mean a week!

I've learned a few things, spending this week decorating soap dispenser bottles.  I think, of course, the biggest thing being that I could do one of these weeks a year for the next decade and never repeat a bottle shape.  The other thing has to be that covered soap bottles are super cute and super cheap to make.  Which makes me think that this week should really have been labled PRACTICALLY PERFECT GIFTS FOR EVERYONE YOU KNOW!! week.

This is the last soap bottle for this series, but I think I might have saved the best for last.  I made it to go in my kitchen, but you can make it in any color that you like.

Softsoap Odor Neutralizing Kitchen Fresh Hands Hand Soap Cover

Supplies:

100% cotton worsted weight yarn, approx. 40 yards (I used Peaches & Creme in Sunshine)

Size G hook

Yarn needle

ch 27, sl st to first ch to join round (27 st)

R1: ch 1, sc in each ch around, sl st to first sc to join round (27 st)

R2-3: ch 1, sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc to join round (27 st)

R4: ch 1,( 5 sc, sc 2 st tog) 3 times, 6 sc, sl st to first sc to join round (24 st)

R5-19: ch 1, sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc to join round (24 st)

R20: ch 1, (2 sc, sc 2 st tog) 6 times, sl st to first sc to join round (18 st)

R21: ch 1, (sc, sc 2 st tog) 6 times, sl st to first sc to join round (12 st)

Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

I hot glued a button to the top of a ribbon, and then glued the button/ribbon to a bobby pin!  It's so simple, but it's absolutely adorable in person.  I'm not a cutesy cutesy kind of person, but I literally squealed with delight when I finished this soap cover.   

Okay, so even though this was the last soap dispenser cover, I do have a surprise for you tomorrow.  The last day of my SOAP DISPENSER WEEK extravaganza is going to be filled with hand sanitizers and hand towels.  So enjoy your lovely Saturday, Dynamos!  Come back tomorrow for this week's thrilling conclusion!

xoxo

The London Crochet Bag

Cheerio!  I am not in London, nor have I gotten to crochet in London, but this bag is based on one that my sister-in-law bought the last time that we took a family vacation to London.  Thus, it is The London Crochet Bag.  It is the inspiration for my fast and easy crochet buttons.  In that post, I said that I would write up the pattern if anyone was interested.  I got a request for it!!! Yippee!!  (I am not going to apologize for being excited, I design and blog in an isolated bubble.  You can't comment too much for me!!)

The first one I made used up leftover yarn from two other projects, but I wasn't sure exactly how much yarn I actually used.  This one I made with brand spankin' new skeins, so I can say with absolute confidence, you need about two skeins. If you want to use two different colors (or more) please make wider stripes than I did, or you will find yourself running back to the craft store mid-project.  Heed my warning, two full skeins!!

Also, use cheap yarn.  I used Red Heart Super Saver, because it's not soft, and it makes a dense fabric.  You won't need to line it, and it will hold it's shape fairly well.  This isn't the project for your beautiful, soft, specialty yarns.  This is a workhorse bag, pretty, but more importantly, functional. The bag in the picture is holding the leftover (virtually whole) purple, lime and white skeins from this project.  It's a biggie!

If a large project bag sounds like your cup of (English Breakfast) tea, give it a try!

The London Crochet Bag
approx. 16" tall, 11" wide (across front), 6" deep (across side)
Supplies:
2 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver Yarn (or other cheap worsted weight yarn, in a color that makes your heart sing!)
Size G crochet hook
Yarn needle (I use the Chibi needle with the bent tip, you can use whatever works for you)

Main Bag Body:
Ch 61.
R1: hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc across all ch, ch 1, turn (60 st)
R2-40: hdc across all st, ch 1, turn. (60 st)
R41: sl st across 10 st, ch 1, 40 hdc, ch 1, turn. (40 hdc st)
R42-50: 40 hdc, fasten off. (40 st)
R51: using the now broken off piece of yarn, ch 10, hdc across the 40 st from row 51, ch 11, turn. (60 st)
R52: hdc in 2nd ch from hook, 9 hdc in ch spaces, 40 hdc, 10 hdc in ch spaces, ch 1, turn. (60 st)
R53-87: hdc across all st, ch 1, turn. (60 st)
R88: (button hole row) 24 hdc, ch 12, 24 hdc, ch 1, turn (60 st)
R89: 24 hdc, 12 hdc across ch space, 24 hdc, ch 1, turn. (60 st)
R90: hdc across all st, fasten off.

Strap:
Ch 11.

R1: hdc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc across all ch, ch 1, turn (10 st)
R2-39: hdc across all st, ch 1, turn. (10 st)
R40: hdc across all st, fasten off.

Button:
R1: using a magic loop, sc 7 st, sl st to first sc to join round. (7 st)
R2: ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st to first sc to join round. (14 st)
R3: ch 1, (2 sc in next st, sc) 7 times, sl st to first sc to join round. (21 st)
R4-6: ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to first sc to join round. (21 st)
R7: ch 1, (sc 2 st tog, sc) 7 times, sl st to first sc to join round. (14 st)
R8: ch 1 (sc 2 st tog) 7 times, sl st to first sc to join round. (7 st)
Fasten off. Weave in end from magic loop, making sure to tighten and secure it. Flatten button into a disc shape.  Using the tail from R8, tack the flattened disc together in a few places, trying to keep your stitches invisible on the front (good side) of the button. Weave in end on the back.

Whipstitch the sides of the bag together, matching stripes if you chose to make any.

When you get the sides sewn, open the bag up and flatten the side along the open area of the bottom of the bag. This is what makes the bag sit flat.  Whipstitch the bottom edge together.  Weave in ends.

Center the short edge of the strap along the side seams, and whipstitch into place, making sure to put several extra stitches in each edge corner for added strength. Weave in ends.

Using buttonhole as a guide, center and sew on button.

xoxo

ed. 7/10/12: Want to see the bag in more colors?  Check out the Dynamo Gallery!  Finished a bag and want to show it off?  Send me a picture at CrochetDynamite@gmail.com to be featured in the Dynamo Gallery!
xo Jaime

7/11/12: Washed and dryed the bag in my machines.  No special settings, just threw it in with a load of Mims's clothes.  It came out great!  No problems at all.  Thank you, Libby, for asking about how to wash it!

7/13/12: I've gotten 2 emails in 2 days (Hi Ginny and Rebekah!) about R51.  This is the general gist of the question: 
I got through row 50 and fastened off, but I'm a little confused by what you mean by "using the now broken off piece of yarn." Was I supposed to fasten off leaving a long tail? Or do I make a new foundation chain? I see in the pictures that its' made in like one piece and then sewn together, I'm just not sure how to start making the long sides again from the short one I just finished. Does that question make sense? I'm still a novice crocheter so that's mostly why I'm stuck. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me! (Thanks for letting me use your email, Rebekah!  Double Dynamo points to you!)


I figure that if these Dynamos had this question, some others of you might have wondered it too.  Here's my answer:

I had you fasten off the yarn at the end of R50 so that you could start R51 by chaining 10 (a new foundation chain to add the 10 stitches back on that I had you drop off during R41). Then with the chain stitches on your hook, you're going to hdc in each stitch across the main bag body piece, and then chain 11 to finish the row.  This puts the extra stitches that will become the sides of your bag back on.  You shouldn't have to sew any part of the bag together, except the side seams and the handle.  R51 ends with 61 stitches (10 chain st, 40 hdc's attached to the main bag piece, and then 11 more chain stitches).  That's how you add the long sides back on after the shorter bottom section.

I am super sorry that I wasn't more clear in my instructions.  I think that your question was really good, and I hope that I answered it in a way that didn't confuse you more.  Please don't hesitate to email me if you need more clarification.  

I hope this answers your question too, Dynamos.  And that last line pertains to you as well, please don't hesitate to email me if you need more clarification (on this pattern, or any of my other patterns!).  I'm still learning how to write patterns, so all the feedback that you give only helps me to produce better work.  Love to you all!
xo Jaime

Every Day is a Good Day.

I am a cancer survivor.  I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma a month after my 29th birthday. I did a course of chemo and radiation, and it worked beautifully.  I have been cancer-free for 7 years (and 1 month)!

Last month my 91-year-old Mema was diagnosed with breast cancer.  It is very slow moving, and not in her  lymph system.  Her oncologist is extremely optimistic about her diagnosis, and she will be cured with a simple mastectomy, which is scheduled for next week.

I was filing her insurance authorization paperwork today in her cancer binder (On a side note, did you know that cancer patients carry a binder to all of their doctors appointments?  That way all of the doctors can see at a glance what all the other doctors are doing.  It's a nifty system.), and it occurred to me how grateful I am that I'm here to take care of her.  How grateful I am that I survived so that I could have Mims, and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and weddings and brand-new nephews.

Mema needed a new mug wrap to protect her hands from the heat of her morning cup of coffee, so I made her one with a crocheted awareness ribbon button.  I think it turned out really cute, so I'd like to share my pattern with you. I also made a visual tutorial to go with the pattern, grade-school-science-fair-style, all in one picture.

The Awareness Ribbon Button
approx 1" across
Supplies:
Aunt Lydia's Size 3 Crochet Cotton (Black and Pink)
Size D crochet hook
Sharp yarn needle
3/4" safety pins (optional)

R1: 5 sc in a magic loop, pull loop tight and sl st into first sc (5 st)
R2: ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st into first sc to complete round (10 st)
R3: ch 1, (2 sc in next st, sc) 5 times, sl st into first sc to complete round (15 st)
R4: ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st into first sc to complete round (15 st)
Stop.  Get out the pink yarn and embroider the awareness ribbon shape onto the front of the button.  Don't worry about trimming the ends too closely, you can just tuck them inside as you finish the button.
R5: ch 1, (sc 2 st tog, sc) 5 times, sl st into first sc to complete round (10 st)
R6: ch 1, (sc 2 st tog) 5 times, sl st into first sc to complete round (5 st)
Finish off, leaving a long tail.  Flatten button, tucking any stray threads inside before you stitch up the back.  Tack the button together around it's outer edge.  Enjoy your new button!

 I made some that I attached a small safety pin to the back of, so that they could be worn.  I'm planning to give them to my mom and sister, so that we can all show support for my grandma.

I think that these buttons would be great for fundraising, particularly for families that are in crisis who really need donations to help pay for treatments.  You could give the buttons away with any donation to the family, or you could sell them for $2 (or $5 or $20) each, depending on how much money you're trying to raise.  I'm not a fundraising expert by any means, I just think it might work.  I put some on my business cards, and they turned out professional-looking enough that I would have bought one if I'd seen it out in the world, especially for charity.

I made the purple awareness ribbon in the picture for myself.  Purple is the color they use to represent Lymphoma and Leukemia.  I made it to remind myself that today is a really great day.  Every day that I have is a really great day.  Because I get to be here.
xoxo

The Crochet Button

I have been crafty for a long time.  For a brief stint I had the opportunity to work as a professional knitter (which was awesome, btw), and I have been sewing like crazy since I was about 10 and my mom taught me to use her machine.  I've sewn dresses and quilts, but my favorite thing to sew is bags.  Big bags, small bags, purses, reusable shopping bags made of laminated grocery bags, you name the bag, I've probably made one.

But this is not the Jaime Sews blog, this is Crochet Dynamite!  And I needed to represent!  So I made The London Crochet Bag to carry around my current crochet project and my tool bag.  I based it loosely on a bag that my SIL picked up the last time we were in London, which was a slouchy hobo-type bag with a ton of room and a nice big opening, but I didn't want to add a zipper (which was how that bag, and the two dozen bags that I've sewn based on that bag, closed.  It's a pretty awesome bag.).  So I left it open.

Flash forward a couple of days and my frustration level was through the roof.  I've been using super fine crochet cotton for pretty much everything right now because I'm in love with bright colors for spring, and the balls kept rolling out of my bag if I wasn't careful how I set it down.  Annoying!  So I needed a way to close the bag, but I still thought a zipper would stretch my handcrafted cloth weirdly, and would be a pain to install. But a button would be perfect, assuming that I could find a button that would look good with my bag, and would be fairly cheap, since this bag was made using up leftover green yarn from the sushi coasters and black Ducky Momo eye yarn.

I didn't have time to head over to the craft store that day, so I began playing with the idea of doing a bubble-type button, stuffed with fiberfill so it would hold its shape.  The sphere itself was easy to make, but when I got to the last row, it started to collapse onto itself, which then I smooshed further, and was delighted with the awesome large button shape that it made.  The worsted weight yarn made the button dense, and with a few stitches to hold the two sides in place, I was over the moon!  It was a button.  I wove in the ends and then attached a new tail of yarn to sew it to the bag.  It worked like a charm.  I made a loop for the other side of the bag to fit my oversized crochet button and none of my yarn has rolled out since.

I do not believe that I originated this idea, even though I've never seen it before.  It seemed super intuitive and so I am sure that someone made a name for themselves in the '70s by teaching the crochet button technique and that they are super famous for it.  So, even though I feel like a crochet genius, I am pretty sure that I have just re-invented a wheel.

But, if you've never heard of this, then I am taking full credit, because I can see so many practical applications for handcrafted buttons.  And they are fast and cheap, but they look like they would be pricey.  Shoot, they would be pricey, if you bought them on etsy.  I should look at etsy, I'm sure someone already is selling them...
Back to what I was saying... If you'd like to make your own, here's the super secret pattern:

The Crochet Button
I used worsted weight yarn with a size G hook.  I also tried it with size 3 super fine crochet cotton and a size D hook.  Both worked well, but obviously the larger yarn and hook made a larger button.

R1: 6 sc in a magic loop, sl st to first sc to join round. (6 st)
R2: ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st to first sc to join round. (12 st)
R3: ch 1, (2 sc in next st, sc) 6 times, sl st to first sc to join round. (18 st)
R4-5: ch 1, sc in each st, sl st to first sc to join round. (18 st)
R6: ch 1, (sc 2 st tog, sc) 6 times, sl st to first sc to join round. (12 st)
R7: ch 1, (sc 2 st tog) 6 times, sl st to first sc to join round. (6 st)
Collapse sphere on itself.  Weave in end from magic loop, making sure to tighten it and secure it.
Using the tail from R7, tack the flattened disc together in a few places, trying to keep your stitches invisible on the front (good side) of the button.  Weave in end.

 Use an additional piece of yarn (or matching thread) to sew onto your project.  Or, attach to a index card and sell on etsy.  I am sure you could make a fortune! lol!

Really, it's a simple formula that you could adjust the numbers for to make different sized buttons, if you needed something smaller for your project.  R1: 5 st, R2: 10 st, R3: 15 st, R4-5 15 st, R6: 10 st, R7: 5 st.  If you wanted to make a button smaller then that, I would sc into a chain space, since the magic loop might make it difficult to close a ring smaller than 5 stitches... But, give it a try, you'll know within a minute if it will work for you or not...

I have been busting projects out here, and assuming that my patterns are readable, since I think I am using standard crochet abbreviations.  Would a key be helpful?  I could make one for the terms that I use, and I could also explain the magic loop and how I change colors if anyone would be interested.  Leave me a comment if you'd like me to do a future post about that.  Otherwise, I'm just going to go along merrily on my way, confident that we all understand what we're doing.  Love to you all, my Crochet Dynamos!
xoxo