Fancy-Schmancy Ebook

Happy October, Dynamos!

This year October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month, yo!) is a little more special to me.   As some of you know, my grandmother (the one I live with) was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year.  Part of her treatment included a mastectomy.  My mom and I were at the hospital the whole day to be with her, but there were large chunks of time that I was on my own, since during pre-op only one person was allowed with her at a time.  I didn't mind, I had brought my Kindle Fire and I figured that the hospital was bound to have free wifi...

Ahahaha!!  I don't know what I was thinking!  If a cell phone can screw up the hospital machinery, think of the trouble that wifi would cause (I am rolling my eyes at my naivety)! So getting on the blog to use the patterns to finish the project I had brought with me was completely out of the question.  I did read a book I had downloaded on cold-process soapmaking, and one on homesteading...  But ever since then, I've had in the back of my mind that I really wanted to do ebooks so that I could have access to all of my patterns even when I didn't have access to the internet.

So as a trial run, I've put out an ebook of 6 of my fanciest-schmanciest (wearable) patterns from this site.  It was a whole lot more work than I thought it would be, which is why it has taken so long for me to finish it up (don't you just plunk the blog post into a word file and then you're done??! Uh, NO!!! LOL!!!) but it is SATISFYING work (and Jake helped me a lot!).

CROCHET DYNAMITE: Fancy Schmancy  is available on Kindle for $0.99.  I really wanted to put it onto Amazon for free, but apparently you have to be a publisher to do that.  So, I made it available as part of the Kindle Lending Library, so if you've got Amazon Prime, you can 'borrow' it for free.  The advantage of the Kindle Lending Library is that you can also offer your book for free to promote it, so check back later this month for the Free Book dates.

Look!  It's a book!!

In the meantime, I don't think that slightly-less-than-a-buck is too much to ask for, in case you'd like to support my work and this site.  Instead of thinking about what you're getting in the book, you can consider it a donation towards more awesome patterns, more school and better designs!  (Also, with more money I can hire models, and I won't have to put myself on the cover of the next book...)   If you have an e-reader, iPad, Smart Phone or other tech-y awesomeness (including Kindle on your laptop/PC) please click HERE to go and check it out.

xoxo 

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

The Hook Makes the Project!

Good Morning Dynamos!  Today is Mims' first day of Kindergarten.  It is a very big deal in our household.  It required a special hair style...

I know what you're thinking: 'Jaime, why did you go an muck up a beautiful crochet butterfly with those gaudy rhinestones??!' and honestly, I agree with you, but I do have a good reason.  Mims is five.  Beautiful, subtle crochet anything doesn't interest her, but slap some rhinestones on it and suddenly it becomes so precious that it's like the butterfly was made out of gold.  There is no accounting for taste when it comes to kindergarteners...

As for the butterflies, they remind me of my childhood.  I got my first paying gig as a crochet artisan when I was nine.  My grandma (yes, Mema, who I live with) and I had been at a holiday craft fair and saw some adorable crochet butterfly pins for sale.  They were, like, $1 each (which was crazy huge money at the time, at least to my 9 year-old brain), but my grandma bought me one anyway.  Being the original Junior Crochet Dynamo that I was, the first thing I did when I got home was try to figure out how it was made.  I didn't actually take it apart, but I came close.  It took me a couple of days to make a pattern that looked virtually identical to the butterfly pin.

It was at this point that my grandma, being the savvy Christmas shopper that she is, offered me a job.  If I made enough crochet butterfly pins for all of the women that she worked with, she would pay me a quarter each.  EACH!!!  It was like the greatest deal of all time.  I got to crochet a dozen butterflies, they would go to good homes, and I was getting paid for it!  Best. Christmas. Ever!  LOL!!!

Well, I made her the dozen butterfly pins that she had ordered, and I threw in an extra, just for her.  She ended up hanging it in the kitchen, where it hung for nearly 25 years, until a plumbing disaster forced a kitchen remodel (don't even get me started on THAT drama! Yikes!) about 2 years ago.  Which meant that when I wanted to do a cute butterfly when I first started Crochet Dynamite, I had no idea where my prototype butterfly was.

I was certain that the internet would hold the key to my happiness.  I searched and searched and couldn't find any crochet butterflies that looked like MY butterfly.  Finally, I found a pattern via my friend Mariel's website http://haakmaaraan.blogspot.com/ (which is an amazing source of inspiration, btw!  Have you checked it out yet?) that I thought might be right.  It sure looked similar.

The butterfly pattern over at Marie's Making (http://blog.mariesmaking.com/2011/05/crochet-butterfly-pattern.html) was very close, but when I made it, it was enormous!  Okay, it's not that big, but it's larger than I expected it to be.  It's about 2 1/2 inches across.  I remembered that MY butterflies were simple, and I am sure I hadn't done more than 2 rounds because they were fast to make even then (before I became the record-breaking-speed-crocheter that I am now).  Also, my butterflies had larger top wings, and smaller bottom wings, instead of them all being the same size, so clearly, I was going to have to 'wing' (ahahahahaha!  I crack myself up!) a new pattern in order to get what I wanted.  So, thank you for bearing through this terribly long post, here is your reward:  The Butterfly Pattern I Wish I Remembered From My Childhood... Hmm... Let's just call it, Jaime's Butterfly from now on, okay? ;D

Jaime's Butterfly
approximately 1 1/2 inches across
Supplies:
Embroidery Floss in butterfly colors (You can make 1.5 butterflies from one skein of floss)
Black Embroider Floss (for body and antennae)
Size C hook (Normally I don't care what kind of a hook you use, and being a huge Boye fan, that is the brand I normally do my projects with, but I was making a mess of the butterfly until I switched my hook to a Susan Bates hook.  Suddenly, the floss didn't split, I was able to put the stitches where I wanted them to go, and my butterfly looked perfect.  If I was ever certain of anything, it's this: The Hook Makes the Project!  ...You can quote me on that, btw... So, if for some reason you are getting crazy frustrated with this project, switch your hook out for a different one...)
Tapestry Needle
Scissors
Gaudy Stick-on Rhinestones and Bobby Pins (if you need to make hair pins for your favorite little Kindergartener...)

R1: in a magic loop, ch 2 (counts as first dc), 2 dc, ch, (3 dc, ch) 7 times, sl st to the ch 2 to close round, there is no need to pull the loop tight, just pull it so that the stitches sit snugly next to each other (there will be eight 3 dc clusters, and eight ch spaces)
R2: (change color if you wish) DO NOT ch, 6 dc in next ch sp, sl st in center st of next dc cluster, (5 dc in next ch sp, sl st in center st of next dc cluster) 2 times, (6 dc in next ch sp, sl st in center st of next dc cluster) 2 times, (5 dc in next ch sp, sl st in center st of next dc cluster) 2 times, 6 dc in next ch sp, sl st in center st of next dc (this will kind of be over the top of the very first dc of the round)
Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

Fold butterfly in half.  Using an 8 inch length of black embroidery floss, tie the butterfly together, using a square knot at the top for a head.  Leave about an inch of floss to be the antennas when you trim the extra off.

Now, if you're a normal person, you can use these butterflies for anything.  I'm thinking they would make a sweet mobile for in a nursery... Or, do what I did, and just run a bobby pin through a few of the stitches on the back of the butterfly.

If you really want to crazy glam them up, the self adhesive iridescent rhinestones are awesome, and you don't ruin the butterfly forever if you decide you don't adore the crystals anymore...  I just slapped them onto the wings, but you could get really fancy-schmancy and add them onto the body as well.  Very glamorous! ;D

xoxo

Pencil Covers

We are in Kindergarden countdown around here.  I have become school obsessed.  I wanted to make something fun for myself, since I'm getting ready to start a new class too!  

Remember my Fancy Pen covers?  Well, I made a fun version:

The Pencil (Pen) Cover!
Supplies:
Embroidery floss in 4 colors (I'm going to give you the DMC floss color numbers to make a classic yellow pencil, but you can use any color for the body of the pencil.  The colors for the ends are what sells it as a 'pencil')
Wood: 437 (light brown)
Body: 972 (yellow)
Metal: 415 (light gray)
Eraser: 3326 or 894 -they both look good! (pink)
Size C crochet hook
Tapestry needle
Ballpoint pens (I used a Papermate Eagle, but I think a Bic Stic would work too.  Make sure you get one that has a black plastic tip holding the ink in... Which means that you're going to have to get a black ink pen...)

R1: With Wood color, make 6 sc in a magic loop.  Don't pull the loop tight, but close it enough that you can sl st the last sc to the first to join the round. (6 st)
R2-3: (from now on, the rounds are going to be done amigurumi style, continuously in one long spiral without joining) sc in each stitch (6 st)
R4-?: Change to Body color, sc in each stitch (use the entire skein - you'll know it's long enough when you run out of embroidery floss) (6 st)
R?+1-4: Change to Metal color, sc in each stitch (6 st)
R?+5-8: Change to Eraser color, sc in each stitch (6 st)
Sl st in next stitch. Fasten off.  Leave the Eraser and Wood ends, but weave in any other loose ends.

The tube is going to be very long and skinny.  It isn't easy to slide the pen into it, but I'm going to quote Julia Child here and say, "You just have to have the courage of your conviction" and shove it in.  I promise, it will fit, and if we made it bigger it would be too loose and wouldn't stay on.

Once you've got the cover on your pen, use your tapestry needle and the loose ends to really snug the cover onto the pen as you wind the ends in.

The 'pencils' would look great in a Pencil Case...

Okay, now I have some business I need to ask you about.  Jake and I have been knocking this idea around for a while, and we can't make a decision, so I thought I would ask YOU, Dynamos, for your opinion.  Quite often, for my posts, I make several versions of the item that I'm making.  I have to make the extras to pattern test before I unleash the pattern-y awesomeness on you guys. (For example, I have 2 of these pens earmarked for a present, but the rest??!)  So my house is starting to fill up with unused crochet goodness, and I'm running out of room.  I was thinking of starting an Etsy shop to get rid of share the extras, but we're not sure that anyone would even be interested.  What do you think?  Even if you don't normally leave a comment, I really would appreciate it if you would go ahead and leave one this time.  Think of it as a donation to my site.  In fact, I'll sweeten the deal, leave me a comment saying if you would be interested in my Etsy site or if I should donate/garage sale my leftovers.  Either way, I'll enter you to win one of my Pencil Pens, any color you want (I'll make it for you special!).  So leave me that info too.  So, since this has gone on so long, and just to clarify:
Please do me a solid and leave me a comment with your opinion about what I should do with my leftover crochet goodies (to Etsy, or not to Etsy), and the color Pencil Pen that you'd like if you're selected. (I will ship anywhere, international shipping is no problem)
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll select the winner next Friday, September 7th.

xoxo

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

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

Crochet Earrings

Okay, so you know how I'm currently obsessed with my Wishing Stars after I made nearly 3 dozen of them to fill a jar to photograph for the front of my business cards.  Well, my mom was over the other day and said that she'd like a pair of earrings made out of a pair of them.  Yes!  Earrings!  Cool!  I grabbed my yarn and hook and got busy crocheting.

**Did that make anyone think of Shawshank Redemption too?  Makes me want to say it again, but this time imagine Tim Robbins saying it, okay?
'I guess it comes down to a simple choice. Get busy crocheting or get busy dying...'
Ahahahahaha!  Oh, how I crack myself up... Now back to our regularly scheduled blog post... ***

I made a pair of Wishing Stars out of size 10 metallic gold crochet thread, using a size 8 steel crochet hook.  Actually, that means I crocheted 4 star pieces, and then sewed them together to make 2 stars.  Then I assembled my jewelry making supplies and turned them into earrings.

If you are an experienced jewelry designer, this will not be the tutorial for you.  But! if you've always wanted to make cute handcrafted earrings, but you could never get the wires to curl right, then welcome to the easiest way to make earrings ever!  I refuse to call this a cheater way, or a down-and-dirty way to make earrings, since I totally found this way of making earrings from a pricey pair I picked up in Nordstrom a couple of years ago.  I noticed that there was a crimp bead at the base of the earring, holding the beads on an eye pin. Genius!  So, of course, that's been my preferred way of making earrings ever since.  And that's what I'm going to show you how to do today.

You're going to need some jewelry making supplies to make these.  The choice of materials is completely up to you.  I have incredibly sensitive ears, so I have to get the nickel-free or sterling silver coated ear wires.  If you don't have my allergies, feel free to get the cheap bargain ear wires. Or, alternately, you could spring for the really nice stuff.  It's completely up to you and your budget, and your style (ear wires come in many designs, pick some that make you happy, since you're going to be wearing them...)

Wishing Star Earrings
Supplies:
Earwires (I used nickel-free 1" silver fish hook earrings)
2" eye pins
Crimp beads
2 pre-made mini wishing stars (I made mine out of size 10 metallic gold crochet thread and a size 8 steel crochet hook, but you could use larger stars made out of size 3 crochet thread (with a size D hook) and the results would still be amazing!)
Jewelry pliers
Wire cutters
Emery board (optional)

Open the lower ring of the ear wire and put the eye pin on.  Close the ear wire ring back up.  It's okay if the eye pin isn't completely closed tightly.  The way it comes in the package, it won't slide off.

Slide the wishing star onto the eye pin.  Make sure you like how it's centered on the pin.  Slide the crimp bead on after the star.

Use your jewelry pliers to smoosh (crimp!) the crimp bead snugly at the base of the star. Make sure that it is crimped tightly and doesn't move or you risk your star falling off later...

Use your wire cutters to snip the long end of the eye pin off right below the crimp bead.  If the edge is super sharp and pokey, you can use an emery board to file the edge just a little.

Yippee!  You've now made an earring!  Use your new awesome jewelry making skillz and make a second earring.  They really do look better in pairs...

You don't have to just use the tiny tiny thread on these.  I used some Vanna's Glamour by Lion Brand in Platinum, with a size D hook, and made some awesome silver earrings.  

I love the idea of putting a pair of earrings inside a Christmas ornament.  I wish the picture had turned out better, but the ornament was so shiny there was a ton of glare off it.  But I think you get the gist of the idea from my slightly blurry picture.  In real life, it is super cute, and it would make a really fun present.  I did this a couple of years ago when I made some crystal earrings for my mom and sister.  It was really fun on Christmas morning to start pulling ornaments off the tree and give them as gifts.  They were really surprised.  And they still wear the earrings...  It might not be your thing, but I think that the total cost for the star earrings and a plastic ornament from Michaels would come in at slightly over $2, which makes it a pretty rad gift for all your besties AND you can afford to give them to your office friends too.  Dare I say it would be a wish come true?... ;D

xoxo

Blue Pearls

I can hardly believe that we're already on day FOUR of my Soap-tacular SOAP DISPENSER WEEK!!!


Mimsey is participating in our library's summer reading program.  Jake and I have been putting her in it since the first year she was eligible.  I like it, because it makes us prioritize library trips, and we read waaay more books to Mims (says her mom, hanging her head in shame).


The last time we were at the library, Jake wanted to get some books on shed construction, so we all walked over to the adult section of the library.  Mims and I wandered into the crafty section where I made a shocking discovery.  There were 3 books on crochet in my local library.  3!  Now, perhaps the library had just had a massive run on crochet books and these were the only 3 left, but I doubt it.  There were 3 large stacks (the bookcase kind) of craft books, and at least 4 shelves devoted to knitting books. Yet, there were only 3 crochet books?!  What's up with that?!
** to be fair, our library is part of a very large library system, and they do have a large selection of crochet books, they're just spread out between 40 different library locations, but I can order them to be delivered to my local library for a quarter** <-- That weakened my argument a little.  But I wanted to browse, so I say my argument is still valid...


So, I grabbed a DIY wedding book, since there were bound to be some fun and different ideas in there, and a book on jewelry making, and we went on our merry way.  Much later, when I finally got around to looking through my borrowed books, I found that while there wasn't anything in them that directly appealed to me, I did find myself inspired to create something wholly new based on some of the ideas in the books.


Particularly, I found myself drawn to the idea of handcrafted wedding favors.  There's just something so precious and intimate about creating something that you know your guests will treasure as much as you treasure their participation in your special day.  For days I've been dreaming about what I might create for my guests if I was planning a wedding (which I am not).  What I came up with was an idea for an ornament.  Certainly it could be hung on a tree at Christmastime, but I think it would be pretty hung in the home as well.  I was going to make one to hang from the glass knob of the medicine cabinet in my bathroom, and then I realized that I could use it to decorate the front of one of my hand soap covers!  Two birds, one stone!  


I still am planning on making my wedding favor ornaments, but I'm glad that I got a chance to try one out before I committed to making a dozen of them.  I think the cover turned out really pretty.  If you'd like to make one too, here's the pattern:

Softsoap Hand Soap Cover

Supplies:

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

Size G hook

Yarn needle

ch 25, sl st to first ch to join round (25 st)

R1: ch 1, sc in each ch around, sl st to first sc to join round (25 st)

R2-7: ch 1, sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc to join round (25 st)

R8: ch 1,(2 sc in next st, 4 sc) 5 times, sl st to first sc to join round (30 st)

R9-14: ch 1, sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc to join round (30 st)

R15: ch 1, (4 sc, sc 2 st tog) 5 times, sl st to first sc to join round (25 st)

R16: ch 1, sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc to join round (25 st)

R17: ch 1, (3 sc, sc 2 st tog) 5 times, sl st to first sc to join round (20 st)

R18: ch 1, (2 sc, sc 2 st tog) 5 times, sl st to first sc to join round (15 st)

R19: ch 1, sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc to join round (15 st)

Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

To add the fancy-schmancy star on the front, I crocheted a mini version of my star pattern out of white worsted weight cotton yarn.  I sewed two layers of tulle and some plastic pearls and glass beads in the center.  Then I used white cotton yarn and stitched it on the front of the cover.  If you turn it wrong side out, I think it will go through the wash with no problems, but I wouldn't recommend putting it in the dryer.


Mini Star Pattern:
You can use any weight yarn, with an appropriately sized hook.  It also looks really cute in size 3 crochet thread... I made my star out of worsted weight yarn and a size G hook.

R1: 5 sc in magic loop, sl st to first sc to close round (5 st) 
R2: ch 1, (2sc in next st) 5 times, sl st to first sc to close round (10 st)
R3: [(hdc, dc, trc, dc, hdc) in next st, sl st] 5 times

Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

Come back tomorrow for some more good clean fun!!!  (Ahahahaha, I know it's dumb, but I crack myself up!)


xoxo


Sorry about the all white text background today on this post.  I can't for the life of me figure out how to make it go back to normal... LOL!!!!