Getting Ready for School

We are in a countdown around our house.  Mims has just a little less than 3 weeks before she heads off to Kindergarten.  I've been gathering school supplies over the last couple of months as I find things on sale, so we're pretty set as far as that goes.  My gut instinct is to hoard school supplies, since crayons are so cheap this time of year (and so expensive all the rest of the year!).  Aaaand, it the best time of year to pick up pencil cases.

What?!  You don't have an absurd number of pencil cases at your house?  I'm the only one?!  I use them for everything.  I love them!  I use pencil cases for carrying small projects.  I use them instead of a tool case for carrying my crochet supplies.  I have one that holds all my watercolor brushes.  I use one to carry my art pens. I keep my beads in a hard plastic pencil case.  In fact, I keep my current bead projects in individual pencil cases, so that I can have the tools, and beads all in one place (I usually put a washcloth in first, so the beads don't roll around as much).  I flippin' adore pencil cases!

My love of pencil cases started when I was in college.  I was a tutor for a college success class, and I insisted that my students all had to have their pencil cases in order.  There was a whole checklist that they followed:  Erasable pens, a multi-color 'clicker' pen, Post-It notes and flags, index cards, $3 (two $1 bills and four quarters).  I owe all of my own college success to a well organized pencil case, and excellent note-taking skills.

So it will come as no surprise that recently I have fallen in love with a new shape of pencil pouch.  I picked one up for $5 (on sale) and just adore it.  I've been using it to keep all my embroidery floss  together for my miniature crochet.  It's a perfect size for a small pair of scissors, my hooks and 'little extras' to go with whatever project I'm working on.  I couldn't rationalize spending another $30 to get a boatload of them to use as a crochet organizational system, but I had a bunch of worsted weight cotton yarn, and some fabric just laying around (see, I need an organizational system!) and decided to make some of my own!

Today I'm going to share the pattern for the crocheted outer shell of the pencil case!

Pencil Case
Supplies
100% cotton worsted weight yarn (I used Bernat Handicrafter in Robin's Egg and White)
Size G hook
Yarn needle

Using Robin's Egg yarn, ch 14
R1: hdc in the back of the 2nd ch from hook, hdc in the back of each ch across (12 st)
R2: ch 2, hdc in each st across (12 st)
R3: ch 2, hdc in each st across (12 st)
R4: ch 2, hdc in the back loop of each st across, 4 hdc across the short side, 12 hdc in the back loops of the foundation chain, 4 hdc across the other short side, sl st to first hdc to close round (32 st)
R5-10: ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to first hdc to close round (32 st)
R11: ch 2, hdc in each st around, change to White, sl st to first hdc to close round (32 st)
R12-15: ch 2, hdc in each st around, sl st to first hdc to close round (32 st)
Fasten off.

Start first bag flap:
Using Robin's Egg yarn, attach yarn 5 stitches back from where you fastened off.  **Because of the way that the rounds were worked, the starting point traveled a little.  Plus, it didn't even start out centered on the short ends anyway, so this is completely necessary.  I've provided pictures below to help you visualize this part.**
R1: Ch 2 (counts as first hdc), 15 hdc (16 st)
R2-7: Ch 2 (does NOT count as first hdc), hdc across all st (16 st)
Fasten off.

Make second flap the same way you made the first one, only use the second set of 16 stitches.  ;D
Weave in all the ends.

Come back on Sunday and we'll put the lining and zipper in using the Knit-Picker!
If you'd like an advance list of supplies for the lining/zipper post, I applaud your dedication!
You'll need:
A fat quarter of a coordinating fabric (or material to make two 19" x 5.5" fabric strips)
Sewing thread
I used a sewing machine.  It would be possible to do the sewing by hand, but it would be laborious.
A zipper that can be cut down to 12.5"
A knit picker!

ed. 8/19/12: The two-parter has become a trilogy!  You can find Part Two HERE. And Part Three HERE.
xoxo

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.

Monster Beanie

Mims and I went to a baby shower last night.  It was for Jake's cousin Ro.   She and her husband are expecting a boy in September.  So exciting!  So why did I make a baby girl onesie on Friday?! ::shaking my head in disbelief::    Anyhoo, I wanted to make something cute to take to the shower, so I whipped up an awesome Monster Beanie.

Mims had one when she was about two that she wore everywhere.  I loosely based this new one on the one I had created for Mims.  I think it turned out super cute.  I'm not sure that the pictures do it justice.  In fact, I can promise you, it's so stinkin' cute in person that you won't want to give it away... but you will, because the only thing cuter than this beanie, would be a baby wearing this beanie... or perhaps a Corgi... (That was for you, K!)

If you'd like to make one for the little monsters in your life, here's the pattern:

Monster Beanie
fits newborn - 3 mos
Supplies:
Main Color: 100% cotton worsted weight yarn (I used Peaches & Creme in Avocado)
Size G crochet hook
Eyeball Color: 100% cotton worsted weight yarn (I used Bernat Handicrafter in White)
Iris Color: black embroidery floss
Size D crochet hook
Mouth-line Color: 100% cotton worsted weight yarn (I used Bernat Handicrafter in Country Red, but doubled up embroidery floss would also work)
Yarn needle

Beanie:
Use Main Color yarn and size G hook
R1: In magic loop, make 8 sc, sl st to first sc to close ring.  Tighten loop. (8 st)
R2: ch 1, (2 sc in next st) 8 times, sl st to first sc to close round (16 st)
R3: ch 1, (2 sc in next st, sc) 8 times, sl st to first sc to close round (24 st)
R4: ch 1, (2 sc in next st, 2 sc) 8 times, sl st to first sc to close round (32 st)
R5-6: ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to first sc to close round (32 st)
R7: ch 1, (2 sc in next st, 3 sc) 8 times, sl st to first sc to close round (40 st)
R8-23: ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to first sc to close round (40 st)
Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

Stubby Horns
make 2
Use Main Color yarn and size G hook
R1: In magic loop, make 5 sc, sl st to first sc to close ring.  Tighten loop. (5 st)
R2-3: ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to first sc to close round (5 st)
Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

Sew horns to hat approximately 2 inches down from the top-center of the hat (which was about R8).  I spaced my horns 2.5 inches apart.

Eyeball
make 2
Use Eyeball Color yarn and size G hook
R1: In magic loop, make 6 sc, sl st to first sc to close ring.  Tighten loop. (6 st)
R2: ch 1, (2 sc in next st) 6 times, sl st to first sc to close round (12 st)
Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

Iris
make 2
Use black embroidery floss and size D hook
R1: In magic loop, make 8 dc, sl st to first dc to close ring.  Tighten loop. (8 st)
Fasten off.  Weave in ends.

Sew iris to eyeball.  Using photo as guide, sew eyes to front of hat.

Using Mouth-line Color and the backstitch, add a mouth line.  Quirky smiles are always cute!

It would be easy to make this beanie for larger sizes, just make the hat bigger.  This site has a list of  measurements to help you out.

And as always, if you make one you can add your picture to the Dynamo Gallery!  Just send me a jpg in an email!  I'll even link it to your site, if you'd like!

When we got home from the shower it was still 85 degrees out, which meant that it was even hotter in the house.  What were two overheated girls to do??  Yeah, we made mint limeade.

Mims helped me squeeze the limes, and wash the mint.  I made a simple syrup and infused it with mint, chopping the remaining mint to add to the finished limeade.  We poured it over ice, adding extra water because it was STRONG.  That made it just perfect for a hot, sweaty night.  We went upstairs and Mims watched a Netflixed episode of Wizards of Waverly Place while I put up a new Google+ page for Crochet Dynamite.  So if you Google+ you can now add the blog to your circles!

What a great day...

xoxo

Simple Ruffle-Butt Onesie

When I was in high school I used to babysit for the cutest little girl.  Her parents dressed her in the most adorable dresses, and always with ruffled bloomers underneath.  One day my mom was admiring her outfit, and the dad rolled his eyes and sighed, saying "Yeah, no outfit is complete without those ruffle-butt panties."  My mom and I thought we were going to die of laughter, and ever since I can't see a little girl in a ruffled diaper cover without thinking "Heh, ruffle-butt."

I have several friends who are expecting little ones, and it's always a challenge to find something 'new' to make to bring to a shower.  Blankets are always appreciated, as are hats and booties, but I like to go for the wow factor.  Especially if it doesn't take too much time or effort (ie. faster and easier than a blanket or booties).

And the last part of this (I like to tell you all the weird thoughts that have to collide in my brain in order for my latest idea to develop, I know they all seem so random, but hang with me)  my friend E, who is new to crochet, but is a bad-ass knitter, is the queen of the knit picker.  Do you have one?  Am I the only one that didn't know about this amazing little latch-hook tool?!  Okay, so we've been getting together monthly and calling it Crochet Club, which is really just an excuse for me to play with her baby and to see each other's projects in person.  Well, she's been making these adorable purses and crocheting the lining in.  Crocheting the fabric lining in.  Yeah, I kinda flipped out, because it was all kinds of awesome, and she said that she did it using a knit picker.  I couldn't wait, I immediately ordered one online (although my Joann's and Michaels do carry them, but I got all excited and ordered mine from Amazon.).  I got the ergonomic version, because it was green, which is my favorite color.

The possibilities of crocheting across fabrics was enticing, but once I had it, I wasn't sure what to do with it.  It's taken me nearly a month to come up with a project for it, but now that I've actually used it, I adore it.  I will warn you that there's a technique to it, but the learning curve is steep and I picked it up pretty quickly.

So, if you're interested in making a Simple Ruffle-Butt Onesie for a little one in your life read on.  The pattern in crazy simple, but this is a very image heavy tute because if you're like me and this is a new idea lots of pictures equals a high success rate!  And I love high success rates!!!  ;D

Simple Ruffle-Butt Onesie
Supplies (in order of appearance):
Purchased Onesie (I used a size 3-6 months, but you can use any size, the 'pattern' is adjustable)
Ruler (a plastic or wooden one, not a soft tape measure)
Disappearing Ink Fabric Marking Pen (I used one that will disappear without water, but if you already have a water soluble one, just use it and rinse the marks off when you're done)
Dritz Knit Picker
Baby Yarn (I used Cuddle by Sensations in Cuddle - Pink)
Scissors
Yarn Needle
Size D Crochet Hook

Start by marking the back of your onesie. You're going to make 4 lines straight across the back of it.  For size 3-6 months, or larger, make your first line across the back about an inch above the leg opening (for newborn or size 0-3 months make your first line 1/2 inch above the leg opening).  Make the next line an inch above your first line (3/4 inch for the itty-bitty sizes).  Make 2 more lines (4 in total!) leaving an inch between lines (3/4 inch for the NB and 0-3 mo sizes).

Mark each of the lines at 1/4 inch increments.  Start at the side seam and mark the line all the way across to the other side seam.  It really doesn't matter how many marks are on each line as long as they're 1/4 inch apart.  This is going to be your stitch guide.

Get out your Knit Picker and let's get going! I did a practice row, so you can see what we're going to be doing next.

The Knit Picker has a tiny (sharp!) latch hook end.  For this first part, we're going to use it like a crochet hook, and wiggle it into the fabric at the first mark.  I found it was MUCH easier to use the sharp point of the hook to pierce the fabric, instead of trying to force the rounded head of the hook through.

Once you get it through the fabric, push it in far enough that the 'latch' part is through too.  We're going to need it for the next step.

To start the row of stitches, I just held the yarn as I looped it through the hook part.  When the yarn is inside the hook section, flip the latch up to secure it in place (it won't stay up, but we only need it to hold the yarn as it goes through the fabric).

Pull (gently, but firmly) the loop through the fabric.  The loop doesn't have to be very big, but make sure that it's not too small.  It's super important that these stitches be a little loose.  Now, do it again!  Put the hook part through the fabric at the next mark, add the yarn, flip the latch and...

Pull another loop through!  This time, pull it through the first stitch as well!  Yippee, we're making a chain!  Keep going!  Go to the end of the row!  Your first stitches will be awkward and you may get some splits and other unpleasantness, but by the end of the row you'll have gotten the hang of it.  (It's so cliched, but this really is a case of practice makes perfect).  If you really hate it, you can always pull it out and try again.

When you get to the end of the row, leave a big loop.

This time, instead of putting the Knit Picker through the fabric from the top going in, you're going to put it through the fabric from the inside coming out.  Ideally it would be just a few threads over from the last loop you made.  Put the latch around the loop and pull it to the inside of the onesie...

Okay, this picture makes my thumb look freakin' huge!  In reality, I have almost freakishly small hands, so this is a really good picture to show how tiny the tip of the Knit Picker is.  Now that you've got the loop pulled to the inside, you can fasten it off.

This is what the inside of your onesie will look like at this point.  Now weave in those ends before we go on to the next part.

This is what the outside of the onesie should look like at this point.

The ruffle is the easiest part! Attach the yarn to the first stitch of the row.  Using your size D crochet hook, chain 3, put 5 dc in the first stitch, 4 dc in each stitch across, 6 dc in the last stitch.  Fasten off, weave in ends.

Repeat on the other three rows.  Give yourself a pat on the back for trying something new!  Go get an ice-cream cone to celebrate how awesome it turned out! Wrap it up in fancy-shmancy packaging and steal the limelight at your friend's baby shower... Uh, did I just say that part out loud?...

(My kid was half booty when she was a baby, thus the spacing on the ruffles.  If your kid is more back than booty, you could add another row that starts at the top of the leg openings, and take the top row off. Custom Ruffle-Butts for everyone!!)

xoxo

Knook...

I was in Joann's the other day with coupons burning a hole in my pocket.  I know, it's a rough life. Jake was roaming the aisles with Mims, trying to keep her amused while I took way too long to pick out the beads for the surfer girl necklaces and the friendship bracelets (beads were 30% off! Score!).  As they wandered, they ran across a package of Knooks and thought the weird little hooks looked like fun, so they brought it to me.  I threw it in the cart, since it did look like fun, even if I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting, and it wasn't on sale (and thusly, I would be able to use my 40% off coupon).  So my $9.99 Knook set was only $6-something, and with an additional 25% off-of-everything coupon (double score!) I think the final price was around $4.50.

I had read a review of the Knook on Planet June awhile back, and so I went back to try to find out what exactly I had brought home with me.  After re-reading her post, and the booklet that came with it, and then playing around with it for awhile, I can say, I think the set was worth $4.50 to me, but I'm not sure how often these will be used in the long term...

The size H knook.  My set came with a G, H and I.

Here's the deal.  If you know how to knit, this is a challenging, rather inconvenient way to knit.  It is fun in the beginning, but I am not a pleasure knitter.  **Okay, I'm going off on a tangent here, if you don't want elaborate back-story, just skip to the next set of double astrisks...  My first yarn-craft love is crochet, but I spent most of my twenties as a knitter.  A knitter with great focus and determination.  I went to classes, flew cross-country to workshops, and actually worked free-lance as a professional knitter finishing sweaters for clients that 'didn't want to screw that part up'.  It was not relaxing to me, ever.  I used to knit to get the item that I was knitting, not to enjoy the journey. On the plus side, I am a crazy fast knitter, so at least it wasn't too many hours of teeth-grinding determination to get through a set of hats for my family as Christmas presents... **  So for me, taking the relaxing, calming, peaceful aspects of a craft that I adore and putting in the extra frustrating knit/purl stitch aspect, not being able to 'throw' my yarn the way that I'm used to, and the fact that it's slower than just using knitting needles, made this a not so perfect fit for me...  

Until I realized that it was perfect for small amounts of knitting in the middle of my beloved crochet.  I've been lurking on a freeform crochet forum, and I've been reading Renate Kirkpatrick's Freeform Crochet and Beyond: Bags, Cushions, Hats, Scarves and More so I've been trying to think of some ways to add some freeform fun into my projects.  Once I thought of it that way, I couldn't wait to knook...

I was able to effortlessly switch between knitting and crocheting!  I didn't have to keep track of rogue knitting needles.  I had so much fun, before I knew it, half a scarf was done...

 But, now that it's halfway done, I've kinda run out of steam.  I took these pictures, but instead of bringing my project upstairs with me to sit in the air conditioning and work, I left it downstairs.  I'd like to blame the fact that I wanted to take a nap, but I brought a different project up to work on.  I'm sure I'll come back to it, but for now, I'm all knooked out.

xoxo

Crochet Dynamite on Facebook

Howdy Dynamos!

A random afternoon post to let you know that I've added a Crochet Dynamite page to Facebook... I am still trying to figure out how to link the posts to it, but I'm sure I will figure it out eventually.  **If you are a kind soul who knows how to do it, I will give you double Dynamo points if you shoot me a quick email telling me what to do.**

So, if you Facebook feel free to like Crochet Dynamite!
http://www.facebook.com/CrochetDynamite/

And while you're there anyway, shoot me off a friend request.  I would love to be friends!
http://www.facebook.com/jaime.maraia

xoxo