Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Poinsettia Christmas Pattern


A Free Crochet Pattern


I am behind on the times. Last week I had a pattern that came out in Crochetvolution. You can find it here!
*Edit as of Nov. 2017* It is now also available on Designs by Diligence Here and it is available for purchase through my Ravelry Store. 



 Isn't it beautiful! I decided to watercolor it to make the design really pop. I was not disappointed. When I was done I thought that it would also make a really great Christmas ornament, so I got to work. 




The pattern is very close to the original, I only changed the chs, to make it more rounded. I'm also pretty
happy with it too.


Where Can I Get This Pattern

This is a free Pattern on the blog. Keep scrolling down to see this pattern. If you would like an ads free printer friendly version you can purchase one through my Ravelry Store for $3.00.
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 Materials

  • Aunt Lydia’s Classic Crochet (Size 10); [100% Cotton, 400 yds/336m per ball] less than 1 ball.
  • Size 6 steel hook
  • starch
  • balloon

Notes:
Make 2 sides, do not finish off on the second side.

Round 1: Ch 5, sl st in beginning ch to form a loop, ch 1, 12 sc in loop, sl st in first sc. (12 sc)

Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), (dc, ch 3(also counts at a dc here and throughout this row), sl st) in same st, {sl st in next two st, (ch 3, dc, ch 3, sl st) in same st,} repeat { to} 4 more times. (6 groups of 3 dc), sl st in next 2 sp and up the first dc.

Round 3: Ch 3, dc in same sp, 2 dc in each of the next 2 st, ch 1, {2 dc in each of the next 3 st, ch 1} Repeat {to} 5 more times, sl st into beg. dc. (6- 6 dc groups)

Round 4: Ch 2, dc in next st (decrease just made), dc in next 2 st, dc2tog in next two st, ch 1, dc in ch 1 sp, ch 1 {dc2tog, dc in the next 2 st, dc2tog, ch 1,  dc in ch sp, ch 1} Repeat {to} 4 more times, sl st into beginning dc. (6 leaves and 6 dc)

Round 5: Ch 2, dc in next st (decrease just made), dc2tog in next st, ch 1, 3 dc in next dc, ch 1, {2 dc2tog in the next 4 st, ch 1, 3 dc in the next dc, ch 1} repeat {to} 4 more times, sl st into beginning dc. (6 groups of 4 and 6 groups of 3 dc)

Round 6: Ch 2, dc in next st (decrease just made), ch 2, 2 dc in each of  the next 3 dc, ch 2, {dc2tog, ch 2, 2 dc in the next 3 dc, ch 2} repeat {to} 4 more times, sl st into beginning dc.  (6 groups of 2 and 6 groups of 6 dc)

Round 7: Ch 5 (counts as dc, ch 2), sc in next sp, ch 2, dc2tog, dc in next 2 dc, dc2tog, ch 2, sc in next sp, ch 2, {dc in dc2tog, ch 2, sc in next sp, ch 2, dc2tog, dc in next 2 sts, dc2tog, ch 2, sc in sp, ch 2 } repeat {to} 4 more times, sl st in beg dc.

Round 8: Sl st into sp, ch 1, {(sc in sp, ch 2) twice, 2 dc2tog, (ch 2, sc in next sp) two times, ch 2} repeat {to} 5 more times, sl st into beg st.

Round 9: Sl st into sp, ch 1, { (sc in sp, ch 2) twice, dc2tog in dc, (ch 2, sc in next sp) 3 times, ch 3} repeat {to} 5 more times, sl st into beg. St. Finish off. Weave in ends.

Joining the two sides
After round 9 of the second side, Ch 2, sc in a ch 2 sp of the first side, ch 2, sc in the next ch 2 sp of the second side, keep repeating till you come to the last ch 2 on each side, ch 2 and sl st into the beginning sc, finish off. Weave in your end.

To starch it
 I like to use a sugar starch. It is one part water and 2 parts sugar that is heated up on the stove till all the sugar is dissolved. With 1 cup water, 2 cups sugar I can get about 10 ornaments starched. When the mixture is heated though I will take it off the heat and dip my ornaments in the starch till it is completely saturated.

Then I will insert a balloon, blow the balloon up and tie it. Then I just hang the ornament to dry. It usually takes about 3 days. When the starch is dry I just pop the balloon and take it out. For this ornament I made some fabric bows and tied them with ribbon to hang on the tree.

More Free Crochet Patterns You Will Love 

Super Chunky Twisty Neck Warmer

Always Pointing North Blanket

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Color Options for the Always Pointing North blanket

I have been getting ready for Christmas, actually that is probably an understatement. I finished my first Christmas present back in March, and I have slowly been making things since. One of the things I have been making are blankets. I have mostly been using the Always Pointing North pattern. I fall in love with each blanket that I make and I want to keep them, so hopefully that means that the people receiving them with love them too. 

Here are the pictures of the new colors!
 The first one I wanted it to have fall colors, and the blue that is showing up so much in the picture is a lot more muted in real life. I also put a different border on it.

 With second one I wanted to make a spring/summer colored blanket. I really loved how the colors came together for this one.

I have another picture somewhere of another one I made, but I can not find it. I made a blanket for my Granny that had tans, blues and greens in it with a splash of Burgundy, all the colors that I think about when I think about my Granny. Maybe another time I will find it and add it.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The Un-pretty Shelf: Tomatoes



One of the first things I like to go look at when I enter a grocery store is the shelf that has the over ripe produce on it where they have reduced prices. I’ll call it the un-pretty shelf.  The only bad thing is you never know what is going to be there. I like to plan everything out before I go and stick to my list. The un-pretty shelf is always my lucky splurge, where I’m not really splurging.  Usually I can make a lucky guess at what will be there because of what is in season and what was on sale last week.
The thing that is great about over ripe or bruised produce is that there really is not anything wrong with it, especially if you are going to cook with it and within the next couple of days. The store wants to sell things that are pretty, and we customers also want to buy something pretty, but what to do with the un-pretty.  Instead of the store losing profits, it gains at least something back by selling the un-pretty at reduced priced.
This week on the un-pretty shelf they had bags of tomatoes. Each bag had about 10 tomatoes in it and the bag was priced at .99 cents. Score! One of the things that was on my list was tomato sauce. I was overjoyed at the prospect of making tomato sauce for cheaper than what I was going to buy it for.
The store brand sauce was on sale for 1.59. It come in a 640 ml jar (did I mention I just moved to Canada) which is like getting a 32 oz jar. To make my sauce I picked up some celery, and a can of tomato paste. Now if I was wonderful shopper I would have already had tomato paste at home from when I stocked piled 40 of them when they were only on sale for .25 cents, but I am not. I had to pay .54 cents for mine.  I had everything else I would need at home.
At home I was able to make 32 oz of sauce that I put in freezer containers for use throughout the week.
I paid .99 cents for the tomatoes
.54 cents for the tomato paste
.15 cents for the onion
.10 cents for the amount of celery I used
.10 cents worth of spices
So the grand total of my sauce was a 1.88.

In a way I guess you could say I lost out on .30 cents, especially when I think about the tomato paste I could have gotten on sale.  Though I guess I will take the .30 cents when I count in the fact that we will get to eat homemade sauce for the week and I know exactly what went into it without any preservatives and extra salt.  That is priceless.