Another Little Pineapple Doily

Just a sneak preview of a new doily I'm making. It's called the petite pineapple doily. I would love to share the free pattern but I can't for the life of me remeber where I found it! If I remember I will post it. It's coming out a bit ruffled though which is making me worry but I think it will straighten out when I block it.

finally, a sock

If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with being able to make socks. And having tried just about every knit & crochet pattern out there------ you name it! --->I. have. tried. them. all.
.
And every single one of them have been frogged or discarded.

Until now! I found this crochet pattern called the Origami Turkish Sock.

And it is constructed in a flat manner with a crunch stitch using a size F hook and this greatest-discovery-ever ----> Patons Stretch Sock Yarn.

Yes. It stretches with an elasticity that just makes your heart sing....

It crochets up so quickly and with the ultra-handy measurements that the pattern has you take for each individual foot ------

It is a fool-proof pattern that even I can't frog.

I love crochet!!!

I have just learnt to crochet and look what I did!!!
This is what I am working on at th moment, I saw the design on Lucy from Attic24's site, and loved it!



And this is what I've just finished!



Crochet is the new knitting for me!!!!!

Finally After 4 Attempts and lots of unstitching

The rainbow cardie is finally FINISHED! Just thought I'd let you all know I didn't let the darn thing get the better of me. I worked and worked on it and finally finished it off with some nice red buttons. I am so over making baby cardigans after this one. I think it will be a long time before I make another one. I am looking into making socks next. Anyone have any ideas as to where to get a crochet sock pattern?

HELP! ...My Yarn is a Pile of Knots! (copy)

This is an exact copy of a post I have on my own personal blog, but since I'm looking for advice anywhere I can get it, and I'm wondering if anyone else out there has the same kind of problem, I thought I'd copy the post and put it here too...so here it is...

I have found that the best yarns come rolled up into almost a braided look of a skein/ball...yet I have also found that they are my worst nightmare! I am so used to working with yarns that have the tail (loose end) coming out the center of the skein so all I have to do is pull on that tail as I work on my project and the yarn comes out nice and without knots. More recently I've been working with yarns of different fibers and such...I am finding myself spending more time unraveling these skeins/balls of yarn than I am working on the actual project! I am asking for advice from anyone who has worked with yarns that look like this......because the above picture is how my yarn starts out looking, then when I go to actually use it, I have to figure out where the loose ends are, and then unravel it all, which in turn ends up like this...I am so frustrated right now! All I want to make is a washcloth, yet I've already spent over an hour trying to un-knot this mess of yarn. What am I doing wrong? Any advice or suggestions will be greatly apreciated! Thanks!

Dishcloths, Hot Pads and Washcloths

I'm hooked on crocheting dishcloths, hot pads and washcloths! They are quick to work up, I love working with the cotton yarn, and they make great gifts! I also love using them in my own home... Ever since receiving my very first hand knitted dishcloth from Sara in the Kitchen Swap 2009 this past spring, I haven't gone back to store-bought dishcloths!
Pattern names, instructions/where to find, and who designed them:

• Springtime Triangles Dishcloth - Pattern Designed By: Renata Russell
• Lily Sugar'N Cream Daisy Pot Holders to Crochet - Pattern Designed By: Unknown
• Pretty Pastels Dishcloth - Pattern Designed By: Eldonna Ewers
• Lily Sugar'N Cream Chrysanthemum Dishcloth to Crochet - Pattern Designed By: Unknown
• Ladder Stitch Crocheted Dishcloth - Pattern Designed By: Brian McGaunn
• Meadowbrook (Round) Washcloth - Pattern Designed By: Unknown

Hand-crocheted dishcloths, washcloths and hot pads / pot holders are great last minute gifts...crochet a few up to keep on hand, or some patterns can even be started and completed in an hour! Crochet up a matching washcloth and face towel for a gift basket and add some handmade soap and bath salts. I just love all the colors and shapes and varieties of the patterns and cotton yarns I'm finding as well.

I {heart}

... these two japanese crochet books :

And would like to highly recommend them, because they are real crochet bibles, and I love crocheting from diagrams (no I can't read japanese !)
If Kathy Ann is interested in adding them to the library shelf, I could scan the covers ?
These were bought at "kinokuniya", the japanese bookstore in San Francisco, during our summer vacations -- but they can be found on YesAsia as well, and probably other online sellers.

300 crochet patterns ISBN 978-4-529-04175-1
300 crochet motifs edgings ISBN 978-4-529-04233-8

Just wanted to share... :)
Happy week, ladies !

At Least One More For SWAP

Hello crochet lovers,
it is getting close to the September 1st joining deadline for our Christmas/Holidays Potholder swap.

At the moment we have 11 people signed up and we need at least one more person to join so that everyone has a partner. Is there anyone out there who would like to take the 12th place? This Swap is open to all people inlcuding our followers. I'm not sure if I made that clear.

So if you are interested and have not yet joined please get emailing and join the Christmas/Holiday Potholder swap!

Thanks again to EVERYONE for making this blog just awesome and so inspiring!

Kathy Ann

more mary jane -- this time a sweater purse

I love purses. Put me in any room and the first thing I look for is what kind of purse a woman is carrying. And you know how much I love this book -- so of course, I had to try her sweater bag in her you-must-see-this-book CROCHET THAT FITS.



And using her method of single crocheting with a smaller hook and then switching to a larger hook and double crochet, you get this wonderful looking shape...

...that turns into this darling, Doris-Day-type sweater purse.

an experiment with twine

One of my friends recently moved in a new appartment. And since she loves anything related to nature : pebbles, wood, dried flowers... and homemade, I wanted to sew something with linen (fabric) as a housewarming present, but my sewing machine broke down last month.

When I saw this cone of natural linen twine in my closet, my crochet hook told me to try for a few stitches. And before I knew it, some coasters for her family were on the way...

It's a little tough for fingers (but not unpleasant) so one a day seems the right pace for me . I use a European crochet 1.75mm, and then spray & block them as I go, and it works just like cotton or wool but with a stiffer result, which is just what I want for these.
Still one to go, it was fun to experiment something new & and a bit unusual.
I hope she likes her little gift...

Before the summer holidays

Hello girls! Before taking a break from the web for my summer holidays I want to show you an old work done some years ago for my home. These are crochet edges to decorate the shelves of an old cabinet restored by my father ... I have always seen it a bit too serious and I thought to make it lighter with these simple edges that seem lace (in fact the hook I used is very small!).

A hug to you all and... see us in September! Happy holidays!

back loop only

I love the drapey-ness of crocheting in the back-loop only. And I could just embrace Mary Jane Hall for showing this wonderful technique in her must-have book:



My attempts at crocheting a garment have always been met with sad, sad results ---> stiff, rigid & unflexible pieces that are simply u.n.w.e.a.r.a.b.l.e.!

But this! Oh my! The pattern for these arm warmers if for a beginner (most of the patterns in this book are beginner or advanced beginner) and I could not believe how liquid feeling this became as it came off of my hook.

I used Caron Simply Soft Heather Charcoal yarn and my J hook. This stitch is dreamy to say the least, and I feel that I can finally achieve such soft results that will indeed be wearable!

Custom Piece :: Crochet Coral

I just finished my first custom-ordered crochet piece!  I had made something similar in deep purple, but then I had a request for one in white or gray.  I love 3D crochet, it's so fun to do!

Excited To Be Here!

First of all, thank you for allowing me to join as a participant on this blog! I'm very excited to be a part of it! I have enjoyed reading through many of the posts and seeing the pictures.

A little bit about me... My name is Gina. I live in Columbus, WI, USA and have a 9 year old son and two 3 year old Sealpoint Siamese cats. I'm happily engaged and life is good...for the time being! ;o)

I LOVE to crochet! My grandma (mom's mom) taught me to crochet the basic stitches when I was a kid...when in my late teens early 20's I borrowed books from the library on crochet. I now crochet all the time. My favorite things to crochet are afghans, and a close running second within only the last week has been crocheting dishcloths! I never crocheted a dishcloth before...Why on earth hadn't I tried making one years ago???

My latest new form of entertainment is to join in swaps. I actively participate in swaps on Ravelry.com as well as here on Google Blogger. Prior to 2009, I had no idea what a swap even was!

I am currently working on some dishcloths for a swap I'm involved in...will have to post pictures when they are done. I found a free pattern online for some awesome flower shaped washcloths! They are so pretty!

The last swap I was in was a FRIENDS Swap. I made my swap partner an afghan titled Flower Field Afghan. This was my F gift, as we had to come up with a gift for each letter in the word FRIENDS.I found the pattern for this afghan online at Coats and Clark. The pattern is free and was designed by Ellen Gormley for Coats and Clark. The only difference between the original pattern design and my finished product is that my fiancee suggested that I make and add the little flowers in the cross intersections where the squares get whip-stitched together. This was to aid in hiding my whip stitching imperfections since I had a hard time getting them to look proportionate. (Shh....don't tell anyone, but I'm not very good at making afghans with squares I have to whip-stitch together! ;) I'm glad he suggested it...the little flowers and the added bumblebee buttons (because my swap partner liked flowers and bees) not only hid my imperfections, but they added depth and personalized charm to the afghan. I started the afghan on May 25, 2009 and finished it on July 10, 2009.

You can view more about this afghan as well as my other projects by visiting my blog: Afghans By Gina. I look forward to having the opportunity to share more with you, and to get to know each of you better and see and learn new things about crochet!

My first doily

I finally decided to try a doily pattern. The one I chose was doily number 7274 from the Free Vintage Crochet site. This was done in size 10 thread with a 2.0 mm hook. It looks a little wonky so I may try blocking tomorrow. It took about 4 days to complete, not working more that a couple hours at a time.

I enjoyed making this and have already picked out my next doily pattern and thread. This one has pineapples which will be another first. Hope to have an update with a pic on that one soon.

Hello!

Hi all!

My name is Zuleika and I love to crochet. I'm very happy to have joined this blog and look forward to contributing.
I'm originally from the small island of Bermuda and have been living in Edinburgh, Scotland since 2005. I have 3 beautiful boys and am self employed. (www.hobbyzu.com)
Just figured I'd introduce myself before I started posting anything. :-)

Now, I don't like posting without photos, so here is one of the many things I'm currently working on. I started afghans for my two youngest sons and am adding to them in between crocheting items for my shop. They've grown a bit more since this photo, but I want to wait until it's a really significant difference before posting another pic. :-)

I'm using the zen spiral pattern from lion brand. It's very simple and easy to follow.
Off to work on some hats, bye for now!

The first one is always special

These granny squares (shown here) were my very first ones, made in the Spring 2008, from discontinued wool.

As an adult, I had always wanted to crochet, but the only woman (my great grandmother) in the family who could, died when I was 8. From her, I inherited her portrait, a beautiful crochet hook, and a wonderful handmade lace tablecloth.
I didn't think I could learn it from a book, but the blog community gave me the nerve to do so, and today once again my motivation to join these squares together (something I had never done before & I was so reluctant !) comes from the blogging world, comes from this blog.
It is a very simple small blanket with its imperfections, but you see, it means so much to me : it means I can do it if I really want to.

My daughter turned 10 one week ago, and she found it amongst her birthday gifts. It HAD TO be.
She knows the story and she cares. I guess this is one of these old-fashioned values I want to pass on to the next generation.
Basically, what I'd like to say is : thank you, ladies, for your support ! Now I feel ready to work on another blanket...

Friendship Day Giveaway!

What a great day it is today. I awoke early, a to do list on my mind, and sun shining in the window. After pawing around for my glasses I arose to make coffee - a new fair trade blend I am enjoying. I have been thinking a great deal about friends lately. My dear, dear dear friend, Penny, extended a business trip a couple of days this past week and drove up from Dallas just to spend some time with me. We have been friends since our first day of Kindergarten. We have been friends for 41 years. We have shared so much together. We have cried. We have laughed. We have shared birthdays; although, Penny is quick to point out that I am two weeks, to the day, older than her. She is my sister.

Today is International Friendship Day - a holiday established in 1935 by the United States Congress. I may not know why this day, the first Sunday of August, was established, but I am so glad that it was and that we are reminded each year of how much our friends touch and shape our lives.

I have made so many wonderful friends, here, through the computer. When you began to read my blog and gift me with your comments and amazing generosity, I knew that I had found a place of kindred spirits. I follow so many of you, it is difficult to keep up, but I try. Comments often touch my heart and I thank you for your time and your thoughtfulness - each comment a hug I never take for granted.

John encouraged me to keep writing this past year and to keep sharing. I am so glad that I did. You began to follow and I was so surprised. I wondered why you would read me? Why would you care what we were having for dinner on Monday, or what challenges I was meeting in my classroom.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated that,

"A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud."

I want to thank you for allowing me to think aloud here on (un)Deniably Domestic. You have encouraged me and supported me and I thank you. I want to give your a gift to commemorate our friendship.


On August 15, I will throw the names of all of my followers (friends) into a hat and draw one friend's name to receive this beautiful shawl pin from Nicholas and Felice.

I know that you will love it as much as I enjoyed choosing it for Jody's Shawl. If you are new to my blog and would like to read the story of Jody's Hug Shawl, click on the following links.

The Beginning
Giving Hugs - part 1
Giving Hugs - part 2
Giving Hugs - part 3
Giving Hugs - part 4
Giving Hugs - part 5

Information for Christmas/Holiday Swap 2009

Okay, this post will outline the details for the

Christmas/Holiday Potholder Swap 2009.

Please join by 1st of September 2009
Partner details will be sent to you by 14th September, 2009
Swap packages sent out on 1st December 2009

join by sending an email to jedimaster_chick@yahoo.com.au with the following questionare filled out (copy and paste in the body of your email). Please put I want to join Swap in the email subject, I get lots of spam dont want to delete your email by accident!

I will then send you back the name and contact details, plus the questionare from your partner so you know something about them and can make further contact with them etc. I hope I can pair people up with similar interest etc, hence the questionare.

Questionare
1. Name
2. Email address and blog address if you have one
3. Age
4. Whether you are interested in receiving a Christmas or Holiday themed item
5. Favourite colours
6. Any allergies (i.e. to pet hair or smoke)
7. Crochet level, i.e. beginner, intermediate etc.
8. Country you are from and languages you speak

I will let everyone swap postal addresses themselves so that it is kept private between you and your partner, not that I plan on stalking anyone etc. hehehehehe

List of things to send in swap
1. One crochet potholder in a Christmas or Holiday theme (depending on what your partner wants)
2. A copy of your favourite crochet pattern (relate it to your partner's crochet level)
3. A ball of your favourte yarn.
4. Something that is relates to your family or culture's Christmas/Holiday traditions . This might be a written letter about your traditions, photos of Christmas/holiday traditions, a recipe for food you always cook for Christmas/Holidays, a how-to-do tutorial for making decorations you use etc.


This is a basic list of things to send. If people want to add more to their packages please consult your partner so that they don't feel bad if they didn't send as much as you did and you dont feel like your efforts were not returned etc. Basically I just want to say it is IMPORTANT to communicate with your partner and decide how much you want to send to each other. Some may not be able to afford as much as their partners or might not have as much time to make as many potholders as the other etc. Take this into consideration!!!!!! The swap should be a fun and lovely experience!

So that's all from me. If there is anything I've left out or you need more information just leave a comment. I look forward to receiving your emails!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Little Hooked Heart

A blogger that inspires me often is Bella Dia. I used this tutorial to create a heart decoration for the top of a package. These sweet little hearts are so easy and quick to make.


The gift inside the package is knitted not crocheted so if you want to know more you can check it out here.