Ornament Wreath

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  We sure did.  Our tofurkey and sides were great.  :)


I have been wanting to make an ornament wreath, so with my time off for Turkey Day, I did.

Supplies:
--wreath form
--shatterproof ornaments
--glue gun and glue
--ribbon (optional) (for hanger and/or to make the bow)

This wreath was much cheaper than some of the other ones, like my balloon wreath and ribbon wreath.  I ended up using this package of ornaments, plus some ornaments I already had.  For my hanger and bow, I used scraps of ribbon I already had.

Step 1: Gather your supplies and figure out your arrangement.

Step 2:  If you are adding a bow or hanger, add them, so that you know where to place your ornaments.  I made the bow by cutting strips of 2 types of ribbon, gluing the edges to the middle, and then wrapping the center with ribbon.  It's super easy.  I added the bell for a small embellishment.

Step 3:  Glue on your ornaments.

Step 4:  Hang it up, step back, and find any large holes or places that need more ornaments.  Add those ornaments.

Step 5:  You are done.  Hang up you new holiday wreath.  Enjoy!

Interested in another type of holiday wreath?  Here are my holiday wreaths from last year:

Candy Wreath

String Wreath

Halloween Amigurumi Roundup and Pattern Testing

I recently went up to North Carolina and Virginia to visit friends and family.  As I was leaving to come back, it hit me that I wanted to try out some more Halloween amigurumi home decoration patterns.  So, I found many, but just tried out a few.  I haven't been able to finish all of them in time for this post, but I will share the ones I have already finished this week and the others next week.

I also decided to do a roundup this week to highlight some of the really awesome free patterns available online.  I already did a fall pumpkins amigurumi roundup, so this one will be more of the Halloween ghoul and witch variety.

15 Free Halloween Amigurumi Patterns

1. Baby Ghosts Ornament by Josephine Wu

(pic from her ravelry store)

I thought this picture was super cute; however, I had a little bit more trouble following this pattern, and my ghost isn't quite so perfect. But I think it still turned out well. Here's how mine turned out:

2. Halloween Candy Corn Creatures by Josephine Wu





Here are the results of my attempts at this pattern.  FYI, this one was very easy to follow and they are really cute.

3. Ronnie the Halloween Cat by Justyna Kacprzak



4. Jack Skellington by Assunta Cicalese



5. Lil' Halloween Witch Teddy by Rachel Hoe


6. Zero the Ghostly Dog by Meg-Ann Skilton


7. Boo Ghosts by Beverly Mewhorter

(pic from The Needlecraft Shop)

I am currently in the process of finishing this one.  I started out joining the rounds as directed by the pattern, but I found it to be too slow...and I don't think I was doing it quite right, so I changed to continuous rounds.  I just need to sew all the parts together, and then I will be able to share my attempt at this pattern.

8. Ghost Child Doll Inspired by Coraline by Sharon Ojala

9. Inma, La Brujita Azul by Hastaelmonyo Patrones en español


10. Amy the Little Witch by Renske de Busschere



This witch is super cute.  I'm almost done trying out this pattern.  I think I just have 1 arm and the monster left to complete it.  The pattern was easy to follow, but make sure that you notice where the 2nd purple line should be as it is not marked in the pattern. 

11. Free Little Witch Halloween crochet pattern by Sayjai Thawornsupacharoen
 

12. Graveyarn by Shove Mink


13. Distinctly Batty by Karissa Cole
 

 14. Halloween Pou by Teresa Alvarez


 15. Halloween Batt Tutorial by Miss Dolkapots



(I tried to link to all patterns.  If I failed to cite or messed up a link, then it was by accident and please let me know, so that I may correct the error.)


 If you like this roundup, then you should check out my Pumpkin Roundup post.

Fall Great Pumpkin Amigurumi Roundup

It's fall now, and pumpkins can be out on display pretty much all season, so I decided to try my hand at some of the free crochet amigurumi pumpkin patterns.  I'm showing off my pumpkins this week and providing links to these patterns as well as many other free pumpkin patterns.

I tried out 3 free crochet pumpkin patterns:

1. Amy Lehman's Crochet Pumpkin available at her blog Crochet Jewel

This pattern was fairly easy to make, but it is more complicated than it appears.  It looks like 2 pieces, but it is actually 4 pieces--stem, top, bottom, and main body.  The main body is done in rows rather than rounds, and it is a mix of SC and  HDC.

It is a more lifelike pumpkin, rather than a being a cutesy pumpkin like the other 2 patterns that I tried out.  I like the ridges in this pumpkin, which are created using the mix of stitches and gathering.


2. Stacey Trock's Amigurumi Jack the Tiny Pumpkin available for download at Ravelry

This pattern was by far the easiest of the 3 patterns I tried out.  The pumpkin was composed of 3 total crochet pieces--2 eyes and a body.  The body and stem were continuous rounds. I think it turned out very cute.  It would also look good in a bigger size by doubling the yarn or doing more increase/decrease rounds.

3. Allison Hoffman's Squeeze N' Sniff Pumpkin Pie available at her blog Crafty Is Cool

This pumpkin pie pattern was just ridiculously cute, so I had to make it when I saw it.  I really like how my version turned out. The project was not the most difficult amigurumi piece, but it included more detail work and more complicated stitches than the other 2 patterns.

I decided not to do the sachet, but I did put the cardboard on the bottom of the pan to help it keep its shape. 



I found quite a few other cute and free pumpkin patterns, but I only have so much time and space to devote to amigurumi pumpkins.


The following is a list of some other free amigurumi crochet pumpkin patterns:

• Jennifer Clark's Little Fall Pumpkin available at her blog Crafty Jenn
• June Gillbank's Pumpkin available at her blog Planet June
• Eden Dintsikos Amigurumi Pumpkin available for free download at Ravelry
• Lion Brand's pumpkin pattern #80840AD available at Lion Brand's website
• Monica Cifuentes' Evil Pumpkin available at her blog Witchnofret Handcraft
• Halloween Pumpkin available at Little Things Blogged
• Sara McFall's Easy Crochet Pumkin available at her blog My Merry Messy Life
• Lion Brand's Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Ornament available at Lionbrand's website 

Update:

Monster Crochet Hook Case

Last week, I showed off my new crochet hooks with polymer clay hook grips.   Well, now that I had the new hooks, I needed a new crochet hook case.  (I had been toting around my hooks in a plastic Ziploc baggy, so it was time for something a little nicer.)

 Supplies:
--yarn for monster body
--yarn for eyes
--2 plastic safety eyes (optional)
--crochet hooks of a couple different sizes (I used F for the body and D for the horns and eyes)
--button

Directions:
Step 1:  I started out by using this monster pattern as the template.  The only parts I followed were the beginning telling the number to chain and how to know where to put the mouth.  (I think her hook case is really cute with the stripe running down it.)

Step 2: Crochet your foundation chain (about 22 SC), and go all the way around it.  Then, I went around it with a DC.  Increase base to make it as big as you want/need.

Step 3: SC rounds until crochet hooks fit inside and only the tips stick past.

Step 4: Create your mouth.  Figure out how big you want your mouth to be, and crochet that amount of SC.  (Ex:  If you want it 14 SC long, then make a 14 SC chain, then count 14 SC and attach at the new spot)  Continue SC rows until you have desired height (minus closing).

Step 5: Closing your monster head.  There are different ways to do it.
--The way I chose was to do decrease rounds until I reached 6SC total, and then close using a decrease stitch using first and fourth SC.
--Another way to close would be to just sew across the top or to reduce some and sew across the top.  The across the top sewing would be for a more boxy shaped head.

Step 6: Decorate your monster.  I added horns, arms, and eyes.
--To make eyes: Ch2; Rd 1= 4 SC in ch that is second from hook.  Increase until you have the width you want.  (I did 4, 8, 12) Then, 1 plain SC round to make eyes pop out.  For the eyes, I'm pretty sure I used the smaller D hook.  I added plastic safety eyes, but you could also do yarn, felt, etc.
--To make the horns, I used a smaller D hook.  I think I started with 4 SC, but I cannot remember.
--To make arms, I used the same size hook as the body (F), and did the following: Ch 2; Rd 1= 6 in ch that is second from hook; Rd 2= 2 SC, Sc (9); Rds 3-9= SC (9)

Step 7:  I added a button and yarn to close off my monster's mouth, so that my hooks wouldn't fall out easily.

Update: This post was featured on We Made That Linky #53.

Colorful Polymer Clay Crochet Hook Grips

A little over a week ago, I saw this blog post from Petals to Pecots about polymer clay hooks, and I had to make my own.  I had one crochet hook that had a grip at that time, and it was my favorite hook.  The grip made it more comfortable to hold, so I wanted more hooks with grips.   

So, I went to Wal-Mart and got a variety pack of Sculpey for about $9 and some cheap and colorful metal crochet hoops.  I already had some metal hooks, but I was afraid that I might melt them or have some other accident that would ruin them, so I bought more.  (Note: None of the hooks melted or even came close to it.)

The polymer clay was pretty easy to use, and I love the way these hook grips turned out.  :)

(See below for directions)

Supplies:
--polymer clay in a variety of colors
--metal crochet hooks
--rolling pin or other rolling tool
--razor blade or very sharp knife
--baking pan
--aluminum foil

Directions:
Step 1: Pick your clay colors and roll design.  I tried to match colors with the hooks as best as I could.

Step 2: Knead your clay to make it pliable.

Step 3: Make rolls.  I found some easy roll ideas and tips online, such as at the Sculpey website.  I made very simple rolls for this project, but more complicated rolls would look great too.

Step 4: Cut the roll into slices and place the slices around the hook.  Keep putting slices around the hook until you have the size and shape of your grip that you want.  For the really skinny hook, I actually put a thin base layer around the hook, and then placed the roll slices on top of it.

Step 5: Bake your crochet hook. Follow the baking directions that came with your clay.

Tips & Resources:
--It's best to finish with one color and clean your hands before touching the next color.  I found that the clay would stick to my hands and change the color of the next piece of clay if I didn't first wash my hands and use a paper towel.


--I found that I needed a really sharp cutting instrument like a razor blade to cut the rolls slices.  Otherwise, they kept mushing together and blurring the pattern

--For my work surface, I used a baking sheet and covered it in aluminum foil, so it doubled as a work space and my baking tray.

--Google images of polymer clay rolls, so that you can get ideas for rolls

--Sculpey's How To on Simple Canes

--There are also lots of videos on YouTube and examples on Pinterest



Update:  This post was featured at Sugar Bee Crafts.