Crocheting Ponchos for the Spring Weather

Oh the Spring weather is the perfect time for crocheted ponchos. 

The weather is not cold enough for a coat (but if you count the last couple of cool Spring days you could even wear a mid length sweater underneath) but just to keep the chill off the poncho is just the right accessory.  Being a 60's child I remember wearing my crocheted ponchos a lot while I was in Junior and Senior high school even crocheting some ponchos for my classmates.

 This particular poncho is 100% wool including the edging. I got the inspiration for this poncho from a television commercial. Of course the favorite part for me was the cowl neck. I decided to give this crocheted poncho a different look in that it is not the hanging type cowl. Stiffer yet soft but can be worn up as a high collar. The cowl sits right on your shoulders. I placed a thin elastic inside right around the bottom of the cowl to keep it right on the shoulder or it can be worn off one shoulder as well. To be entirely crocheted in the rib stitch with 100% wool it is quite light yet warm. I had been dying to use this one skein of orange wool that I bought just to use as an accent. With the picot stitch I loved the way it added a uniqueness. To add even more flair I added two hand craved wood buttons done by the talents of  William of OruAka's Wooden Jewelry and Accessories. William's buttons caught my eye last year as I was searching for unique buttons. I have a shawl pin I'll be ordering soon for a new wrap. As a bonus  to the readers of my blog....... William is offering Free shipping for his items to ALL of my blog readers when they use  the coupon code "FREESHIP" . You are sure to find a lot of quality crafted wood items handcrafted by William in his shop.

Crocheted poncho accented with African wooden beads by Purple Butterfly Crochet Collection

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Now for part of me that celebrates me as unique, and proud of my heritage. My rendition of an crocheted "Earthy type" poncho accented with African wooden beads.  I had a lot of fun choosing the beads which came from crafter: Nia Yaa on Face Book. I used the single crochet stitch and accented at the bottom with a row of Block Net crochet stitch.....* Just a little note: as a crafter I purchase for myself handcrafted items. I try to buy my items from those small business persons like myself. The beads were so assorted I changed my mind about which ones to use several times before deciding on the arrangement you see here. For orders I can add the same beads or I can add completely different beads (various colors, shapes or all the same color). This particular poncho is not as thick as the crocheted poncho above but warm. Just the accessory for the chill in the movie theater, train or airplane trip or a night on the town.
Both of the poncho are very easy to wear. They are also quite easy to carry right in your tote bag. For care both need just cold or warm water washing, roll out the excess water and lay flat to dry. I always recommend that crocheted items never be hung for storage.



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Until the Next Time 
Keep the Faith and Plenty of Yarn

~ Cheryl

                                             

New Sandals and New Yarn

Nothing like the summer for me, especially when I can wear sandals. Went shopping with my Mom and couldn't pass these up. They may not look like it but they are very comfortable. They are in a pewter shade which I think goes with everything. I really like the looped design, almost looks like crochet ribbon doesn't it? 

Last but not least....I spotted yarn and on sale.

A crocheter in one of the Google groups listed that Walmart was having a yarn sale, so curious I went by and found one of my favorite yarns  ~ Caron yarn. I used this for many of my designs. The Caron yarn wears and washes well. Did you see the price?  So with those 3 skeins I added 20 other skeins from Lion Brand. I have  projects  in mind all of them of course.

Stay tuned.
Where are some of your favorite places to find yarn sales? 


Until Next Time ~ Keep the Faith and Plenty of Yarn ~

Cheryl

Update for My Vintage Crochet Hooks

 I have been busy, really learning about piecing my blog together. I just designed my header. Not too bad for a complete blog novice but for now I like it. What do you think? Suggestions?
Planning to get a logo design by the end of the year.

Well I recently stated that I would be sharing information about my new collection of vintage crochet hooks. Still waiting for two of those to arrive, hopefully by Saturday.
This is one made of bone. Once I show my other three, I plan to share information about their backgrounds and some history.

 Also busy finishing up 2 head wraps for the summer.

Until Next Time Keep the Faith and plenty of yarn ~

Cheryl

 

Crochet ribbon slip knot

 For this ribbon I used a size G crochet hook. In this photograph once I folded the ribbon it is pretty easy to begin crocheting the ribbon. (I had run out of purple ribbon so used the white ribbon for demonstration). Loved this ribbon because it had a slight sheen silver-like in it.

Crocheted ribbon fascinator - handband, bendable ribbon, beads and feathers

 I have to say that is was very comfortable to wear. With everything bending I was 

 able to move feathers out of the way from my eyes. I want to experiment with a different type of feather.

                          Side view of crocheted ribbon fascinator

 Have a lot of other ideas for some summer fascinators. I think I will try another crocheted fascinator soon, thinking of creating one in black.

Until the  next time ~ Keep  the Faith and lots of yarn.

Yours,
Cheryl B.

Crocheted Summer Fascinator

Crocheted Summer Fascinator

It has been quite awhile. 
Life changes but developing a better schedule. So on to one of my favorite activities. I attended a women's conference last week which I greatly enjoyed. We were asked to wear white. I not being one to wear summer hats (unless they are made of straw or a head wrap) decided I needed to wear something different. Just what could I crochet that would be in the "hat" category yet be comfortable in the summer heat?  

Crocheted fascinator to the rescue.  Yarn was going to be out of the question but ribbon was just to my liking: lightweight, sheer and bendable. 


                                                               


Of course my favorite color purple had to be included.  The ribbon pictured to the right was different but great to work with.

Crocheted fascinator materials

              

Crocheted ribbon fascinator -  The materials I used were the bendable ribbon, beads and feathers

crocheted ribbon chain stitch

Crocheted summer fascinator

I have to say that is was very comfortable to wear. With everything bending I was able to move feathers out of the way from my eyes. I want to experiment with a different feathers.

                                

                           Until the  next time ~ Keep  the Faith and lots of yarn.

                           Yours,
                            Cheryl B.

How To Block Crochet Pieces

                                                       
Surfing the internet,the Face Book,Twitter and other artisan/crafter social networks I hear the question: “Ok, Is it really necessary to block my crochet projects.

What is the difference if you do or don't block your crochet?

                       

                         

A little bit of background,When I first learned to crochet I knew nothing about blocking probably because I was concentrating on learning the various crochet stitches and because crochet was not associated with the computer it was a “Come sit by me, let me show you how to crochet. Of course from there you learned to single crochet,double crochet, how to make a circle, a square then stitch them together. I didn’t learn about blocking a crochet garment/accessory until about say six years ago. Before then I washed the item laid it out by hand and it looked pretty good. 

I have some pieces I still own that I crocheted in my twenties. I am now 54. When my mother shared the art of crochet with me she didn’t go into the whole process of blocking your pieces but she did know that if you had an item made of yarn you needed to smooth is out and lay it flat to dry in good shape.

Two crochet pieces that have not been blocked.

Let’s  fast forward to today. Yes I absolutely agree with blocking my crochet projects better yet each piece as I finish them. What a difference in seeing how the crocheting project will look and most importantly fits together. Basically for me the same thing that my mother taught me when washing sweaters, pulling them into shape (well not exactly pulling) and laying it flat to dry. Never hang crochet on hangers. Blocking relaxes the yarn and gives that neat finish.

My crochet blocking board

This is my handmade blocking board. I explain what is made of and how I made my blocking board in my crochet video.  Can you guess what it is made out of?







                    This is a piece of wool before it was blocked and after. Wool for me (because I crochet so tightly wrinkles). Does this happen to you?

Crochet side handbag pieces after they were blocked.

 This is a worsted wool piece for a new handbag. - the same 2 curled crocheted pieces in the photo above. The crochet is quite tight(thus the other need for blocking),  but because they will be the sides I will be reinforcing these sides with a type of interfacing.

  

Until next time Keep The Faith and Plenty of Yarn!

~ Cheryl

Crocheted Bucket Handbag

Hi All:

In my perfect world I would spend all day crocheting (well along with caring for my plants and reading from my Kindle) but other duties call. I began crocheting a new handbag design about a month and a half ago. Due to 2 finals, all of my crochet went into hibernation until a couple of week ago. Crocheting handbags are really interesting to me since there are so many crocheted handbag shapes to explore. Finding an unusual shape is always half the fun of crocheting. That was one of the reasons I learned crochet, I can add or subtract any detail to the crocheted project. So here is the beginnings of the bucket bag or purse. Can you guess why this shape is great? Yep you guessed it you can fit the kitchen sink in it, well at least a pile of dishes. Lots of room. If you are like me it has to have room for many things. This carries in addition to the "usual ladies items" my Kindle, small notebook, Ipod and a crocheted shrug (they fold up to nothing). I wanted 2 colors of the Autumn/Winter hues. On the left is a rust color and on the right a mixture of greens,gold,orange and beige. Wasn't sure how it would work but "Viola"..... the texture was perfect. I used a H crochet hook and when finished it is almost like a canvas material. Stiff yet flexible. This is where my crocheting so tightly comes in handy.  I could not have been happier!  I love handbags but they have got to stand the test of time and the many things I carry.



















Discovered this "tweed-like" look of yarn and loved the way it does look like a tweed material when crocheted. The greens,browns,gold and a hint of burnt-orange specks leave room for various colors to add so I went with a burnt-orange yarn.  Had thought about a burgundy which I feel would have worked just as well.

 

Of course if need be this photo is showing the bucket bag packed with 4 skeins of yarn. (I forgot I always carry a crochet project to work on. (I even have the hooks and hardware down at the bottom of the bag.

 I set the bag to the side for about 2 weeks while I tried  choosing several wooden handles. They just didn't seem to fit this bag. Then while watching Knitting Daily I found my answer. They featured a segment Twisted Cord Handle Tutorial .   Great it worked except I needed to really add lots more yarn strands. This cord measured 31" from tip to tip. To give it a little more stiffness I sprayed the cord with the Aleene's Stiffen Quick spray. Still soft but stiffer. The challenge came with how to attach the cord to the loops I crocheted at the top. It took some working but got it just right. I looped each piece individually (yes time consuming) then sprayed with the Stiffen Quick. I had almost decided to use the metal holders but felt that distracted from the look I wanted. Last sprayed the entire bag with Scotch Guard.




Until next time Keep the Faith and Plenty of Yarn!

~Cheryl

Crocheted shell and mesh stitch summer cotton yarn handbag

 

 I  would have to say that crocheting handbags is my favorite accessory to crochet but only because I am such a handbag person. You know the women who have 2 closets of FULL of shoes well that is me with handbags. My Mom said that even as a little girl I had to have a handbag with me. Be it clutch or travel case I LOVE handbags. So here is the story of my newest crocheted handbag. I work differently or should I say plan. I will find handles, love them and them design a handbag around the handles.

 

 

 

Inside lining of white satin material for shell/mesh crochet stitch summer handbag. Wooden purse handles.

 

 The handles are wooden (a more in price but with what I carry the weight of them is best). Very smooth and makes the clicking sound when they hit together. The trick with these handles is to make your edging just so to be able to fit around the handles. With this I crocheted the shell stitches about 6 rows that I then tucked and hand stitched around the handles and back to the inside. The inside lining is sewn under the fold over of the shell edging.

I really have fallen in love with the color turquoise and lime. For the body of the handbag I crocheted single Then  crochet stitches for the bottom half, then mixed shell stitches with mesh and double crochet stitches. I thought the turquoise said Summer quite well. Then added with the white and gold really made it stand out. I do have to admit that I would have crocheted the top just 2 inches wider. It is kind of a squeeze to get my hand inside until I get to the bottom. The one I just crocheted a week ago for one of my customers had a wider top half.

 The lining is satin. Had to remember my some time ago sewing skills in sewing the lining made with satin which is so worth it. The snap I used is medium size metal (going to try the magnetic snaps soon). I crocheted the snaps to taps so as not to pull on the material or crocheted and it works perfectly.

 

 

Cotton shell/mesh crocheted stitch summer handbag. Shell stitching accents the purse handles.

 

 

In about another week I should be finished a tapestry crochet bag. It is my first try with tapestry crochet so the design is taking a little more time than I thought it would be coming along well. Stay tuned for pictures. I have presently 4 projects going at once. Two will be crocheted tops which are a challenge but coming along.
Want a shell cotton handbag of your own but haven’t mastered the mighty hook? Contact me via Purple Butterfly Crochet Facebook fan page  on Face Book or drop  me  a line at Pbcrochet@gmail.com and I’ll have one made for you within 7 business days. Of course if you have another color scheme in mind I would be more than happy to crochet that as well!


Until the next time Keep the Faith  and Plenty of Yarn,

~ Cheryl

 

Crocheted Headwraps and Head Bands

                        



Ahhh the summer crochet months are here. Time to think about the coolness and colors of crocheting with the beautiful colors cotton yarn to make crocheted head wear. Just as in changing my clothing to lighter weighted fabrics I just automatically  think of designing crocheted items from cotton yarn. I am still discovering the wide array of cotton yarns and their mixtures. I just experimented with 100% cotton yarn from Lily’s  and Lion Brand’s cotton ease series. I also love the look and texture of Vanna White’s Glamour yarn line. Although this is not a cotton yarn the thin texture lends itself to a really comfortable weight for the summer months. Some crocheters have said it is scratchy, I have not found that to be true for me.


          I used Lily’s Sugar’n Cream cotton yarn for this head wrap. No knots or linty but can be a little stiff. The colors are great.  Crochets quick and although soft doesn’t stretch.   The braided headband I used Lion Brand’s   Cotton Ease series. Just wish there were more colors. This yarn is thinner than Lily’s  and I love the glitter aspect to it.

Until the next time,
Keep the Faith and Plenty of Yarn
~ Cheryl

Trying My Hand At Crocheting Jewelry

Crocheted Hoop Necklace with Beads

I love to crochet and last year ventured into crocheting bracelets. As with most artists I wanted to try something new VIOLA I tried my hand at crocheted earrings and necklaces. (Personally I am a jewelry hoarder especially earrings and rings).
Here are the pictures from my first crocheted earrings and a necklace

Crocheted Hoop Earrings

I first used a plastic hoop. The yarn is cotton then added sock yarn which is thinner.The yarn I used is super soft by sturdy. Comes out smooth. I used one type to crochet around the hoop and another cotton type for the embellishment. The embellishment is the PICOT stitch. I made a Picot Crochet Stitch video

I love the variegated colors which means no 2 pairs of earrings would be alike. If your a person who is matchy-matchy in your fashion that may not sit well with you. The colors as you crochet with them come out as either red,purple,green,blue or yellow. So in this instance it is once red and one purple earring. I am also a “bead lover” so add to add beading. I tried something even newer for me. I used gold jewel wire to add the beads to the tips of the PICOT stitch.

Red, Purple and Gold cotton yarn crocheted earrings

Does anyone enjoy making crochet jewelry?

Until the next time keep the Faith and Plenty of Yarn

~Cheryl