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

                                             

 

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.

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

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