How to Crochet 5: Seaming Your Work In this how-to series we could move right on from single crochet to the other stitches (double crochet, half double crochet and triple crochet) but I'm pausing to talk about "seaming" because if you want to make anything other than washcloths or rectangular scarves or afghans (which are all good) you're going to need to seam some pieces together. Seaming is a good skill to have and it can be the difference between a cute sweater looking handmade instead of homemade. I am going to share two different methods. The first is the invisible mattress stitch, which works equally well for knitting or crochet by the way, and the second seaming method uses a single crochet stitch. Click to view the full tutorial. SEAMING WITH THE MATTRESS STITCH: You will need a tapestry needle to do the seaming, which is a large blunt needle and a big eye for threading the yarn. The mattress stitch is so fabulous because it's virtually invisible if you line up the stitches correctly. That is the mattress stitch!
Gift Ideas for poor creative souls (6) You know how it goes, a friend calls you and invites you to dinner at the last minute. OMG! What gift can you take?! I thought this was a wonderful idea. Supplies : Patterned paper-one 12 x 12" sheet. These directions will give you one flower. 1. 4. 5. Tip: For single sided paper. 6. Note: Florist tape is stretchy, just play with it and pull gently but firmly as you move down the stem. 7. Note, you will have to play around with the height of the petals, and where on the petal you start your tape. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. For tutorials on how to market yourself online, go here. caramels Three day weekends are so dreamy. We took advantage of the extra day by taking a trip to Boston to visit some of our best friends, Ari and Jillian. They led us to some great food that I’ll be sharing later this week. The recipe calls for fleur de sel, which is a fancy salt that may take a little looking to find. fleur de sel caramels via design sponge via gourmetmakes about 40 candies 1 cup heavy cream 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 teaspoon fleur de sel 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup water 1 Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment. 2 Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside. 3 Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Nibble nibble, hop hop Nibble nibble, hop hop Posted on Updated on If you are a regular follower you will immediately notice that these bunnies are very closely related to some particularly cute owls made recently. You see a distant aunt on their mother’s side fell in love with a completely unsuitable (if you are an owl) rabbit… the rest, so they say, is history. Right, on with the tutorial. Various scraps of yarn and a corresponding hook – I used 8ply and a 4mm hook.2 x 9mm safety eyes (or beads or buttons)A very small amount of black crochet cotton or embroidery flossA needle to sew your creation together with. Round 1: Make a Magic Circle and chain 3, then crochet 13 DC into the circle and pull tight, join with a SS to complete the round (14 DC). Round 2. Round 3. Round 4. The round goes like this: Chain 2, 2DC into next stitch, 1 DC into next, 1 DC into next, 2DC into next stitch, 1 DC into next, 1 DC into next, 2DC into next stitch, 1 HDC into next, Chain 1, SC into each remaining stitch around. Round 5.
Inspiration : bird tattoos + DIY temporary tattoos I've been having a love affair with bird motifs since many years now, so my heart skipped a beat when I saw a flock of birds' tattoo for the first time. I've been collecting them since then. I know bird tattoos are currently super trendy, but I love them anyway! As far as I'm concerned, I'm not ready for a tattoo (I have a VERY low tolerance to pain), so as an alternative, I opted for temporary transfer tattoos! You need : 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. It can last up to 7 days, but mine started cracking after 4 days, so I dissolved it with baby oil. I felt like a little girl, and it was super fun!
DIY BRACELETS There has been so much chitter chatter on pinterest lately about the stacking bracelet trend (or as some people call it - "an arm party") and I think I am jumping on the bandwagon. The bigger, bolder, chunkier, gold-er :: the better. And, in effort to be financial friendly a lot of people have starting making their own to layer. I created a DIY board to house all of my funky finds in hopes it will inspire me to tackle one.Dana and I have collected almost all the supplies to make a few DIY jewelry projects, but we are still searching for a few supplies. Here are some of my favorite pinterest DIY jewelry ideas: Rope & Hex Nut bracelet via truly smitten, or another take on this bracelet could be used with leather or suede (below). This chain & rhinestone bracelet is one of my favorites, but it has been difficult finding the right chain. These friendship bracelets are a total throwback to middle school, but I love the updated look with the metallic thread. via honestly wtf
Zooty Owl's Crafty Blog: Starflower Mandala: Row by Row Two or so weeks back I posted my STARFLOWER MANDALA PATTERN The original plan was to provide photos of each row - but there was such a high demand for the pattern (long weekend = lots of crochet time) - so I decided to go ahead and publish with just the few photos of the first four rows!Hundreds (maybe thousands?) of people have by now made the Starflower Mandala (the pattern has been viewed some 65 000 times! YAY! My original STARFLOWER MANDALAS were crocheted with Stylecraft Special DK and a 3.50mm hook, giving a finished Mandala of 33 cm in diameter. The Starflower Mandala in this post was made with Raeesah Cotton Soft DK and a 4.00mm hook, giving me a finished Mandala of 45cm in diameter. The photo above is a little bit out of focus (I was precariously perched on a wall when taking this photo!)
How to Make a Paper Rose Paper roses are one of my favorite paper crafts. I use them on gifts, wear them in my hair and make them to compliment a Papier Couture dress I create for the runway. Since my typical paper rose is made on the fly, this last week I noodled over how to make a template for you that is simple to recreate and beautiful. {for a printable PDF version of these instructions, click here}
Justina Blakeney: DIY's Partners Credit + Disclosure + All images posted on the Justina Blakeney Blog are taken by me, or otherwise credited with source. + If at any time you see work that is inaccurately credited, please let me know and I'm happy to update. + If you find an item of yours that you wish to be removed from this blog, just holla and your wish shall be my command. + All items that I post are things that I adore and would use and/or wear myself. + On occasion I also work with affiliate links on my Pinterest Pins. + Giveaways that are sponsored are marked as such. What is Knooking? What is knooking? Think crochet hook + fabric that has been knitted. Knooking has been said to be the new style of knitting, using a specially designed crochet hook. Why Use a Knook? The knook is a special crochet hook that helps you to create knitted fabric, without the worry of dropping stitches, as can be encountered with regular knitting. With a knook (hook), you create actual knitted stitches. Kooking is said to have originated in Japan. Names for Nook Hooks Super Miracle Needle (Japanese)Amazing Needle (American)Magic Needle Knooks are crochet hooks with the usual hook on one end but with a hole at the other end, that is threaded with a cord. If you've always wanted to knit, but like the ease of crochet, now you can do so, using a knook--a handy crochet hook that replaces knitting needles and creates knitted fabric.