Hexagon Revamp and Half Hexagon Basics

by Kelly


Half hexagons are actually not hard at all.

The trick is to realize that you can't just divide the hexagon in half, that is, make 3 pairs of 2 cluster stitches, because if you do, you're trying to crochet into side spaces that don't exist.

See where the pen is pointing in the picture above? When you make a half hexagon, the spaces between clusters are what you're trying to create, because that's what you're crocheting into on each round. If that still seems a little mind boggling, then just follow the pattern below, and it will make more sense.


I adapted the hexagon pattern from One Loop Short, and here's what I did:

Half Hexagon Recipe

Special stitches Cl St = Cluster Stitch: YO and pull a loop through ring, YO and pull through 2 loops on hook (3 times), YO and pull through all 4 loops on hook.

1. Ch. 5 and join with a sl. stitch to form a ring.

2. Ch. 3, dc in ring, *(Ch2, yo and pull a loop through, [3 loops on hook], yo and pull through 2 loops [2 loops on hook], yo and pull a loop through [4 loops on hook], yo and pull through 2 loops [3 loops on hook], yo and pull through all 3 loops on hook), repeat from * once more, then ch. 3 and dc into ring. End color.

3. Join new color, Ch. 3, dc into the first cluster, ch2, (yo and pull a loop through, yo and pull through 2 loops) twice, yo and pull through all 3 loops, ch2, cl st in same space, ch2, work two cluster stitches in the next ch. 2 space, ch. 2, work one cluster in next space, then ch.3 and dc into the same space.

4. Join new color, Ch. 3, work 2 dc in same space. *(Work 3 dc in next space. In next space, work 3 dc, ch. 2, 3 dc). Repeat from * once more, then 3dc in next space, 3 dc in last space. 

Finish off and weave in all those dangly ends. 

If you try this and find a problem, please let me know in the comments and I'll correct the pattern. Hopefully it's okay, though.

Oh, and here's a picture of the finished afghan.

Now all I need is a border. (*Sigh*) It's always something, isn't it?

Flowers

by Kelly

We interrupt our regularly scheduled crafting post to bring you flowers.

These are the roses that grow in our front yard. The rose bush was given to us by my husband's uncle, a gardening fiend who also gave us two white concrete birdbaths and a small boulder that he was trying to get rid of.

Why did we accept the boulder? Well, because it was free, and I really didn't have much time to think about it. One day I heard a knock on the door, and when I opened it, there was my new FIL, wearing his impatient 'I'm about to do something rash' look, and he asked me "Do you want a boulder for your garden?" Naturally, I said yes. I've never been good under pressure.

Sometime I will have to share the story about how I acquired a whole flatbed trailer full of books at an auction for $2. It was the same kind of high pressure situation. Regardless, though, I think I would have said yes to the boulder just because of the magic words 'for your garden'.

Meanwhile, back to the roses. These are old roses, the kind that only bloom once a year, and they smell heavenly. I wish I could somehow add the scent to this post.

I've never had much luck with the new hybrid tea roses, but I can grow old roses like crazy. My husband says that it's because they tend to be thorny and difficult to live with, much like me. And then, just when I'm about to give him my best thorny look, he adds, 'and beautiful'.

Which, ha, isn't true, but it's a great line, isn't it?

Dimension's Cross Stitch Kit Review

by Kelly

All cross stitch kits have a few things in common - one or two embroidery needles, a graphed pattern to follow, a piece of fabric, and floss.

I usually choose kits from a company called Dimensions. Now, in general I don't have much brand loyalty - I tend to buy for different reasons. But for cross stitch kits, I always look at Dimensions first, and here's why.


First of all, they chose beautiful images to turn into kits. Here are two of my favorites:

Midnight Dance via Amazon

via Dimensions site

Secondly, their kits are never boring to work. Now, having said that, if the idea of sewing hundreds or thousands of tiny colored x's onto a piece of fabric to make an image makes you shudder, these kits still aren't for you.
But if you're crazy like me, and find that kind of thing fun and worthwhile, then imagine combining different colors of floss together in your needle to get a unique variegated look, or learning how to make velvety dark shadows with four strands of black floss, or adding French knots and lazy daisy stitches onto a cross stitched background to create a patch of flowers.

Also, they're great quality for the money. I've completed somewhere between ten or fifteen of these kits, and I've never been disappointed. I've also never run out of floss, which is a good thing, because they dye their own. If you do run out, they provide a way to order more of that color. Of course then there might be problems with dye-lots, and that could be a huge issue if you're trying to finish a half completed kit. Luckily, I've always had floss left over when I'm finished.

And lastly, since they have kits for all levels, from beginner to expert, as I learned new things I've always been able to find a Dimensions kit that was interesting and challenging. Whether or not I will ever take on one of their really complicated kits (like Ballerina Dreams), that's another story.

For now, I'm back to crocheting. But that smaller kit below would be cute to gift to my mom, since she loves butterflies. Hmm....

via Dimensions site

Crochet Hexagons Continued

by Kelly

Work continues on my hexagon flower blanket. The free pattern that I'm using can be found at One Loop Short.

Please forgive the backdrop of 1970's orange shag carpeting. We're renting.

I scammed that lovely yarn from Donna's stash. She didn't seem to mind, as she was just gifted three large plastic bags full of yarn from Stephanie. So really, I guess I actually scammed it from Steph. So confusing.

On another note, our camera is back from the repair shop and works much better than it has in quite a while. Yay! I'm so happy to have a camera again! Here's a gratuitous shot of one of our neighbors, just because.

We call this little guy 'the weathervane' because he sometimes goes up to the very peak of the shed and sits there for quite a while, looking around...first to the left...then to the right...

The Two Year Cross Stitch Project

by Kelly

I have finally, finally finished it. I started this project way back before I even learned how to knit or crochet, so you can imagine how happy I am that it's finally finished.

This is a kit from Dimensions, called Garden Door. I customized it a little, but the changes were very minor. All I did was use different colors in certain places. And since I have a super abundance of extra embroidery floss on hand, it wasn't like I had to go shopping for those extra skeins of floss.

Here's the original, so you can see what it's supposed to look like.

I changed the flowers in the left corner to Black-Eyed Susans, changed the ribbon on the hat to yellow, and changed the kitty to look like our late cat, who was always outside sleeping in the garden somewhere. Or at least, if he wasn't in our garden, he was in a our neighbor's.

I'm really happy with how it turned out, but mostly I'm happy that it's finished, washed and ironed, and ready to be stored until I can find a mat and frame and all that.

Whew! Now, where did I put that knitting...

Ruffles, Ruffles, and more Ruffles

I've finally managed to post one of my current projects in the store. It's a ruffled scarf that I just think is so cute. I made a thicker one for myself too. :) And to model these works of art....my little work of art. :)

I actually made two different versions because I was playing around with a few different ideas. I have one that is just the two solid colors and then another that has the two colors and then an edging of the opposite color. I kind of like them both.

I'm thinking of my next one being just one color all together for both sides.

Also, upcoming.....baby hats. I actually came up with my own design that has these hats coming out to look like little tulips or roses. (I know those are probably totally different but I'm not a flower person. :P ) I have some hats with a stem and without. I'm also thinking up some ideas on how to add leaves to it.

Must Have Crafting Kits

by Kelly

When I want a simple, mindless knit that I can do while watching TV, I usually turn to scarves. This explains the sudden surplus of scarves that I'm currently experiencing. At the moment I even have the lead on my husband, who has three - one Dr. Who (Tom Baker) scarf, one random scarf from his childhood, and one piano key scarf. I refer to this last one as his 'David Hasselhoff' scarf, which makes him wrinkle up his face and say in a haughty voice, 'It's a 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' scarf, thank you very much."

FT@RH

Regardless, this is off topic. What I really wanted to talk about is knit and crochet kits.  Kits are the next step up from scarves - you buy everything in one simple package, and when you're ready to start crafting, you open up the kit and follow directions. No searching for patterns or yarn required.

With this in mind, here are some of the most interesting kits I've found...

Knit Your Perfect Boyfriend Kit

Puppy Paws Mittens from the beloved Morehouse Farm

Knitwhits Elfin Booties
these are sized for kids, but there's an adult version, too.

Crochet Bracelet Kit


Icicle Angel Crochet Kit from Annie's Attic


And here's another luscious crochet bracelet kit, from essentialelementsbeads. They have quite a few of these kits, and they are simply beautiful.

via EssentialElementsBeads

At the moment I'm working on my cross-stitch backlog, so knitting and crochet is taking a backseat. But maybe my next project will be a kit. I'm feeling partial to the that crochet bracelet above, only I've never had much luck working with teeny little beads.