Crafty Elements

Easy Shrug Pattern

2012-01-30T00:47:00.000-08:00

Easy Shrug Pattern

It is worked up and down. I used H hook with worsted weight yarn.

**NOTE: I made this pattern to fit me...I wear a small/medium. If you wear a bigger or smaller size, you will need to adjust accordingly. Also this pattern is for personal use only, please do not sell the pattern or the product, as I am giving it to you for free and it took several hours to write it down. Don’t hesitate to ask questions and please let me know if I need to tweak the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!**

Ch 68. (25" Width)

Dc in 4th ch from hook. Sk 3 st. 2 dc, ch 5, and 2 dc in next st. *Ch 2. Sk 3 st and dc in next st. Sk 2 st, dc in next st. Ch2. Sk 3 st. 2 dc, ch 5, 2 dc in next st*. Repeat from * to * until last 5 st in row. Then, sk 3 st and 2 dc in next 2 st. ch up 3 and turn.

Dc in next st. Ch 3. Sc in ch 5 sp. ^Sk next two dc. Ch 2. 2 dc, ch 5, 2 dc in next st.^ Repeat from ^ to ^ until last ch 5 sp. Sc in the last ch 5 sp and skip 2 dc. Dc in next 2 dc.

Repeat these two rows in consecutive order until desired length. (I did 22 rows all together which was 15")Tie off.

Assembly:

Fold in half an sew ends together 2 1/2" on each side, but leave yarn attached on 2nd side.. You will have two smaller holes (on either side) for your arms, and a large hole for your shoulders.

Band around shoulders:

R1: Sc around large hole ending at "armpit".Ch up 1, do not turn.

R2: 'Sc in 1st st, 2 sc in next st'. Repeat ' to ' until you get to next "armpit". '''Sc in next sc, then dec'''. Repeat ''' to ''' until you reach the beginning of your round.

R3 & R4: Sc in each sc around, Tie off. Weave in ends.

Mostly earrings

2011-12-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

I recently went on vacation to Hawaii and then family in the states. I crafted some while I was on vacation, but they were more involved projects and are not done yet. But, I do have some that are done that I made when we came back :)

One of the ladies that I know just had a baby girl so I made her some booties. This pattern is the "Fake Mary Jane" pattern.

I fought with xmas light for about a 1/2 hour and then decided that they were going in the trash, but then I was like I can make something out of them other than just throwing them away.
This I made before I left. Super easy to make.
I made this on vacation.
I made these in a variety of colors(beads) for people at work.
Happy Holidays!

Pendant and the best scrubby EVER!

2011-10-28T22:50:00.001-07:00

So this is going to be a quick blog....but I just had to share it.

So I made this pendant from glass I found on the beach. I'm hoping to find another one of a similar size to make a pair of earrings, but for now....just a pendant.

Okay, so this is what I was really excited about. I was about to start on dishes, and I saw my expired sponge. When I say "expired" I mean that it was way past the throw-out date. It wasn't just a little gross....I'm pretty sure it was about to sprout legs and walk. So I needed an emergency scrubby! So I whipped this little scrubby up with plarn that I made. Making the plarn and the scrubby took probably about 10-15 minutes. And it worked great! I actually like it better than my regular scrubby because it is more pliable. You don't have to "break it in" like regular scrubbies.

Plarn Scrubbie Pattern & Materials:

2 Plastic grocery bags

scissors

Size J hook

How to make plarn:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdTm2V4ssvY

**I cut mine into about 2" sections and I added the loops as I went along so I wouldn't add them unneccisarily.

Pattern:

Ch 5 and sl st in first ch to make a circle. Ch up 3 and 11 dc in the center of your circle. Sl st in 3rd ch of ch 3. Ch up 3 and dc in bottom of ch up 3. 2 dc in each dc around. Join in 3rd ch of ch up 3. FO and tuck in ends.

****As always, please do not sell the pattern or the product, I did work hard on it. Thanks :)

Easy peasy :)

Chained Spider Web Pattern...Yey for Halloween!

2011-10-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking on my Halloween decorating, so I went through and put them up yesterday, and realized that I needed more decorations...especially for my favorite holiday! So I had previously made a spider web before and had yarn I picked up from the thrift store for .50! Score!

This a beginner pattern and very easy. This pattern is for personal use only, please do not sell the pattern or the product. I did work hard on measuring the lengths and adjusting so please respect that. That being said here is the pattern:

Chained Spider Web

Chain 4 or 5 lengths of 7 feet. They do not have to be perfectly equal because in nature, neither are spider webs. You need to also make a chain length of about 45 feet. Lay out your 4 or 5 lengths of 7 feet on the floor so they are in a star pattern and meet in the middle. For example, make an "X" with the first two strands and add additional strands so they are evenly spaced. Take your 45 foot length of chain and place underneath the center of the star and start to make a spiral around your star until you run out. Adjust your spiderweb as needed. Now you will need to secure your spider web. You can either use yarn (which is how the first picture was done) or use hot glue(easier and used in the second photo).

If you choose to secure with yarn: Wrap a strand of yarn around the center in all different ways, wrapping at different angles. Tie in a square knot and hide knot. You will also need to tie around where the 45 foot length of chain and other chain lengths meet. I did this on the back of my spider web so it was less noticeable. You will also need to tuck in your ends at the end of your 4 or 5 lengths of chain, and you are done :)

If you choose to secure with a glue gun: Use glue sparingly! Glue your center strands, one on top of each other. Also place a dot of glue where 45 foot length of chain meets the other chain lengths. Put a dab of glue on the ends of your 4 or 5 chain lengths for ends of chains, and you are done!

Feel free to place bugs/spiders in your web, or use different colors such as white, off white (what I used), black, purple, etc. Also feel free to adjust the size. The spider web in the window is smaller than the one that is by the couch. I would say the measurements were 5 strands of 5 foot chain, and about 25-35 feet for the longest length (I did not measure this, it is approx.).

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!!

An outfit...pic overload

2011-10-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in a while, but I have been busy. I can't seem to stay on one project. I start one, and then I have an idea for another....that will "only take 5 minutes" and well, never exactly takes 5 minutes. Any ways, I crafted some earrings from pieces of a printer that I took apart, and I love them b/c I fidget. So since they are squish-able they are definitely fun to play with :)

I had also picked up a shirt from the thrift store a while back. It was plus size, and I loved the color, but not sure what to do with it. So I tried sewing it with a tank top into a dress with no luck, and it sat in my sewing room for a while. Then I picked it up again and decided to make it into a skirt. So I made it so it was bustled(I think that's the right terminology) in the back.

But then I realized that it was the same material that the infinity dresses are made out of......so I decided to try it on different ways:

...and decided I loved it!!!! Yey for versatile clothing!!

Fun shirt and new hat

2011-09-30T04:08:00.001-07:00

So I picked this shirt up at a thrift store on base...btw, the thrift stores here suck....so anyways, I picked a plain blue shirt at a thrift store. I cut the neck, and am debating on cutting it out more. And I painted this design on with fabric paint using a paintbrush and a sponge brush (I think that's what they are called).

(Oh my god, what a dirty mirror!)
I saw this hat and it looked so comfortable I had to make it. It was quick, easy, and also a good stash buster. Very warm too...I just got out of the shower and it's keeping my head warm :)
Here's the link for the pattern: http://www.caron.com/vickiehowell/patterns/urban_jungle/urban_jungle.html
I also had finished the sweater I mentioned, but took it out because it fit poorly. I think I will modify the half double crochet portion and I am going to make it smaller to fit better. However, it will probably be a while until I try the pattern again.

Sweaters, Sweaters Everywhere!

2011-09-21T02:12:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago the thrift store had a special on women's tops.....each was $1. So I stumbled onto a couple sweaters...that would make excellent yarn. So here is what I got out of them.

There is still a little piece of a sweater left because it had a zipper on the front so it made it a lot more difficult to get the yarn. Although the teal was practice since I son't like the silver sparkle. I could always take out the sparkle thread when I make whatever I make.

I also am in the process of making another sweater with yarn my mom sent me :) It is taking longer than expected, and I am COMPLETELY sick of half double crochets!!!

Sweater!!

2011-09-05T01:23:00.001-07:00

This sweater should look familiar to those who follow my blog. I previously attempted this:

http://craftyelements.blogspot.com/2009/10/christmas-and-halloween-crafting.html

But I wasn't please with the outcome. I ended up giving it to a friend. So I tried it again because I really like the pattern. So I tweaked the pattern a little by making the sleeves way smaller and I made the size smaller as well. I like this one waaayyyyy better b/c of both the color and fit. It says it's an easy pattern, but I think I disagree because I was having difficulty the second time around. Not because the general concept was hard to grasp, but because some things just don't match up. Anyways, here is a link to the pattern again:

http://www.coatsandclark.com/crafts/crochet/projects/apparel/lw1526+weekend+crochet+top.htm

Earrings

2011-08-31T23:58:00.001-07:00

Earrings that I made....btw Mom, thank you so much for the jump rings!!!

These are made from buttons. I really like them b/c they are big but really light b/c they are buttons!!

Buttons and a left over spring from a printer.
These are the little plastic covers they put on screws from a bookcase...painted of course.
More things I scored from a printer.

Really Excited About this Post!

2011-08-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

So I recently made a shrug. It came out really well, and it was nice, but I really wanted something else. Something more me. So I whipped up my own, creating my own pattern. I'm really proud of this one....lemme know what you think.

More crochet

2011-08-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

So I believe that I mentioned before that I have been trying to use up my random skein here and there of yarn. Here are two more projects that I made:

This is the "Easy Shell Shrug" free pattern can be found on Ravelry.com. It took me about a day and a half, and this is the 4th project this yarn has seen. It started as a bolero, turned into a purse and a snowflake, and will now stay as a shrug :) It was a little confusing in the beginning because the pattern instructions have some problems, and the author does not have the desire to fix them. So if you have any questions just ask!

This I actually finished last week. I really like how different this is and that it can be worn as an accessory. This pattern was a little confusing too, but easy once you get used to it. It took me a couple hours to make only because I had never worked with Homespun, and let me tell you, bad idea to use it for the first time with this pattern. Although I do really like how soft it is. Here is the link to the pattern:

http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/beseme/beseme.html

Crochet shawl and headband

2011-08-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

I have been rather sick lately...the kind of sick where you don't even want to get out of bed. But being me, I really get bored easily so I have been crocheting a lot lately. I am also determined to use up some of my odd skeins.

I previously made one of these shawls, but sent it to my sister(I kinda knew while I was making it, it would make its way to her). So I decided to make myself another one.

A super simple headband:

And playing around with eye makeup. I used blue on the lid, green in the crease, purple to line, and white to highlight brow bone and in inner corner.

Bored during a typhoon...maybe not!

2011-08-05T22:29:00.001-07:00

So Typhoon Mufia has been hovering over us for the past couple days, which leaves a lot of crafting time for me!

Black feather earrings...I like that they are not too extravagant.
Made a coupon organizer b/c I was not able to find one since it is school time and supplies are limited.

A skirt from a sheet.Hair sticks made out of chopsticks. The ones on the left remind me of an octopus so I highlighted them with red/purple.

I am also working on a dress, which I am not completely happy with so I didn't want to post pictures until I tweek it a little.

Shirts and jewels

2011-06-14T22:05:00.001-07:00

This isn't too big of a recon....just cut the sleeves off
Found these on the beach and made them into earrings :)
These are remade earrings. I didn't make them correctly the first time so I had to re-do them, they will def last this time!
I found this shell on the beach also and knew that it was meant to be jewelry. It reminds me of the necklace that Pocahontas wears :)
I bought this shirt to purposely "decorate". I used black spray paint and a q-tip with bleach to make flowers. I <3 it!

Cute shirt and super comfy skirt

2011-05-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

My aim was to make a tshirt dress, but I have since found out that almost nothing turns out to what I imagine....probably because I hate planning. But I love the way the shirt turned out!! It was a large plain shirt....not anymore :)

Here is a quick skirt from a shirt. Not as cute as the shirt, but very comfy and no sewing!

S'more Brownies!

2011-05-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

These are so disgustingly good I call them S'more Brownies because you always want some more! Make your brownie batter....it could either be from scratch or the box. I prefer to make it from scratch and I use the "Hershey's" recipe. Pour it into the pan. Get a microwave-safe dish and put a dollop of peanut butter in it. It you need an exact amount, I would say 1/2 c. - 1 c. Microwave it until it is soft, not hot....soft. It should be liquidy enough so you can drizzle it over the brownie batter. After you drizzled it, take a knife and run it through the batter/peanut butter so that it marbleizes. Time to cook according to directions. After they are cooked, let them cool a little and take the jet-puffed marshmallow fluff and smear it on top. Be careful though and go slow with it because it may pick up the peanut butter. Melt some chocolate in microwave...I did a handful of chocolate chips. Drizzle over the marshmallow and repeat the same marbleizing process. Put sprinkles on top....you might as well do this too and it makes it look extra festive. And EAT!!!

Dress revamped to awesomeness!

2011-04-22T21:20:00.001-07:00

We were strongly encouraged to go to a military ball just recently, so much so that someone bought tickets for us. So I decided to get creative on a dress that has been sitting in the closet for almost 10 years. Way out of date, v-cut in the back, and a high neckline in the front. Here is a before (back):

There was no shape to it and it was black slinky material with a netting overlay that had sparkles and flours on it. So I seam ripped for about 3 hours to separate the two. Make some huge ruffles at the bottom of the dress, cut a v-neck, and took along piece of the netting and wrapped it from the shoulder over the bust and around the back to meet up with the large ruffles. I added a bow where it joined and on the opposite strap. Here is the finished product:

I love the ruffles super much, but the v-neck is really low, so I will prob put lace there or something. I actually had to sew it onto my bra so it wouldn't go anywhere, lol.

I made this circle skirt from a bed sheet that I had. I used the hemmed sides for the bows. I am not sure if I like it this length or want it shorter....what do you think?

So last year we ordered chinese food, and the delivery man gave us one of those "year of the (insert animal here)" calendars. I was really excited because it was free and it was oriental looking, but mostly because it was free. So I hung it up in our old bedroom, but as far as calendars go, it only lasted a year. But I thought it was so cool because it was all asian looking so I couldn't throw it away. So I painted it and wrote in Japanese characters Faith, Hope, and Love from my hubby's favorite bible saying, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

I ended up finding the characters, printing, then using an exacto knife, tracing, and then painting them. But I am really happy the way it came out, and it's very meaningful. That and it was FREE

Crafties!

2011-01-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been away so long. Trying to fulfill my new years resolution of working out 4-5 days a week (and I made it 3 weeks already!!). So now that everything has calmed down from the holidays and I am on a new schedule, hopefully I will have more project to show off ;-) Here is what I have been doing:

We went to a holiday social, but I only have two non-formal dresses...I'm not the dressy type. But only having two dresses gets boring, so I changed it. This is what it looked like before:

It was strapless, with a bow just under the bust, and a thick black ribbon that went around the bottom. It showed a little more cleavage than I would have liked for such an event.

I moved the bow up to the shoulder and added black ribbon straps, which showed less cleavage. The dress stayed the same color, even though it doesn't look like it. The actual color is closest to to the picture on the bottom.
I started up a crochet group out here to teach others for free how to crochet, so these were my Xmas presents to them, in addition to a card with stitch abbreviations.
I previously made one of these before, and decided to make another one this Xmas. But, I gave it away, so he is currently somewhere in the US now, where it is colder, and he won't melt ;-)
These are my first pair of fingerless gloves, and one of the only patterns I liked.

Here is the link: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=364362.0

This is actually paper towel and toilet paper tubes glued together to make wall art. I really like the look of it, and it's really fun to do :)

Happy New Years!

2011-01-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, sorry for no posts in the past couple weeks. I have been extremely busy with work, holidays, and helping my friend move. That doesn't mean that I have not been crafting though, so I do have pictures! So...hopefully since the holidays are over, I will get back in the swing of things, and work on my new year's resolution at the same time :) Enjoy the rest of your holidays (I know some that still have holiday parties to go to)!!

Quick Christmas

2010-12-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

This is a really quick post because I have been running around like crazy for the holidays and I have to leave for work soon.

These are two hats that I made for a newborn twin shoot. The pattern is completely from scratch for the hats and pom-poms. I've very excited on how these turned out :)

This was to dress up an ordinary ornament. Size 10 thread.
These I whipped up for my half-step niece(?) or i guess niece for short for xmas. I think they turned out really cute, and I'm actually kinda jealous. lol. I may make some in the future for myself, but just not with the silver clips. Probably on bobbie pins :) I made them just white and red for Xmas, but I figured that she could wear them any time of the year too.

Earrings and Xmas

2010-11-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

This first project is not mine, but I felt it deserved some attention. Last year I told me sister I wanted something that would hold my stud earrings. Here is what I got for Xmas....I love it!!
I still have not found a solution for my hoops, so I made this temporary fix. It is just a series of treble crochets.
Remember those cardboard circles? Yup, this is one of them. It is currently on our front door. I took left over foliage from a previous project, ribbon I had lying around, some bells, some beads, and some glitter, and this is what I got. I honestly like how flat it is. I have another wreath I had made and it sticks off the wall at least 6" and is just begging to be knocked off.

So I have been working on this the most. It was a kit that was taking up space in my craft room so I decided to take on the challenge. Well I didn't know what I was in for, but hopefully the worst is over. It's obviously not finished, but I am hoping to be done by next week. *sigh*Oh, and I got the painted pumpkins off the window. What worked best was windex and a putty knife.

More hats and food!

2010-11-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. I've been having technical issues with having access to a camera. Hopefully everything is fixed and will stay fixed :)

Here is the same hat that I made last time that was black and purple, only I realized that I did the band wrong on the first one. I thought I knew what I was doing, but didn't. It was supposed to be cabled. I took it out and ended up fixing it, but gave it away anyways. This one I used one hook size bigger since the first one seemed to be tight and I only went under one stitch instead of both stitches which creates the lines you see with the blue.
Another action shot. I was thinking of adding a purple pom-pom at the end, but I'm not sure. Very comfy
Here is me doing twisted cables. They were fairly easy to do, but it was difficult when I had to do the criss-cross to make it look twisted.
However, I was doing my lines and it caused it to become poofy since the cables make it tighter, and making the lines makes it looser. So this one is going to be taken apart.
Now for the recipes. I had gotten a recipe for PB&J muffins that sounded good off of the pillsbury flour packaging. The batter was peanut-buttery and it was very tasty. You are supposed to put some batter in the tins, put some jelly in, and then more batter on top so the jelly would be contained. The jelly was not contained well, and the muffins weren't that great tasting, so I would not recommend it.

However, there was a Thanksgiving event that I took some sweet bread that was gone within a half hour. I was told that out of everything on the table, it was the best. I'm not sure if I have put it on my blog, but here's the recipe.

2 c. sifted flour
1 c. sugar
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 egg
1 c. milk
1 T. vanilla

Combine and bake at 350 for about an hour.

It is actually a modified recipe that I got from my mother, but I still give her the credit for the recipe.

Anyways, wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Mostly hats

2010-11-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry I was MIA last week. I just started a new job and was exhausted last week. Here are the goodies I made:

Okay, I didn't really "make" anything with these, but they are cardboard circles that I cut from the big boxes so that I can make some wreaths for xmas. I have some things in mind, but not 100% sure. I used a pin and measuring tape to mark the cardboard like a compass.

This is actually April Draven's Dark Faery Slouch hat. Sorry for the sideways picture. It turned out differently than I expected, but I think I still like it.
Another pic....sorry if these pics are bad. It's pretty much a stocking cap type of deal.
This hat turned out ridiculous. Too big and it looks weird on my head, lol. I will be taking this out and making something else.
I also made another slouchy hat, similar to the red one made out of cotton, but I decided since I already had one in a similar color so I didn't need it. So overall, this week was not a good week for crochet, lol. I'm hoping for better results next week!

Some homliness and wrist warmers

2010-10-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

Over here in Okinawa, there are no big dumpsters to throw away large items. You either have to pay extra for pickup or try to fit it in a trash bag. So, I have been forced to find projects to use up these extra materials (that and it's eco-friendly and economical).

I made these little geometric wall hangings from some red fabric and old cardboard boxes I had lying around from our move. There should be a how-to video/powerpoint going up on the Threadbanger.com blog fairly soon. I tried to upload it here with no avail so you only get a picture.

These are rosettes made from zippers that I nabbed from dollar store pillowcases that were intended for a different project. I used a hot glue gun to keep them together.

This is my Susie Q apron. I made it out of my scrap pile (yey for reusing!). The main part is made from two pant legs, and the green is from a tshirt. The ties are made from the bottom hem of the tshirt. The hearts are actually pockets as well. (Sorry for the weird picture, I was squatting in an awkward way to take the picture because I didn't feel like moving the mirror). It served me very well today actually...I made two loaves of white bread and one loaf of pineapple bread.
These are wristlets that I crocheted for the upcoming winterish months (Japan has a fake winter--it only gets down to about 60). I like the way they have holes in them just in case I want to put my thumb through like fingerless gloves. I made them smaller than the pattern states because I felt they might move too much and be more of a hinderance. (Can anyone spy the cat?)
Here is the pattern: http://www.naturallycaron.com/projects/doral/doral_1.html

More Halloween, a shirt,and some earrings

2010-10-22T18:45:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. My phone camera was acting up, and I've been really busy starting up a crochet/knit group, finding a job, and volunteering. Enough about that....
I organized almost all my fabrics. By the way, you can get fabric from almost anything...my favorites are sheets and the blankets that you get on the airplanes....they are just waiting for something to be made out of them!!

These are some quick earrings I put together. As a side note, I am donating all the earrings that I made that were for sale on my Etsy site to a silent auction fundraiser (40-45 pairs). The fundraiser will raise money in order to have events for kids that are over here in Japan.
These are my headphone earrings...I had actually had an my eye on them since hubby brought them home. He accidentally put them through the wash....score for me! So I made these head phone earrings :)
Buttons I put on a shirt. I felt it kinda looked almost like plaid.

So with the plethora of plastic bags I still seem to have around my house, I made this Halloween wreath. It was simple to make, just time consuming, but it got rid of about 8-10 bags.

How To:
I took a heavy gauged wire and made a 10" loop. I took my bags and folded them vertically (handles at the top and bottom at the bottom) and made 1/2-1" horizontal cuts. This left me with 1/2-1" loops. Cut each loop in half, then cut the strand in half 3 times. You should have 8 mini strands of plastic. Tie onto the wire and continue until your wire is full. Do not worry about crumpling the bags because they fluff out easily. Decorate as you like. I add a simple bow, but you could decorate with glitter, paint, etc. CAUTION: Do NOT use a hot glue gun, it will melt your plastic. You can make one for all holidays actually. For example, Valentines day, you can use white and red bags and bend the shape of the wire into a heart.
Here is my guy hanging up, and a crochet web behind him that I made (see previous post).
I finished the pumpkins on my window! Note: I used regular acrylic paint. I have heard it comes off with windex, but if all else fails, I will get it off with a razor blade.
I was really excited about this project, but it did not turn out well. I used salt dough to make pumpkins, but they never dried properly and the paint is still moist from a couple days ago. It may just be the environment that I am in since it's really humid over here.
This is my master piece....well sort of. It is a hooded robe for hubby's costume since he wants to go as father time. It is made from a queen size sheet. No pattern. Just used the tutorial from Threadbanger.com. Still trying to finish mine and make him something more father timeish.

I also want to add that my ebook is still not out. I have had a few hick-ups in the road, but it should be out with in the next month.