Granny Heart

This is my favorite granny heart! It’s an old pattern that I learned to make as a child. In the more conventional granny heart the arches are made in the chain spaces between the double crochet clusters. This one has them higher up, making the heart taller. See photo for comparison:

You can use any yarn of your choice, and a crochet hook that fits the yarn. The finer the yarn and the smaller the hook, the smaller the heart becomes.

The gray heart in the top photo, made with wool yarn and a hook 3.5 mm, is 4 ½” wide.

Abbreviations:

US terminology
CH chain, SL.ST slip stitch, DC double crochet, TR treble crochet

Step 1

CH 6, join with a SL.ST in first chain to make a ring. CH 2, make 2 DC around ring, CH 2, *3 DC around ring, CH 2 *, repeat *-* until you have four dc clusters. Join with SL.ST in top of  first ch2.

Step 2

SL.ST to next ch2-space, CH 2, 2 DC around ch2-space, CH 2, 3 DC in same ch2-space, CH 2, * 3 DC in next ch2-space, CH 2, 3 DC in same ch2-space, CH 2*, repeat *-* all around, join with SL.ST in top of first ch2.

Step 3

CH 6, TURN, join with SL.ST in dc, SL.ST over dc-cluster, ch2-space, and next dc-cluster, CH 6, SL.ST in next dc, CH 3, SL.ST in ch2-space. TURN, make 15 TR in ch6-space, SL.ST in next ch2-space, make 16 TR in next ch6-space, SL.ST in next ch2-space.

Step 4

SC all around the heart, adding one sc in the bottom tip, and skipping one in the dip on top. SL.ST in first sc.

You can also make a picot edge, or make a reverse sc (crab stitch) for a cord-like edge. The gray and the light pink heart in the top photo have a crab stitch edge.

Cut yarn and weave in ends. Add a hanger if you wish.

You may want to finish the heart by blocking it. Dip in water, or spray water on it, shape it and finger press it onto a towel. Leave to dry.

Or, you may want to stiffen it. Use bought starch, or make your own, or use a glue wash (like I did with my crocheted snowflakes)

Here’s a link to my other crocheted hearts!

Have a heartfelt day!
~Marina

Suomenkielisen käännöksen Crochet Felted Swirly Heart, eli Virkattu Huovutettu Kierresydän, ohjeeseeni löytyy Junskun blogista:

Junskun Vinkeet Väkerrykset

Alkuperäinen, englanninkielinen, ohje: Crochet Felted Swirly Heart

The Train Socks are cute, fun to make, and they stay on well on little, kicking legs! They look like they have train tracks on them, but that is not why they’re called train socks. Nor do you have to ride a train in order to wear them. The name refers to a very specific train ride! And it’s a sweet story …

This year my birth country Finland celebrates 100 years of independence. During this time it has gone through a lot, from wars and poverty to rising up to excellence, ranking on top of lists of everything good! These socks are a little snippet of that amazing story!

During the war in 1940 a train came to a stop. It was announced that the tracks ahead had been bombed. It would take hours upon hours to repair them. On the train was a retired teacher, and opposite her sat a young mother with her 2 month old baby. The teacher noticed that the baby didn’t have anything warm on her feet, so she pulled out her knitting needles and started frogging her own hand knitted white cardigan. With the yarn she knitted a pair of socks for the baby while they were waiting!

True story, and the socks are still with the family today!

PATTERN

Use wool or wool-like yarn, soft cotton yarn works also. The finer the yarn the smaller the sock becomes without adding stitches and rounds.

5 double pointed knitting needles in a size fitting the yarn.

The socks stretch! My granddaughter at age 7 months could wear them all! Now at 15 months she wears the pink ones.

Cuff and Leg:

Cast on 40 stitches. As you do the first round divide the stitches on four needles. (10 on each)

Round 1: Ribbing: knit 2, purl 2 all the way around.

Round 2: Join by continuing ribbing from needle #4 directly to needle #1. Make sure the work is not twisted!

Round 3 – 12: Continue ribbing

Rounds 13 – 16: Purl four rounds

Rounds 17 – 20: Knit four rounds

Rounds 21 -24: Purl four rounds

Rounds 25 – 36: Ribbing for 12 rounds

Repeat rounds 13 – 36

Heel:

Row 1: Knit needles #1 and #2, (20 stitches) Turn, let needles #3 and #4 rest.

Row 2: Purl needles #1 and #2, turn. You can knit all 20 stitches onto one needle if you like.

Rows 3 – 12: Continue with stockinette stitch by repeating rows 1 and 2

The square:

Right leaning decrease: k2tog = knit 2 together

Left leaning decrease:

ssk = slip, slip, knit

or

[sl 1, k1, psso] = slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over.

Use the method you like best.

Slip 1, knit 12, ssk or [sl 1, k1, psso], turn.

Slip 1, purl 6, purl 2 together, turn, lift 1, k 6, ssk or [sl 1, k1, psso], continue in this manner until waiting side stitches are used up. (At the end of each row one more of the waiting stitches are used).

Gusset:

Row 1:

Knit 8, with a crochet hook pick up 6 new stitches on the side of the heel, and 1 st between the needles, (7 new stitches), transfer these stitches onto needle #1, purl stitches on needles #2 and #3, with a crochet hook pick up 1 new stitch between the needles, then pick up 6 new stitches along the side of the heel. Transfer these stitches onto needle #4, then knit 4 st from needle #1 onto needle #4. You now have 11 st on needles #4 and #1.

Row 2: knit needle #1, purl #2 and #3, knit #4

Row 3: knit 9, knit 2 together, purl #2 and #3, ssk or [sl 1, k1, psso], knit 9

You now have 10 stitches on each needle.

Foot:

Row 4: knit #1, purl #2 and #3, knit #4

Rounds 5 – 8: knit

Rounds 9 – 12: knit #1, purl #2 and #3, knit #4

Rounds 13 – 16: knit

Rounds 17 – 20: knit #1, purl #2 and #3, knit #4

Round 21: knit

Toe:

Needle #1: Knit 7, knit 2 together, knit 1. Needle #2: Knit 1,  ssk or [sl 1, k1, psso], knit 7. Needle #3: as on #1. Needle #4: as on #2.

Continue decreasing as on round 1. When there’s only two stitches left on each needle, cut the yarn leaving about 10 inches, pull the yarn through two stitches at a time and remove the needles as you go. Close the hole by pulling at the yarn tail and then fasten off both yarn tails.

There you have it! Happy knitting!

~ Marina

This pattern has also been translated to German and Polish. And it’s of course in Finnish too! You can find the translations on Ravelry here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vauvan-sukka

Part of our Haunted House tour takes the visitors outside and around the house. Near the backdoor is a spooky cemetery with zombies roaming around …

Most often we make our props and sets from stuff we have around. We collect certain trash and junk that could be useful, and in this case we had saved suitable cardboard boxes, newspapers, and leftover paints.  We taped the boxes together to form tombstones of various shapes.

Our old schoolhouse has a small apartment waiting to be renovated some day. In the meantime we use it for fun crafting, and as a home for our Ghost Club.

Of course our black cat wants to hang out there too!

To the left is a collection of assembled boxes ready to be painted.

You need weights!

Before preparing boxes, you need to find weights to put inside them. Mine are plastic bags or containers filled with gravel. They don’t need to weigh a lot, just enough to keep the box from falling over.

Preparing boxes

I collected big flat boxes, the bigger the better. But also square boxes that make good stones with a slanted front, or they can be used as a base for other boxes. Small boxes can be taped together to form a shape, like the cross I made with sturdy ice cream boxes.

To make a tombstone with a slanted top, choose a square box.

About 2/3 from the bottom, make a straight line with a marker. Put a ruler at the end of that line, on the side of the box, and place the other end of the ruler at the back corner. Draw a line. Do the same thing on the other side.

Carefully cut out the triangle shape above the line on both sides of the box. Use a knife rather than scissors.

Place the box with the front side down. Place a ruler against the cut corners on the inside of the box. With a blunt tool, like the tip of unopened scissors, press down a groove as in the picture above.

Turn the box upright, and place a weight in it.

Fold the top pieces together, bending the front piece along the grooved line. Tape it together.

Cut corners!

To create an old, worn look, cut the stones in a few places. Cut off a corner as if it had been broken off. Make long cuts along sides to make them look worn. Use a knife! For me a serrated knife works best. Cut downward, in a sawing motion.

The holes need to be covered up. On larger holes use pieces of cardboard and tape. On one stone I used the cut-off corner as a decorative piece on top of the stone.

I used the paper mache method and glued torn newspaper pieces over the broken parts, and also on the places where the cardboard pieces were overlapping.

First paint layers

The boxes were painted with two coats of acrylic paint. I used white paint with a small amount of black paint, without mixing them, having fun seeing the many shades of grey it created on the stones.

Remember to paint the underside of stones too! This will protect the cardboard from moisture and other damage.

Decor

Before adding the final paint layer, you might want to decide on decorating the stones with pictures or text. It’s easier to glue on pieces on a flat surface and not on the textured one of the sand paint.

An easy way to add perfect letters is to write the words on a computer and print them out. To save on ink, I made my letters in a light grey shade. In the same manner you can add pictures too!

Secure the print onto the stone. Draw the outlines of the letters with a pen, pressing down. Remove the print. The outlines are now engraved into the cardboard. To see them better, trace them with a pencil. Paint the letters. Don’t worry about mistakes outside of the letters, they will be covered by the third paint layer.

For the cross and one of the flat stones I wanted fancier decor. For the cross I found a round plastic cover that fit perfectly in the middle. My niece Madelaine shaped a spooky angle on it. She used store bought putty and mixed it with paint. I glued it on with hot glue.

In the same manner she shaped a weeping angle directly on the stone.

Stone surface

For the final, decorative layer of paint, I placed white and black paint side by side with some sand in a paint tray lined with a plastic bag. I did not mix them. I used an old brush and dipped it in both colors and the sand. This resulted in uneven grey colors, as well as both white and black specks.

I covered a small area at a time with a thick layer of paint. Then I stippled over it with a piece of rolled up foam, at times dipping it slihgtly in either black or white paint to get the result I was looking for. My foam piece is actually a shoulder pad from a cut up old shirt I picked up at a flea market in order to use the fabric!

You can also stipple the paint on with the brush in areas where you want the surface to be coarser. In this picture you see well the different shades from white to black, as well as the grainy texture of the sand. The dried paint will flatten out some, but still be textured due to the sand.

The wet outdoors

Protect your stones with a coat of matte finish suitable for the outdoors. Place the stones on a sheet of plastic or a tarp. On an uneven surface you’ll need to secure the stones with sticks pushed into the ground. You can also use natural stones to keep the tombstones in place.

Gather leaves to form a long pile in front of each stone. Also cover any visible plastic or tarp with the leaves. Add more decor to your graveyard, like lights, Jack-O-Lanterns, maybe zombies crawling up …

Have A Spooktacular Halloween!

~ Marina

More Halloween ideas:
Crocheted Ball and Chain

En liten söt kyckling, virkad i bara tre varv! 

Pieni söpö kananpoika, virkattu ainoastaan kolmella kerroksella!

The English version of the pattern is here! Crochet Chick free pattern

Virkad Kyckling

Varv 1:  

Gör en magisk cirkel (Magic Circle) och 3 lm.

(Istället för en magisk cirkel och 3 lm, kan du göra 4 lm och virka de följande maskorna i den första luftmaskan.)

15 st i ringen, dra ihop ringen, förena med en sm i översta lm.

Varv 2:

3 lm, 1 st i samma maska. Gör “nacke och öga”: 6 lm, sm i 5:e och 6:e luftmaskan från kroken, sm även i stolpen.

2 st i följande 10 maskor.

Gör stjärten: 3 lm, sm i 3:e luftmaskan från kroken, 2 fm runt sista stolpens bas (se bilden)

Varv 3:

1 fm i följande 5 maskor, 2 fm i nästa stolpes bas (se bilden), 1 st i “halsen”, 8 st i 4-luftmask-ringen (“ögat”). Gör näbben: 3 lm, sm i 1:a luftmaskan, 3 st i “ögat”, hoppa över 2 maskor, 1 fm i följande 8 maskor.

Gör ett ben: 6 lm, 1 sm i 2:a maskan från kroken, 1 sm i följande, 3 lm, 1 sm i 2:a maskan från kroken, 1 sm i följande, 3 lm, 1 sm i 2:a maskan från kroken, 1 sm i följande, 1 sm i samma maska som den 1:a lm, sm upp längs benet, 1 sm i fm.

1 fm i nästa maska, gör ett ben till, 1 fm i följande 9 maskor, 2 fm i följande, 1 fm i stjärten, 1 sm i stjärtens ända. Fäst tråden, fukta  kycklingen, pressa och forma den flat mot en handduk, låt torka.

Virkattu Kananpoika

1 krs:

Tee vetosilmukka. (Magic Circle) Sekä 3 kjs.

(Vetosilmukan  ja 3 kjs:n sijaan voit virkata 4 kjs ja tehdä seuraavat silmukat ensimmäiseen ketjusilmukkaan.)

15 p vetosilmukkaan, yhdistä ps:lla kolmanteed ketjusilmukkaan.

2 krs:

3 kjs, 1 p samaan, tee “silmä” ja “kaula”: 6 kjs, ps 5:een ja 6:een kejtusilmukkaan koukusta laskien, ps myös pylvääseen. 2 p jokaiseen seuraavaan 10 silmukkaan. Tee pyrstö: 3 kjs, ps 3:een silmukkaan koukusta laskien, 2 ks viimeisen pylvään “tolpan” ympäri (katso kuva).

3 krs:

1 ks seuraaviin 5:een silmukkaan, 2 ks seuraavan pylvään “tolpan” ympäri, 1 p “kaulaan”, 8 p 4-kjs-ympyrään (“silmä”).

Tee nokka: 3 kjs, ps 1:een kjs:aan.

3 p “silmään”, ohita seuraavat 2 silmukkaa, 1 ks jokaiseen seuraavaan 8:aan silmukkaan.

Tee jalka: 6 kjs, ps 2:een silmukkaan koukusta laskien, ps seuraavaan, 3 kjs, ps 2:een silmukkaan koukusta laskien, ps seuraavaan, 3 kjs, ps 2:een silmukkaan koukusta laskien, ps seuraavaan, ps samaan silmukkaan kun ensimmäinen ps, 1 ps jokaiseen jalan kjs:aan, ps ks:aan, 1 ks seuravaan, tee toinen jalka, 1 ks seuraaviin 9:ään silmukkaan, 2 ks seuravaan, ps pyrstön kärkeen.

Katkaise lanka ja päättele. Kostuta kananpoika, paina ja muotoile pyyhkeen päälle. Anna kuivua.

~ Marina