Crochet Flowers

Having coffee while making a necklace :-) Handmade

2016-06-01T06:18:00.001-07:00

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Handmade

2016-02-13T11:08:00.003-08:00

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Handmade

2016-02-13T11:08:00.001-08:00

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Ukraine is 24 tomorrow. Happy birthday! Handmade

2015-08-23T12:21:00.001-07:00

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Red poppy rope beaded necklace and earrings jewelry set

2015-04-09T13:49:00.001-07:00

Hi all, Have been through hard times lately and to take things easier decided to try crochet with seed beads. Found online gorgeous necklaces and bracelets but didn't have any idea how to make such beautiful pieces of jewellery. Floral patterns caught my eye especially ones with red poppies as red poppy symbolizes remembrance of those who died in war. In Ukraine red poppy is also widely used in traditional folk embroidery and paintings. I used the pattern created by Helgla to make a beautiful jewellery beaded set with red poppies. The pattern can be found here The bead rope has 22 seed beads in circumference, one rapport (a repetitive motif) consists of 61 rows and 1349 beads in two shades of green, three shades of red, yellow, white and black. Instead of white background I made a black one.

If you are a crocheter I suggest give it a go with seed beads to create such a beauty. Thanks Helgla!

Bright 3D crochet flowers lariat

2015-03-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

Got new variegated crochet cotton in pretty yellow-pink-green colours and decided to make a bluebell lariat for the spring season. Added some bright green balls embellishments and sparkly green leaves and here is my new addition to the collection.

Crochet cotton lariat with pretty bluebells

2015-02-11T06:05:00.000-08:00

Have recently finished a lariat in one of my favourite designs. It features bluebells in salmon pink with pretty green leaves and other embellishments. A colourful piece of neck jewellery for spring and summer.

Union Jack friendship bracelet

2014-04-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

Recently started a new hobby - making friendship bracelets. It sounds like a great tradition to give bracelets to friends to make their dreams come true. One of the first friendship bracelets that I've made was one with the Union Jack flag. Perfect accessory for summer to show you are proud to be British.

If you are interested in making bracelets yourself I would recommend visiting this site which has a huge variety of patterns and tutorials suitable for everyone.

Crochet snowflakes

2013-12-05T05:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just round the corner and it's time to get tree decorations ready for the festive season. I have finished my crochet snowflakes to decorate my own Christmas tree. Also they are available for purchase on etsy.

Snowflakes are stiffened with a fabric stiffener and will stay nice and firm even till the next Christmas.

The Remebrance/Veterans Day Red Poppy

2013-10-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

The red remembrance/veterans poppy is an emblem of Remembrance/Veterans Day due to the red colour as a symbol for the blood spilled in the war. We wear it to remember the members of the Armed Forces who have died in the line of duty.

Crochet poppies

2013-07-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

Poppies are quite popular perennial flowers in England. My garden is full of them and I really like variety of their shapes and colours. So they actually inspired me to making more crochet poppies in white and peach.

Butterfly Dangle Earrings

2013-07-22T07:56:00.001-07:00

Thought you might be interested in making, wearing or just having as an idea for your next craft project this pair of pretty dangle earrings in butterfly shape. Gorgeous pretty things for a summer outfit available in my etsy shop

Graduate owl crocheted toy amigurumi

2013-07-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Let's celebrate the graduation!

This graduate owl will make a great gift to yourself or a friend. It is hand crocheted and filled with non toxic and non allergenic polyester filling suitable for children. Size: approx. 5 1/4 inches tall and 3 1/4 inches wide. Pattern by Tamara Nowack (Nowacrochet). All rights reserved.

New crochet jewelry video

2012-12-10T02:25:00.002-08:00

Hi all.
A few days ago I uploaded a new video showing off my latest crochet jewelry projects. Watch it here or visit my channel on youtube where you'll find more ideas for your own projects.
You are welcome to subscribe to my channel as I will keep posting new videos!
You might find some more jewelry ideas and other cute stuff in my Flickr photostream

Kumihimo braiding. New hobby

2012-09-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

Recently I have come across kumihimo braiding - art of making cords by interlacing threads, yarns, cords, ribbons etc. I have an enormous stock of threads and yarns which I normally use for knitting and crocheting but they also can be used for kumihimo braiding. I would say the more varieв the threads and yarns you use, the more unusual cord you will get.
A lot of kumihimo patterns are available in the internet. I found some of them very pretty and cute.

These bracelets feature spiral and floral patterns in bright summer colours and they are exactly what children want. Believe me, I have 11 children around me, all neighbours though!

The same spiral pattern in subtle colours and bracelets finished with delicate closures will be more suitable for adults.

Like the idea of a magnet closure - it's quick and easy!

My favourite pattern so far is so called swirl pattern. Tutorial is made and kindly shared by beamunz2009 on youtube My bracelets braided according to this pattern and finished with beads and buttons.

Gifts for friends and their children

If you are not a bracelet person you still can find other ways to use kumihimo braids. I have used it to make a handle for a mobile phone crochet bag and a cord for a floral pendant.

How about shoelaces? :-)

Crochet flower lariat

2012-04-24T05:04:00.000-07:00

Crochet and knitting are everywhere in fashion, especially in jewellery and accessories.
Flower/floral lariats are fun to wear. With the mixture of colourful 3d flowers, leaves and other tiny embellishments they will brighten your day and add personality to your wardrobe.

I had great fun making them, choosing different colour combinations. And I love what I've managed to get at the end.

I like combination of dusky/hot pink with purple and mint in this one.

This lariat is really bright with lilac/purple and fuchsia colours.

Reminds me bright autumn day in the park.

Early and tender spring is coming with these pastel colours.

Handmade Amazon Kindle covers

2012-01-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

Recently I bought my first Amazon kindle e-reader and found myself really obsessed with reading. Some people prefer paper books as nothing can substitute the feeling when you are reading a real book with its special smell of paper. With the kindle I like the idea of being able to download books and keep them in one place without cluttering my bedroom. Besides it is small, fits into a handbag and I can take it everywhere. I think it's a great gadget especially when you have to travel a lot.

My second purchase had to be a nice cover or a sleeve for my kindle. I did a search online and got some covers that looked quite nice but I wanted my cover to be different those on the market.

And I made it myself. Really like knitted bold cable patterns so my first cover was made in one of those patterns - so called bold French braid. This cover snugly fits the Amazon Kindle 3/3G and Amazon Kindle Fire e-readers.

For your project you need wool, hardcover and felt or fabric for lining, button and elastic to make a closure. Alternatively you can knit or crochet a closure. I have used the same pattern for different type of wool with lurex which adds some sparkle to the cover

My favourite cover though is in a mixture of autumn shades with a coconut button.

Floral design is always a hit!

There's also something for cat lovers.

Crafting on holidays

2011-08-01T03:08:00.000-07:00

Hi, Just returned from long holidays. I caught myself thinking that I could not pass by the wool shops. I have my favourite places that I always try to check while on holidays. As the result, new thread - and new necklaces. Gold and silver are always in fashion, especially for special occasions.

I like the coral one. This shade is created by combining the two strands, so looks bright and at the same time gentle. I presume my sister enjoyed modelling it.

Have you tried Etsy new useful tools yet?

2011-03-15T04:54:00.000-07:00

Just found new Etsy useful tools. Well, they might be not new as I'm not really the first one to get new widgets person. I think they are quite cute. I'll try one of them on my blog. It allows you to see 10 treasuries you've created or you are featured as a slide show, all treasuries are clickable so you can view them in details.

Widget was created by EtsyTreasuries.com Treasury Shop which let you browse hundreds of curated Treasuries at a glance through a 3D wall gallery. You can view it in 3 different ways - Top 300 Most Popular, Top 300 With Most Comments, Top 300 Newly Listed. You can quickly view treasuries with color scheme and find your style from hundreds being curated everyday.This will help buyers who especially looking for wedding items (Wedding category) where everything should match and fall under a specific color scheme and find everything they need in the treasury.

Treasury Shop also enables Search Tool where you can search by tags, title or curator and get relevant results.

Try your widget!

How to make a necklace cord

2011-03-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

Recently I was asked to show how I make a cord for my crochet necklaces/chokers. Sorry for delay, my computer has been down for a while but now I'm ready to share with you some of my secrets :-)

I’m more used to American crochet terms, so the pattern is given in American terms.

Here is a crochet terms conversion chart to UK crochetters.
US                                     UK

chain(ch)                           chain(ch)

single crochet (sc)             double crochet (dc)

double crochet (dc)           treble (tr)

half double crochet (hdc)   half treble (htr)

triple crochet (trc)             double treble (dtr)

slip stitch (sl st)                slip stitch (sl st)

First of all you need to make a slip ring or a magic ring or magic circle, the same thing just having different names. I found this picture which was very helpful for myself.

But if you need more help here is a video from youtube uploaded by tjw1963

Round 1. For slip ring leaving 4” end of thread, make a loop, insert hook through loop from front to back, yarn over (see picture 1) pull through loop to form ring, yarn over, pull through loop on hook (picture 2), make chain 3 and 7 dc in a ring, pull end of the thread tightly to close ring having 8 dc including chain of 3 stitches at the beginning. Do not join rounds, continue in spiral.

Round 2. Working this round in back loops, sc in top of chain 3, sc in each dc around (8 sc). Turn stitches of rounds 1 and 2 wrong side out, bring 4” end through center of ring, Backside of stitches will be on outside of work. Stuff 4” end inside the cord.

Continue working round 2 in back loops, making sc in each stitch around, do not join rounds! Finish when you get desired length. I normally make a 20 - 21" long cord.

Last round. (Sc in next stitch and skip the next one) repeat 4 times (4 stitches left).

For the clasp make a chain of 13 stitches and slip stitch to the 3-rd stitch in previous round. For clasp bead cut 4" long tread and wrap it tightly around the beginning of the cord (1/2" from the end). Secure all ends (I use some fabric glue to keep ends safe).

For my necklaces I use 100% mercerized crochet cotton size 20 and a hook size 1 - 1.25 mm. I do my stitches quite tight, if you are used to make it a bit loose, use size 1.25 mm. I would say try and make a test piece to check you tension, if the tension is too tight use larger hook, if the tension is too loose, get a smaller hook. Do experiment! Some charts that I’ve found in the internet refer metric size 1.25 mm to size 4 (UK) and 10 (US).

Any maker of thread will do – DMC Chebelia, Aunt Lydia, Whoosh, Lesur Empress, Crochetta, Twilleys Southern Comfort, Coats. If cotton is slightly thicker (size 10) it is still fine for a necklace. I prefer mercerized cotton as the cord comes stiff enough to keep its shape.

Then just add some motiffs - flowers and leaves, make them in solid colours or variegated ones,

and your necklace is done! You’ve made one of a kind piece of handmade jewellery! It’s a perfect gift for a girlfriend, a friend or maybe a treat for yourself.

You'll find more ideas for necklace designs here or watch my video on youtube

The same cord can be used as a bag handle, depending on the size of a bag, you can make a thicker cord. I suggest using thicker thread (DK cotton) for handles, it’ll make them stiffer. If you want really thick handles, follow the above instructions but make more dc in a slip ring in round 1 and use larger hook. And then just stuff handles with toy stuffing.

Ideas for using crochet flowers in projects

2010-07-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. It's a long time since my last post. I've been working outside my hobby but managed to fulfil some of my new ideas. I'll show you them later.

Still I'm making my little flowers. Pansies are still my favourites and lately they were very popular on etsy and I got a lot of orders from the UK and USA. Actually I counted the quantity of them that I've sold and was quite surprised to find out that it was more than 1200. A couple of years ago when I got back to my hobby and picked up my hook and fine thread I was just enjoing experimenting with them, trying different combinations of colours and shades and textures and was delighted to find out that people actually liked what I made. But I never knew how they were using my flowers. But due to their feedbacks and orders I found out how creative people were.

So here are some ideas for the projects where you can use crochet flowers.

First of all crochet flowers are embellishments and are widely used to brighten your clothes especially for little ones.

This field of crochet flowers was made to order to embellish a poncho for a toddler girl.

They look stunning on your scarf and gloves

They can be widely used at home decor - to embellish lamp shades and duvet covers.

If you wear hair accessories these pretty handmade slides will make you look different.

They are also very popular among scrapbookers as the flowers are of the size which is suitable for small projects and will add special touch to your cards.

I hope my ideas inspire you in your own projects, if you crochet flowers but not sure how to use them.

If you are interested in purchasing my tiny pansies they are available in my shop on etsy. Or you can buy them here.

A set of 25 hand crochet from cotton mercerised thread pansies in bright colours.

Size: 0.8" long and 0.8" across.

These pansies will look great as clothes accessories, especially jeans, or bag/cushions embellishments. They are ready to fulfil any of your creative ideas. You can use them as a single item or group them together.

All prices include postage fees, just choose the quantity you are interested in

My little neighbours

2010-05-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

I've started my blog quite recently and I did it mainly for the reason to invite people to show my crafts, find out other craft blogs, new ideas and possibly new friends. Doing crafts means a lot to me as I've spent years working at the office which left me no time for hobbies. So now I'm enjoying every minute I can spend with my crochet hook and wonderful cotton thread.

Pets are my other passion. At the moment I have 2 favourites - Staffordshire Bull Terrier Missy and little budgy Billy. They are not mine :(

Missy is a lovely girl, full of energy and everyday things to do. She is busy all day but always gets some time for having a little stroke and poking her little black nose through the fence.

And Missy likes to make a mess.

Her little white patch on the neck is adorable.

While his mummy is away I'm taking care of Billy the budgy. He is a cheeky boy, pretty boy and a good boy. At least he thinks so and likes to inform everybody about it. Since his previous stay with us he learned some new phrases: Billy, what's up? and something else but I can't grasp it. He is also very curious as likes sitting on my shoulder and watch me when I am doing crafts or just chewing my earrings.

Feather earrings

2010-05-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Feathers are very popular in crafts. In any craft store you can find packets of different types of feathers - marabou, duck, goose, peacock. I like all of them as they are all different and bring their own attractiveness to the craft project.
Recently I've started making earrings from feathers. Pheasant feathers seem to be less popular than colourful peacock or fluffy marabou. But it all depends on your creativity and the additional materials you are using in your project.

My pheasant feathers earrings are embellished with beads.

I have to say if you start something new it's getting quite addictive. So after pheasant feathers I'm going to open my packets with marabou and peacock feathers.

Have you heard about Leeds Kirkgate Market?

2010-05-19T00:51:00.000-07:00

Leeds Kirkgate Market is a market in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK. With over 600 stalls this is Europe's largest covered market. It attracts around 250,000 visitors every week.

It first opened in 1822.

It was a founding location of Marks & Spencer. Michael Marks opened his "Penny Bazaar" in the open air market here in 1884.

Since then the market has been refurbished and here is how it looks like nowadays.

Since last year it has been hosting 'How Bizaar', a big market stall, providing an opportunity for starters of new businesses to display and sell their products. Starting a new business can be risky but now having an opportunity to test demand and get market feedback before fully launching their product, service and idea, is less stressful.

'How Bizaar' provides a low risk trading opportunity for a wide range of businesses e.g. arts, crafts, clothing, food, electrical goods, toys.

You ask me why I'm giving you all this information? Because since April my crochet embellishments and jewellery are displayed in Leeds Kirkgate Market! I'm having my own display space. It's quite big but it's never enough when you start arranging it. Since it's YOUR space you can do there what you want.

This week my space is arranged this way.

I have wonderful neighbours who are displaying and selling their gorgeous products - handmade cards, clothing, bags, unusual jewellery, items of home decor. They all are of high quality and are very popular among visitors of the stall.

So please do come in to check our handmade products!

Playing with felt

2010-05-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying something new. This time new type of flowers using dry felting technique. I used the same dyed in beautiful colours wool fleece as I used for my wet felt flowers. What I like in felting is that you are in total control of what you are doing and actually nothing can go wrong. The only thing is barbed needle that is used to make a dry felt. Having small experience you better be careful while punching the fleece otherwise you will stab your fingers. Yes, it hurts :(

So first I made a flower.

It is quite nice on its own and can be used as a brooch pin or a corsage flower. But I decided to use mixed media - crochet balls, rings, wooden beads - and make a necklace.

So here it is!