Tag Archives: crochet

The Woollen Woods 2016

Posted on by Abi

queenofheartsEvery year a magical event takes place as part of Voluntary Arts Week – The Woollen Woods. Woodlands across the country become inhabited with all manner of knitted (or crocheted) creatures to the delight of thousands of visitors. It all started last year with seven woods (of which Derbyshire was one) and this year it grew even bigger. This was the second year I’d had the pleasure of joining in with the Derbyshire Woollen Woods held in Belper Parks Wood.  It was such a huge success that I felt compelled to share a few pics (and videos) for those who couldn’t manage to make it along.mouse

It took months of hard work by local crafters (and a few further afield) to make enough pieces to decorate the majority of Belper Woods but as you can hopefully see from these pics it was definitely worth it. The creations were displayed between 7-15th May this year and the response we received was absolutely wonderful. We even had some visitors travel quite a distance for a day out in our Woolly Wonderland!whiterabbitI believe there’s a special childlike joy that only magical woolly creatures can bring and with that in mind here’s a few of my favourite pieces (not made by me) and two mini video tours. bunny

If looking through this post has got you itching to get involved with the Derbyshire event then pop over to >Anne Clark Handmade and send Anne an email. owlAnne organised the Derbyshire Woollen Woods for both years and we’ve also yarn bombed several other events including local festivals, Christmas decorations, the hospital, museum and much more!

If you weren’t lucky enough to be able to visit a Woollen Woods this year then keep your eyes peeled on the >Voluntary Arts Week website for details of the event next year.snake

To see some pics of last years Woollen Woods check out my 2015 post.

snails

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Crochet Phone Case Pattern tutorial

Posted on by Abi

phone-casesCrochet and knitting have been experiencing a fashionable revival in recent years, there’s even been quite a few celebrities getting in on the fun. Whether you are an avid Knitter, Crocheter or general Hobbyist, then chances are you have a stash of threads/wool left over from previous projects. But there’s no need to consign them to the rubbish bin, with todays Crochet phone case pattern.

I actually wrote this pattern several years ago for the Boden Community  but I think it would make a great homemade present so thought I’d share it again today.phone-in-case

We all seem to live our lives through our mobile phones and Crocheted phone cases are not only pretty, they’re practical too! First they help to protect your screen, second they don’t muffle the ringing tone as solid cases can.

What You’ll Need

Left over DK Wool or DK Cotton yarn

A Mobile Phone

3.5mm Crochet Needlechain

To Begin

Begin by making a chain long enough to go right around your phone. Mine was 26 chains and then use a slip stitch to join into a ring.First-colour

 

Round 1ch 1, 25 dc, (this is one dc into every chain stitch), then sl st into first chain to close up the circle. Round 2ch 3 and then work 1 tr into each stitch until you have completed the circle and then join with a sl st. Round 3Join second colour into top of any tr st from last round, ch 3 and the work 1 tr into each stitch until you have completed the circle and then join with a sl st. Rounds 4 – 13. Join in new colours , ch 3 and then work 1 tr into each stitch until you have completed the circle and then join with a sl st. You may need to adjust the amount of rounds you complete here depending on the size of your phone.strips

 

Last Round 

ch 1, dc into each stitch of the last round and join with a sl st.

endsSewing Up

To sew up, turn your phone case inside out and use a large needle to weave in all the loose ends. To close the bottom of the case, sew along the edge with an over sewing stitch.

Once all ends are sewn in, turn the case the right way out. To close, sew on a button and then join the yarn to the top edge and make enough chain stitches to be fit over the button.

Mine was 18 chain stitches. Finally weave in these ends and place your phone in its smart new case. Here are some more examples of cases I have made.

 

ABBREVIATIONS:

ch: chain dc: double crochet sl st: slip stitch tr: treble crochet

 

 

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Crochet Suffolk Puff Lampshade

Posted on by Abi

Regular readers may remember our popular Suffolk Puff tutorial posted back in March. They are such a versatile little addition to your craft arsenal and they certainly have an enduring appeal. We were therefore delighted when we came across yet another variation while searching the Internet for new blogs to read.

We instantly fell in love with Craft Passion Blog’s crochet suffolk puff tutorial here. What to do with a myriad of colourful puffs though? Anne had a shamefully plain lampshade sat in the corner of the room, so she grabbed a crochet needle and set to work.

She made the puffs in double knit cotton yarn with a 3.5mm crochet hook. Anne started making them the same size explained in the tutorial. Then she adapted the pattern to make some that were slightly smaller.

To make the smaller variation start with only 6 chains to begin the second round and then wind the yarn 3 times around the crochet hook instead of 4.

For the decreasing round use a double crochet instead of treble crochet stitches.The lampshade was decorated using 10 of the larger size and 7 of the smaller.

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