Hookin' Aint Easy

Yay! I'm going big time!

2011-08-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

I've started working on becoming a licensed knitter for DaisyHead Creations! I'll be knitting bloomers and ruffle diaper covers to hopefully make a little cash. It will undoubtedly go toward buying more cute things for Ellie.

I'm super excited to get it all finalized and start selling!

Update on the Begonias

2011-07-20T11:00:00.001-07:00

They are blooming again! Or about to. I'm very excited at how well they're doing.

Hair Bows!

2011-07-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

Okay so I didn't have as much of that sheet left for the stoller bag linight as I thought I did. Nor do I have printer paper for the pattern. I'm a mess.

I do, however, have a baby girl with lots of hair and ribbon. Today I finally went out and got the alligator clips that have had this project on the back burner for awhile. These were so easy to complete. I took pics for those wondering how to make them at home!

I've seen fancy bow making templates, and while they ran about $10 I wasn't willing to pay that. I "borrowed" the idea and made my own template out of a used gift card I still had laying around. Any stiff material should work though. Have an old box laying around?

After cutting a space in the center, wrap your ribbon around the card. Make one complete round for each loop you want the bow to have. After wrapping the ribbon, stick a straight pin through the center and slide the ribbon off.

Then pull the loops apart on each side to look like a bow. Using thread put a few stitches in the center and pull out your straight pin. These stitches are important to keep you bow equal on both sides. Little ones like to tug at hair bows and without these stitches they could pull it apart.

The next step is optional but I like to wrap the clip with ribbon. Going at my baby's head with a sharp piece of metal just makes me nervous. I like a buffer incase she jerks her head or bounces into the clip. I just used dots of hot glue and carefully covered the metal clip with matching ribbon.

Sorry for the color change. I was working on a few different designs at the same time. Next all you have to do is glue the bow to the clip! To make the center appear a little more clean and hide the stitching just cut a lenghth of the same ribbon and tie a knot in the center. Using hot glue attach the knot to the center of the bow and wrap the ends around to be glued underneath the top prong of the clip.

And now you have some cute and affordable bows! I'm going to save a lot of money now that I've learned to make these myself. Buying bows on Etsy was putting a strain on my bank account and marriage!

New Project - Stroller Bags!

2011-07-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

I got some super cute fabric in the mail today for this stroller bag pattern that I just bought. I'll be happy to have a cute bag I can keep with the stroller and not have to keep lugging my suitcase sized mega bag o' baby everywhere. This bag is the perfect size for a few diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, and a change of clothes. It's nice having the nursery available but it stinks lugging it around the zoo.

I skimmed Etsy and instantly fell in love with these prints. This seller, Lucky Kaeru Fabric and Supplies, also had some of the more affordable fabric I've seen on the site. I plan to use an old bed sheet I've already cut into for another project for the lining of both bags.

Medley of Begonias

2011-06-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Do three make a medley? Today Ellie helped me pot some begonias that I've had sitting in their greenhouse pots on the porch for far too long. I've had this terra cotta chicken for so long I had forgotten about it and rediscovered it in the basement. Perfect place for these flowers.

I meant to get a bag of the new Miracle Grow with water crystals but got the concentrated mix by mistake. Although it was fun to watch it expand and it sounded like Rice Krispies in a bowl of milk, I don't see myself buying it again. Maybe if I was doing a bigger project and could mix it all at once but trying to expand just enough for my planter was tricky and just made more work for what was supposed to be a quick project.

I got three different varieties and love the variety of leaf shape and hues together. I'm hoping they will flower again this summer.

A staring contest broke out after our project was complete.

This is going to blow your mind

2011-06-28T19:55:00.001-07:00

This year I'm totally switching it up and not waiting until the last minute to think about Christmas. I know no one is ready to think about this yet. However, after finding some DIY projects on Craft Gawker and Cut Out + Keep I came up with another totally original idea: DIY Christmas Gifts! I know, I know, it's amazing.

I visited a local antique shop and stocked up on cute Mason Jars to put my homemade concoctions in and decided to mix up a batch of Citrus Salt Scrub I found on adelynStone's blog to make sure I liked it enough to give as a gift.

The recipe was simple enough: 1 cup of sea salt, 1/2 tsp of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp orange zest, 1/4 cup of oil. I just used the zest of the lemon because I didn't have any oranges.

I really like the way it turned out. The only thing I will change next time is exchaning the olive oil I used this time with Almond Oil. I like the texture and it leaves my hands very soft. I'm just not a huge fan of the olive-y smell.

Next I'll be trying a Mud Scrub with coffee and brown sugar and a Cooling Peppermint body powder. Mmmm.

Getting back into it!

2011-06-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

I'm the worst blogger ever. I got caught up in life and then got pregnant so I dove into all things baby. Now that my beautiful baby is almost six months old I'm finding a little more time to myself. My craft bone is tingling (TWHS) and ready to get back to it.

While in Asheville I stumbled upon some very exciting craft stores with my gal pal Mosely. I got some wool to attempt some soakers for my little girl and some multi colored wool for a scarf.

The scarf worked up very quickly and left me wanting another project. The next day I found another store Asheville Home Crafts and found this beautiful handspun, hand dyed alpaca/mohiar yarn. You can see that the mohair curls are still intact. I still haven't started working with it yet. I'm intimidated by it's beauty. Any suggestions for projects? I probably only have enough for a scarf or small project. Definitely not enough for a shawl.

Opps! Almost forgot! Here's a link to Ashville Home Crafts!

Need a quick gift?

2009-08-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

So many times we forget about the most simple things.

A crochet trim can be added to so many things and instantly make them a heartfelt gift. Dish towels, pillow cases, and handkerchiefs used to be a staple for bridal showers and housewarming gifts. Why not? They are so beautiful and so easy to make.

This weekend I've been working on a set of memorial handkerchiefs for a dear friend. Here I've used a set of hemstitched handkerchiefs and size 80 yarn with a size 10 steel hook.

For the trim I did one row of sc, ch 1 all the way around. Then I did a row of *2 DC, ch 2, 2 DC, ch 1, skip 1, sc, skip 1* and repeat.

No need to buy hemstitched though. Steel hooks easily pierce many thin fabrics and easily add decorative trim. You can add shells, lace patterns or even a few layers or sc's can add a little charm to an ordinary bit of cloth. Be creative!

Yay! New yarn!

2009-08-28T08:34:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been so long. I was in a bad car accident on the 23rd of last month. I was off work for three weeks and the rest of the time has been devoted to dealing with insurance issues. : )

Last night I went to Jo-Anns fabric for some crafting supplies and found a great deal! They have 11 oz. skeins of very soft boucle yarn on sale for $6.99! One skein can make so many projects!

I've starte a baby afghan with the purple and white and it is so soft. I can't wait to finish it and get pics up with the pattern info!

These pictures were taken on my phone so I apologize for their poor quality. They really don't do the color justice.

New Craft Center!

2009-07-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

I got this old china cabinet from my husband's great grandmother last night. I don't have fine china so I thought why not used it for my extra craft supplies? I still need to find some cute shelf paper so the wooden slats don't snag my yarn but it's in beautiful condition.

It smells wonderfully of antique wood and polish. I'm so excited to have it. Sorry for the blurry pictures they were taken with my phone.

Granny Square Booties

2009-07-20T09:08:00.001-07:00

I found this adorable pattern on "Crafts for Lily" and fell in love. These work up so fast I was able to make two pairs in one evening. The top pair are made with sport weight yarn and fit perfectly on my 6 month old niece. The smaller pair are made with TLC baby yarn and are the perfect size for a new born.

You can find the pattern here.

Take 2

2009-06-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

One of our readers sent me these photos of her left handed granny squares. It's so exciting to see other people's work!

Thank you so much for sharing!

I would like to make this blog more interactive.

2009-06-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

If you have pictures of projects that you've done or are working on that you'd like to share. Or topics that you would like to see posted here please email them to me at:

hookinainteasyblog@gmail.com

I would love to see your work and cater to the readers wants.

Thank you!

Let's make cupcakes!

2009-06-22T14:43:00.001-07:00

This is a project that is super cute and works up pretty fast.

Cake:
With brown worsted weight yarn and an F hook, sc6 in a circle
Sc twice into each st (12 sts)
Sc1, sc twice into next st* around (18 sts)
Sc2, sc twice into next st* around (24 sts)
Sc into back loops of each st
Sc around
Sc11, sc twice into next st* around (26)
Sc6, sc twice into next st, sc12, sc twice into next st, sc6 (28)
Sc13, sc twice into next st* around (30)Sc aroundBreak yarn

Frosting:
Sc6 in a circle
Sc twice into each st (12 sts)
Sc1, sc twice into next st* around (18 sts)
Sc2, sc twice into next st* around (24 sts)
Sc aroundSc3, sc twice into next st* around (30 sts)
Sc around for 3 rounds
Skip one st, 5 dc into next st, skip one st, sl st* aroundBreak yarn, leaving a long tail to sew with

Pattern credit: Bitter Sweet

This is one I did, not the exact same pattern but very close. Be creative. I sewed seed beads to mine for "sprinkles". I suggest doing and image search. Some have cherries, felt strawberries, sequins. Some have even been made into animal with bunny or mouse ears!

I want to hear your secrets.

2009-06-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

I want to hear your secrets for success. How do you keep your tools organized? Where do you find fun patterns? What yarn and tools do you think are better than others? What advice would you give a beginner?

How are doing on the squares.

2009-05-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Please ask any questions here.

Granny square

2009-05-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

I think the granny square is a good building block if you're new to crocheting or experienced. It uses basic stitches and is versatile. You can use the granny square for projects as small as pot holders or as big as bed spreads. Once you master this pattern you can find many more variations.

Granny Square

Chain 5, insert hook into first stitch and connect with slip stitch to make loop

Next chain 3, and work 2 double crochet (DC) in the loop. Do not make your DC's in the stitches. There are not enough. For this project all DC's are worked in the open spaces.

*Chain 3, DC 3* three time.

When you have four sections connect last stitch in chain with 3rd stitch in first chain 3 with slip stitch and fasten off.

Recap : First row - chain 5, join with slip stictch to form ring. Second Row - Chain 3, two DC, *chain 3, 3 DC*, **repeat three times. Join with slip stitch Third Row and every other row - Slip stitch in open space. Chain three, 2 DC chain 3, 3 DC. Chain three, 3 DC in next open space, chain 3. 3 DC chain 3, 3 DC in corner.

This pattern is so easy to follow. It is just a combination or chain 3 and 3 DC. The corners are the only area you double.

Good luck!

Getting started.

2009-05-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

For those that are just getting started I thought we'd start with reading patterns. Patterns are easy to read if you know the abbreviations. Here are a list of the most common that you will in patterns.

ch - chain
sc- single crochet
dc- double crochet
sl st- slip stitch
yo - yarn over - this isn't a stitch it's the act of gathering yarn on the hook before you insert the hook into an existing stitch, but you will see this in some patterns.

I found these videos to help you learn to do these stitches.

chain

double crochet

slip stitch

Hey all!

2009-05-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

*** If you can't see the whole post please highlight text. Thanks!

I started crocheting at a very young age with my grandmother. Now it is my favorite past time and a great stress reliever. I find it rewarding to see what beautiful things I can make with just a piece of yarn or thread and a hook. I'm saddened that it seems to be a dying art.

I would like to invite anyone that is interested or already experienced with crochet to come and join me and my friends on our crochet alongs. The projects will start out simple and we'll work into more advanced things.

I will have pictures in the coming week on how to work a granny square and that will be our first project!