Ten Points for Petsmart

Yes, I know it's been forever since my past post. I figured this would happen eventually. ;) Life is...well, life, and it doesn't always include time for blog posts. But let me assure you, I am still crocheting! BUT #2, I do have some updates/random thoughts for you.

Update #1: My Sunburst Earrings pattern was found by Rachel of Crochet Pattern Central, and has now gotten over 2,000 pageviews! I may just have to send new free pattern links to her in the future. :) You can find my pattern on her site by going to Jewelry > Earrings in the directory.

Update #2: I was recently sent a message via Ravelry from one of the creators of Knitting Pattern-A-Day/Crochet Pattern-A-Day, asking if I would submit my Simple Butterfly Motif pattern (or something similar) for consideration in their 2013 calendar! I've gotta say, just the idea of having one of my patterns officially published kinda gives me goosebumps. :) It would be a great opportunity for more traffic here on the blog, and the fact that they approached me is rather encouraging. I got the message just before I left for vacation, but I will definitely be sending something in once I get home! For more info on the calendar and/or submitting entries, visit their site at www.knittingpatternaday.com. Updates to follow.

Update #3: I got a little worn out with pattern-writing for the moment, and am currently working on my very first full-sized afghan. :) One panel out of 5 is done. I am following Caron's Aran Afghan pattern with Simply Soft (which is turning into one of my all-time faves), and learning some new stitches along the way, which is always fun.

Random musings: I recently saw some crochet dog toys on Petsmart.com by Martha Stewart (see them here). Just goes to show you how popular crochet is, and most non-crafters don't even know it. Since learning how to crochet, I've started seeing it everywhere! Hats, bags, toys, clothing...the list goes on. And every time I see it I get the urge to buy whatever it is just so I can figure out how to make it myself. The sad thing is that much of what I see requires a bit of sewing knowledge, which I lack totally and completely (something I must remedy sometime in the future...when I have time, which will likely be never, lol).

Also, I've sort of given up on the whole sell-my-patterns-online thing, at least for now. Due to my goody-goody-rule-follower nature, I cannot bring myself to make a profit without the required permits my state requires, permits which I currently do not possess. I am also lazy, and so lack the willpower it takes to figure out exactly which permit(s) I need and how much they cost. So for now, any patterns I post will be free (good for you), but will probably not be terribly complicated or fantastic either (bad for you). At the moment, I'm trying to brainstorm a couple new motif patterns, as the last one I did proved to be relatively popular. :) Any thoughts on the matter in the form of comments are very much appreciated.

Here Comes the Sun

At last, the heat cometh! It's the middle of summer, and it actually RAINED yesterday where I am, can you believe it? In any case, the good weather inspired me to finally get this earring pattern down in writing. I've been meaning to do it, but haven't had the oomph for it. But now it's done, so I hope you enjoy them! Again, I'm definitely still new at writing patterns (this making a grand total of 3, haha), so if there's any questions/problems about it, please let me know and I'll fix it. Oh! This will be up as a download on Ravelry (username kaityh1) too, as always. Here you go guys. :)

Sunburst Earrings

by Kaity Harding

These simple to make yet adorable sunburst-shaped earrings are sure to attract attention. ;) Make some and find out for yourself!

Abbreviations:

Ch = chain

Slst = slip stitch

Sc = single crochet

Materials:

Royale Classic Crochet Thread – size 10

Size 8 (1.5mm) steel crochet hook

Small tapestry needle (I use size 22)

2 fishhook earrings (Found in packs at almost any craft store.)

Jewelry pliers

Pattern:

Rnd 1) ch 2 (or create magic loop of choice), 6 sc in first ch, join with slst.

Rnd 2) ch 1, sc in same st; [ch 3, sc in next st] around. When forming 6^th loop, do not end by sc in next st. Instead, slst into first sc in round (leaves one sc from first round unworked). ch 1, turn.

Rnd 3) 4 sc in each loop around. slst to join, slst in next stitch (the 2^nd sc in first loop).

Rnd 4) ch 1, sc in same st; [ch 5, sc into 2^nd st of next loop] repeat around. End last loop with slst into first sc of round. ch 1, turn.

Rnd 5) [4 sc, ch 2, slst in 2^nd ch from hook, 4 sc] in each loop around. slst to join and finish off.

Weave in ends. Use jewelry pliers to attach work to earrings. Enjoy! :)

(c) Kaity Harding

This pattern may not be reproduced or sold. Feel free to sell what you’ve made, but PLEASE give credit where credit is due – give my name or a link when selling products made from this pattern!

So apparently...

So apparently motifs are popular! I've been amazed with all the attention my little pattern has been getting since it was posted a few days ago. In just three days it's been downloaded from Ravelry nearly 150 times! (I know it's not a staggering number, but for someone just starting out writing patterns, it's very exciting. Not to mentioned that I'm easily excited to begin with. ^_^) I want to send a big thank you to a fellow blogger who I only know as Before the Sun Goes Down, who featured the pattern on her blog "Would You Like Yarn With That?" yesterday. You can visit her blog here or by clicking on the blue button over to the right of the page under "Featured On". -------->

Also, I was very excited to see Ravelry user JillianJiggs post a picture of her finished product from the pattern! You can see it on the "Projects" tab of the pattern page. It's such a simple little thing, but it's always nice to see people take interest in your work and make it their own. (And I don't mind the least bit that the picture is blurry Jillian!)

I also want to talk a little bit about the idea of selling patterns through sites like Ravelry and Etsy, but that's probably a whole 'nother post's worth of thoughts, so I'll hold off for now. But once that thought process boils over, I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again!

Simple Butterfly Motif

Hello again! So I know I said I'd come up with some earring patterns for you all, but I've been playing around the last few days, and it just wasn't coming. What DID come, however, was this cute little butterfly. ;) I know there's gobs of butterfly applique patterns out there already, but I thought it was pretty cute, and I need practice writing patterns anyway, so I figured why not. This little guy CAN be made into earrings as well, which I plan on doing in the near future. I'm also going to be putting this up as a free PDF download on Ravelry if you want to skip the whole copy/paste nonsense. As always, comments/critiques/questions are appreciated.

In other news, another pattern is in the works...and you may recognize it from an earlier post. ;) 

Simple Butterfly Motif
by Kaity Harding

This quick three round motif is a great addition to any piece of crochet apparel, such as purses, hats, or scarves. You can even make them into earrings!

Hook & Yarn: Any size yarn with the proper corresponding hook would do, depending on the size you wish to make. (The motif pictured is 6.5cm across at the widest point, done with sport weight/#3 yarn and a G6/4.00mm hook.)

Abbreviations:

Ch = chain

St = stitch

Slst = slip stitch

Sc = single crochet

Hdc = half double crochet

Dc = double crochet

Tc = triple/treble crochet

Pattern:

Rnd 1) ch 2, 8 sc in first ch, join with slst.

Rnd 2) ch 1 (do not turn), sc in same stitch; ch 5, skip one st, sc in next st; ch 4, sc in next st; slst, then sc in next 2 stitches; ch 4, sc in next st; ch 5, skip one st, sc in next st .

Rnd 3) ch 2, turn; [2 dc, 1 tc, 3 dc, 3 hdc, 1 sc] in ch5 space; 7sc in ch4 space, repeat in next ch4 space; [1 sc, 3 hdc, 3 dc, 1 tc, 3 dc] in ch5 space; slst between wings to secure, finish off.

Weave in ends for a standalone piece or leave tail to sew onto another piece. Enjoy!

© Kaity Harding

This pattern may not be reproduced or sold. Feel free to sell what you’ve made, but PLEASE give credit where credit is due – give my name or a link when selling products made from this pattern! 

Lacy Wristers Pattern

Ta da!! :) After a spurt of creative energy, my very first pattern has been written! It's nothing spectacular, but everybody's gotta start somewhere. ;) I'm going to be posting the pattern here on the blog, but for the convenience of any Ravelry users out there, you can also get a free PDF download here. Enjoy guys, and I welcome any questions or comments!

Lacy Wristers

By Kaity Harding

I’ve found lots of free patterns for wristers/cuffs/fingerless gloves online since I’ve been crocheting, but many of them are either bulky looking (and not very attractive), or completely insubstantial and not warm at all (made completely of openwork). I wanted something in between that had a lighter feel to them but would also cover the wrists completely. And so these cute little wristers fell off my hook. They’re fast and simple, and I hope you enjoy them!

Sizes: One size fits all. However, if you have particularly large/tiny wrists, you can add sets of Rows 4-6 until you reach your desired length.

Yarn: I used Lion Brand® Babysoft® in Cream, but any sport weight (#3) yarn should do.

Other Materials: G6/4.00mm hook

3 medium-sized buttons (mine were about 15mm in diameter)

small tapestry needle

Gauge: About 5 sc/dc per inch.

Abbreviations:

ch = chain

chsp = chain space

slst = slip stitch

sc = single crochet

hdc = half double crochet

fo = finish off

Pattern:

Wrister

Ch 23

Row 1 – hdc in 3^rd ch from hook, continue hdc across row, ch 1, turn (21)

Row 2 – hdc across row, ch 1, turn

Row 3 – sc in next 3 stitches, [ch 2, skip 2 stitches, sc in next 5 stitches] repeat 2x, ch 2, skip 2 stitches, sc in next 2 stitches, ch 2, turn. (These spaces create the buttonholes.)

Row 4 – hdc across row, ch 2, turn (put 2 hdc in each chsp)

Row 5 – hdc across row, ch 1, turn

Row 6 – sc across row, ch 2, turn

Rows 7-30 – repeat Rows 4-6 a total of 8 times (disregarding the directions in parentheses for Row 4)

Rows 31-32 – repeat Rows 4 & 5 (disregarding the directions in parentheses for Row 4), do not FO.

Lacy Edge

1 – Turn work, [ch 3, skip first 2 stitches and sc in next stitch] repeat across row (total of 7 “loops”).

2 – ch 3, skip some space, then sc in even intervals down the side of the work (about 15-17 “loops”). These should look the same as the loops you’ve already done in step 1.

3 – Repeat steps 1 & 2 until you’ve created an edge around the entire work. On the last loop, slst into the row instead of sc, then FO and weave in ends.

Sew on buttons on opposite side of work from the buttonholes (it doesn’t particularly matter whether you sew them on the “wrong” or “right” side of the work, it’s impossible to tell which is which), making sure the space between buttons matches the buttonholes, like so:

Weave in ends and enjoy! :)