We Can Make the Stars Shine

Hey loyal readers and those new to my blog.  I am sorry for taking so long in continuing my posts on SCRAP and the wonderful items I have bought there.  If you follow my blog you know that I had purchased a large amount of craft gear for under $11 and have made it my personal job to show you what I am making with all these wonderful things that I have found.

The items that I am going to use in today’s blog are the cute skeins of yarn that I found for $2 a skein.  I found one in gray and one in red, which is perfect for a project I have already been working on.  A recent series of events has caused me to become nostalgic, and in the process I created hats that resemble the Chicago flag.  I have lived in Portland for about 3 years now, but when things go wrong I get the urge to run home.  I often do not let these feelings let me flee, so my therapy is in the skein.  The problem with the hat is this… the stars are not really uniform to me, and that bugs me.

A great friend of mine found this pattern in her aunties old crochet books to make these wonderful stars, and I will pass the pattern onto you.  These stars are a cute to add to any hat or even to make hair clips out of, and once you figure out the math, you can make them with as many points as you like.  The pattern below is for 6 points.

HOW TO>>>

First Round: Chain 1, work 18 single crochets into that ring, join them all with a slip stitch in the 1st single crochet.

Second Round: Chain 9, single crochet in 4th chain from hook, than single crochet the next 2 chains. Double crochet the next 3 chains.
Skip the first three crochet holes on the ring then slip stitch the 4th hole on the ring.

Repeat this 4 more times except skip 2 single crochet on the rings before applying the slip stitch.  Be sure to slip stitch before you fasten off.

ENJOY and happy crafting!

Oh the wonderful world of Tatting

Every Sunday here in Portland, I get together with a wonderful group of ladies for Crafternoon.  This evening consists of talk, wine, various baked goods made by my baking ladies Marz and Jess, and lots and lots of projects.  One of the best parts of having a crafternoon is the fact that crafters are really nice people.  If you know a crafter you probably already think of this person as quite charitable to the point of their conversations causing cavities because they are so sweet.    Because of this fact, craft nights are one part doing and one part learning.

Recently my friend Stefanie taught me how to make my own lace in the form of the ancient art of Tatting.  Tatting is a simple technique consisting of slight finger twisting yarn onto a very long needle that resembles a very tall quilting needle.  You can find various patterns on line and it is very simple to make.  If you need directions I would check out you tube and look under the words “Needle Tatting”.

Well Serendipity struck at a craft fair I recently attended and for one dollar I won a basket of yarn that was thin enough to use in tatting.  I also took a stroll to my old standby scrap and purchased some scraps of felt.  Here is what the craft gods have blessed me with:

All of these were made with no pattern in mind which gives them an asymmetrical look that I like, and the felt adds a mosaic look to it.  Also because there is no pattern they are all one of a kind.  I have been using different colors and styles and can now be found on my etsy page

www.stufffromvenus.etsy.com

Happy Crafting!!!

Goofy Hat Attack

In case my blog hasn’t attested to my tastes, I will tell you frankly that I like the off beat and colorful.  This winter I wanted to be cute and warm and happy.  I also wanted to make the kids in my life warm and cozy and even more cute.  My answer for this is…

GOOFY HAT ATTACK!!!!

All of these hats can now be found in my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/stufffromvenus

DIY Christmas Part 3: Crochet for Men

So here we are… on the 3rd instalment of DIY Christmas.  For those of you that have been following you have seen me create kitty bags and customized shoes  for the little ones.  If you have not been following, you can click the links above or do a search for DIY Christmas.  You may be saying to yourself… “Well not all of my family is under 12 years old, so what do we give the bigger manlier version of my family?”  Well that question is a toughie!  It is hard to think of anything that can be given to a guy you may not know much about.  What I do know is that my brother-in-law has everything he needs and my blood brother is quite elusive, so I better crochet my way out of this one!

So what does every man need in the winter?  No matter how hairy that man may be, even the furriest of mammals could use a hat and scarf !  First pick your manly colors (grey, black, dark reds, and blues are my go to man colors, as well as earth tones)  I apologize in advance for my gender specific color assignments, but when it  comes down to it, my brother is a picky picky man!  Find your crochet hook and get to crocheting.  I used a single stitch for the hats below.  If you need help on how to crochet, you can refer to the wonderful world of You tube for tutorials and color changing for striped is easy, just knot the new yarn onto the one you are finished working with.

DIY Blue Hue Rug

I recently moved into a space further away from where I would like to be, but the perks of the new home beat those of the old one. One of the largest perks is the size of my room. I also get a lot more natural light than I could imagine, and the light from the windows make my hardwood floors sparkle. It is because of that sparkle, I looked into buying a rug to keep the floors from getting scuffed up, and to add a cozy lift to my new digs.
I went to the Ikea in my area and found some rugs full of color for a whopping 200 bucks… YIKES!!!! The ones that seemed more affordable were very plain and not the style I was going for. My alternative… making a rug from materials I had at home.

Close Rug

Rug Feet

Yarn4Rug

I started by looking for cheaper yarn and a crotchet hook that would expedite the process.  I recently had a party which was open to all my crafty friends.  The catch was to either bring your favorite dish or your favorite media, resulting in me getting the yarn you see in the photo above for free!  Yes that is right… this rug was free to make.  You can’t beat that with a bat!
I used a simple single crochet and just swapped out colors by knotting them into the yarn I was working with.  You can make a rug as you see above (about 30″ diameter) with about 4 skeins of yarn.  When you are finished I cut up some bits of old bicycle intertubes to line the outside to keep the rug from slipping or bunching. A simple weave will work.

I also recommend buying an antislip  mat which feels like felt but keeps you from sliding across the floor.  This is a must if you like keeping your brain functions in tact and not risking stumbling across your room.  You can find this at any Target or Ikea… well anyplace that sells rugs should have tem.  A few hours later and Viola!  Comfy Customized Prettyness!