March and springtime knit and crochet

Spring is almost here in Kansas.  March can be an early spring a little further North of us but we are seeing Daffodils bloom here in Kansas.  One of my springtime designs is inspired by these wonderful flowers.  This daffodil fairy bookmark or decoration is so bright and cheerful, just like the flowers.

She is available to buy at AndersonsCreations on etsy.  For thread crochet folks who would like to try a pattern that is a little more challenging you can buy the pattern using the "buy now" button on the right or at my craftsy store or if you are across 'the big pond,' you can find it at my lovecrochet store.

I have been asked to make a Poppy Fairy and so I am currently working on that one.  It is so much fun to come up with new designs trying to make crochet stitches that end up looking like the wonders that God has around us everyday.

Another fun design that is perfect for March is my lucky Irish leprechaun.  He is holding his pot of gold and has a lucky 4-leafed shamrock on his hit.  He can be used as a bookmark or decoration to take the 'luck of the Irish with you wherever you go.  You will find him at my etsy shop.

 The pattern works up quickly and easily.  His pattern is found under crochet patterns at my Etsy shop or by using the "buy now" button on the right or at any of my online stores.  What a great gift for anyone who wants to celebrate their Irish heritage.

With the warming temperatures during the day, the morning and evenings can still be chilly.  I grew up in the southwest and ponchos were normal sweater attire.  I designed the Majestic Queen of Hearts pattern for my oldest daughter who loves anything with hearts. 

Now I wanted to design a poncho for my youngest daughter.  She loves plants and I thought what better way to celebrate that love then with a leafy poncho.

I used Moreno and silk wool to put in AndersonCreations on Etsy.  The pattern is made using two lace panels that are sewn together and has a simple cable to separate the leaf patterns.  It works up quickly and is such a fun look.  I love ponchos because they fit everyone.

I thought for my daughter, since she has three preschoolers, I would make hers using a different yarn.  I made a huge mistake in doing this.  Using different yarns on my patterns works well but the gauge needs to be considered in doing this.  The Moreno and silk yarn was a Sport weight and the Pima Cotton yarn I wanted to use for her was a DK weight.  I made the poncho with the DK weight and it came out so big that it didn't want to stay on her shoulders.  I am embarrassed to admit that I could make such a basic error but I did.  I had to take the whole poncho out and re-knit it using smaller needles to get the correct gauge. Proof that when making a garment, it is always a good idea to swatch to get the right gauge.

One of my pattern testers for this delightfully fun knit used an Aran weight yarn and it came out beautifully when she used smaller needles. The pattern is now available under knit patterns at my Etsy shop, or by using the 'buy now' button on the right.  It can also be purchased at LoisLeigh Ravelry shop, on LoisLeigh's Creations at Craftsy or at https://www.loveknitting.com.

March is a fun time of me with a birthday for my dear husband and my youngest sister. I love coming up with new a different ideas for them both.  What do you like about March and early spring?

newest bookmark thread crochet design - daffodil Fairy

I often get asked where my ideas come from for my various bookmarks.  This one came from my garden.  I was looking through my spring garden of daffodils.  I realized that the trumpet for the flower would make a fantastic shirt and the petals would work naturally into a skirt.  I had wanted to design a fairy bookmark for a while now and I saw exactly how I could do it.

She is available pre-made at my AndersonsCreations.etsy.com.  Her head and flower can hang outside the book to remind the reader there is more story to come.  What a fantastic achievement award for anyone who loves to read.

 

One of the trickier parts of the pattern is how to make the flower petals.  Flower petals are usually worked down one side of a chain and then down the second side of the same chain.  When you start at the waist with the chain the end of the petal ends up at the opposite end of the chain then the waist.  I also needed a way for all the separate petals to be joined to each other.  I decided to use the front loop of the petal to slip stitch back to the waist.  I then worked another chain for a second petal and joined the two petals with a slip stitch in the unused back loop behind the slip stitches going down to the waist. 

 

I also needed to come up with wings.  There are so many possibilities.  I could have bought pre made wings but I wanted to make something in crochet.  I love how her wings came out using a variation of a rose leaf.

Of course I had a to design a daffodil cap to go with the curly hair underneath.  (I used Caron Simply yarn for the hair which is cropped close to the cap and unraveled which gives the hair its curl)

My pattern testers really enjoyed making this pattern which works up quickly.  One tester had never used thread to crochet with and she really loved making this.  I use a larger hook than is normally used to get the bookmarks to a "good" size and to encourage others not to be afraid to work with thread which I love working with.  My pattern for this bookmark can be found at LoisLeigh's Ravelry shop.  It is also available at AndersonsCreations.etsy.com.  If you are from Canada or the European Union I now have the pattern available at Loveknitting shop (Lovecrochet shop)  Or you can use the buy now link at the left of this post.  This button will take you to your PayPal account.

 

I really love how she came out and I am going to be designing more fairy items.  There are so many ideas running through my head with out enough time to design them all.  I add them to a list and work on my present design.  I often get requests for characters to make into bookmarks.  So many good ideas but they need to be generic so that I don't run into copyright or trademark disputes.  Nature seems to be one of my primary design inspiration.

 

What do you think of my new design?

 

 



Mother's Day ideas

I have been super busy with business taxes, custom orders and some other tasks.  I am done with taxes and have a bit of time to write in my blog.

I did want to share a link to an online magazine, Mental Floss, that is showing different bookmarks.  My cowardly lion is in the round up with a wonderful review.  http://mentalfloss.com/article/63057/11-beautiful-bookmarks-bibliophiles-will-love  What an honor to included in this article.

Is your mother a reader?  Does she have a favorite character from a book that is not trademarked?  Here a link to some bookmarks that are already made.  https://www.etsy.com/shop/AndersonsCreations?section_id=6209177&ref=shopsection_leftnav_2

I just finished a custom order for someone who wanted an Alice in Wonderland with the flamingo so she can play a game of croquet.  She is going to put it in a shadow box and not use it as a bookmark, so I was able to stuff the body of the flamingo.  Here is the finished product.

I am really happy with the result.  I enjoy custom orders as I get some really great ideas from them.

If you would like to make your own bookmarks I sell patterns at my Craftsy store, Etsy bookmark patterns or use the buy now buttons on the side to buy them on Ravelry.com. I also have some of the patterns bundled for better prices at my Etsy shop.

Etsy bundled sale patterns

If you don't see the group of patterns you would like to purchase, just ask me in my Etsy shop and I can set up a group just for you.

 

Does your mother love roses and doilies?  Here is doily she will love.

Rose budding hearts doily



Want to make it for her yourself?  Use the buy now button to get it through Ravelry.  On Craftsy, doily pattern or in crochet patterns at my Etsy shop.

 

Does your mother love rainbows?  Here is a sun catcher that looks wonderful in a window and includes a crystal to create rainbows on her wall.

sun catcher in Etsy shop

If you would like to make your mother a sun catcher, this pattern includes instructions on how to attach a crystal drop to make the rainbows on her wall and can be found Ravelry shop pattern, and in my Etsy shop or on Craftsy.

 

Does your mother like columbines as much as I do?  These wonderful chokers would make the perfect addition to her spring wardrobe.

etsy shop pre-made columbine chokers

Would you like to make these beauties in the colors she would love.  Click the buy now button to find the pattern on Ravelry.com, at Craftsy.com, or in my etsy shop.

 

With spring comes the up and down temperatures from day to day and sometimes hour to hour.  For that special mother who deserves only the best, this glorious shrug is available in my shop.

spring shrug

This one is made for a woman size small to medium and is made using wonderfully soft Merino wool and silk yarn.  It is nice and long.  If your mother needs it in another size and color combination, here is the same pattern with the same glorious yarn for women up to size large. 

marsala and charcoal shrug

 

Hopefully, I will have the pattern back from the testers soon to offer that in my shops as well.

 

With mother's day right around the corner and spring in the air, I hope this round-up gives some great ideas for items any mother would love.  What do you think?