Category: Crochet

Heidi from Snappy Tots asked me if I could chat about the place I crochet, and I said sure! You can check out the Q&A here on her blog. Here’s a tiny peek:

Here is the other free crochet pattern I worked up for Sugar ‘n Cream’s “Sweets and Delights” promo at Michaels for their new range of sugary sweet yarn colors: A Rainbow Cake Throw Pillow that uses five of the new colors! The patterns is available at Michaels.com, and I will also post it here on my blog. In case you were curious, here is the sample I worked up at home while figuring out the pattern. I didn’t have the purple color (Sherbet) on hand, so I repeated the pink (Strawberry Shortcake). The purple looks really pretty, though, so I can’t wait to find some in the store!

  Oh hey! You can pick up my face and a free pattern at your local Michaels store! Lily Sugar ‘n Cream is coming out with some new, yummy, candy colors and asked me to whip up some fun crochet treats for their Sweets & Delights promo! I created two crochet projects for them, and the first one is this Cupcake Dish Cloth! I’ll post the second project here tomorrow! ;). The pattern is also available on Michaels.com (thank you, Elleen!). (Colors shown in my photos are Strawberry Shortcake (new!), Blue Cupcake (new!), Mint (new!), Soft Ecru, and Red.) Edit: I just put up a video on YouTube to go with the pattern!

I designed these cuties for my Renegade Craft Fair booth last Christmas, and now I finally have some in my shop for you guys! I think they are super adorable and have fun details like the little gills underneath the mushroom cap and lots and lots of mini pompom mushroom-spots. They would make super snazzy gifts for your favorite forest-lovin’ friends! Get two and stick em in a flower pot filled with beans or little pebbles!  

I has a wee little update for you in my Etsy shop! I’ve got conversation heart fingerless mitts, Valentine cake hair clips, lollipop necklaces, aaaaaaand cupcake and petit four ring boxes. Everything is in limited quantities, and I will upgrade all domestic shipping to Priority Mail until February 14th, with the exception of any “made to order” items, because those still take time to make. Check it out!

Here’s a quick list of my Valentine’s Day crochet patterns that you can find for free! Sparkly Heart Lollipop Necklace Sweetheart Sugar Cookie Brooch Chocolate Truffle Scarf Conversation Heart Garland And the XOXO Sugar Cookies pattern is now in my shop. I will be updating the shop with finished Valentine’s Day items hopefully tomorrow! I thought it might be today, but I had a few phone meeting, and I lost my good light for photos, so let’s try tomorrow!

  EDIT: This crochet pattern is now available in my Etsy shop. Thank you! I’m posting the crochet pattern for my Valentine’s Day X’s, O’s, and Hearts Sugar Cookies (that you may have seen in Crochet Today magazine) for FREE all weekend! Then on Monday, I will remove the pattern from my blog and load it up to my Etsy shop. The heart cookie may look familiar since it’s one of the free patterns I put together for Michaels.com, but I felt like it would be weird to leave out of this set! You can turn these cookies into brooches and hair clips, and even patches and appliques. Big ol’ fridge magnets would be fun, too!

Sometimes I’m like, “Ugh, I have nothing interesting to blog about! I’m just making orders and shipping them and doing a bunch of boring stuff!” But sometimes I forget that stuff could be mildly interesting as a peek into my day-to-day. I’ve been having fun including pins in orders that kinda match up with the item I’m sending, like this sweet radish-on-radish action. The other reason I wanted to blog about the radishes is that I have ALWAYS had a bit of a problem with figuring out how to stick my branding on these guys. Normally with my crochet work, I can sew a clothing tag somewhere, but there is not a lot of surface for sewing labels when it comes to the radish lariat scarf.  In the past, I have tried sewing a label to one of the leaves. I never really wanted to sew one to the radish itself because it seemed ugly. One alternative solution I’ve been using is these jewelry tags (sorry it was hard to photograph them!) But I’m not sure if people really like that up in their radishes, either. The cool part about the jewelry tag is that people can easily remove the if they don’t like them. I know there is probably some difference in preference from person to person regarding branding on their items. Some people request it specifically because they like knowing they have a Twinkie Chan item. But I’ve also received complaints in the past, regarding t-shirts, they they wish I didn’t include branding in my graphics. So I get that there are two sides to the story. When it comes to branding on items that I buy, I don’t mind supporting indie businesses and wearing something with their brand on it, especially if the brand name and logo are cute. I’m less likely to care about having a giant ADIDAS or JUICY across my butt. If you have any specific thoughts regarding my little radish buddies, I’m interested!      

I’m finding it a little hard to get into 2014. Part of me wanted to take a week or two to just relax and not work for once after the holiday rush, but that didn’t really happen. I had some stressful personal stuff happening (not health-related, don’t worry, just first world problems) that stretched out for a few weeks, but I hope that I’m seeing the end of that right about now. We’re butting up against Valentine’s Day, and part of me wanted to give up and not have any kind of Valentine’s Day-related shop update, because I didn’t think it was worth the stress, but we will have a few items in the next week or so. Some of them will be assorted cupcake ring boxes. We’re also sending my book proposal for Crochet Book #2 to potential publishers, which is always kind of a weird experience. For my first book, I didn’t even know that my licensing agent was pitching the book. He just sort of rang up one day and was like, “Hey, we have a book deal.” I didn’t even write a proposal. I actually wrote a proposal this time, and I have a new literary agent, my buddy Pickle, and there’s actually a submission list and pitch calls and the whole kit and caboodle. Having done all this from the agent’s side, I know there are a lot of “no”s when it comes to pitching books, and we have already had a few. It’s hard on the writer’s side to stay positive about the whole thing, as I’d rather not self-publish, but keep your fingers crossed, and we’ll see how it all goes. I’ve already replied to a few of Pickle’s emails saying, “I’m a lemon! I’m a lemon!” although I did include the words “rue the day!!!” in one of my more recent email responses. I was also asked to contribute to a bookazine that is coming out some time in February (yes… as in, a few weeks from now… REALLY fast turnaround!), and I’m excited to show you guys that. It includes a really fun new crochet pattern by yours truly, and whenever the book comes out, I will also release the mystery item from that pattern in my shop as well. Can’t wait to show you guys!!!

  YAY! I’m in the current February/March 2014 issue of Crochet Today magazine! I’m pretty excited! I have already gotten a bunch of messages and emails about it! Pick up a copy and check out the “My Crochet Life” feature with me! The link to the free pattern for the Conversation Heart Garland is here! There are also tons of cute patterns in the magazine. It’s a good issue!

I saw the most adorable photo on Instagram posted by yayoichang of two French bulldogs in some cute headgear. I then knew it was my mission in life to crochet one for Bibi! I tried to leave the pattern pretty flexible so that you cam make one to fit your own pet. I don’t know that Bibi actually NEEDS something like this, as her body temp runs really warm, but you can’t say no to cute photo ops! I designed the head band to be double layered, because that’s how it looked to me in the photos. So the pattern is basically a tube (which is working both layers at the same time when you squish the tube flat) that you crochet until the length can fit around your pet’s head.  Then you just stick some ears on top. Easy! p.s. I can’t vouch for whether these will actually stay on your pet’s head for any amount of time. One good shake and Bibi’s ears went flying! I guess I would call these more of a photo prop! I think I made mine too small and they were also jutting into my neck a bit…but they were definitely WARM.

I know you’re like, “It’s not even Christmas yet! Why are you posting a Valentine’s Day pattern?” Because the February issue of Crochet Today magazine is out today and includes a “Favorite Blogger” feature of me, plus a link to THIS free pattern! Hello! Okay, I was first told that I would be in the issue of Crochet Today that dropped in December, but as it turns out, I’m in the February/March issue which dropped in January! Sorry for the mix-up! I have a feature in the magazine titled “My Crochet Life.” If you’ve come here from Crochet Today: hello, new readers!! Here is your free crochet pattern for the Conversation Heart Garland! If you are familiar with working in the round, this pattern is pretty quick and easy, and you can make your garland as long or as short as you like, in whatever colors you like. Plus you can have lots of fun cutting out your own felt lettering for various messages!

My Cherry Pie Tissue Box Cozy crochet pattern is now available on Etsy! I worked really hard to re-vamp the lattice pie crust on top so that it’s less clunky and less cumbersome. I’m really happy with this little makeover! The reason why I’m posting this pattern now, is for my charity project: the Tissue Box Bakery. I have posted about it on Facebook, but I don’t think I’ve blogged about it yet. I don’t have as many patterns on it yet as I plan to, but if you guys have any holiday-crafting time left before Renegade Craft Fair San Francisco, Dec 21-22, please consider making a fun tissue box cozy to send to me and donate to the cause! Check out the TBB site for more infos! I just received the first two cozies in the mail! So excited!      

This pattern is pretty much the easiest pattern ever: it’s a rectangle.  The end. It’s great for beginners! Great for kids! Host a holiday crochet party where everyone makes one crocheted candy and then string them all together to create a group garland! Or, everyone can keep their own candy and string them as ornaments. I will probably glue pinbacks and hair clips to the backs so that I can wear them. There are a lot of possibilities with just one little crocheted rectangle! For more advanced beginners, you can get some great striping. You can alternate different colors every other row, and carry the unused yarn. Or, you can alternate colors ever 2 rows, and just drop the unused yarn and pick it up on the way back. Working a thin sparkle or sequin yarn with your regular yarn also and some subtle bling. Either way, all you need is a little bit of yarn and a styrofoam ball to get going! I also tried filming a video tutorial for this. People have been asking me to do videos, but they are quite a bit of work, so I haven’t really been super eager to get on that task, since I do everything 100% by myself.  But since this project is SO EASY, I thought it would be a good ice breaker for me to film a video and for you to break out some crochet hooks!

Well, I had no idea today was going to be National Cotton Candy Day until I saw a few people, like Pee Wee Herman, post about it! I just wanted to remind you guys that I have a free pattern for crocheting really cute cotton candy tree ornaments from last year!! Check it out again! 🙂 Cotton Candy Christmas Tree Ornament! This project works up in about an hour and only uses chains and single crochet (sc) stitches. What makes this project super fun is using a wire slicker dog brush to turn a regular crocheted project into a super fuzzy hairy crocheted beast! Naturally “hairy” yarns like wool, alpaca, and mohair work best, but I’ve seen people also do it with acrylic yarn, with slightly different results. I’ll be using wool for my cotton candy (Cascade 220), because that’s what I have on hand. Not only does this cotton candy buddy make a cute ornament, but you can also turn it into a pin for your sweater, a clip for your hair, or a necklace for your neck! Materials: – Pink worsted weight yarn (I am using wool, Cascade 220) – 9 mm safety eyes (2 of them) – 4 inch lollipop stick – small wire slicker brush for dogs – glue (hot glue or Tacky glue should do the trick) Not pictured: – H or I hook – Polyfill stuffing – tapestry needle – depending on what you want to make, you will need ribbon or invisible thread to create a hanging loop for your ornament, OR, a pinback for a brooch, OR, a hair clip of your choice, OR a jump ring and chain to make a necklace.   Abbreviations: ch(s): chain(s) rnd(s): round(s) sc: single crochet sl st: slip stitch st: stitch (  ): work what’s inside the parentheses into the next st – e.g. (2 sc) = 2 sc into the next st [ ] : work what’s inside the brackets the number of times indicated   Cotton Candy With pink yarn, make magic circle or ch 3 and sl st to 1st ch to form ring. Rnd 1: Ch 1 and work 6 sc into ring. Don’t join rounds. (6) Rnd 2: (2 sc) 6 times. (12) Rnd 3: [(2 sc), 1 sc] 6 times. (18) Rnd 4: [(2 sc), 2 sc] 6 times. (24) You may want to stick a marker in your work now, or use a scrap piece of yarn, to help count the following rnds. Rnds 5-14 (10 rnds): Work sc evenly around. (24) At this point, my project is about 3 inches long. Don’t break off yet. I prefer for the right side of my sts to show on the outside of my projects. Here comes the fun part. Get your wire brush and start brushing your project to make it fuzzy. Tamie from Roxycraft has a really great tutorial on how to do this here. The longer you brush it out, the fuzzier your project will get. It takes longer […]

My December Michaels.com pattern is up! It’s a brand new Snowflake Sugar Cookie Scarf, using Lion Brand Homespun, Lily Sugar n Cream, and Red Heart Shimmer. Edit, June 4, 2014: Please find the pattern here on my blog. Michaels.com is currently re-vamping their pattern/project section, and the above Michaels.com link is disabled for now. The subtle shimmer on the white yarn was hard for me to capture in photos, but this is a super sweet little decoration for yourself or someone special! My description at Michaels.com: “I wanted to celebrate Holiday 2013 with a brand new pattern for one of my yummy food scarves, so I asked my Facebook fans for advice on which holiday pattern they’d like to see most. The winning votes went to this Snowflake Sugar Cookie Scarf, which I really love because it perfectly fits the season and has a sugary elegance without being too over the top. For a quicker project, you can work up a single snowflake sugar cookie and turn it into a brooch or hair-piece. Happy Holidays and a sweet New Year!” Here are some close-ups of the pattern photos since the ones on the Michaels site might be a bit small. Click on them to enlarge.

Do you guys remember the pug coffee cozy I made for pug-mammas Elsie and Emma when we shared a table one year at Renegade Craft Fair here in SF? People began to message me for custom orders, but I never made any more, since I didn’t want to start making animal-everything for everybody (I think there’s already a good amount of crocheted animal stuff out there). But I got a request for one a few weeks ago, and I must have been in a good mood, and I said yes! I must have erased from my memory how these are more work than my cupcake coffee cup cozies. So I’ll probably go back to not taking orders for pet cozies, but I just thought you might enjoy the fun pics!    

My cousin in London sent me a unicorn kigurumi absolutely out of nowhere just because she is super nice and super awesome. I wanted to crochet her a thank-you prezzie in return. I have crocheted her a felted eggplant zipper pouch in the past, because her hubby requested it, and she is vegetarian. I thought that my veggie pen cozies would be a really cute gift for her, and I also completed a new pattern for a little mushroom pen cozy. She’ll be getting the first one! If I can get caught up on my orders, I will try to make a few for the shop before the holidays, but we’ll definitely have some in our Renegade Craft Fair booth in a few weeks. I especially think the little gills underneath are super cute. The French knots on top kind of took me a while, so I might change them up to white pom poms, but I’m not sure yet. I have been stalling a little on sending her the package, because I think the mushroom is too adorable to say good-bye to. But I know I can always make more!

Ruth Tillman of the Enchanted Square and I are offering our new crochet class again: a super easy and super adorable wrapped candy! Just in time for the holidays! All you need to know is how to crochet a basic rectangle to turn your home (or yourself) into a sugary holiday wonderland, and we will teach you how to crochet this rectangle from step 1! This will be a really fun project, especially for beginners. Our class will be on Tuesday night, December 3rd, from 7:00pm – 9:30pm, at Urban Bazaar in San Francisco, for $30.00. Check out the class listings here and mark your calendars! I’m also going to bring some holiday nibbles that we can eat with toothpicks, so as not to get our crafty hands dirty!

Seattle!!!! Please go to Schmancy this Friday night, November 15, 5-8pm, to celebrate the launch of Kristen’s new super awesome crochet book, The Wizard of Oz Crochet. I have two patterns in the book, so you’ll have to pick up a copy to see which ones ;). This thing is actually a KIT which comes with a hook and some yarn, so it’s a super great gift! If you’re in Seattle, please go and take photos of the very special Oz-inspired crochet painting I just finished. I ran it over to Fed Ex and didn’t have time to take any photos of it. Sad!! So you have to go and take lots of photos for me :).

Ruth Tillman of the Enchanted Square and I will be teaching a new crochet class, and our project will be a super easy but super adorable wrapped candy! Just in time for the holidays! All you need to know is how to crochet a basic rectangle to turn your home (or yourself) into a sugary holiday wonderland! Our class will be on Thursday night, November 14th, from 7:00pm – 9:30pm, at Urban Bazaar in San Francisco, for $30.00. Check out the class listings here and mark your calendars! If you’ve always wanted to learn to crochet, this will be the most fun class ever to do so :).

A couple gals on Instagram have been talking about the cartoon Bee and PuppyCat on YouTube, so I had to go see what the hubbub was all about. It is kind of weird, but oddly intriguing. I believe “surreal” is the word that fans use. Created by Natasha Allegri, an artist for Adventure Time, Bee and PuppyCat is about a girl named Bee and her adventures in this world and in an alternate world with her cat/dog/youdontreallyknow PuppyCat.  After watching the episode online, I really wanted to put together an outfit inspired by the one that Bee wears! Unfortunately, I didn’t notice until too late that my bee necklace had turned the wrong way, so you can’t really see its cute smile! Oh well! C’est la bee. I get really hot in long-sleeved sweaters, so I opted for a sweater vest. I also liked the idea of making the bee a necklace instead of an applique, so that each piece could be worn with other pieces. I then couldn’t decide if I wanted PuppyCat to be a hair piece or a plush, so I started with a plush! Then I started getting crazy.   And then a bit crazier: BATTLEMODE!   I think my new goal should be that all my outfit posts will involve really bad animated gifs! Anyway, I wrote down the crocchet pattern for the bee applique/necklace, the bows on my shoes, and….PuppyCat! (Or, just a regular cat, too, whatever you want!)  I’ll do more specific photos for the bows in the next few days. I really like how those turned out! Shirt: French Toast (school uniform!), Vest: Liz Claiborne via Etsy, Shorts: Victoria’s Secret, Boots: Forever21

I know some of you are still basking in the afterglow of your Halloween crafts, but Michaels.com already posted my free crochet pattern for November: Turkey Box Tissue Cozy! Edit, June 4, 2014: Please find the pattern here on my blog. Michaels.com is currently re-vamping their pattern/project section, and the above Michaels.com link is disabled for now. I got so excited about sharing this project and making it awesome, that I also included the patterns for the little veggies – baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and POTATOES –  as well as the lettuce garnish underneath, which is actually a DISH CLOTH. You could turn the veggies into brooches, fridge magnets, or string them into a crazy necklace! This is going to sound a little weird, but I got really addicted to making tiny potatoes…! This is truly one of my most very favorite crochet projects ever, and I’m really proud of how all the components came together. I hope you guys love it, too, and have a lot of fun! I’ll be offering finished versions of this, as well as my infamous turkey hat, in my Etsy shop very very soon!

Happy Halloween!! Come check out Too Yarn Cute eMagazine, bursting with articles and patterns for crocheting! They approached me and offered to let me talk about…. whatever I wanted! Crochet-related, of course. How could I say no? It was actually kind of hard for me to nail down what I wanted to write about, so we decided I’d talk about my year of working with Michaels.com and writing free patterns every month, and I also gave Too Yarn Cute readers a sneak peek at my November and December patterns for Michaels. Michaels already posted the November pattern early … but … you still get a sneak at December! 😉 (I will post more photos of the November pattern tomorrow.) Once you click on the TYC  link, scroll down a bit and hit up the Christmas issue! There are 18 patterns in this thing, which would normally add up to $74.42, and the eMag is only $4.99. It’s a pretty great deal!