Category: Patterns & How-To’s

Hello Kitty Con 2014 is here! I am in LA, meeting up with my friend Candace from Super Good For You to check out the con for the first two days. I really didn’t have time to plan an outfit or make anything super interesting to wear, but I figured I’d whip up some cute shoe clips for my boots! I wanted them to be kinda square but kinda puffy, too, so that’s how I decided to work in joined rounds to make more of a 3d bow! The joined rnds with the turn in direction also help keep that seam in check. I was going to put a little stuffing in them to make them poofier, BUT, I totally just plain FORGOT, and I just went with it because I had to go to sleep to wake up for my plane. If you are not really into the whole shoe-bow thang, you can always use this in your hair, or strung as a cool statement necklace, or as an embellishment to your sweater, dress, purse, or murse! I have yet to walk in the bows, so I’ll see if they are too big and if they just fly off my boots! (Sorry for the really crappy photos!!!!! I’ll try to take better ones at home!)

I know that Halloween is just around the corner, but these lil pumpkins are also a fun project for Thanksgiving! This pattern is SUPER EASY and great for beginners. There’s really nothing to it! The pattern is below, and I also uploaded a video tutorial to YouTube. Enjoy!

Anyone still doing their Halloween crocheting?  I thought I’d round up some of Halloweeny crochet patterns in a single post! Candy Bar Clutch – free Ghostly Candy Container made with a Yoplait yogurt container – free Candy Corn Kitty Hat Bee & Puppycat plush, bee necklace, and shoe bows – free Happy Heart & Rib Cage Tshirt – free Mermaid Seashells – free Pumpkin Hair clip – free and video

(You have to watch this .gif while listening to Awesome Mix Vol.1) I saw Guardians of the Galaxy last weekend because Manda and our friend Ehren both wanted to see it.  A lot of my friends have been over the moon about it, but I’m really not a comic book person, and the trailer wasn’t really catching my attention. I said I would see it if someone bought my ticket :P. My takeaway from the movie was that WE ALL NEED A BABY Groot, so here is your free crochet GROOTORIAL! If you haven’t seen the movie, Groot is this tree-like alien who is really big and strong and can grow stuff off his body and is basically like the Giving Tree on steroids. I don’t want to spoil why there is a baby Groot and why people are going crazy about him if you haven’t seen the movie yet, so go see it and then it will all make sense! I put pipe cleaners in his arms so that he could “dance.” I tried wiring his body, too, but was running into complications with figuring out how to put stuffing in him AND a wire….plus the pipe cleaner wasn’t really strong enough to support his head and body and pipe cleaner was all I had in the house… so I need to play with that more at some point! Anyway, now you all can have your own baby Groot! And I am sure you guys will each put your own little spin on him!! I used online images of the Funko bobble head as my inspiration, cuz I think it’s super adorable! Also, here is a step by step video tutorial on YouTube to accompany the written pattern below. P.S. Thank you for all your kind and excited inquiries about whether I will be selling finished baby Groots. I’m really so happy that you guys like him so much! I will not be doing so, since I currently do not have permission or a license from Marvel. I do plan to have a giveaway soon, though, so stay tuned! (And no, I will not be doing a giveaway directly to you only, which is something someone asked!)

It was my birthday on Wednesday, and it seemed like a really great time to share my cupcake/mini-cake hair clip pattern with you guys! I designed these little cakes to be somewhat short and low profile, so that they look good as a hair accessory. The best part of all is that you can use real cupcake toppers to decorate your mini cakes, which gives you tons of options for gifts and holiday outfits! The video tutorial is also up  on my YouTube channel! The typed-out pattern is below. For a printer-friendly PDF with more how-to photos, please check out the pattern in my Etsy shop!

(Previously posted at Michaels.com) My Halloween memories are filled with carving jack-o-lanterns and creating DIY costumes, but my number one most favorite part about Halloween is the candy! Now you can make and trade these fun candy-bar inspired crochet clutch purses. Pick your favorite candy-wrapper colors and personalize your clutch with felt lettering. Stash your keys, phone, and small items when you go out, or put your clutch in a larger bag to keep your makeup, snacks, pencils, or crochet hooks safe. This project is so easy, you’ll have a delicious collection of candy bar clutches in no time!

(Previously posted at Michaels.com)  Some of my favorite back-to-school memories involve decorating and organizing my binders. Now you can take your old, beat-up binders and give them a creative, colorful makeover with this crocheted Strawberry Cake Binder Cozy. I used my favorite color: pink! But you can choose your own favorite colors and flavors, too. The binder I cover in this project is 1 inch thick, but you can easily add extra stitches to your rows for thicker binders. The cozy is removable as well, so you can wash it!

Here’s another pattern that was originally on Michaels.com in Dec 2013! “I wanted to round out our craft-tastic 2013 with a 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 celebrates 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!”

Last Christmas, Manda told me that she wanted to make her little sister something filled with inspirational messages, since lifting up our sisters and ladybuddies is always important! I had a bunch of mini toy capsules laying around (craft-hoarding has some real perks, like insta-make-a-project-for-a-present abilities) that I bought on Etsy a while ago (something like this), and I had been seeing TONS of DIY’s for faux gumball machines, so I decided to smash all these things together into one mega awesome present, and Manda totally loved the idea. We didn’t have time to get together to make this for Christmas, so we planned to make this for her sister’s birthday, which was last week.

I think some of y’all are thinking really far ahead for the holidays and already asking me to re-post the turkey tissue box cozy pattern :). I like your style! “In my family’s house, holiday time means Turkey Time! And you know me: I like my crochet decorations to be useful, so here is my pattern for a Turkey Tissue Box Cozy, complete with roasted veggie accents that you can turn into pins, hair clips, or magnets, plus a ruffled lettuce garnish that is actually a dish cloth. This tissue cozy will be a savory and festive accent for your home and is also a fantastic hostess gift!”

Here’s another crochet pattern I wrote for Michaels.com last year to promote their Loops & Threads line. The photo above shows yarns from KnitPicks (Brava worsted) because I think the colors are a bit brighter. But this pattern is really versatile, and any worsted weight yarn will do ya! I actually worked up a totally different jelly bean motif – worked in rows instead of rounds – a few weeks ago for a secret Yummy You! collab sample, so I may share that soon as well. (Is it weird to have two different patterns for jelly bean scarves? :P). “I recently polled my Twitter followers about what kind of crochet pattern they’d like to see for Easter. One gal said, “Something with jelly beans!” I loved this idea, so I designed this multicolored jelly bean scarf for you to wear on Easter egg hunts. Use the combination of worsted weight colors that remind you of your favorite jelly bean flavors. This pattern is the ultimate stash-buster—the more variety, the better!” New in: video tutorial on YouTube!  

Bread Loaf Letter-Organizer: That Thing You Never Knew You Needed…. Until NOW. I know this is late for Mother’s Day makers, but I couldn’t decide what to make my mom this year. I finally decided to attack this funny desk-top bread loaf last night! It’s a squishy adorable faux loaf to help you organize your mail, postcards, and stray pieces of paper. My video is more like a vlog than a tutorial, I think. I didn’t know how it would all turn out, and you can see me change my mind about certain things and try different methods for stuff. I hope it’s interesting and not frustrating :). In the end, I decided I would take this loaf apart, and use a styrofoam sheet in that center section, so that I can stab the wire arches through the crochet and into the styrofoam. This will aid not only in stability of the whole loaf, but also stability for the wires so that they’re not just swimming in Polyfil.  I would also use a stronger wire than jewelry wire, because jewelry wire is SO soft and malleable, but I need to do a bit more research on that. Without further ado… here is the free pattern (which I might keep tweaking later, who knows!).  

I came down with a funny case of spring fever after I searched the Internet for “spring vegetables” and saw so many photos of cute asparagus. What results from being inspired by asparagus? A crocheted pen cozy, of course! I also made him a couple of crisp and crunchy friends. This vegetable medley works up quickly and is a fun way to celebrate nature’s bounty and the arrival of Spring. Make a bunch and place them in a lentil-filled mason jar for a uniquely homegrown, handmade gift! For those who don’t crochet, I also sell finished cozies in my Etsy shop!

I created this pattern for Michaels.com last year for a Mother’s Day promo. When I crochet gifts for my mom, I like to make cute things that she can use around the house. One of the first projects I ever made for her was a cake-themed tissue box cozy. So, this month, I had my mom in mind when I designed this crocheted chiffon cake with colorful strawberry, blueberry and kiwi topping. I remember eating delicious cakes just like it when I was little. I hope you have fun creating this yummy piece of my childhood memories. Consider making one as a gift to sweeten a special someone’s Mother’s Day!

There’s only one thing that comes to my mind when I think of college, new adventures, and dorm life: PIZZA. This crocheted pepperoni pizza garland is a colorful and festive dorm room decoration for walls, windows, or doorways, and it’s really easy to make as long or short as you want. I love garlands as a statement of celebration for every day. Give a home-away-from-home a bright, playful, and cozy touch with these tasty slices! (Obvs, I originally designed this pattern for Michaels.com as part of a back-to-school promo for Fall, and they asked me to create a project to decorate a new dorm room. But I think any pizza-lover of any age would get a good giggle out of this gift!)

The deliciously bright hues of Red Heart® Gumdrop™ yarn remind me of juicy rainbow sherbet, so I designed this sweet and funny crocheted pillow to add a summery pop of color to your couch, bed, or favorite easy chair. Use this pattern to make just one or two scoops instead of three. You’ll be constructing the pillow in two pieces – front and back – and sewing them together. Go crazy with your favorite colors and flavors!

Recently, Michaels.com added online shopping to their site, which is pretty cool! But it looks like a lot of their knit and crochet patterns disappeared. I have no idea what the future of those patterns is, but you guys have been asking me to post some of the projects you are in the middle of! So here is the Slushee Cup Drawstring Bag pattern. I also now sell the finished item in my Etsy shop for those who don’t crochet. Stay cool poolside with this crocheted Slushee Drawstring Bag! It’s just big enough for you to throw in your phone, keys, sunnies, lip balm, and a little cash, so you can keep a light load while catching some rays. I reused a takeout soup container to reinforce the inside of my project, but you can still use your Slushee without. You can customize your cup by choosing the word or phrase that you like best with felt cut-outs and fabric paint (I used a custom patch that I designed!). You can even add a real red straw accent!        

I know it’s really last minute, but I made a video tutorial to go with my free pattern for the mini chocolate Easter bunny!

I have a super cute new (and quick and easy!) pattern for you guys! Chocolate Easter Bunny mini plushies!! You can use them as hair clips, brooches, ornaments, cupcake toppers, or just fun little Easter Basket-stuffers. I didn’t have time to crochet these in time for my Etsy shop to ship out before Easter, but at least the crocheters out there still have some time to make some of their own! One bunny takes me about 30 minutes from start to finish (including taking photos!). You can make chocolate bunnies of all different sizes depending on the yarn you want to use. While figuring out the pattern, I used a worsted weight, Lion Brand Vanna’s in Chocolate, which gave me a bunny that’s about 5 inches tall. My goal was to make something tiny and gold, like the chocolate bunnies wrapped in gold foil, so then I made one with Lion Brand Vanna’s Glamour in Gold, which gave me a bunny that’s about 3 inches tall. Wrap them up in a little bit of cellophane and ribbon for a cute presentation! Enjoy! EDIT: I just added a video tutorial for this on YouTube as well! 🙂 Here’s the link!

I have to admit, this outfit is a little bit out-there to me. The main reason: I feel butt-conscious in it. But from the front, I’m totally fine with it. Just, don’t look at my butt… Anyway, this little black velvet jumpsuit is kind of amazing regardless of the butt thing. Pajama-factor is high as far as comfort, and I love how the legs are short so you can show off some weird mis-matched socks. The leg-length also gives the jumpsuit kind of a nerdy awkward dorky feel, which I know won’t be for everyone, but it’s definitely for me! There are cute velvet buttons down the front, too, but those were hard for me to photograph since the velvety blackness sucked in all the light. In highschool, my highschool-BFF gave me a hard time for being so matchy-matchy all the time, so then I purposefully started to not match anything at all, which is the rule I lived by for basically my whole adult life (aside from in the office… then I just wore all black because I didn’t know how to match anything else, in a grown-up and office-appropriate manner). These days, when I throw together an outfit, I’m discovering I’m actually getting a little more matchy-matchy again as far as colors, because I equate that with seeming put-together. On Instagram, I said this look was inspired by mimes and clowns. All I need is some balloons and the big red nose! Jumpsuit: The White Pepper, Flower Collar: Locketship, Wedge Boots: The White Pepper, Knee Highs: We Love Colors, Sanrio Cupcake Scarf: Yummy You!, Little Red Beret: made by me! About the beret: I actually made one for me and Manda for this little casual photoshoot I wanted to do last weekend, but I can’t show you those photos just yet. If you want to make your own mini beret, it’s super easy. Basically, if you can crochet a circle, you can crochet this hat! Here’s the pattern:

After several people asked if I could shoot a video tutorial for the free Cupcake Dish Cloth pattern I wrote for Lily Sugar ‘N Cream, I finally made it happen! Crochet videos are kinda weird to me, cuz even after I sped up a lot of the easy crochet portions, my video still clocks in at a whopping 53 minutes!! I can’t imagine anyone sitting through the whole thing! But is that the point? To feel like you are crocheting a project along with someone? I would love feedback! I wanted to be as informative as possible, but maybe I was too informative…. heheh. Like, I know I could have done separate videos for weaving ends, blocking, working each different stitch…. that seems logical to me, but it also felt natural to just mention it while I was doing it. Let me know your thoughts! p.s. While filming, I also noticed a few small flubs in the pattern, and I edited the pattern on my blog to reflect those changes.

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!

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!