Crochet Inspiration: Fern Leaves

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenny-pics

Have always been fascinated by the quiet beauty of fern leaves so I thought of making a crochet inspired necklace.






Went through the net to find a free pattern and I did find several like this one of Curious and Crafty Readers' blog but the one I really liked was this one from Wist: 

Source: wists.com via Millicent on Pinterest

Unfortunately, the pattern wasn't for free so I had to eye it and come up with my own. The result was fantastic and here is the necklace I made (modeling credit goes out to my sister Cha, the other half of millicentmelissa Handmade Accessories!):

Crochet Fern Necklace

Loved this so much I'm making more variations!

Crochet Fern Necklace is now available through millicentmelissa's Facebook Page.

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Crochet Project: Sweetheart Necklace

My soul sister Arlene was in dilemma. She was invited to the birthday bash of her son's girlfriend and didn't know what gift to give the young lady.

So I suggested that I would make her a unique crochet necklace. Found out that her favorite color is pink so I thought why not pink hearts?!

Went through my collection of free crochet patterns and found this one from Planet June: 

                                                                              Source: planetjune.com via Millicent on Pinterest

So I chose several shades of pink (loved the salmon in particular!) and began making the hearts:

Finished the necklace just in time and Arlene loved it so much she wondered if she could keep it instead!  Anyway, I promised her I'll make her a better one :)

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Pinterest: Addictive to Crocheters!

Pinterest is a handicrafter's dream social network and for crocheters like me, just pure heaven! 


Not only was I able to showcase my crochet works but also get to find free crochet patterns that are simply fabulous :)


Here are some of the popular crochet pins on my board:

Source: crochetphilippines.blogspot.com via Millicent on Pinterest

                                                          

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Crochet Lace Collar now with Tutorial

Front view

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New Take on Dorset Buttons

It only seemed like yesterday when experimenting with Dorset Buttons made me start my own handcrafted accessories business!

Over the long holiday weekend, I decided to re-explore this craft and this time used various materials.

First up, I used the traditional acrylic crochet yarn but instead of finishing the inner spokes, I only finished the border and added a floating plastic pallet in the middle.

Used acrylic yarn for this Dorset button. The color was inspired by
my sister Cha's blouse she wore on New Year's day :)

Attached the button to a long chain necklace

As worn

For the next Dorset Button, I used a bone-colored satin ribbon and attached to a matinee-length chain necklace with pearl studs accents.

Dorset Button using satin ribbon

On a matinee length (19") chain

As worn

The last button is still in the works but I already love it! Staring into my pile of crochet materials, I saw some leftover leather cord I had purchased years ago to be used as a lasso belt and thought of using it for the Dorset Button and the result was gorgeous!

Leather cord Dorset Button. Sprayed it with clear gloss acrylic spray
to protect from scratches.

I noticed that the leather was sensitive to scratches so after finishing this, I sprayed it with a layer of clear acrylic spray. Only thing left to do is to decide what material I'd use for the necklace. 

Dorset Buttons are easy to make and very versatile. Check out this easy-to-follow tutorial from Craftstylish and start making your own versions!

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First Set of Christmas Gifts Finally Done!

Finally finished the first set of Christmas gifts for my girlfriends! Just in time for the first Christmas party of the year I attended, our Caring Group for Solo Parents.

Had fun doing these pieces especially the bracelet for Jopen for which I used matching pipe cleaners to a Dorset button. Simple and yet ingenuous! Got the idea from Martha Stewart at her tutorial for pipe cleaner ring here.

For Marikit

Close-up

For Celine

Other side

For Gail

For Reggie

As worn

Ring for Celine's earrings

As worn

For Nilds

For Dolly

Close-up

For Jopen

Close-up

Other side 

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Crochet How-To: Crochet Mitered Squares

Scanning through my Crochet Adorned book for inspiration, came upon the crochet mitered square pattern and thought this would make a fabulous accessory like an over-sized cocktail ring!


This pattern is really easy as it only involves adding 2 chains (ch) in the middle of your work to make the miter. Here's the simple pattern I'd like to share with you:

Stitch Guide:  ch - Chain
                     sc - Single Crochet
                     st         - Stitch
Make magic ring (click here to find out how to make a magic ring)

Row 1

Make 3 sc inside magic ring. Turn.
Ch 1, 1 sc in first st; (1 sc, ch 2, 1 sc) in second st then 1 sc on third st. Turn.

Row 2
Ch 1, 1 sc on next 2 st; (1 sc, ch 2, 1 sc) on the ch 2 of previous row then 1 sc  on next 2 st. Turn.

Row 3
Ch 1, 1 sc on next 3 st; (1 sc, ch 2, 1 sc) on the ch 2 of previous row then 1 sc on next 3 st. Turn.

By now it would be evident that the miter is done by adding ch 2 at the upper right corner of the square. You may opt to change color on any of the rows, just remember to finish off by adding ch 1 at end of each row or before adding new color to maintain the sharp edge of the square.

Try mixing the color or texture of yarns for a fancier look.
So here's my work in progress so far...

Haven't quite finished it yet but my sister already claimed this one as her birthday gift! 

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Crochet How-To: How to Make Crochet Covered Buttons

Image by Grant Neufeld via Flickr

Sarah over at Creative Jewish Mom came up with a simple and free crochet pattern on making crochet covered buttons using t-shirt and sweater buttons.

Got this excerpt about the pattern from her blog:

Yes, you can transform buttons by making nice crocheted button covers for them, or make a set of buttons from those that don't match, or in my case, make some buttons that will match your project perfectly! (I'll share it with you soon, just need to sew on those green buttons and weave in a few ends, hopefully.)

And really, I've seen crocheted covers for apples, for ipods, for MP3/4s, for mugs and tea pots, so why not make a little something for that humble button that's hanging around in your junk drawer? It only takes a few minutes and the results are wonderful. It is hard to make them look perfect, but that's okay, a handmade feeling is good too! 

A little button like this would look so sweet at the end of a hair pin, or group a few together on a piece of felt, and make a nice lapel pin. And if you want to get really delicate and lovely with this, so do it with crocheting thread and you can do something more open, revealing the button underneath, or make a simple design using a few colors.

Click here to visit Sarah's website and see the full pattern.

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• Good-Bye Cardigan, Hello Crochet Sweater (beso.com)
• How-To: Easy Crochet Edging on a Tea Towel (craftzine.com)

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Free Crochet Pattern: Pomo Boho Collar

Was surfing the net again for crochet inspiration and free patterns and came upon this fab blog "My Amphetamines and My Purls" and saw the Pomo Boho Collar pattern which was so fancy and romantic, I just had to feature it in this blog!

Photo taken from pomoboho.blogspot.com

Her blog posts about on-going projects are worth the visit as well so head on over there already! As for me, I'm heading to the mall to buy my crochet yarn to start on this project over the weekend :)

Related articles

• It All Started With Crochet... (amysolovay.com)
• Knitting and crochet projects! (ocrknittingclub.wordpress.com)

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Project: Crochet Lace Collar

I found this free fancy crochet collar pattern at The Ongoing Project blog which inspired me to embark on another crochet project over the weekend.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/violetwired
Photo taken from http://theongoingproject.blogspot.com

Shay's pattern was easy to follow and although I was able to modify the size according to my neck size, the 2 collars I made came out short! Thankfully, was able to remedy that on my third try by using a ribbon instead of a button :)

Here is my finished project. I added some pearls to make it look more Victorian-inspired but actually this reminds me more of one of  Queen Elizabeth I's paintings.

Okay, so I'll call this Victoria....

thanks to my lovely model: my sister Cha

With a ribbon closure, the size can now be adjusted 

The ribbon part can also be worn infront

Visit Shay's blog The Ongoing Project for the free pattern and more of her fabulous designs!

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Crochet How-To: Single Crochet Stitch

Single Crochet Stitch

The Single Crochet Stitch is the most basic stitch and widely-used foundation stitch in crochet.

Here's an easy-to-follow video tutorial on how to make the single crochet stitch:

Related articles

• How do you do double crochet (wiki.answers.com)
• Awesome Crochet Bracelet Tutorials (beadinggem.com)

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Practicing Broomstick Lace Crochet

Was fascinated with the vintage crochet pattern of broomstick lace when I found it while web surfing that I immediately started projects using this pattern.


Also known as Jiffy Lace, it requires the use of a cylindrical object, referred to as a "pin" to make the loops and in olden times crocheters used broomsticks in making this pattern.Marti and I roamed most of the malls during the holidays looking for the 50" knitting needle that was used in this pattern I found by Crochet Cabana but couldn't find any. Out of desperation, I rummaged our home for the perfect pin and found some glue sticks that did the job!

My first try...used a glue stick as a pin :)

Well the glue stick only worked for several rows when I noticed that the yarn fibers were starting to stick so I had to find another pin which came in the form of a marker pen!

Using a marker pen as a pin the loops are more pronounced

Almost finished with the first bracelet so I'll post the pictures soon.

"Everyday and in Every Way, I become better and better!"

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Broomstick Lace: A Whimsy Crochet Pattern

Was checking out http://www.kootoyoo.com which I found when looking for crochet inspiration and I came across one of the site owner's projects: broomstick lace crochet cuff

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15238151@N02

The pattern here looked so unique and modern that I am starting a project as soon as I get home!

I found an easy-to-follow pattern here if you're interested...

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