Crochet Archives · Page 17 of 17

Crochet Pattern Designing

Crochet pattern designing is NOT an easy thing to do! In today’s post I want to share with you some of the designers I have been testing crochet patterns for; my version of their patterns; and where you can find their awesome designs!

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I recently started creating my own crochet designs and patterns. Crocheting the item is the easy part, but writing out the pattern, that is another thing all together! If you read my blog on my hats here you know that I have a couple of hats and tote patterns here of my own, but very recent I started designing and writing patterns for sweater vests, tank tops, and more.

To get a better understanding of how other crocheters design their creations, I started testing their written patterns. I found a Facebook group that is just for designers and testers. The designers post their creations and have other crocheters test their written patterns. As I stated earlier there is A LOT of work that goes into writing a pattern. I commend these crochet pattern designers and all other designers who write out patterns for their hard work and dedication!

In this post I am going to show you my version of the designers’ patterns I tested for, who they are, and where you can find their amazing patterns! Are you as excited as I am? Let’s get started.

The first pattern I tested is by the designer Jessica Cooper of Crochet It Creations. She calls this design ‘Savy Shrug.’ I tested the 3X version and you can find her FREE pattern here! This was the first time I crocheted clothing sideways. The design and yarn used in this pattern were an absolute delight to work with, great choice Jessica!

The next designer’s pattern I tested was by the designer Rosemary Taylor of Crojo. Rosemary calls her creation ‘Eilidh’s Ibiza Suntop.’ I tested the size Large and you can find Rosemary’s pattern here. This is the first pattern I ever did where you go by your own body’s measurements. As you can see from the photo below, it is a Great fit! Rosemary sells this pattern for $1 and all profits from the sale of this pattern are donated to The Beatson Cancer Charity in Eilidh’s name. You can read more about the Beatson Cancer Charity here.

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The next crochet pattern I tested was designed by Crystal Marin Long of ChristaCoDesign and she calls her creation ‘Boatneck Shirt.’ I tested size small and you can find the FREE ‘Boatneck Shirt’ pattern for women here. I am totally in Love with Crystal’s pattern! I found it works up fast and the stitching in the design is beautiful. I plan to make more tops with her pattern. How about you, do you want one?!? lol

Denisse Sharpe or Deni the designer behind DeniMade is the next crochet pattern designer I tested for. This is only the second time I crocheted a pattern where the front and back panel are crocheted as one piece. My version is a size large and Deni calls her design ‘Hayden Tee.’ Deni liked the results she was seeing of this elegant tee so much that she designed a matching pattern for child sizes! Deni designed 7 sizes for adults here and 6 different sizes for children here.

The ‘Waterfall Cardigan’ was another design I worked on by Jessica Cooper of Crochet It Creations. There are so many ways that this light and airy top could be done. I did a size Medium of the Waterfall Cardigan and you can too! She designed this beauty in sizes XS-2X. You can find this FREE awesome pattern at Jessica’s website here!

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I have learned some great tips and tricks from these wonderful designers. I even designed some of my own patterns using these tips and tricks I learned from these wonderful women! I tell myself it is never too late to learn something new and OH BOY! have I learned a lot new things in designing crochet patterns!

I hope you liked these designs so much that you visit each and everyone and crochet your version of the highlighted designers’ handmade crocheted creations!

I am still testing patterns for these designers and others, so keep a look out for more highlighted designers and their handmade crocheted creations!

I would LOVE to hear from you and see some of YOUR handmade crocheted creations, so be sure to leave a Pic, a Comment, or Feedback below! If you haven’t already be sure to sign up for my Mailing List. You will receive my posts, newsletters, and more great stuff right in your inbox! Thank you for stopping by Jo’s Crafty Hook!

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Phoenix Wrap C.A.L. Entry

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Phoenix Wrap C.A.L. — Phoenix Wrap CAL Entry

I entered a contest into the Phoenix Wrap C.A.L. and WON with my Phoenix Wrap C.A.L. entry! I started writing this post before my entry was selected as a winner. I was just going to talk about my Phoenix Wrap and show the pictures of my entry. I saved my original writing as a draft, but today as I go back and read what I wrote, the whole theme of the post changed. It changed in a good way, but bittersweet. Talking about my memories of my mom and gran teaching me how to crochet are good memories, but as I think about the domestic violence I have seen in my family makes my good memories bittersweet. As you read further along you will see why.

In this post I want to share with you a contest I entered in August. I entered Underground Crafter‘s Phoenix Wrap CAL (Crochet-A-Long) in association with Lion Brand and Sue Rock Originals Everyone Inc. or SROE. The full contest was for fellow crocheters to make women’s accessories to donate to Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc. There were prizes awarded to the winners in this contest and I am one of them! I won Lazada’s Blocking Wires which can be found here.

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Here are a couple of things Marie of Underground Crafter had to say about the Phoenix Wrap CAL:

https://undergroundcrafter.com/blog/ — Underground Crafter

“I’m so excited to kick off the Phoenix Wrap Crochet-a-Long with Lion Brand and Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc. This is a free crochet shawl pattern available in three parts that is suitable for donation to survivors of domestic violence. It’s your project, so you can also keep your version, gift it, or sell it.” “This is Marie from Underground Crafter and I’m here for the last post of the Phoenix Wrap Crochet-a-Long. I hope you’ve been enjoying this CAL as much as I have! In today’s post, I’m sharing a sneak peek of the third and final part of the Phoenix Wrap along with a roundup of 18 more free crochet patterns for women’s accessories that would be great for donating to Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc.”

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I believe the Lion Brand contest was a BIG deal! There were 18 different designers where each designed free crochet patterns and each one used a different brand of yarn from Lion Brand. My design, the Phoenix Wrap, called for the use of Lion Brand Jeans yarn. This yarn is SO soft, smooth, and very durable. The color I used is called Bermuda Shorts and can be purchased here.

https://amzn.to/2OerbFq — Bermuda Shorts

Here is the reason Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc. exist: “helps domestic violence survivors by providing them with the needlework tools to change their lives. There is something very empowering about creativity. Creating an item – like a pillow or a doll dress or a washcloth may seem simple but the process is so important. From choosing the yarn, to remembering who this is being made for, to looking at the item years later or even passing it on – Textile memory is something that nurtures and strengthens culture and family.” You can find out more about Sue Rock Originals here.

I know I have good memories about growing up in a home where there were more than one person crocheting. My mom and gran were a HUGE influence on me. They both sat down with me and taught me how to crochet. I still have items that were made by my mom and gran. I even sat down with my daughter and taught her how to crochet. I hope as she gets older and has children of her own that she will pass down this skill.

I also have memories of domestic violence. There are a few people in my family who are survivors of it and got away from the violence. I am glad they escaped, I just wish they had an organization like SROE to help them cope afterwards. I am glad that Sue Rock is teaching survivors Crochet as a skilled trade and helping them create good memories and items they can pass down to their family. My life was changed using this skill my mom and gran taught me. I cherish the things that were passed down to me from their skills. I myself use crochet as a means to cope with chronic pain from my disease Scoliosis. (You can read more about my disease here.)

https://amzn.to/2CI1bAY — A Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Scoliosis

I will be donating my Phoenix Wrap to Sue Rock’s organization. I think their organization has the right goals in teaching a skill to kids, teens, and adults who have survived domestic violence. I hope and pray by donating my Phoenix Wrap I can touch someone else’s life by the skills I have learned because of my mom and gran being a huge influence in my life. You can find my winning entry on Underground Crafter’s website here.

As I said at the beginning of this post, bittersweet. By using the skills I was taught by my mom and gran I was able to win a prize in a contest I entered. Both were victims of domestic violence and survived. The skills they learned were used to help them cope and it became an opportunity to pass their skill on to me which I then passed on to my daughter. I am proud of my skill! I am even prouder of my mom and gran! Because of them I was able to win!

I know this post was a LONG one, but I hope and pray it touched your heart. If you would like to leave a comment I would LOVE to hear from you! Please comment below or come find me at any one of my Social Media outlets. I would also LOVE it if you would sign up to my Mailing List! By signing up you will receive my blog posts, Newsletters, and more right in your inbox! Thank you for reading another post at Jo’s Crafty Hook!

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Jo’s Boat Tote Crochet Pattern

In today’s post I would like to share with you my newest Handmade Crocheted Creation, Jo’s Boat Tote Crochet Pattern. This pattern could have many names because the Tote has many uses.

You can crochet the tote and use the bag as a Purse, a School Bag, a Market Bag, a Beach Bag, and even used as a Gym Bag. The bag has a wider bottom so it can hold many things. It can be folded up and stored in your child’s locker. You can hang it on a hook so it is within easy reach the next time you go to use it. The bag is made with Acrylic yarn so it is sturdy enough to with stand machine washing.

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The pattern can be adjusted by as you crochet. You can add more rows for a bigger bag or you can delete some rows for a smaller bag. The pattern is easy to follow and even has instructions for the straps. The straps used 2 strands of yarn at once to create a firmer, stronger handle for when the bag is filled with your goodies!

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If you are interested in making my newest Handmade Crocheted Creation, the Jo’s Boat Tote Crochet Pattern can be purchased either from Ravelry or my Etsy Shop.

After you crochet the Boat Tote I would LOVE to see your pictures! I would also LOVE to hear from you! You can leave comments or feedback below about Jo’s Boat Tote Crochet Pattern or on any other of my Blog Posts!

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3 Crochet Hat Patterns Designs by me, Jo

In today’s post I’d like to share some of my Handmade Crocheted Creations and 3 Crochet Hat Pattern Designs by me, Jo. I have been testing patterns for other Crocheters these last couple of weeks. I wanted to see how other Crochet designers created their patterns. I learned a lot crocheting for them and really enjoyed my time creating their Crocheted Creations.

I have 3 Crocheted Hat Patterns in my Etsy Shop and here on my website. The first one is called Mint Julep Hat Pattern. In this hat pattern I used the crochet technique of going behind the chain stitch or bump as you Single or Double Crochet. In this technique you get a unique raised stitch that really stands out. You can view this stitch across the rim and the crown of the Mint Julep Messy Bun Hat below.

I also added the technique of going behind the bump in the stitch across the crown and rim of my Purple Waves Hat Pattern. I really like this technique because of the texture it adds to the hat. You can really see the ‘waves’ across the whole hat and especially the rim. I also went in the back loops of the stitches made, adding more texture to the ‘waves.’ Check it out below.

The last pattern, is called the Spiral Messy Bun Hat Pattern here. The Spiral Stitch I used is where you keep crocheting around, not worrying about slip stitching in the first stitch of the round. You can see this technique in the pictures below.

Please check out 1 or more of the 3 Crochet Hat Patterns Designs by me, Jo. I would LOVE to see your version of my Handmade Crocheted Creations! As a Scoliosis Survivor or Chronic Pain Sufferer, these patterns would be something you could do and feel a GREAT sense of accomplishment because the patterns are so fast and easy to make. Please add a picture of your Handmade Crocheted Creations or a comment below! You can also add a comment or picture at my Facebook Page Jo’s Crafty Hook. I would LOVE to hear from you!

Also be sure to sign up for my blog posts, so you can receive them right in you inbox! Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to seeing what YOUR Crafty Hook has created!

As an Red Heart Associate I do receive a small fee for any purchases you make by clicking on the Red Heart Banner above. The small fee allows me to purchase more yarn from places like Amazon and Red Heart so I can create more Handmade Crocheted Creations!

As an Amazon Associate I do receive a small fee for any purchases you make from the link Saving your Pictures below. If you are like me and you take a lot of pictures of your creations, you need something that has a HUGE storage space. I need something to save all my Handmade Crocheted Creations like the computers at the link below.

Saving your Pictures

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Keeping Track of your Crocheted Pics

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In today’s post I wanted to make you aware of another GREAT deal from Amazon Prime! When you crochet do you take pics and share your images? Is your storage space bursting with all of your wonderful crocheted creations? Keeping track of your crocheted pics would be so EASY on a tablet from Amazon Prime! Click on the image below and see the GREAT deal Amazon Prime is offering on a Fire HD 10! If this isn’t what you want to store your pics on, well that’s ok. Amazon Prime has SO many more Tablets to choose from! Click on the image of the tablet below to take advantage of all of the great deals Amazon Prime has going on right now! They have Tablets and SO much more!

Think of all the pictures you have taken of your Handmade Crocheted Creations. I know I am. I have SO many images stored on my Tablet that I have used up all of my storage space. I am taking advantage of Amazon Prime’s sale on Tablets so I can take more pics of my Handmade Crocheted Creations! Some of my most recent Handmade Crocheted Creations are below.

Taking advantage of the discounts using Amazon Prime doesn’t have to wait until July 16th and July 17th. If you sign up for Amazon Prime’s membership you can start saving today! I know I am taking advantage of their membership buying things I need to make more items for my Etsy Shop which you can check out here! Some deals I already took advantage of are below.

Keeping track of your crocheted pics would be SO much easier on one of the many Tablets Amazon Prime already has on sale! If you haven’t signed up for Amazon Prime than do so today by clicking on their image below! You will get great deals on other things as well like Music, Movies, Books, 2 day shipping and of course Yarn!

If you haven’t already, please sign up for my posts! I will be sharing more about the deals from Amazon Prime and also some of my most recent Handmade Crocheted Creations! Sign up below!

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If you would like to share some of the GREAT deals you got on Amazon Prime, please feel free to share in the comments section below! I also would love comments or feedback on any of my Handmade Crocheted Creations, so please feel free to leave those below as well! Thank you for stopping by and be sure to sign up for my posts to see what my Crafty Hook has created next!

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Shopping for Crochet Supplies Using Amazon Prime

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In today’s post I want to tell you if you go shopping for crochet supplies using Amazon Prime you will find some great deals! On July 16th and 17th Amazon Prime is having their 2018 Prime Day! Signing up for Amazon Prime Day will lead to some awesome savings! Not only will you save on your crochet supplies, but they offer other huge discounts! Below is what Amazon Prime offers you when you sign up!

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You can sign up for Amazon Prime and take advantage of the saving on the supplies you would normally buy to create your crocheted creations. I myself have taken advantage of the deals you get from Amazon Prime. Below are some of the items I have purchased using Amazon Prime.

I used the crochet yarn purchased from Amazon Prime to make items like the ones below. I made the Crocheted Beach Cover Up using Red Heart’s “Its a Wrap” yarn and Red Heart’s “Love” yarn for the Crocheted Headband.

Amazon Prime has a Prime Day guide that will tell you what you need to do to take advantage of their deals. It also show you that by signing up you can save all year long on the items you would normally purchase and on your crochet supplies. If you would like to take advantage of Amazon’s Prime Day 2018 deals, click on the banner below.

Crocheting is something I do every day. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t crochet something every day. I love to be able to find yarn, crochet hooks, and other items at a great cost! Amazon Prime is the perfect way for me to be able save on my crochet supplies so I can continue making my Handmade Crocheted Creations!

Be sure to sign up for my posts because there will be deals all week long leading up to Amazon Prime Day 2018! Also be sure to leave me a comment or picture below of what you purchased using Amazon Prime!

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5 Steps Chronic Pain Sufferers Should Follow as They Crochet

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This post contains 5 Steps Chronic Pain Suffers Should Follow as They Crochet. This post is intended for crocheters who suffer from chronic pain or have Scoliosis. These 5 steps will help you crochet longer and you will definitely be more comfortable as you crochet.

If you would like to leave a Comment please do so below. If you would like to leave me a tip idea you are more than welcome to do that below as well. Who knows you may even see it in my next post! If you would like to receive my posts in you email inbox feel free to sign up!

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Thank you for stopping by! I welcome feedback, comments, tips, and even crochet ideas! Be sure to sign up for my posts and Newsletter to see what my Crafty Hook has created next!

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Summer Tops

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Wow! Yes, WOW! I am totally blown away by the reactions I received from 6 of my Crocheted Summer Tops that I made in the month of June. In this post I want to share my excitement with you and the 6 tops that I made and their patterns. All of the tops I have made are from FREE Crochet Patterns I have found on Pinterest and I have permission to share them with you!

Over the weekend I posted 6 of my Crocheted Summer Tops in 2 of my Facebook Crochet Community groups. I never expected the responses that I received! Friday I posted the 6 tops in 1 of my Facebook Crochet Community groups and within 24 hours I received over 700 positive reactions! WOW right?! So what did I do, I posted the same 6 tops on Saturday in another one of my Facebook Crochet Community groups, who wouldn’t right? Within 8 hours I received over 500 likes, loves and over 100 comments! I was SO blown away!

I am still blown away! The reason I am blown away is that I have been working SO hard to promote my Facebook Page Jo’s Crafty Hook and of course my website joscraftyhook.com and I haven’t had very much traffic. My business page posts on Facebook have only been reaching an average of 5 people and my website has only had 366 hits. Posting those 6 tops into 2 groups has lead to over 2500 likes, loves and over 300 positive comments. All of this was within 48 hours! Not only was I getting positive reactions but I was getting request after request for the patterns! I have had over 200 requests for the patterns for these tops! Unfortunately the patterns are not my own! Ugh right?!! But I am not upset in the least, my crochet work is still getting seen and spread all over Facebook!

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Here are the 6 Crochet Summer Tops that caused me to receive so much feedback. These are the 6 crochet summer tops that I made in June and their corresponding patterns.

#1 or A. Granny Squared Crochet Top by One Dog Woof

#2 or B. Light-n-Lively by Lions Brand.

#3 or C. Granny Square Wardrobe Malfunctions by Handmade Mother

#4 or D. Sea Breeze Cover Up by Katerina Crochet

#5 or E. Easy Granny Square Tank Top by All Crochet Channel

#6 or F. Crisis Cross Tank Top by Rhelena

After you have reviewed your favorite top, please be sure to leave a comment here and with the original designer. They deserve the credit for creating these great patterns and sharing them with us.

Be sure to stop back by and see what my Crafty Hook has created next, it has a lot more to share with you! Also be sure to sign up for my Newsletter and to receive my next post right in your inbox!

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Summer Shorts Collection

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Summer is just around the corner! It will be a time for sun, fun, and being on the run! With these things comes swimming, sunbathing, gardening, and maybe keeping yourself from going crazy because the kids are out of school! If you are like me, a crocheter, than Summer is a BAD word! It means you can’t crochet or you can’t crochet those bigger projects because its too HOT and the yarn just doesn’t glide through your fingers due to sweat. I know I was freaking out a couple of weeks ago when it was SO hot here in Ohio! I was working on a long sweater vest I am designing and the material was just too much! It was sticking on my fingers, the material was like a blanket across my lap, and I just wasn’t making any progress! I was walking around the house asking myself “what am I going to do if I CAN’T crochet?!” over and over again! My husband finally said “crochet with the thread!” I guess he was getting a little worried about my sanity! lol Once he said those words I was like DUH! I told myself “You can work on some of the patterns you have stock piled that call for the thread and the fingering yarn.” So I broke out my Aunt Lydia’s Crochet Thread and my Fingering Yarn and started making the 3D flowers that are all the rave on YouTube.

If you know anything about Ohio you know that one day it can be 90 degrees and the next 65 degrees. I took advantage of those cooler days and crocheted up some Summer Shorts. I absolutely love to take advantage of the FREE Crochet Patterns you can find on Pinterest! All of the patterns listed in this post were FREE! The shorts don’t call for much yarn and some of them you can use 100% cotton in place of acrylic yarn. Using about 1 skein of the acrylic yarn I was able to make a pair of shorts or 2 depending on the size. Below you will see the different types of shorts I made using the acrylic yarn.

The shorts above were made following along with a video on YouTube. They use the granny square method of crocheting, but the designer uses 8 corners instead of 4. The designer uses crochet thread #4 with a 3.5 mm crochet hook, but I used 4 ply worsted weight acrylic yarn with a 5.5 mm crochet hook. Professora Simone Eleotério is the creator of this pattern, even though the she was speaking Portuguese, I was able to follow along by watching her as she crochets the shorts. If you would like to make these shorts yourself you can do so by entering this title into YouTube’s search engine Shorts de Crochê | Iniciantes |6 à 12 anos | Professora Simone.

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The shorts above are titled ‘G Square Shorts’ and I found the pattern at www.365crochet.com. I used 3 different colors in 4 ply worsted weight acrylic yarn and a US J crochet hook sized 6.0 mm. These shorts use the granny square crochet method, which I love to do. My daughter loved my pair so much that she wanted a pair of her own! The blue and brown are mine and the purple and black my daughters.

Now these shorts above used 100% cotton. Cotton is a good ingredient to use in Summer clothing, it is lighter, drys faster and is easier to wash and dry than Acrylic yarn. I started out using another FREE pattern from www.365crochet.com titled ‘Comfy Cotton Shorts.’ These cotton shorts were super easy to make, it only took me 2 days from start to finish!

If you are interested in purchasing your own set of shorts, click on My Etsy Shop and you will see all the shorts you have to choose from! If you don’t see your size or would like a different color, NO Problem! Me and my Crafty Hook would be more than Happy to Customize you your own pair! You can fill out the form below with your shorts order specifics. You can aslo stop by my Etsy shop and leave me a message there with the specifics of your shorts order! As I always tell my Customers “any item can be customized to fit YOUR style, size, and colors!”

I hope just by reading this post I hope it has made you cooler! I look forward to Summer and seeing all of the Handmade Crocheted
Creations I will get to make!

If you would like to comment, I would love to hear from you!

Be sure to stop back by to see what my Crafty Hook has created next! I’m going to sit out in my back yard soaking up the sun while I crochet my next project.