Geometric Peyote Stitch Bracelet

I actually made this bracelet in January, but I've waited to post about it because I was planning to write a pattern and create a chart for it. Since that hasn't happened, I decided to post the pictures, and if I do write up the pattern later, I'll post it then.

This actually has an even longer history than the 11 months it's been waiting for me to post about it. Before that a friend commissioned me to make a bracelet to go with a necklace he already had. My first creation was this netted bracelet (there is more information on it in my old blog).

It broke soon after I made it, so I repaired it. It broke again. I blamed the way I'd attached the clasp and repaired it, adding a beaded clasp in the process. It broke again. I thought maybe the  hematite beads were cutting the Nymo I normally use for netting, so I remade it altogether using Fireline instead. It broke again. I howled in frustration and decided it was time to go back to the drawing board for a whole new design.

And this was the result. I used Toho Treasure Japanese cylinder beads in matte black and gun metal and used the same bicone hematite beads from the original design. I've found peyote stitch to make very sturdy bracelets in the past, and this one has held up well also. Just in case the hematite beads do have a sharp edge, I used Fireline again to make this.

I used a sterling silver slide lock clasp with bars for attaching the beading. I absolutely love these for peyote stitch bracelets, since it allows for attaching a metal clasp very securely by wrapping part of the body of the bracelet around the bar and stitching it closed.

I'm pleased to report that this design seems to be more durable and has held up to repeated wear. While I was pretty frustrated with the original bracelet, it worked out in the end, since this design suits the style of the wearer and the inspiration bracelet much better. It was also fun designing a peyote pattern, working out how to include the bicone beads, and working in odd count peyote for the first time. I've been pretty intimidated by it for a long time, but it turned out to be easier than I'd thought. So, this was a great learning project in a lot of ways.

Wedding Waves Blanket

I worked on other projects throughout working on it, but even so this blanket took quite a while. I started it this summer as a gift for some friends who got married in October. It's my first blanket or afghan, so I chose a relatively simple pattern that uses only basic stitches in rows.

I used the Scrumptious Scraps Afghan pattern by Dot Matthews, which I found on Ravelry, and worked the pattern using I Love This Yarn! in Stonewash, Dark Country Blue, and Coffee. While I thought of the project as an afghan or couch blanket, I decided to make it in twin size, as my friends are both tall and I personally like a nice big blanket when I'm on the couch.

I chose the colors because this combination is a favorite of the bride's. I've also been told that the groom has napped under it, and I've been furnished with photographic evidence that the true head of the house has claimed it as her own.

With such feline approval, I consider my first afghan project a success!

Fairy Treasure Necklace

Fairies are one of my things; I love fairy mythology and art. So, when I traveled to Minneapolis for business this summer and saw this pendant in a bead shop, I had to have it.

Once I had the pendant (which is also available online, for example here or here), it took a while for me to build a necklace around it because I wanted to do something special with it. Ultimately, I decided to use brass chain and metal components along with Czech glass leaves and flowers, which are some of my favorite beads to work with.

This is the result. I threw in some glass and aventurine beads to round things out, and, unusually for me, laid them out in an asymmetrical design.

I really love the final necklace; it's one of my favorite things that I've made for myself. It's also turned out to be one of the most attention grabbing, as I've gotten lots of compliments and questions about it. One of the questions I often am asked is what's inside it. The truth is, I haven't decided to put in there. I've thought about putting in a few drops of some of my favorite essential oils or thoughts and meditations on small pieces of paper, but I haven't hit on the right idea this yet. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any thoughts.

His Birthday It Is

Some good friends' son turned one recently, so I wanted to make him something to mark the occasion. Since his parents and I share a love for sci-fi and fantasy, I decided to make him the same Yoda Baby Hat that I made for my nephew some time back. I used the same pattern and materials that I used for the one for my nephew to create this one.

While the young recipient of the hat was a little reluctant to keep it on (it was a pretty warm day to be wearing a crocheted hat), his mom told me that she saw a few adults cast an admiring glance its way.

Updated Hand Cream Recipe

Since posting my DIY Hand Cream recipe, I've continued to refine the formula. I like the original recipe, but it feels a little oilier than I'd like when you first put it on. So, I've tried using different combinations of oils and butters. After a few more attempts, I've landed on what I consider my final (ok, let's be honest, final for the moment) recipe:

1 tbsp shea butter
1 tbsp mango butter
1 tsp beeswax
2 tsp jojoba oil
1/2 ml vitamin E oil
2 ml essential oil (optional - for fragrance)

Melt the first four ingredients in a double boiler. Remove from heat, and add the final two ingredients. Pour into container.

This recipe yields 2 oz. of hand cream. I've been doing my experiments in small batches, but I'll be scaling this recipe up when I start working on Christmas gifts later this month.

I also created a new essential oil scent blend that I've been really enjoying:

3/4 ml lavender
3/4 ml orange
1/2 ml bergamot

This makes for a fairly light, but soothing scent in the 2 oz. hand cream recipe. And since I don't have any new pictures of the cream to share, here's a picture of a butterfly that I took at the Minnesota Zoo this summer:

Roller Derby Babies Pattern

I created these hats for a friend who plays roller derby. One of her teammates was expecting twin girls, and she wanted a gift to get these new derby girls off to the right start.

For those unfamiliar with roller derby, these designs are the helmet covers worn by the jammer and the pivot, two critical positions on the team. In real life, they look something like this:

Image from Molly's Skivvies, purveyor of derby goods

To make my hats, I looked for a basic baby hat pattern to give me roughly the right proportions. I decided on Bev's Newborn Roundie by Beverly A. Qualheim because it's simple and the instructions are easy to understand.

From there, I made quite a few modifications, so here is my final pattern:

Materials
Approximately 50 yards worsted weight yarn for hat. I used Caron Simply in Soft in White.
Approximately 15 yards worsted weight yarn for embellishments. I used Red Heart Shimmer in Red.
G Hook
One safety pin style stitch marker
Yarn Needle

Round 1: Create a magic circle. Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 14 dc into loop (15 sts)
Starting with round 2, mark the first stitch of each round with a stitch marker, moving the marker up as you work.
Round 2: 2 dc into top of ch 3 from previous round, [dc into next st, 2 dc into next st] around (23 sts).
Round 3: Repeat round 2 (35 sts).
Round 4 - 9: [2 dc, dc] around. (This leads to an increase of one stitch per round. Round 9 = 41 sts).
Round 10: Dc around (41).
Round 11: [Sc into next 5 sts, sc 2 tog] five times, 6 sc. Slip stitch into first stitch in the round, finish off (36).

For the pivot hat stripe embellishment:
Ch 13.
Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hook, dc across. Ch 3 and turn.
Row 2 - 21:  Dc across, ch and turn.
Pin the stripe down the center of the hat to find the correct placement. Stitch the stripe on using the stripe color and a yarn needle.

For the jammer hat star embellishment:
This star is based on the Simple Little Star pattern by Melissa Trenado, with just a slight modification.
Make 2.
Round 1: Ch 2. 5 sc in 2nd ch from hook.
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around.
Round 3: [Sc, ch 5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc, dc in next 2 ch. Skip next sc from round 2. Sc into next sc from round 2.] five times to create five points.*
Round 4: [4 sc up first side of point, 3 sc in top stitch, 4 sc down remaining side] five times. Sl st into first sc. Fasten off.
Pin one star to opposite sides of the hat to find the correct placement. Stitch the stars on using the star color and a yarn needle.

*I initially found this row a little confusing. To add a little clarity, you are working the point of each star over three stitches of row 2. First, you do a sc, then ch 5. This chain becomes a base over which you work 1 flat row that forms a triangle due to increasing the height of the stitches. Finally, you attach your new triangle back to round 2 by skipping the 2nd sc and doing a sc into the 3rd sc from round 2. I'm sure this is still pretty confusing, but it makes sense once you do the first one!

Luggage Tags

I recently traveled to Minneapolis to present at a professional conference, so I decided to make some crocheted markers for my luggage. I just wanted to make it easy to spot mine out of a crowd, so I grabbed some brightly colored yarn and went to town

They're just simple strips of double crochet five stitches wide. I have no idea how many rows I did; I just went until they seemed long enough to tie in a good knot. The yarn I used is SMC Select Rosas in turquoise. It was on clearance when I visited the yarn store and met my "distinctive enough to be easy to spot" criteria.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm working on a big project right now, so my posting pace may continue to be a little slow. I am doing a few small side projects, so I won't completely disappear. After that, I have several projects lined up for Halloween, new babies, Christmas gifts, and...well, I can't even think of all of them at the moment.

Turquoise Cabochon Revisited

My main craft project right now is A) big and B) for an event that won't take place for a while. So, in the meantime, my posting may slow down a little. On the other hand, I recently reorganized my jewelry and realized that there were some pieces that either need repair or changes. I'll be working on those one at a time when I need a break from my big project, and I'll post them if I feel like they're interesting.

I originally made this turquoise cabochon pendant back in 2007, very soon after learning this beaded cabochon technique using bead embroidery to create a bezel around the cab.

My photography skills have also improved.

I hung the pendant from a single strand of suede cord, but I've never felt like that cord was dramatic enough to go with the pendant; it's just not visually balanced. To achieve the needed balance, I've added to more strands to the necklace.

As you can (hopefully) see, the new version looks more cohesive. It also feels more substantial to wear, which I like. One of the new strands is a round leather cord and the other is a strand of seed beads that match the cabochon beading.

The cabochon itself is turquoise, with beading done in brown and turquoise Czech glass seed beads.

Friendship Bracelets

Way back in middle school and high school, I used to make friendship bracelets and do hair wraps using embroidery floss. I really liked making them, and even sold a few at school until they stopped being popular. I still have my little divided box with skeins of floss wound onto plastic cards in my craft closet.

So, when I noticed a lot of friendship bracelets on Pinterest and other craft sites recently, I checked with my sisters- and brothers-in-law to see if any of my nieces or nephews would like for me to make them one. The answer from my oldest niece was not only "Yes," but also "Could I have one for my friend, too?" Happy to oblige, I got out the old thread box and made these.

I decided to use ribbon ends instead of leaving tails for the girls to tie the bracelets on. I was always a little bummed when I had to cut a bracelet off because it had gotten old and dirty looking. This way, they can take them off when they want and not have that concern. Since the ribbon ends have teeth, I originally just squeezed them closed. However, it only took about two minutes of nine-year-old wear for the end to come loose. So, I reattached the ends using superglue, and they seem very sturdy.

In light of the addition of an easy-to-remove clasp, my sister-in-law also asked for one for herself in the colors of her alma mater (and my employer). I made hers a little wider and varied the pattern a little from the basic stripes I made for the girls.

The knots on these aren't as neat as I'd ideally like, but given that they're the first ones I've made in 15 years or so, I guess it will take me a while to get back into it. I'd like to make more, both for myself and as gifts. I've been thinking about a small, easy to transport craft to take with me on an upcoming* business trip, so I may start one for myself to work on on the plane.

So, who else made these? I remember tons of free patterns and stuff at the craft stores back then. What were your favorites?

*I write and schedule my posts in advance, so when this is published, I'll actually be in Minneapolis.

Mother's Day Mushrooms

My mom has had these canisters my whole life (if I recall correctly, they were a wedding present).

They're part of the Merry Mushroom line of kitchen items sold by Sears in the late 70's and early 80's, and she's picked up a number of the other items from the line over time. So, I decided to use them as inspiration for her Mother's Day present.

I made these potholders using this Mushroom Potholder pattern from Lion Brand Yarn (the pattern is free, but you have to sign up for an account on their website). The bell of the mushroom is worked in the round then flattened, and the stem is a doubled-over strip of single crochet. So, the end result is very thick. I didn't actually use these since they were a gift, but my guess is that they would work really well as practical items as well as decoration.

As you can see, they turned out different sizes due to varying tension leading to different gauges. To coordinate with the Merry Mushrooms colors, I used Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton! in Burnt Sienna, Brown, and Woods Print.

Going Away Bracelets - Hers

As I mentioned in an earlier post, some good friends recently moved away, and I made them both bracelets to help them keep their old home close. This bracelet is the one I made for the inimitable lady and DVM of the house.

For the beads, I chose some irregular oval-shaped beads in a dark green variety of aventurine, some similarly irregular rectangles of garnet, and some faceted sterling silver cubes. All of them are randomly strung on beading wire and attached with a sterling multi-strand clasp. The clasp had a chain to adjust the fit, so I added a little garnet dangle to the end to tie it all together.

The recipient of this bracelet was thrilled with it, so I am too!

Summer Hippy Hat

Since I started crocheting, I've seen lots of patterns for really cute slouchy hats. I decided to try making one for summer in a light, breathable yarn with a very open pattern of stitches to keep it from being hot.

I decided to use the Spider Web Slouchy Hat pattern from A Little Loopy, But I'm Hooked, which also has tons of other nice crochet patterns.

I used I Love This Cotton! in Purple to make it nice and light. The band around my face turned out a little looser than would have fit me perfectly, but it stays in place okay for just hanging out. Adding a little barrette or two somewhere makes it secure enough for getting out and doing stuff.

The instructions were easy to follow and the hat worked up quickly. As it turns out, I'm not crazy about how it looks with my hair tucked inside, which is how I was hoping to wear it. I actually don't wear hats all that often, so I'm still sort of trying to decide how it fits in my wardrobe. I always seem to have that problem with hats.

Do you have anything like that? Things that just seem to always end up cooler in concept than in practice?

Going Away Bracelets - His

I made this bracelet for the male half of a couple of dear friends who have moved far away. I also made his wife a bracelet that I'll show off in another post so that they'd each have a little something to remind them of friends back here. So far, their new adventures seem to be going well, and I couldn't be happier for them!

The large cube beads are several different varieties of jasper. They're strung on beading wire with round wood beads as spacers. The band of the bracelet is leather cord, doubled over and tied with an adjustable knot.

Don't Lose Your Marbles

One of my dad's hobbies is collectible marbles. As I now know, a run of a particular machine-made marble includes marbles with numerous swirl patterns, each with its own name and level of desirability. So, part of collecting these marbles is sorting and examining them. Toward that end, I decided to crochet some sorting bowls for my dad for Father's Day.

I made these using the Nested Birds Nests pattern from Think Crafty Thoughts. The pattern is available for free as a Ravlery download. You'll have to sign up for Ravelry to get it, but it's well worthwhile to sign up if you're looking for free patterns.

The nests come in three sizes, and I made three sets of nests. There's one in each size in each color. The yarns are all I Love This Cotton! from Hobby Lobby in Brown, Forest, and Woods Print. They worked up quickly and are SO cute. They would really make nice little organizers for paperclips and office stuff or jewelry or anything little you need to keep together.

I especially like how the final row curls in to create a little bit of a lip. I think this is more pronounced in my version than in some of the others people have posted on Ravelry because I used a fairly tight tension.

After finishing all my bowls, I decided he might also need something to take his marbles with him, so I made what I'm calling the Mobile Marble Bowl. It's basically a flat-bottomed bag that converts to a bowl when the sides are folded down. I'm planning to write up instructions and share them in a separate post, so this is just a little teaser for that project.

DIY Hand Cream

So, I've basically taken the month of June off from blogging because it's by far the busiest month of the year for me at work. Add to that a family reunion that also rekindled my interest in finishing up my game of Pokemon Black, and I've just been too swamped to talk about crafts online. Hopefully, this post will mark the beginning of my return to regular posting.

This hand cream is the last of the homemade body products that I made as Christmas gifts this past year. Like my body spray, I did a lot of research online and synthesized my own recipe. I would say that my final recipe owes the most to the Body Butter Bars from Green Experiments though it's not identical as I made mine softer in order to put it into a tin rather than molding it. I definitely recommend that post if you'd like a picture tutorial of the process of making something like this.

Here's my recipe, which produces about six ounces of hand cream:

1/3 c shea butter (slightly heaped)
1/8 c beeswax
1/4 c fractionated coconut oil
2 ml vitamin E oil
6 ml essential oil (optional - mainly for fragrance)

Melt the shea butter, beeswax, and fractionated coconut oil in a double boiler. Remove from heat and  add vitamin E oil and essential oil. Pour into containers and allow to cool. I used 2 oz. tins, so each batch produced three tins.

I used the same essential oil blends for this that I used for my body spray. The amounts are different, but the proportions are the same. The blends are:

Fir Needle Orange - I love this one, but it smells "wintery" to me for some reason.
3 ml Fir needle
3 ml Orange

Clary Sage Herbal - This one is very earthy and neutral.
2 ml Clary Sage
1.5 ml Anise
1.5 ml Basil
0.5 ml Lemongrass

Cedarwood Rose - The rose geranium is very strong, so the rose note is most prominent in this mix.
2 ml Cedarwood
2 ml Hungarian Lavender
1 ml Rose Geranium
1 ml Bergamot

I've really enjoyed using this lotion myself, and I've gotten good feedback about it from several people who received it as a gift. My only small complaint is that it feels a little oily when you first apply it. It absorbs pretty quickly and doesn't  leave that oily feeling behind, but I'd prefer if it were never there in the first place. I'm experimenting with other oils and proportions, so I'll continue to let you know how they turn out.

If you like this, you should also check out my body spray and lip balm.

Poke-Mon Hat

When I started crocheting, I was (pleasantly) surprised to find out how many Pokemon crochet patterns there are out there! My brother Andy first got me into Pokemon through the trading card game, which led me to the cartoons, then the Nintendo DS games, then the old GameBoy games...and on and on. So, after making his son an Oshawott and a Yoda hat, I decided it was time to make Andy something.

I made this Pokeball hat using this free pattern by Bonnie Jacobs. Andy said the visible crochet stitches made it look sort of Rasta, so we dubbed it the Poke-Mon hat. I used I Love This Yarn! from Hobby Lobby in Red, White, and Black. You can also find this project on Ravelry if you'd like more information.

So, I will leave you with a picture of the recipient of this project wearing his hat!

I think I'll need to make hats for his family of three (and one impending) by this winter!

DIY Body Spray

As I mentioned in my previous post, I started making homemade body products this winter. While I didn't love it quite as much as some of my other experiments, I still think this body spray has its place in the line up.

I pulled from several recipes and tutorials to come up with the final recipe that I used, but I think my favorite was this one by Nicole Stevenson of Random Nicole. That said, I ended up with a slightly different blend. My final recipe is:

Body Spray
0.5 oz (1 tbsp) Sweet Almond Oil
2.5 oz Vodka (1/4 c + 1 tbsp)
About 3 ml Essential Oils
Distilled Water

I put the first three ingredients in a 4 oz bottle and let it sit for about a week, shaking it every now and then. At the end of that, I filled the bottle the rest of the way with the distilled water.

I made three different scent blends. The amounts of essential oils were:

Fir Needle Orange - I love this one, but it smells "wintery" to me for some reason.
1.5 ml of each


Clary Sage Herbal - This one is very earthy and neutral.
1 ml Clary Sage
0.75 ml Anise
0.75 ml Basil

0.5 ml Lemongrass


Cedarwood Rose - The rose geranium is very strong, so the rose note is most prominent in this mix.
1 ml Cedarwood
1 ml Hungarian Lavender
0.5 Rose Geranium
0.5 Bergamot

This recipe produces a light fragrance that fades pretty quickly. It's nice for a little pick me up, particularly when it's hot, but it doesn't stick around long enough for me to consider it a stand alone fragrance. In the future, I'm going to experiment with making a perfume oil that will wear longer.

I'm also interested in developing some new fragrance blends. What kind of scents would you like in a perfume oil?

Little Sister Owl

As I've mentioned before, one of the best ways to get the products of my craftiness is to be a fan of it. So, when Sonya saw some patterns on Ravelry for owl-themed things and mentioned that her younger sister loves owls, I grabbed some left-over yarn and whipped something up.

This little purse (more of a change purse or wallet really) was made using the Owl Purse pattern by Brenda K. B. Anderson, which is available for free on Stitch Nation.

The pattern calls for crocheting in wool and felting the finished product. Instead, I decided to crochet in acrylic with a smaller hook and fore-go the felting. I used Caron Simply Soft Solids in Blue Mint and Black and Red Heart Shimmer in Hot Pink. I used a size G (4.0 mm) hook for everything. The beak is embroidered on.

I really like making things that can be used or worn regularly, and I'm told that the recipient of this purse was really happy with it. What are some of your favorite practical objects to make?

All Natural Lipbalm

When I was looking for handmade Christmas gift ideas this past winter, I ran across a number of recipes for homemade, all natural body products. I decided to give them a try, and I'm a total convert. Eric and I are using my homemade lotion exclusively now, and I want to learn how to make my own soap as well. So, this is the first of (definitely) several and hopefully (many) more posts about my own "line" of bath and body products.

Not wanting to get too adventurous my first time out, I made this lip balm using this recipe I found on A Sonoma Garden. I made two changes to the original recipe. First, I substituted sweet almond oil for the olive oil. Also, I added two milliliters of essential oils to each batch to add a little scent and flavor. The resulting lip balm is pleasantly light and slick. It's definitely great for keeping your lips hydrated. To recap, the final recipe I used is:

1 1/2 tsp beeswax
1 7/8 tsp coconut oil
1 1/8 tsp cocoa butter
1 tbsp sweet almond oil
1/8 tsp (0.6 ml) vitamin E oil
2 ml essential oils

I melted the first four ingredients in an improvised double boiler, then removed it from the heat and added the vitamin E and essential oils. The essential oil blends I used were:

Minty Fresh - 1 ml spearmint, 1/2 ml peppermint (1st distillation), 1/2 ml peppermint (2nd distillation)
Citrus Spritzer - 1 ml bergamot, 1/2 ml orange, 1/2 lemongrass

Finally, I poured it into the tubes using a tiny funnel. I could fill six or seven tubes, depending on spillage. Tip: I found that rubber-banding  the tubes together helped them stand up and made it easier to go from tube to tube without spilling. After it cooled, I scraped up the spills off the dish and put it in a tub to apply with my finger. No waste!

While this recipe is great for everyday maintenance, I did find that it didn't work as well as I'd like for the extremely dry, chapped lips I sometimes get in cold weather. For next winter, I want to experiment with making a heavier lip balm using some additional wax and maybe another moisturizing butter of some kind.

I gave these as gifts with body spray and hand cream.

Fiesta Shawl

In the past, I've thought of crocheted shawls as sort of little old lady-ish. Once I started crocheting, I realized there were so many patterns and so many ways to make a shawl or wrap that it didn't have to be that way. Nevertheless, my first shawl is a little old fashioned on purpose.

I made this shawl using the Morning Has Broken pattern, which is available free on Ravelry (you'll have to sign up for an account). In fact, I liked how it looked in the photos from the pattern, that I used the same yarn, Lion Brand Homespun in Fiesta. The yarn is bulky weight and I used a size L hook, so the shawl worked up very quickly. I love the colors in this variegated yarn, which is also very soft and warm. So warm, that it offsets the open stitching to make the shawl very warm. It's definitely something I'll wear mostly in winter.

I'd like to make myself a wrap or two for spring and summer as well - maybe something I could wear in the evening over sleeveless shirts. Does anyone have any favorite patterns or materials for spring/summer?

Mythical Goddess Tiara

I made this tiara for myself as part of a Halloween costume as a Greek goddess. I bought the costume on clearance because it's head piece was missing, then whipped this one up for myself.

Artistic angled shot? Nope, just wonky photography.

I used gold colored craft wire for the branches over a brass wire base. In the past, I used brass wire for the branches of gold colored crowns, but I found it too hard to work. This tiara turned out very light, to the point that I almost forgot I was wearing it.

Backlit much?

I like these branch shapes a lot, and I could see making a few alterations to make this work for a lot of different costumes. It's simpler than my other tiara designs, so it opens up different uses for them.

Gotta Catch 'Em All - Oshawott

My brother Andy has been a fan of Pokemon since it's earliest versions for the Game Boy came out in the 90's. Later, when the cards and cartoons were trendy, I got into it as well. Furthermore, as soon as his son was born, Andy introduced his wife and little boy to the cartoons. So, we're a family of Pokemon Trainers! For his first birthday, I made my nephew this Oshawott plushie.

Shown here with a toy for reference.

I worked from Linda Potts' Oshawott pattern published on her blog WolfDreamer Off the Hook. I used I Love This Yarn! from Hobby Lobby in Turquoise for the body, White for the head and arms, Navy for the ears, feet, and tail, and Black for the eyes. The shell and nose were made from scraps.

This project was SO MUCH FUN! I really want to make some more plushies and Pokemon in particular. I especially want to make a Pikachu for my nephew. I also want to make a soft doll with changeable outfits for my friend's daughter, and a Batman for my spouse, and a... I just need more time to crochet.

Turquoise Woman Power

I made this set for a friend who's always liked delicate jewelry. The pendant, which is about 1.5 inches long, and the roundel beads are both made of turquoise.

As usual, I used sterling silver wire and findings to assemble the jewelry. Unlike the other piece I made in the same time frame, with this one, the non-working end of the wire goes all the way through to the wire wrap on this one.

Curly Scarf Part Two

My friend Sonya is one of the biggest fans of my crafts. When I showed her my first crocheted scarf, she said, "Cool! When are you going to make me one?" So, I made this one for her. (That's basically how she's ended up with several things I've made in the past as well.)

Like the one I made for myself, the pattern is the pattern is the Ruffled Skinny Scarf by Kim Biddix from the book I Taught Myself Crochet. I used Red Heart Shimmer in Hot Pink for the yarn. You can't see the shimmer very well in the picture above, but it's just the right amount to add a little sparkle without being too flashy.

You can see just a touch of it here.