Smoky Quartz Pendant

I made this as a Christmas gift as a friend. It was quite a while ago, and I think that the wire wrap did not hold up well. I'd like to find a way to achieve a similar look in a sturdier way.

The both stones are faceted smoky quartz, and I used 24 gauge sterling silver wire to create the wire wrap. I made the wire wrap with the stone in the middle by starting out as a normal wire wrap then inserting the smaller bead on top of the "stem." The non-working end wouldn't go all the way back up through the smaller bead, but it seemed securely held so I wrapped the top tightly hoping the pressure would keep it that way. Apparently it popped back out later :( . I guess I should have just made the smaller bead a separate link with it's own wrap.

Hat for Nephew It Is

Since I started crocheting, I've actually had to restrain myself from making a zillion nerd and/or cute animal themed baby hats for my nephew who just turned one. I did have to make one though. I mean really, I only have so much self-control.

I made this hat using Caron Simply Soft in Pistachio and a size H (5.0 mm) hook. The pattern is the Yoda Baby Hat from the Happy Hooker blog. I did make one small alteration to the pattern in that I did a whip stitch around the outside edges of the ears, then pulled it tight to give them a little curl.

Overall, I'm really pleased with my very first crocheted hat, though I haven't quite mastered the trick of fastening off things worked in the round and leaving a perfectly smooth edge.

Walnut Jasper Earrings

Today's post is just a quick pair of earrings. I made these by request to coordinate with a necklace I'd made some time before these. You can see the necklace on my old jewelry blog.

The larger beads in these are walnut jasper, and the accent beads are shell. Everything's put together with sterling silver.

Mentor Mittens

I made these fingerless gloves as a thank you for a friend who's been teaching me the ropes, or the yarns at least, since I started crocheting. He took me to the local yarn store and gave me a little walking tour introduction to different fibers and weights and has been extremely encouraging about my new craft.

I wanted to make something with some texture to add visual interest, while still looking masculine, so I used this extremely easy ribbed pattern from Suzies Stuff. The yarns Caron Simply Soft solids in Chocolate. I was a little intimidated by adding the thumb, but it turned out not to be that hard. I plan on experimenting with this and a few other fingerless glove patterns for Christmas gifts next year.

Ukranian Netting

Perhaps my favorite bead work technique, hand-woven netting uses a needle, thread, and seed beads to create intricate patterns. Russia and the Ukraine are particularly known for this kind of bead work, so I decided to make a necklace using some traditional colors and patterns from that region.

I made this necklace using size 11 Czech glass seed beads in matte black, opaque red, and matte silver-lined gold from the pattern Netted Diamonds by Maria Rypan.

Like several of my other favorite netting patterns, this one uses the ratio of the beads in the top of each row to those in the bottom to give the necklace a natural curve.

A loop and toggle closure is my preferred technique for finishing woven bead necklaces. I find it's more secure since it can be created continuously from the same thread and beads as the rest of the piece. I also like to alternate the bead colors on the clasp, just to give it a little something of my own.

Kindle Cover Pattern

I received both my first crochet supplies and a Kindle for Christmas. Naturally, I wanted to crochet a cover for my Kindle, but I couldn't find any pattern that was exactly what I wanted, so I decided to create my own.

I used Caron Simply Soft Solids in Blue Mint for the body of the cover and Pistachio for the contrast stitching and pocket. I wanted to add an earphone pocket for listening to audiobooks, but I wanted it to be round to coordinate with the button. Since creating a round pattern from scratch was a little too advanced for me, I used the Loopy Flower Coaster pattern by James Davis for the pocket.

Crochet Kindle Cover

Materials:
Approximately 80 yards worsted weight yarn in color A
Small amount of worsted weight yarn in color B (for contrast stitching and pocket if desired)
Shank button with  1" diameter
Crochet hook size H
Yarn needle

Foundation: Chain 26 using color A.

Row 1: Hdc in third chain from hook and in each chain across. Chain 2. Turn. (24 hdc)
Rows 2 - 48: Hdc in each stitch across. Chain 2. Turn.
Row 49*: Hdc in first 10 stitches across. Chain 4. Skip 4 hdc. Hdc in remaining 10 stitches across. Chain 2. Turn.
Row 50: Hdc in first ten hdc across. Hdc in each of 4 chain stitches. Hdc in remaining 10 stitches across. Chain 2. Turn.
Rows 51: Hdc in each stitch across. Chain 2. Turn.
Row 52: Hdc in each stitch across. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

* This is based on a button with a 1" diameter. Adjust the number of chain stitches and skipped stitches to accommodate the button you plan to use.

Assembly: Fold finished crochet piece so that row 1 lines up with row 45. Using yarn needle and color B, begin whip stitching through front and back at bottom left corner moving up the body of the piece. When you reach the end of the front, continue whip stitching along the sides and top of the flap to create contrast edging around to the other side. Continue whip stitching through front and back layers moving down to the bottom right corner. Using yarn needle and color A, attach button in appropriate location to fit through button hole.

This pattern does not include the pocket pictured because it is not my own design. If you want to add a pocket exactly like mine, use the link above to access that pattern. You could also stitch a square or rectangle of any size you need to hold earphones, notepad, or other items and attach it to the front.

Fall Tiara and Barrette

I've been taking a little hiatus from it lately, but beading has been my primary crafty outlet for several years now. I think I needed a little creative energy boost because now that I've been crocheting and doing a few other crafty things, I'm starting to think of new beading projects I want to work on.  In the meantime, I'm going to share a few of my more recent past beading projects.

I made this tiara for my friend Heather Lickliter of  Stylized Portraiture. Heather takes amazing pictures, and specializes in fairytale portraits for little girls. You can see some examples of her work (including this tiara!) at Fairyography.com.

Heather particularly wanted something with an organic look and feel for her tiaras, so I came up with this design, and I've made it in a couple of colors. For this one, I used copper craft wire in two sizes to create the base and the branches. I embellished the branches with amber glass tear drops and dark brown freshwater pearls.

The back of the tiara is embellished with ribbons finished with the same beads used in the body of the tiara.

I made this matching barrette to finish the set. I really love seeing my work in Heather's, which is amazingly beautiful and creative. One of these days, maybe I'll talk her into doing a few "big girl" fairytale photos. :)