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I originally made this turquoise cabochon pendant back in 2007, very soon after learning this beaded cabochon technique using bead embroidery to create a bezel around the cab.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