Orange the colour of amusement...

It is already the end of October, just a few days away from Halloween. When thinking of Halloween or even autumn, we think of the colour orange. A colour which radiates warmth and happiness, combining the physical energy and stimulation of red with the cheerfulness of yellow.

Here is a lovely collection of orange crochet patterns. Clicking on the pictures will bring you to the pattern.

Hayden the Owl our newest animal mitts

Kids love to have fun accessories and these easy fingerless mittens are such a great way to give them that special feeling when going to school. Basic crochet knowledge is required, you can use the most funky colours you have to make those little creatures.

The pattern can be found at my Etsy or Ravelry store.

Don't miss our they could make great gifts for the coming holiday season ;-) !!
Lots of other creatures will join 'Hayden the Owl'. Keep checking our shop for more.

Crochet Cowl Fall/Winter 2014

I have been away for a while but life has been pretty busy and pretty hot here in the South of France. It has been so humid that picking up some yarn and a crochet hook were one of those things you would like to avoid. But luckily the temperatures are a lot cooler now and I can feel the urge to prepare myself and the family for those cold winter days.

This time I will be bringing many fall/winter cowls & scarfs for 2014/15. 2 Patterns have been added already to my Etsy Shop. 
Both of them are using basic crochet knowledge but they have a rather 3D aspect and will definitely bring that something special you have been looking for!
These patterns provide baby, toddler, child and adult sizes. So you can make them for the whole family.

Madelyn Flower Cowl - Pattern 

Brooklyn Ruffle Cowl - Pattern

Simple, Sleek iPhone cover

The other day I have made this simple iPhone cover completely out of cotton. It feels very strong and fits tight around the phone. No button or closing are necessary to keep your phone into this sleeve.

You can grab the pattern from Etsy and diy it yourself or you can find the finished products on Etsy as well. The only thing you will need to do is choose your colour ;-).

Speckled cushion cover (+ pattern)

The past year I have bought several rectangle cushions (they were all 30cm x 50cm ) but after one year I would love to change their covers. So this is what I started doing during last weekend.

I have actually re-used the cushion cover that came with the cushion. It had a flower pattern on the front and it was plain grey (with a zipper) at the back. So I took the cushion cover apart and only replaced the front part.

Not only is this an easy way to do it but at the same time it makes your crochet cushion look more modern and up to date as it includes a fabric at the back.

Have a look after the jump for this simple pattern and combine your own colors to go well with your interior ;-)

Weekly Inspiration_06:: Easter Decoration

I do not want to wait until the last week of March. It is better to be prepared and to know how you would like to decorate the Easter table and to get in the mood for this festive holiday, in the weeks to come.
Here are some images that started sparking some ideas for my interior decorations. ;-)

 

Links Top: 1, 2 ,3

Links Bottom: 4, 5, 6, 7

 

Fancy up your hair tie {DIY tutorial}

Everyone has got some simple plain hair ties laying around at home. If it is not for yourself, it might be for your daughter(s). With a crochet hook and some yarn (cotton or acrylic, as you wish) you can quickly make your hair tie look more fancy and even match it with your outfit.

Have a look here at this easy pattern, after the jump. 

Ready in less than 15mins!!!

Chunky T-shirt bracelet (+ pattern)

A while ago I have explained how to turn old t-shirts into yarn that could be used to crochet or to knit. Well I have used some of this yarn and turned it into an easy chunky bracelet. As it was all grey I have added some colour (ready for spring) by using some store bought cotton.

You can find the instructions after the jump ... 

Crochet your own tealight covers

Here in the South of France, winter time is coming slowly to its end. The sun is shining and it is even nice to sit outside in the sun with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. You can say here that spring is in the air. :-)

That must be the reason why light colors are catching my eyes the last few days. So I have decided to crochet some tealight covers in over to bring some fresh colors into my apartment.

I had these little glasses laying around at home. They have a diameter of 5.5cm (2.5 inch) and a height of 6.5cm (2.6 inch).

They are not very big but they are so cute at the coffee table or even at the table during dinner. (I am definitely a candle person). :-)

This is again a very simple pattern but effective!!

Your personal businesscard holder

Nowadays, so many people have their own blog or even their online business / shop and it is a necessity to advertise in order to stand out from the crowd. You could start really simple by making your own business cards  to make at least your direct environment aware of what you are up to. In my next blog post I will put all the Do’s and Don’ts on a list of how your business card should look like, what it should contain, including the latest trends to stay up to date with the  latest technology.

But of course once your business cards are ordered you can start thinking of how to carry them around. Why not DIY your own business card holder?! :-)

What you need is:

-  some cotton yarn (this stays nice specially knowing that this holder might be laying around in your bag or in your back trouser pocket, in that case better not opt for light colored materials)

-   a small piece of fabric, I have recycled a cushion cover that I wanted to through out and went well with the orange yarn I had chosen ;-) (let’s go at least 50% green!!)

-   needle and some thread (or you can use your sewing machine like I did)

Find instructions after the jump... 

Shine on Fridays - link party

First of all I would like to thank Amy at One Artsy Mama and Kara at Happy Go Lucky  for letting me co-host this week's link party!!! I have to admit I am so excited as it is my first time as a co-host and honestly, I can not wait to see what you have been writing about this week. But I am even happier to announce that there is a FREE giveaway to win namely this hairband from my Etsy shop.

Well, what are you waiting for :-) ...  show the world what you have been up to lately, show us all your lovely creations!!!

Please link up crafts, recipes, home decor, etc... after the jump!

If you're going to play along with us: 
- follow both co-hosts and our guest host
- grab a party button and put it somewhere on your blog 
- have fun and visit some other friends
- no commercial site

Linking up your photos gives us permission to use them in features on our blogs and Facebook pages.

Fan like Earrings make a great gift!!! (+ pattern)

Don't you have this sometimes where you think ' I have crocheted or knitted this scarf/jumper but wish I had some earrings to go with it'? Well, if you have some yarn left, a couple of earring pieces from a craftshop and of course 15mins of your time, you are ready to go.

These are easy earrings but they will look, for those who can not crochet, rather complicated and exotic. They are ready in now time and you can make as many as you want. Come to think of it, they would even make a great present.
I have even added a little template you could use to hang the earrings on when you give it out as a present!! ;-)

White crocheted bracelet/ necklace

I have made this simple bracelet/necklace the other day. Unfortunately I only took pictures of it being a bracelet though. Of course, I'll give some guidelines but you can make this bracelet/necklace as long as you want.

So, do you have some yarn laying around? Because it is honestly as simple as that. If you are not happy with your yarn , you can always spice it up with some simple sewing thread to make this yarn more fancy looking, more jewely like looking. In the picture below you can see that I have used white cotton mixed with some light grey sewing thread.

You don't need to know much about crochet to be able to make this jewelry. But you know as they say, simple is always the best. ;-) It could even be a great idea for a present.

What you will need is yarn (cotton or acrylic ), some sewing thread and a button.
(I would prefer cotton in this case as it is a bit more heavy and falls more neater around your wrist).

Make your own bow tie ring

I can imagine that you have crocheted a scarf or even several scarves this winter. And in most cases you have some yarn left. So how about making a bow tie ring in the same yarn as your scarf. This is so easy and can be done in no time so that you can make even different rings in different colours to match different outfits.

Before going over to the pattern and the 'Hows' of how to make this ring I would like to make a small announcement.

I know most of you are amazing crafts people and you all know to crochet well. But I would like to thank you for all the visits my blog had over the past 2 months therefor I would like to organise a FREE Giveaway coming from my Headband section in my shop The New Crochet. So hope to see you all at this Blog on Wednesday, January 16th and hope you'll be the lucky one for this 1ST Free Giveaway on this site.

Well enough about this, back to our bow tie ring.

Infinity chain scarf (+ free pattern)

First of all I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and may your year be filled with plenty of happiness and lots and lots of beautiful and creative moments!!!

The festive season is a time for family and there is hardly any time for ourselves but this is all behind us now and a new year with new resolutions has started. This is day 2!!! So time to be creative.

Just before the holidays I have made this chain scarf. It is the simplest thing ever, it is beginners level but I think any level will enjoy making this as this is a good reason to get rid of little bits and pieces of yarn from last year. Like this, your scarf could turn into a colourful item and at the same time you have created some new space to stock up on Spring colours :-).

With the length I have chosen you can wrap the scarf an additional time around your neck. Of course you can test this out and make it longer if preferred.

Merry Christmas to you ALL. See here my Christmas gift to you. 20% discount on everything in my Etsy shop during the next few days to come.

Don't hesitate to ask for custom orders. 

Happy Shopping!!

Flower choker necklace (+ pattern)

I have realised from all your comments the past 2 weeks, that everyone is busy preparing Christmas decorations or even Christmas presents. Maybe this little bracelet could be part of your preparations, for yourself or for someone else. You could make it in the same colour as your outfit. You could even make a bracelet to go with it, to have a matching pair.
The whole bracelet is done in crochet.

I have used cotton yarn for the flower and for the actual string I have crocheted lace that I bought at a DIY shop, which is used for necklaces.

To fancy up the flower I sewed a bead in the middle of the flower.

Hope you like it or even better, I hope it gives you some inspiration to fancy up your outfit during the festive season. And all this in a very cheap and fun way!!

Christmas ornament from your old T-shirt (+ pattern)

In my previous blog post you will find how to turn your old T-shirts into yarn. As this yarn is more chunky, it is great for floor carpets etc. but why not use it for some Christmas decoration?!

You can make a flat Christmas ball, you can add some thin red ribbon and you are set in no time for your tree decoration in a few weeks time.

Recycle your old t-shirts into yarn

Are your hands itching to starting crocheting or knitting but you have no yarn at home? Do you have some old t-shirts laying around at home? If your answer is twice yes, than your problem is solved and you can start in no time ;-).

Of course you can buy recycled T-shirt yarn in the shop, it has the same thickness as the one you will cut but it will have a different sentimental value.

Nowadays we do think more in terms of recycling, well this is an excellent way to start.

When searching on the net you will find more ways of 'how to cut your T-shirt into yarn', but for me this video explains it very well. If you will try this at home, please do use an iron board, like she explains, as this will make the job so much easier.

The only part of the t-shirt used is the part just underneath the arms till just above the bottom seem of your t-shirt. Also make sure you won't cut the strips/yarn smaller than 1cm as you will need to pull the yarn slightly to make sure it rolls up and turns into real looking yarn ready to be crocheted or knit. If it is too thin you will pull it apart very easily. The yarn recuperated from one T-shirt is around 50gr.

This yarn is excellent for potholders or for home made carpets. But you can also make a simple Christmas decoration with it which you can see in following blogpost.
Have fun with it! ;-)

Fancy up your yarn!

I have mentioned it in my previous post, 'Make your own crochet coasters', that you could spice up your yarn. As I had used existing yarn for my coasters, I will show you here how it works and how the result could look like by using cotton and normal sewing thread!

So start experimenting and let me know how it turns out.

You can find this pattern in my blogpost Christmas decoration!