Sunday 21 December 2014

And the Bells are Ringing!

Hello,
Here's a post to 'ring in' the festive season -- sharing some crochet bells...can you guess what they are?

Well, it's a my take on a key pouch! Saw some versions of these on sale at the weekend market in Bangkok 2 years ago. I thought it was a good idea except that the cord was made very long ...which made me wonder "Wouldn't such a long cord get tangled up in ladies' handbags? (knowing most ladies have tons of 'stuff' in our bags)....
While mulling over what small gifts I could make for some dear colleagues, the key pouches came to mind. I made the cord shorter, but now it fits snugly on the button for storage so it wouldn't tangle around that lipstick, tissue pack etc in their bags!
For myself, I'm using it to store several thumb drives which I use for work.....
What might you use it for?
Till the next time, have a great year end of rest and spending meaningful time with your loved ones!

Serena

Sunday 14 December 2014

Spikes and a Phone Pouch

Hello there,
We just upgraded our daughter's handphone and so her handphone pouch wouldn't fit the new phone which is much larger. Coupled with the casing that the phone is in, it was difficult finding a pouch which would fit the phone snugly. Crochet comes to the rescue and thanks to the generous sharing of a free crochet pattern by Tamara Kelly of mooglyblog.com (pattern link is here), my daughter now has a new phone pouch! (The pouch then promptly accompanied us on our family vacation.)

Close-up of the Stitches
Small snap button to secure
 Have a great week ahead!
Serena





Sunday 7 December 2014

Cozying Up with the Kindle

Hello there!
We just purchased the Kindle but found that the leather cover that we had bought for it made the whole thing rather heavy and defeats the purpose of it being easily held in one hand for easy reading!
That sparked off the search for a crochet pattern for a cozy or pouch for the Kindle. 
This free pattern by Tamara at Mooglyblog (here) is beautiful and here's my take on it!
Have a great week ahead!

Saturday 27 September 2014

Seriously Cute Crochet

Hello there!

I'm thankful for a brief lull at the workplace which gave me time to make this cute little fella for a dear friend of my daughter. She loves it and I hope you do too!
 
You can find this pattern in the book titled 'Seriously Cute Crochet' by Ana Rimoli. Do check it out!

Saturday 6 September 2014

Compliments

Hello there,

Have you received a compliment today?

We all LOVE compliments don't we? For a crafter or anyone who creates, one of the best compliments we can receive is if someone will actually commission us to create something special for them...
In the past month, I've had the privilege of making two custom orders and loved every bit of the process.
Thank you so much to the 2 dear ladies who have greatly encouraged me!

Saturday 26 July 2014

Upsized Bunny

Hello there!

Do you remember the little bunny that was made from the pattern by Stephanie HERE at All About Ami ? 
She's been receiving lots of attention and when I was tasked to come up with a gift for a teen girl, my daughter suggested I 'upsize' the bunny.
So here is the 'upsized version'! Had a blast making it. Do hope over to check out the pattern and perhaps make one for yourself!

Have a great weekend!
Serena

Saturday 14 June 2014

A New Project for A New Experience

Hi there,

My young lady is attending dance school for a week in Australia. Having danced all this while in our hot tropical climate, leg warmers are definitely not part of her dance wardrobe. All fellow crafters would agree with me that when faced with a choice of 'buying' versus 'making', most of us would definitely say "I could make that!". And so I did, with great help from the free crochet pattern (here) generously written up by Ashley at A Crafty House.

As Ashley's pattern was written for her 3 year old, I had to make adjustments for my dear girl who is about 1.53m tall . I have shared the modified pattern at the end of this post.

Have fun!
Serena

Pattern for Leg Warmers (written in American terms)
[modified from pattern by Ashley @ A Crafty House]


Abbreviations:
CH = Chain            DC = Double Crochet             SC = Single Crochet
SK = Skip              SS = Slip Stitch                    st = stitches

Top Ribbing: 
CH 7
Row 1: SC in second chain from hook and in each CH across (6 st)
Row 2: CH1 and turn work, SC in back loop of each SC (6 st)
Row 3 - 40: Repeat Row 2

Leg Section:
Row 1: CH1 and turn work 90 degrees in order to work across the ribbing for the leg portion. SC evenly across (39 st), join work to first SC with a SS.  (The opening in the ribbing will be seamed together later.)
Row 2: SC and 2 DCs in the first SC space, *skip the next 2 SCs, SC and 2 DCs in the next SC space, repeat from * to last 2 SCs, skip the last 2 SCs and SS into first SC from beginning of row to close the round. (39 st) 
Row 3:  CH1, turn, SC and 2 DCs (cluster) in the first DC, *Skip the next DC and SC, SC and 2 DC in the next DC, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, skip the last 2 stitches and SS into first SC from beginning of row to close the round.
Row 4 - 20: Repeat Row 3 [Increase or decrease the number of these rows depending on the length required.]
Row 21: [This row serves to begin the narrowed section of the leg warmer at the lower end.]
Repeat Row 3 except that for the first and last cluster, use 1SC and 1DC (instead of 1SC and 2DC)
Rows 22-23: Repeat row 21 [Increase or decrease the number of these rows depending on the length required.] 
Row 24: CH 1, turn and SC in each stitch across, join to first SC with a SS. Do not fasten off.

Bottom Ribbing:
The bottom ribbing is made similar to the top, except that the ribbing will have to be joined to the rest of the work at the end of every other row.
Row 1: CH 6 and SC in 2nd CH from hook and each CH across (5 st), SS in next SC of the last round from the leg section.
Row 2:  Turn, SC in back loop of each SC all of the way across (5 st)
Row 3: CH1, turn, SC in back loop of each SC all of the way across, SS in next 2 SCs.                  
Continue Rows 2 and 3 until you have worked all of the way around.  Seam ribbing using SS through both thicknesses of first and last row all of the way across. Fasten off.

Seam together the Top ribbing using SS through both thicknesses of first and last row all of the way across. Fasten off.
[Alternatively, you may seam the ribbing using a darning needle and regular 'sewing' stitches'.]

Sunday 26 January 2014

Deck Shoes are Back!

Hello there,
Just a quick update on the latest colour variation on the deck shoes which have been added to the Etsy shop. They've been our most popular design so far and I have a hard time trying to ensure that no TWO pairs are exactly alike....which means I'm running out of colours for the little guys!
If you do have any ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear them.
 

 
 
Have a great week ahead!
Serena

Sunday 12 January 2014

Reversible 'Script Totes'

Hi there!

Having a great 2014 so far?
The end of 2013 was a good time for crafting and as I was sorting out 'My Secret Stash' of crafting materials, I came across small pieces of beautiful rich upholstery/curtain  fabric. As I had been wanting to replace my 'was white but now is yellow' canvas tote bag which was a great size for toting all those 'scripts' that a teacher had to mark, it seemed the perfect use for the fabric!
So that started a manic sewing spree of these reversible totes...Those of you who craft can surely identify with that urge to 'mass produce'... : )
The 'reversibility' also means that there are no exposed seams. Woohoo! 
Come to think of it, this is my first post on a non-crochet item!
If you're wondering what happened to all these bags, they're being fully utilised by those dear friends I have at the office. Glad they like them.

Have a great weekend!
Serena