Monday, October 23, 2017

Easy Yarn Unicorn Hair


A Free Tutorial For Unicorn Hair


The older Little One gets the more I need to get creative with Halloween. She is getting more ideas about what she wants and what is considered cool. Is cool even the right word anymore? We decided on her being a unicorn; not too baby but still sweet. Right away Sweet Pea insisted that she would be a princess, and she is telling everyone that Mommy is going to make her a princess. She gets very defensive if we suggest anything else. 2 year olds are so easy.  Hopefully this tutorial will be easier than figuring out the workings of preteens. 

Tutorial 

Start with a long tail slip knot, ch 12, cut your yarn for a long tail and pull tight.
Loop in scraps of yarn into the chains until the section is full. 
Repeat this process 5 or 6 times. For the top piece add scraps on both sides of the chains. 


Sew in the strips of hair using the long tails of the chain stitches, and wip stitch it down to the hat so the hair falls at the base of the hat. Weave in any left over yarn.


Repeat the process above, a few rows over the last strip of hair.  


Keep going all the way up until you reach the ears.


On the last strip, make sure you have hair going in both directions for bangs and back mane hair.




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Monday, October 16, 2017

Swift Swirl Cowl

A knitting Pattern




I have a new pattern to add to the Swift Swirl Series. The last 2 patterns, the Swift Swirl Hat and the Swift Chevron Hat were worked in the round. For this pattern it is worked flat so some of the rules change a little. It is still an easy to follow along pattern and I was able to finish this cowl up in a weekend.

I am pretty sure this is going to be a fall staple in my wardrobe this year.  I'm wearing it right now as I type. 


 Where can I get this Pattern ?

 This is a free knitting pattern. Just keep scrolling down to see this pattern. You can also purchase this pattern in my Ravelry store for $3.00. This is a great option if you want an ads free printer friendly version of the pattern. Start at m Ravelry Page Of click the Buy Me link below.  
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Swift Swirl Cowl

Designer: Julia Schwartz 

Yarn: Lion Brand Heartland, 100% acrylic, 4 oz, 251 yards 1 skein needed. 

Needle size 9: 5.5mm straight 

Notions: Yarn Needle to weave in your ends 

Size: 8 by 30in. 

Gauge: 12-16 stitches, 15-22 rows to 4"

Special Stitches: 

Right Twist (RT): Knit 2 together keeping both stitches on the left needle, knit into the first stitch, then pull both stitches onto the right needle, stitch complete. 

Notes: This pattern is worked flat and then it is Kitchener stitched at the end. 

Copyright: Julia Schwartz. Do not reproduce, copy, distribute, or sell this pattern without permission of the designer. This pattern must not be translated, reproduced, or circulated in another language without prior consent. If you have questions about this pattern please contact Julia.diligence@gmail.com.



Pattern: 
With a provisional cast on, cast on 36 sts

Row 1 (ws): (P,k) repeat (to) 2 times for long seed st, p 24, (k,p) repeat (to) 2 times for long seed st.

Row 2 (rs): (K, p) repeat (to) 2 times, k2, 3 RT, k4, 3 RT, k4, 1 RT, (p,k) repeat (to) 2 times.

Row 3: (K,p) repeat (to) 2 times, p 24, (p,k) repeat (to) 2 times

Row 4: (P, k) repeat (to) 2 times, k1, 3 RT, k4, 3 RT, k4, 1 RT, k1, (k, p) repeat (to) 2 times

Repeat rows 1 and 3 for every wrong side row. 

Row 6: (K, p) repeat (to) 2 times, 3 RT, k4, 3 RT, k4, 2 RT, (p, k) repeat (to) 2 times

Row 8: (P, k) repeat (to) 2 times, k1, 2 RT, k4, 3RT, k4, 2 RT, k1, (k, p) repeat (to) 2 times

Row 10: (K, p) repeat (to) 2 times, 2 RT, k4, 3 RT, K4, 3 RT, (p,k) repeat (to) 2 times

Row 12: (P, k) repeat (to) 2 times, k1, 1 RT, k4, 3 RT, K4, 3RT, K1, (k, p) repeat (to) 2 times

Row 14: (K, p) repeat (to) 2 times, 1 RT, K4, 3 RT, K4, 3 RT, k2, (p,k) repeat (to) 2 times

Row 16: (P, k) repeat (to) 2 times, k5, 3 RT, K4, 3 RT, k3, (k, p) repeat (to) 2 times

Row 18: (K, p) repeat (to) 2 times, k4, 3 RT, k4, 3 RT, K4, (p,k) repeat (to) 2 times

Row 20: (P, k) repeat (to) 2 times, k3, 3 RT, k4, 3 RT, k5, (k, p) repeat (to) 2 times

Repeat rows 1 – 20 6 times. 
Put provisional cast on back on the needles and cast off with the Kitchener stitch. Weave in your ends and lightly block.


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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

business card holder

A Free Crochet Pattern



I recently created new business cards for myself. The last time I made cards was 5 years ago. A lot has happened in 5 years and a lot of my information was no longer relevant. And if I am being honest they looked awful. They were hard to read and they really did not match who I was. 

This time I really wanted to get it right. I spent 3 days designing them and getting them just right. I had a lot of help from some other bloggers in a couple of the blogging groups I am a part of on Facebook to really capture the look and design I was looking for in my new cards.  I'm sure my family and friends got tired of all the Facebook posts about them. I am really pleased with them and I won't be embarrassed passing these out.   

Do you still use business cards? I feel like they are still relevant for today, especially for makers and for those that need to network outside of the internet. They are easy to add to any packages that you send out, and they are easy to have on hand to give to people who ask about you and your business.  

On the website that I printed them from, they asked if I wanted to purchase a business card holder to go with my cards. That got my design juices flowing, and I decided to make one myself instead of pay for one. 

This holder is full of color and texture, two of my favorite things. This pattern is worked all in one piece so there is no seeming. You can keep it all one color if you chose or you can go crazy like I did, and make it really pop. The finished holder holds about 10 cards, and it is perfect for keeping in your wallet or purse. 



Yarn: 4 colors of Size 10 crochet thread. For the flower I used an omber shade.
Hook: size 4 steel hook.
Notions: tapestry needle 
Size: 4 in. by 2.5 in.
Gauge: 12 dc equals 2 inches 4 rows equals 2 inches

Copyright: Julia Schwartz. Do not reproduce, copy, distribute, or sell this pattern without permission of the designer. This pattern must not be translated, reproduced, or circulated in another language without prior consent. If you have questions about this pattern please contact Julia.diligence@gmail.com.

Where You Can Get the Pattern: 
This is a free pattern keep scrolling to see the pattern. If you would like a printer friendly, ads free pattern that you can down load you can through my Ravelry Store.
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Pattern Instructions

Holder Flap

Round 1:With color a, Start with a sl knot, ch 4, 11 dc in the 4th ch from hook, sl st into the starting ch 3 (12 dc).

Round 2: Working in the back loops only, 2 sc in 12 dc, sl st into starting sc. (24 sc)

Round 3:Switching to color B,  Ch 1, {sc in the next 2 sc, long sc in the front loop of row 1} Repeat {to} 11 times, sl st into starting sc. (24 sc, 12 long sc)

Round 4: Sl st into next sc and long sc, ch 1, {sc in long sc, 5 fpdc in the next long sc} repeat {to} 5 times, sl st into the starting sc. (6 sc, 6 fpdc petals)

Round 5: Ch 1, sc in fist empty sc in row 3, ch 2, sk 2 sc, {sc in next sc, ch 2, sk 2 sc} repeat {to} 10 times, sl st into starting sc. (12 sc, 12 2 ch spaces).

Round 6: Sl st into first ch sp, ch 1, {sc in ch sp, ch 3} Repeat {to} 11 times, sl st into starting sc. (12 sc, 12 ch 3 sps)

Round 7: Switch to color C,  Sl st into first ch sp, ch 1, {sc in ch sp, 7 dc in next ch 3 sp},  repeat {to} 11 times. (6 sc, 6 petals)

do not break string. 

Holder Body


Row 8: Switch to color D, carry color C under your working thread, Sl st into next st, ch 4 (counts as dc ch 1), sk 1 dc, dc in next st, {ch 1, (sk 1 st, sc in next st) twice, (ch 1, sk 1 st, dc in next st) 2 times}repeat {to} once. (6 dc, 4 sc, 9 ch 1 sps)

Row 9: Switch to color C, carry color D under your working thread,  Ch 1 turn, sc in each st and ch sp. (19 sc)

Row 10:  Switch to color D, carry color C under your working thread, Ch 3, turn, dc in each st. (19 dc)

Row 11: Switch to color C, carry color D under your working thread, Ch 1, turn, sc in each st. (19 sc)

repeat rows 10 and 11, until row 30

Break string. Weave in your Ends.

Assembling the Holder


Fold the holder body in half, starting at a corner, sc through both layers of fabric, sc evenly across up the side of the bag, at corner ch 1, sc in each dc of last row, ch 1, sc through both layers of fabric back down the other side of the bag.Finish off. Weave in your ends.


More Crochet Patterns You Will Love:

Poinsettia Christmas Ornament

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Monday, October 2, 2017

Newsletter October 2017


 I have been throwing around some ideas about how I want to keep my reader's informed. I have thought about changing my subscription service so I can send out more personalized email's, and newsletters. I have also been thinking about making monthly reports to keep a record of my gains and struggles.

I'm not sure if I am ready to change the subscription service yet, and I didn't see why I couldn't just make a newsletter in a blog post those of you who get an email every time I post something new will see it and new comers will find it also.

Patterns

September was a great month. I published 3 patterns.


A new knitting pattern: The Baby Helix Hat 


A new crochet pattern: In a Flash Mitered Corners Blanket


An older crochet pattern: The Painted Sunflower.




I also shared with you some Fall Stock Photos

Social Media Gains

 

My biggest gain this month would be Instagram. I grew to just under 300 followers. 6 months ago I didn't even have a account so I find this really great.
I also gained new followers for Pinterest. 
I finally broke 100 likes and follows on my Facebook page. I worked the hardest on this platform this month and it paid off. 

Income

With the income I made this month I was able to pay for our internet bill. I also paid for my domain name. I'm sure you didn't even notice the switch, which is how it should be. I've always said my goal for the blog is to make enough money from it to cover the grocery bill. I have all the confidence to get there.

What's coming up

 For October I am gearing up for the Christmas Season. I am re-opening up my Etsy Shop. I hope for have some finished objects (like my embroidery necklaces) in the shop by the end of the month. I have one pattern lined up at the moment for October. I have other patterns on the queue for later months. I am even in the planing stages of a CAL that I am hoping to have ready for January.