You can easily embellish plain towels and washcloths |
1. Single Crochet around the motif using crochet thread that matches your "plain" item. 4. Spritz the motif with plain water to wet, then pin it to open up the stitches and straighten the edges. 7. Fold up the edge a bit and take a small stitch under it to anchor the thread and hide the knot. | 2. For square designs, work 3 SC stitches in each corner for a smooth border. 5. Once the motif is dry, pin it in place. Where and how many is all up to you! 8. Now using small stitches, sew into the back loop of each SC stitch around the item. | 3. Finish the round using the invisible join. Not sure how? Click here! 6. Using plain thread in the same color as your border, thread the needle and tie a knot. 9. Finish off by tying a knot close to the fabric and then passing the needle under the motif and out the back to hide the knot. |
That's it! That's all it takes to turn something plain and ordinary into something unique and extraordinary! If you think it's too hard, please don't be intimidated! The first time I tried it I was so worried that my stitches would be uneven and the motif would fall off! Believe me it's so much easier than it looks. And, it's a great way to put your thread creations to work. I don't know about you, but I have plenty of flowers and motifs that are just looking for a place to show off! I turned these simple fingerless mitts into something special by adding flowers to the outside of the wrist. |
to be appealing to shoppers and that the quality was up to snuff. We make a pretty terrific team. I lay out the designs and John builds them. It's something to see how far we come! When we looked back at the "good ones" we realized that while they looked good for a beginner they weren't good enough to offer for sale. So we took them apart and started again! Now that John's mastered the technique we've been steadily building up our inventory. This is just a peek! The next hurdle to overcome is taking pictures for the shop. Quality photography is so important to having a successful shop. I know that the ones I visit have pictures that captured my attention. And stitch markers are such a small item that you have to make sure they don't get lost in the background. Also, there are a lot of people selling them. If we want people to by ours than we have to make our pictures stand out from the crowd. Today was the first time that I experimented with the picture frame idea. I feel like I'm on to something using the fabric and ribbon as an insert inside different frames. I think a trip to the discount shop is going to be in order. As much as I love the Art Nouveau style of the frame it's not appropriate for every picture! |
So with this rainbow of opportunity what happened? Did I use my colors in equal measure or does one color dominate this year's projects? Keep in mind that I also have a fairly diverse, moderately substantial stash that I work from as often as I can. To find out I took a trip down memory lane looking back on old blog posts, searching through the thousands of pictures I've taken and checking out the projects on my Ravelry page. The first thing that surprised me is quantity of things I made. Holy cow have I been busy! The second thing is the colors I picked. |
Turns out it's not as easy as I thought. My first stop was Ravelry. When I searched "Knit and Crochet Combination Patterns" I was rewarded with 7 results. The one afghan it contains is actually a knit sampler with crochet edging. Hmmm.... Not quite what I'm looking for. I tried a variety of different searches with very disappointing results. Time for Google. This lead me to Crochet Pattern Central and Knitting Pattern Central, websites that I've had good luck with in the past. Here's a funny thing. Both sites have a tab at the top for Knit & Crochet Combo Patterns. The one on the knit page links to a blank page while the one on the crochet page links to a moderate size list. Anyway, I was once again disappointed with the results. While the patterns do employ both techniques most of the ones I looked at were knit projects with crochet trim, and I didn't find any "sampler" patterns. After wondering aimlessly through a variety of blogs and websites I decided that perhaps the only way to get what I'm after is to come up with my own. By searching for knit or crochet "sampler" patterns I was rewarded with a much larger selection. I'm sure a lovely blanket could be created by combining my favorites from this group. Somewhere along the line I did find one combo pattern. It's the blue sampler afghan from Red Heart. There remains one afghan that has been on my radar for some time. It's the Groovyghan by Tracy St.John. This eye popping burst of colors, shapes and lines simply captivates me. I love the way that Tracy uses so many different crochet techniques. By combining horizontal and vertical lines with circles and squares there's so much movement and energy I can't help but smile every time I see it! |
| Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a bit of your day with me. I included this short video of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" because I think it is an appropriate theme song for The House of Bee. Take a moment and have a listen. If ever a piece of music embodies an image - this is the one. I was breathless by the end! Until next time friends, Be blessed and stitch & read with love! |
I'm Robin and this is
Crochet Nirvana, where
laughter is essential,
learning is supported,
creativity is nurtured, and sharing is encouraged.
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