Crochet: Autumn Scarf

Fall is in the air...well we may not have 

gorgeous fall leaves peppering our neighborhoods,but we do have signs of seasonal change here in Hawaii.Like African tulips bursting into vibrant orange and gold blossoms on very large trees. 
Or the wild yellow daises start to appear. 
The climate on the mountain gets a bit chillier when the sun has set. 

Soon, the rainy season will be lifting and sunny dry days with cloudless starry cool nights will set in. 

I really love this time of the year.

 I had the chance to do a bit of crochet for a gift recently. 
Having never made a granny square before, 

I mapped out this little project. 

With corresponding autumnal colors, I crocheted granny squares. 

I then single crocheted them together to form a scarf. 

I opted for a shell stitch border in a 

soft creamy off white yarn. 

I like how it appears as a ruffled scalloped edge. 

To add even more warmth and softness I hand stitched a natural colored flannel on the inside of the scarf.

This gift was sent to a colder place 

where fall leaves drift on the wind. 

Hopefully it will bring warmth to my dear friend.

Aloha!

~Christie

Crochet: Baby Layette

   Our YW recently threw a surprise baby shower for one of our leaders. She was surprised! It was a lot of fun. All of the girls were asked to make a handmade gift for the mommy to be. Our theme was pink, pink and more pink. We played games like, guess the baby food, make a play dough baby contest, and how well do you know the mom to be. It was a lot of fun...and I luv how endearing the girls were about their gifts.

   This is the gift I made. A sweet hooded cardigan, hat and booties. I love the strawberry colored yarn and the shell stitches. Once in awhile I get to make something as delightful as this and I can't help but smile. Aloha!

~Christie

Crochet: Spring Cardigan

  When I saw this yummy strawberry colored soft yarn...  I had to make something out of it. I love to crochet sweaters and this was a fun one to make.
 Actually, I started on this project a year ago. It was when I was sewing hundreds of mittens for the Mittens for Miyagi project. I had carefully put it away for safekeeping. It was so cleverly put away that I seemed to have had forgotten about it all together. This week I unexpectedly discovered it and was delighted to finish it up. Luckily it fit my youngest daughter perfectly.

  The cardigan is worked in the raspberry crochet stitch and the double crochet stitch. There is a collar and loops for five buttons. The buttons I used are white wooden beads in the shape of plumeria flowers.

  I worked a double crochet stitch from the length of the cardigan up through the sleeve in continuous rows. It gave a nice ribbing effect.

  The bottom corners are rounded and finished in a single crochet stitch.

  I absolutely love a good yarn project. 

It is amazing what one can create out of string.

Aloha!

~Christie

Crochet: Circular Rug

Reminiscent of homemade vintage goods, I used old fabric to create a small bath rug using the technique of crochet. It was a fun process of making fabric yarn and then devising a pattern for a simple rug. The pattern is made up of increasing double crochet stitches. It worked up fairly quickly and created a soft cushioned product.

I added this little nest with eggs to accent the rug. I like the pop of orange. The height of the double crochet stitches builds the rug rather quickly. It was a joy to make. The color is quite organic. It would be fun to make one in a bright raspberry or vibrant orange.

This is the finished product. A sweet little circular rug for any small space. I think I may try a rectangular one next. My grandmother told me that when she was a young girl they would wind fabric scraps into balls of yarn. Her mother would then take that fabric yarn and crochet rugs for their home. It is a great way to repurpose fabric or worn sheets into something useful and homemade. Aloha.

~Christie

Craft: St. Patty's Day Pin

 My husband thoughtfully gave me this book, 

Crocheting in Plain English. 

It had a cute lucky 4 leaf clover pattern in it. It was fairly simple to do and took little time to complete one clover. I decided to make a St. Patty's Day Pin out of it. 
Here is what I did below.

 Perfect accessory for the holiday. 

Make one for yourself and one to give away.

 I think I will make one for my daughter to give to her teacher too. Aloha!

~Christie

Crochet: Floral Headband

I love a simple project. I recently crocheted up this double petal flower for a pretty headband. I love the color contrast.

I used two felt circles to hot glue the flower onto the headband.

One large flower is stunning enough.

A fuss free accessory for any occasion.

~Christie

Crochet: Bookmarks

        I have been working on some gratitude journals for the young women in my church and thought a cutesy little bookmark would be 

a nice side note to this gift.

I found these great easy patterns at  

Little Birdie Secrets  

for a butterfly,

 heart 

 and a little flower in crochet.

     This is a great way to use up any yarn you may have around from previous projects. In addition to that all you need are some large paperclips and embellishments. I crocheted up fourteen littles and assembled the bookmarks in a matter of two hours. Not too shabby. I hope you check out Little Birdie Secrets. They are a super fun blog full of great ideas. 

~Christie

Crochet: Scarves

I had a lot of fun crocheting up these scarves for gifts. One pattern into many different combinations of color. I found this free pattern here at Lionbrand. It is rated easy and makes quick work.I am currently working on another but lengthening it into a wrap. If you want to take up crocheting or whip up something totally cute and functional try this Daniela's Scarf Free Pattern at Lionbrand.

~Christie

Current Projects

These are some of my 
current projects 
that I am working on. 

Can you guess? 

Will post soon!

Crochet: Cupcake Pincushion

This is a great gift idea and a fun pattern to crochet. 

I have a binder full of crochet projects waiting to be created. 

This was one of them.

Unfortunately, I do not have a source reference 

for this exact pattern. 

There are some free online cupcake pincushion patterns 

listed here and here.

~Christie

Conference Crochet

 I thought I'd share some personal thoughts 
and my projects from this weekend with you. 

I had an opportunity to sit and crochet this past weekend while listening to 

General Conference. 

There were so many wonderful

messages shared.

 At times I laughed, then cried, pondered and definitely touched by the spirit.  

I also felt blessed to be able to share this time with my family.

 For those who may not be familiar with General Conference I will illuminate. General Conference is a time where we as Latter-day Saints come together twice a year to listen to our prophet and leaders for guidance and inspiration.

 It is a great time to ponder about the purpose of life and finding joy 

in the journey of it.

I loved the messages that were shared. Listening to the testimonies and inspiring thoughts renewed my spirit. 

Relating with the experiences shared and broadening my perspective of what is most necessary in my life. It reaffirmed the knowledge of the great love our Heavenly Father has for each one of us. That we matter most to Him, that he is ready to bless us if we but turn to him in righteousness. I love the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the joy that it does bring into my life. I am thankful for the blessing of family and for the calling of Mother. I hope that I may continue to learn and grow in every capacity and to have courage to never give up. I truly feel blessed and loved by my Heavenly Father. I have so many things to be thankful for. 
My prayer is to not let those moments that matter most pass me by. 
That I may serve my Heavenly Father by serving others. 
To grow in faith and knowledge. 
To gain a better understanding of my purpose here on earth and 
to share my testimony with others. 
For I know that God lives and that 
Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of all mankind.

(P.S. This one was my own design. Luv it!)

~Christie