Steampunk Necklace: New Crochet Pattern

I've been working all Spring on this little design and it's finally ready!! I love the design ethos of Steampunk, so I designed a steamy choker with a stylized flower petal motif. I did mine in a deep antique chocolate color, a steamy influenced choice. Hmm.. "antique chocolate".. I like that phrase! Might use it as a future pattern name :) I've also been told it looks like shells and waves, which would make it look fantastic in opalescent whites, or sparkling blues and greens.

It uses ribbon tiebacks so it will fit any size neck, and is my first fully illustrated pattern with MANY annotated photos. An adventurous beginner could certainly complete this quickly.

You can buy the pattern at my Etsy store, or as an instant download at my Ravelry shop. You do NOT need a Ravelry account to just buy from Ravelry, only to access the rest of the site. The design has been fully 3rd party tested (like all my designs) and is available for $3.50. My chokers are $4.00, but due to the current popularity of Steampunk, I'm going to be offering this at the special introductory price of $3.50 until Aug. 1st. Then it will be the regular price of $4.00... so get it soon for the discount! You don't need to make it right away, you'll just have the pattern on hand (at the discounted price) for any time you want to make it in the future.

P.S. If you like this design, please feel free to blog, pin, facebook, tweet etc. with the images and/or info above. I'm a new designer and could really use some help getting the word out about my designs!

New Crochet Pattern: Empire Beaded Lace Earrings

They are finally done! My Downton Abbey inspired earrings!! These are so delicate and lacey. I love them!

The earrings are beaded crochet done with thin crochet thread. I'm advertising them as intermediate skill level, not because they are difficult but because working with small beads, a tiny hook, and skinny thread can be a bit fiddly if you are a beginner. It's better to start with a nice fat yarn and hook if you are just learning crochet.

I published an illustrated tutorial on "How to do Basic Beaded Lace" not too long ago with these very earrings already on the drawing board. So .. if you'd like to give beaded lace a try check out the tutorial :)

My favorite finished pairs were some with translucent peach beads and the other with 18K gold-plated beads (very luxe!!). Here's me trying to photograph white earrings against my pale skin. Hmmm... didn't work very well. No contrast.

Next shot .. trying to get some contrast with the white earrings against my darker hair. Better! I always like to include a shot of earrings being worn by a human being so you can get a sense of scale and how they hang.

As with all my designs, they are rigorously tested before I release them for sale. I am only human though. If you find something confusing or need help, please let me know. I can't help you if I don't know something is wrong!

New Crochet Pattern: Fire Flower Lace Earrings

I love to have fresh flowers around the house. Here is a gorgeous artistic photo of a brilliant bouquet of flowers I received from someone very thoughtful.

A big, beautiful bouquet of flowers bursting with color and scent. It inspired me to design these lacy floral crochet earrings. Think huge, gorgeous blooms like dahlias, peonies, and chrysanthemums. This pattern is really easy and definitely suitable for beginning crocheters.

Feeling creative? You can also use the pattern as a starting point and sew on little beads or pearls. Or, you can glue vintage metalwork, cabochons or cameos onto the center part to make it more steampunkish. You can find the pattern at my Etsy Store.

As always, if you don't want to purchase through Etsy, I can send you a Paypal invoice via email to pay from if you prefer. I've also started to make some of my patterns available as instant Ravelry downloads. There are 3 up there right now to see how it goes. If it goes well, I'll add the others :)

I have another earring pattern in the works, a *stunning* Victorian beaded lace design, plus a steampunk choker with a really unique backward petal design both available by May. And then ... I will be leaving crochet jewelry for a bit to enter the exciting world of crochet garment design! Should be an exciting year!

Castle Inspired Striped Scarf Crochet Pattern

I love the scarves worn by Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle on the television show “Castle”. In opposition to the usual classic grey/black/white scarves for men, Castle’s scarves often have bold geometric color combinations while still being extremely masculine.

I made this Castle inspired striped scarf for my wonderful DH as a special gift.

Here's me modeling the scarf. Sorry I'm not a great model ... and I forgot to put make-up on that day!!! ... but you get the idea :)

I've had quite a few people enquire about it so I decided to post the pattern here. It's one I made up just for my DH :) and it hasn't been formally tested, but if you'd like to play around with the pattern and make your own Castle inspired scarf, please enjoy. I wrote this from memory, so if anyone finds a huge error, please let me know!

2 skein bulky (5) yarn in Burgundy
1 skein bully (5) yarn in Navy
1 skein bulky (5) yarn in Dark Plum

I used Cascade Yarns Baby Alpaca Chunky which is *fabulously* soft and luxurious on the skin and very, very warm. It is a bit pricey though, so feel free to substitute another bulky yarn.

Hook size: K

Pattern -
ch 23

Row 1: With burgundy, hdc in third chain from hook and then hdc in each chain all the way across.
Row 2: Turn, ch 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in back loop only of next stitch, *hdc in front loop only of next stitch, hdc in back loop only of next stitch*, repeat from * to * all the way across, making sure to put the last stitch in the top of the ch 2 turning chain.
Row 3-16: Repeat row 2.
Row 17: Change to dark plum yarn; with dark plum, ch 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next stitch, hdc in each stitch all the way across.
Row 18-22: Repeat row 2.
Row 23: Change to dark blue yarn; with dark blue, ch 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next stitch, hdc in each stitch all the way across.
Row 24-28: Repeat row 2.
Row 29: Change to burgundy; with burgundy, ch 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next stitch, hdc in each stitch all the way across.
Row 30-44: Repeat row 2.

Repeat rows 17-44 until the scarf is as long as you want. My scarf had 4 repeats.

Fasten off and weave in the many ends.

Mini Crocheted Holiday Stockings

I'm always looking for cute ways to use all those little bits of yarn yardage you're left with after finishing projects. You know, 4 feet of that gorgeous green alpaca, 6 ft of that yummy white mohair.... bits too small to use in any substantial project but too big to throw away.

I use many of these remnants to make my flower pins, but what I really found myself wanting this year was a way to use them to make holiday gifts. So I was thrilled to find this delightful pattern on Ravelry: My Stocking Ornament. I'm going to make lots of little mini-stockings and use them as the "wrappers" for little candies to make quick holiday gifts. The stocking can become an ornament after all the candy is eaten.
The pattern makes the cutest little mini-stockings! It's a really easy, quick, adaptable pattern and will work with any type of yarn. And they are terribly addicting to make .. you can't make just one! I'm leaving mine plain, but these would be super cute with felt holiday shapes appliqued on them or initials embroidered on.

PDF Pattern - Bunny & Striped Tulip Bowl Set -- Cute Storage Containers

Every desk, vanity or crafting table always has a need for cute organizational containers to round up all those bits n' bobs. These darling bowls are just perfect for buttons, hair ties, barrettes, paperclips, beads, push-pins .... you name it! Here's the pattern: PDF Crochet Pattern: Bunny & Striped Tulip Bowl Set -- Cute Storage Containers

Love the bunny tail!

This bunny is holding pirate treasure! Ok... glass beads, but it looks like treasure :).

Perfect way to corral small art/craft supplies.

I adore making crocheted jewelry and wearable accessories like gloves, scarves and shawls, but I must say that designing and making these cute little bowls was super fun! Hmmmm....maybe a new direction for a while?

Versitile Mini-Shawl PDF Crochet Pattern - Icicle Capelet

I love how versatile this new lacy capelet pattern is! It can be tied with a ribbon, secured with a brooch, and draped across the body in soooo many ways. Take a look at these photos to see how many cute ways it can be worn!

It not only looks great in icicle arctic white, but in any other color you might choose!

Bonus: this is a super easy, and very fast, pattern. I'm a fast crocheter and can whip one of these up from start to finish in about an hour, so I'm sure most people could complete this in an afternoon.

Given that it is almost Halloween, it occurs to me that this, done in black or a very dark purple, would make a wicked cool spiderweb looking cape. Hmmmmm......I like that idea quite a bit :)

You can find the pattern in my Etsy shop here.

New PDF Pattern - Mina Harker Crochet Lace Choker

Just in time to get ready for the Halloween season, here's a brand new crochet pattern: The Mina Harker Necklace! Bram Stoker's Victorian heroine, Mina Harker, might have worn a beautiful beaded choker like this. Delicate violet lace with an abstract floral motif drapes closely around the neck. The bead embellishment is optional, but highly recommended to add. At my Etsy store.
Here it is on me :) You don't need to make it in these Gothic colors. I also made one in a pastel green with diamond-like crystals to wear with a sundresss and it looked fabulous!
Keeping with the vampire theme .. look what I discovered yesterday night while browsing at my local book store! Vampire Knits!
Obviously it's cashing in on the Twilight/True Blood craze, but it does have some really cute patterns in it beyond those super popular Bella gloves.

New PDF Pattern - Peacock Earrings (Easy Crochet Lace)

Hello everyone! Fall is just around the corner here and school for my little guys starts in just a few days .. how the year has flown by. Unfortunately, I've had quite a few surgeries this year so I haven't been able to spend much time in the studio .. but it looks like those are all finally behind me (yeah!) and I am ready to get back into the swing of things for fall.

First off, there's a new pattern available: Peacock Earrings. These are a really easy beginner crochet lace pattern. They are very lightweight to wear, look fabulous on everyone, and only take an afternoon to make. The pattern includes finishing instructions and the exact yarn I used in the photo if you want to duplicate the color scheme. The pattern is over at my Etsy shop. If you haven't been to Etsy lately, the shops there have all had a face lift and have a new, more modern look. Check it out.

Here's me wearing my pair :) My son is quite the budding photographer and took this picture. He's only 9, but has such a natural eye for setting up a great shot!

As most of you know, I'm not just an artist, but a complete geek girl too :) I forget how, but I ran across these fabulous geeky science lab cookie cutters. Oh yes, I want some. I do, I do!!
Also .. I found this great binary scarf knitting pattern:
You can include any phrase or sentence you want to knitted into the scarf, secretly encoded in binary. How cool is that?

Oh, and I did finish my new winter scarf made out of that amazing Mochi yarn I showed you in this post. I'm blocking it now and will take a pic as soon as it is dry and ready to be worn. It really turned out beautifully and I can't wait to show you!

Delicate Clutch Bags

I've spent several weeks poring over crochet patterns looking for just the *perfect* thing to make as graduation gifts for several young ladies. Finally I came upon a basic pattern for a simple clutch bag. A few modifications to the pattern combined with a nicer yarn .... and it makes an elegant make-up/accessory bag ...... perfect!! I only have this sky blue one finished so far, but I am really *loving* how these are turning out!I used a lovely button as the clasp instead of the crocheted one it called for. Much better.
Gosh, these are so nice I really want one too! :)
I need to start thinking about end-of-year teacher gifts too. I love baking cookies for others...the rich aroma of melting chocolate in brownies and 7 Layer Bars, the buttery goodness and almond scent of almond drop cookies, the vanilla smell of marble cookies....yum!! But handmade treats are so lovely to make and receive too. Hmmmmm..... have to think on that for a while.

Summer Retro Coasters

When you think of crocheted goodies, most people think of scarfs, gloves, blankets, pillows ..... cold weather things. But there are lots of great crocheted projects for summer too. Think lacey, barely-there tops, open weave silk wraps for evenings on the patio, or brightly colored sunhats. And don't forget crocheted bikinis! For outdoor dining, try making some fun summer coasters, like these retro summer coasters.I love the fun colors and random patterns of the multi-colored yarn. Each coaster turns out as a unique little piece of art. Cotton is a great yarn choice for a non-skid coaster that gracefully absorbs water from sweating glasses. Perfect for casual dining on the patio; catching the condensation from chilled mint juleps and iced tea.
If you'd like to make some coasters like mine, you'll find all the details on my Summer Retro Coasters Ravely page. These whip up SO quickly. You can easily make a set in an afternoon, or work on them one by one in a spare hour here and there.

Like the idea but not the pattern? You can use any block pattern meant for a quilt or blanket. Most of those blocks are a fairly good size. Just use a very thin yarn and a fairly small hook to scale it down to coaster size. Happy creating!

Cute Crochet Baby Bear Hat

Yes, I've finally done it .. taken the plunge and joined Ravelry! I haven't had the time to really do more than just poke around it a bit, but it looks like a great community for knitters and crocheters.

I was thrilled to see that it is a pattern haven! Can't wait to upload some patterns of my own, but for now I'm having fun looking at all the massively talented people sharing their hard work, their patterns, and their creations. I was smitten by the look of the Osito Infant Bear Hat ... and I had been looking for something to make for a baby gift, so here is the hat I made!
I didn't have a live model to show you how super cute this looks worn, so a jar of marbles is standing in for a "head".
If anyone wants to catch up with me on Ravelry (or give a Ravelry newbie some advice), I'm Artifax on there.

New Pattern! Fabled Flowers Crochet Lace Necklace

The plum and the cherry blossom trees are so beautiful here! Hopefully it will stay sunny for a few days so I can enjoy their fragile beauty. One day of hard rain and they will all come off in a flurry of pink snow and then quickly turn into a soggy mush underfoot. How I wish they were a bit more hardy and would bloom all season long!I finally finished up the last of the crochet lace necklaces I was working on ... hmmmm...seems like I had plum and cherry blossoms on the brain when I designed this. Delicate, five petaled flowers ....yep, definitely some inspiration there. Lace necklaces are always so romantic, so I named this one "Fabled Flowers". Like all my patterns to date, this is another gaugeless wonder, meaning you just need to smack a ruler down on it once in a while, but no gauge swatch is necessary. This is an advanced beginner/intermediate pattern using only basic stitches, but it's so much lacier than my other crochet necklaces that I decided to include process photos. My first pattern with annotated photos that show key steps in the creation process. How exciting!This is the same pattern in white with pearls that will be stitched to the inside of each flower. It's going to be a bridal necklace ... so lovely!!

PDF Crochet Pattern - Black Forest Ruffle Scarflette

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday!! Things were really humming here. Always such a busy time of year in so very many ways. I think my To-Do List actually weighed in on the scale at a few pounds ... LOL! School started back up this week for my little munchkins so I'll be back in the studio soon. I know a few people are waiting for new scarflettes and fingerless texting handwarmers so I'm putting those first on the agenda :)

In the meantime, I wrote up one of my scarflettes as a do-it-yourself crochet pattern. I made the sample out of a luxury alpaca yarn, but this is such a forgiving and easy pattern, you can make it out of any yarn really. Like all my patterns it has been fully tested, has easy to follow instructions and is essentially gaugeless. Yes, I am one of those people who hate making gauge swatches. I much prefer patterns that, at best, you need to put a ruler down on occasionally to measure. So that is the kind of pattern I write.

I have it up already at Etsy and will try to get the pattern added to the boutique soon. As always, I try to make the pattern as perfect as I can but I am only human, so if anything doesn't seem clear please don't hesitate to ask.

On a Roll: PDF Pattern - Vanilla Snowflake Earrings

"Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

No snow yet ... but we did have our first heavy frost this week! The air is certainly chilly enough for visions of snow and roaring fires; inspiring these cute vanilla snowflake lace earrings.I went ahead and embellished one pair with Swarovski crystals and freshwater seed pearls .. oh la la la! They embroider like a dream! I had such fun playing with patterns and possibilities, but once I settled on the red and white candy cane colors, each earring only took about 30 minutes to embroider. I plan on wearing mine about the house while I bake holiday cookies and wrap presents :)
If you'd like the pattern for these, you can find it here or here.

And here is someplace that is always beautiful, but whose gardens are even prettier with the addition of a few snowflakes:

1. Versailles under the snow again! 07.02.2009, 2. Versailles under the snow!, 3. 030111 Versailles Snow E, 4. Versailles under the snow!

English Rose Choker: PDF Crochet Pattern (Customizable in Color and Length and Perfect for Weddings!)

Another new pattern is ready to go! This one is a graceful floral choker. I made the model with an English winter white rose, but you could customize this with any color rose you liked.
This would be so cute as a bridal or bridesmaid accessory, don't you think?
I found these cute little antique bronze rose buttons to go on the back, but you could use any type of button you wanted. Mother of pearl, shell, or vintage gems type buttons would look especially lovely! As usual, you can find this at my Etsy shop :)

Hever Castle Rose Garden fromWikipedia.

Here's an inspiration shot of the gardens I have seen that inspired this choker design. This is at Hever Castle. Lovely, isn't it?

Photo from David Austin Roses

Here's another inspiration photo. Our poor rose tree is on the decline, but I love having roses in the garden. This Huntington rose is one I've been eyeing as a replacement. Old world Rose characteristics (means great smell!) and hardy enough to survive in my garden. So beautiful! I think this would look very nice next to the porch.