DIY 365: Half Hexagon Motif

So far I've posted smaller, fairly quick projects, but today I wanted to share part of a larger project that I've been working on, in honor of a friend who was able to crochet again today.

My middle son loves turtles. He has stuffed turtles, a turtle lunch bag, turtle wallpaper on his laptop, even a real live pet turtle. I wanted to make something special for him, like a turtle blanket. This is still a work-in-progress, but it has taken a lot of my crafting time lately.

Motifs laid out on my bed, more to come!

I started with this hexagon pattern, from Crochet 'n' More, in Red Heart Super Saver, in camouflage.

However, I needed some half-hexagon motifs for the edges. I couldn't find one, so I came up with this half-hexagon motif pattern.

Half-Hexagon Motif

Materials:
Worsted weight yarn in color of choice
Crochet hook - size I

Starting Ring: Ch 6, join with sl st in 1st ch.

Row 1: Ch 4, (dc, ch 1) in ring 5 times.

Row 2: Turn. Sl st in 1st ch 1 space, ch 4, (dc, ch 1, dc) in same space. Skip next ch 1-space, (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc) in next ch 1-space, skip next ch 1-space, (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc) in next ch 1-space.

Row 3: Turn. Sl st in 1st dc, sl st in next ch 1-space. Ch 3, dc in same ch 1-space. 2 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next ch 1-space, ch 2. 2 dc in next ch 1-space, 2 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next ch 1-space, ch 2. 2 dc in next ch 1-space, 2 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next ch 1-space.

Row 4: Turn. Sl st in last st of previous row. Ch 3, dc in next dc, (2 dc in next dc) twice, (dc in next dc) twice, ch 4. (Dc in next dc) twice, (2 dc in next dc) twice, (dc in next dc) twice, ch 4. (Dc in next dc) twice, (2 dc in next dc) twice, (dc in next dc) twice.

Row 5: Turn. Sl st in last st of previous row. Ch 3, dc in next 7 dc, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in ch 4-sp. Dc in next 9 dc, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in ch 4-space, dc in next 9 dc. Fasten off and weave in ends.

DIY 365: Broken Jewelry Rings

I'm posting a little late today, but I thought I would share something that can look really nice with minimal effort: upcycled rings.

Several years ago I scored a shoebox of broken jewelry at a garage sale. Some of it was in such poor condition that I suspect that there is very little that can be done with it. Some of the earrings looked nice, if a bit old-ladyish, but were missing mates. And were screw-backs. Or clip with the clips so badly corroded that I don't feel safe putting them anywhere near my sensitive ears.

There are several ways to re-purpose these mateless earrings. One could turn them into a brooch, make a pendant out of them, attach them to hair clips (that one's coming up!) or, my favorite, make rings.

This one started out as a pearl rosette clip earring with a very nasty back. Patina looks nice on some home decor, not on earrings.

To make the ring part, I used brass wire. I'm not sure of the size or even where I got it. Somehow it ended up in my stash.

The first task was to take that nasty back off the earring. I took the easy way out and used wire cutters.

At least that was the plan. In reality, it proved more difficult than I had first thought. I ended up basically scoring the back with the wire cutters, the bending it back and forth until it came apart.

Finally got that sucker off!

Next, I trimmed the wire to fit my finger and bent it into a ring shape. Unfortunately, I was concentrating on bending the wire and neglected to get a picture of this part.

Now, a word on putting rings together. There are a couple of ways to do it, depending on the equipment and materials you have and the time you have. For a longer-lasting ring, you would ideally want to solder the two parts together, as I did in this ring I made several years ago. (Okay, disclaimer, my husband did the actual soldering.)

Alas, I no longer have a soldering iron, so I had to go to Plan B: E-6000. This is an industrial strength adhesive. It's like super glue on steroids. If it absolutely has to be stuck together, this is your go-to.

For the ring, I put a decent-sized glob on the back of the former earring and pressed my wire ring into it.

Notice the newspaper under the ring. I strongly recommend you use protective covering for your work surface any time you're using industrial strength adhesive, especially if your work surface is the family dining table.

E-6000 does take some time to dry, so plan on coming up with a clever solution to hold the ring portion vertical or just use your fingers like I did. After a few minutes, it does firm up enough to stay upright as long as the ring is not tilted. Because this does take some time to dry, it's not a last-minute, I need a stunning cocktail ring for a party project. Unless you want the ring permanently attached to your finger.

Eventually, I will probably solder the wire ring onto the earring, but the E-6000 works for now.

Oh, and the soldered ring from several years ago? Here's what the top of it looks like. I love big statement rings!

DIY 365: Gourmet Popcorn

For the first post of my DIY 365 challenge, I thought I'd share something we had last night for our New Year's Eve party. While waiting for midnight, we had a game night, and game night calls for munchies. In this case, we had Hot Cocoa Popcorn with orange kefir.

Gourmet popcorn is actually incredibly easy to make. Popped popcorn and flavorings. That's all it is!

I used my Presto PowerPop to pop the popcorn, using oil to give the flavoring something to stick to, but you can also pop it without oil.

If you don't have a PowerPop, you can try this method using a a microwave-safe bowl or this method using a paper bag.

There is literally no end to the options for flavoring. To get a sweet flavor, I used hot cocoa mix, in this case, I used Equal Exchange, which is fair trade and organic. Other options include Parmesan cheese and garlic powder, pumpkin or apple pie spice and sugar, instant cappuccino powder and sugar, barbecue seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or even just plain salt! You could also drizzle the popcorn with melted baking chips (chocolate, butterscotch, cinnamon, peanut butter, cherry).

Here's the basic recipe:

Hot Cocoa Popcorn

Ingredients:
1/3 cup popping corn
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons hot cocoa mix
1 tablespoon sugar

Put oil in PowerPop, and add popping corn, or follow directions for your popcorn popper or recipe. Pop following directions. When popcorn is popped, pour into a very large bowl or large paper bag. Mix together hot cocoa mix and sugar. Add to popcorn and stir or shake to mix. This yields a slightly sweet popcorn, reminiscent of dark chocolate.

For other flavors, substitute for hot cocoa mix and sugar to taste. To drizzle, spread popped and flavored popcorn on baking sheets and drizzle with melted chips.

Enjoy!

DIY 365: Committing to a DIY a day

I like to think that I'm a creative person. I have a degree in Creative Writing. I write, crochet, arrange music for cello, sew a little, cook, bake, craft...

I've decided that this year I will put my creativity to the test. I am committing to doing one DIY thing each day, and blogging about it. It may be something I make or something I do, something crafty or something practical, something I found on Pinterest or something original. Whatever it is, I will blog about it and pin it on my own DIY 365 Pinboard.

Here's to a creative new year!

Frog Ornament

After I made the sunflower ornament for DS#1's teacher, DS#2 wanted me to make an ornament for his teacher. He knew she likes frogs, so he asked for a frog ornament. I searched and searched the internet and could not find a pattern for a frog ornament. I figured I might as well take a shot at making my own. Rather than make a whole frog (I only had a week to make this), I decided to make a frog head. I borrowed an idea from a CD coaster I had crocheted, and decided to use a used canning lid to give the frog stability.

In retrospect, it would have been easier to attach the eyes and tongue and stitch the mouth before joining the front and back around the canning lid, so that is how I wrote the pattern. If you find any mistakes, please let me know, so I can correct them!

Materials:
Small amount of WW yarn in green, white and black
Small amount of sport or baby weight yarn in pink
Regular-mouth canning lid
F hook
D hook

Directions:

Front:
With green and F hook, ch 4, join to form loop.
Round 1: Sl st in loop. Ch 1. 11 sc in loop. Sl st in ch 1 to join. (12 sc)
Round 2: Ch 3. Dc in same st. *2 dc in next st. Rep from *. Sl st in top of ch 3 to join. (24 dc)
Round 3: Ch 3. Dc in same st. *2 dc in next st. Rep from *. Sl st in top of ch 3 to join. Fasten off. (48 dc)

Back:
Ch 4, join to form loop.
Round 1: Sl st in loop. Ch 1. 11 sc in loop. Sl st in ch 1 to join. (12 sc)
Round 2: Ch 3. Dc in same st. *2 dc in next st. Rep from *. Sl st in top of ch 3 to join. (24 dc)
Round 3: Ch 3. Dc in same st. *2 dc in next st. Rep from *. Sl st in top of ch 3 to join. Fasten off. (48 dc)

Eyes (make 2):
With black, ch 4, join to form loop.
Row 1: Sl st in loop. Ch 1. 6 sc in loop. Fasten off.
Row 2: Join white yarn with sl st. Ch 1. Sc in same st. *2 sc in next st. Rep from * to end. Fasten off.
Row 3: Join green yarn with sl st. Ch 1. *Sc in next st. Rep from * to end. Fasten off.

Tongue:
With pink and D hook, ch 5.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sc in each ch to end, turn.
Rows 2-10: Ch 1. Sc in each st to end, turn.
Row 11: Ch 1. Sc tog first two st. Sc next two st, turn.
Row 12: Ch 1. Sc tog st. Fasten off.

Assembly:
With green yarn and working in back loops of last row, attach eyes to top edge of front with sl st.

With black yarn, sl st around posts of 2nd round, joining starting ch of tongue, to form smile.

Attach a loop of green yarn to the back between the eyes to form hanger.

Sl st front and back together with green yarn. About halfway around, insert canning lid and continue to sl st around lid.

Sunflower Tape Core Ornament

I modified the Tape Core Wreath pattern to make a Christmas ornament for my oldest son’s teacher who likes sunflowers. The picture doesn't really show it very well, but the yellow part is ruffled.

Materials:
Small amount of ww yarn in bright yellow and brown
Tape core
F hook
Ribbon, embroidery floss or yarn for hanger

Stitches:
Ch=chain
Sl st=slip stitch
Sc=single crochet
Dc=double crochet

Directions:

With brown, ch 4, then join to form a loop.
Round 1: Sl st in loop, ch 1. 12 sc in loop. Sl st in ch 1. (12 sc).
Round 2: Hold circle formed in round 1 in center of tape core. All stitches should be stitched around tape core as well as in stitches of previous round. Ch 1. Sc in same st. *2 sc in next st. Rep from *. Join with sl st in ch 1. Fasten off. (24 sc).
Round 3: With yellow, join with sl st. Ch 3. 3 dc in same loop. *4 dc in next st. Rep from *. Join with sl st in ch 3. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Kids in a Craft Store

My two boys are very active "boys' boys". They enjoy playing outside, running, playing with cars, rough-housing. In short, everything boys typically enjoy. Being an artistic, indoorsy mother to these two balls of energy has been a challenge. I've tried teaching them the art of being still, but 2 minutes later, and they're off again.

After I instituted a no-TV-after-supper rule, they became more interested in my crafting--largely crochet--as they saw me working on it. Thomas got a couple of kids' craft books and spend hours poring over them, trying to figure out what to make. Josh helped me choose yarn for my next project.

Yesterday, the first day of summer and one of the hottest days of the year so far, we made our more-or-less monthly trip to St. Joseph, Missouri, the closest town with a craft store. Our second stop (after the bakery outlet) was JoAnn's Fabric and Crafts. Usually, my visits to craft stores are exercises in frustration, trying to control two bored boys who try to entertain themselves by running up and down the aisles. Today was different, though. We were going to get them a craft kit they could work on during no-TV time.

After much deliberation, Thomas chose a beginner sewing kit with a teddy bear. He wanted to make the bear for his little brother. Josh chose a wooden picture frame that he could color with markers. With two excited boys, we headed for the checkout.

Then I saw it. A beautiful brilliant blue glass pendant, in a display of pendants on sale. Just across the aisle was a small rack of glass beads. I stopped to look at the pendant, then tried matching it with various strands of glass beads. At last I chose a strand of beads with the same brilliant blue, mixed with deep green and gold.

As I deliberated on whether or not to buy them, I learned a lesson. My boys can be extremely "helpful" when they're so minded.

"Ooh, Mommy, you'd like this one!"

"Mommy, this one's pretty!"

"Mommy, this would go good with that one!"

"Mommy, I really like this one!"

We were drawn in to the bead aisle like magpies before the motherlode of shiny objects. The kids were as mesmerized as I was. Rows of pendants sparkling with rhinestones. Colorful glass beads hanging from racks just begging to be fondled and held up to the light. Beautiful glass pearls in soft colors. Tiny drawers with hidden bead treasures. Josh was even intrigued by the textures of the beads and the way the hanging strands sounded when they struck each other.

In the end, I bought the pendant and the strand of blue, green and gold beads, as well as another strand of slightly smaller blue beads for accent and some clasps. What was far more important than these bits of glass and metal, though, was the fact that I had connected with the boys.

I knew it would not last. It may not even happen again. But for one moment, one precious trip, we were all three of us caught up in the same magic and wonder.