The Weeks go Marching By

2014 is proving to be a very busy year for me, March (and National Crochet Month) is just around the corner. I have lots of exciting projects going on that I can’t quite reveal yet. Though I can show your my most recently published design.

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My “Convertible Cardigan” can be found in the April 2014 issue of Crochet World Magazine. This was a cardigan that I made for myself to wear last summer at the TNNA show in Columbus, Ohio.

Of course I picked a hot pink colorway, since this was for my own wardrobe. The editors liked the color so much that they used my original cardigan for the photo shoot. Worked in Tahki Cotton Classic Lite it is a great layer for wearing in air-conditioned venues, though right now on my mountain I can’t really envision a need for air-conditioning.

The sweater is back with me now and if you come to TNNA in May or the Knit & Crochet Show in July you may spot me wearing this cardigan.

Be sure to stop by again often in March. I’ll have lots of fun blog posts to share with all my wonderful readers to celebrate NatCroMo, including a post on the 15th as part of the Crochetville’s 2014 National Crochet Month Designer Blog Tour.

Valentines Day

I’ve been told I have a big heart. I don’t know if that is always true, I do try to be a generous person and to treat folks fairly and kindly.  The past couple of years I have posted a number of patterns on my blog of heart motifs. Most of them are small quick projects.

With Valentines Day only a day away, it’s good to have a quick project to crochet up.  So I wanted to show you what another blogger, Cintia came up with using my “Crocheted Love” heart pattern.

Heart Baskets

These adorable baskets. The ones pictured above I made using Premier Yarns Serenity Chunky Weight with a size L (8 mm) hook, and Lion Brands Thick n Quick Super Bulky yarn with a size M (9 mm) hook.

You can find Cintia’s tutorial on making this sweet little basket at her blog My Poppet.  Her idea of using a super bulky yarn got me thinking about doing that with some of my other heart patterns.

2 Hearts together

So I decided to work up 2 hearts using my “Simple Sweetheart” pattern and Lion Brands Thick n Quick Super Bulky yarn with a size M (9mm) hook.

Running Stitch

I fastened off the 2nd heart with a long tail and wove in the center tails on both and the ending tail on the first heart. Then used the long tail to sew the 2 hearts together with a running stitch just below the tops of the stitches.

Sewing the Heart pocket

I left the stitches at the top of the hearts un-sewn to make a little pocket. There is a Dove Dark Chocolate heart in there, and would be room for a little note or card as well.

Hanging Heart

Then I used a length of yarn to make a loop to hang the heart with and knotted it together.

Candy in Heart

I made the loop just long enough that it can be moved out of the way to insert a candy and/or note. When the loop is pulled up it holds the pocket closed.  You can hang it up somewhere for your Valentine to find as a sweet surprise.

I hope all my readers have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, filled with the joy and laughter of loving friendships.