Lately, I’ve been looking at crochet market bag patterns in anticipation of the plastic bag ban that takes effect in Hawaii this coming July. Most of the patterns I’ve seen are for bags that have some kind of lacy mesh stitch pattern that, honestly, doesn’t look like it would hold up under the weight of heavy groceries or keep them …
Author: Patrice Walker
→I've been crocheting for over 40 years and blogging since 2004 - two of my favorite things in the world to do besides walking the beaches of windward Oahu, Hawaii.
A while back, I wrote a blog post that describes three ways to felt your crochet and knit projects. Included in that post was a photo of a bright magenta clutch that I felted in the dryer. Here’s the pattern I used to create the clutch. Thanks to Mari Weber of Cali Crochet for kindly testing this pattern. Be sure to …
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure Policy for details. Thanks for your support! UPDATE 7-2-19: This course has probably moved to Blueprint.com. I recently signed up for and completed Craftsy’s Quick & Easy Crochet Cables Class taught by Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby of the designer team, Shibaguyz. I figured it would be a great way to learn how to …
This post contains affiliate links. Read my Disclosure Policy for more information. Thanks for your support! I first saw a Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby design shortly after I set up my Pinterest account a couple of years ago. I dedicated a board to granny squares, and when I saw a photo of a chic, black and white motif dress , I immediately …
This post contains affiliate links. Read my Disclosure Policy for more information. Thanks for your support! In 2007, for a period of six months, I was swept up in a condition I can only describe as Felter Madness. I felted crocheted and knitted purses, pouches, and cozies galore. And I accomplished all of this felting in an old but dependable, …
It’s been almost three months since I last wrote a blog post. I am officially in a crochet slump. Not only haven’t I been writing about crochet, I haven’t been doing much crocheting either. Typically, I crochet just about every evening and have multiple projects in the works, and thus a lot to blog about. And even though I have …
This post contains affiliate links. Read my Disclosure Policy for more information. Thanks for your support! Unlike last year, I got an early start crocheting Christmas gifts this year. But I still ended up hooking gifts on Christmas Eve. This wasn’t such a big deal because I had great patterns to work with, four of which I could crochet in …
I’m working with my eight year-old crochet student on a granny-style poncho which we are both making, hers for herself and mine for her little sister. The poncho is crocheted in the round, and it’s like making a granny square, except there are only two corners instead of four. What I love about the pattern (pattern link at the end of …
I’ve written elsewhere on this blog about how it’s possible to set up a crochet portrait or photo art business that lets you sell pieces you create from customers’ personal photographs. One of my pattern customers, Nora Ashley, has done just that. I asked Nora if I could interview her about her business, and she gladly agreed. When did you first learn …
Both my customers and I have been working steadily to complete a number of crochet photo pattern pieces. I’m so pleased with how they turned out that I wanted to share them with you. (All photos are used with permission) Nora Ashley loves doing graphghans and prefers to work with my patterns instead of using a graph. She has also …
I have teamed up with my crochet buddy, Rhelena of Crochet N’ Crafts, to offer this free crochet photo pattern of my house cat, General Mew. You’ll find it exclusively on Rhelena’s site, ready for immediate download. It took me forever to capture the General in this photo as she likes to stretch out on the floor and expose her tummy …
Crochet lends itself well to a variety of uses, especially when it comes to dish cloths and wash cloths. There are so many patterns available online, it makes my head spin. But when you think about it, a dish/wash cloth is simply a square (or rectangle) crocheted in an interesting stitch pattern. The main challenge I’ve had in making them …
I receive a wide variety of photos from crocheters who want a custom-made crochet photo pattern based on a personal photo. Many times the photos are clear and crisp with excellent lighting; other times I get photos that are fuzzy, blurry, and have stray marks on them. The photo your crochet photo pattern is based on can make or break …
I decided to create a “practice” crochet photo pattern that’s even simpler to do than the Heart, Ladybug, and Big Butterfly patterns you’ll find among the free crochet photo patterns on this blog. This newest pattern is … yes … another butterfly. I love these delicate, little creatures! Despite its size (20 rows and 20 stitches), the pattern will give you all of …
You may have been wondering where I was during the month of July. To be honest, I just didn’t feel like writing. It has been so hot here and sitting in front of the computer was not something I felt like doing. But now that the weather has cooled down a bit (thanks to two approaching hurricanes – YIKES!), I …
One of the things those new to crochet photo patterns might have a problem with is figuring out how to easily work with multiple colors at a time. My gray scale patterns use eight colors, and color photo patterns can use a lot more. How do you work with all of these different yarns and not get the individual strands tangled up? Continue reading …