I know it’s only the beginning of November but as a crafter you are probably thinking a little bit about Christmas already am I right? And probably have started making already!
I know it takes time to make the perfect gift but I thought I’d tell you about a couple of projects that have just been released in the latest issue of LGC Knitting & Crochet Magazine. They don’t take too long if you are still looking for some fun things to make.
In the latest edition of the magazine (on sale now) I’ve created a fun Christmas Coupe complete with a detachable Christmas tree. I love how the magazine have styled it! It looks just like a Christmas card don’t you think!
It was such a fun design to make, in fact I’m thinking of designing something similar but much much smaller as a Christmas ornament if I get the time! I love crocheting ornaments, do you?
Also in this issue I had fun creating a new little elf character. Everly the Elf is a bit of a mischievous character, she recently tried to make some mince pies for everyone at the magazine – but she seems to have gotten into a bit of a pickle!
Again such cute styling in this issue, it really is making me feel rather Christmassy. And you’ve got to have elves around at Christmas haven’t you! They are the ones that make the toys in Santa’s workshop and take care of his reindeer after all!
There are lots of other fab things in this month’s edition too – the patterns I particularly love are the crochet (and knit) Father Christmas by Sachiyo Ishii, which are both adorable, and the tic tac toe christmas game by Hannah Cooper is such a sweet idea! And although I can’t personally knit I absolutely love the look of the Toy Soldiers (on the front cover) by Sachiyo Ishii and the Mini Jumpers by Dawn Finney too.
There are 40 festive patterns in this months edition along with news, articles and tips in the 70 page magazine. It also comes with an ten ball yarn pack and hooks and needles.
I love making Christmas decorations so when I got to try some Creativa Fino from Anchor Crafts (review of which you can read here) and as it’s December that’s what I decided to make.
You can scroll down to the written patterns and the charts for the Christmas Wreath and Christmas Tree mini tapestry pillow tree decorations below, but if you are new to tapestry crochet you might want have a look at my mini tapestry crochet tutorial first.
Mini Tapestry Crochet Christmas Tree Decorations:
Materials:
Yarn: 4ply / yarn weight #2
1 x 10g Anchor Creativa
Blue (Shade 00269)
Green (Shade 00418)
Brown (Shade 00257)
Pattern will work in other hooks and yarns though finished size will be different.
Hook: 2.5mm (US size C/2)
You will also need:
1 x Anchor Grey Stranded Cotton (232)
A yarn needle
1 x Small red bow
8 x Small Red / 8 x Small Silver Beads
1 x Small Star or Snowflake button
Small amount of polyester toy filler
Gauge: 5dc = 2cm (0.78inches)
Finished Size: 7 x 7cm (2.75 x 2.75 inches)
Abbreviations:
st(s) = stitch(es)
sl st = slip stitch
ch(s) = chain
dc/sc = UK double crochet / US single crochet
cc = change colour (see guidance for details)
Stitch Guidance:
Slip Stitch (sl st): Insert hook in st indicated, yarn over and draw through all loops.
UK Double Crochet/US Single Crochet (dc/sc): Insert hook in st indicated and draw up a loop (two loops on hook), yarn over, draw through both loops on hook.
Pattern Notes:
Changing Colour:
When changing to a different colour, pull the new colour through the last two loops of the previous st to complete that st. Continue in the new colour, following the pattern. Change colours in this manner, whenever indicated on the pattern.
Tapestry Crochet:
When changing to and from a colour carry the unused coloured yarn along with you and crochet over the unused colour as they are carried along, when turning carry your yarn up the side of your work to use on the next row.
Surface Crochet:
Start by attaching a slip knot to the back of the crochet area then from the front of the work, insert your hook into the stitch nearby and start working chain stitches on the surface of your crocheted area, continue to work in this way according to the design.
Christmas Wreath (Make 2):
Row 1: With Blue; ch14; 1dc in the second ch from hook and in st along until end, turn. 13sts
Row 2: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 5sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 4sts, turn
Row 3: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next 2sts, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 7sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 3sts, turn
Row 4: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next st, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 2sts, turn
Row 5: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the next 5sts, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining st, turn
Rowd 6-8: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 2sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the next 7sts, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 2sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining st, turn
Row 9: Repeat row 5
Row 10: Repeat row 4
Row 11: Repeat row 3
Row 12: Repeat row 2 – cut green yarn at the end of this row
Row 13: Ch1; 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the second ch from hook and in st along until end, turn. 13sts
Fasten off and weave in ends.
With Green surface crochet around the outside of the wreath shape.
On one side of the wreath shape sew a small red bow and eight red beads around the wreath – see photo above for more details.
Christmas Tree (Make 2):
Row 1: With Blue; ch14; 1dc in the second ch from hook and in st along until end, turn. 13sts
Rows 2-3: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next 4sts, cc to Brown, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 5sts, turn
Row 4: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Brown, 1dc in the next 5sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 4sts, turn
Row 5: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next 5sts, cc to Brown, 1dc in the next st, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 6sts, turn
Row 6: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next st, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 9sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 2sts, turn
Rows 7 – 8: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next 2sts, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 7sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 3sts, turn
Rows 9 – 10: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 5sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 4sts, turn
Row 11: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next 4sts, cc to Green, 1dc in the next 3sts, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 5sts, turn
Row 11: Ch1, 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the next 5sts, cc to Green, 1dc in the next st, cc to Blue, 1dc in the remaining 6sts, turn – cut green yarn at the end of this row
Row 13: Ch1; 1dc in the same st as the beginning ch1, 1dc in the second ch from hook and in st along until end, turn. 13sts. Fasten off and weave in ends.
With Green / Brown surface crochet around the outside of the tree shape.
On one side of the tree shape sew small star or snowflake button at the top and eight silver beads for baubles on the tree – see photo for more details.
Finishing:
Place both wreaths / Christmas tree pieces together, attach blue yarn through both pieces and neatly work 1dc/sc along each edge with 5dc/sc in each corner. Stuff as you go. Fasten off and weave in ends
With Anchor Grey Stranded Cotton Ch30, fasten off but leave long yarn tail.
Attach to the top centre of each pillow decoration as the hanging loop.
Charts:
I hope you will join me in hooking up some little pillow decorations, they are really fun to make! I hope you’ll tag me on social media or link any projects to Ravelry so I can see – I love to see what you make.
Many thanks to Anchor Crafts for supplying the yarn so I could make this pattern for you.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
So yesterday if you were here on the blog you will have seen my review of Anchor Creativa Fino yarn that Anchor crafts kindly sent me to try. I also shared with you a little sneeky peep of the free patterns I’m sharing with you today.
I thought I’d do a bit of a double post today, in this post I’m going to first talk about how I do tapestry crochet working in rows to make it easier, for folks that haven’t tried it before, to go onto the patterns for both decorations next.
Tapestry crochet is one of those that might seem a little intimidating because it can involve a lot of different yarn colour changes, but I’m going to show you below how easy it is – and how to weave most of your ends as you go!
The main thing you need to know is that you will be working normal UK double crochet (US single crochet) stitches. The only difference is that you will carry additional yarn along with you and working over it as you crochet the row.
Step 1:
Work your rows and stitches as the pattern indicates as normal…
Step 2:
Then on the next row where you have to change colour, lay your second colour along your row and work over the top of it until it’s time for you to actually change colour…
Step 3:
When changing to a different colour, pull the new colour through the last two loops of the previous stitch to complete that stitch…
Step 4:
Continue in the new colour, following the pattern. Change colours in this manner, whenever indicated on the pattern…
Step 5:
When you get to the end of the row carry your yarn up the side of your work…
Step 6:
Then carry the unused coloured yarn along and crochet over the unused colour to work the next row…
And that’s pretty much it! Keep working the steps above until you have finished the tapestry part of your work as indicated in the pattern.
There are often two types of instructions available for tapestry crochet patterns; a written pattern and a pictorial chart. For a pictorial chart you usually work one UK double crochet (US single crochet) per square indicated.
In the pattern coming shortly I’ve included both the written pattern and a pictorial chart for both the Christmas tree and the Christmas wreath crochet decoration so you can decided which you prefer.
Many thanks to Anchor Crafts for supplying the yarn so I could make this pattern for you.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
I had a lovely email recently from Anchor Yarns to see if I would like to review some of their yarn. I’d heard of Anchor crafts through their embroidery threads but I must confess that I hadn’t realised that they also had a range of cottons suitable for crochet.
I enjoy doing the research into yarn companies because they often come from such a rich heritage! And Anchor crafts are no different; the brand can trace back it’s history all the way to 1866 originating in Scotland. As years passed the manufacture of Anchor threads moved from Scotland then to Germany and today, the Anchor brand in Europe is manufactured by Mezcrafts in Hungary.
As well as supply yarn they also seem to have a great ethos as a company; they mention on their website that they are continuously building and improving their ecological footprint by looking to reduce CO2 emissions, have minimal textile waste and through low water consumption. All good stuff!
Anchor offer a wide variety of yarns of different thicknesses and compositions suitable for many craft techniques but for crochet they sent me some of their Anchor Creativa to play with.
So let’s check out the yarn’s vital statistics we:
Weight: 4ply / Fingering Weight (2)
Blend: 100% Cotton
Yarn Ball Weight: 50g
Yarn Ball Length: 125m
Wash instructions: Machine Wash 40°C
Price: £1.90 (at the time of this post)
It’s available in a whopping 72 solid shades in 4ply (and in 8ply) but I was sent a nice selection of six different colours to play with.
It’s really nice yarn to use, it’s very smooth, not rough to work with and as a cotton is great for home decor items and wearables as it’s machine washable – ideal for easy care! The recommended hook size is 2.5mm (US size C/2) which I found to be spot on for me, and I had fun trying out a couple of ideas, but I’ll share a little sneaky peek of the first idea I came up with now…
As it’s Christmas and I love making Christmas decorations I had the idea to make some little Christmas pillow decorations for the tree. They are a great beginners project to tapestry crochet (of which I’ll share a bit of a photo tutorial), they are quick to make (easily finished in an evening) and so make a fabulous little project for either you or as a seasonal gift for a friend.
Check back tomorrow for the pattern and tapestry charts for both the Christmas tree and the wreath Christmas crochet decorations.
Many thanks to Anchor Crafts for supplying the yarn so I could make this pattern for you.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Issue 104 of LGC Knitting & Crochet Magazine is out in shops now and I’ve got two exclusive patterns in this issue which is a crafting for Christmas special – I know it’s only September but we crafters gotta start early am I right?!When the red, red robin, comes bob, bob, bobbing along….along!!! Today’s earworm is bought to you courtesy of me (sorry!). Robins are such a familiar site on Christmas cards aren’t they. So often pictured in the snow it’s because Britain’s favourite hardy little bird doesn’t migrate from the UK in the Winter it sticks around like we do (probably also muttering to itself about the weather).
Now you can make your own little crochet versions, Robert and Richard, to perch on your mantel during the festive season.
Made using three simple stitches, these little feathered friends are the perfect project for a crochet newbie – and right now these little birds are available for FREE from topcrochetpatterns.com
Sometimes I get asked to do things that seem rather bizarre – like my second make for this months edition. The brief was for a novelty brussel sprout garland with some party hats, but when I got to thinking about it, you don’t actually get more Christmassy than that do you! Even if you hate the vegetable (and who is it that really likes them?) this garland is so fun (and quick) to make – though you might feel as if someone is watching you whilst you are making it!
The magazine comes with a six blitzen yarns which are lovely and bright and the yellow has sparkly gold running through it too. You also get;
As a crafter I think it’s never too early to talk about Christmas! The holiday season is sneaky, you think you have ages and then bam! It’s here before you realise it. But no worries! Issue 94 of LGC Knitting & Crochet Magazine is here to help you avoid those last minute frantic crochet sessions.
If you are not familiar withLGC Knitting & Crochet Magazineit’s readily available in major supermarkets and newsagents across the UK. This months magazine comes with the following gifts:
Six Candy Cane yarns – including a eyelash wool
3mm hook and 3mm knitting needles
42 exclusive patterns in a 68 page magazine
The latest edition also comes with a fascinating article about knitting codes during the First and Second World Wars which I really enjoyed learning about.
What a happy little chappy my elf turned out to be! I love how he turned out. I think he’s sure to capture the hearts and imagination of all ages and bring some crochet magic to Christmas don’t you think?
And with her pink tutu and faux satin pointe shoes Bella the Ballerina kitty dances along behind the elf to the music-box melody of The Sugar Plum fairy! Adorned with fluffy eyelash yarn this little kitty will make playtime utterly PURRfect.
I can’t wait to see your Christmas makes! Be sure to share your photos with me on social media (facebook, twitterorinstagram) as I do so love to see your finished projects.
And you never know…if you are looking for more Christmas patterns I might have some new ones coming up, so be sure to watch this space!
