Crocheting Archives - Page 2 of 3

Coral Crocheted Hand Towel

By Christina Lee| February 18th, 2019|Craft Day, Crocheting, DIY Home, Handmade, Oh My Crafts!, Yarn Addict|

This crocheted hand towel is just so fun that I was inspired to make another one. It’s an easy project to bring with you when you’re on the go because the white portion of the towel is just single crochet all the way through to about 90 to 100 lines (depending how long you want to make it). I tried other patterns such as double or half double, but it just made this hand towel seem too ornate — especially with the decorative edging at the bottom.

Having made this before, I decided to buy the cotton yarn in bulk instead of two to three separate balls. It made for less clean up in the middle of the pattern — and sewing in loose ends is not one of my favorite things to do. However, the fun part of this project was choosing the accent color and just about any color goes with white. I previously made this with purple edging, so this time I went for coral, a color I thought would really pop in my bathroom.

The edging itself while it might look complicated is really simple. In fact I just made up this pattern using a combination of single and double crochet, and threw in some loops. You can really do as you please and customize the length. I thought two to three inches worked well for the overall length of this towel. If you’re unsure, you can just eye ball it to a store bought towel.

Well, how does it look? I think it makes a great addition to any bathroom. When I wash my hands, I secretly prefer to use this handmade towel over the others because it just feels luxurious.

Happy Crocheting!

Putting My Christmas Present to Good Use

By Christina Lee| January 6th, 2019|Crocheting, Knitting, Yarn Addict|

Coming out of the holiday season, there’s always that afterglow that lingers on when you finally get to put your Christmas gift to use. After numerous failed attempts at keeping my ball of yarn beside me when I knit or crochet, I finally got tired of my ball of yarn rolling around on the floor and getting twisted up in dust particles and my dog’s fur. But before I could even huff and puff about the problem, my sister gifted me this finely crafted, wooden yarn bowl from Laborwood. One of the perks using the yarn bowl is that it keeps your yarn clean and fixed. It also regulates your yarn tension while you knit or crochet, and it has holes on the side to hold a pair of knitting needles when you need to take a break or sip on your glass of wine. I like it because it’s practical, functional and the handiwork is just beautiful. It’s far from just ordinary. Oh, and it sits on top of four silicon stems that fix to the bottom of the bowl to prevent it from sliding. Thanks to my sister, who knows me so well, I no longer need to worry about my yarn tumbling off the couch and falling victim to dust mites. Instead, I can now focus on my knitting and crocheting while knowing that ball of yarn is safely tucked and conveniently located beside me.

The Gift-Making Holiday Rush

By Christina Lee| December 3rd, 2018|Craft Day, Crocheting, Handmade, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Oh My Crafts!, Yarn Addict|

Well, I thought I’d get ahead of the gift-making ‘holiday rush’ when I packed several skeins of yarn and my crochet hook, and took it halfway around the world with me during the Fall season. However, when the skeins of yarn were still intact in my suitcase on my way home, I knew I was in trouble and I was in for a rude awakening during the holiday season.

Despite a busy work and travel schedule, I was able to come up with a few projects that would be creative and fun, doable in a short timeframe, and make warm and “cozy” Christmas gifts. One trip to Michaels left me grabbing skeins of yarn left and right. Since I had recently made a couple of hand towels, I stuck with yarn that was 100% cotton for its durability and absorbance. Plus, I kind of like the organic look and feel of the blue gradient and olive green blend.

Over on the left, I decided to go with the classic double crochet and on the right, I went with the Moss Stitch. While both make for great patterns, I’m going to have to say that I prefer the moss stitch because of its tension and density. The double crochet pattern is a bit too springy and I may just need to throw it into the wash, so that it shrinks down in size. Either way, they are both made with 100% love and they’re ready to be wrapped well before Christmas.

A Special Gift for a Special Friend

By Christina Lee| November 23rd, 2018|Crocheting, Handmade, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Yarn Addict|

Obviously, celebrating friends and special occasions just gives me another reason to start a new crochet project and learn a new stitch. For my friend’s engagement shower, I thought I’d pick up one of these beautiful lavender soaps and natural bath sponges I got from a boutique store on my trip to Belgium and pair it with a handmade crocheted towel for the bathroom. I love hunting for treasures you can only find meandering the streets of a foreign city or town. Don’t ask how many of these I brought home, but I can assure you that my travel bag smelled luxurious as if I just got pampered at a day spa.

To make it extra special and semi-handmade (a tribute to Sandra Lee’s “Semi-Homemade”), I decided to crochet a purple hand towel. I was mesmerized by the Moss Stitch and its woven texture that blends a slip stitch and a single crochet. It’s a great stitch for those who are learning to crochet and it’s super quick and pretty “mindless.” One of the thing I like most is that it provides a thick texture that is durable and absorbent. I think it’s going to look great in her bathroom and give it that “handmade” feel.

Well, off to sew in the loose ends and wrap this baby up.

Don’t Get Too Cozy Now

By Christina Lee| August 6th, 2018|Crocheting, Handmade, Yarn Addict|

I just learned how to crochet the star stitch pattern and recently made a few dish towels for the kitchen. They turned out pretty well, so I thought I’d continue to ride that wave and make some coffee cozies to get an early start on holiday crafts. Typically, I follow a new pattern to the T, however I thought I’d get a little creative after mastering the star stitch.

When making coffee cozies for a mug or a recyclable cup, it’s good to make sure they’re snug so they don’t slip off, especially if your cup doesn’t have any handles. Obviously you’ll notice many mugs slim down in size the further down you go. I wish that were true for the female anatomy! So instead of ending the row with a half double crochet, you can end with a single crochet and the bottom part of your coffee cozy will decrease in size.

Once you size the sleeve to the mug of your choice, there are several ways you can finish off the cozy. One easy way is to crochet both ends together and circle the edges with one round of single crochet to even out the shape. Another way that’s super easy, but just a tad bit fancier is sewing on a button and creating a loop (using chains) that either goes through or above the handle. This requires some measuring and a few attempts to size the loop so that it hugs the button snugly.

Making coffee cozies are quick crochet projects that you can do in one sitting and it’s easy to get carried away with the small details. It’s likely you’ll end up making more than just one — especially if your friends catch a glimpse of these. They also make good Christmas presents. To go the extra mile, consider topping it off with hot cocoa and chocolate dipped spoons, or a few bags of your favorite loose leaf tea and maybe even some honey. Your friends and family are going to love you!

Star Stitch Crocheted Dish Towels

By Christina Lee| July 22nd, 2018|Crocheting, DIY Home, Handmade, Yarn Addict|

If these star stitched crocheted dish towels don’t motivate you to clean then I don’t know what will. Hopefully Spring cleaning wasn’t the last time you touched a dish towel. If it is, then you and your dish towels are long overdue for a kitchen scrub down. Inspired by a new crochet pattern I learned from YouTube, I decided to add a little splash of color into my kitchen. Summer shades of green, yellow and blue make the kitchen pop in a sea of brown cabinets, granite counters and stainless steel appliances. The star stitch pattern itself is an easy pattern to learn. It’s repeatable and it takes two rows to complete the star configuration, so you can swap out different colors of yarn pretty fluidly in between rows. It might seem intimidating at first if you’re not used to creating multiple loops in one stitch, but if you can get a few of these under your belt and you know how to do a half double crochet, then this is a great pattern to use to make dish towels. It’s a beautiful stitch and it creates a thick, plushy texture that’s good for scrubbing counter tops or wiping down a glass of spilled milk. And adding that hook in the upper corner makes it convenient to hang in your kitchen cabinet.

Father’s Day BLT Sandwich for Dad

By Christina Lee| June 18th, 2017|Amigurumi, Crocheting, Handmade, Holiday Fun, Oh My Crafts!, Yarn Addict|

For years, I’ve been racking my mind coming up ways to say thank you to dad, and show my love and appreciation. Well after gifting him razors, ties, shoes and other miscellaneous gadgets, my most successful gifts on top of a heartfelt thanks has always been food, the key to my dad’s heart. Whether it’s going out to lunch in Sausalito, picking up a gourmet burger, whipping up something from Food Network or just having a backyard barbecue, sharing a meal and bonding over food has always brought us closer together (Cooper included!).

While I have found a way to make my Dad happy, these meals do not come without consequence. Enter Mom with the warning label that we shouldn’t be eating this or that, and we should all be on a diet even on holidays (!)

Well this time around, Mom and Dad both have nothing to complain about with this BLT sandwich. The bacon, lettuce and tomato all come prepared with zero calories.

Post Father’s Day Update:
By the way, Susanna and I did take our dad out for no guilt burgers and sandwiches.

Happy Father’s Day to you, Dad and all the fathers out there!

Happiness is a Cup of Coffee and a Good Book

By Christina Lee| April 11th, 2017|Crocheting, Handmade, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Yarn Addict|

As the saying goes, “Happiness is a cup of coffee and a good book” and now, I won’t dare get a cup of coffee without dressing it up with these cozies. These stylish companions for your morning cup of joe will not only keep your coffee warm and help you save the environment by steering clear of the cardboard sleeves, but it will make other people envy your super cute, stylin’ coffee cup.

Did I mention that these crocheted coffee cozies are a new addition to my website? I’m thrilled to finally be featuring them online. They are fun and easy to make in one sitting. If you know how to single crochet in the round, then you’re golden. And if you’re new to crocheting, this is one of those ‘feel good’ projects you can complete in a timely manner, put a bow tie around and gift it to a friend or keep it for yourself.

Once you finish crocheting in the round, you can swing by Michael’s or Jo-Ann Fabrics to pick up some of these cute buttons and put the finishing touches on your coffee cozy.

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