Testing My Crochet Skills on an Advanced Pattern!

Thank you for stopping by today. 

I am so excited to share something with you. Have you looked at some crochet or knitting patterns that you really like, but then find out it is rated 'advanced' and only tell yourself you aren't good enough to do that pattern? Well I have. I have a board in Pintrest with all these beautifully crocheted patterns that just seem beyond my capability.

Last night I was looking at them again, and clicking on some to view their origin. Some do not have written or video instructions, just these beautiful images. Quite a few are accompanied by written instructions, but I am a visual person and sometimes the instructions do not make sense to me. But last night I found one with a video showing step by step, row by row, instructions that were easy to follow.I can't tell you how excited I was at finding this. I watch it for a bit, and knew that I could do this if I followed along!

The square that I wanted to try is the Tropical Delight Square. You will need to scroll down a fair bit to find it, but if you want to give this a go, the instructions are easy to follow.

Before I show a photo of my finished square, I need to let you know that I only had these colours to work with in a #3 yarn. Although the end result is not bad, I would choose some different colours. I was just practising to see if I could do it, so mixing types of yarns and colours were not a priority.

So here we go, my square!

I am so happy about being able to do this, that I plan on making something in the future with this pattern. Have any of you caught my mistake yet? There is a pretty major mistake, but I wasn't worried about it as it was a practise piece.

A blanket made with several of these squares would look quite beautiful on a bed. or even as a smaller afghan.

Any way, I am ready to see if I can tackle another one of these advanced creations I love! I guess the saying is true; you never know until you actually try.

Thank you again for having a peek at today's post.

Happy crocheting!

Market/Vegetable Bags

When you see old movies, especially ones that take place in Europe, you are sure to see women going around to markets with their 'market bags'. They made a bit of a comeback in the 60's and 70's with Macrame, and it seems they are making a come back again with those that are trying to go 'green'. Any way I have always had a little bit of a fascination with them. Not sure why, but perhaps it is because of the different shapes they can take on depending what you put into them. It is a very giving and generous type of bag. It even crossed my mind that these bags would be great for picking produce from your garden! Being 100% cotton, they would be very easy to wash.

I come across two totally different patterns on YouTube that I tried.

The first one the I made was the one on the right, the smaller one. It is a great size for buying vegetables and some fruits. The larger one you could probably fit larger items such as melons and cantaloupe or small watermelons. You could even use it to place 2 or 3 of the smaller bags, filled with something, into it.

Smaller Bag

This was a very easy bag to make. I even started a second one that is smaller. Same patter, but smaller yarn weight and hook, makes it a smaller bag. I haven't finished that one yet.

A closer look at the bottom of the bag...

and the handle at the top of the bag.

Larger Bag

The second bag I made, and the larger one looks like this.

The smaller bag was started with more of an oval shape, whereas this larger bag is started with a more fancy circle pattern at the base.

Mesh bags are quick and easy to crochet. The only thing that may slow it down a bit would be a fancier base like this one, or some fancy handles.

As I am writing this post, another use for it came to mind; hanging and storing your onions, potatoes, apples, oranges, and such in your pantry!

You may see a few more of these in the future.

Thank you for stoping by, and happy crocheting!

Bathroom Bag/Make-Up Bag

I have a granddaughter that lives in Vancouver Washington, and she had her birthday in July. I decided to make her a bathroom set. A small bathroom bag or make-up bag, a shower mitt, a shower scrubby/puff, and some little daily face scrubbies.

Bathroom Bag/Make-Up Bag

I'm afraid the photo taken of the straight on front did not turn out, so this is the closest I have to a from photo.

I used Cotton yarn for this project, and used double strand to make it stiffer, thicker, and durable. To accomplish this without needing two balls of yarn, I took the inside end and the outsider end together, and it worked beautifully for me!

It is all single crochet except for the edging, a Reverse or Backwards Crochet Stitch, and the Romanian Cord (more like a rope when doubled).

Here are some more photos of the bag.

I made a button hole in the flap of the bag to feed through the cord, tying it to keep the flap from flipping open.

Shower Mitt

I used to have these as a child, and I love using them both in a bath or showering. (sorry about the poor lighting) They are so very easy to make, too!

Facial Scrubbies

As this is gifted to a 12 year old, skin care becomes more important. Especially in this household with a Mom Beautician. I thought to make a daily facial scrubby would be a good start. These are used one a day that can be washed and reused instead of constantly purchasing the cotton rounds. The ones you see here are two extra ones. One without a Reversible/Backward Edge Stitch, and one with it.

Shower Scrubby/Puff

The one you see here, is not the one I made for this gift. It would of course have been made with the same yarn. It seems I did not get a photo of it either. But I did make some others in different cotton yarn colours, so I took a photo of it, so that you could see it.

I will have another post for you in the future showcasing my scrubbies and mitts. I will tell you that these can be made up real quick! Several in a day. These would make not only great gift sets, but individually they would be wonderful stocking stuffers for Christmas.

Thank you for stopping by again to check out my crochet creations.