Posted in Personal

More Crochet and Jewelry Classes

The classes at Michael’s are finally on the calendar and the projects are picked out. As if I didn’t have enough to do, I also signed up at Hobby Lobby on Eagle Ranch Rd to teach both crochet and jewelry making. The set up there is less formal and more to my liking. I get to choose my own projects and set my own fees, while they post the schedule on the web site and allow me to post flyers on a bulletin board just inside the entrance to the store.

Here are my flyers for two of the classes. They are laminated and have little pull tabs on the bottom with contact info. In this case, I do handle all my signups.

I’m really excited about the Hobby Lobby venture and hope it works out. Since I can set my own hours, I’ve decided to try a full kumihimo class of four hours. This is a rewarding project because it is easier than it looks and students feel such a sense of accomplishment when they are done. The flyer is really pretty too.

kumi class

You can access the calendar from the menu bar and see the what/where/when of the classes. I hope you sign up for something, because you know that I usually have a few tricks up my sleeves to teach you yet.

 

Posted in Craft tips

Needle-less Bead Stringing

When I’m making my beaded wrap bracelets, I like to use Fray Check on the ends of my cord. This makes a needle-like tip which passes easily through the beads. I cut the tip off the bottle of Fray Check, run the end of the cord about two inches into the solution for 2-3 seconds, repeat on the other end, then hang the cord to dry.fray check needle

I will do several cords at once which means that I’ve always got one ready when the urge to bead strikes.

DSCN4783

Continue reading “Needle-less Bead Stringing”

Posted in Craft tips

What’s On My Hook

I am definitely not the WIP queen among my yarnie friends, but I start feeling anxious when I have more than about five works-in-progress. I also have some UFOs (unfinished projects), and I’ve polled people to get their opinion: when does a WIP become a UFO?

What do you think? For me, if it’s been put aside for more than six months, it’s moving into the UFO category. More than a year? For sure.

Among my UFOs are a cardigan, a couple of single yoga socks — you’ve heard of the single sock syndrome? — a scarf called “Thorns“, the “I Promise You Pineapples” shawl, and my Tunisian “Shimmer Shawl”. Continue reading “What’s On My Hook”

Posted in Craft tips, Crochet Technique

Why Are My Rounds Shrinking?

Have you been losing stitches when crocheting in the round? Most likely, the cause is improper joining. It canĀ  be confusing for new crocheters to determine where to insert the hook to join double crochets made in the round. It is helpful to remember that when you are looking at the front of the double crochet stitches, the loop is to the right of the post. Don’t make the mistake of joining the last stitch to the loop of the second stitch instead of into the beginning chain-3, which as you know is the first stitch of the round (unless otherwise specified.) Hopefully these photos will clarify it for you.

dcjoin 3rd chain
Look for the third chain of your beginning chain-3. Notice the difference between it and the loop for the next stitch.

Continue reading “Why Are My Rounds Shrinking?”