quick flower coaster

Two months ago, one of my friends was getting married and I was looking for a quick housewarming gift for her. Coasters is what immediately came to my mind, so I spent a few hours looking for something that I'd like. I even made and frogged a few and ended up making my own. Since I'm quite happy with the result, I decided to share the pattern with you. Hope you'll like it!


Oh, by the way, are you on Pinterest? I am and you can find me here:)

Quick flower coaster:

Hook: 5mm
Yarn: Aran / 10 ply
100% acrylic
 I used Caron Simply Soft Collection
315 yards / 170 grams


ch - chain 
sc - single crochet

chsp- chain space
dc - double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
x5/x3 - repeat 5/3 times
(x) - number of stitches in a row
 3dc cl - 3double crochet cluster - * wrap the yarn over the hook, insert the hook in the indicated st, pull yarn through, draw yarn through 2 loops on the hook*,  repeat from * to * twice more (there will be 4 loops on the hook). Pull the yarn through all the loops on the hook.
2dc cl - 2 double crochet cluster -  * wrap the yarn over the hook, insert the hook in the indicated st, pull yarn through, draw yarn through 2 loops on the hook*,  repeat from * to *  (there will be 3 loops on the hook). Pull the yarn through all the loops on the hook.

Coaster:
ch6, join to the first ch to form a circle
1. 12sc in the circle, join (12)
2.  ch3, 2dc cl in the same spot, ch2, 2dc cl in the next sc, *ch2, 3dc cl in the next sc, ch2, 2dc cl in the next sc* repeat from * to* around, join (6 3dc cls and 6 2dc cls)
3. sl st to the chsp, ch3, (1dc, ch3, 2dc) in the same chsp, *1dc in the next chsp, (2dc, ch3, 2dc) in the next chsp*, repeat from * to* around, join
4. ch1, *7dc in the next chsp, 1sc in the next dc*, repeat from * to* around, join.
Fasten off.

let's share the love

I've never been a fan of the Valentine's Day, I don't celebrate it in any special way or send cards. But I thought it would be a good day to show our special affection for crochet. Or knitting :) So, if you want to join, post a short note on my Facebook page, telling why you like to knit or crochet. And those who answer in the most interesting way - be sure to get your prize!
I'd hate to limit the love sharing mood, so I'm giving you the whole week to come up with something! I'll choose the lucky winner on the 22nd of February.
And to make sure you spread the love even further, post an info about this giveaway on your blog/FB/Twitter or however you want and you'll get a 10% discount for my next pattern! Just remember to e-mail me and I'll send you the code:)
So, what are you waiting for? Let's spread some love!

Amis for the charity - join me!

Some time ago, I contacted one of the charity foundations here in Poland and offered my toys for children from hospitals. The foundation is called Dr Clown and they visit children who are seriously ill and have to spend a lot of time in hospital. They talk with them, make them laugh and bring toys. I thought that handmade toys would be even better! So, if you’d like to bring a smile to a child's face, please join me! I'm collecting crochet/knit or sewn toys - any kind, just remember to make them safe for kids. If you can make toys and still would like to help, colorful pillows would also be great!

By donating a toy not only do you help a child, but you also get a chance to win a pattern of your choice from my Etsy store - there'll be a giveaway for all those who participate! I will also make a gallery of toys on my blog, so you'll get a bit of publicity ;)

I'm waiting for toys till the end of June, but the sooner you send the - the better. I'd be also grateful if you spread the word!


Interested enough? Contact me at kacprzak_justyna@wp.pl to get the address to which you can send your toys!

Thanks in advance!

cute and useful approaches... or rather approach ;)

I've been a bit busy recently, and it's because I'm working on the samples for my submissions. Or rather a submission, because I'm done with one sample alreday. If you're curious what it looks like and like cute&useful combination, be sure to grab your copy of Inside Crochet magazine, issue 28! It should be in stores soon, as there's a preview of issue 27 alreday available:) Of course, I recommend any other issue of the magazine, too!

If you're interested in the magazine itself, make sure you visit their website. They have some previews of the issues and I can see the Free Patterns tab, so that's something to wait for, for sure. You can now vote for the covers, so it's double fun follow their blog!

little amis for a little girl

I recently got a huge box of unwanted yarn from one of my mom's co-workers (yeah, I know, there's no such thing as unwanted yarn...) and decided to give something as a "thank you". Since he has a little granddaughter, I thought I'll make something for her.
My idea was something small to fit in a tiny hand, but nit too small, so that it's safe.
I chose tiny striped turtle pattern and made this little guy:

The colors are a bit dark, sorry...

Later I thought about making a similar animal with similar color so that she has a pair of new friends. With the help of this amigurumi snail pattern after a few minutes the second pal was ready.

Much better colors on this one.

I made the snail's shell in two colors and attempted to make this swirl visible, but I'm not sure it turned out right. Overall, I'm really satifsied with bioth projects and might be making more in the future:)

Nyan cat bookmark free pattern

It's quite late now, so I'll just leave you with the new free pattern. Enjoy:)

To get the pattern click the image below.

6 creative ways to re-use the wrapping paper

Did you ever wonder what to do with the wrapping paper *after* unwrapping the gifts? Well I did, as I feel bad having to throw it all away, and here's what I came up with.

6 creative ways to re-use the wrapping paper:

1. Save whatever you can. If you're a careful unwrapper you can cut off the crumpled parts of paper and re-use what's not creased to make envelopes for your next year Christmas cards.

2. Make confetti. You can use puncher and make confetti, great for New Year's Eve parties.

3. Cut out decorative elements. If the paper has some Santa Clauses or Christmas tree on it, you can cut them out and use tyo decorate next year Christmas cards.

4. Use it for stuffing. If the paper is really crumpled, you can alwyas use it as stuffing for the packages you'll be sending.

5. Make fake snowballs. You can also crumble it even more use it for in-house snowball fights. Kids will love it!

6. Make paper mache. Wrapping paper, just like any other paper will work fine as paper mache. You can make bowls, plates, or whatever you wish!

Christmas gift FO

I've been mia for some time, but that's because Christmas is coming!:) And my baby boy is teething... So we have to hug a lot during the day and I don't have much time left for crafts. Or computer. But here's what I managed to make.



It's a dino for my son. I made it from Red Heart Baby yarn, with 3mm needles, so it's quite small and I hope it'll fit the small hand just right:)

Oh, so tiny! - itty-bitty animals coming!

I've got a small announcement for you:) I've just released two patterns from my upcoming collection of tiny animals. Each of them will be around 1" big, so they can be used as stitch markers, keyrings, charms or whatever you wish! The price of each pattern is tiny, too:)

A teddy bear

A reindeer



I can't wait to introduce you to the rest of the gang - in 2012!

birthday present FO

Yay! Another FO from the Year of Projects! I finished those a while ago, but wanted to keep it secret until my sister got them. It's my birtdday present for her. Mary Jane Slippers!


She likes the green/violet color combination, so I chose those two for my project. Unfortunately, I only have a picture of the slipper on my feet, so the strap is a bit hmm.. wavy. Her feet are a bit wider, so it looks much better.

Wasn't sure about the buttons, but learned to like them, so I'm quite satisfied with the outcome:)