Handmade by Just-in

let's share the love

2012-02-14T11:24:00.000+01:00

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!

2012-01-31T12:57:00.002+01:00

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 ;)

2012-01-26T16:03:00.000+01:00

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

2012-01-13T13:01:00.002+01:00

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

2012-01-08T23:02:00.003+01:00

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

2011-12-24T22:58:00.004+01:00

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

2011-12-18T17:55:00.003+01:00

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!

2011-12-07T21:23:00.003+01:00

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

2011-11-27T16:38:00.003+01:00

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:)

My first e-book!

2011-11-26T20:51:00.006+01:00

Hi all! I'm thrilled to announce that my first e-book, Last Minute Christmas Decorations, has just been published!
And it's free for my Facebook followers! The only thing you have to do to get it for free is like Handmade by Just-in on Fabebook and e-mail me (kacprzak_justyna@wp.pl) with your name!
If you don't have a Facebook account, but would still like to get it, follow my blog and write an e-mail, too:)
If you're on Ravelry, please write your Rav name and I'll send it to you as a gift via Ravelry.

And here are the designs you will find there:

new item in my Etsy shop - cute pinback buttons!

2011-11-24T00:40:00.003+01:00

I'm soooooooooooooo excited! My Etsy store has now to offer some cool stuff for all crocheters, knitters and yarn lovers - pinback buttons!

You can find bagdes with such sayings as:

Give me yarn and no one will get hurt
So many patterns, so little time...
I'm bistitchual
Crochet every day
Knitting makes life better
... and more!

The badges are in both 1'' and 2.2'' size, so you can choose whatever suits you best:)

a short note - Santa is coming to town!

2011-11-21T22:38:00.004+01:00

Already? Yes! I've been working on a surprise from a Santa for all my Facebook followers and I hope to have it done by the end of the week! Yay!

Not my follower yet? Well, there's still a chance!

Hate Facebook? Follow my blog!

And first of all - stay tuned!

it's getting cold!

2011-11-18T18:36:00.005+01:00

It's getting cold here and I thought it's high time to take the winter hats out!
The problem is my husband's hat got lost last year and he needed a ne one. So I browsed through Ravelry patterns and found this really nice one.

A few hours later tha hat was ready. I really like how it turned out. And the most important thing is that it's so pleasantly warm!

Danish patterns here I come!

2011-11-13T18:28:00.004+01:00

I fell in love with this hat as soon as I saw it and knew exactly that I'll make it for my little son. It was a bit of disappointment to see that the pattern was in Danish (!), but I decided that I have to translate it somehow. I know there's a group on Ravelry where you can ask for help with translating things, but I thought it might be more fun to try to do it on my own. With Google Translate and this dictionary it took me less than I thought. I admit that I crossed out one part that didn't seem to fit there, but the outcome is very similar to the original and that's the most important I guess. The pattern itself is very, very pleasant to work with - I hate wordy instructions - and really easy, so I might be making more of those in the future.

It is also very comforting to have another thing off the Year of Projects list!

P.S. I saw some of you thought I'm going to make this hat for myself. Maybe I should do that?;)

some changes

2011-10-30T09:10:00.000+01:00

No progress this week, but I did some thinking and I decided to introduce some changes to my list. First of all, I may have to start making Djævlehue a bit earlier than I planned - maybe together with the slippers, as it's getting cold here already. I've already translated (or I hope I did...) the pattern from Danish and can't wait to cast on.
Before I can start, though, I have another project to make - my little one needs a great outfit for his christening next Sunday... I already have the yarn, but can't start, as I'm finishing a schnauzer that someone requested...
Secondly, I found a wonderful box for my hooks and therefore won't need the hook case. Instead, I found a great pattern for my son - a stegosauruses! I love, love, love him! And other patterns by this designer, too! Check them out, if you knit!

By the way, how are you doing with your Year of Projects? I'm a bit afraid that I may not make it (especially with the tablecloth...). But well, we'll see:)

New pattern - Amumu inspired mummy!

2011-10-26T23:46:00.003+02:00

This crocheted mummy was inspired by a League of Legends' character Amumu - The Sad Mummy.
That's why it's green:) But you can, of course, use any color you like. It will make a cute Halloween decoration, too!

finally FO!

2011-10-23T14:14:00.002+02:00

I'm done with the mitts, finally! Yay! And here's the proof!

I've added a crochet edging, so that they have a nicer shape:)

Now I'm starting to look for yarn for my Mary Jane slippers. Can't wait to hook them!

yay! for a change

2011-10-16T01:01:00.001+02:00

As you may rememeber, I've declared war to double pointed needles... I was really dissatisfied with how the mitts looked with these horrible spaces between the stitches (where the stitches from one DPN finish and I move to the next DPN). So I ought myself tiny circulars! Yay! Now those mitts are a real pleasure to make!

This is how far I am with the second one:

I use 12 inches ones with the mitts, but I got myslef also the 8 inches little beauties. They're so cute and tiny! I simply love them! (Although they weren't very cheap... Hey, why are the smaller ones so expensive? They're like twice as much as 24")

Can't wait to use them!

butterflies!

2011-10-15T19:10:00.002+02:00

I must admit I'm addicted to CALs, but since I don't have as much time as I used to have and I take part in a year of projects and I design things for my Etsy store, I can't take part in all of them. But when I saw this pattern being crocheted by Hooked for Life Ravelry group, I couldn't resist - last year I've made myself a butterfly hat and these were going to be a perfect match! So I grabbed a hook and voila! Here they are.

Easy and fun to make! How could I ask for more?

Ciao! Come stai?

2011-10-15T18:57:00.003+02:00

I'm thirlled to announce that my most popular free pattern so far - the cat bookmark has now a fabulous Italian version! Yay! Many thanks to Lia for translating ot for me! You're the best!
You can find the Italian version on the pattern page, but don't forget to check out the translator's webpage, too!

you name it, you have it - free amigurumi pattern

2011-10-08T12:32:00.007+02:00

First of all - I want to thank all dear readers who took part in the poll. Thanks! You're the best!
So, as you requested - here's a free crochet pattern for an amigurumi. Hope you like tigers ;)

From now on, I'll try to provide all the free patterns in downloadable PDF versions. To get the pattern, please click the image below :)

simply a gnome

2011-10-06T23:02:00.001+02:00

I must admit I'm in love with CALs! They're my newest addiction. I can't join many of them right now, but when there's something quick and cute to crochet, I'm usually in.
And this is how this little guy was created - in a CAL on wizaz.pl :)

I added him a nose, he looked a bit, well... naked without it. But the pattern is great - check it out and make yourself a gnome, too, if you like!

New crochet pattern - monster booties!

2011-10-05T22:33:00.002+02:00

I just popped in to let you know there's a new pattern avaialble at my Etsy store. A few people asked me to come up with the pattern for those booties, so here it is:) I hope you'll enjoy it!

a real update

2011-10-02T12:14:00.005+02:00

I've aclled today's post a real update, because apart form the Year of Project update, I'll also explain the recent lack of posts. As you probably know, I'm a mother of one really absorbing 2-months-old and that cuts my computer and crafting time quite a lot. But the real reason was that I've moved out of my old apartment- there was a lot of packing and unpacking things. Plus, for the first few days at a new place we didn't have the Internet access. But now everything seems to get back to normal (I try to ignore the piles of books on the windowsill - no shelves yet...).
And now, when it comes to crafting - one mitt is almost ready! And there's about one fourth of the second one. Yay!

I still hate DPNs and I have no idea how I'll tackle the socks I have planned for one of the future projects. Besides, I discovered that knitting is not really my thing. I somehow can't get all those stitches even, no matter how hard I try. In crocheting it's so much easier!

Anyways, thanks for stopping by! And if you haven't voted on my next-free-pattern-survey, please do. Today it's the last chance! :)

a quick update

2011-09-11T21:56:00.003+02:00

My YoP projects are doing quite fine:) I almost finished one mitt - I'm waiting for my sister to come and try it on, so that I'm sure it fits and then I'll finish it and make the second one. So far it looks like that:

I could also post a picture of the tablecloth, but I don't want to bore you. If I showed it every time I make a square or two, after a few weeks you'd be like: "Yeah, yeah, the tablecloth is getting bigger..." ;)

my first award!

2011-09-05T20:35:00.003+02:00

Yay! I'm here to tell you about my first blog award! Thank you Christine from It's a Knitting Thing! I like your blog, too!

This award originated in Germany and translates to beloved, dearest, love. The idea is to pass it on to five other blogs that you enjoy that have less than 200 followers. And really, who couldn’t use a little more love in thier lives?

And here are blogs worth visiting! Not all of them are about crafting, but I hope you'll enjoy them!

1. 2011 letters - check out this great project of a homeschooling mom and her wonderful daughters. Maybe you can send a letter, too?

2. Penpalling and Letters - a very nice blog about penpalling and other countries' culture. Find a penpal and get to know lots of interesting people!

3. Snipsnaphappy - a great craft blog - lots of wonderful crochet and sewn projects. And more!

4. The world of Vitrail Glass - a Polish blog by a very talented girl! Make sure to check out her other blogs, too - she's very crafty!

5. dagetArt - another Polish girl with crafty hands! I love her ideas and she takes great pictures, so it's very, very pleasant to look at :)

Now it's their turn to share some love :)

there's progress

2011-09-05T20:19:00.000+02:00

Sorry for worst pictures ever, but I took them in a hurry. As you can see the Puritan tablecloth is getting bigger :) It looks terrible without blocking now, but I love the outcome anyways.

And I started the Lace Foliage Mitts for my sister. I have thinner yarn and smaller hook, so I'll have more motifs, but that's ok. I like the pattern a lot so far!

sheep for charity

2011-08-31T16:44:00.000+02:00

Today I want to introduce you a litle sheep I crocheted for August CAL in one of Ravelry groups I belong to.

Since I planned to send a few toys to this organization (Knit Love Into It) I decided that this sheep would be perfect and I'm going to post it soon. Although, I'm still not sure if I'm ready to part with it... It's such a cute design! Oh, and here's the pattern if you'd like to try it, too.

YoP - decision made!

2011-08-28T21:16:00.000+02:00

So, there's not much to report today, but I managed to make up my mind about the blanket. Thank you for all your comments that helped me a lot!
I liked the sheep on top too much and since some of you didn't see anything bad about them, I decided to leave them and add an edge on both sides. Here's the outcome:

I must say, to me it looks better and I quite like it (although the photo is not the best one...).

Now, I'm going to cast on Foliage Lace Mitts for my sister, as she's going to visit me tomorrow and I want to be ready for some preliminary fitting :)

Yarn holder - free pattern!

2011-08-27T17:55:00.002+02:00

So it's high time for another free pattern for you, my dear readers! This time it's something useful for all those who love to knit and crochet - a sheep yarn holder. I designed it especially for great ladies from Ravelry Hooked for Life group!

But before I'll introduce it, I'd like to ask you to take part in the poll and let me know what should the next free pattern be!

Sheep yarn holder/keeper:

Hook: 4mm
Yarn: 100% acrylic
300m in 100g
white and black
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet
hdc - half double crochet
sts - stitches (1sc, 1dc)
sl st - slip stitch
x5/x3 - repeat 5/3 times
(x) - number of stitches in a row

NOTE! Instead of using only sc or dc for the body, the pattern is worked with both stitches (1sc, 1dc, 1sc, 1dc) to create a speciall "sheepy" effect. So instead of (1sc,1dc) I used the term stitches (sts). So, in other words, the 1st row is: 1sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, (1dc, 1sc) x6, (1dc, 1sc, 1dc, 1sc) in last ch, (1dc, 1sc) x6, 1dc, 1sc, 1dc in 1 (32).
Start every row with sc.

Body
ch15
1. 1sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, 12sts, 4sts in last ch, 12sts, 3sts in 1 (32)
2. inc, 12sts, inc x4, 12sts, inc x3 (40)
3. inc, 13sts, (inc,1)x4, 12sts, (inc,1)x3 (48)
4. inc, 14sts, (inc,2)x4, 12sts, (inc,2)x3 (56)
5. inc, 15sts, (inc,3)x4, 12sts, (inc, 3sts)x2, inc, 1, ch1 (a hole for yarn made), 1 (64)
6. inc, 16sts, (inc,4)x4, 12sts, (inc,4)x3 (72)
7. inc, 17sts, (inc,5)x4, 12sts, (inc,5)x3 (80)
8. (inc, 18sts, inc, 20sts)x2 (84)
9. inc, 83sts (85)
10. 26 sl st, 59sts (85)
11. ch26, 59sts (85)
12. -20. sts around (85)
21. in back loops only sc dec, 15sc, sc dec, 16sc, sc dec, 6sc, sc dec, 32sc, sc dec, 6sc (80)
22. (sc dec, 8sc) x8 (72)
23. (dc dec, 4dc) x12 (60)
24. (dc dec, 3dc) x12 (48)
25. (dc dec, 2dc) x12 (36)
26. (dc dec, 1dc) x12 (24)
27. dc dec x12 (12)
28. sc dec x6 (6)
Fasten off. Sew the opening.

Head
ch8
1. sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, 5ssc, 3sc in last ch, 5sc, inc (16)
2. inc, 5sc, inc x3, 5sc, inc x2 (22)
3. inc, 6sc, (inc, 1) x3, 5sc, (inc, 1) x2 (28)
4. inc, 7sc, (inc, 2) x3, 5sc, (inc, 2) x2 (34)
5. - 9. sc around (34)
10. (15sc, dec) x2 (32)
11. (14sc, dec) x2 (30)
12. (13sc, dec) x2 (28)
13. (12sc, dec) x2 (26)
14. - 15. sc around (26)
16. (11sc, dec) x2 (24)
17. (2sc, dec) x6 (18)
18. (1sc, dec) x6 (12)
19. ch7, hdc in 2nd ch from the hook, 1dc in each ch (one ear made), 6sc, ch7, hdc in 2nd ch from the hook, 1dc in each ch(second ear made), 6sc
20. dec x6 (6)
Fasten off. Sew the opening.

Tail
ch2
1. 6sc in the 2nd ch from the hook (6)
2. sc inc x6 (12)
3. (inc, 1sc) x6 (18)
4. - 5. sc around (18)
6. (dec, 1sc) x6 (12)
7. dec x6 (6)
Fasten off. Leave a piece of thread for sewing.

Embroider eyes and nose on the head. Sew the head and tail to the body.

Hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

And remember to take part in a poll!

YoP dilemma

2011-08-21T10:54:00.000+02:00

I've almost finished my second YoP project and... well, I must say I'm dissatisfied. I changed the proportions of the original pattern - I wanted it to be smaller, but I guess it's too long now...

I seem to have two options now - to leave it as it is, to frog the upper sheep part and make a few white/blue rows so that it isn't very plain at the top.

The third option is of course to frog the upper sheep part and the saying and make the space between the sheep and the saying smaller. But of course I'd love to avoid doing that...

So... what do you think? Is it very bad as it is or shall I leave it alone? Help!

New crochet pattern - schnauzer!

2011-08-08T16:31:00.000+02:00

This is just a short note to let you know that a new crochet pattern is available in my Etsy store: a schnauzer! :)

I'm back! We're back!

2011-08-07T21:55:00.000+02:00

Hi! Today's post is going to be very short - just to let you know I'm officially a mom now :) My little boy, Maciek, was born on July 28th. I'm the happiest ever, especially as we spent over a week in hospital and we really missed home.

And it's also time for another Year of Projects update: here's my baby blanket so far.

I decided for the Polish version of "Lord is my shepherd". I can't wait to have it finished!

a Year of Projects update... and some baby stuff!

2011-07-17T18:15:00.000+02:00

Again, at the beginning, I wanted to thank you for that huuuge number of comments! I wish I could reply to each individually, but I have no idea how to do that with blogger, so just believe me every comment is welcomed with a big "hooray" and a happy dance!
Thank you once again!

So, it's high time for another YoP update! I've managed to start Lord is my Shepherd blanket.
In the pattern there are 4 sheep, but I decided for the smaller version, so it fits the baby stroller better :)

I'm also going to crochet the Polish version of the blanket, so I guess I'm not following the pattern too closely...

Apart from that, I had another meeting with my sewing machine and this is the outcome: a baby blanket...

(isn't the fabric just wonderful? I got it, especially for my baby, from one very generous and fantastic Raveler!)

... and a baby sleeper which I'm going to post a tutorial and free template for. That is, when I finally ahve some more time - so far I'm trying to crochet and sew as many things for the baby as I can! He's going to be here in less than two weeks! Maybe even tomorrow... So, you know, there's no time to waste!

another challenge - Anivia, The Cryophoenix

2011-07-16T15:11:00.000+02:00

I must admit I didn't expect such a nice feedback on my League of Legends creations! Thank you all!
But apart from the nice comment, I've been given some challanges, too. People are actually asking me to crochet certain champions! That's so much fun! Here's how I coped with the newest one - Anivia, the Cryophoenix.

It was quite problematic to crochet the head and legs...

... and the back looks a bit better than the front

But the final outcome is acceptable, so I decided to introduce her to you :)

Waiting for your invaluable feedback!

almost Sunday post...

2011-07-11T22:12:00.000+02:00

Yeah, I know, I should have posted earlier, but I had quite a busy Sunday.

First of all, thank you so much for all the lovely comments! I'm really grateful for every single one - they make me happy and motivate to finish all my projects:)

And here's an update: my first FO! A pair of baby converse booties for my baby-to-be.

Hope he'll like the color :]

I've also managed to start the puritan tablecloth.

It seems I'll have to have over 70 squares. At least... Well, so far the pattern is quite nice to work with, so step by step, I should be able to make it.

The Sad Mummy = LOL again

2011-07-06T14:16:00.000+02:00

After working on some bigger projects (can't show them yet), I felt like creating something tiny and quick. The skein of green wool just seemed to whisper: Amumu and so another League of Legends champion was created.

Not as many details as with Heimer here, so it was a really quick project. And very pleasant, too.

Oh, and the original can be seen here.

Year of Projects starts today!

2011-07-01T16:51:00.000+02:00

Yay! So excited to start the Year of Projects! I've finally made up my mind, following your hints, of course, and made a complete list!
I decided not to set myself any rigid deadlines, but I did put the projects in a specific order. I wanted to choose 10, but that seemed impossible and I ended up with 11. It's not too many, especiially because some projects are really quick, but I wanted to give myself some time for designing my own patterns, too.

So, here's what it's going to look like: I'll make 10 projects in this order:

Baby converse booties - crochet
Lord's my Shepherd baby afghan - crochet
Foliage Lace Mitts - knitting
Mary Jane Slippers - crochet
Crochet Creche - crochet
Another baby hat - knitting
Bear hat and mitts - knitting
Vellamo socks - knitting
Maui Shrug - crochet
Easy Crochet Hook case - crochet
and between each project I'll crochet a few squares of Puritan Tablecloth :)

Since I chose 11 projects, I thought it would be unfair to choose whose suggestions I like most, so I used the randomizer. And the winner is ...drums...

Number 7 - Jemma! Congratulations! :) I'll mail the package soon!

And now, time for some crochet! What was that...aaaa... converse baby booties... let me see...

inspiring LoL

2011-06-15T19:06:00.001+02:00

Today's post is a proof that a crazy crocheter can get inspired anywhere, anytime...

Last year my husband started playing LoL - League of Legends and I must say I got hooked, too! I don't play myself, but I do enjoy watching him play and that's how we spend most of the evenings :) The game is full of such great and fun champions that I couldn't resist making one of them. Especially, as there's nothing better than crocheting and watching LoL at the same time (of course sometimes it's really difficult to get focused on crocheting, but when I don't have a pattern and I improvise it goes smoothly). So having lots of crocheting-watching time I managed to create Heimerdinger, the Revered Inventor!

To see the original one click here

I must admit I had lots of fun creating all those little details, and although some are still missing, I'm quite satisfied with the result.

And especially proud of that teeny hammer...

I'm sure that little Heim is not going to be the last League of Legends champion that I crocheted. Thinking about Brolaf now... Or do you have any other suggestions?

And that's definitely not the last LoL-inspired, fan art project! The idea came a few days ago and I just had to do it as soon as I could! One of my favorite LoL champions is Udyr, who has 4 stances: a tiger, a turtle a bear and a phoenix (for more info: go here or here) and I thought They would make a nice theme for a set of coasters. And here they are.

Tiger stance

Turtle stance

Bear stance

Phoenix stance

I guess I like the tiger most, although it was the one I had most problems with :)

I guess it would be best to get some feedback from League of Legends players, who seem to be best judges of how I managed to complete the challenge ;)

Oh, and by the way, if you'd like to try LoL-you can register here:)

new arrivals!

2011-06-14T21:22:00.000+02:00

Just popped in to show you my newest projects available in my Etsy store.

Cheeky sheep stitch markers:

I hope to have some more designs available soon!

And another teddy bear - Betty the Ballerina.

The pattern for the ballerina bear coming real soon!

sewing time!

2011-06-09T19:06:00.000+02:00

It's been a long time since I last sewed something, so i decided it's high time I got back to learning a bit more.

I bought this oversized skirt some time ago in a thrift store and thought it would be nice to remake it and sew a dress for myself.

After a few hours of planning and sewing I managed to come up with something liek this:

And since I didn't break any needles or get a heart attack, I decided to start another project. These booties are for my little baby-to-be, of course:)
I still have to work on a few things, but I really started to enjoy spending time with my dear sewing machine!

And you can find the pattern here: cloth booties

wedding season?

2011-05-31T18:18:00.000+02:00

I've just finished a new item for my Etsy store: Wed Teds and thought it would be nice to have all teddy bear wedding couples I've ever made in one post. That way we could also see what progress I made:) And it is quite big! I think my recent ones are so much better than the firsts.

It all started with teddies for my cousin's wedding...

Than, I got an order for another couple...

And another...

And I finally thought that I'll amke one for my Etsy store, and here it is.
And just the pattern info for those who are interested: first two couples were made according to this pattern: Teds From Threads, the next two from this pattern: Teddy Bear

preparing for a Year of Projects = giveaway!

2011-05-25T19:47:00.000+02:00

As you might have noticed, I'm taking part in a Year of Projects. It has been started by a group of people on Ravelry and the aim is to prepare a list of projects we want to complete by the end of June 2012.
On July 1st this year each of participants will post the list of projects on the blog and the fun begins!

The problem is, I can't make up my mind so as to the patterns. I'm sure I won't have as much time as I had this year, so I need to choose wisely. I'm thinking about 10 projects, but there are much more patterns on my list. So, here's the deal: you help me decide which 10 projects and you get a chance of winning this little guy and a surprise (please, write if you'd prefer the surprise to be sweet or crafty).

So, here are my types. Just tell me which ones are definitely worth trying - create a list if 10 patterns and share it in the comments to this post. There's no need to give links, just tell me the names of the patterns.
The person whose suggestions I'd like most is going to be the winner, so be sure to leave your e-mail address!
If I decide for something completely different or there will be two identical lists, I'll use ramdomizer to draw the winner.

You can vote till Wednesday, June 29th!

1. Something for my sister:
Cape Hatteras Fingerless Mitts
Figure 8 Wristwarmers
Foliage Lace Mitts
Fable Mitts

Mary Jane Slippers
Bunny Hop slippers
Slippers in rib
Charming Slippers

2. Something for myself:
Maui Shrug

Star hookcase
Kable (hooks&needles case)
Easy Crochet Hook case

Origami Turkish Socks
Vellamo socks
Very Vanilla Socks
Olympian Socks
Cookie Summer Socks

3. Something for the house:
Lucky star tablecloth
Mountain Laurel Tablecloth
Queen Anne's Lace
Puritan Tablecloth
Motif tablerunner

Crochet Creche
Fancy ornament

4. Something for my baby:
Fresh picked baby hat
Bear hat and mitts
Another baby hat - yes, I'm going to challange myself and try to translate it on my own :]

Lord's my Shepherd baby afghan
Happy baby blanket
Baby square afghan
Baby granny Three Ways

Baby converse booties
Snuggly Wuggly Booties

One more comment - most of the patterns I'm going to use are free. Some of them can be accessed only after registering on the site, like Lion Brand, Ravelry, etc. and these are sites I highly recommend having an account on. Give them a try!

simple rosary free pattern

2011-05-18T22:41:00.001+02:00

Looks like I'm in the free crochet pattern mood lately... :) Well, I hope you don't mind another freebie. This time it's a pattern for a tiny rosary. I've made it for my friend, Ewa and I'm about to mail it to her.

Simple rosary free crochet pattern:

Hook: 1,75mm
Yarn: 100% acrylic
520m in 100g
brown
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
sl st - slip stitch
x5/x3 - repeat 5/3 times
(x) - number of stitches in a row
puff stitch - *wrap the yarn over the hook, insert the hook in the second ch from the hook, pull yarn through* (there will be 3 loops on the hook), repeat from * to * twice more (there will be 7 loops on the hook). Pull the yarn through all the loops on the hook.

We start at the cross:
ch11, sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in the next 4 ch(one arm made), ch9, sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in the next 7 ch, ch6, sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook and in the next 4 ch (secon arm made), sl st in the remaining 5 ch

Don't cut off the thread but continue to mak e the chain and the beads:
ch5, *make a puff stitch, ch3*, repeat 9 more times (10 beads made), join with a sl st to the 1st chain above the cross.

Of course you can make a standard size rosary with that pattern. To do so, remmeber to add a bigger puff stitch after each 10 small puff stitches.

A bigger puff stitch:
*wrap the yarn over the hook, insert the hook in the third ch from the hook, pull yarn through* (there will be 3 loops on the hook), repeat from * to * three times more (there will be 9 loops on the hook). Pull the yarn through all the loops on the hook.

You're done! :)

It's so soft that it can make a perfect Bible bookmark as well!

P.S. If you happen to find any mistakes in the pattern, feel free to let me know!

amigurumi flower pattern

2011-05-18T22:41:00.000+02:00

Since I've joined the Amigurumi Army group on Ravelry and had to complete the May mission and make a fower this month I though, why not create my own? It's so easy that someone must have made a similar before, so I do realize it's not a revelation, but maybe someone will find it useful. Anyways, here it is:

Amigurumi crochet flower pattern:

Hook: 3mm
Yarn: 100% acrylic
300m in 100g
yellow and blue in my design
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
sl st - slip stitch
inc - 2 stitches in one
dec - 2 stitches worked together
x5/x3 - repeat 5/3 times
(x) - number of stitches in a row

Petal (make 6):

ch3
1. inc in the 2nd ch from the hook, 3sc in next, 1sc in last sc (6)
2. (inc, 2sc) x2 (8)
3. (inc, 3sc) x2 (10)
4. (dec, 3sc) x2 (8)
5. (dec, 2sc) x2 (6)
6. (dec, 1sc) x2 (4)
Fasten off.
You can leave the thread longer in one of the petals to use it for sewing.

Center:

ch2
1. 6sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, join with a sl st to the first sc, ch1, turn (6)
2. inc x6, join with a sl st to the first sc (12)
Fasten off, leave a piece of thred for sewing.

Finishing:

Sew the petals together by joining the narrow ends. Sew the center onto the petals.

You're done! :)

P.S. If you happen to find any mistakes in the pattern, feel free to let me know!

time for some knitting

2011-05-17T19:08:00.000+02:00

After falling in love with crochet a few yaers ago I almost forgot about my knitting needles. But now I'm back at knitting (you can tell that seeing the last post) and here are some other creations.

A bunny I made for this year's Easter basket:

I improvised and the head could be much better, but I'll try to work on that with teh next one:)

And a warm, knitted onesie for my baby boy. Isn't that yarn cute? I got it in a swap and I loved working with it!

The fastening is still missing, but I'm waiting for the child to see where to put it exactly.

my little boy's first pants

2011-05-10T12:42:00.000+02:00

Since I finally know that my little baby is a boy (or at least that's what 2 doctors said... and that's what I felt!) I started knitting some things for him. Here's what I've just finished - baby pants. I liked the pattern and will probably make some more, when he's older and those are too small :)
If you'd like the pattern as well, it's here. And it's free!

A dream coming true - my own Etsy store!

2011-04-26T22:46:00.000+02:00

Yay! I'm so excited! I've finally found courage to start my own Etsy store! For now, you can buy two of my patterns and two finished toys there. Here are the pics, but I hope you'll visit the store, too :)

Barnaby the Bear

George the Rabbit

And two patterns: for a rabbit and for a teddy bear

springy things

2011-04-20T17:49:00.000+02:00

Today only a quick update on things I crocheted and cross-stitched for Easter. Enjoy :)

Cards for my dear penpals:

An Easter bunny:

A simple doily from this pattern

An Easter chicken made from my free pattern, only with a bigger hook and a thicker yarn.

Eggs, eggs and even more eggs from a great crochet along at Ravelry group. Those were super fun to make.

Easter chick free pattern

2011-04-14T12:22:00.001+02:00

If you like crocheting Easter decorations, I really hope you'll enjoy this easy pattern. I created it a few years ago and thought it would be nice to share it with you.

Hook: 1,25mm
Yarn: crochet thread 65m in 10g
100% cotton
yellow and orange

Easter chick:

ch - chain
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
inc - 2 stitches in one
dec - 2 stitches worked together
x5/x3 - repeat 5/3 times
(x) - number of stitches in a row

Body:

ch2
1. 6sc in the 2nd ch from the hook (6)
2. inc x6 (12)
3. (1sc, inc) x6 (18)
4. (5sc, inc) x3 (21)
5. (6sc, inc) x3 (24)
6. (7sc, inc) x3 (27)
7. (8sc, inc) x3 (30)
8. - 9. 1sc around (30)
10. (8sc, dec) x3 (27)
11. (7sc, dec) x3 (24)
12. (6sc, dec) x3 (21)
13. (5sc, dec) x3 (18)
14. (1sc, dec) x6 (12)
15. dec x6 (6)
Fasten off, leave quite a long piece of thread for sewing.

Wings (make 2):

ch4
1. 6dc in the 3rd ch from the hook (6)
Fasten off, leave quite a long piece of thread for sewing.

Beak:

ch2
1. 5sc in the 2nd ch from the hook (5)
2. 1sc around (5)
Fasten off, leave quite a long piece of thread for sewing.

Feet (make 2):

ch4:
1. (1sc,ch1, sl st) x3 - on the other side of the chain - skip 1, 1sc, sl st in the last stitch.
Fasten off, leave quite a long piece of thread for sewing.

Finishing:

Sew the beak, wings and feet onto the body. Embroider the eyes of sew two small beads.

You're done! :)

P.S. If you happen to find any mistakes in the pattern, feel free to let me know!

Favorite Freebies Friday - spring!

2011-04-01T12:54:00.002+02:00

It's high time for another Favorite Freebies Friday. This time the main theme is going to be spring - how obvious!

1. Maybelle by A.B.McKenna- a simple crochet flower pattern
2. knitted bunnies by Rebecca Danger - a supercute knitting pattern
3. spring chick by fuzzymitten - an adorable knitting pattern
4. Tiptoe thorugh the tulips by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee - a knitting pattern - a spring "must have" for a sock fan
5. Birdie decoration by Lucy (attic24) - a very colorful and spring-like crochet pattern, definitely one of my favorites' favorite
6. Bluebird from berocco.com - a knitting pattern
7. Daffodils of spring by RachelB@39 from crochetme.com - a crochet pattern (what's more spring-like than this?)
8. bunny napkin rings from craftelf - some useful and cute paper crafts
9. Some Easter Peeps by kat - another cute birdie knitting pattern
10. chick and egg by Allan Dart - a knitting pattern
11. paper flowers from hp.com - an origami pattern
12. Dainty butterfly by Jo Ann Maxwell - an easy but just sweet crochet pattern
13. Sock Monster Kitty Cat by the inadvertent farmer - a sewing pattern (a great idea to use a n unpaired socks)
14. 2D butterfly from The Left Side of Crochet - my favorite crochet pattern for a small butterfly
15. mini easter eggs and bunny sachet from craftpassion.com - a crochet and sewing patterns that I'll definitely use this Easter!
16. Little Lamb Pillows by the purl bee - a very useful sewing pattern
17. Little Bee by Michelle Wilcox - a crochet pattern
18. Bzzzzzzz: A Knit Bumble Bee! by chemknits - simply cute knitting pattern

So, I hope you feel inspired enough to take up some spring crafts!

P.S. I tried to provide information about the author of the pattern, but if I've made a mistake somewhere, please let me know.

2D owl free crochet pattern

2011-03-23T21:27:00.000+01:00

As I promised here's my contribution to owl freebies: a crochet 2D owl. Hope you'll like it :)

I've made two sizes of owls, a bigger one and a smaller one, using exactly the same pattern, just changing the hook and yarn itno thicker ones.

Hook: 3mm for the big one, 1,75mm for the small one
Yarn: 300m in 100g for the big one, 520m in 100g for the small one
100% acrylic

2D owl:

ch - chain
hdc - half double crochet
sc - single crochet
sl st - slip stitch
inc - 2 stitches in one
dec - 2 stitches worked together
x5/x3 - repeat 5/3 times
(x) - number of stitches in a row

For both owls I used 3 colors, beige (color A), light brown (color B) and dark brown (color C).

Eye 1:

1. (with color A) ch 2, 6 hdc in the 2nd ch from the hook (6)
2. (change into color B) (hdc inc) x6 (12)
3. (1 hdc, hdc inc) x6 (18), ch4, 3sl st in the chain, ch5, 4 sl st in the chain

Eye 2:

1. (with color A) ch 2, 6 hdc in the 2nd ch from the hook (6)
2. (change into color B) (hdc inc) x6 (12)
3. 1 hdc, ch5, 4sl st in the chain, ch4, 3 sl st in the chain, hdc inc, (1hdc, hdc inc)x5

Body:
We start from joining the eyes at the bottom - this is going to be also the first row of the body.
1. (with color B) insert your hook 6 stitches below the chain parts, ch2, make 4 hdc in the Eye1, ch2, make 4hdc in the Eye2. (8hdc+ a ch space)
2. (change color into A) ch1, 10hdc (10)
3. ch1, hdc inc, 8hdc, hdc inc (12)
4. ch 1, 12 hdc (12)
5. ch1, hdc inc, 10hdc, hdc inc (14)
6.-7. ch1, 14hdc (14)
8. ch1, hdc dec, 10hdc, hdc dec (12)
9. ch1, hdc dec, 8hdc, hdc dec (10)
10. ch1, 10hdc (10)

Wings (make 2): One wings start at the neckline and goes downwards, the other starts at the bottom of the tummy and go upwards - it is for the right side of the stitches to face you in both cases.
Each stitch is made in one row of the body, so in the first row you make 1 sc, in the second 1 sc and 1 hdc, in the third one 1 hdc and 1 dc and so on...

(with color B)
1. sc
2. sc, hdc
3. hdc, dc
4. -7. 2dc
8. dc, hdc
9. hdc, sc
10. sc

Beak:
(with color C)

1. ch5, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, 3sc (4)
2. ch1, 1sc, sc dec, 1 sc (3)
3. ch1, 1sc, sc dec (2)
4. ch1, sc dec (1)
Fasten off, leave quite a long piece of thread for sewing the beak on.

Claws (make 2):
(with color C)

1. ch 4, (1sc,ch3, sl st) x3
2. - on the other side of the chain - 3sc
Fasten off, leave quite a long piece of thread for sewing the claws on.
Finishing:

Sew the beak and the claws onto the owls body. If needed, sew the eys together (if your beak is sewn high enogh it may be able to keep the eyes together.
Embroider a circle around the lighter part of the eyes and a V pattern on the body.

You're done! :)

P.S. If you happen to find any mistakes in the pattern, feel free to let me know!

my new baby-to-be project: please help, if you can :)

2011-03-14T18:06:00.000+01:00

Hi :)

Today I have a request for you :) And an offer, too.

I planned to sew my baby a blanket from different kinds of fabric... from all over the world! That's why I need your help. I'd like to ask you to swap with me: I'll send you something from Poland, and in exchange you'll send my baby a 21x21cm square of fabric. What do you think?

We don't have any special preferences, the only request is that it's not "girly" or pink. We're not sure if the baby is a boy or a girl yet, and well, the doctor may be wrong ;)

I am a reliable and responsible swapper. I've taken part in many swaps on postcrossing forum (http://forum.postcrossing.com/).

I really hope I'll manage to make that blanket and I really, really hope for your help.
If you want to contact me, my e-mail address is: jomek17@wp.pl

Thanks for considering this :)

because of a baby

2011-03-08T20:47:00.000+01:00

You probably don't know yet, so I'll tell you now that most of my present and future works will be somehow connected with my baby-to-be :) We're expecting him or her in July, but I've already started the preparations, and besides, I needed to change my outfits right now :D

So I sewed myself a skirt. Well, two actually, but one will be too small very soon. And "sewed" is robably too big of a word, as I only made some changes to my veeery old skirt.

It used to look like this:

And now it looks like that:

and

I've also made myself a special notebook where I keep all important documents connected with my monthly doctor's appointments.

Here are the cover images in close-up.

I'm not very happy with the middle one, but well, no one's perfect :) I'm too excited right now to care about such things ;)

finishing the unfinished

2011-02-23T19:36:00.000+01:00

To tell you the truth, I have the whole bag of unfinished projects, i.e. some bears arms, beaks, legs, single baby booties and so on. I thought it's time to start finishing them and here's the first finished item :)

I started this shrug probably two years ago (!) but later forgot about it or was too lazy to finish. Now it's done and waiting for summer to come.

Today I was also visiting my cousin and her daughter and I thought a small gift for a little lady would be nice. I always liked those ponchos and decided to make one. It's probably a bit too big for her now, but I hope she'll wear it soon :)

my tatting beginnings and updates on swaps

2011-02-16T10:57:00.000+01:00

Today I just wanted to show you a few pics of my first tatted elements (I finally know where the mistake was!)

Here they are:
Now it's time to start a simple tatting project, but I guess I have no time for that now :(

And this is a photo I got from Jemma, who I sent the puppies to. They look happy in their new house, don't they?

And finally, the last picture shows what I got in exchange for the white owl posted a few days ago. One of the cutest cats I've ever seen. The photo doesn't reflect the whole cuteness, though...

Favorite Freebies Friday - owls!

2011-02-11T21:04:00.000+01:00

Since I liked crocheting the little owl I thought that I'd look for some free owl patterns. And here's what I found:

1. small owl pillows by Amy Schimler - very huggable :) sewing project
2. owl ornaments by Jessica Levitt - ideal for next Christmas sewing project
3. Woody the owl by Roxycraft - simply sweet crochet pattern
4. owl picture frame from LionBrand - cute and useful general crafts pattern
5. another owl pillow by Flower Girl - easy sewing pattern
6. paper owl pattern by BrendaPinnick - paper crafts obviously :)
7. Night Shadows Owl Chart by Sandi Marshall - a nice crochet pattern
8. Graduation Owl from LionBrand - adorable crochet pattern
9. owl bookmark from Free Pets Projects - registration needed for that paper crafts project

and number 10 will appear soon as a free pattern from me to you :) Stay tuned;)

P.S. I tried to provide information about the author of the pattern, but if I've made a mistake somewhere, please let me know

an adventurous crochet owl

2011-02-11T20:56:00.000+01:00

Today I wanted to introduce this little traveller - it's a very brave owl, because she wasn't afraid to travel alone to another continent :) I've made it for a very friendly girl from Hong Kong in exchange for the cutest crochet magazine ever :)

I was informed that the owl has arrived safely and I'm sure it's the best place for her I could ever imagine.

my first bag!

2011-01-12T13:18:00.000+01:00

Hi! I'm very excited, because I managed to finish my first bigger sewing project (using the sewing machine). It's a small bag:) It's not ideal, I know, but the sole fact that I finished the project made be happy. Anyway, here it is:)

Any criticism is welcome :)

long time, no see...

2011-01-03T20:17:00.000+01:00

It's been a long time since I posted something... Shame on me... But you know what it's like during Christmas break, don't you?

I have so many things to show you, that I don't know what to start with... Maybe with what I've made for a Christmas swap?

A handwarmer cat :) Inside, there is a small bag that you can heat in a microwave and it'll keep your hands warm for some time .

A small gingerbread house made (almost) according to this tutorial.

A doily. I've always wanted to use taht pattern. It comes from a book by Sasha Kagan.

A card, which is not a *real* card, only a piece of paper with a crochet Christmas tree on it. The ornament is so loosely pinned to make it easier to take it and hang somewhere :)

You can also see a star paper clip made by my husband :)

And now maybe what I've got :D This beauty is a great birthday gift from my husband. I've already used it to sew some pillow cases for the pillows I've bought for dogs from the kennel in my town. I'm going to give it to them as soon as possible.

Here are the pillows:

I also got some brand new needles and a crochet hook (big size!) plus a starting set for felting. I've already made 2 small balls and used them to create simple earrings (you can see them below...)

And finally, a pair of small booties for my friend's baby girl.

See you! :)

christening presents

2010-12-15T18:05:00.000+01:00

It's me again, and again with the presents I've made :) Seems I only make gifts :D But well, I like it and making things to put them into the drawer or close it in the wardrobe makes no sense :) Anyways, that's the handmade part of the gift I've made for my cousin's little girl. She's so adorable, I can't stop making things for her :D

A simple hat and a sweater.

A crocheted baby bib with a small girrafe. I saw it in a shop and just had to buy it :) Later, I thought it would look nice on this pink and cream bib. What do you think?

And an elephant made according to one of the free patterns from Elephants Favorite Freebies Friday. It's been my first knitted toy (I've only made crocheted ones before), so please, take that into consideration ;)
And that's it for today!

But I have some other gifts to show you. Soon :)

please, accept my apologies... and a free recipe :)

2010-12-06T10:09:00.000+01:00

Hello, everyone! Sorry for not being here for so long :( Believe it or not, but I've been busy crafting :D I'll show you the pics later this week, because now it's time for my first recipe. I really hope you'll enjoy it :)

Pizza twists

Ingredients:

275g flour
15g fresh yeast
0,5 cup of mixed water and milk (or can be just water, or just milk...)
0,5 teaspoon salt
0,5 teaspoon sugar
2 table spoons olive oil
1 table spoon basil
1 table spoon oregano
+ any other spices that you like
1 big tomato
several slices of cheese
sweetcorn, ham, sausage or whatever you'd like on your pizza

How-to:

In a bowl, mix flour, fresh yeast, milk and water. Add olive oil, sugar, salt and spices. Knead until the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl with a cloth and set aside in a warm place until the dough gets bigger. In the meantime, put the tomato to the oven and bake it (or make a few holes in it and put it -in a small bowl- to the microwave). Remove the skin and let it cool for a while.
Then, knead the dough once again and shape the dough into a large rectangle.

Spread the tomato onto it and add ham, sweetcorn and cheese.

Roll it gently, so that nothing comes out.

Then, slice it into several about 2-inch pieces.

Put the slices into a baking form of any shape you like.

Cover each piece with a slice of cheese and bake it until it gets brownish.

That's it :)

my firsts

2010-11-16T09:24:00.000+01:00

I've been recently trying some new things and this is how I ended up with my first biscornu, crochet earrings of such a shape, and some kind of a "flower" arrangement for my grandparent's graves. On top of that, my husband made his first shaped paper clip, so you'll have a lot to see today :)

So, here's my first biscornu. I really ahd fun making it. I wasn't sure if it makes any difference where I put the button and where the bead, but it turned out quite well :)

Unfortunately, I don't have a better picture of the earrings :( I've made them for my sister's birthday.

These are made of little roses made of colorful leaves. The bigger one came up much better, but I ran out of leaves...

And here's the paper clip. Isn't it cute?

Favorite Freebies Friday - elephants!

2010-11-12T11:28:00.000+01:00

I didn't realize how much I like elephants until I was searching for the new Favorite Freebies Friday topic. All of them are really cute, so make one of them your weekend project!

1. Zou elephant by Quex - a sweet 2D sewing pattern
2. Flower power elephants by twinsknit - a knitting pattern for tiny cuties
3. Amigurumi elephant from Lion Brand - a simple crochet pattern (registration needed)
4. Elefante by Susan B. Anderson - a really great knitting pattern
5. Elephant Beaded Amulet Bag by Paula S. Morgan - a beading pattern of course
6. Baby Elephant by Chantal Pare - stained glass pattern
7. Christmas ornaments by Mariska Vos-Bolman - a sewing pattern for your Christmas tree :)
8. Sock elephant by Danielle - look for him among other animals in this non-sewing pattern. They're all great!
9. Paper elephant by Rob Ives - paper crafts pattern for a moveable toy!
10. Elephant push toy - general crafts pattern and my personal favorite!

Hope you 'll like them as much as I do :)

P.S. I tried to provide information about the author of the pattern, but if I've made a mistake somewhere, please let me know.

video for the key key ring pattern (finally!)

2010-11-10T16:28:00.000+01:00

So, I've finally finished the video for the key key ring pattern, as there were some problems with the "tricky part". I'm aware that the quality is not good at all and that I'm frequently covering the key with my hands, but I hope you'll be able to see what I meant in this part of the pattern :)

I'll be grateful for any feedback :)

the littlest teddy bear

2010-11-05T09:43:00.000+01:00

Today, I'd like to show you the tiniest teddy bear that I managed to crochet. A few years ago I tried to make a really teeny one (the one on the left).

However, I also wanted make an even smaller one. And here it is!

I'm even more satisfied with the details. What do you think?

getting ready for winter

2010-11-03T16:13:00.001+01:00

Yeah, I definitely started getting ready for winter. And I'm even thinking about Christmas gifts already! :D I plan to cross stitch some cards for my friends this year.

So far, I've made myself a hat and a scarf.

My inspiration was this adorable butterfly hat. I had to make mine bigger, obviously and added a similar butterfly design on the scarf (had to increase and decrease here and there so that the whole scarf had the right shape :)). Oh, and I've added some antennae :)

I like the outcome, although I haven't actually had a chance to wear it yet. But that's OK, let the sun shine as long as possible :D

P.S. I'm working on the video for the key key ring pattern, as it seems a bit confusing. It's really difficult but I'm doing my best. :)

Favorite Freebies Friday - time for tea!

2010-10-29T20:19:00.000+02:00

It's never too late for some free patterns (Friday will be over here in a couple of hours...)!

I've prepared some favorite freebies for you this Friday as well. This time it's...

... Time for tea!

1. Lion Brand's Amigurumi Tea Cup Pincushion - super cute crochet pattern! (!registration needed!)
2. Honeycomb Cable Mug Cozy by Marie Greene - a really great knitting pattern :)
3. Valentine Heart Cactus in a cup from K and J Dolls blog - simply cute :) - crochet pattern
4. Tiny gingerbread house by not martha - that's just awsome - cooking idea
5. Button up your cup by JuleeQue - beautiful knitting and crochet pattern
6. Cabled Mug Cozy Pattern by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence - another stunning knitting pattern
7. Tea Cozy Cottage from Craftbits - great knitting/sewing and probably also embroidery pattern
8. Apple tea from TasteOfHome - delicious cooking idea
9. DIY tea bag by Mel Stampz - a sewing idea for loose tea :)
10. Teapot box by Mel Stampz - adorable paper crafts

I'm planning to add my own free pattern to that collection soon :) So stay tuned!

P.S. I tried to provide information about the author of the pattern, but if I've made a mistake somewhere, please let me know.

puppies in exchange

2010-10-27T09:43:00.001+02:00

I started swapping various things for craft magazines from all over the world (on http://forum.postcrossing.com) some time ago. I usually sent some souvenirs from Poland. However, recently one girl asked for one of my crochet toys in exchange! I was so happy! :) She said she liked the puppies most, so I've made her this tiny little guy...

... and also sent her the bigger one :)

I really hope she'll like them and that my puppies will feel themselves at home :)

By the way, if any of you would like to swap with me, I'm alwyas ready :)

Favorite Freebies Friday - cats!

2010-10-15T13:34:00.000+02:00

What other topic could I choose for the first Favorite Freebies Friday?

I love cats and I've found a few free sewing/knitting/origami/ and what not patterns and tutorials to share with you :) I hope there will be something nice for everyone :)

Ready for cuteness?

1. juggling cats by Susie Farmgirl - a simple but adorable crochet pattern
2. cat pencil case from K and J Dolls blog - a crochet pattern (I love also other versions of it)
3. happy cat by JPF Crochet Club - a filet crochet pattern (must look great as a pillow!)
4. pointy cat by Hillary Lang - a sewing pattern (isn't it cute?)
5. cat doorstop by Kimara (wee folk art) - a sewing pattern (that's definitely one of my favorites! :D Just look into those eyes!)
6. Brownie the Cat by Acornbud - a knitting pattern (I have to try it *very* soon)
7. Janice by MyFairKatie - a knitting pattern (very huggable!)
8. Holiday Cat from Craft and Fabric Links - a sewing pattern (what's better than a new cat every season;)?)
9. Kitty Softie by Sew Bold - a sewing pattern (doesn't it look great with this red ribbon?)
10. Cat (and mouse) throw and pillow by Deb Richey - a crochet pattern (would be nice to have cats all over :D)
11. Sock Monster Kitty Cat by the inadvertent farmer - a sewing pattern (a great idea to use a n unpaired socks)
12. Cat by Herman van Goubergen - an origami pattern (I probably won't be able to make it, but it looks gorgeous!)
13. Gato by J. Aníbal Voyer - an origami pattern (again, a beauty beyond my skills... probably)

And... that would be it! Have you found your favorite? I'd love to hear what you think about them and about the whole idea of Favorite Freebies Fridays :)

P.S. I tried to provide information about the author of the pattern, but if I've made a mistake somewhere, please let me know.

even more gifts :)

2010-10-14T10:03:00.000+02:00

This time I wanted to show you the gifts I've made for a swap at wizaz.pl forum. The topic of the swap was (more or less) "Goodbye summer/back to school" and I made two presents (and got two :D).

The first present consisted of:

- a big teddy- a soft pencil
(you can make a similar with this pattern: http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/how-tuesday-petite-pencil-from-mochimochi-land-10681 ; I made a few changes to the pattern to fit my needs, but that's where I took my inspiration from. Besides, I'm not really that good at reading knitting patterns in English yet...)

- a small teddy - a pencil topper :)

- and a knitted pencil case

The second one was similar:

- a pencil coaster (according to a great pattern by Yarn Pixie: http://yarn-pixie.blogspot.com/2009/10/back-to-school-coaster-free-crochet.html ; be sure to check out her other lovely patterns!)
- again a pencil case with a teddy-pencil topper (both pencil cases are the same color, this photo shows it better...)

-and crochet butterflies

Well, I hope you like them :)

I also have a new idea for my blog: a Favorite Freebies Friday which is going to be a collection of free patterns from all over the web, published on every second Friday here at my blog. And I'll start tomorrow! :) Hope you'll pop in to visit me.

Have a great day, everybody :)

the easiest crochet basket ever

2010-10-04T11:47:00.000+02:00

This time I decided to share the pattern for the easiest basket ever :) The thing I like most about it is that you can make tons of different baskets using this idea: by changing the color of the yarn or change the stitches in the row with the contrasting yarn, make the sides longer or shorter and so on.

The easiest crochet basket ever:

Hook: 3mm
Yarn: 300m in 100g
100% acrylic

ch - chain
dc - double crochet
hdc – half double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
(x) - number of stitches in a row

I used 2 colors: brown (color A) and green (color B).

The bottom:

(with color A)

1. ch 27

2. 1 hdc in the 3rd ch from the hook and in every ch, ch2, turn (25 hdc)

3. – 13. 1 hdc in every hdc (25)

Now make sl sts around the rectangle: start with the shorter side and *make sl st in every row and in between (you should get 23 sl sts), on the longer side make sl st in every hdc (you should get 25 sl st)* and finally repeat the same (from * to*) for the remaining sides.

It’s time to make the sides. Without cutting off the thread start at the long side:

Longer side:

1. (with color A, in front loops only) 1 hdc in every loop, ch 2, turn (25)

2. – 5. (in both loops) 1 hdc in every hdc, ch2, turn (25)

6. (change into color B) 1 dc in every hdc (25)

7. (with color A)1 hdc in every dc (25)

8. At this point you may want to make a cord for tying the corners, to do that ch 14 and fasten off. Cut the thread and repeat from 1 to 8. for the other long side.

Shorter side:

1. (with color A, in front loops only) 1 hdc in every loop, ch 2, turn (23)

2. – 5. (in both loops) 1 hdc in every hdc, ch2, turn (23)

6. (change into color B) 1 dc in every hdc (23)

7. (with color A)1 hdc in every dc (23)

8. At this point you may want to make a cord for tying the corners, to do that ch 14 and fasten off. Cut the thread and repeat from 1 to 8 for the other short side.

Make the little cords on the other sides of every long and short part (again simply ch 14 with color A).

Your basket should look like that:

Now tie the corners and use to keep whatever you wish!

more girly gifts and a 10-layer challange

2010-09-20T11:49:00.000+02:00

Since I'm rather busy recently :(, I don't have time for all the projects sitting at the back of my mind, but I still do something ;).
I'm totally hooked on crocheting little shoes , like these:

or these:
I guess I should start selling them or all newborn babies in my family will (and their mothers) will have had enough of me and my booties soon ;)

I 've also seen this video on how to make a jello mold recently and I just had to try it myself!
It had 10 layers and it took me ages to make it, but this is what it looked like:

I'll definitely make it again soon :)

key key ring? (free pattern)

2010-09-07T10:00:00.000+02:00

I've recently got a new pair of keys and I've already had problems with finding them in my bag... So I thought I desperately need some kind of a key ring to make them bigger and easier to be found. And I just had to make it myself :) Thinking about the shape of it, I thought that it would be quite funny to have a key key ring :)
Here's the photo of what I've made and the free pattern for you! :)

Edit: Here's the link to the video for this pattern :)

Hook: 3mm
Yarn: 300m in 100g
100% acrylic
Key key ring:
This pattern is worked in continuous rounds.

ch - chain
dc - double crochet
sc - single crochet
sl st - slip stitch
inc - 2 stitches in one
dec - 2 stitches worked together
(x) - number of stitches in a row

The base:

1. ch 2, 6 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook
2. - 11. - 1sc around (6)
12. ch 3, skip 2sc, sl st in the next sc, 3sc
13. 3sc in chain space (in back loops only) and 1 sc in each of the next 3 sc (6)
14. - 30. 1sc around (6)
31. bend the long part and connect it with its beginning to form a circle; you can do it with sl sts or simply sew it together
Secure the thread and finish off.

The small part:
Element A
1. ch2, 4 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook (4)
2. 1sc around (4)
Secure the thread and finish off.

Element B
1. ch2, 4 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook (4)
2. 1sc around (4)
3. (we're going to join the two elements now) 2sc, ch1, 4sc in the last row of the Element A, 2sc in the Element B (9)
4. 1 sc around (9)
Secure the thread and finish off.

Sew the small part on the base wherever you want.
You're done! :)

P.S. If you happen to find any mistakes in the pattern, feel free to let me know!

Cat bookmark free pattern

2010-09-06T09:21:00.003+02:00

Ok, so here's the pattern I promised :)

Hook: 1,75mm
Yarn: 520m in 100g
100% acrylic, fingering

Cat bookmark:
ch - chain
dc - double crochet
sc - single crochet
sl st - slip stitch
inc - 2 dc in one
dec - 2 dc worked together
(x) - number of stitches in a row

It's made in joined rounds. Finish each round with a join and start from ch2, counted as the first dc.

Body and head:

1. ch 3, 12 dc in the 3rd ch from the hook (12dc)
2. inc around (24dc)
3. (inc, inc, 1 dc) around (40dc)
4. (we start the head here) ch 2, inc, inc, 1 dc, inc, inc (10dc), ch 2, turn
5. 1 dc, (dec, 1 dc) x 3 (7dc), ch 2, turn
6. 1 dc, ch 2, sl st in the next dc from the previous row (one ear made), 3sc, sl st, ch2, 1 dc, ch 2, st st in the next dc from the previous row (the second ear made)
secure the thread and finish off

Tail:
Join the thread in the place where you want to have the tail (I started at 9 stitches from the head, on the right side)

1. ch 33 (or more/fewer - depending on the desired length), dc in the 4th ch from the hook, 5 dc, 3dc in the next dc, 22dc, join with the body with a sl st.

You're done! :)

P.S. If you happen to find any mistakes in the pattern, feel free to let me know!

And the Italian version, available thanks to Lia! Check out her webstie for more Italian patterns!

Uncinetto: 1,75 mm
Filato: 520m/100g 100% acrylic (NdL: o quello che preferite/avete, naturalmente)

Abbreviazioni:
CAT - catenella
ALT – punto alto
BS – punto basso
BSS – punto bassissimo
AUM – aumento (2 punti lavorati nello stesso punto)
DIM – diminuzione (2 punti lavorati insieme)
(x) – numero di punti nel giro

Corpo e testa (NdL: nel 2° e 3° giro, si inizia con 3 CAT che equivalgono al primo ALT)

1. 3 CAT, 12 ALT nella 3ª CAT dall'uncinetto (12 ALT) – 1 BSS nella 3ª CAT delle 3 iniziali
2. AUM per tutto il giro (24 ALT) – 1 BSS nella 3ª CAT delle 3 iniziali
3. (AUM, AUM, 1 ALT) per tutto il giro (40 ALT) – 1 BSS nella 3ª CAT delle 3 iniziali
4. (qui inizia la testa) 2 CAT, AUM, AUM, 1 ALT, AUM, AUM (10 ALT), 2 CAT, voltare
5. 1 ALT, (DIM, 1 ALT) x 3 (7 ALT), 2 CAT, voltare
6. 1 ALT, 2 CAT, BSS nel successivo ALT del giro precedente (primo orecchio), 3 BS, BSS, 2 CAT, 1 ALT, 2 CAT, BSS nel successivo ALT del giro precedente (secondo orecchio)
Tagliare e fissare il filato.

Coda:
Unire il filato nel punto in cui si vuole la coda (io ho iniziato a 9 punti dalla testa, sul lato destro).
1. 33 CAT (o più/meno a seconda della lunghezza desiderata), ALT nella 4ª CAT dall'uncinetto, 5 ALT, 3 ALT nell'ALT successivo, 22 ALT, unire al corpo con un BSS.

Già finito! :)

PS: Se trovate errori, fatemelo sapere!

meow...

2010-09-02T09:07:00.000+02:00

I've been quite busy recently, but still managed to make those kitty bookmarks :) I've made them for a bookmark swap at one of the forums. The person I was to prepare the bookmark for said that she liked cats, so thought those would be appropriate :)

If you like the crocheted one, come back soon for the pattern! :) I'll publish it when I have some more time, so that there are no silly mistakes in it :)

a little gift for a little girl

2010-08-24T09:54:00.001+02:00

Hey, long time, no see!
I was on vacation in the mountains and didn't have much time for crafts, but now I'm back and have something to show you.
I made those two pictures for my cousin's little daughter. I'm not very proud of them, but I hope they'll still like them.

getting a bit more organized...

2010-08-03T11:29:00.000+02:00

I've always had problems with storing the wrapping paper. Especially after Christmas, as I never use all the rolls I buy... Add birthdays and anniversaries and you have a mass of paper getting crumpled somewhere in the storage room. So I came up with this very unoriginal idea of making myself a tube for keeping the paper in.

I had those cardboard cores left from the crochet thread and I thought it would be nice to use them (recycle :D).
Unfortunately, I had only two of them (I'll never throw them away again... :)), but I found a bigger one, from a bubble foil roll. That meant far more sticking tape and glue.

I knew that the biggest challange would be to decorate it, and I was looking for a cheap and easy solution. Finally, I found those cute wallpaper borders (very cheap - the bigger one cost about 50 cents and the smaller one -about 30)

Summing up, I needed:
- cardboard tubes
- wallpaper boarders
- sticking tape
- glue
- a piece of cardboard
- scissors
- a craft knife (optional - I used it for cutting out the bottom, but the scissors will do)
- a pencil

You start from making the bottom of your tube. First, copy the shape of the tube on the piece of cardboard...

...cut it out...

... and place the tube on it.

Then, using the sticking tape secure the bottom to the tube. Don't worry if the tape isn't stuck perfectly, we're going to cover it :)

Next, using glue and sticking tape connect the tubes...

... until you get a desired length.

Finally, glue some wallpaper all over it or decorate it the way you want.

Now the wrapping paper is safe :)

wedding gift

2010-08-02T11:18:00.001+02:00

Last Saturday was my friends' wedding day and I just had to make as much of the present as I could. I love personalized gifts and I really wanted to make something special for them. Special people deserve special gifts, right? :)
Anyways, this is what I've done: I've crocheted this doily...

... added this label, so that they know how to wash it ;)...

... cross-stitched a motif of a heart and assemled it (with invaluable help of my husband :D) into a card...
...put this nice quotation inside...
...cross-stitched a dollar symbol on the sack (I'm sure you can guess what's inside...;))
... bought and old book and put everything into the case...

... added the spider's web and the spider to show how old the case is ;) (I really don't know where the spiders take all the patience to amke those from. It was easier to make a spider than the web :D)
...and wrapped it nicely, using the recycled flowers (click here, if you don't remember them)

Now, I only hope the newly weds will like it and that it's going to be one of the many other treasures they are to find on their way :)

new life for plastic caps

2010-07-30T10:30:00.001+02:00

Please, let me know if you make one of those! If you send me pictures, I'll post them here for sure :)

Since I've been crazy about recycling lately, I've come up with another idea for recycling. Plastic caps this time. I have lots of those as I follow the rule of taking them off before getting rid of bottles, as in this way they take up much less space in the dumpster. Of course you can throw the caps away as well, but I had a feeling that they'll become useful one day. And yesterday was the day! They became fridge magnets!

For this project you need:
- plastic caps
- magnets (mine come from the old cabinets)
- cross stitch thread
- plastic canvas (or just canvas or any type of material you can sticth on)
- scissors
- marker
- tiny crochet hook (really, the smallest size you have)
- rather thin crochet thread (mine has 282 m in 50 grams)

You start with choosing a nice cap, it's good to have those flat ones (mine were from the milk cartons) as then the magnet won't be very thick. You may want to place it on the plasctic canvas and mark the shape, so that it's easier to cut the right shape.
Then, you have to cut the sides to get an octagon (don't worry it will become round again ;))
Next step is to crochet over the edges. Using a crochet hook you just pull (carefully, not to tear the plasctic canvas) a loop like that:
...and you start to crochet with single crochet (put the hook into the loop, then put it in the next little hole, draw a loop, yarn over and draw thread through both loops on the hook).

When you're done it should look like that (I have 34 sc around):

Secure the theard and now you can stitch something inside. You can cut off the crochet thread if it'll make it difficult for you to sticth, but I left mine, so that it'll be easier to continue.

And it's time for the second row of single crochets (1 sc in every sc from the previous row-still 34 sc).
The next step is to make a row of double crochets, but this time we decrease every fifth double crochet (4dc, dec, 4dc, dec, around - in the end I got 29 dc), so that it becomes tighter and will keep the cap in place.
You don't have to put the cap inside yet. This is just to show you how far we got :)

In the next row we put one double crochet over every double crochet of the previous round (29 dc). You follow with a round of single crochet if needed (29 sc).
In the last row of double crochets, you skip every second double crochet from the previous round (I got 14 dc in the end). Remember to put the magnet inside in the meantime.
Mine was quite big and when I pushed it in, it didn't come out, so I didn't need to have another row. You may of course glue it to the cap, to make sure that it stays in place.
And you're done!

Of course you can do it another way round. First sticth and then crochet, but i liked the first option better as then i saw exactly how much space is left and got the nice round magnet.
With a bit more irregular shape (like this ladybug) I had to decrease crochets when I felt there's a need, so I have no pattern. Generally, if you place the cap inside you'll know when to make it tighter.
So, just a quick tour showing you the second way of making those:
Here, I decided to add another row of crochets.
Now you can place your magnets wherever you want :)

Be creative and find lots of other ways of decorating the caps! You can make a crochet on, too (see the teddy below). They'll make a great base for any kind of cover.
You can expect more soon, as I got really hooked on those ;)
Have fun!

And remember to take the cap off before you throw the bottle or a carton :)

P.S. This post takes part in:

challenges...

2010-07-28T21:55:00.000+02:00

Today I'd like to show you the outcome of two challenges I had to face in the last couple of days. The first one is the "key ring-sized tiger". I've never made a tiger before and I didn't even had orange wool... But that was what a person requested so I had to do my best and here you can see the result.

The second challenge was connected with plastic canvas. I like using it for my cross stitch projects, but I never know how to cover the back nicely. I've bought myself this special fabric that you can iron to the back, but it's too thin. So I've decided for this woven-like finishing and I quite like it. And I like making such bookmarks even more :)

flip-flops makeover

2010-07-27T09:26:00.000+02:00

Some time ago we (my husband and I) bought new furniture that we had to assemble by overselves. In the boxes there was lots of such sheets (to protect the parts of furniture)

Sorry, but I don't even know what to call them in Polish ;)
Anyways, there were many of them and I wanted to recycle them so much! They were waiting for some time, by finally, I've found my inspiration and will show you what I did with that.
Before I start my little tutorial I have to say that I am not the author of the flower idea. I've seen it a few times in the net (e.g. here) and decided to show how I've made it to have a step by step makeover. I'm only presenting an alternative material (waterroof!) that can be used to make them and some ideas to use them.
This is what I needed to make a basic flower:
- something that has a round shape (I personally recommend this kind of ruler)
- thread and a needle
- a marker
- scissors

The whole idea is very simple. You draw the circles on the sheet...

...and cut them out. You may want to cut them so that there are no black marks, as everything will be visible in the center of the flower. You may also want to leave the marks and have a colorful center. It's up to you :) I didn't care, because I was going to cover the center anyway in the end.
Then you fold every circle in a half......and once again in a half.

You thread your needle and sew through the wider side of your petal-to-be......and add more (I used 6 petals).

After adding the last petal you put the needle through the first one, secure the thread tightly and finish off.
You're done!
As I said, I was going to decorate the center of my flower and I used blue sequins and small black beads to do that. My flowers looked like that:

The last part was to take off the original plastic flowers from the flip-flops (one of them was already out, that's why they needed a makeover :)) and sew on my flowers instead.The advantage those flowers have over fabric ones is that they're waterproof! You can

Since making those flowers was a real fun I decided to decorate a plastic headband too.
What do you think?

time to show what I sew :)

2010-07-22T22:40:00.000+02:00

So, yeah, after a few years of thinking that I can't sew, I decided to give it a try and sewed this teddy bear. His name's Amadeusz and I still can't believe I've managed to sew him...

Here you can see him with a heart he won in a small competition on wizaz.pl :)

Have a great day!

my favorite crochet toys

2010-07-21T23:05:00.000+02:00

I've been crochetting toys for some time now (about 3 years, I guess). Some of them I gave to my family and friends, some I managed to sell (very happy about that) and some stayed with me. I thought that it would be a good start for my blog to show you my favorite ones. Hope you'll like them :)

A horsie - one of my first toys. Just love his funny face in this photo :)

A puppy :)

Easter Bunny

Alfred the Giraffe

A puppy and a chicken - really don't know why I came up with such a mix...

A teddy bear that was meant to comfort someone. Hope he did.

Gang sheep - don't they look as if they had a mischievous plan?

See you next time! :)

welcome!

2010-07-21T21:54:00.000+02:00

Hi!

My name's Justyna, I come form Poland and I just love crafts!
I'm really into crochet, knitting, cross-stitching and recently also sewing. I'm sure there are lots of things I don't know or haven't tried yet but I hope to discover as much as possible.
Using this blog I'll try to share my creations with you and communicate with other craft lovers all over the world :)
I truly hope that you'll visit me here from time to time :)