Tag: Crochet

Stripe It Your Way Crochet Book Review

April 4, 2018 kimberlee

Recently I was given the opportunity from Leisure Arts to review a copy of the book Stripe It Your Way Crochet for Home & Fashion by Kristi Simpson. This book is a new publication from Leisure Arts.

Stripe It Your Way Crochet is for all levels of crocheters. All of the projects in the book are an easy level so a person who is just beginning to crochet should be able to complete these projects and an advanced crocheter will enjoy working on something simple and quick to complete.

The projects in this book are for fashion accessories and for home decor items. All of the projects use medium weight yarn and a size H, I, J or M hook. I love the look of the various stripe patterns the designer has used with each of the projects.

One of the projects that caught my attention was the Star Blanket. I have always wanted to crochet a motif style blanket and after seeing this pattern I decided I would make this one. So far it is coming along, I am using my own color scheme with Hobby Lobby, I Love This Yarn in 5 different colors. The blanket will look great in our living room when I finish it. The pattern seems to work up quickly and is easy to follow. You have to pay attention to the color changes though at the appropriate times as per the directions in the pattern.

Below is a photo of my version of the Star Blanket that I have completed so far. I am on the third color out of five for the blanket.

The Lacy Wrap is another project in the book I may start after finishing the Star Blanket. This wrap is crocheted with an openwork type of stitch and features a border of flower fringe on the ends. I think it will be a great spring or summer project.

If you like to crochet with medium weight yarn and enjoy striped patterns I think you will love this book. You can click Here or on any of the Stripe It Your Way Crochet photos above to take you to the Leisure Arts site where you can order your copy of this crochet book. *The links are affiliate links but all opinions in this blog post are my own.

-Kimberlee

Categories: Books Crochet

Tags: Crochet, crochet book, crochet patterns, easy crochet pattern book, Leisure Arts publications, star blanket, stripe it your way crochet

Crochet Motif Cushion Project

June 3, 2016 kimberlee

Recently I have been into crocheting motifs. Crochet motifs are fun to make as you get to change colors and have fun with deciding what colors will look good together. I decided to use a simple square motif to design this 18 inch square cushion that I am using as a meditation cushion. I also use the cushion on my coffee table in the evening to prop my tired legs and feet upon.

I had bought a plain foam cushion at least six or eight months ago at Hobby Lobby and finally got around to designing this fun motif cushion. The cushion is 18 inches by 18 inches by 2 inches deep. I figured it would be a nice size for a meditation cushion or just for a floor cushion for someone to sit on.

The cushion is made by crocheting 18 squares in two different color patterns and then sewing them together. The cushion is then joined together with side gussets that are crocheted around to make the two inch sides. I decided to sew a zipper in on the one side so that the cushion could be washed. I used my sewing machine and a zipper foot to sew the zipper to one side of the cushion squares and to other side of the zipper to the gusseted side. Sewing the zipper in was pretty simple – you just have to remember to sew slowly and do not stretch the crocheted part as you are attaching the zipper.

Also, I decided to sew an optional muslin lining for the foam cushion because the foam was a light green color and I didn’t want that showing through. I think it also makes it a little more durable. I think if the foam is white or off white that you could get by without sewing a casing, or lining. But making the casing for the foam was really simple.

The pattern for this cushion is now available in my etsy shop. You can click on the highlighted word to take you to my etsy shop for more information about this pattern.

I have another crochet motif project that I am currently designing for a fun pillow. It kind of has a red white and blue color them so I hope to have it done before the 4th of July.

Currently I am getting ready to have family visiting as my oldest son is graduating from high school next week – which is one of the reasons I have kind of been a little absent from blogging lately.

What kinds of projects have you been working on lately? I would love to hear about them in the comments.

-Kimberlee

Categories: Crochet

Tags: Crochet, crochet cushion, crochet pillow, crochet square motifs, meditation cushion

Free Knit Scarf and Crochet Cowl Pattern

December 8, 2015 kimberlee 6 Comments

Christmas is going to be here before we know it. Are you ready? Do you have all your shopping done and all your handmade gifts completed? I wish I could say that I do but I don’t – I am not even close. I have been so busy designing new patterns for my shops that I have not taken the time to shop at all.

I have a couple of designs to share today on my blog that are both pretty quick and easy to knit or crochet – so if you are still looking for something to complete for someone for a gift maybe one of these patterns will work. They are both Free pdf download files.

The above photo is of a Chunky Knit Drop Stitch Scarf. It is super quick and easy to knit on size US 15 knitting needles. If you can do a knit stitch and a yarn over and drop a yarn over you can complete this pattern. Any chunky weight yarn will work. The yarn I used was from Hobby Lobby – not sure if it is still available – it is called Yarn Bee Finale. It goes from thick to thin and is a variegated yarn. Drop Stitch Knit Scarf You can click on the highlighted name of the pattern to access the pdf pattern and print.

The other pattern I am sharing today is for a crocheted ripple cowl – I call it Candy Cane Ripple since it is done in red and white sparkle yarn. You can choose any two colors you want with or without the sparkle, glitter, yarn. This cowl is crocheted with a size US J hook. It is a one row repeat so pretty simple to do once you master the pattern. The cowl is crocheted in rows and then sewn together. You need to know how to double crochet and chain and skip chains to crochet this. Yarn I used was Hobby Lobby I Love this Yarn in the sparkle – any #4 worsted weight yarn can be used. Candy Cane Ripple Cowl Crochet Pattern Clicking on the highlighted text will take you to the pdf pattern for you to download or print.

I hope you enjoy the patterns and are able to get some handmade gifts completed for those on your list.

-Kimberlee

*For my complete line of patterns please visit my etsy shop or my craftsy store – links are in the sidebar.

Categories: Crochet Knitting

Tags: Crochet, crochet cowl pattern, crochet patterns, easy knitting pattern, knit scarf pattern, knitted chunky weight scarf design, knitting

New Crochet Designs

October 27, 2015 kimberlee 3 Comments

I recently finished some new crochet designs. The first thing I completed at the beginning of October was this crochet laptop sleeve and this little crochet case.

I love this vibrant V stitch design used to create my laptop sleeve. I was inspired to create this because I was tired of having a large laptop case to carry when traveling. This sleeve is perfect for holding my 16 inch laptop and it will slide down inside a larger bag that I carry when I travel. The stitch is also very thick so it provides some extra cushion for the laptop. I also created this little mini case to hold the laptop power cord and the mouse that I use.

My other new design for October was this fun chakra yoga pillow or bolster pattern. I was tired of using my couch pillows for a yoga bolster when doing certain poses so I decided to crochet one. I got inspired to do one in chakra colors as I have a book about chakra yoga and thought a crocheted pillow or bolster would be fun to make and something I would use. I am really pleased with how the pillow turned out and I have already used it many times in the last couple of weeks. Along with this pattern I also made a yoga strap to go with the pillow.

Both of these patterns are available here on my website under my Pattern Store tab. You can also find these patterns in my etsy shop, on craftsy and on ravelry.

Visit KimberleeG’s Craftsy Pattern Store »

What have you been crocheting or working on lately? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.

Have a great day!

-Kimberlee

Categories: Crochet

Tags: chakra colors pillow pattern, Crochet, crochet designs by kimberlees korner, crochet laptop sleeve pattern, crochet patterns, crochet pillow pattern, yoga bolster pattern, yoga pillow pattern

Uses for Ruffle Scarf Yarn

September 25, 2015 kimberlee 8 Comments

Ruffle scarf yarn is for crocheting and knitting scarves – hence the name. This type of yarn became very popular a few years ago. It is still popular and you see it in craft stores or online in various colors an textures.

I knit a LOT of scarves in this ruffle yarn. I knit many for gifts, to sell and for myself. After a while I got tired of just knitting scarves with it and decided to try using it as an edging on scarves or shawls.

The above scarf is a crochet version I designed using Homespun yarn as the base and Patons Pirouette yarn as the ruffle edge. The pattern can be found in my etsy shop.

The photo of the red, black and white scarf is a knit version. I knitted this scarf in Texas Tech colors for my neighbors daughter who goes to school there. The ruffle yarn is a lot of fun to use with one or two other colors of yarn to showcase some team colors. This pattern is also available in my etsy shop.

The above cape is something I designed about a year ago for my Grandmother. Again the main body of the cape is knit with Homespun yarn and the ruffle edge is Patons Pirouette. This pattern is easy and can be found on etsy.

The blue shawl above is a lovely prayer shawl design that is knitted in Homespun yarn and then edged with the ruffle yarn. I gave this to my friend this summer who was going through chemo therapy to fight breast cancer. Blue is one of her favorite colors. This pattern is also on etsy.

It is pretty easy to use this yarn as a decorative accent. You have to crochet or knit with your base yarn and the ruffle yarn held together. Below are a couple of photos showing how to crochet or knit with it for an edging.

crocheting an edge with ruffle yarn Kimberlees Korner — crocheting a ruffle yarn edge

I have also found that a lot of the Homespun yarns from Lion brand yarn coordinate well with some of the Red Heart Boutique Sashay or the Patons Pirouette yarns.

Patterns for these designs can be found in my etsy shop – links above highlighted for each specific pattern or in my craftsy pattern store.

Have you used ruffle yarn before? Let me know by leaving a reply in the comments and tell me what you made.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Visit KimberleeG’s Craftsy Pattern Store »

Categories: Crochet Knitting

Tags: Crochet, crochet patterns, crochet with ruffle yarn, crocheting with ruffle scarf yarn, knitting, knitting patterns, knitting with ruffle scarf yarn

Crocheted Bags

September 16, 2015 kimberlee 7 Comments

The past month or so I have been working on a lot of new crochet designs. I was on a sewing spree for July and part of August and now I am on to crochet. Instead of working on my normal scarves or shawls I have designed some new things – a couple of different styles of crocheted bags.

The above photos are my new crochet market bags. I had a lot of fun designing and crocheting these bags. I think I ended up making four of them in about a week. I made one in the round, the one on the left, a large size one which is the pink one in the middle and a medium size which is the royal blue on the right.

I love how quick and easy these are to make and the options – you can make one in the round if you don’t like to do seaming or you can make the other two versions that are not in the round but require some sewing around the sides and bottom seams. All of the bags feature a fun top drawstring and tie handle.

The photo of the red one above is the fourth one I made and that one is crocheted in the round.

I decided I did not need to have four of these bags so I ended up giving three of them away to my three friends in my monthly knitting group. They all seemed to like the surprise gift. It also feels good to make things for others. All of the other ladies in my group knit but do not crochet so I thought they might enjoy something different.

I kept the periwinkle and blue one since it went with my bike that I ride to the store sometimes. The bag worked well for holding groceries and it fit perfectly in my bike basket.

All of the market bags were made with Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn. It is just a basic worsted weight acrylic yarn but it works well for certain projects, like these bags, and it washes well. It is one of the yarns I prefer if I work with a worsted weight acrylic – also there are tons of colors and prints to choose from and it is on sale every three weeks at Hobby Lobby.

The other bag I designed is a cotton crochet bag that I have named Shades of Color. This bag is a color work crochet pattern – it uses three coordinating or contrasting colors. I choose a light blue, navy and a dove gray for my bag.

The stitch pattern I designed this bag with was a lot of fun. The different stitches and the color changes make it interesting. I have already used this bag several times for different shopping trips to the store and even to Hobby Lobby to buy more yarn – that I don’t need!

The Shades of Color bag is crocheted with Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton. It is a good basic 100 percent cotton yarn that is soft and easy to work with. It is also on sale every third week at Hobby Lobby – but not the same week as the acrylic yarn.

Both of these bag patterns are available for download purchase here on my site under Digital Downloads, in my etsy shop, on craftsy and on ravelry. You can click on any of the highlighted links to take you to the sites. Also, if you are purchasing the pattern on etsy please use the coupon code BAG10 to save 10% off either of these patterns – coupon code expires October 15, 2015.
Visit KimberleeG’s Craftsy Pattern Store »

I am currently working on a couple of other crochet projects and a knitting project so check back to see what is new.

– Kimberlee

Categories: Crochet

Tags: Crochet, crochet bags, crochet market bag, Crochet Pattern, crochet projects

Sewing Summer Tops

August 12, 2015 kimberlee 8 Comments

Recently I have taken a little break from blogging. One of the reasons being that I was gone for 10 days in July on a family vacation. I have also been focusing on some other things during my break from blogging and one of them is sewing some new things for summer. This summer I have made a couple of bathing suits, some lingerie (posts to come on that later) and some new summer tops. In addition to sewing I have been doing a lot of crocheting and developing some new patterns.

One of the reasons I love to sew is that I enjoy being able to make something the way I want it to fit. Another reason I prefer to sew my own clothing over buying it is because I can make something that will last a lot longer and wear better than many things you buy at the store. I have some shirts in my wardrobe that I made probably 8 or 10 years ago that are classic styles that I still wear and they are still in good condition. I don’t know if I have many articles of clothing that I have bought that I can say that about.

The above top is one I made about a month ago and have already wore it several times. It is perfect for our hot Texas weather in July and August. This top is made from a pattern I have had since 2010. The pattern is New Look 6965 and it has four or five different tops in the same pattern. I have made a couple of the other versions in the pattern in the past. This particular top features a tie shoulder strap that was suppose to be made with ribbon. I decided to use my crochet skills and crochet the straps since I had the perfect color of navy blue cotton yarn to match the fabric.

The next top I made after the navy one was this light blue floral print button down shirt with a collar. It is hard to see the tiny floral print on the fabric in the lighting I was in in the above photos. I think I have had the fabric for four or five years and the pattern is very old – a classic from my pattern stash McCalls 2094 from 1999. I like the style of this top with the front and back darts and the button front. I have a couple of pairs of shorts and a couple of skirts it will go with so lots of options for wearing this shirt. I even discovered a crochet headband I made years ago that is the same color blue.

The third top I made was this purple print one. This is another fabric I have had in my stash for years. This top was made using a newer pattern that I purchased on sale at Hancocks a few weeks ago. The pattern is McCalls 6967 and included in the pattern with this cute little top is a couple of dresses and a skirt. This was a really simple pattern to sew and I will probably go through my stash and make another one – it only takes one yard of fabric and a couple of hours to make this top.

The last top I recently finished sewing was this simple knit twisted shoulder top. This pattern was actually my own creation using a pattern from My Label pattern software and figuring out how to do the twisted shoulder. The whole top is made with a serger and super simple. In my etsy shop I offer a tutorial on how to make a top like this using an old t shirt. This particular one I actually used fabric and a pattern drafted to my measurements.

The other thing I finished in the past week was this crochet shrug – which I thought looked good with my twisted tank top and a skirt that I made a few years ago. The shrug is one I started a year ago and put it aside to work on other things. I decided it was time to get it finished and completed it. I love the way it turned out and wonder why I waited to long to get it done. This shrug is crocheted using Patons Glam yarn and is black and glitter sliver. The pattern features a ripple and pretty scalloped sleeve. I will be offering the pattern in my etsy shop very soon as well as on craftsy and ravelry.

School is starting here soon for my boys and we have been busy with the back to school yearly things that go with that. Even though there is another month or more left of summer it kind of feels like summer is ending once the kids start school – I am hoping that means the heat will end as well but I have a feeling it will be another month or more before that happens.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying cool.

-Kimberlee

Categories: Crochet Sewing

Tags: Crochet, sew, sewing, sewing tops, summer crochet shrug, summer sewing, tank tops

Handmade Holiday Giveaway

November 21, 2014 kimberlee 1 Comment

Today I’m over at Skip to My Lou as part of the Bake Craft Sew & Crochet Along. I am sharing a wonderful crochet pattern perfect for holiday gift giving.

Click HERE to take you to Skip To My Lou blog for the pattern.

In fact, you won’t want to miss all the handmade gift ideas! I have joined over 100 bloggers to share some amazing homemade gift ideas……..AND I get to be part of an amazing giveaway too. Keep reading…

You can enter to win a $300 Michaels gift card. Yes, you can buy yarn until your heart is content! Follow along with us and you can enter to win each day!

Just wait for the rafflecopter to load and get ready ……

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Categories: Crochet Giveaways

Tags: Crochet, crochet cowl, gift card giveaway, handemade holiday

Fall Crochet Shrug

October 29, 2014 kimberlee 1 Comment

This shrug is a crochet project that I recently finished. I actually started it a year ago and then it quickly became a UFO – or unfinished object. I am sure if you crochet, knit or sew you know what I am talking about. For some reason there are just certain projects that you set aside and intend to go back to but that doesn’t happen in a timely manner. Well, this was one of those. I am so glad to have finished it and have already been able to wear it once.

The colors of this shrug remind me of Fall. The yarn I used to crochet this was a cotton yarn from Hobby Lobby called I Love This Cotton. It is a great cotton yarn to work with and I have used it for a lot of other scarves and shawls that I have crochet or knit. It also washes well. I used three coordinating colors – a brown, orange and a maroon. The maroon is my son’s high school color so the shrug will go with my band Mom shirt.

Shrugs are a great accessory to have, in my opinion. They stay on better than a shawl or wrap and they keep your shoulders, upper arms and back warm. I live in a warmer climate so they are perfect to wear in the early spring or fall. I have also made some bulky weight shrugs that are nice to wear around the house in the winter when you are cold.

I will eventually be writing up a pattern on how to crochet this shrug but I am going to do another test run of crocheting it in a different yarn first. Currently I am working on a crochet cowl and a knit cowl – I hope to have both of them done in the next couple of weeks.

What crochet or knitting projects are you currently working on? Click on Leave a Reply and tell me about them.

Have a great day!

– Kimberlee

Categories: Crochet

Tags: Crochet, crochet project, crochet shrug, fall color shrug, fall crochet, shrug

WIP for June

June 18, 2014 kimberlee 4 Comments

WIP stands for work in progress and I have quite a few of those for this month. I typically have at least one crochet and one or two knitting projects going at all times but I got involved in a few extra this month and wanted to show what I have been working on lately.

I continue to work on my Noro garter and lace shawl that I started last summer and put aside. I really like this yarn and the project but it is like knitting with toothpicks on these tiny size 4 needles. I have a goal to get it done this summer though. I am a little more than halfway through with it now.

Below is a close up of the lace and garter rows. I now have over 250 stitches on my circular needles so it takes me at least 10 minutes to complete one row. I believe I will end up with over 375 stitches by the time it is finished.

My friend Karen and I decided to knit this advanced lace shawl called My Cat Stole My Heart. It is a pattern from Knit Picks. We usually meet and knit together at Starbucks twice a month and decided to do a KAL – Knit Along – together. She was planning to knit this for a friend and give it to her by September but the pattern is so long and very complex that she has changed her mind and will be knitting something a little easier for her friend.

The yarn I choose to knit this Cat Stole My Heart shawl is from Knit Picks – called Chroma fingering weight yarn. The color is called prism and I love it! The pattern called for lace weight yarn but I just couldn’t find one I really liked and decided to try it with this fingering weight. So far I am pleased with how it looks – this is my progress after about 10 days. I do not work on this every day because it is the type of knitting project that you have to really focus on and pay attention so you can not be talking to anyone or watching TV. I usually sit outside in the morning on my patio with my coffee after my workout and knit a few rows.

The below photo is a close up of the shawl – it is altering rows of a cat paw print and a lace heart design – the hearts go one way the paw print the other.

Around the same time I started the cat shawl I began a baby blanket for a gift for my neighbor who I just found out was pregnant and due any day. They are new neighbors and I had not seen them much the past few months and didn’t know she was having a baby. This is their first child and a little girl so of course I had to go through my stash and find a pretty pink yarn to knit a baby blanket. I never get to make pink things – other than for myself – since I have three sons. I am about halfway done with this little blanket. I am just using a simple diagonal knitting pattern (like for the dishcloths) that has a little openwork edge.

The dishcloths are a new obsession of mine lately since I participated in the May KAL with my facebook knitting group. I started another star pattern dishcloth in this red, white and blue stripe cotton yarn that I found at Joann last week. I like working on this for something simple that I can do while watching TV or talking to someone. Also, these dishcloths are very portable projects and easy to work on anywhere.

One of the other things I have started in the past few weeks is a crochet project using the Patons Glam stripe yarn I got on sale at Michaels back in May. I really like this yarn and I am designing a wrap and a shrug pattern with it. I have already knit a scarf with the yarn and I like how it looks and it is a nice yarn to work with.

I have also continued to watch some of my craftsy knitting class Lace Knitting Basics and Beyond with Eunny Jang. I am already familiar with knitting lace but I wanted to take this class to learn more about knitting lace patterns and reading charts. So far I am really pleased with the class and I like the instructor. She is easy to listen to and understand. You can click on the highlighted link to learn more about the class or click on the craftsy link in the right sidebar to learn more about their other knitting classes.

I would love to hear about your WIP – (work in progress) or any finished projects as well. Click on Leave a Reply to tell me about them.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Crochet Knitting

Tags: baby blanket, blanket, Crochet, crocheting, knitting, lace knitting, lace shawl, noro shawl, shawls, work in progress