As a bit of an inside joke, I made a crochet pattern for a pie duck: a duck that is a pie that is a duck. I made a rainbow set as prizes for a local event. I used Red Heart yarn because I had a lot of colors left over from previous projects, but… Continue reading Pie Duck: Free Crochet Pattern for Food-Animal Amigurumi
Book Binding Part 1: Macbeth with Coptic Stitch
This October I got together with some friends to read through Macbeth, and used it as an excuse to try out book binding. I’ve been wanting to try book binding, and something like Macbeth, which is in the public domain, seemed like a great place to start. I downloaded the full text of the play… Continue reading Book Binding Part 1: Macbeth with Coptic Stitch
Neon Glitter Santa and Reindeer, or Always Test Colorfastness First
I was cleaning out my craft cabinet the other day and discovered eight unfinished wooden reindeer cutouts and a Santa. I didn’t have red and green paint, so I decided to decorate them with neon and glitter paint pens from a previous project. I painted the wooden cutouts gray and sprayed them with mod podge… Continue reading Neon Glitter Santa and Reindeer, or Always Test Colorfastness First
Not a Phase Crochet Shawl, Starring Mediocre Yarn
This is the story of a yarn I almost gave up on because I didn’t like knitting with it. I set it aside to donate to a local second-hand craft store, but every time I walked past it I was reminded of how much I liked the colors. So I decided to try again, with… Continue reading Not a Phase Crochet Shawl, Starring Mediocre Yarn
Blocking Shawls Is Effective, to No One’s Surprise
I finally got around to blocking my Study Hall Shawl this week! I finished knitting the shawl (designed by Sarah Schira) over a year ago, and I have now fully finished it. For those not in the know, blocking a knitted or crocheted item consists of getting it wet, squeezing as much water out as… Continue reading Blocking Shawls Is Effective, to No One’s Surprise
Embroidered Sun Based on Rapunzel’s Drawings in Tangled
I finally finished embroidering the sun that Rapunzel draws in Tangled! I started working on it more than 2 years ago, and I repeatedly told my spouse that I would finish it “soon.” We even left space for it on the wall at our last apartment, but as you can probably guess, that space stayed… Continue reading Embroidered Sun Based on Rapunzel’s Drawings in Tangled
Crochet Pattern Update for Filbo from Bugsnax
Earlier this year I published a crochet pattern for Filbo, a character from the video game Bugsnax, with five interchangeable limbs. I’ve since updated the pattern to have six additional limb options. I thought this would be a great opportunity to explain why I decided to design a pattern for the character, and how my… Continue reading Crochet Pattern Update for Filbo from Bugsnax
Free Crochet Pattern for Shield-Shaped Pill – Part 2
As promised in a previous post, I finished the pattern for a shield-shaped pill! This is the shape of Lamictal (generic name: lamotrigine), a medication used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder. I didn’t quite finish in time for Mental Health Awareness Month, but mental health isn’t something that stops being important after May. My… Continue reading Free Crochet Pattern for Shield-Shaped Pill – Part 2
Making a Crochet Pill Part 1 (Shield-Shaped, for Epilepsy and Bipolar)
I’ve seen a lot of cute crocheted amigurumi pills shared for Mental Health Awareness Month recently. Lamictal (generic name lamotrigine) is prescribed for epilepsy and bipolar, and has a very fun shield shape! The only craft or art I could find in the shield pill shape was a necklace charm. After a quick image search,… Continue reading Making a Crochet Pill Part 1 (Shield-Shaped, for Epilepsy and Bipolar)
A Crafting Checkmate, or Why Patterns Are Good
Last week I tried very hard to freehand crochet a chess piece, specifically a rook (aka castle). At first I thought of making a pawn, but I wanted to make something less simple. The knight (the horse piece) and the bishop seemed like they would take more effort than I wanted, so I decided to… Continue reading A Crafting Checkmate, or Why Patterns Are Good