Lap blanket in double crochet

This is the type of piece that happens when you have a skein or two of yarn and no other ideas for how to use it up! Oh well, it turned out to be just the right size to use as a lap warmer/lap blanket.

Loom-knitted hat for Caleb

Caleb's Grandpa Allen started this cap project, then gifted some of his knitting looms and yarn to me (including this blue cap). So I finished it and tucked it in with Caleb's Christmas gifts.

I suppose it turned out OK considering that it was the first time I'd ever used knitting looms.

Craving crochet

"Really feel like sitting at home and learning to crochet."

I posted this as my status on Facebook on Oct. 5, 2010. Shortly thereafter I would grab some yarn, pick up a hook, turn on YouTube for lessons, and never look back as I started on a crafting journey with crochet that would bring me joy and fulfillment for years to come.

Knitting and crochet

Now that I've been able to get a little crafty again recently by hand-knotting lanyards, I find my appetite whetted to expand to other practical projects, such as knitting and crochet. I did some knitting years ago, but I never learned how to crochet properly. My daughter Mika is pretty much a self-taught crocheter, so maybe she will give me some guidance.

Anyway, I discovered a Freedomblogging blog today called "Fiber Lust Confessional," and there I found a link to a booklet of free patterns available as a PDF download from Berroco yarns. Hopefully, I can find the time to try some of these!

Lanyards

For a while now, I've been wanting to craft some hand-knotted/beaded lanyards on which to wear my credentials to work. There's a great site called BooJee Beads where I could buy some really cool handmade lanyards, but I think it would be a lot more satisfying (and a lot less expensive) to make them myself.

So I finally got my thoughts organized and found a great site - Free-Macrame-Patterns.com - with free macramé instructions and patterns, including detailed instructions for how to craft jewelry and related items out of small cords (like 1 mm hemp or embroidery floss), which is the size I had in mind for making my lanyards.

I first wanted to make a lanyard with a spiral pattern. This page at Free-Macrame-Patterns has simple, detailed instructions for how to create the spiral effect. I wasn't able to find embroidery floss at Walmart to begin my project, so I settled for 1 mm hemp, which is probably a lot easier to work with because it's less slippery than the floss, so it holds the knots much better.

Step 1: Mount two cords to a ring or holding cord. This will give you four strands to work with. Using the two outside cords as your working cords, tie the first half of a square knot (i.e., a half knot).

Step 2: Repeat the half knot over and over. Make sure you tie each of the knots exactly the same way. The cords will twist to form an attractive spiral chain.

 

 

Here's a photo of my first work in progress. I started with blue and yellow strands.

And here's the finished lanyard:

 

Here's the second lanyard: