ATC swap makes

I'm a member of a lovely craft group on Facebook full of lovely ladies who are all a little cuckoo but that love crafts. Some crochet/knit, some just do papercraft and some try their hand at whatever takes their fancy. Once a month there is an ATC swap and I hadn't made any ATCs for years and never thought back then to get pictures of them before sending them off. So this time round I'm going to make sure I get a picture. These are the ones I've made for September which the theme of Halloween or Autumn.

I like working on ATCs as they are small enough that I can try techniques but I'm also not throwing a whole card away if it goes really wrong or I'm just not happy with it.

Desk upcycle

Over the summer holidays my daughters spent a few days at the seaside with their nan and aunt.  This gave me a bit of time to get some sorting and organising done and I'm pleased with what I managed to do. Both their rooms were rearranged, tidied and organised, my craft room got a little bit more organised but the best thing I did was transform my old craft desk onto a new one for my eldest.
This is what it was like before I started.

After a bit of sanding, painting, doodling, sticking and mending it turned onto this :

The edges were a bit rough and just looked horrible so i thought what better way to sort it than to raid the washi tape stash. The theme in my daughters room is colour splash as she couldn't decide how or what she wanted done with it. To save having to redecorate and buy all new furnishings we did it the easy way and just have everything different colours thrown in. 

This was my favourite make this year until last night when I finished a pair of shoes for my youngest which I'll post later as it's almost school run time.

I'll also add some of the things I've made this last year.

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Crochet Pattern Adding

Pattern number One

Smoothie/Barbie Hat

 This pattern is for Smoothie hats but also good for Barbie! If you don't know what the smoothie hats are for head on over to The Big Knit to find out more.

This time i had remembered to write the pattern down so i could share it with those interested. These hats are simple to whip up in no time and are great for using up odds and ends of wool. 

I have added it as a written pattern but if anyone wants photos to help just comment below and I'll get that done but only thought to do that half way through a hat!!

OK here goes I have written it in US terms as that's how i learnt but i will also add the UK version of the pattern after so you don't have to try and convert it. If anyone finds any problems just comment below and I'll try and sort out what went wrong!

I use a 4mm hook for this and any yarn works pretty well

Key: US terms

ch - chain

sc- single crochet

hdc - half double crochet

st - stitch

sl t - slip stitch

hdc2tog - half double crochet 2 together

sc2tog - single crochet 2 together

Ch 25.

hdc into 2nd ch from hook

one hdc in each chain across (24 st)

* ch1. turn. 1 hdc into each st* (24 st)

repeat from * to * for 3 more rows (24 st)

ch 1 and turn

hdc into first 2 st, hdc2tog, hdc, hdc, hdc2tog, hdc, hdc, hdc2tog, hdc, hdc, hdc2tog, hdc,hdc,hdc2tog, hdc, hdc2tog, hdc (18 st ) don't worry if it starts curling that is perfectly normal

ch 1 and turn

*sc, sc, sc2tog * repeat *'s 3 times and then sc in last 2 st (14 st)

ch 1 turn

1 sc in each stitch across (14 st)

fasten off with a sl st. leave about 6 inches of yarn to sew together.

Sewing together

Weave the yarn in and out of the top stitches and pull tight to create the top of the hat. now sew the two sides together to form the back of the hat. weave in ends and your done.

I hope this made sense to you all as I'm so used to writing patterns for myself that i get lazy and just write the whole thing in abbreviations!!

Right now for the same pattern in UK terms

Key: UK terms

ch - chain

dc- double crochet

htr - half treble crochet

st - stitch

sl t - slip stitch

htr2tog - half treble crochet 2 together

dc2tog - double crochet 2 together

Ch 25.

htr into 2nd ch from hook

one htr in each chain across (24 st)

* ch1. turn. 1tr into each st* (24 st)

repeat from * to * for 3 more rows (24 st)

ch 1 and turn

htr into first 2 st, htr2tog, hdc, hdc, htr2tog, hdc, hdc, htr2tog, hdc, hdc, htr2tog, hdc,hdc,htr2tog, hdc, htr2tog, hdc (18 st ) don't worry if it starts curling that is perfectly normal

ch 1 and turn

*dc, dc, dc2tog * repeat *'s 3 times and then dc in last 2 st (14 st)

ch 1 turn

1 dc in each stitch across (14 st)

fasten off with a sl st. leave about 6 inches of yarn to sew together.

Sewing together

Weave the yarn in and out of the top stitches and pull tight to create the top of the hat. now sew the two sides together to form the back of the hat. weave in ends and your done.

Here is what your finished hat should look like

The little hats with the band round the bottom were done using this pattern but after the first row i finished of the added the second colour which i continued the pattern with. To create the stripy hat start an new colour on each row apart from the last where you do the same colour as the row before.

For those who have never done a decrease before i have added a couple of links to tutorials on how to do the sc/dc decrease and the hdc/htr decrease that i found useful when i was learning. 

here is the one for the sc/dc decrease - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zxV1em2670

and for the hdc/htr decrease - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VB7orGBABk

As always i am happy for people to use my patterns but please do not duplicate,lend, claim, or sell them as your own. I am happy for you to post your finished items online but please link back to my blog for the pattern. You can sell as many finished items as you wish that have been made using my pattern but please bear in mind that it was created for use to raise money for charity. 

Thank you 

x

Pattern Number Two

Ice Pop Cosy

It can be used to hold your ice pop, freezy, frube or anything like that. It is available in 3 different sizes to suit not only the size of the ice pop but also the size of hand that is holding it.

The pattern is available to download for free from my Ravelry store here so you can save it for later. It is also written in both UK and US terms so just pick the PDF with the terms you prefer.

I am also going to add the US term version here for those of you who don't have Ravelry. If any of you would like the UK terms version too please just leave a comment and i will add it for you. If any of you with Ravelry want to share your finished products please do so either here or on Ravelry as would love to see what you made.

Here you go

A perfect item to keep both big and small hands from getting too cold while cooling down this summer. Great for beginners. The pattern is written in 3 sizes depending on the size of hand you’re making them for.

Pattern is written in US terms

Materials needed:

Any DK or worsted weight yarn (only need a small amount and scraps work great for stripes

5mm hook (US 8/H)

Yarn needle (for sewing in ends)

Sizes:

6 rows = small (perfect for toddler or child)

8 rows = medium (teen and women)

10 rows = large (big man hands)

Abbreviations:

Dc - Double Crochet

sl st – Slip Stitch

Ch – Chain

Now to start:

Ch 14

1.  Dc 3rd chain from hook. Dc each chain across.

2.      Ch 2 turn. Dc between the 1^st 2 dc of row before. Dc between each set of dc on row before until you reach the end.

If you are using one colour repeat row 2 for required number of rows. Skip to Sewing together

If you are working stripes then please continue to step 3

3.      Fasten off colour on row 2, turn and attach the new colour to the space between the dc of row before. Ch 2 dc into same space. Continue adding 1dc to each space along. Ch 2 turn. Repeat with dc in each space. Fasten off

4.      Repeat row 3 once, twice or 3 times more depending on the length you are making.

Fasten off last row but leave a long tail to sew up the side.

Sewing together:

Fold in half width ways with right sides together. Whip stitch down the side making sure to catch only part of the dc post and not go between the posts (as this leaves a big gap). When you reach the bottom you now have the choice to fasten off and weave in ends or to sew across the bottom (this is handy to do if you have the short ice pops as they sit snug in the bottom. We usually have the large ones so we like to be able to move the cosy up the ice pop as we eat them.

Pop in your ice pop and enjoy!

You are more than welcome to sell your finished items but please no not sell the pattern or claim it as your own. If you choose to sell or share your finished product please give credit to Jenny @ CraftyNookReviewer.blogspot.com/

Pattern Number Three

Soap Saver

This pattern is available for FREE over on Ravelry in my store. It's all ready to download straight to your computer and it is available in both UK and US terminology. Please feel free to share the pattern but do not claim it as your own as it took a lot of time and effort to get it right. I had a lovely group of ladies test the pattern for me and they were all happy with their finished projects so i hope you will be to.

The soap saver pattern can be found HERE

This is what your item should look like when finished ( these are some made by my tester ladies)

XxX

I'm so excited

I can't believe I am finally getting this done. I had a blog a while ago but die to family commitments it ended up taking a backseat and being forgotten. Life is now back to a steady pace so I thought lets start fresh and go from there.
This blog is going to be similar to my old one with me showing the crafty things I've been working by on as well as reviews on items I've been able to try for either free or for less. I am fortunate to be a member of several groups that give me the chance to try products and review them. Unfortunately sometimes you are limited to a set number of words for the review which is ok for some things but for others there is more you want to say but can't so I thought what better than to add the review to a blog where there is only the limit of your imagination and vocabulary!
Craft wise there will be things I'm working on as well as some of the things I have made over the past few years. I have some crochet patterns I've written so I'll post those for anyone who is interested as they seemed quite popular on my old blog.
I have a new review in the pipeline and I'm in the process of a trial at the moment so that review will be on soon.
I'm going to leave it there for now and will post some photos later when I'm home as I'm currently sat at a friends house after having a make up trial.

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