Thoughts on the craft.

Some tips for the trade.
There are many new to the crochet world and I just wanted to express the bond between a hooker (and I mean a crochet artist) and their yarn. If you enjoy the craft, you will become a "yaddict" as my father calls it. I fully confess that I have an addiction to yarn and an addiction to crocheting. Yarn is always out and about in my house. Before I really get off topic, I wanted to give some tips to the people who are relatively new to the glorious world of yarn.

For dealing with patterns, I can not express how much you need to trust that the pattern is correct. There are times that I feel like I'm almost "testing" the pattern and making myself believe that it is actually inaccurate. If something doesn't look right on paper or on my hook, I have tended to blame the pattern. However, this shouldn't be the case. Unless you do, rip apart and do over a few times, you can not be sure that it IS the pattern. I know making booties, that I haven't trusted the pattern, but, when I finally got down to it and really read every single line word for word, I realized--IT WAS ME! Me!?!?!?!?! The pattern was just something that I wasn't used to. With that said, I state again, trust the pattern! We crochet geeks know what we are talking about (most of the time)

Again with the whole pattern scene: read the pattern and see if you know how to do certain stitches. Most patterns will tell you what stitches are going to be used and if they are difficult ones, MOST of the time it's going to tell you how to do it. Also, you can look on youtube (wonderful invention, by the way) for directions and instruction that are easy to follow.

Second, more yarn is better than not enough. Honestly--it really is. Normally, if I think a blanket it going to take 5 skeins of yarn, I get two more additionally, just in case. Now, for a pattern, you don't really have to do this because people have tested it out. In this case, it would only be necessary if you were using a larger hook or if you were going to make the item bigger than the pattern has said. More yarn is better!!!

Next--when making items for babies from a pattern for a child or toddler (sometimes adult), if you want to make it smaller--use a smaller hook. For even smaller--use a smaller hook AND a different size yarn like sport yarn. The same goes for if you want to make something bigger-but in reverse. If you want to make something bigger, use a bigger hook and bigger sized yarn. It seriously is THAT simple. This is something I didn't know until I really got into crochet and started doing my own patterns.

For handling your hook. If you are brand new at this, you want to figure out how holding the hook is most comfortable for you. That goes for the yarn as well. People hold things differently. I knew someone who would hold the yarn over their pinky for more control. That gives me the creeps because I don't really like the inside of my pinky touched, but hey, it's YOUR position. Mine, I think people would think is weird, too.
Start out with easy yarn like 4 ply cotton. You don't want to confuse yourself with hard to use yarn like Homespun. Start simple--move up!

Lastly, don't get discouraged. We all make mistakes. I am constantly ripping my work apart because I don't like the shape, I missed a stitch, I counted wrong, etc. It happens!

Have fun hookin' everyone!

<3 Sillygoose!

Easy Magic circle flower

Hi all! I've been designing away and I made these booties with this pretty little flower on them. It's a very easy flower pattern and it works perfect on these booties!



Create a magic circle MC.
*ch3, yo, insert hook into the mc. yo pull up, yo pull through two loops. yo, insert hook into mc. yo pull up, yo, pull through two loops. yo again and pull through all three loops on hook. ch 3, slst on magic circle.*



first petal created



do in between ** 5 more times. pull on the ends tight to make the flower. fasten off and weave in the ends. :)

Booties with a Bow!

Booties with a bow!

Materials:

-          D crochet hook

-          G crochet hook (for bow)

-          3 ounces of cotton Yarn (I used “I love this Cotton” from Hobby Lobby)

-          Small amount of elastic

-          Small amount of thread

-          Sewing needle

-          Tapestry needle.

Stitches Used:

-          FHDC -  Foundation half double crochet

§   Ch2, YO (yarn over) insert hook into second ch from hook. YO and pull through the stitch. YO, pull through one loop on hook. YO pull through all of the  loops on the hook. To continue, YO, insert hook into stitch just made, YO and pull through the stitch. YO, pull through one loop on the hook. YO pull through the rest of the loops on the hook. Continue until you get the desired amount. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBR6SCt8IA

-          DC2tog- Double Crochet Decrease

§   [Yarn over, insert hook in next stitch, yarn over and pull up loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops] 2 times, yarn over, draw through all loops on hook—1 stitch decreased.

-          HDC- Half double crochet

-          Tr Cl- Treble Cluster

•   Yo twice on hook. Insert hook into the center of the circle. YO and pull through circle. YO, pull through 2 loops on hook. YO, pull through next 2 loops. * Repeat from * 3 more times. YO, pull yarn through all 5 loops on hook.

-          Slst- Slip stitch

SOLE

Round 1: Start with 9FDHC. Crochet 4HDC in the last stitch that you made. 1HDC in each of the next 7 stitches. 2HDC in the last stitch. Join with Slst in the top of the first HDC in foundation round.

Round 2: *Ch2, HDC* in same stitch as the join. 1HDC in the next 7 stitches. 2 HDC in the next 5 stitches. 1HDC in the next 7 stitches. 2HDc in the next 2 stitches. Join into top of ch2 at the beginning of round.

Round 3: *Ch2, HDC* in the same stitch as the join. 1 HDC in the next 12 stitches. 2 HDC in the next 3 stitches. 1 HDC in the next 12 stitches. 2 HDC in the next 2 stitches.

SIDES

Round 4 and 5: Ch 2 (counts as stitch) HDC in the next 35 stitches for 36 st total. Join at the top of ch2.

Round 6: Ch2. HDC in the next 12stitches. DC2tog 6 times (12 stitches should be used) HDC in next 12 stitches. Join into top of ch2.

Round 7: Ch2. HDC in next 11 stitches. DC2tog 4 times. HDC in next 11 stitches. Join. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

BOW:

Ch 5. Join with first ch to make a circle.

Ch4. TrCl into circle: *Yo twice on hook. Insert hook into the center of the circle. YO and pull through circle. YO, pull through 2 loops on hook. YO, pull through next 2 loops. * Repeat from * 3 more times. YO, pull yarn through all 5 loops on hook.

Ch4. Slst into circle.

Ch4. TrCl into circle: *Yo twice on hook. Insert hook into the center of the circle. YO and pull through circle. YO, pull through 2 loops on hook. YO, pull through next 2 loops. * Repeat from * 3 more times. YO, pull yarn through all 5 loops on hook.

Ch4. Sl st into circle. Fasten off. Leave a long tail (10-12 inches).

After you have cut the 10-12in tail, take that tail and wrap it around the middle. You want to wrap it evenly and tight enough so that the bow “petals” stay in place. Weave in the ends in the middle of the bow in the back.

Take your elastic and with the thread and needle, sew the bow onto the middle of the elastic. After you do this, sew the elastic part to the sides of the bootie. I turned the bootie inside out to make sure that you couldn’t see the elastic.

ADMIRE! J
And then make the second one.

I was Hat Happy

Very recently, I went a little hat happy. You'll see what I mean....

You are my Cupcake Toddler Hat (Crochet)

You  Are My Cupcake Hat

Items Used: “I Love This Cotton” yarn from Hobby Lobby. (If you don’t have a Hobby Lobby near you, you can also use Sugar n’ Cream Cotton—they have scents, too, so you can make your hat SMELL!)

3 ounces “I love this cotton” Ivory Spark

2 ounces “I love this cotton” brown

1 ounce “Sugar n’ cream” Rose Scented

1 ounce of any color that you wish to make “sprinkles” with

H Hook (for smaller sizes, use a smaller hook)

Yarn Needle

STITCHES USED:
Ch-Chain
DC-Double Crochet
HDC-Half Double crochet
HDC Dec-Half double crochet Decrease
HDCBP- Half double crochet back post
HDCFP- Half double crochet front post

To do HDC Dec: Work a hdc in the next stitch without completing the very last step (keep all three loops on hook) , then hdc in the next stitch without completing the last step. You should have 5 loops on the hook then yarn over and draw through all the loops. Decrease made.
To do HDCBP: YO (yarn over), insert hook through the BACK of the post stitch. YO and pull through
To do HDCFP: YO, insert hook through the front of the post stitch. YO and pull through.

 If you need help, there is a great tutorial here  àhttp://youtu.be/56eTH2LxBWw. HOWEVER, instead of doing a DC, do a HDC.

To start:

With Ivory Spark (or the lighter color) Make a magic circle. Ch 3 (this will count as a dc from here throughout the rest of the pattern). 11 DC in the center. Join with top of Ch3. Pull the tail tight to close the hole in the middle of the MC.  [12dc total]

Round 1: Ch 3, DC in the same stitch. In the next stitch, 2 DC. Continue to do 2DC all the way around.  Join at the top of the ch 3[24dc total]

Round 2: Ch 3. *2 dc in next stitch. 1dc in stitch after that.* Continue the pattern between the * all the way around. Join at the top of the ch 3. [36 dc total]

Round 3: Ch 3. *1 dc in the next stitch. 2 dc in next stitch. 1 dc in the following two stitches.* continue what is in the * all the way around. Join at the top of the ch 3 .[48 dc total]

Round 4: Ch 3. *1 dc in the next two stitches. 2 dc in the next stitch. 1 dc in the next three stitches* Continue what’s in the ** all the way around. Join at the top of the ch 3. [60dc total]

Round 5: Ch 3. *1 dc in the next 3 stitches. 2 dc in the next stitch. 1dc in the next four stitches* Continue between the * Join at the top of the ch 3. [72dc total]

Round 6, 7 and 8: Ch 3. One DC in each of the stitches around.

Round 9: Ch2. One HDC in the next 3 stitches. *HDC Dec over the next two stitches (makes one stitch for the next round. One HDC in the next four stitches. HDC Dec over the next two stiches.* continue in between ** until the last five stitches. HDC in next 3 stitches. HDC Dec over the next two stitches. Join with the top of ch 2, fasten off. [58 stitches]   This row creates the illusion that the top is a cupcake top.

Round 10-13: Join brown color where ivory color left off. Ch 2 (count as the first HDCBP). The pattern all the way around goes *HDCFP, HDCBP, HDCFP, HDCBP, etc* it will end on a BP. This makes the ribbed texture as well as it’s more stretchy. If you want a bigger cupcake bottom, keep going! After, fasten off and weave in the ends.

POM POM cherry top: (I used my phone, but you can use a piece of rectangle cardboard or something that has two paralell, straight edges). USING MY PHONE….I wrapped yarn around the phone around 40 times. I slid this group of yarn off. With a separate piece of yarn (I’d say about 8-12 inches long) TIGHTLY tie around the middle of the yarn group. Then cut the yarn that looks folded on each side. Another good tutorial is here à http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NZDegGzY4c&feature=related (I’m using method 2)

With the long tail that I suggested you make, attatch to top of the hat, weaving in the ends into the hat.

SPRINKLES: With the color of your choice, snip  2 inch pieces off. Each two inch piece, insert anywhere on your hat. I did diagonal, straight, up down, etc. I would insert the yarn through the inside of the hat and go to the top of the hat creating a line. Then I would go back into the inside of the hat and lightly tie the ends together.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT ME. J

Please don’t sell my pattern or anything dealing with my pattern. If you use my pattern and post pictures of the hat, please reference me in there somewhere. If you sell the finished product, please just let me know J Thanks.

Welcome?

Upon welcoming myself to the blogger, I still haven't been able to figure out what to write about. I thought about attempting to be funny, but if you knew my sense of humor, it's not that funny and it's not worth listening to. I try. With not much success.

Either way, to tell you a little bit about myself and the creation that is Silly Goose...Silly Goose is obviously not my real name. Silly Goose is my daughter's nick name and a name that my husband and I decided would be perfect for things that I like to do...as most of it is for my little girl. Perfect. I enjoy crafting and art, but most of all, I enjoy yarn crafts. I love to crochet and I dabble in knitting. Crocheting was something that I taught myself how to do and is an amazing stress reliever. I actually never really bought my first "Crochet for dummies" until a year ago, when I decided it was time to actually LEARN what I was trying to do. Since then, things have just kind of taken off. I do a bit of crocheting every night to get a little bit of relaxation after work. My job is stressful, as most jobs are, and this makes me drift away with each yarn over, single crochet, or any sort of stitch that I decide to put in my work. A lot of my things are not based on patterns, but things that I made myself and designed myself. If I use a pattern, it's only because I don't know how to do a specific thing on an item that I want to make. As soon as I learn that technique, watchin out, that pattern is going to be altered, or even scrapped all together as I am going to make someone of my own with it.

In any mess, I guess, I welcome myself, yet again, to the world of Silly Goose Crafts. And to those who are reading this, feel free to use my patterns that I post on here. I ask that you don't sell my pattern and if you use my pattern to make something, just reference me and where you got it from. Sell what ever you make using the pattern. But, that pattern, IS MINE. We pattern makers put a lot of effort into making that pattern, writing that pattern out and testing it.

Also, feel free to ask me if you have questions. :-)

Silly Goose