Paperless Post

Thanksgiving will be here soon and I think it is the perfect time to send out special "Thank you" cards to your friends and family.  Taking the few minutes to send a card in which you include a personal note can make someone's day.

I recently tried out some digital cards made by Paperless Post.  They have all kinds of beautiful options! Shown above is one of my favorites - simple and sweet.

You can create your own cards (in a variety of sizes and types), add your own text and even upload your own photo.  Then you can even design your envelope by choosing from a wide variety of colors and images.

When your recipient receives the card in their email inbox, they see the card come out of your pretty envelope and can read your message with a lovely background behind it.

Everything is very simple to set up and pick out - I love how the examples of each color and font type are shown as an image so you know exactly what you are picking.  When you click on an option, you see what you picked immediately on your card so you can decide if you would like to keep it or not.  You also have the option of creating a template to use again and again in the future.

Thank you to Paperless Post for giving me some "coins" (the 'money' that buys you all of their options) to give their cards a try and send along to some friends. I have plans to create some more special cards for family over the course of this month.  Check back here to see some more of my creations.

Crochetville Designer Blog Tour

Hello everyone!

Thank you for stopping by on the Crochetville Designer Blog Tour! Have a look around at my past posts and the pages on the left.

Thank you to Amy and Donna of Crochetville for all the work they are doing to make this 5th annual tour happen! Make sure to click back to Crochetville to see all that they are offering this month. Great stuff!

Crochet has always been a part of my life.  When I was a little girl (too young to crochet yet) our home had many beautiful thread crochet projects all around that my grandmother had made (first photo in this post).  Then I learned how to crochet at about age 8 and had my own creations of crocheted doll clothes and bookmarks around.  

A few of my very first projects - a doll top and stuffed animal hat

Once I became a teenager I bought my own crochet leaflets (with babysitting earnings) and taught myself how to do the thread crochet while making a variety of Christmas ornaments.  For several years I consistently brought out my crochet when it was time to make Christmas gifts.

Thread Crochet Ornament

I crocheted baby blankets and booties for my first child while I was pregnant. 

Cute little booties for my first child

Then about a year after my second child was born, I started teaching crochet to adults and children. Creating courses and coming up with designs that allowed my students to practice their skills became a great new creative outlet for me.  About 5 years after that, I tried my hand at designing crochet patterns for publication and crochet became a much bigger part of my life! (Visit the Editor's Blog for Crochet World by Jackie Daugherty TODAY to hear more about how I began my Celtic Knot Crochet technique.)

My daughters now all crochet and love the craft - it is wonderful to see them create school projects, gifts for family and friends and their own accessories.

Crocheted projects all by my daughters

  And I am often crocheting while waiting for them (during their appointments or classes) or spending time at home - I always have several projects in the works either for a magazine publication or for my own website.  My Celtic Knot Crochet creations are often my most favorite.

So, with all of the crocheting that goes on here, I guess you could say that every month is like National Crochet Month!  In honor of this special month and all of you who are visiting this year and have visited in year's past, we are offering a NEW FREE Celtic Knot Crochet pattern.

Come visit my Ravelry store here to download your free copy.

Thank you for visiting! 

National Crochet Month - Crochetville Blog Tour!

The 5th annual blog tour is underway! Crochetville is stopping by to visit several designers and yarn shops this month.  Every day there are projects to see, patterns that inspire and giveaways to win!

Stop by www.crochetville.com to see all that is happening.

I have enjoyed reading the answers to the various questions Crochetville is asking the designers and it's great to see all the beautiful designs they have created.  It is only the beginning of the month, so there is a great deal more to see!

Stop by here on Tuesday, March 7th for my turn - I'll be publishing a new Celtic Knot crochet pattern.

Celtic Heart Knot Pin

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I wanted to make this pattern available here in my Ravelry pattern store - the Celtic Heart Knot Pin.

We made this project on our Craftours/Annie's Crochet Tour of Ireland last summer (June 2016) during one of the workshops I taught. It uses a very small amount of yarn and can be made quickly. Several of the participants finished their pins and wore them proudly around Ireland.

To complete the heart you will need a small amount of coordinating or contrasting felt that is glued or sewn to the back of the heart. You may choose to attach a pin backing or include a key ring as shown in the photo above.

As you can see there are many edging options included in this pattern.  A diagram of the Celtic Knot is also included.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chunky Cable Basket

I love creating braids with crochet stitches - it reminds me of the over and under designs of Celtic Knots.  This basket is made with a very chunky yarn and large hook.  Because of the large yarn it works up very quickly and would be a great way to store yarn.

This pattern can be found in the Feb. 2017 issue of I Like Crochet - a digital crochet magazine with a wide variety of projects for all skill levels - www.ilikecrochet.com.

I Like Crochet - February 2017

Here is the Valentine's Day issue of I Like Crochet - It's great to see two of my designs on the front cover!

The Beary Cute Cord Buddy is a small and practical project for storing your headphones.

Mr. Hedgehug might look prickly but he's as soft as can be and would make a fun gift for your Valentine.

Both of these projects were crocheted with Nazli Gelin's Garden 3 100% Egyptian cotton crochet thread.

The patterns for these projects and over 25 more can be found at www.ilikecrochet.com  - simply sign-up and pay for a yearly subscription and you will have instant digital access to dozens of patterns.