Crochet Comfort and Joy - Last Minute Christmas Gifts

The Christmas season always comes upon us and passes us by so quickly!

Do you still have some last-minute gift shopping that needs to be done? Or are you just starting all of your baking projects for the week?

I love to give handmade gifts but often run out of time every December - if you are like me and are low on time, then check out these quick last minute gift ideas for Christmas:

All of the instructions for these projects can be found in Crochet World's special issue -
CROCHET COMFORT and JOY.

This magazine can be downloaded instantly here and has more than 50 great Christmas designs inside!

Elegant Woven Cowl

This cowl is crocheted with a simple textured stitch and embellished with a bright flower and some bling!

Gold Ice Bracelet

This bracelet is made up of a few square motifs with beautiful glass beads sewn into each one - perfect to wear to this year's New Year's Eve party!

Snow Globe Ornament

I am thankful this cute little guy made the front cover - he was fun to create with a small amount of brightly colored crochet cotton thread.

Tablet Wedge

This also uses a simple texture stitch that helps this project work up in no time - a great gift for someone who loves to snuggle down by the fire and read during the holidays!

Check this blog again for a new Christmas Celtic Knot design later this week!

Greystones Cowl

As I prepare for our trip to Ireland, I have been collecting a variety of photos on my Pinterest board, "Ireland" (https://www.pinterest.com/celknotcrochet/ireland/) - There are so many beautiful places to see! I can't get enough of the coastline, castles and green hills.

Above is pictured the South Beach in Greystones, Ireland which was the inspiration for the name of this cowl that was published in the February Issue of Crochet World.

Greystones Cowl
(Photo courtesy of Annie's)
 

This is a unique cowl in that it is reversible and has a button closure.  This front square shows the Diamond Stitch and the 'hidden' square is made up of the Basketweave Stitch.  The part that wraps around your neck is made up of several rows of stitches worked in the back loop only to give a great ribbed effect.  I crocheted it with a beautiful yarn -Plymouth Yarn's DK Superwash Merino - that shows the stitch definition wonderfully and feels soft against your skin.  This is a warm cowl which we still need up here in New England since it has snowed twice since April arrived!!

 

This and many other great patterns can be purchased as an instant digital download here.

 

 



 

Ladies Night Out Class - Fall 2015

We had a great group of ladies this past fall for our "Ladies Night Out" crochet class at a local craft store.  Each week we learned a different stitch that worked up into a cowl.  Everyone did a wonderful job completing a variety of cowls and loved being able to give them as Christmas gifts.

 

 Here is the Mountains Cowl by Julie King crocheted by Bonnie.

 

And a beautiful white cowl stitched in Herringbone Hdc by Anna.

 

 

 

 Here is the same cowl made by Celeste along with a hat to match - her own design for the hat! Way to go, Celeste!

 

 

 



 Marie crocheted this Hugs and Kisses Cowl

 designed by  Maria Bittner.

 

 

 

 Angela is modeling a cowl she made with post stitches, a flower and super bulky yarn.

 

 

 

 This is a great view of the zig-zags created by the stitches in the Mountains Cowl - This one Jenn crocheted - didn't she pick great colors?

 

 

For more photos of our cowl project and time in class, visit the page on the left, "Student Gallery of Projects".  Next class will start in March - email me to reserve a spot!

 

Deep Red Cowls for Christmas Gifts

This is a great time of year to wear red!  This Bangle Bead Scarf from the October issue of Crochet World (you can purchase here ) works up very quickly with Berroco's Captiva yarn.



Captiva (see Ravelry page here ) has a lovely sheen and when paired with the silver scarf bails and beads shown here, makes for an eye-catching one-of-a-kind cowl.


(I recently wore this project over a mint green sweater and received several compliments.)














This Crimson Beaded Neck Wrap also makes a great Christmas gift or accessory to wear to a Christmas-themed event.  This was crocheted with Caron's Simply Soft yarn and the edgings include glass beads.  The instructions for this cowl can be found in the October issue of the digital magazine, I Like Crochet.

 



There is still time to make either one of these for someone you love this Christmas!

Quick Snowflake Projects

 

Well, it is that time of year again when the snowflakes will soon start to fall - at least in our part of the country.  Our family loves to watch the snow fall in the winter especially around Christmastime.  We are still waiting eagerly for the first official snowfall but until then, I'll enjoy the various snowflake ornaments and decorations we have up around the house.



I love the beautiful designs of snowflakes so much that I created two designs that are in the current issues of Crochet! and Crochet World magazines.




This Snowflake Photo Ornament can easily be made in an afternoon and given as a unique gift complete with your own special photo inside. You can purchase a print or digital copy of Crochet World magazine - December 2015 - here.


The Snow Crystal Cowl would make another perfect gift for someone who loves winter or to wear to your next Christmas party.  (I think it would be a great accessory to wear to a Frozen-themed party as well!)  For this project I used a double-strand of a luxurious mohair and silk yarn  - Stacy Charles "Luna" (see Ravelry page here )in a beautiful blue.  Each of the snowflakes was crocheted with a very classy silk metallic yarn by the same manufacturer - "Stella" (see Ravelry page here ). Both yarns have an elegant metallic sheen that gives the look of real ice or glass.




This pattern and many other great winter projects in the Winter 2015 issue of Crochet! magazine can be downloaded here.


 

Free Pattern - Great Last Minute Christmas Gift!

Merry Christmas!

Here is another very quick Christmas gift idea for you:



WOVEN NECKLACE


 

This necklace is a FREE pattern and can be found here at www.redheart.com.

This chunky style necklace is made with Metallic Sashay Ruffle yarn in a unique way - This yarn is usually used to make ruffley scarves but I decided to crochet with it coming right off the ball.  Then the long chains are woven together in a special pattern to make the attractive center piece.

All instructions and diagrams can be found in the pattern.

I think this could make a great Christmas gift in red and white or red and green using the beautiful Sashay yarns.