Polar Bear Applique

Polar Bear!

I actually worked up this pattern nearly a year ago for a friend who wanted a polar bear to add to her husband's hat. Some slight disorganization and other life stuff had me forget about it until just a short bit ago. I found the pattern and the pictures and decided it was time to share this fun pattern with you! Finished size is about 4in long and 3in tall. As always, feel free to ask questions and leave comments.
P.S. Sorry some of the pictures are a bit fuzzy, but hopefully they'll still help you visualize what's intended.

Polar Bear Applique
 
Supplies:
Worsted weight yarn
Hook: 8/H - 5.0mm

Abbreviations:
blo = back loop only
ch = chain
hdc = half double crochet.
sc = single crochet
ss = slipstitch

I. Starting the body.
Foundation: ch 9, turn
Round 1: sc blo into 2nd ch from hook. 7 sc blo, ch 1. Turn work 180° clockwise, so unused loops of foundation chain are up. Sc blo into unused loops of foundation chain (8 sc). Ch 1, turn 180° clockwise, ss into first sc.
Round 2: ch 1, 18 sc (going all the way around the oval). ss and cut yarn.
(I find it helpful to go ahead and weave in the ending tail at this point.)

Round 1

Round 2

II. Starting the head.
Round 1: Make a magic loop (I like this tutorial for the magical loop). ch 1, 7 sc into the loop, ch 1, ss blo into first sc of this round.
Round 2: ch 3, ss blo (makes ear). 3 ss blo, ch 3, sc into 2nd ch from hook, sc into ch, ss blo to head (makes snout). 3 ss blo.

head next to body

III. Attaching to & around body.

1. ss blo to body (on shorter side of oval). ss blo 3.
2. ch 5, sc into 2nd ch from hook, sc 3 into chains, ss blo to body (makes front leg).
3. 3 ss blo, ch 5, sc into 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc, 1 hdc, skip 1 stitch on body, ss blo to body (makes back leg).
4. 10 ss blo, ss blo to head. finish yarn. Weave in remaining ends. 

Head attached

Almost there

Rainbow Bowls: Curious Pug Crochet-Along (CAL)

A blog I've recently stumbled across has started monthly crochet-a-longs. The Curious Pug's October CAL features Rainbow Nesting Bowls by Seriously Daisies. There will be a collection of links to everyone's blog posts and/or photos for the bowls at the end of the month. I finished my set yesterday and took a picture.

I also discovered that using the bowls in an alternate fashion can be smile-inducing.

Apple Pencil Jar

I have a couple teacher friends, so I decided it would be cute to have a stuffed apple pencil jar. This pattern is for a jar about 2 inches in diameter and 2 inches tall, but increases and decreases could be added in order to accommodate other jar sizes. Feel free to ask for help in regards to sizing and I'll do my best via the internet.

Leaf 2 is the front of this picture.

Yarn: worsted weight (Loops & Threads Impeccable Solids: Burgundy)
Hook: 4.25mm/G
A stitch marker will be useful as this pattern is written to be stitched in a spiral.

hdc = half-double crochet
hdc2tog = half-double crochet two together, half-double crochet decrease

Start with a magic loop. (Tips on making circles here.)

1. 6 hdc into loop.
2. 2 hdc into each hdc below (12 hdc).
3. *2 hdc in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next hdc* repeat 5 more times around (18 hdc).
4. *2 hdc in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 2 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (24 hdc).
5. *2 hdc in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 3 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (30 hdc).
6. *2 hdc in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 4 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (36 hdc).
7. *2 hdc in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 5 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (42 hdc).
8. 1 hdc in each hdc aroud (42 hdc).
9. *2 hdc in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 6 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (48 hdc).
10. *hdc2tog in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 6 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (42 hdc).
11. *hdc2tog in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 5 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (36 hdc).
12. *hdc2tog in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 4 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (30 hdc). Go ahead and put in some stuffing.
13. *hdc2tog in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 3 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (24 hdc). Add more stuffing if you think it needs it.
14. *hdc2tog in 1st hdc, 1 hdc in next 2 hdc* repeat 5 more times around (18 hdc)
15. 1 hdc in each hdc aroud (18 hdc). Finish and weave in end.

The top of the stitches should fit right up against the jar's threading. If it's still too loose, you can (hdc2tog, hdc) around until it's tight enough. If your stitching gets tight enough to stay up on the threading before you get down to 18 stitches, then you can stop there. If it's a good tightness but you'd like it to cover a bit more of the top of the jar, add another round of stitches.



Optional, but fun, here are the leaves I made. The second comes out a bit pointier at the one end.

Leaf 1:
Ch 6.
In one side of chain: sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc, dc, hdc, sc. ch 1.
Continuing up other side of chain: sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc.
Finish and leave a tail for attaching to the apple.

Leaf 2:
Ch 7.
In one side of chain: sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc. ch 1.
Continuing up other side of chain: sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc, sl st.
Finish and leave a tail for attaching to the apple.

Leaf 2 is in the front of this picture.

Spring Is Here!

For some of us in the United States, there still may be snow on the ground or in the forcast. For those in the Southern hemisphere, things are moving towards fall. I'm in central North Carolina, and it's been quite a warm winter. It's also been spring-like temperatures and weather for a couple weeks already. While I'm not trying to rush away the winter, I love Spring!! I love seeing new plants coming out of the ground and flowers blooming all over the place. One of my favorite flowers is the Bradford Pear Tree (but they're often considered an acquired smell).

The equinox was yesterday. My partner and I celebrated with a small fire outside and a dinner of spinach quiche (eggs and grass for springtime).

In order to celebrate spring, I wanted to share a few pattern ideas with you.

I love this Butterfly Garden Square by Chris Simon

A quick, fun, Tiny Butterfly by Emi Herrington

Some super cute daisies by Annemaries Breiblog

And this lovely Melinda Miller design, Thankful Stitches

This one I made just last week :)

Do you have any favorite springtime pattterns?

Reading Charts

Have you ever gotten a pattern that came with a chart? Maybe the pattern was only a chart. The first time I saw one of these, I thought, "And how am I supposed to crochet from this?" Since then, I've learned some of the symbols and gotten a chance to practice reading charts that had written versions as well. If you've never used a chart before, I highly recommend that approach. To get you started, I present to you this lovely graphic of symbols thanks to the Craft Yarn Council. There's actually all kinds of useful information on their website, for both knit and crochet.

There's a downloadable pdf available on their website.

And for fun, I wanted to share with you this video put together by The Crochet Crowd.

 

Crochet Crowd Symbols Quiz

Reading a chart can sometimes be frustrating. Sometimes they aren't done very well, or you really need a note of clarification on which direction to go when. If there's a curve to the work, it can take some practice to know where to put your stitch. Working in rows is much easier to understand; the stitches tend to line up. Like always, be sure to read any special stitches, tips, or extra directions given with the pattern.

In this chart, the clusters of dc go into the chain space (except for the center dc and the first and last stitches of a row). via Lion Brand's Reading Charts page

via Smart Knitting-Crocheting (Pattern 4) The dc clusters go in the chain space. The sc goes in the stitch directly below it.

Maybe one of these days I'll make a pattern that'll be well suited to charting. There's computer programs to help make them, but until I'm making them regularly, I think I'll wait on that.
Happy chart reading!

Crochet as Spiritual Practice: Being a Beginner

In case you missed it, here's a summary of the five previous posts about Crochet as Spiritual Practice:

A spiritual practice is an activity that you do regularly which either pulls you into your inner space or connects you with the greater universe. Try spending 10-15 minutes each day crocheting and only focusing on the yarn and pattern in front of you, pushing other thoughts aside.

Incorporate some special breathing to help relax yourself at the start.

1. Breathe in deeply and let it out slowly

2. Count your breaths up to 10 and then start over.

3. Alternate nostril breathing. (see how here)

4. Three short breaths in, one slow breath out.

Three is a common part of many religions, faiths, and spiritualities, as well as quite pervasive in our culture. In crochet: shells of three, repeats of three stitches or rows, three loops or pull throughs for a stitch. Think about how you can incorporate 3 into your crochet practice and how it already is a part of your crocheting habits. More examples on the original post.

Remember to keep your hands and wrists happy while you work! They carry our intentions from our minds & hearts into the work.

Some suggestions: warming them up before you work; stretching before, during, and after; taking regular breaks; stopping if they hurt; giving yourself a massage before and after an especially large or difficult working.

Silence is beautiful. It can be difficult to find true silence, but it's necessary for clearing the mind. The mind gets cluttered with thoughts, so we need to find quiet time for emptying it out. Having a task during meditation allows the quieting of the mind without feeling like you're doing nothing.


Be a Beginner
Some of you readers may be beginners, and some of you may have been crocheting so long you don't even know when you started. For those experienced in a craft (or any repetitive task), it can sometimes be done mindlessly, without looking, or really paying attention. When using crochet as spiritual practice, it needs to be done mindfully. To help you focus on the work at hand and to help quiet your mind, practice being a beginner.

Remember when you first started to crochet? Every stitch was a labor. It had to be slowly pulled out of your hands. The yarn painstakingly took shape. To encourage your meditation, imagine you're a beginner. You'll slow down and and focus more on what you're doing. It can be frustrating, so you can alternate between rows of beginner concentration and rows of your normal pace. Good luck!

Crochet as Spiritual Practice: Silence

In case you missed it, here's a summary of the four previous posts about Crochet as Spiritual Practice:

A spiritual practice is an activity that you do regularly which either pulls you into your inner space or connects you with the greater universe. Try spending 10-15 minutes each day crocheting and only focusing on the yarn and pattern in front of you, pushing other thoughts aside.

Incorporate some special breathing to help relax yourself at the start.

1. Breathe in deeply and let it out slowly

2. Count your breaths up to 10 and then start over.

3. Alternate nostril breathing. (see how here)

4. Three short breaths in, one slow breath out.

Three is a common part of many religions, faiths, and spiritualities, as well as quite pervasive in our culture. In crochet: shells of three, repeats of three stitches or rows, three loops or pull throughs for a stitch. Think about how you can incorporate 3 into your crochet practice and how it already is a part of your crocheting habits. More examples on the original post.

Remember to keep your hands and wrists happy while you work! They carry our intentions from our minds & hearts into the work.

Some suggestions: warming them up before you work; stretching before, during, and after; taking regular breaks; stopping if they hurt; giving yourself a massage before and after an especially large or difficult working.

Reflections on Silence

The silent spaces between musical notes and between the words we speak are what give them meaning.Continuous noise does not carry a message and often hurts our heads with the overload of information. Many groups recognize the importance of silence. Quaker meetings are based on the importance of silence and contemplation. Many sporting events, school days, and special events include a moment of silence.

It can be very difficult to find true silence in our world. Modern life involves many machines. Those for communication, entertainment, and convenience all make noise at us, some of them constantly. If you manage to be quiet in a room by yourself, you'll hear the fridge, a clock, cars going past, the neighbors. Many people turn to nature and solitude in order to find silence. There's nothing so loud as a pond in the evening, a forest in the morning, or a thunderstorm in summer. Winter is the quietest season, with many plants and animals resting, but even then you may hear snow crunching, owls hooting, bats flying, or trees bending and breaking.

All of these sounds can be beautiful, but our minds need some quiet time. Imagine your brain like a water bottle. It's about 1/4 full with daily thoughts, worries, and tasks. Something wonderful happens, you're excited, and you think about it. Now the bottle is half full. You learn something new, your friend has a problem, and you do the grocery shopping. Now the bottle is full. There's no room left for any more thoughts. We've all experienced that "my brain is too full to do anything else" feeling. That's when we really need to take some time to quiet the mind and release some of those thoughts. Pour them back out into the universe.

Meditation is highly useful for resting and emptying the mind. However, sitting still, being quiet, and thinking of nothing can be very difficult. It's called practice for a reason. Many people feel they don't have time for meditation. One way to help give your mind some quiet while still being productive is to use your crochet as a meditation. Concentrating on the pattern, the yarn, and the hook allows you to do something repetitive (maybe even relatively mindless), while still giving your brain down time.

Spend time this week noticing the silences around you. Take some quiet time and realize how many sounds are still happening. Practice being quiet and stilling your mind while crocheting. If possible, spend some time being quiet with other people. There's a big difference in the feeling being quiet alone, with one other person, in a small group, or in a large gathering.

Crochet as Spiritual Practice: Taking care of your hands

In case you missed it, here's a summary of the three previous posts about Crochet as Spiritual Practice:

A spiritual practice is an activity that you do regularly which either pulls you into your inner space or connects you with the greater universe. Try spending 10-15 minutes each day crocheting and only focusing on the yarn and pattern in front of you, pushing other thoughts aside.

Incorporate some special breathing to help relax yourself at the start.
1. Breathe in deeply and let it out slowly
2. Count your breaths up to 10 and then start over.
3. Alternate nostril breathing. (see how here)
4. Three short breaths in, one slow breath out.

Three is a common part of many religions, faiths, and spiritualities, as well as quite pervasive in our culture. In crochet: shells of three, repeats of three stitches or rows, three loops or pull throughs for a stitch. Think about how you can incorporate 3 into your crochet practice and how it already is a part of your crocheting habits. More examples on the original post.


On to your hands!
They are integral to crochet. Without them, you'd have taken up a different art. Our hands allow us to use the hook for shaping the yarn into something beautiful. They carry our intentions from our minds & hearts into the work.

Ways to keep your hands happy: warming them up before you work; stretching before, during, and after; taking regular breaks; stopping if they hurt; giving yourself a massage before and after an especially large or difficult working. Also, remember your wrists. They do a lot of the work, too.

Suggested Massage:
Hold your hands together to warm them up, maybe even pretend your washing them slowly. Put your left hand down flat on your knee/thigh. Using the palm of your right hand, slowly rub up from your finger tips to the back of your hand, over your wrist, and up your forearm. Repeat a few times. Use the thumb and fingers of your right hand to gently and slow rub between the bones of your hand. Then gently pretend to pull a ring off each finger. Flip your hand over and rub the plam a bit with your thumb. Let your left hand rest for a minute, then do the same things to the right hand.


This massage was adapted in part from Cindy Crandall-Frazier's book Comptemplative Crochet. It's a good read if you're interested in learning more about connecting crochet to your faith or spirituality. It includes 10 lovely patterns. My favorite pattern is for LovingKindness Wristers: show your hands some love and kindness by keeping your wrists and hands warm while you work. Here are mine, front and seam views.

Additional Stretches:
Jan 16, 2012: I just found this neat collection of stretches to help your forearms, wrists, and fingers.
Top 5 Stretches for Knitting (or Crochet) Pain

Crochet as Spiritual Practice: Mystical 3

For those just joining in, here's a summary of the two previous posts about Crochet as Spiritual Practice:

A spiritual practice is an activity that you do regularly which either pulls you into your inner space or connects you with the greater universe. Try spending 10-15 minutes each day crocheting and only focusing on the yarn and pattern in front of you, pushing other thoughts aside.

Incorporate some special breathing to help relax yourself at the start.
1. Breathe in deeply and let it out slowly
2. Count your breaths up to 10 and then start over.
3. Alternate nostril breathing. (tutorial)
4. Three short breaths in, one slow breath out.



The mystical number 3!

Three is a common part of many religions, faiths, and spiritualities, as well as quite pervasive in our culture. Here's some examples I came up with after a few minutes.
The mighty triangle! The strongest geometric shape, it's used quite often in bridge construction.
Christianity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the holy family was three people (Mary, Joseph, Jesus); Jesus rose after three days; three virtues of faith, hope, and love/charity
Many pagans: three stages of life & the Goddess (Maiden, Mother, and Crone) and her God counterpart.
Buddhism: two loving kindness meditations are three parts "may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be kind" and "may you be loved, may you be comforted, may you be whole"
Abraham is the father of three religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Sports: three strikes in baseball, three periods in hockey, three-point scores in basketball and football
Ideas of mind/body/soul and head/heart/hands
Lucky (or unlucky) events come in threes
Stories: begining, middle, end; three blind mice; Goldilocks and the three bears; jack climbs the beanstalk thrice; Rumplestiltskin lets the princess guess thrice; Scrooge sees three ghosts of Christmas
Jokes are often told with threes: a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead
Sets of three are easier to learn/remember.
I'm sure there's plenty more. What are some examples you know?


In crochet, there's a variety of stitches which can incorporate 3:
shell stitches of three (common in the classic granny square)
single crochet is made of three loops (on hook, 2 yarn overs)
half-double crochet pulls through three loops
double crochet needs three pull-throughs
treble crochet gets three pull-throughs above the stich (and has two sets of three yarn overs)
the trinity stitch
multiples of three in stitches or rows for patterns

Some people chant while they stitch (such as the loving kindness series), or they may sing or hold good intentions for the recipient.


Think about how you can incorporate 3 into your crochet practice and how it already is a part of your crocheting habits.
I kinda like the idea of using the three breaths in and one breath out while I'm crocheting to help me focus. Also, since I'm crocheting for charity, I'll try saying/thinking the loving kindness meditation, one "may you" per stitch. Maybe that'll help me slow down and pay attention to what I'm doing. As always, leave a message if you've got ideas, reflections, or questions.

Brigid's Cross Square

Brigid's Cross

Using an I/9-5.50mm hook and worsted weight yarn: 10 inch square.
Gauge: 12 dc = 4 in long and 3/4 in tall.

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
dc = double crochet

Center:
In green, do 1A or 1B.
1A. Start a magic ring (phototutorial).
1B. ch 6, slst to form ring.
2. ch 2. *dc 4 in ring, ch 1* Repeat from * to * three more times for a total of 4 groups of 4dc+1ch. Slip-stitch together. Finish.

For Each of Four Rectangles:
1. With green and leaving a 12 in tail, ch 14. dc in 3rd ch from hook. dc across. (12 dc total)
2. Attach white. *ch 2 and turn. dc 12.* Repeat from * to * 7 more times. Finish with white.
You'll have 1 green row and 8 white rows.

Assembly:
Place rectangles with long green tails on outside of square. Using the tail and a yarn needle, sew the green edge of one rectangle to the long white edge of another rectangle (about 5 1/2 white rows). With the same tail, sew the second rectangle to one side of the green square (about 2 1/2 rows). I hope these photos can help you out.
As always, feel free to leave questions, comments, and suggestions.

The pieces all laid out prior to assembly. Green tails on the outside.

First two rectangles together, sewn with tail of left rectangle.

First two rectangles plus center square, sewn with tail of left rectangle.

Two rectangles and center square attached. Third rectangle being added. (Second rectangle is not attached to the square. First rectangle still has long green tail.)

Third rectangle attached to second rectangle, but flipped up to show it's not attached to the square. Secong rectangle is now attached to the square.

Lining up the fourth rectangle. Fourth rectangle's tail will attach it to third rectangle and then attach third rectangle to the square. First rectangle's tail will then finish attaching fourth rectangle to the other pieces.

When using with other squares, you may want to add a border. This is a hdc border, with (hdc, ch2, hdc) in the corners.

Brigid is a Celtic goddess of transformations, helping with healing, poetry, smithing, and finding your way. Saint Brigid is a patron of Ireland and known as an early leader of the Irish Catholic church. Here are the Wikipedia entries for Brigid's Cross and Brigid.
I created the pattern to make a lapghan for a family member having surgery. The lovely healing energy and the bright colors ought to help her feel better sooner!

Crochet as Spiritual Practice: Incorporating Breathing

For those just joining in, here's a summary of the previous post about Crochet as Spiritual Practice:
A spiritual practice is an activity that you do regularly which either pulls you into your inner space or connects you with the greater universe. Try spending 10-15 minutes each day crocheting and only focusing on the yarn and pattern in front of you, pushing other thoughts aside.


Maybe you've seen my previous post. Maybe you've even been practicing. Awesome! How'd it go?
For me, quieting my mind can be difficult. Once I get into the stitches, I can sometimes get a groove going, and that helps. So, I set myself a timer for 15 minutes and probably spent the first five trying not to think of other things. "There is no try, there is only do or do not" Yoda says, and so it is with trying not to think about stuff.

There are some things you can do to help cut down on that first five minutes of busy mind. My favorite is special breathing. Here's a few ideas:
1. Breathe in deeply and let it out slowly. Listen to your breath.
2. Count your breaths. In 1, out 2, in 3, out 4... Go up to 10 and then start over.
3. Alternate nostril breathing. Put your hand up where you can hold your nostrils closed. While holding your right nostril closed, inhale through the left nostril for a count of 4. Close both nostrils and hold for a count of two. Open your right nostril and exhale for a count of 4. Repeat twice or until you feel more relaxed.
4. Take three short breaths in, and have one slow breath out. This can easily continue while you're stitching.

Take some time to do each one this week. See what helps you relax and focus. Feel free to leave a comment with questions, suggestions, or observations. See you in a week for more Crochet as Spiritual Practice!

Crochet as Spiritual Practice: What is it? & Getting Started

Having moved recently, my partner and I decided we'd check out a new spiritual/religious community. Upon visiting our chosen new fellowship, I learned that they had a set of free classes coming up. While a number of them were interesting, I was immediately drawn to 'Hooking the Spirit, Knitting Community'. It's about using crochet and knitting as part of a spiritual practice.

A spiritual practice is anything you do regularly (even when not feeling like it) that helps to quiet the busyness of the mind and for a short time takes you out of the regular flow of life, either into your inner space or connecting outward with the larger universe. Meditation, attending church, going for walks, writing poetry, and reading a specific book are all examples. Meditation brings you to your inner self, allowing you to reflect on life or to just find a moment of silence. Going for walks lets you experience the world around you and get in touch with something outside of yourself.

The class which I'm attending incorporates creating a blanket for charity. Each person works on at least one 7"x9" afghan block (usually in coordinating colors of donated yarn). Once we've got 49 blocks, we decide how to lay them out, pin them in place, and sew them together. Somebody crochets on an edging, and then the blanket is donated. Knowing that what you're making is for some one else, some one you will never meet, adds a special dimension to the spiritual practice of it.

When starting out with crocheting as spiritual practice, you'll want to pick out a pattern that's just difficult enough you won't get distracted. Be in a quiet place and do nothing but crochet for 10-15 minutes, preferably daily. Do your best to focus only on the pattern and yarn at hand. It may not be easy, but it's called 'practice' for a reason.


Try that out for a week and see how you do. Leave me a comment if you're struggling, enjoying yourself, or curious about how I'm doing in my practice.

Why do we crochet?

Some people love being creative and find fun ways to express themselves through stitches. Others find it saves money around the house. Many appreciate the workmanship, time, and love that goes into something homemade. Everyone has a story of how they got started, whether it was from a person, a book, or youtube videos.

For my part, it started out as something to keep myself distracted during a long road trip. Reading makes me carsick, but working with yarn does not! My aunt taught me, and it started with basic granny squares and shell stitches. I made a few blankets, made either from one very large granny square or a few largish granny squares put together. For a while, I thought that's all there was to crochet (I wasn't using the internet for more than talking to friends, at the time). I didn't even learn about single crochet stitches until a few years later.

Over the years, I've had pauses and spurts of crochet in my daily life. School and general busy-ness often pushed me out of it, as all of my creative juices and energy were being put into more academic pursuits. I started up again this past year in order to make Christmas gifts. In fact, I made gifts for 20 people this year. I even created a couple patterns (and this blog with which to share them). We saved a good bit of money and everyone got something personalized and full of love. My partner's mom even called on Christmas to gush at how pleased and impressed she was with the gifts. I was happy to make them, but it's really special when somebody demonstrates that they recognize and feel the love in the work.

Since the holidays have ended, I've at least started working on a couple things for myself, the house, the dog, and my partner. I joined a couple Crochet Along (CAL) groups on Ravelry, and I'm meeting with a group of ladies once a week where we crochet & knit items for charity.

Crochet is craft, art, and gift.

What inspired you to pick up the hook and yarn?
Do you remember when and how you learned to crochet?
Is it part of your daily life or does it happen in spurts?
Do you remember a time when someone showed you how much your gift of crochet meant to them?