Fine Craft Guild .com » Crochet Patterns

Sweet Little Crochet Leaves :: Free Pattern

Fine Craft Guild — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:11:00 +0000

They all beg for them: crochet flowers, crochet roses & crochet hearts all want a couple of leaves to come along with them.

Forgo the standard option of making them in green. Try a lovely cream-colored leaf to accompany your peach or pink flower, rose or heart.

Crochet Materials

Yarn: I used the softest of the softest yarn ever, i.e. 100% organic cotton.

(note: if follow this link & you choose to buy from fabric.com, you may receive FREE SHIPPING in the US on order of $35.)

Crochet needle: Recommended Knit Needle Size: US 9 (5.5 mm), however I used 4.5 mm for this leaf.

This is the very yarn I used:

Crochet Leaf Pattern 1

In essence, when making a crochet leaf, one works around a central chain. This is how all leaves are made.

For this particular leaf, make a loop and chain 10 more stitches.

Then vary the width of the leaf, like so:

Row 1: skip 1 st, 2 sc,3 dc, 2 sc, and 1 sl st.

in the first st, 3 sl st

and now start working on the other side of the chain, in reverse order of row 1, like so

Row 2: sl st, 2 sc, 3 dc, 2 sc. Now the leaf should be complete.

Now, create a tiny stem:

Chain 2,

Make 2 sl st along the chain, going back down to the leaf.

cast off. Weave in ends.

Crochet Leaf Pattern 2

cast on, ch 9

in second stitch: sl st, 2 sc, hdc, dc, tc,dc,

in the last stitch: sc, sl st, sc

now on the other side: go in the reverse order: dc, tc,dc, hdc, 2sc, and finish up with a sl st.

cast off. Weave in ends.

Time Required

Takes approximately 2 minutes to crochet a leaf.

Choice of Yarn

Tip 1: Use variate yarn, i.e. yarn which has lots of different colors is ideally suited for crochet leaf, as it closely resembles the variation in nature.

The 100% organic cotton yarn I mention above, and as you can see here, has variate colors as well as full colors. Check out either of these two color combinations shown. When you click on the images, there will be other color combi’s to consider.

Tip 2: if you want to resemble nature a tat further, make one side of the leaf a tiny bit different than the other side. Eg.exchange the 3 dc for 1 dc and 2 tc. Experiment … and before you know it, you can do freeform crochet!

Crochet Patterns

We feature many crochet patterns here at Fine Craft Guild, including:
Kaleidoscope Crochet Scarf
Coffee Cup Crochet Pattern
Crochet Bike Fashion
eBook with Crochet & Knitting Patterns
Market Bag
Crochet Beach Bag with Flowers
Kids Crochet Hat (summer)
Free Crochet Patterns – an Overview page
Free Crochet Pillow Pattern
Gorgeous Scarlet Red Scarf Crochet Lace Pattern with Oversized Flowers
Craft Storage Tips
Fluffly Heart Crochet Pillow
Crochet Monsters
Crochet Flowers
Crochet Water Bottle – beginners tutorial
Crochet Briefcase / iPad case
and more crochet patterns

Kaleidoscope Crochet Scarf

Fine Craft Guild — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:03:00 +0000

Remember that freeform crochet bolero I received but which did not fit whatsoever? I modified it into a rather fun and happy scarf that sure stands out.

(I have a few crochet flowers / rosettes left over, one of which is going to be a crochet brooch, which I’ll show you another day.)

Tada: The New Freeform Crochet Scarf …

It fits and it’s beautiful.

It still is the most unusual color combination you can not envision in your wildest dreams (particularly in certain light). I might give it a tea and/or coffee natural yarn coloring bath to tone down all those bright colors. However, for the moment, I like my new scarf on a pair of jeans and a mustard green t-shirt. It’s whimsical.

On a real positive: what is great about this scarf is that it will allow you to mix & match almost any piece of clothing you own, because this scarf has all the colors to pull that outfit together (smile).

Crochet Scarf – Rosette Jewels

Now that the shape of the clothing is no longer ‘jarring’ your attention goes to the beautiful crochet flower rosettes themselves, which is a mixture of granny squares, granny circles, and double layered crochet flowers. Each is like a jewel, and the result is like a kaleidoscope.

Like my new freeform crochet flower scarf?

Crochet Patterns

Want me to make you a pattern to make a scarf like this? I promise I’ll stick to no more than 11 colors. No, just 10. Joy: how about a holy number 7. But, I’ll make sure that all these colors harmonize. How about that!?

Freeform Crochet

Fine Craft Guild — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:11:00 +0000

As you all know, I love knitting & crochet. So it’s to be expected that I get these kind of gifts. Usually I am thrilled with them, but sometimes, …. sometimes, it’s a miss… (silence) …

So, here is my first challenge of 2012: a white elephant. It’s a ‘designer’ freeform crochet bolero vest. Could have been awesome, and almost is, … but …..

Before

… here’s absolutely no fit …!!!!
The back section is too wide.
The shoulders are too wide.
The crochet flowers on the top front are too wide so that, in an unflattering manner, they cover the top-arms.

If that was not enough, the bolero is not long enough. It’s a few flowers longer at the front than at the sides and back, but it’s not long enough anywhere.

It looks and feels like there weren’t enough flowers, so they added the tie at the front so you can close the bolero.
However, the tie is not in the right place. It’s way above the breast instead of at the décolleté.

And last but not least: notice that appliqué: a color-clashing bright yellow embroidered crochet banana paired with a dangling strawberry. I love the idea of a crochet fruit, but not in this color and style clashing way.

Crochet Challenge
How to transform this item that positively makes any woman look fat, shapeless and nerdy, into something fun, hip and contemporary. I’m taking on the challenge. Check back later this week to see the ‘after’: i.e. what I’ve come up with.

The ‘AFTER’

Click here to see the beautiful kaleidoscope crochet scarf I made with it.

New Free Winter Knitting & Crochet Pattern eBook

Fine Craft Guild — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:48:00 +0000

: Not all eBooks are born equally and this one is definitely born unequal to others. It’s based on Bernat’s fabulous mosaic yarn, which comes in 2012 fashion colors. Furthermore, the 12 crochet & knitting patterns in this eBook are for unique & beautiful fashion designs. Here are two examples: an infinity designer shawl and matching flower beanie.

Sophisticated Crochet Shawl with Infinity Symbol Pattern

This shawl or wrap is crocheted in figure 8’s or infinity symbols, which are then attached to one another in an offset manner.

To me, this shawl says true contemporary sophistication. It could have been an expensive Anthropologie-store-find, but lucky you, you get to make your own and despite the sophistication, the pattern is actually quite easy.

Buy Your Supplies Now

The very yarn you’ll need is this one:

Bernat Mosaic Yarn ‘Fantasy’

You‘ll need to get 5 balls of this medium-weight Mosaic Fantasy yarn for this shawl.

The second pattern that caught my eye on in the free pattern eBook is for this lacey beanie.

Petals & Lace Crochet Hat

This hat makes you stand out in a crowd. It’s equally stunning as the scarf, but a tiny bit more difficult to make and requires intermediate crochet skills. As the scarf is easier, start with that, and then when you are familiar with the yarn, you adventure and do the hat.

Materials needed for the hat is just 1 more ball of the same yarn, Mosaic Fantasy.

So, get 6 in total.

The next thing to get is

YOUR FREE MOSAIC KNITTING & CROCHET PATTERN eBOOK!

To obtain the eBook with these 2 + 10 MORE knitting & crochet patterns in it, sign up for our monthly or daily newsletter. (Note: Click link in confirmation respond email, and wait for an hour or so till all the computers in-between yours and mine have caught up and delivered the eBook in your inbox, or junk-mail box.)

Ah, don’t you just love the current crochet craze… I am!

More Crochet & Knitting Patterns

ref. infinity crochet scarf instructions

Crochet Pattern Coffee Cup Sleeve

Fine Craft Guild — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:41:00 +0000

this: totally adorable crochet pattern for a coffee cup sleeves. You can whip it up in half an hour or less. And the versatility of the pattern allows you to create a rainbow of options to personalize this handmade Christmas gift for everyone in the household.

This small crochet project is ideal to use up leftover bits of yarn, so go ahead, download the pattern and get started. It’s easy and it’s fun.

This is my first crochet pattern for sale at only $3.25

(Note: I’m using a friend’s Paypal account, while I’m establishing my own micro-payment account, which may take a week or more.)

You will receive your iPattern later on the same day that you ordered.

Tiny Crochet Flower Pattern

Just how lovely is that crochet flower? Yes, it’s included in this coffee cozy pattern.

More Free crochet flower Patterns

Easy Crochet Flowers & free rose pattern
Crochet Shawl, Flower Appliqué
Free Crochet Pattern for Daisies
Other Crochet Patterns (more crochet flowers)

Knitting & Crochet Inspiration Video

Fine Craft Guild — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Just a fun short video for knitters and crochet lovers. It’s a really cute advertisement to promote natural gas. However, it makes me want to do the opposite and indeed wrap everything in wool.

Remember Canada’s National Sweater Day last winter, which I supported with a free wool jacket knitting pattern? Well, this is taking things a few steps further than that! Many whimsical ideas to be had from this video, such as wrapping your staircase railing in wool! Brilliant!

by lovofilms

Click here if you can’t see the above video frame, and you will be brought directly to the YouTube video (37 sec).

More Crochet or Knitting Ideas? Use the category buttons in the navigation menu on the right.

Handmade Rugs

Fine Craft Guild — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Most visitors to this blog have found our feature of this eco-green towel-recycling DIY bathroom mat. I’ve noticed however, that not everyone has good ‘bathroom mat treatment’ habits, so I thought to share a few tips with you today, to begin with, and then I’ll give you an overview of the various rugs I’ve featured here over the years, below that.

Care Tips for Your Recycled Towel Bathroom Rug

1. Dry Your Mat, Everyday.

Personally I love standing on a nice, soft and DRY bathmat after my bath, instead of one that’s cold and soggy from the day before. This nice thick cotton bathmat is wonderful for the soft on your feet experience, however, do hang it up after use. This avoid having to stand on a damp mat the next time and it avoids mildew which is bad for your health.

2. Wash this Mat smartly.

In the ‘quick quick’-clean-up mode that we are all in at times, it might be easily overlooked that this mat is in fact ‘delicate’ in some ways. However, it took you 2+ hours to make this beautiful rug. So let’s take care of it instead of ruining it by putting it in the washer and dryer. This is NOT that kind of rug. It’s made of strips of towel which are ‘unfinished’.

Instead, soak this mat in a bucket with some soap, rinse it and hang it to drip dry. You won’t have to wash this mat every week. (If you are daring, and if you have a washing machine that can ‘massage’ cloths instead of ‘putting them through the wringer’, then you might try using the washing machine, on your own risk). Common sense.

3. Make it Anti-slip.

It appears that lots of bathroom accidents happen because people slip and fall. This is so easily avoided by picking the right backing to begin with. Or, if your particular mat still slides on your particular bathroom floor, than walk over to Target or equivalent and pick up a thin anti-slip under mat. They only cost a few bucks. In fact, don’t leave the house, just order one online here: Get an Under mat Today!

RECYCLED / HANDMADE RUGS

(Rug making patterns, instructions & tips)

1. Here’s how to Make the nice ‘n’ thick Bathroom Rug from Old Towels that’s shown above.

2. Contemporary ‘grass’ Rug (soft on feet; shown on the right)

3. Recycled knitted Cabled Sweater Rug

4. Contemporary Handmade / Crochet Area Rugs

5. Rugs for Kids Bedrooms and Play rooms

Image source:

Michelle Kaufmann (bathroom rug)

Lion Brand (green grass rug)

Halloween Ghost Crafts

Fine Craft Guild — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:39:00 +0000

Pin It

7 projects. What’s Halloween without a spooky ghost? Must-have decorative Fall season displays have at least one or two ghosts hanging around, spooky or friendly. Kids consider both kind of ghosts to add to the family fun.

Halloween Ghost Crafts to Entertain:

These are all easy, fun & fast to make.

1. Halloween Ghost Garland

Decorate your home or outside with this cute Ghost Garland that I designed last year. It comes with a template and all you need is some white paper, a black market and some Scotch tape. In other words, anyone can make these anywhere. Great craft to do when your kids have to wait for you in your office for an hour…

2. Haunted House Silhouette with Ghost

Stencil you can use for a-many-splendid things: from casting a spell, to decorating the fridge, and everything in between. Just print out the free template and begin your creative adventure.

3. Ghost Luminaries
Easy recycling project to do with young children, and actually even older kids. These cute luminaries can light up the path from the gate to your front door.

4. Crochet Halloween Ghost

This super-cute Halloween ghost pendant is one of 70+ free Halloween crochet patterns.

5. Halloween Ghost Cupcakes

Love these. So cute. And again, even if you are not a cooking queen, these ghosts appear to be actually doable. Lots of sugar though, so I won’t be eating them any day soon, but I love to look at them.

6. Halloween Tissue Paper Ghosts

Yes, you can use paper napkins too. You can made in a flash and they look real fun. Perfect for when you are bored in a restaurant, waiting for the bill….. (use only clean napkins though, although recycled is of course OK).

7. Halloween Ghost house decorating prop.
This ghost is made with fabric stiffener and needs nothing to support it. Truly spooky and really clever!!

Find Everything Halloween here…

Visit our Halloween Central ! It has Halloween costume ideas, home decorating, party props, yummy ghostly treats, and lots more (many free templates and patterns) !!

Craft Storage Tips

Fine Craft Guild — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:53:00 +0000

Hiding your creative tools where you need them is not always so easy. As I do art, craft and decorating projects in almost any room of the house, I decided to go around and create creative storage zones in every room.

Creative Living Room Storage

Knitting and crochet I most definitely do most in the living room. The problem with that is 1/4 of the living room floor space and the sofa is usually ‘occupied’ by a creative project or two, or three.

That is of course aside from the fact that my stash of wool, cotton and other yarn take up an enormous amount of space in the general craft closet.

So, the ‘Aha’ arrived and ALL went into this handy dandy rather large storage cube, including all my current knitting and crochet projects.

How did it all fit? Some rewinding… See that over-sized ball of delightful baby pink cotton? Well, it’s all air on the inside of its inner spool. Doing that for several balls of yarn was enough to condense its size to befit this nifty cube. As my yarn is now more easily available where I need it, I HOPE to actually FINISH more projects in the near future. Yes, the patterns I’ll share with you, albeit that I do a lot of inventing these days. Most patterns are my own, so it will cost me some time to recount and chart them.

Perfect Craft Storage

When I close the lid and put a plant on top of my nifty knitting storage, none would know just how many work-in-progress projects are in there. A calm and tidy living room space for everyone in the household to enjoy.

Many More Basket Storage Ideas & Solutions

Organizing with Baskets: 10 Styles You Can Make Own

Last Days of Summer Crafts

Fine Craft Guild — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:51:00 +0000

We had rain last night for the first time in a loooonnng time. Yes, it must be one of the last days of summer. We still went to the lake in the afternoon, but as the water was wavey, we just biked around.

Makes me remind you of some of our bike crochet patterns … Did you see these?

Tip: don’t make them in cotton, but in acrylics: reason is that acrylics won’t hold water, whereas cotton does. This means, if it rains on your bike, you can just wipe off your pretty acrylics seat, but you can’t do the same with the cotton one.. It will stay soaking wet for some time.

Click on the CROCHET PATTERNS category link on the right to find tons more crochet patterns at FineCraftGuild.com.