Craftsy Cupcake Decorating Set and Class Giveaway

Hello everyone! Craftsy is hosting/sponsoring a great giveaway now through Wednesday August 27th! I learned a little bit about cake decorating while I was in high school, and although I was never very good at it, it is a really fun hobby!

GIVEAWAY! One lucky winner will get a 55-piece Ateco Stainless-Steel Decorating Set PLUS free enrollment in the new online Craftsy class The Perfect Cupcake! In this online class, you'll learn how to combine creative cupcake flavors, fillings and frostings with gorgeous decorating for out-of-this-world treats! Enter here



Only residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible to enter. 

Back to School Crochet

*This post contains affiliate links*

I'm switching things up a little this week. In honor of my niece starting kindergarten, I'm going to post a few back to school crochet patterns.  First though, I want to draw your attention to Craftsy's big August sale. All classes are on sale for up to 50% off, which is a great deal if you are eager to add some new crafting skills to your repertoire! I'm signed up for the Craftsy Fair Isle crochet course (review forthcoming), and while I haven't had much time to work on it, I'm really enjoying the class so far.  Since I have been so busy lately I really love that I can watch the class videos any time and that I don't have to waste hours scouring the internet for tutorials. Also, Craftsy doesn't just have knitting and crochet classes, they have classes in almost any type of craft you would want to learn.  Just a few of the many options are cake decorating, woodworking, and photography.  They even have some cooking classes! This sale only runs from today (8/7/14) to Monday (8/11/14) so hurry if you want to take advantage of these great prices!

 

Now, here are my free back-to-school crochet patterns. These three are throw sized graphghan patterns with a school theme.  All three are available for download on the stitchboard.com free pattern store and are meant to be finished with a border of your choice.  Any of these would make a great present for a teacher, librarian, or bus driver.  

Book Owl

School House

School Bus

A few notes about the school bus pattern: The red rectangles should be all red so make the random black spaces red. I would use a light gray or aran color for the window, grill, and bumper, with a dark gray or black for the seats, tires, and lines.  

As usual, I provide these graphs free of charge because it's something I like to do. Please do not disrespect me and the work I put into producing these by copying and selling them as your own.  Also, please, please, please, share my blog and this post in particular if you enjoyed reading it/found it to be useful.  Thanks, and happy crafting! 

Free Pattern Friday: Floral Designs!

Happy Friday everyone! For today's free patterns I'm showcasing my own floral design afghans that I made over on stitchboard.com! All three of these are perfect for summertime with their cool floral inspired motifs.  While each of these would be a good size blanket to take on picnics or to wrap up in on chilly nights, you could also customize each one with a nearly endless variety of borders if you so feel inclined. As usual, these three patterns are hosted at www.stitchboard.com, which does require a completely free registration. I promise, registering at stitchboard really is completely free and easy, and they definitely will not spam your email at all.  I've been registered over there for several months and haven't received a single email from them :)

Kaleidoscope Flower

1. Feel free to change up the colors on this bright floral kaleidoscope piece.  Any 5 or 6 bright, solid colors would look great. Add a few rows of complementary border and this throw blanket would be great for a teenagers room or as a stunning picnic blanket.

Lotus Afghan

 2. This next afghan pattern is ultra chic and elegant and would be perfect for the more sophisticated and zen people in  your life.  I love the calming feel of blues and purples, but this could be made in any color to match your decor. Add a wide matching border all the way around and this blanket is sure to add a spa-like atmosphere to any space.

Harvest Wheat

3. Lastly, this golden wheat afghan is perfect for the lazy dog-days of late summer and into the Indian summers of early fall.  I can imagine curling up with this blanket on an evening hay ride or taking it to the county fair. It would also make a gorgeous housewarming gift.  I would recommend using a deep golden yellow yarn to make this, and maybe adding just a few rows of solid border, or some type of decorative geometric border.






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Crochet Graph-ghans

Bear Chart

My latest hobby is crochet. I find that it really helps me de-stress and focus in the evenings and I love being able to gift my family and friends with handmade hats, scarves, and blankets.  Lately I've been teaching myself how to crochet from a graph and it has most definitely been a lesson in patience! Crocheting from a graph allows for really beautiful intricate patterns to be worked into blankets, pillows, and more, but it is extremely time-consuming and you have to pay VERY close attention to your work.  I'm currently working on a few smaller pieces to join together into a throw, but I have grand plans to complete a few afghans this year as well.  What I love about crocheting from a graph is the incredible level of customization you can add. I found this website: http://www.stitchboard.com/pages/pattern/freePatternWizard.php where you can upload your own design/picture and almost instantly have it converted into a graph!

Deer Chart

Now, there are some things to keep in mind when planning a graph design:

1. Keep it simple to start with. Maybe choose a geometric border design for a small throw blanket so you can get the hang of it. 
2. Choose an image with a simple color scheme, and simplify the colors on the pattern maker. There is an option to choose custom colors and I recommend choosing the closest 2-4 colors depending on your design. 
3. If you use any of the patterns that I linked to, be aware that the coloring isn't perfect, especially on the Ohio State logo.  Use common sense and simplify the color scheme as needed. For this one in particular I was planning on a gray or white background, and then using one shade each of a green, a red, black, and brown. So 5 colors total.  
4. Be aware that the patterns are based on single-crochet stitches so they are fairly time consuming.  The best yarn to use is usually a worsted (4ply) or sport (3ply) weight yarn and a size G or H crochet hook.  
5. Be mindful of copyright infringement. If you're using someone else's design or a trademarked logo, please don't try to sell the pattern or finished product(!!!). This is illegal(!) and could get you in some serious trouble if you get caught.  
6. Have fun and don't be afraid to experiment! The only way to get better is by practice so start small and work your way up to larger projects. Soon you'll be able to make custom afghans and throws to gift your friends and family! 
7. If you would like either the Ohio State or IU pattern, please email me and I will send you the full size chart as a .jpg image. I will hopefully have them hosted somewhere in the future but for now I can only email them as attachments.