Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Round Coasters & Coaster Keeper Crochet Tutorial

Damn, it's been a while since I've worked on any tutorials and it's time I got my ass in gear!  Well, here's something quick, fun and utilitarian that we can all create.  I'm attending a housewarming party this weekend and you know I can't leave home without a useful handmade gift.  And not only will this tutorial teach you how to make coasters and a cute little coaster keeper but by the time you've finished them, you'll have mastered the art of "making rounds" and you can move onto your own creative adventures of circle making.  Once you know the technique, you can use circles to create embellishments, rugs, bowls, shawls, jewelry and more!

Also worth mentioning, although I've taught myself how to read patterns over the years, I learned to crochet without reading patterns when I was kid.  There's a myriad of abbreviations used in patterns and if you want to learn how to read patterns, it's essential to know them.  However even though I consider myself to be a master crochet wizard, (most of) my tutorials are intended for novices & I feel that by describing the steps in detail rather than just speaking in code, they will be more easily understood.  So I hope you find my instructions helpful, especially if you're only just getting hip to hooking!  If you can't read patterns, it's OK; you can still learn to crochet and I will teach you the necessary terminology along the way.



Alright people, let's get down to business!

Supplies, you don't need much.  Technically, if you want everything to be all one color, you only need one skein of yarn (to create 4 coasters & 1 coaster keeper) but if you want to spice things up a little bit, I suggest using at least 3 different colors.  For this particular pattern I used a size F hook to create 4 1/4" diameter coasters.

1) Chain 4.  For more instructions on basic crochet steps, click HERE.


2) HDC into the 1st chain.


3) Now you're going to start making your first "round".  Although it may seem crazy at first, you're going to make a total of 13 HDC's all in the first chain.

 
Keep it going...!
 

4) When you get to the end of the round, connect your last HDC to the top of the starter chain with a slip stitch, tie off and hide your excess behind the back.

 
Now your first round is complete!
 
 
5) Round 2 starts similar to Round 1 by chaining up 3.

 
6) Now you're going to make 2 HDCs in the top of each HDC from Round 1.  Because we're doing 2 stitches in one, this is a form of "increasing", or "inc" in pattern terms.
 
 
7) When you get to the end of the round, connect your last HDC to the top of the starter chain with a slip stitch, tie off and hide your excess behind the back.
 
 
8) If you're using different colors of yarn, you might want to switch to a new color here.  For Round 3, repeat the steps for Round 2 but at the end connect with a slip stitch and chain up 3 to start the next round (instead of tying off). 
 
 
 
9) For Round 4 we're "decreasing" ("dec" in pattern terms) and only making 1 HDC in each HDC of the previous round.  Start by chaining up 3 (as mentioned above) and then 1 HDC in 1 all around. 
 
 
10) When you get to the end of the round, connect your last HDC to the top of the starter chain with a slip stitch, tie off and hide your excess behind the back.
 
 
 
11) If you're using different colors of yarn, you might want to switch to a new color here.  For Round 5, the final round, you're going to follow a tiny alternating pattern.  2 DC (double crochet) in 1, 1 DC in 1, 2 DC in 1, 1 DC in 1...and so on all the way around.
 
 
12) When you get to the end of the round, connect your last DC to the top of the starter chain with a slip stitch, tie off and hide your excess behind the back.  Now your 1st coaster is complete!
 
 
 

Creating the Coaster Keeper

1) Follow the steps for creating a coaster up to step 10 which ends at Round 4.

2) If you're using different colors of yarn, you might want to switch to a new color here.  Starting Round 5, you're going to follow a tiny alternating pattern.  2 HDC in 1, 1 HDC in 1, 2 HDC in 1, 1 HDC in 1...and so on all the way around.  But to create the bowl shape of the keeper with the "right side" showing on the outside, you need to flip the coaster/keeper over and start on the "wrong side" by chaining up 3.  When you get to the end of the round, connect your last HDC to the top of the starter chain with a slip stitch, tie off and hide your excess behind the back.

3) For Round 6 we're "decreasing" ("dec" in pattern terms) and only making 1 HDC in each HDC of the previous round.  Start by chaining up 3 and then 1 HDC in 1 all around.

4) At the end of Round 6, don't tie off.  Connect your last HDC to the top of the starter chain with a slip stitch.  Starting Round 7, the final round, chain 1 and DC 1 in 1.  Then you're going to follow a tiny alternating pattern, 1 DC in 1, 2 DC in 1, 1 HDC in 1, 2 DC in 1...and so on all the way around.  Because you're continuing to decrease on this round, don't hold your yarn too tight or else the edge will look wavy.  If you're really afraid of holding the yarn too tight, you can even switch to a larger hook.

Voila!  Now you have an adorable little coaster keeper and really, you have to keep just coasters in it.  You can now use this pattern to create any number of keepers for your special things.




 
 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Pudgy Pug Pendants by Reggie

Yikes.  I didn't realize how long it's been since my last update.  To say I've been having a busy summer would be quite an understatement.  Without spoiling too much of the surprise, I'm going to say that for the past month or so, I've been working on a very big crafty collaboration with my newest and coolest local gal pal, Heidi.  It's the only excuse I have for not updating & I'll be posting some sneak peaks of our special project soon so stay tuned!

But now I'd like to turn your attention to a creative new Etsian I recently discovered.  Reggie of Pudgy Pug Pendants is based in Chicago, IL.  Her shop just opened last month.  She's a lover of all creatures great and small, especially dogs and horses.  She's the proud owner of 2 rescued Pugs, "Kramer & Oscar." In her spare time, she volunteers with the Northern Illinois Pug Rescue, the organization she adopted her "boys" from to help other needy Pugs find loving homes. She has a special place in her heart for things that are vintage, especially from the Victorian era, such as artwork, jewelry and porcelain figurines of Victorian shoes and some of the creations in her shop are a clear reflection of this.  She loves going to antique shops and flea markets to find treasures to display. She also likes to de-stress by creating unique pendants and pins for her new shop, to wear herself or to give to friends and family.  She plans to donate a portion of all of her sales to the Northern Illinois Pug Rescue.

Here's some of Reggie's pendants.  Some are made with vintage postage stamps and some are made with Victorian die cuts.






If you'd like to create your own postage stamp pendants, there's plenty of similar vintage postage stamps available for purchase in my shop.  I have everything from dogs,
 cats, insects and more!

Please have a look at Reggie's shop and be sure to tell her I sent you!  X-Mas is creeping up on us and it'll be here before you know it.  These pretty little pendants will make perfect stocking stuffers for your animal loving family and friends.