Crochet Gingerbread House box

                                          YAY CHRISTMAS PROJECTS !!!!!!!
I was trying to come up with different items to make for the shop window to display this Christmas other than the usual Santa, Mrs Claus , snowman etc when i came across this gingerbread house. As you may know i;m not one to stick to a pattern so i tweaked it slightly and turned it into a gingerbread house box!   filled with sweets of course ! 
I have to make more of these during the year, it is a great basic house shape with loads of room for imagination. The only problem i had with it was it worked up so fast!,  i enjoyed making  it so much, it would be a great project to work on over a few days, but it was done in one.

Refer to the original free pattern for the basic house shape.
This is the original pattern  HERE 

The original is made in dk/8ply yarn on a 3.75/4.50 hook.
I used chunky yarn, to make it stiff, Hayfield Bonus Chunky on a 5MM hook for the house and icing and a 3.50mm hook and dk/8ply yarn for the decoration.

USA TERMS
dc - double crochet                    pva glue & water mixed (to coat the house if not stuffing it)
sc - single crochet                    hot glue gun to attach decorations
slst - slip stitch                          SWEETS !
ch - chain



I made the sides, roof, front, back and base first.

 Following the pattern instructions i then stitched all sides together (not roof yet) and gave it a coat of pva glue and water mixed for added stiffness, remember its a box so it won't be stuffed and needs to stand on its own.

While its drying i made the roof and attached the icing,
i stitched through the shell to keep them flat against the roof

sc across the top of the roof

I then attached one side of the roof  according to pattern instructions, leaving one side open for access

Before i added decorations i coated the complete house in the pva mix again and left it to dry over night..

The window is a long chained joined at the end then 2 smaller chains. I pinned it to the side first then stitched through the stitches to secure. 
The smartie sweets are  magic ring, ch1, 4sc in ring, join to ch1 , fasten off. these are glued on.

The lollipops - sc around a toothpick.
the pop top - worked in the round so place marker if needed in first stitch
- magic ring, ch1, 6sc in ring.
2sc in each stitch (12 stitches),
2sc in next, 1 sc in next (18 stitches),
work 3 rounds of 1sc in each stitch.
sc 2tog 6 times, stuff with filler,
sc2tog 3 times.
ch2, 1dc in same space,
2dc in each st, join to 1st dc, fasten off
put a dab of glue on top of the stick, insert in the pop. 
stitch around the bottom of the dc round to tighten the piece, fasten off. i glued the bottom of the stick into the roof.

The peppermint sweets (i made 60
dk yarn x 2 colours
red and white together
magic ring ch1, 6 sc in ring
2sc in each stitch (12stitchs) join to first, fasten off

Candy canes and door are on the pattern.
The wreath - 
magic ring, ch1, 10sc in ring join to ch1.
*ch2, slst in next st* repeat to end , join in ch2. fasten off.
The door knob is a couple of french knots.










It stands perfectly with or without sweets !

I CAN SEE MYSELF MAKING ANY MORE HOUSES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR!

Crochet Wine Bottle Cosy

These bottle cosies are a very easy way to glam up a gift bottle. Use up some of your stash, i found any yarn with a sparkle or shimmer works best for that christmas look. A basic pattern for the cosy and a twirl for the string. This twirl is also great for toys if you need to crochet hair.
I used leftover sparkly yarn such as King Cole Glitz, Twilight and Peter Pan Lustre.


                                          Crochet Wine Bottle Cover

USA TERMS


    4mm/G hook
    dk/8ply yarn 

Make a magic ring

rnd1 - ch2, 12dc in ring, join to first dc.

nd2 - ch2, 2dc in same space as ch2,
           2dc in each st to end, join in first dc.

rnd3 - ch2, 2dc in same space as ch2, 1dc in next stitch.
           *2dc in next st, 1dc in next st* repeat *to* to end 
             join in top of first dc.r

rnd4 -* ch3, skip2, sc in next st* repeat to end. when last ch3 made            sc in first ch3 space of round.
      
  The rest of the cosy is worked in the round  continue with

  ch3, sc in next ch3 space, until approx 32 rounds worked

  half way up the neck of the  bottle.  I use the join in the starting rounds as a guide as to where to stop,

rnd5 - continuing in the round *ch6, sc in ch3 space* repeat for one round 
rnd6 - continuing in the round *ch10,sc in next ch6 space* repeat to end.
          ch5,sl st in centre of  ch10 space, slst down to next sc. fasten off.

                               ------------------------------------------------

                                              


                                               Twirl Tie

ch73,  3sc in 2nd ch from hook,  3sc in each ch to end, fasten off.

         The twirls wind around ice and tight, when i fastened off i stretched it out to give a loose springy effect.
           

Squishy Cowl

I loooooovvee this cowl, its so soft and squishable which is just what is needed for the winter.
worked in the round this is the simplest crochet cowl ever, Its done on a 12mm hook but a 10mm will do, also using chunky. IT will turn out slightly smaller. ENJOY!

Super Chunky Cowl

USA TERMS 

Super chunky  2 x 100g balls. 

Approx 150m 

pattern here

Stash Blanket - rectangle granny stitch blanket

                                                              STASH BLANKET

I have way too much yarn...................
Quarter balls, half balls scraps everywhere, yes i am a yarn hoarder. Well its time for a clear out, i just cant keep buying storage boxes. They are starting to take over the house !
 I have years of leftover yarn of all weights, the yarn with no band on would be too hard to recognise or match up to be turned into a garment so I've sorted all this yarn together to try come up with a project big enough to incorporate all the stash and make some room in the house. So if i use it all up ill have room for new yarn , makes sense, right?










                          Buy Pattern Here








Granny stitch blankets are so easy and fast to work up. I got my daughter Rachel (12) and her friend Nadine (11) to pick what colours they wanted for a blanket each. Rachel picked all pastel shades and Nadine went for the stronger colours. I decided to size them for the girls according to their height so the blankets go from head to toe. They ended up near enough to a single/twin bed size. which i reckon would take 12 x 100g balls.

I used 100% acrylic yarn, not all the yarn was the same weight, each blanket has dk, aran, chunky and 4 ply. I was delighted that i didn't end up with lumps and bumps or any pulls from working the different weights together. The entire blanket was done on a 4.5mm hook.
One thing to bear in mind is to place similar weights next to each other i.e after a row of 4ply use a dk yarn not aran or chunky. The majority weight used was dk.
I did try to match the colours in sequence but as the rounds got larger some of the smaller quantities wouldn't complete a round, so i mixed and matched as best as i could.




I do suggest not mixing fibres and using the smaller amounts of yarn 1st as a smaller amount will go further.

I am delighted with the end results and have already starting the next stash blanket using all my blue shades, it wont be as big but i cant wait to see how the colours work together.

If you keep going with this it will work out the size for a single/twin bed. It is very straight forward and easy to follow. A perfect way to use up your stash!
                                              -------------------------------------------

Finished Items may be sold, Pattern is not for resale.
All contents © 2014 Sinead Deegan Designs. All rights reserved.  

Ladies crochet fingerless gloves

                                         

                                          LADIES CROCHET FINGERLESS GLOVES

I love fingerless gloves, I always have. Chunky, Aran or DK it doesn't matter. Best thing about being able to knit and crochet is creating your own style of winter items. Matching sets of a hat and gloves or a hat and cowl from a 100g ball of yarn , nothing beats it!
I've come up with 2 patterns for fingerless gloves in aran weight and dk. I have to say the aran is my favourite, that bit warmer. It's worth using an extra soft yarn to give you more pleasure from yarn your latest creation.
Both patterns are very easy to follow and perfect for your first glove pattern.Showing 1 worked as a flat piece then seamed and the other is worked in the round. There is also an easy to follow sizing guide to show you how to create your own design using whichever stitch you prefer.
They are so quick to make up, I made 3 pairs in  one day !

Autumn Sparkle Gloves (seamed)

SIZING GUIDE

YOU ONLY NEED 3 MEASUREMENTS

1ST IS FROM THE KNUCKLE TO THE BASE OF THE THUMB.

2ND IS FROM BASE OF THE THUMB TO THE POSITION ON WRIST, FOR THE LENGTH.

3RD IS FOR THE WIDTH, SO MEASURE THE WIDEST PART, WHICHEVER IS WIDEST INCLUDING HAND AND WRIST/ARM.

MY GLOVES ARE APPROX. 7.5IN WIDE, 8IN LONG.

TO CHANGE THE SIZE OF THUMB HOLE JUST ALTER THE CH MADE FOR THE HOLE.

                                                Vintage Look Gloves, worked in the round

                                            

USA terms

I used Dy dk with wool (about 50g og dk yarn will do)

4mm hook

stitch marker

Buy Pattern Here



Finished Items may be sold, Pattern is not for resale.

All contents © 2014 Sinead Deegan Designs. All rights reserved.  

Crochet Snoody

Ok so typically called a snood somehow I think SNOODY fits it better.
I've played around with the idea of making one for a while now so I've tried it out on a child's size approx 5-7 yrs.
I love the feel of the King Cole Comfort Chunky and am finding it very hard to move away from it at the moment , must be with winter approaching that has me drawn to this yarn. Its super soft to touch which makes it perfect for snuggly winter wears.
Autumnal colours are catching my eye, greens, browns purples all the rustic shades I'm itching to get working with.
This SNOODY is super cosy and sooo warm.

Crochet Snoody  One Size

Chunky yarn 100g x 3 balls, 6mm hook , 2 buttons

USA terms
ch - chain
hdc - half double crochet

Scarf
Ch 125 (approx. 48 inches)
Rnd 1 -   hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in each stitch to end, turn.
Rnd 2 - 9,  ch2 hdc in each stitch to end, turn.


Fold scarf in half and measure 10inches down from the fold and mark with a stitch marker on each side. This marks the hood position, hood should be approx 20inches wide

Rnd 10 - join yarn in first stitch marker with slst, ch2 hdc in each stitch across ending with a hdc in 2nd stitch marker, turn.

Rnd 11 -20 , ch2 hdc n each stitch to end, turn.. fasten off

Sew up the hood seem

POCKETS x 2
Rnd 1 ch14, hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc to end , turn.
Rnd 2 -11 ,  ch2 hdc in each stitch to end , turn.
                 Fasten off.

Join pockets sewing  them to the bottom of the scarf fronts. I then attached a button to the front of the pockets.

Join yarn to the bottom stitch of scarf, ch1 sc in each stitch up scarf across hood and down the other side, fasten off. weave in all loose ends.

Confused Bee Crochet hat 0-3 months

I love the slightly confused look on the face of the bee hat !.
 Another novelty creation which I have to admit are my favourite items to make. This pattern can be modified to fit any age.

U.S.A TERMS
dk yarn, YELLOW, WHITE AND BLACK.
4mm hook
darning needle

dc - double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
ch - chain
st - stitch
sc - single crochet

NOTE: JOIN EACH ROUND TO 1ST DC NOT STARTING CHAIN.

I CARRIED THE YARN UP THE HAT THROUGHOUT AS I DIDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO FASTEN OFF AT THE END OF EACH ROW.

Using Yellow
RND 1 - Make a magic ring ch2, 12dc in ring. Join wit slst to 1st dc.
RND 2 - ch2, 2dc in same stitch and each stitch around, join.
RND 3 - ch2, 2dc in same stitch. *1dc in next st, 2dc in next stitch * repeat from *to* around, join.
RND 4 - ch2, 2dc in same stitch. *1dc in next 2 sts, 2dc in next st* repeat from *to* around, join.
RND 5 - ch2, 2dc in same stitch, *1dc in next 3sts, 2dc in next st* repeat from *to* around, join.
RND 6 & 7 , ch2, 1dc in same st and in each st to end, join.

WORK ROWS -  8, 10, 12, 14 USING BLACK
RND - 8, 10, 12, 14, - ch2, 1dc in same st and in each st to end, join.

WORK ROUNDS - 9, 11, 13, 15 USING YELLOW
RND - 9, 11, 13 - ch2, 1dc in same st and in each st to end, join.
RND 15 - ch1, 1sc in same st and in each st to end , join in 1st sc.
Fasten off and weave in the ends.
                                                                

EYES (make 2)
                                                                     
Using white
magic ring, ch2, 12dc in ring join to top of ch2, fasten off. Leave about 7 inches for attaching to hat.
Using black
magic ring, ch1, 6sc in ring, join to ch1, fasten off.
Stitch the black circle onto the white eye.

ANTENNA (make 2)
Using black, ch17, slst in 2nd ch from hook and in remainding chs to end, in the last ch work a multiple of sc stitches to optain rounded shape. fasten off.

Attach eyes to front of the hat, I left a row of yellow to give room for the mouth.
Sew on a mouth using black and create a zigzag effect or whichever suits you.
Attach the antennas evenly to the top of the hat.

Finished Items may be sold, Pattern is not for resale.
All contents © 2014 Sinead Deegan Designs. All rights reserved.