Squirrel Picnic

Handmade with Love and Stuff

Tag Archives: yarn


by 22 Comments

Hodge & Podge No. 5

World Wide Knit in Public Day 2013

Happy World Wide Knit in Public Day!

Get out your yarn and knitting needles or crochet hooks. Grab your friends, and head to your nearest park for a day of knitting, crocheting, and sharing your love of yarn with your neighbors. Or just pack your current project in your bag and work on it wherever the day takes you.

Knit in Public Day began in 2005 as a way to give knitters an opportunity to meet each other, because as any knitter can tell you, knitting can be a pretty solitary hobby. Since then, it has become the largest knitter run event in the world, with local events held in Australia, China, England, France, Ireland, Norway, South Africa, the United States and many more countries.

I’ll be knitting a sleeveless top out of that coral-colored KnitPicks yarn I showed you back in March. It’s about time I got this done, and I can’t wait to get out into the sun for a day of plein air knitting! What will you be working on?


by 4 Comments

Easy to Crochet Butterfly Pattern

Butterfly Crochet Pattern by Squirrel PicnicAs I’m writing this, it is snowing for the third straight day here in Denver. It’s not uncommon for us to get spring snowstorms, but they always come as a shock to me. Just as you’re starting to get pumped about springtime, a foot of snow gets dumped on your excitement. Lucky for me, I have my own little patch of springtime at Squirrel Picnic, where the crochet garden continues to bloom.

This week I’m making butterflies. I found a lot of complicated butterfly patterns online and in books. Though the complex butterflies were gorgeous, I didn’t have time for all those steps, so I wrote this pattern for a simple and fast and cute little butterfly.

I can think of several great uses for these butterflies: Sew them onto bags, towels, pillows, or afghans. Glue a magnet on and attach them to your fridge door. Pin them to a bulletin board. They add a little touch of spring wherever they go. What will you do with your butterflies?

Easy Butterfly Pattern

Difficulty rating 1

Finished size: 1 3/4″ x 1 3/4″

Materials:

Small amounts of worsted weight yarn in any two colors you like.

(For this pattern, I’ll call the lighter color A and the darker color B.)

Size 00/3.50 mm steel crochet hook

Tapestry needle

Instructions:

Wings

With A, ch 11

2 dc in 4th ch from hook.

Ch 3 and slst in next ch.

Butterfly Step 1 (800x600)

Ch 4, 2 tr in next ch, ch 4 and slst in next ch.

Butterfly Step 2 (800x600)

Ch 4, 2 tr in next ch, ch 4 and slst in next ch.

Butterfly Step 3 (800x663)

Ch 3, 2 dc in next ch, ch 2 and slst in next ch.

Butterfly Step 4

Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. Using the tail, loosely sew up the center of the wings. Work in ends.

Butterfly Step 6

Body

With B and leaving a tail at least 6″ long, ch 7. Sc in 3rd ch from hook, slst in each of next 4 ch. Fasten off, leaving another 6″ tail for sewing.

Butterfly Step 5 (800x797)

Finishing

Place the body on top of the wings so that the tail ends of the body and the smaller wings are on the bottom. Sew the body to the wings by using the left tail to sew the left side of the body and the right tail to sew the right side of the body. When you get to the head of the butterfly, tie the two strands together in a knot and trim to make the antennae.

Butterfly Step 7


by 4 Comments

Crochet Airplane Appliqué

This airplane appliqué is quick and easy to make. It’s the perfect embellishment for a baby blanket, sweater, or scarf. Airplane

Airplane Appliqué

Difficulty rating 1

Materials

Small amounts of gray, blue, and white yarns
Size H-8 (5.00 mm) crochet hook
Tapestry needle

Plane Body

With blue yarn, ch 20

Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 2 hdc, 14 dc, 5 dc in turning ch, 14 dc, 2 hdc, sc, slst in 1st ch. BO.

Wings

With gray yarn, ch 25

Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 22 hdc, 4 sc in turning ch, 22 hdc, 3 sc in last ch, slst in 1st ch. BO. Sew onto plane body about 1/3 of the way back from the front.

Tail

With gray yarn, bring a loop up through 2nd ch at end of airplane body. Ch 3, tr in same st, (dc, sc) in next st. BO.

Pull up loop in 4th ch from end on other side of plane body. Ch 1, dc in same st, (tr, ch3, slst) in next st. BO.

Propeller

With white yarn, ch 12, sc in 2nd ch from hook, 10 sc, slst in last st. BO.

Ch 5, BO, leaving a long tail for sewing. Wrap this 5-chain strand around the center of the propeller and sew to the front end of the plane body. Work in all ends.


by 6 Comments

Spring Fever

These past few weeks, it seems as if I’ve been doing nothing but knitting, crocheting, and sewing, and yet I have so little to show for it. Do you have that problem too? I just can’t seem to keep my attention focused on one project long enough to finish it before moving on to the the next. It must be spring fever! So since I don’t have any completed projects to show you, I’ll just show you all the things I’m working on.

Spring is just about ready to bloom at Squirrel Picnic. I’ve been crocheting leaves and flowers everywhere I go. It’s been especially fun to talk to people on the bus about all these little leaves I’m making. I can hardly wait to get Hodge and Podge into their new seasonal diorama.

March 007 (800x568)

A friend of ours wants very much to have a baby, but she’s having a hard time convincing her husband. Her plan of action? To just go ahead and crochet a baby blanket. I love this! It’s her first crochet project and she’s doing great. I crocheted these airplane and flower appliques for her to add depending on whether she has a boy or a girl. Now come on husband, give this girl a baby.

March 023 (800x600)

Slowly but surely I’ll get the two summer dresses I started sewn by summer.

The fourth Make It! Challenge is about 95% complete. I should have the pattern for you very soon. It’s the perfect hat for stalking the city at night.

Batman Mask1 (800x336)

And because I just can’t stop myself from starting new projects, I ordered this fantastic yarn from KnitPicks to start a summer top. Don’t you just love the color!

March 004 (800x600)

Well I better get back to work. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!