Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Crocheted Christmas - 2 | More Snow for Decorating

I suppose it's appropriate to decorate with crocheted snowflakes after over 10" of snow the other night.

These fun snowflakes can be used as 
an ornament, gift topper, candle base, or coaster to mention a few...

This is my favorite crocheted snowflake pattern.
It might be difficult to see, but there's a bit of sparkle to this yarn.

The pattern is by NotikaLand Crochet and Knitting and can be found on 
YouTube by clicking here.

Wishing you cozy winter/holiday decorating!


Warmly,
Astri

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Crocheted Christmas - 1 | On A Snowy Day

 Decorating for Christmas after over 10" of snow last night.

I call it the

"Koselig Jul Hekler Hus"
(Cozy Christmas Crochet House)
See this post for pattern and yarn information.

Wishing you cozy winter/holiday decorating!

Warmly,
Astri


Sunday, November 27, 2022

Leilani Blanket | Crocheted Gift

 I've been engaging in some late-in-the-season gift-making. 
This blanket was requested by one of our daughters who gave me some guidance on the colors
 and the design she would like and this is the result! 
I hope it's what she had in mind and I really hope she likes it!

I have named this the Leilani Blanket and am in the process of writing a pattern for it.

I will call out for testers as soon as the pattern is ready, 
but that might not happen before Christmas, but then again it might.

This blanket was crocheted with two strands of either Scheepjes Colour Crafter 
or Style Craft Special DK but two strands of any dk/sport weight or worsted yarn
or one strand of chunky acrylic yarn will work.

Stay tuned for more on this one....😊

and in the meantime....



Warmly,

Astri

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Fun Hats for Cold Weather or Gift Giving | Crochet Pattern

 There's still time to make this Duo Bun/Pigtail hat before the cold sets in!

 
 

This hat makes a great gift too...and the color possibilities are endless of course.

You can find the pattern by clicking on the following 
πŸŽπŸŒΈπŸƒ Apple Blossom Dreams πŸŽπŸŒΈπŸƒ 
shops:



  πŸŽπŸŒΏπŸŒΈπŸ’­

The pattern is written for three sizes: 16, 18 and 20 inch circumference. 
This hat is crocheted with Scheepjes Merino Soft (my absolute favorite yarn for hats); 
however, you can use any yarn you'd like. 
Gauge information is provided. 😁



Warmly,

Astri

Friday, November 18, 2022

Forest Flower aka Blomsterskogen | Crochet Pattern | 20% Off

I am so delighted that @crochetaladia has crocheted
 this beautiful Forest Flower aka Blomsterskogen Blanket Crochet! 
With a heart full of gratitude and celebration the pattern will be on sale through Sunday on Etsy. 


Click on the following shop links to take you to the pattern:
 
EtsyRavelry, and, Lovecrafts (Great Britain) or Lovecrafts (USA)
 The discount is good in the AppleBlossomDreams Etsy shop through Sunday 11/20/22. 
Use CODE - FOREST22.
 

The 22-page pattern includes over 100 photos and links
 to seven exclusive videos for additional help. 
The pattern also includes a 2-page abbreviated version for printing. 
It's suitable for an intermediate crocheter but with the assistance of
the photos, videos, and extra detailed schematics, 
it could be suitable for an advanced beginner.
This pattern also includes a Dutch translation by @roconsolata ‼!
There are two size options for the blanket:
27" x 41" (69 cm x 104 cm) - pictured
or
41" x 52" (104 cm x 132 cm)

It is named the Forest Flower because it was designed and crocheted in the forest! 
The pattern is similar to the Macaroon Blossom without the leaf row, 
the absence of picots, and a simple sc border with tassels.

The original blanket is made with 11 skeins of Style Craft Special DK 
and/or Scheepjes Colour Crafter, with yarn left over for other fun stuff! 
Both those yarns are acrylic DK weight yarn that comes in over 100 of the yummiest of colors!!! 
I can imagine that it would be super scrumptious made in wool or cotton, as well.

Here are a couple of color options from the tests:
 

Tests by the lovely @roconsolata and @lepitfish
 The pattern was technically edited by the amazing @paulina.s.maraboli 
A great big hug of thanks to these kind and thoughtful ladies.


I hope you are having a magnificent day,
 and hopefully, that day includes
some



Warmly,

Astri

Saturday, November 12, 2022

Granny Rose Re-mix | Taking Over the Dining Room

 When my projects become too big I move my workspace down to the dining room.
This includes a small desk, monitor, and laptop until the project is done
 and then everything goes back upstairs to the studio again,
 upon completion or upon entertaining. πŸ€”πŸ˜‰

 There's a lot of moving around and rearranging that goes on in this household. 🀣 
It's a good thing the NVO is so patient!

I finished all the motifs for this blanket and I wanted to show you how they look before they are joined:

See how they curl up on the edges? 
This will all get fixed once they're joined and since 
I'm using acrylic yarn, blocking is really not going to help the situation.
The next step for this project is to decide whether to make some half granny squares
 around the edges or leave them zig zaggy? 
What do you think?

It also seems like my timing is off. 
I'm working on spring colors a month before Christmas, 
but these colors are making me happy and
 I am seeing Christmas decorations in these colors
 when I'm out and about or in and online. 
What colors do you like to use for the December holidays? 
My Christmas decor, just like my home, is primarily red, white, and blue.


This pattern is based on my original Granny Rose pattern with some modifications
 and can be found by clicking here.

The entire motif is worked in the round. 
The petals are a bit different and there is an additional row of loops on the back of the rose
 to create a base for the solid granny square. 
I hope to write a pattern soon.

I'm making these with my Stylecraft Special DK and Scheepjes Colour Crafter stash.


Thanks for following along and as always 
wishing you many moments of



Warmly,

Astri