Showing posts with label free crochet pattern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free crochet pattern. Show all posts

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Guitar Pick Holder Keychain- FREE Crochet Pattern!

FREE CROCHET PATTERN-
Guitar Pick Holder Keychain
Well, today is the day! My very first original, FREE CROCHET PATTERN is ready for you guys! I created this Guitar Pick Holder Keychain pattern last year, but it's just been sitting in a spiral notebook just waiting to be shared. Almost ALL of the crochet knowledge I have gained has been from FREE patterns and tutorials that I found online. I would not be where I am today with my crochet business, if it wasn't for the hard work of others. Now that I have gone through the whole process of writing and publishing a pattern online, I have even more respect for the amazing people who have published so many before me. A million thank yous to each and every one of you!! It is because of you that I feel inclined to give back was has been so freely given to me...





Tribute to Paul Stanley of KISS
made for my future bro-n-law!


This past Christmas, I wanted to create something special for my future brother-in-law. He's my Honey's big brother and I love him dearly. He's a rocker through and through and deserved something really unique as a gift! After a lot of thought, I decided on a Crochet Guitar Pick Holder for his keychain. My Honey has a leather one, but I'm no leather worker. I looked everywhere for a pattern like this and couldn’t find one. We know a ton of people who play guitar or bass… so, there’s got to be other people out there looking for a similar pattern. As soon as I wrote the pattern, I knew it was destined to go online!

 



 

Guitar Pick Holder Keychain Crochet Pattern
Written By: Brittany “Bee” Williams

Supplies:
3mm hook (a small hook keeps everything nice and tight!)
Med. Worsted Weight yarn (I used Red Heart Super Saver)
Large yarn needle for sewing in ends
Small snap and embroidery thread for sewing
Key ring of your choice

Abbreviations:
SC= single crochet
FO= finish off or cut yarn
SK1= skip 1st stitch
SC2TOG= single crochet two stitches together
SLST= slipstitch



 
For this piece, I chose to not use the “CH1 and turn” method to finish off each row. If I am starting an increase row, I like to skip the CH1, and just turn at the end of each row without it. I prefer this method in almost all of my work. If it makes you nervous, feel free to apply a CH1 as needed at the end of every row.

CH3
1- Using the back bumps, place 1SC in 2nd ch from hook and in last. (2)
2- 2SC in each (4)
3- 2SC, SC, SC, 2SC (6)
4- 1SC in each (6)
5- 2SC, SC, SC, SC, SC, 2SC (8)
6- 1SC in each (8)
7- 1SC in each (8)
8- 1SC in each (8)
9- 1SC in each (8)
10- 1SC in each, FO (8)
 
Make another piece exactly like that (rows 1-10) but DO NOT FO at the end of row 10!
 
Add these rows to the 2nd piece:
11- 1SC in each (8)
12- 1SC in each (8)
13- To create a ridge for the flap, work in Front Loops Only, 1SC in each (8)
14- 1SC in each (8)
15- 1SC in each (8)
16- SK1, 1SC in next 5 stitches, SC2TOG, CH1, turn (6)
17- SK1, 1SC in next 3 stitches, SC2TOG, CH1, turn (4)
18- 1SC in each. Do NOT cut yarn unless you are changing colors (4)
 
Sew in the yarn ends of both pieces. Place the two pieces together with the “wrong sides” facing. Make sure that the ridge that you formed in row 13 is facing outside.

19- Now, CH1 and SC down the top edge of the bigger piece. When you run into the bottom piece, start to SC the two pieces together.
When you reach the bottom of the pick holder, you have a few options:
a- SC evenly across the bottom with no keychain loops
b- CH4, SLST (1 loop) and then continue to SC up the other side of the two pieces.
c- **Preferred** Working through the two SC at the bottom of each piece… (SLST in first SC, CH4, SLST in same SC) (SLST in 2nd SC, CH4, SLST in same SC) (2 loops)
I prefer this method because it allows the key ring to pass through 2 loops. This is more secure AND forces the Pick Holder to stay “in line” with your keys. My Honey is a professional guitar player and personally requested his to be made this way. (See Picture)
 
Then, continue to SC up the other side of  the two pieces. After I SC both pieces together and make my way back up to the top of the piece, I like to finish the piece by putting a SLST in each of the 4 stitches from row 18 and then FO.  I think this gives the flap end a little sturdiness.
Next on the list, sew a snap onto the holder! I use a small snap, but one that is strong enough to have a good hold. You want to sew one side of the snap onto the flap and the other side of the snap onto the bottom piece. Just make sure that they line up! I messed up my first try! lol


My tribute to Paul Stanley...
with the flap up, it looks like his hair!

Final touch is adding the key ring. This part can be tricky, even for my tiny fingers. If you chose to add one loop, that’s easy enough to figure out. If you chose two loops, you want to make sure that the key ring passes through BOTH of the loops. Make sure that you get it through the loop and not through one of the individual chains.

If you chose not to add a loop at the bottom of your Pick Holder, you could always just throw it into your purse or guitar bag! Carry it in your back pocket? Maybe affix the Pick Holder to your guitar strap or an arm band?

Now, get to personalizing! Add a heart or flower! Embroider a design or monogram! Take it to the next level and make it a tribute to Paul Stanley from KISS!




©2013 Brittany Williams/Bee’s Booties and More, all rights reserved. You may sell items you make with this crochet pattern. You may not sell this crochet pattern or claim it as your own. You may publish or post a link to this crochet pattern, but you may not publish or post this crochet pattern in whole or in part.




I hope that you enjoy this awesome FREE pattern! If you like the pattern, please share it with your friends! Thank you, again, to everyone in the crochet community who publishes free patterns!


Warmest Regards,
Bee

Follow me on Pinterest! This Bee's Honey Pinterest




 

Friday, February 15, 2013

Love to Love You Baby...

A heart pillow for my Honey
Happy Valentines Day, ya'll!!

I hope that you all had an amazing Valentines Day! I was going to post this yesterday, but I decided that Valentines Day is best spent away from the confines of my computer desk.

Homemade Chocolate Strawberries...
Because my Honey had the entire day off of work, we were able to make it the best Valentines Day, ever! It was a day filled with love, laughter and lots of delicious food. We dipped our own chocolate-covered strawberries (and a slice of bacon! OMG), had our favorite Southwest Flank Steak for dinner... and our first-ever Chocolate Molten Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert. I poured the Lava Cakes into little ramekins and they were absolutely amazing! The day was totally worth looking the other way as I added all of the butter that was called for in that recipe. hehehe


Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved giving hand-made gifts to my loved ones. I enjoy putting time and thought into a gift. It's so easy to just run to the mall and pick up a present for someone, but I have always preferred the warmth of something made with love. This past Christmas, I created something special for every member of my family. I put a lot of time and thought in to each gift... and the payoff was amazing. Watching everyone open their gifts with excitement and then pass them around the room to show them off... the "Ooooh"s and "Awwww!"s made my day AND my Christmas.

This Valentines Day was no different! I knew that I wanted to make something for my Honey, but I wanted him to be able to enjoy for more than just a day. I found the perfect idea and pattern on one of my favorite websites, Ravelry . Ravelry is a website dedicated to free crochet and knitting patterns. You have to sign up for a free account, but it is SO worth it. Ravelry is where I will eventually post all of the free patterns that I have designed, so that I can share them with you. The pattern that I chose for my Honey is for a Crochet Heart Pillow by DROPS Design. You can find the pattern here: Heart Pillow- DROPS Design 
 

I love to start every project with a tasty snack!
Because of the pattern, I had so much fun making this project that I decided to share my experience with you. I love to test out a new pattern and this one was written so well! I'm a stickler for details and usually end up making corrections on patterns, but this one was spot-on from beginning to end. No corrections necessary. I'm not exactly sure how long it took for me to work up because I was working on it a few hours at a time while my Honey was out of the house this past week.


Before I sat down to work, I gathered all of the necessary supplies: pattern, yarn, H hook, a snugly blanket... and a Little Debbie Star Crunch. Good work requires good snacks! I decided to use Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Red for this project. I like the durability of the acrylic yarn, plus it is stiff enough to hold a good shape. 


It's starting to look like something...
This pattern really reminded me of an amigurumi pattern. Lots of tiny single crochet (SC) stitches and lots of counting. I am notorious for losing count so I am sure that entertains my Honey when I am working on the couch next to him. He has figured out that it is useless to try to talk to me if he can see me counting. He will start to ask me a question and then say, "Oh, sorry. You are counting." Hilarious! The first part of the pattern calls for making the top two "humps" of the heart and then sewing them together like a figure-8. After those were finished, I started wondering if this pattern was for a bra instead of a pillow. Ha!

Seriously, did I accidentally print a pattern for
an old school torpedo bra?!?

After I linked the two humps  cups  sides together, the pattern called for a few rows of even work to really solidify the heart. After those rows were complete, it really started to look like a bra  heart! From that point, all of the work was slowly and methodically making the opening smaller and smaller. This gave my project the tell-tale shape of a heart. It was really fun to watch it work up!

This project also taught me a lesson about taking pictures for my blog. When I got to the "ready-to-stuff" phase, I got so excited and finished up my work without taking any pictures. This whole blogging process will take some getting used to. I am not accustomed to photographing every step of a project just yet.


I remembered to snap a picture right
before I cut the yarn. LOL
Instead of pulling out all of my hard work to snap a few pictures, I decided to just charge forward. I used a ton of stuffing in this pillow, probably half of a Fiber Fill bag. I used more than it called for, but I wanted it to be very firm and not flatten out over time. After everything was filled and the bottom tip was properly sewn over, I sat with the pillow for about 5 minutes to smooth out any lumps or stretches. I noticed a few loose stitches around the "cleavage" area and used some extra thread and a large needle to sew them closed. I can be very particular about my work. *wink* My Heart Pillow ended up being 10" x 10" when finished.

A surprise Valentine just waiting on the couch...

Overall, I am very pleased with the end result! My Honey loves it and keeps throwing it around or using it as a neck pillow while watching TV. I didn't want to wrap it, so I hid it in the closet until Valentines Day morning. I woke up really early to sneak it out of the closet and put it on the living room couch and then I crawled back in bed. He always wakes up before me, so I knew it would be a nice surprise when he was still rubbing the sleepies out of his eyes. "Hey, where did that come from?" hehehe




I'm so glad that my Honey appreciates a homemade Valentine. He deserves to be given the world... for now, I give him my heart. In my house, every day feels like Valentines Day. I hope that you all try to make your house feel the same way!


Warmest Regards,
Bee