Mixed-Media, The Joy of Joining Hobbies

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If you are a scrapbooker and a crocheter, then you know how wonderful it is to add crocheted embellishments to your scrapbooking, especially if you are clever and are looking to save some money in ready made stuff or if you just want something original. If you crochet and love scrapbooking but never thought of joining the two. Here are some ideas you can try to open the doors of your imagination:

1. If you make granny squares, try making some with cotton thread, which is finer, and using them as "pockets" in your pages for notes.




2. Fold them in a triangular shape, sew the sides, glue the back to your page and insert something in it as a surprise, it could be a note, a dry flower, a short poem, etc. of course, you can embellish these with glitter, buttons, beads or even brads.


3. Use crocheted bands of color glued across your page or crocheted edgings and use them to trim cards, notes or pages.


4. Make sockies and add them to baby scrapbooking.














5. If you recycle old cards as part of your scrapbooking, add crochet embellishments such as motifs, flowers, rounds.


6. You can use tasseled shells, for corners.

These are only a few suggestions. I’ve included some photos to show you some of these examples put into practice. But of course,








there are many many things you could do as well.




I hope these tips will get you going.



"If we would see others as we see ourselves, what splendid men and women would inhabit the world." --R.H. "God in His love has the promise given Of a home where heartache shall come no more


With never a tempest to cloud the heaven, And never a wreck on the shining shore." --L.D. Santee



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How to Create "New "Yarns and Thread With Color Combinations

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The saddest thing I see is when a craftster works their heart out in a piece, and the stitches are crisp and lovely, the motifs beautifully executed, and the pattern otherwise impeccable, but the color choices clash and detract from the beauty of the design and ruin the piece or at least, take away from its elegance and loveliness. Some color combinations make a person dislike an item and they don't even know why. Let's talk about color, about how to match it as easily as possible in a lovely and attractive way. I began crocheting when I was six years old, when my mom taught me how. But I was drawing before I could read or write, so after a roundabout turn, I went to art school. I hated it. I used to think that they took out of you all your spontaneity, all the natural inspiration that was bursting out of you (which of course, without a teacher, you did not know how to use to create any art.) Before I ever drew anything with a teacher, I had a color theory class and the teacher wanted us to make grey. Yes, not pink, orange, peach, or any lively color, but GREY! He wanted us to spend our time mixing all the color combinations we could come up with to create as many shades of grey as we could, brownish grey, bluish grey, greenish grey, purplish grey, reddish grey. . .you got the idea. Teachers love that kind of exercise, it's like making you work on pages and pages of crosshatches, until you can make them ever so evenly, or work on applying your pastels so evenly in your background that it is almost as smooth as wall paint. That is not going to happen at your first or second try! Don't worry, this is going to be easier than that. Let me lay a foundation first for you to undertand things better and be able to make good combinations on your own. As you well know there are Three Primary Colors: Red, Yellow and Blue. And then there is black and white which, if you were making a painting, would serve you to create your light and your shades which give expression to your subject. All color combinations come out of that small group of colors, and an attractive combination depends a lot on how you apply that knowledge. When you mix the three primary colors, you come up with the Secondary Colors: red and blue makes purple. Blue and yellow makes green, and red and yellow makes orange. Going a little further, you can create Terciary Colors by mixing a primary with a secondary color, for example, blue and purple, you get a bluish purple or blueviolet. If you mix an already mixed orange with a bit more yellow, you get yellow-orange, which is a terciary color, if instead of using more yellow, you use more red, you get red-orange. If you make purple and add a bit more red to it, you wind up with a red-violet. and the last terciary is yellow-green, which of course is created by mixing a bit more yellow into a green. And you can go on and on like this. Rose would be a nice shade of red with white mixed into it. Peach is nothing but that same rose color with some yellow added to it. Red and green mixed together make up a muddy shade of brown, which you can liven up with some orange or with some yellow to make it more pleasant. Brown with yellow and white in the right proportions will make beige in various hues. And the addition of white or yellow will create tints, shades and subtle hues of the same color, just as the addition of black will harden or darken the same colors. For colors like burgundy or wine, you will start with a nice warm red, then you will add a little bit of warm, deep blue, and then, if you wanted your shade of burgundy to be darker, you would add a really tiny bit of black to it. If you want grey, the safest would be black and white in various proportions. This is one of the secrets of good color combinations. Let me explain. If you go to a store and you see a top that is brown, purple and a mustard shade of yellow, but it just happens to look really pretty, you might not know that the reason why that color combination would work is because purple is red and yellow, brown is green and yellow (mostly) and mustard is nothing but a brown with a lot of yellow in it. They are all related! It is true that you could use contrasting colors, and that could be done very effectively, but people mostly make the mistake of choosing colors that clash because they don't think about the relationships between the hues and sometimes because the combinations collide. If you are making a sweater for your child and pick out crayon colors such as green, blue, orange, yellow and red. Of course it is going to be gorgeous (look at the combination! It is basically the three primaries and two of its closest secondary colors.) I made a scarf using brown and two shades of pink and it turned out pretty. Why? Brown has some red in it and so does pink, so they "match." Instead of going into a deep study of the theory of color, and how to use a color wheel, I will teach you some tricks that you might use to make your use of threads and yarn more attractive than ever before and without much of a hazzle to you. Also to make items that look like you have used "painted" yarns which don't look like any in the market. It is very simple. There are 4 ways of doing this. 1. Choose 1 variegated yarn that you absolutely love (leave the headache of the color combinations to the artists in the yarn companies) and choose 2, 3 or even 4 colors of SOLID-Colored yarns whose hues absolutely match some of the colors in the variegated yarn. Then you would use them as follows: Row 1- variegated, row 2- 1st solid color, row 3- variegated, row 4- use 2nd solid color, row 5- variegated, row 6- use the third solid color, then repeat from row 1. This, of course, following the stitch you have chosen for the garment, handbag, afghan, etc. The example you see here has a variegated and several contrasting but harmonizing solids. The variegated yarn is red, orange, yellow and pink. The solids are yellow, orange, blue and green. They do not clash because they are related. 2. Way of doing it is by mixing two or three variegated yarns in the same family of colors, possibly, similar variegates so that nobody would be the wiser, but the overall color would be a lovely palette that would be very attractive and unique. It will be different from any item made with similar yarn. This example has two variegated yarns, One is red, pink, yellow and orange, the other has pink, yellow, white, green and blue. They do not clash because again, they are related even though you see a change in the colors forming stripes in the yarn. 3. Use two variegated yarns that are contrasting but harmonize and interject some solids as shown before. 4. Use 2 or 3 variegated yarns that are so similar (but with subtle changes) that people won't know it is not the same yarn. This sock was made with 3 varietaged finger weight yarns but you cannot tell when one starts and when one ends because the palettes are very similar, they are just slightly different. The differences make up for a lovely overall effect. And of course, to find out if they harmonize, you fall back to the previous information I gave you about the color mixtures that make up new colors, your primaries, secondaries, and terciaries. Begonia in the Shade, a pastel study. This is part of my artwork. Not for sale. May not be reproduced. I am sharing these two samples of my work to show you something about the application of color. One has different shades of pink to make the begonia realistic and the cool grey to soften the harshness of the black shadows against the white pot. And the green begonia leaves have some brown in them to warm them up. The other is a happy combination of various shades of red, orange, yellow and green, with some blue, white and brown for contrast, but you see, blue and brown "match". I hope you found this little tutorial useful and that it helps you to "make" gorgeous combinations of yarn and thread from now on. Fall Harvest (detail), part of my artwork. Not to be reproduced. Not for sale. Want to know better the parables of Jesus? Would you like to understand all that they mean to you? Read this great book for free! http://www.preparingforeternity.com/co/cocontents.htm
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Granny Square Sweater Without a Pattern

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If you want to make a special garment for a little one who is special and don't have a pattern, don't give up. It takes a little figuring out but you can make it! If you have granny squares lying around which you started for a project but got sidetracked and never finished enough of them for the project to be completed, you can make some cute sweaters with them. Let me tell you how. This is not a pattern, but more like guidelines which you can follow every time and not only for children's garments, but for any garment at all. When I was a teen, I wanted to make myself a crocheted dress. I had never made one before and had not pattern. Only mercerized crochet thread in a color I liked. My mom, who had been sewing for years, made me a pattern with brown paper. Took my measurements and transfered them to the general outlines of a dress in brown paper, and left me to fill in the space with the stitch of my choice and I did make the dress in a week! I later on unraveled it and made a cardigan with the same thread and wore it. And I also made it without a pattern. I love to work out of a pattern, but let's face it, we don't always have one for the garment we want to make, so, make one yourself! Here are the ways you can make the garment without a pattern. Method 1. If you sew or know how to make your own schematic, take the measurements of the child you want to make the garment for, transfer them to your drawing and then, enlarge them into a brown paper life size pattern and follow that. Method 2. You can take a sweater which belongs to the child, which fits him or her well and place it on top or a large sheet of brown paper and trace the shape. Then add the measurements you need to follow. Method 3. If you do not have a garment that belongs to the person you are making the sweater for, and do not have ready access to them to take measurements, or would like it to be a surprise to them, you can purchase a sewing pattern for a top for a child of the age and size of the one who will receive your gift, cut out the pattern, and trace the pieces in brown paper. Then use the brown paper pattern to make the sweater. Method 4. If you are going to make the garment in motifs, you can go to sewing chart sites online and copy the measurement for the size you are making it for. If it is a woman, size medium, for example, you can jot down the measurments, then, draw an outline in brown paper for the measurements you have copied and make the motifs to fill in the outline, pinning them to the brown paper and joining them with Irish Crochet filler stitches or just by sewing them together, much in a freeform style. There are many variations of these methods. Let's say you already have your pattern in brown paper lying on top of a clean table. Okay, decide how you will be using your granny squares, and using pins, attach them to the brown paper. Then, using dc, sc or hdc, crochet to fill in the space that is leftover. Follow the shape of the pattern for the sleeves, and join everything into a garment! That is all you need. You can do the same with skirts, jumpers, dresses, tops, cardigans, you name it. I will not tell you that this style of crocheting will take patterns out of your life, remember, I do love a good pattern myself, but it will free you like you wouldn't believe to be creative on your own and to MAKE your own patterns. I made a sweater similar to the one I am showing here, with a circular granny square in the middle of the back and it turned out gorgeous,and I gave it to Warming Families. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish. try it! It is safer than working out of your head, because you will be following the general guidelines of a design. If you have access to a garment, I have used that too, and it is nice. But you can improvise and use these tips the way that is more practical for you.

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Shell-Adorned Lacy Neck Warmer

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Materials:

Worsted weight yarn of your choice of colors (about half of a skein for each color) Size E crochet hook Ch 110.

Row 1: 1 dc in 4th ch from hook and in every ch across.


Row 12: Ch 3, 1 d in next dc and in every dc across.


Row 3: Rep Row 2. If you have chosen to make the scarf of various colors, (this is a great scrap yarn buster), fasten off. Join new color with a sl st.


Row 4: Ch 1, 1 sc in each dc across.


Row 5: Ch 2, skip 1 ch, sc in next sc, ch 1, *sc in next ch, ch 1, skip 1 sc and sc in next sc. Rep from * across.


Row 6 (Right side or nice lacy shell pattern will be lost): 1 sc in 1st sc, c

h 1, 2 sc in ch 1 space, skip next sc, 2 sc in next ch 1 space, rep across. Fasten off (if you have chosen to make the scarf in different colors). Change color.

Row 7: Join new color. 1 sc in 1sc, ch 1, 1 sc in next sc, skipping 1 sc in between, repeat across.


Row 8: (Right Side) Rep row 5.


Row 9: Rep row 6. Rep rows 5 and 6 until you have the width you want. (I made 2 repeats in total because I wanted a neck warmer that didn't let any wind through, because I am making these for charity). Let's suppose you want to finish it after just a couple of repeats:


Row 10: Ch 2, 1 sc in each st across.


Row 11: Ch 3, 1 dc in each sc across.


Rows 12-13: Rep row 11. Fasten off. With contrasting color, join with sl st and sc all around scarf.


Strap: Using a contrasting color in harmony with the ones used for the scarf, ch 21, sc in 3rd ch from hook. Ch 3, 4 dc in 1 st sc, skip 3 sc, *5 dc in next sc, skip 3 sc, 1next sc, rep across. Going around the strap (working in the bottom loops of the foundation row ): 1 sc, skip 3 loops, 5 dc in next loop, sk 3 loops, 1 sc, 5 dc in next loop, rep across, join with sl st. fasten off. Sew strap to the scarf at the height of your choice. Fasten off. Clean up threads. Join the same contrasting color to one of the corners of the sides of the scarf, and sc all around the scarf, going also over the edges of the strap to anchor it well. As you reach the bottom of each edge of the scarf, if you want to you can just sc straight across or work 5 dc in one space, skip a space, 1 sc, repeat, then continue with sc until you reach the other edge and repeat the shells across. Fasten off. Clean up threads. You can also make this scarf longer and thicker and close it into a tube and use it as a shoulder warmer. If you want to use it a s a mini-stole, you can make the scarf thicker and when you do the edging, you can make it longer so that the little shoulderette stole will fit around your shoulders. You can leave the strap as a form of closure, but of course, you will have to make it wider and thicker so that it will widstand use.


Pattern has been corrected!





This pattern is mine. DO NOT post it in your site without my permission and without giving me credit for it and DO NOT sell it. It is for personal use or charity use only.

The Mountain Climb with Him

"Not blindly do I grope through misty years, But with my hand in His to vanquish fears, Up through the mists I see diffused though dim, The halo of the glory circling Him. I know He leads me o'er rocky way Up to the light of endless day; And oft I seem to hear close passing by The wings of guardian angles ever nigh. Sometimes the lightnings flash and thunders peal, The closer do I cling His strength to feel; Sometimes the mists have almost cleared away That I might catch a glimmer of His day. I cannot falter for I trust my Guide, And death awaits me if I leave His side; He bids me haste to hear heaven's choir sing Their halleluiahs to the coming King."


Worthie Harris Holden



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