Freebie Friday: Easter Egg patterns

OKAY.

So this comes a little delayed, but I had some issues (surprise!) with the pattern and the the egg shape that made the posting a little late - which is more of a legitimate excuse than the "OMLanta, life ran away with me!". The Chick in Egg pattern by Happy berry , which you see to you right - is super easy to do. She is a champion in making adorable and easy patterns. To make life even easier, she made a 2 part Youtube video to help everyone in need how to make this incredibly adorable chick in egg. For those who want a printable and somewhat shorter version of the pattern, I made one for myself that I can share - just let me know - because you can make this in ONE sitting at much quicker time than the length of the two videos I feel like.... any way, that's just the spaz in me talking.. back to the chick.

IS it NOT the cutest little THING?! my heart bursts a little every time, and I mean EVERY time I open this little egg and see my little chick.

This is where my OCD started to kick in LARGE. THE EGG isn't looking like an EGG. I mean it's not an oval like a real egg. Having said that, that's just the limits of the craft - it's housing the chick so it will be a bit flat at the bottom and the top will be a bit pointy looking but to me, it looks like tip of a pencil vs. an oval.  This is probably the difference between an experienced crocheter and a non, because Happy berry's egg looks like an egg. :) so don't worry, yours will not look like a coney container...even if its a super cute coney container.  Also, she uses a flower shaped button, which is UBER ADORABLE and even though I live in a city with a "fashion district" with stores that just sell buttons in all SORTS of fanciness you can get lost in them... I had some plain buttons in the tropical colors I loved and in the measurements she specified (which is important to follow), and as you can see it works nicely also. its SO CUTE<3

 Pattern number 2 : Bonny Bunny Surprise by Trifle Treasures 
I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting to try this out (well actually maybe only a year since I only started crocheting at end of 2014). just look at how cute this is!
I think I almost instantly fell in LOVE with it when I saw it, frowned because I wasn't sure I can do it and grit my teeth determined to make it one day.  That day finally came, but I was not a happy camper when it did.

This was one of those easy to follow instructions which is a jewel, when it comes to free patterns and not much needed to be edited for printable version either(let me know if you want one). I really liked that the whole egg was made in one piece including the button hole -not two pieces sewn together - and it fits in one of those plastic containers you can get in the dollarstore? so you can have it as a prize during egg hunt!!! anyway.

I got caught up in the egg shape of the container - so I used some fabric stiffer to try to copy the shape of the plastic egg, it didn't work. it actually curled a little in the center, which made it look like a mouth :( I ended up flipping the egg inside out which sort of resolved the cone shape issue for me a little but worsened the "mouth" looking issue? so I couldn't win with that :( so I gave up on that one there....-__-

The bunnies are super adorable though ! and I made two different sizes (mostly because I had two different weight of yarn ) but at 3am when I was trying to finish this and sort this egg shape business, I wanted to represent the Father and the Son somehow with my bunnies -___- and that is why they are two different sizes.

Then there is the LOG. that didn't fit. when I started making it, I felt like it was too big and might not fit but I figured since it was hollow maybe it could wrap around the bunny and squeeze in; it would fit AND give the egg the bulk it needed, smart right?  NO. The bunnies took up all the room in the egg, and there was no room for the log. Having said that though if I made another smaller bunny I think the log could fit....I'm not swapping though, I like this Father and Son symbolism I got going LOL. It's STILL adorable and if its used for an egg hunt, the kid that finds it will have tons more fun with different sizes of bunny vs. bunnies and log I think.

That's all for now, 

keep on Hookin',

Love Always,

Shines.

Freebie Friday: Crochet hook case patterns

OKAY.
So I know it says crochet hook case patterns in the title but its just really for general organization . I personally only have 4 hooks - they are double ended hooks that I got at a random dollar store I passed by (sadly, I never saw this set again but it is similar to the Hamanaka crochet hooks ) with clay handles on them . It came in sizes 2 -4.5mm which was a great starter size and covered most of the sizes that I was working in but, as I grow more interested in crocheting and want to try different project and need different sizes - I feel the need to have a home for the needles to come.

While there is 99.999999999999999% chance that I will probably keep them in some sort of upcycled jar,  in the event I do follow through and make a home for them that is not a sandwich size Ziploc bag *hangs head in shame* .

May I say that there are some very fancy hook cases out there that houses hooks in sizes I didn't know exited, and every tool under the sun. I'm unfortunately not a very fancy person (!) and am hoping for a easy peasy project that neatly houses possibly 8 hooks at most. I honestly can't see myself getting more than or ever USING more than 8 different sizes of hooks! Somewhere to house the scissors and the couple of  needles and stitch markers would have been a plus, and  as I am considering trying out Tulip, Clover Amour and Addi hooks I was on the look out to see if any cases featured THOSE hooks too. The following 8 Revelry round up is probably what I will make mine from.

1. Tiffany's Easy Crochet hook case
This one looked the easiest to make and it met all I needed...it had a place for the extra tools as well as hooks. I'm slightly confused as to HOW it closes up? but I am sure that when its made that part will become blatantly clear.  I quite like the multi-colored nature of this case because that makes me think that I can use up a lot of the teeeeeeeeeny balls of yarn I have stored in jars to make this case and it will look great. From the comments, the instructions were also super easy to follow and can easily be modified for more hooks, which is a plus.







2.Leentje's Crochet hookcase
This was so cute I COULD NOT NOT include it in my considerations. The colors are just big, bold and to my taste and the flaps are a great way to house those extra little tools working on your project. I would probably only make couple of flaps but four doesn't seem like a terrible idea (I may do it just to include all the colors ).  The flaps are a GREAT way to also use up extra bits of yarn that's just long enough to escape the "scrap" category but yet short to mount to anything but a trim on one side.








3. The Trifold hookcase
I honestly have NO idea where in the Internet this came from. It came to ME from a friend when I started to show signs of obsession with crochet - she thought perhaps that I may binge purchase a set of hooks and may need to make something to house them- I did binge purchase hooks AND yarn but as I mentioned, they live in a resealable bag LOL.
THIS is your mother of all crochet case I think, it holds EVERYTHING. THINGS are spilling out of it!!  I mean , two scissors it holds and like, i dunno whatever else it holds but that's a lot of needles! I feel like this can definitely be modified to house any hooks even with thicker handles.

4. Aluminum Crochet Hook Case pattern by Priscilla
This is probably the most popular pattern out there, for all the right reasons.  It's simple, clean and classic design can easily be modified to suit all your needs.  I feel like most booklet format cases are some modification of THIS pattern.  I've seen someone turn this into a trifold booklet to include pockets for other tools like scissors, tape, markers and needles.  Another lady had turned this to have two rows... I mean THIS IS  THE most solid base to start from, and let your imagination take you where you want to go. It seems to always yield such a lovely final result, however you modify it.  This was my number one choice for the LONGEST time and I still think this will be the one that I make if I really do grow out of my resealable bag , LOL. It's just so nice to even LOOK at <3

5. Crochet hookcase for Clover Amor set by Oh Milly!

THIS POST MAKES ME SO HAPPY.  The case makes me happy!!  Clover Amor set is probably the first set that swayed me away from my dollar store set, ONLY because the colors were big, bold and cheerful and I just could NOT resist but consider getting myself some(unfortunately this set has yet made itself available to me, then other sets appeared complicating the situation). I love the colors, the chunkiness and the fact that you can still squeeze in your needles, stitch markers and scissors with ease.

6.Crochet hookcase for Clover Soft touch 

This is SUCH a nice modification to the trifold case that I had to include it. I love how NEAT and organized it LOOKS, everything is in a line. I actually don't FANCY this line of hooks because of the color of the hooks (call me a color snob, but it reminds me of ..well...not nice things) and I don't find it soft AT ALL, but the colors of the case makes the hook color look lot more appealing to me - and really, who doesn't love POCKETS!?   The nice thing about the pocket I think is that, you can keep your pattern in there.  I tend to piece cut the pattern I'm working on/from, so it would be a great place for me to keep them <3 what a fantabulous idea.

ONE catch: this pattern is not in English. Good news is , the designer took phenomenal photos that you don't really need words outside of Google translate. If you do need it still, let me know.

7. Granny Square bookcase
This is TRES cute. I have yet to try my hands on granny squares and from the popularity of the thing, it looks like a prettty addictive activity - so it sits very high on my "next to try list" (is that a thing?) in crochet - once the novelty of amigurumi sorta "wears off" (I don't think that's gonna be a thing). This is really the only one I found that looked super simple and didn't require a ton of different colors to start (I've given up on the let's START with the grandest project since I'm going to be spending a lot of effort and time with it notion, because I only frustrate myself and give up too quickly on what could have been a great hobby).  I also like that this one features the Amour set which, coincidentally is one of the sets my little eyes are set on... tehehehehehehe.

8. Babel Tower Hook Stand

This is such a neat little idea !! I've seen another hook stand that looked like an old grandma which...didn't really make me feel good about my new found obsession... :S like, only granny's were doing it.... but that was the only one I saw that wasn't a modification of a small jar (which I didn't have on hand) . When I saw this one, I actually thought it was a roll of cheese which made me instantly happy, until I read that it was supposed to be Babel tower (which my silly mind still read as Babybel XD). Either way, I am a bigger fan of this tower stand than the one that looked like a granny , because this probably takes up less space, is free , holds more hooks and  like food to me LOL


9. Nifty Needle Case by Moogly
Moogly always has such awesome patterns - I LOVE the easy to follow tutorials - tells you WHAT you need - there is just NO rambles (which is funny coming from a rambler) - every bit of info is super useful in helpfuing you understand what's going on, and not a single photo is wasted.
This little case takes only a couple of hours apparently and I think would be a great companion to the bigger hook case , much like a set. If you like to keep things organized separately or have enough tools accumulated (or just have more diverse skillet in what you can make than I do lol). this would really be a cute little companion to the larger set. It almost makes me want to consider getting more tools.....? ...naw...who am I kidding :P


That is alll! I hope this is helpful, I hope some of you make some - I am sure you will before I do :P
keep on hookin' take care <3
love always, Shines

Freebie Friday : St. Patrick's Day crochet patterns

HELLLLLOOO <3

It's been awhile - life ran away with me again and I am currently doing shift work which makes everything , including getting proper sleep - a challenge.  The good thing is, I haven't lost the creative flow and I've been true to my word so far, and have been working more on my artsy side. When I get my crafty mojo back, I will try to juggle both? but we shall see. I'm really happy with the progress I am making so far in my planner and journals (which I will do a quarterly flip video) and my art journal from 2015 that was left untouched as I got carried away by the crochet storm last year, is also finally being finished so there will be a flip for that also in the near future.

is this not the CUTEST thing?!

BACK to topic :D

March is a busy month-there is St. Patty's day on the 17th and then Easter on the 27th - so we drink our faces off then we get sugar high on chocolate (can I get a hallelujah?) And while I've always been an active participant of these holidays I've not really looked into what it was all about; so, this time around I decided to learn a little more about each of the holidays that we celebrate and share some patterns readily available out there.

First,  there are some interesting myths about this Saint. Although he is the patron saint of  Ireland...he's not actually Irish. In fact, it was to Ireland that he was kidnapped to from Great Britain!  He was "called" by the Lord and later returned to Ireland to deliver it  from sin (I assume?) as a cleric. He drove out snakes, turned sticks into trees and came up with a whole bunch of symbolism (I love Celtic stuff)... apparently the green color that represents St. Patty's and Ireland in general to us - is an American invention.... :O Anyway, if you are interested you can read more about it here:

• Popular myths and legends of St. Patrick
• Legend of St. Patrick
• St.Patrick day Facts

There are some TRULY cute patterns available for this day....like that picture above - it is SO flipping cute!!! I'm not fortunate enough to have kids but it certainly makes me wanna make'em for someone's kids!! Anyhow, after much pondering here is a short list of the patterns I loved on the net!

• Celtic knot bracelet
• Pot of Gold
• Pot of gold beanie
• 18 crochet clovers and shamrocks
• 5 St. Patty's crochet patterns

I honestly think that little doggy hat is just a modification of pot of gold design....I may put one together to torture my cat with LOL

That's really all folks,
keep on hookin'