Lots of craft patterns

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Monday, December 8, 2008

Hello Everyone,

Here is another site about crafts that you will most likely
enjoy. "All Free Crafts" at http://www.allfreecrafts.com
If you are still looking for ideas for homemade Christmas
gifts and decorations, you should check this site out.

Jane Lake is the editor of that site and she let me know about
the crochet section at
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/crochet/index.shtml
and the knitting section at
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/knitting/index.shtml
There are also many other patterns for sewing, candles,
kids crafts, home decoration and more.

"All Free Crafts" has also added my Crocheted Moccasins
to their site at:
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/crochet/moccasins.shtml
And my Knitted Moccasins at:
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/knitting/moccasin-slippers.shtml
I love the layout they did for my patterns. It looks great!

The following new articles have been added in my Crafts
Article Directory:
"For Those Who Wish to Learn Knitting"
"What Makes the Perfect Crocheted Pattern?"
"What Every Beginner Wants - Beginners Crochet Patterns"
"Sell Handmade Crafts on Etsy",
"How to Make Stylish Christmas Candles From Scratch Fast and Easy!"
You can read those at
http://crochetandknitting.com/articles

That is all for today. Enjoy the season and happy crafting!

Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

Inspiring Craft Links

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Thursday, November 13, 2008

Hello Everyone,

Today I have some links to craft sites and holiday patterns
that you may be interested in.

Start A Craft Business is focused on how to start up and
run a craft business. They have a lot of expert advice and
tips in over 80 articles on this subject.

Crafty Computer Paper has specialist inkjet papers and
fabric sheets for the arts and crafts. See their free
downloadable graphics, project ideas, and on-line courses.

Kaboose is a site for families. Lots of ideas to help parents,
from pregnancy to parenting, birthday parties to scrapbooking
and entertainment to education. They provide all kinds of fun
and exciting games, news, reviews and family projects. Free
Newsletter too!

For Quilters:
Quizzles by Wysistas is Interactive Quilt patterns! Simply
choose your quilt, select your colours and watch as Quizzle(R)
updates your colour choices and provides you with fully
detailed instructions and diagrams that reflect 'your' colour
choices that you can print out or work from your computer
screen. Also a Free quilting E-book available with great
information! Plus, they have a free newsletter called
"Quizzles® e-news".

How To Quilt. Whether you are new to quilting or an
experienced quilter, A Beginner's Guide to Quilting has
tips and tricks to improve your sewing and quiltmaking
skills. A Free weekly newsletter as well, with a lot of
great stuff, such as tips, shortcuts, free block patterns
and more.

As well, Penny Halgren, the owner of that site has written
an article called, "Can Quilting Really Promote Good Health?"
You can read that here
http://crochetandknitting.com/articles

At this time of year a lot of people are looking for some
Christmas ornament patterns to knit or crochet. Here's
some cute ones I found.

Christmas Bell Pin Or Ornament Knitting Pattern (Knit)
It says it takes less than an hour to knit

Jingle Bell (Knit)
This could also be used to decorate a gift.

Snowman Ornament (Knit)
He is cute!

Santa Ornament (Knit)
Of course Santa is cute too!

Gingerbread Man Christmas Ornament (Knit)
And a cute Gingerbread Man.

Little Ornament Style Gift Bags (Knit)
This is cute and different! With many people using gift
bags instead of wrapping boxes, these mini gift bags
make a nice ornament to hang on your tree.

Christmas Lights (Knit)
Another different and great idea for ornaments.

Lace Mesh Ornaments (Knit)
These are beautiful!

Little Angel Ornament (Crochet)
This is a pattern my daughter loves to make.

Ornament Jacket (Crochet)
Ornament Jacket
These are very pretty jackets to dress up old ornaments.

Little Aprons (Crochet)
This is a different and very cute idea for ornaments!

Little Ornament Style Gift Bags (Crochet)
Like the knit gifts bags, but in crochet.

Photo Christmas Ornament (Crochet)
This is a great idea. I made one similar to that with a
photo of my grandson when he was about a year old.
A keepsake for sure!

Reindeer Head Ornament Free Pattern (Crochet)
He is cute!

Ginger Man Ornament (Crochet)
He is really cute too! Looks good enough to eat. :)

tIcicle Ornament (Crochet)
This is different, crochet some icicles for your tree!
and Icicle Snowmen!


That is all for today.

Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

Craft Videos

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Thursday, October 23, 2008

Hello Everyone,

I thought this may be of interest to you.

VideoJug contacted me to say they have free videos that
show you how to knit, crochet, and sew.
http://www.videojug.com/tag/knitting-and-needlework

Here are just a few of the video topics, there are many more!

How To Crochet A Snowman
How To Knit A Scarf
How To Cast On
How To Knit The Rib stitch
How To Knit A Cable Stitch
How To Change Yarn
How To Card Angora Fiber
How To Make Single crochet Stitch
How To Cast Off
How To Make A Bean Bag
How To Knit The Purl Stitch
How To Knit The Knit Stitch
and much more.

Check it out here:
http://www.videojug.com/tag/knitting-and-needlework

That is all for today.

Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

New Patterns are ready

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Friday, October 3, 2008

Hello Everyone,

The patterns I told you about in the last issue are now
completed.

Knitted Socks for Men
http://crochetandknitting.com/ksocks1.htm

Knitted Socks for Women
http://crochetandknitting.com/ksocks2.htm

And as always, all my Free Crochet and Knit Patterns
are here:
http://crochetandknitting.com/patterns.htm

Previous issues of this newsletter are archived here
http://crochetandknitting.com/newsletter/archives.htm

That is all for today. Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

New pattern soon and Scrap Afghans

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Sunday, September 28, 2008

Hello Everyone,

I thought I should let you know that I am still around! We
are in the path of Hurricane Kyle, so we are expecting a
very windy and rainy overnight. To everyone in the path
of this hurricane, stay safe!

I've been working on two new patterns, knit socks for men
and knit socks for women. This is a pattern that my mother
taught me when I was very young. I never wrote it down,
it's always just been in my head. I figured since there are
so many knit socks patterns online, there must be one the
same. But after looking over so many patterns, I couldn't
find one exactly the same, so I thought it was time to get
my pattern down on paper.

It's been slow going because about a month ago I was pickling
and freezing vegetables and the tendons in my hands got
inflamed and very painful. They would almost get better and
I would make more pickles and chop up more vegetables for
freezing. On top of that I made a cole slaw by grating the
cabbage and carrots by hand. I think that did the most damage.
I have since ordered a new grater that is easy on the hands.

The vegetables are all taken care of now, so I am working
away a little at a time on my knitted socks. Knitting for long
periods of time can make your hands very painful, especially
if they are already sore, and sore hands are not something
that knitters and crocheters want to have!


Someone had emailed me and asked about Scrap Afghan
patterns to use up all those small leftover balls of yarn.

She was looking for a knit pattern, but I also found some for
crochet.

Here is a pretty one (Crochet):
http://patternsbydot.blogspot.com/2006/01/scrumptious-scraps-afghan.html
You will need lots of black yarn though for a contrast, but it
looks nice around all those scrap yarn pieces!

Here is another pretty Scrap Afghan pattern (Crochet):
http://www.knitting-love.com/scrap-afghan-pattern.html
This one uses white for contrast.

Another method that I heard of and tried was to use a big
hook and two strands of different colors together. The colors
would compliment each other, such as a light blue and dark
blue, a light brown and dark brown, or any color with white
or black, etc. Crochet in whichever stitch you want to use, sc,
hdc or dc. When you run out of the scrap yarn for those colors,
just pick up two more colors and keep going until it is the size
you want. The colors give a nice effect so no fancy stitches
are needed. The afghan will be thick and heavy however.
But it will be very warm!

Here is a very interesting Knit Scrap Afghan. Sounds like
a lot of fun to make too!
http://www.knitlist.com/99gift/scrap-afghan.htm

This one, Stash Afghan, is the same as above but has more
detailed instructions.
http://knitting.about.com/od/afghanpatterns/a/stash-afghan.htm

While looking for these patterns I came across this article.
"Repetitive Strain and Knitting. Don't Hurt Yourself!"
By Sarah E. White, About.com
http://knitting.about.com/od/knittingsafety/a/knittingrsi.htm
Some advice I need to take. lol

That is all for today. Hopefully I will have another newsletter
out in a few days to let you know when my knit socks patterns
are completed and on my website.

Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

New pattern, interesting links....

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Hello Everyone,

My new pattern is ready, Women's Lighter Summer Vest.
This one is made with 2 ply yarn, so it's lighter than the
design I make with 4 ply yarn. You can get it here:
http://crochetandknitting.com/vest2.htm

I found this site the other day. It shows you a different
method of joining squares. Even has photos.
"Flat Braid" Square Joining Method by Priscilla Hewitt
http://hometown.aol.com/lffunt/flatbraid.htm

I really like this method. It looks very nice! A great
alternative to sewing squares together.

Felicity at http://www.wikiHow.com emailed me to ask if
she could use some my articles for the site.

WikiHow is a 2.5 CC licence site, meaning the material
there remains free to access, cannot be used commercially
and they have the aim of becoming the world's biggest free
how-to manual.

She is known as Flickety on this site and is a volunteer.
She says, "I simply do this out of love of treasuring
information and compiling it in a site that aims to be
accessible in as many subject areas as possible for current
and future generations. I am also keen on improving our
articles as part of my belief that we need to share this
info around more and make sure everyone has a chance to
learn more. I am also the coordinator for One Laptop Per
Child and UNICEF and our best articles get sent to these
projects to help children in developing countries learn
how to do a wide range of useful things."

She also said that all crocheters and knitters, or any
crafters can add more info of your liking and correct
any mistakes you may find. As well, she said to mention
that if you register, the ads will disappear. It's free
to register. The ads are a necessity to raise funds to
keep the site running, with any leftover monies being
redistributed to charities.


Tasha at "The Lime and Violet Daily Chum"
http://www.limenviolet.com/blog
emailed me to let me know that she was going to do a write
up about my Knitted Moccasin Slippers. The Chum is a blog
dedicated to covering the fiber arts world. Lots of good
info there.

If you are looking for craft ideas for weddings and more,
Walmart has new collections from Martha Stewart
“Celebrate” ( for Weddings) and “Create” (Crafts)

That is all for today. Have a great day everyone!
Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

Amigurumi crochet, hemp jewelry and more.

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter - Amigurumi crochet, hemp jewelry and more.

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Sunday, June 29, 2008

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are enjoying summer. I just had a lovely
visit from my daughter. She lives 3000 miles away from
me, so I only get to see her once a year. We spent a lot
of time crocheting together.

I am still working on the crocheted vest for summer made
with 2 ply yarn, so it will be much lighter than the one I
designed with 4 ply yarn.

I tried to do a different design for it and it didn't work so
I had to rip it out and start all over. That's to be expected
when you are designing a new pattern.... :) As well, we
all have to "rip-it" now and then when working from a
pattern and we misunderstand the instructions.

I received a very nice email and photos from Alicia. She
sent me pictures of her Knitted Moccasin Slippers she made
from my pattern at
http://crochetandknitting.com/mocslipk.htm

Alicia is a new knitter. This is her first project. I was very
happy that she found the pattern to be easy for beginners.

I was doing some searching around for crochet patterns
and I came across Amigurumi crochet. I was thinking
"what the heck is that?" I had never heard such a term
before.

The patterns I found looked like they used only single
crochet and they were all little animals or dolls.

So then I did a search on the term and found that Amigurumi
is the Japanese art of crocheting small animals or toys. The
dolls are done in single crochet in the round. It's kept very
simple. Sometimes you don't even have to join at the end
of a round, simply go in a spiral.

I designed my own snow man and snow woman dolls for
Christmas before and that was a the way I did it. So I
guess I was doing Amigurumi crochet and didn't even
realize there was a name for it.. :)

Amigurumi is using your imagination and going with it. So
if you think you can't design a pattern, you might want to
try this and discover that you can!

Look at these Love Bugs. Aren't they cute!

And this little Amigurumi Chihuahua is so cute!

As well as this Amigurumi Butterfly.

Zach Swinehart sent me his article on "How To Make
Hemp Jewelry". I found it very interesting and sounds like
a lot of fun. Zach says, "This article will teach you everything
you need to know about macramé; (the art of weaving and
knotting cords—in this case, hemp—to make jewelry)."
You can read his article at:
http://crochetandknitting.com/articles/art159.htm

A couple more new articles have been added to the Craft
Articles section as well, "Tips to Learn How to Knit", and
"Reusing Yarn - Getting the Kinks of Out Yarn That Has
Already Been Knit". You can read them at
http://crochetandknitting.com/articles

That is all for today. Happy Crafting!


Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

New Pattern - Women's Summer Vest

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Thursday, May 15, 2008

Hello Everyone,

In the last newsletter I was looking at summer cover-ups
and vests.

I liked this one, "Empire Jacket Vest"

However it was made with a bulky yarn, which I felt would
be rather heavy for summer. So I decided to adjust the
pattern for a lighter yarn.

It took me awhile to get it done, I made some changes
such as adding a gathered front. After several times of
"ripping it" out and starting over, I finally have the version
that I was satisfied with. It's on my Free Patterns page at
http://crochetandknitting.com/patterns.htm

I hope there's no typos, but feel free to let me know if you
find any.

I think it would be very pretty done in white, and would
look good over any colored top. I didn't have enough white
yarn, and wanted to get started right away, so I used a
denim blue.

Next I am going to make a version done in 2 ply yarn,
which will be even lighter for summer. I have ordered
some 2 ply yarn that was on sale, but haven't received it
yet. I wanted to get 2 ply white yarn, but there wasn't
any available so I had to choose 2 ply in black, which
should look nice over any colored top as well.

That is all for today. Happy Crafting!


Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

Summer project ideas, Knitting Article....

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Monday, April 7, 2008

Hello Everyone,

I have been busy doing spring cleaning. I never like
the thought of having to do it, but once I get started
I don't want to stop. Everything is so fresh and clean
and smells wonderful along with the fresh spring
air coming in my windows.

I have been having thoughts about summer and what
patterns would be nice to make for the upcoming
season. I was doing some searching and looking
over patterns when I found this Beach Cover-up
Isn't that beautiful!

I have been making so much for others, so I thought it's
about time I made something for myself... :) I don't swim
or go to a beach, but I think the cover-up would also look
great over a tank top or t-shirt. It is light, lacy and airy.

Lion Brand has a pretty Beach Cover-up Cardigan.
and a Beach Cover-up Pullover

So then I got thinking about a nice lacy vest to wear
over a tank top or t-shrit and started searching for
vests.

I found this one.
Empire Jacket Vest
Very pretty! And the empire waist is very much in style now.
You get the empire waist effect with the drawsting tie which
is run through the spaces two rows below the armhole. But
the pattern uses a bulky yarn. I would think a bulky yarn
would be rather heavy for summer!

So I think I will just try the medium or large size with a
lighter yarn, either worsted or sportweight and try to adjust
it. There is no gauge or measurement sizes given on the
pattern either, so this will be a challenge. If I can alter
it for a lighter yarn, I will let you all know and post the
pattern for you.

I also found this vest.
Very pretty. It's a very long vest but could be shortened
up for summer.

Here is a midi length vest. Pretty too and could be shortened
for summer.

For knitting I found this Light Summer Vest.

All these vests would great over a dress or skirt and
blouse to be worn at a wedding or any special occasion.


I recently found this site where you can save on over
50,000 brand name craft supplies - CreateForLess.
I was very amazed by the low prices, especially on
all my favourite yarns. However, they only ship
within the U.S, which is great for our U.S. crafter
friends. Click here and have a look.


I really like this article by Alice Seidel, "The Tao Of
Knitting". I thought it was very beautifully written.

The Tao Of Knitting
By Alice Seidel

As Winter is slowly giving way to Spring, it is easy to
look around at all the new beginnings. Slowly, little
plants are beginning to poke their heads out of the
ground, and trees are blossoming into pretty shades
of new pink, white, and lavender.

Spring is a wonderful time of the year to think about
knitting. What it means to be knitting. Why I knit, and
why I love it so much. What about knitting, is so
fulfilling to me.

I think anyone who knits and loves to knit, will tell
you they love to knit for a variety of reasons. At their
core, those reasons all hold the same essence. Passion.
Another word for it would be fulfillment. There is something
beyond money, beyond fame, beyond ego, that has us
knitting.

That something I like to call "the tao of knitting."

Like the Bible, the Tao Te Ching is a spiritual guide;
one that has been around for centuries. It inspires,
teaches, assists with the rigors of daily life, and provides
examples of how best to find peace within ourselves,
for each other, and for the world in which we live.

Whether we be learning from the Tao Te Ching or
learning how to knit, purl, and yarn-over, the lessons
are very much the same. A few examples would be:

-- building self-esteem and self-acceptance. Knitting
is a great way to formulate self-esteem. In today's harried,
rushed world in which we all live, finding substance in the
things we do is often a difficult endeavor. Too often we
are left wondering if our talents are needed, and even if
we have talents at all! By learning to knit, there is no
doubt that when finished with our projects, that we
always have something to show for our efforts; the
trappings of our "yarn life" are always useful.

-- bringing greater joy and creativity to daily life. Why,
when you knit, it is practically a given, that those simple
rhythms, those quiet needle clicks, and back-and-forth
cadences of creating row upon row of our patterns, help
to create endorphins in our brains; those key receptors
which produce a calming effect in our lives. This is
documented behavior. But, we knitters could have told
you that.

-- understand life as a series of changes and challenges.
For life is transformation. It is always evolving into something
else, something more, not less; yet, we have to see that for
ourselves. Not a day goes by where we can say, joy is
mixed with sadness, serenity is suffused with conflict, ease
blends with difficulty. When we knit, oftentimes there are
challenges to patterns, stitch work which may be initially
foreign to anything which we've tried before, even words
and phrases new to us, which make the going slow, indeed.
Perserverance prevails, and when we stick to our resolve,
we come away with knitted creations that are sublime;
just this side of heaven, and truly our masterpieces.

So many of life's little lessons are learned along the way,
when we knit. Patience, self-awareness, growing in harmony
with ourselves and other knitters we meet along the way,
welcoming challenges as good things, allowing even the
mistakes to have a place in our lives.

Follow your heart to all things knitted. It is the road which
leads you to life.

About the Author:
Alice Seidel works as a freelance writer. She is the author
of dozens of articles, a full-length book on knitting, and is
the Author and Publisher of "Knit Stitch & Whimsy", a
monthly knitting newsletter. For details, visit
http://www.theknitstitch.com


That is all for today. Happy Crafting!


Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

Free Online Knit and Crochet Book

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Thursday, March 20, 2008

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all have a Happy Easter and enjoy your
long holiday weekend. To all those who don't celebrate
it, I wish you all a great weekend too!

Happy Spring as well! It sure doesn't look much like
spring here today. We are getting ice pellets and snow.
I thought it was all over with this afternoon, but it has
started up again. I am so looking forward to spring and
gardening!

Here is a very beautiful book about Knitting and
Crocheting that you can view online.
http://www.maran.com/eknitting.html

Robert Maran of Maran Illustrated
http://www.maran.com/
emailed me to let me know that the "Illustrated Knitting
and Crocheting" book is now available online.

I have had the physical copy for over a year now and I am
so amazed by the photography in this book! Even the online
version shows much detail. I wish I could take photos like
that! That's a skill I'll have to work on.

The interface at the top of the online book is very neat.
There are navigation buttons that will turn the pages
forward and back for you.

The diagonal arrows will enlarge the book to full screen
view. Press the "Esc" button on your keyboard or the
"X" at the top of the screen to return to normal screen.
The 4 squares in the box at the top will bring up screen
shots of other pages of the book that you can click on.
http://www.maran.com/eknitting.html

At the very top of the screen you will see the covers of
other books that Robert has created that you can click
on and view online. Or you can click here to access
them: http://www.maran.com/maranlibrary/
They include Dog Training, Bartending, Cooking,
Guitar, Yoga, Weight Training, Wine and many
others.

The work his company does is amazing! I wasn't sure if
you can get physical copies of these books or not. So I
did some searching around the site and found out that they
are available at all bookstores.


I have completed the alternations for the Men's version
on my latest slipper pattern, Crocheted Seed Stitch
Slippers. You can find that here:
http://crochetandknitting.com/sdstsl2.htm
My husband got me to make these a snug fit. He said he
finds that the slippers will stretch over time and become
loose on his feet. I also noticed that after wearing my own
slippers for awhile. So I did make them a little tighter than
normal.

That is all for today. Happy Crafting!


Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

New Slipper Pattern

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Thursday, March 13, 2008

Hello Everyone,

I just finished designing a new crocheted slipper pattern,
"Seed Stitch Slippers" and you can get it on my site now.

Beginners might even like this pattern as I found it very
easy to make. Size is for women, but I feel that they can
easily be adjusted by adding or subtracting stitches and
rows in multiplies of 2. I will be working on one for
men later. They would look so cute for children too,
so I will have to work on a size for my 8 year old
grandson and 9 year old grandniece. I was thinking
they would be so cute for babies too! So many ideas
and not enough time... :)

Here is the link to my new pattern:
http://crochetandknitting.com/seedstsl.htm

The seed stitch gives them a nice bumpy or popcorn look.
Actually they sort of look like those knitted striped slippers
done in the phentex yarn where you knit stitches of one
color, then stitches of the second color, etc so you get the
bumped up rows effect, although my crocheted slippers
are all in one color. Here's the link to those knitted slippers
http://www.knitting-crochet.com/crochet/strsli.html

Some new articles have been added to the Article Directory:
"How to Make Money with Crafts" "Five Mistakes Beginning
Quilters Make", "Rainy Day Crafts: Get Creative With The Kids",
"Learn How to Knit: Mastering The Technique", "Getting Started
with Knitting", "How To Crochet A Simple Afghan", and more.
http://crochetandknitting.com/articles

That is all for today. Happy Crafting!


Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

New Pattern is ready

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Hello Everyone,

My new pattern is available on the free patterns
page of my website:
http://crochetandknitting.com/patterns.htm

The pattern is called "Sue's Knit Baby Slippers."

These are based on my Knitted Moccasin Slippers
for adults. They are made smaller for babies, of course,
with a ribbed cuff. As well, you could leave the cuff
off if you prefer. But I find them to be so cute with
the cuff.


That is all for today.


Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

New size for Easy Slippers For Beginners.

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Thursday, February 7, 2008

Hello Everyone,

I have a children's version of my Easy Slippers For
Beginners pattern at
http://crochetandknitting.com/slpprs8.htm

The Children's Easy Slippers For Beginners is here:
pattern at http://crochetandknitting.com/slpprs8c.htm

Special Thanks to Janette for testing this pattern. She wrote
to me about how she had made the adult version of these
slippers for her husband and daughter and now her two
grandsons wanted her to make some for them too.

She said she didn't know how to make the pattern small
enough to fit their feet. So I did some calculations based on
my gauge and sent the new instructions to Janette. She wrote
back and said they came out good and the fit was just right!


At the Crochet and Knitting Forum
I have had to make some changes to the registration
process.

We will now preview all new registrations. That was
necessary because when it was set on automatic too
many spammers were joining and posting trash.

Since it was changed to "preview all new registrations"
we have eliminated that problem. So far so good anyway!

I realize that we could decline a registration by mistake,
such as not information to make the right decision. So if you
have a problem with joining the forum, please contact me
at webmaster at crochetandkntting.com and I will fix it for
you.

Also at the forum, I have set up a new category where we
can share photos and information about our completed
projects.

I am working on a new pattern for babies. These are
knitted baby booties and are based on my Knitted
Moccasin Slippers for adults. For the baby version, I
am adding a ribbed sock top.

I will let you know when that is ready.

New craft articles have been added to the Article
Directory at
http://crochetandknitting.com/articles


That is all for today.


Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

Home Craft Business, Pattern Search and more.

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Friday, January 25, 2008

In this Issue:

- News from BizyMoms

- Grape doily found

- Pattern search. Can anyone help?

- Make your slipper soles last longer

- More visitors for your site or blog

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all well. I've managed to get a flu, but I
won't let it keep me down, not for too long at a time
anyway. Perhaps an early bedtime tonight would do
me good, though...lol

Susan Hutson from Bizymoms, where they help women
start a business from home, sent me an email. She wanted
me to pass on this information to you.

Susan says they want as many moms as possible to start
a home business this year. So they have dropped the price
of their Premium Career Kits. This includes their Easy Start
Program, helpful ebooks and a Lifetime Website.

She also said in addition to lowering the price, they have
also started creating new career kits at the same low price.
Coming soon is Event Planning, Jewelry, Errand Service,
General Crafts and more.

You can check out what Bizymoms has to offer here.
They also have home business ideas, articles and
advice.

At the Crochet and Knitting Forum
Cindy was looking for a grape doily pattern. I found one
here:
http://barbscraftbooks.tripod.com/barbscrochet/id79.html

Char found some more grape doily patterns. I like this one.
http://www.angelfire.com/folk/celtwich/GrapeDoily.html

Loraine gave us the link to one she made. I like this one too!
http://www.freepatterns.com/list.html?criteria=grape+doily

These are so pretty! I want to make some too. I was thinking
they would look really nice on my bookcase.

Jacqueline is looking for a pattern of a double knitting
cardigan from the late 1950's. Her mother had made this for
her when she was a teenager. Unfortunately, no one has been
able to help her find it yet.

If anyone knows where she can find this pattern it would be
greatly appreciated. She would like to have the pattern for
sentimental reasons. You can reply to her post on the
forum .

Here is her description of the pattern:
"The back was knitted in one piece - two rows knit two
rows purl up the armholes then casting on stitches on either
side to form sleeves when the stitches changed to a diamond
shape. Likewise the fronts were knitted up to the armholes
and then the diamond pattern. Stitches were then picked
up round the sleeve ends and the wristbands knitted.
Stitches were picked up down the length of the fronts and
the buttonhole bands knitted."

About the soles on yarn slippers.

In a previous issue, I mentioned Jackie had emailed me about
crocheted slippers soles that wear out quite fast. She really
likes my "Easy Slippers For Beginners" and I also make
many of these each year for my husband.

I never did get around to trying the Phentex yarn for the
soles, but on the last pair I made for my husband, I took
my glue gun and put the glue on the soles. I didn't just let
the glue set on top of the yarn, I would put a line of glue
across a row, then I would take the hot tip of the gun and
melt the glue right down into the fibers.

So far so good! He wears his slippers all the time while he
is inside and the soles on this pair show no sign of wear yet
at all! So I am happy about that. I thought I would pass this
tip on to you too, if you are having problems with the soles
wearing out on crochet or knit slippers.

Do you have your own website or blog?

Do you need some more visitors? I've just found this new
traffic exchange program that will get you targeted traffic,
people who are interested in what your site is about.

They have "craft and hobbies" and "home and family"
categories that would be great for getting more visitors
to your craft site.

There are many other categories too, so this program
would work great for any website or blog.

It's free! So if you have a site or blog and would like to
get more visitors go here now.


Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum

Happy New Year and more.

CrochetandKnitting Newsletter
Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Hello Everyone,

I'm a little late, as we are 8 days into it now,
but I want to wish you all a Happy New Year.

At the Crochet and Knitting Forum
"Betty Crochet" is looking for a pattern by Priscilla
Hewitt called the Pinwheel Quilt Afghan. We've been
trying to help her find it, but so far no luck, so if anyone
knows where she can get it, it would be appreciated.

Anyway, while searching Cheryl came across an
interesting site.
http://www.freevintagecrochet.com/afghans/pin-wheel-afghan-pattern.html
It has a Pin Wheel Afghan, but it's not the one Betty
was looking for. It's a beautiful pattern, though.

While looking at that page, I followed the link in the left
hand column to the Sea Shell Afghan. I really liked that
one! I am making it, but using different colors for a baby
afghan. Another one of my niece's is expecting her baby
in April, so I decided to start on a baby afghan now and
this pattern seemed perfect.

That site has Free Vintage Crochet patterns so I
thought some of you may be interested in them too.
(Thanks for posting that link on the forum, Cheryl.)

Jackie had emailed me about crocheted slippers.
She really likes my "Easy Slippers For Beginners"
at http://crochetandknitting.com/slpprs8.htm
I like them too as I made many of them each year
for husband. Jackie asked me about repairing the
soles. She said she wears hers out very quickly
and was wondering if she was being too hard on
them.

I told her that she is definitely not too hard on them.
My husband will wear the soles out on his quickly
too. I have darned up the holes to make them last
a little longer until I could get a new pair made for
him.

Jackie tried crocheting a new sole and sewing it
on, but she said it would have been quicker to
make new slippers.

Anyway, I told her about the Phentex yarn that is
100% Olefin and a lot more durable. It is called
Phentex Slipper and Craft Yarn. I think I will start
using that for the soles of slippers too. I'm not
sure yet how that type of yarn will fit in with
my slippers patterns because of the gauge, but it
is something I want to try this year.

Just for fun, I made a new page on my site for my
Crocheted Pictures of people. These were crocheted
from graphs. You can see them at
http://crochetandknitting.com/forfun.htm

That is all for today. I am looking forward to 2008
and all the new projects we will be working on and
new craft ideas we will be sharing.

Sincerely,

Sue Norrad
CrochetandKnitting.com - Free Patterns, Craft Supplies
and much more.
Craft Discussions and Pattern Search Forum