Showing posts with label crochet coasters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crochet coasters. Show all posts

Saturday, April 19, 2014

What to Do with a Leftover Crochet Motif?

A couple days ago, I blogged about a Crochet Car Seat Toy and Free Crochet Bird Pattern I'd made for the littles back home in the US. Here are the results of that fun, little project...

Crochet Car Seat Toy by Go Crochet Crazy with free crochet bird pattern





Crochet Motifs by Go Crochet Crazy with Free Crochet Bird Pattern




My plan was to make two car seat toys, using three of each motif -- crochet birds (find the free pattern here), stars and granny diamonds -- for each toy. As it turned out, that would have made for a rather crowded, busy car seat toy. So I ended up having a few extras leftover. What to do...what to do?

Crochet Motifs by Go Crochet Crazy with free crochet bird pattern.

Using my blog friend Rain's star pattern, I completed the leftover yellow stars and then came up with the idea to turn them into Star Coasters to brighten up mornings and make coffee-drinking more special.

Star Coasters by Go Crochet Crazy

And for someone who enjoys reading, one of the little crochet birds grew very, very long legs like a Sand Piper and morphed into a whimsical, colorful crochet bookmark.

Crochet Bird Bookmark by Go Crochet Crazy, free bird pattern on blog.


 

Making the Car Seat Toys was a lot of fun. Repurposing the leftover crochet motifs for something else smile-worthy was also an enjoyable experience. Hopefully, I'll have three happy recipients from these projects now, instead of two!

Go Crochet Crazy turns leftover crochet star and crochet bird motifs into a bookmark and coasters.

Admittedly, I haven't spent a lot of time learning about crochet motifs. Did you know that even a granny square is a crochet motif? A crochet motif is considered to be any crochet piece that must be sewn or stitched together with other pieces in order to create the finished project.

What kind of crochet motifs have you created? Have you ever had leftovers that you used for other purposes? I invite you to join the conversation about crochet motifs...a topic I thought I had little experience in but, as I discovered was something I'd known about all along.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Think Spring Cotton Crochet Coasters -- Free Pattern

Oh the joys of spring...crocuses and tulips in bloom, birds chirping, warming temperatures and buds on trees. I'm completely caught up in the joys of spring. The month of March was a busy one. In addition to being in the States to visit my family for several weeks, I also finished and published my latest crochet pattern eBook, Four Infinity Scarf Patterns to Keep You Warm, and created my Lazy Daze Poncho design.

With the arrival of April, I was ready for a quick crochet project to give me some satisfaction while I work on my next crochet pattern eBook and a long-term project (my Cath Kidston-inspired giant granny afghan). What better way to celebrate spring than with flowers?

Which led to the creation of my Think Spring Cotton Crochet Coasters!

"Think Spring" Cotton Crochet Coasters, free pattern available on Go Crochet Crazy blog
There are a lot of beautiful crochet coaster patterns out there. I've tried a few that I liked and have tried some that didn't give me the results I was looking for. In the end, I decided to design my own so I could have a quick-to-crochet pattern with an attractive, versatile look. Here's the free pattern so you can whip up a few for yourself or as a lovely, springtime gift.

"Think Spring" Cotton Crochet Coaster Pattern

Supplies:
Hook size - G
Cotton yarn of your choice, I used Bernat 100% Cotton Yarn in Smokey Wine, and Sugar 'n Cream in Ecru.

Ch 6, join with slip stitch to form ring.

Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as first DC). DC 19 times into ring for total of 20 stitches. Join with slipstitch.

Round 2: Ch 4 (counts as first DC and first Ch 1). *DC in the next stitch, Ch 1*. Repeat from * to * all the way around. Ch 1, and join the last stitch to the first with a slipstitch.

Round 3: Slipstitch to a Ch 1 space. Ch 3 (counts as first DC). DC again in the same space. *Ch 1, 2 DC in the next Ch 1 space*.  Repeat from * to * all the way around. Ch 1, slipstitch into the first stitch. Fasten off.

Round 4: Using your second color, join in a Ch 1 space with a slipstitch, SC in the same space. *Skip the two DCs and DC five times into the next Ch 1 space. Skip the next 2 stitches and SC into the next Ch 1 space*. Repeat from * to * all the way around to create 10 flower petals. Fasten off, sew in your end.
"Think Spring" Cotton Crochet Coasters, free pattern by Go Crochet Crazy
 Let me know what you think of my new crochet coaster design, and enjoy your springtime crochet and craft projects! And don't forget to stop by and enter my giveaway! The contest closes Wednesday night (April 3rd).

Today I'm Linking Up With:

Moogly Hookin' on Hump Day
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