When you see the designs by Irina Mulyavko, you can’t help but smile. They are not just cute, they are delightful, charming and every other cute synonym in the English language. Let’s learn more about the designer behind some of the most adorable amigurumi crochet patterns available.
Amigurumi Cat in Sweater by Irina Mulyavko
Please, tell us a little about yourself and your designs.
My name is Irina. I live in Barnaul – this is a small beautiful city in Russia. I have an engineer education. I am a big fan of handmade! I always waited for the weekend to do my favorite thing – to sew and crochet. And today I am a former engineer and I am engaged in the creation of crochet designs. And I’m really happy! I can be found on Ravelry and on Instagram @crochetgift_shop
How long have you been crocheting?
My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was a little girl. Grandma taught me simple stitches. I liked it a lot! Later I learned to crochet on my own using the book. The first thing I crocheted was clothes for a small doll (I kept these doll clothes as a keepsake and maybe in the future I will show this project on Ravelry – called “my first work”). I continued to learn how to crochet. I crocheted lace doily, clothes and much more.
Christmas Tree Ornament by Irina Mulyavko
How long have you been designing and what led you to design?
Since childhood, I did not like to crochet according to the pattern. And the design came up on their own. Unofficially, I have been designing for many years. And officially the first design appeared in 2016. It was a Christmas snowflake. The Christmas theme dragged me on and I decided to continue to create templates.
Why crochet? What is it that interests you?
It so happened that crocheting is very easy and interesting for me. I have nothing against knitting needles. But I do not own knitting needles. A few years ago I was asked why only the hook and do not own knitting needles? I said that I would start to study knitting needles when I ran out of ideas for crocheting. I want to realize everything! Ideas still haven’t ended! And I continue to work crochet.
Amigurumi Giraffe by Irina Mulyavko
Do you enjoy other crafts or hobbies? or is there one that you would like to learn?
Yes, I like to sew. I love the world of fashion. For more than 20 years I have been making clothes and something for home. Perhaps in the future I would learn the trapunto technique. I am also interested in weaving.
Cute Amigurumi Cactus by Irina Mulyavko
How many WIP do you currently have, and do you think you will ever finish all of them?
I rarely have multiple WIPs. I do not like unfinished WIP. But sometimes this happens due to the lack of the required amount of yarn. Then I have several WIPs in my work.
What was the last thing you crocheted for yourself?
The last thing I did for myself was a dress with a full skirt. I dreamed about this! Design developed independently. Hooray! In my wardrobe addition!
Amigurumi Bear in Sweater by Irina Mulyavko
What is your favorite design of yours and why?
I can’t single out just one design. I love amigurumi. But I was always scared that it was necessary to sew a lot of parts of amigurumi. I decided to develop amigurumi, where there is little to sew parts. The first to appear was a bear in a sweater. I liked him and I made some more animals. I love them all!
When you do not crochet, what do you do?
I love nature! I like to walk through the woods – for mushrooms or just like that.I like to go to the philharmonic to a concert of classical music.I love coloring books. I fell in love with Johanna Basford magical colorful book The Mysterious Garden.
Chances are if you’ve recently seen a beautiful, lacy crocheted shawl, it is one of Rachy’s. Racy is also participating in the 2019 Indie Designer Gift-A-Along and has graciously agreed to be interviewed. So…let’s get to know Rachy Newin!
Please tell a little bit about yourself and your designs.
I love crochet and I love hand-dyed yarn and my patterns are designed to pair the two together perfectly. I focus on higher end yarns and love playing around with colors and texture and lace. Lately, I’ve also been super into beads – they’re fun and deceptively easy, and I love the way it sparkles!
Sugar Plum Shawl by Rachy Newin
How long have you been crocheting?
I’ve been on Ravelry since December 2013, so I’ve probably been crocheting since about November 2013! I’ve been crafting in various ways for my whole life, but only taught myself to crochet as an adult.
How long have you been designing and what led you to design?
My first ever pattern was a super quick freebie I posted five years ago. I freehanded it and people asked for the pattern, so I wrote it out and popped it up on Ravelry. A few months later, I started getting more involved with creating my own patterns. I walked into a LYS for the first time and fell in love, but couldn’t find any patterns that would work with their yarns the way I wanted them to – so I set out to design the patterns I wanted to make.
How did you first learn to crochet?
Libraries and YouTube! First step was hitting up the library for every book I could find on crochet and yarn. But it’s hard to follow the steps from books alone, so I spent a lot of time sitting in front of YouTube videos and watching how my hands should move.
Starlight Shawl by Rachy Newin
Do you have any other crafts or hobbies? or is there one you would like to learn?
Does collecting yarn count as a separate hobby? I’d love to learn all the crafts – especially spinning and yarn dyeing – but I don’t have the time or space in my house to learn it all.
How many WIPs do you currently have and do you think you will ever finish all of them?
I refuse to count all my WIPs all at once, I’m not sure I want to face that reality, but I usually have five to seven WIPs with me at any given time. I would love to theoretically finish them all one day, but with the way I keep getting distracted by new projects, I doubt that’ll ever happened.
Keep Breathing Cowl by Rachy Newin
What was the last thing you crocheted for yourself?
Most of my design samples are for me! There’s a very short list of people I’m willing to craft for as I only crochet for people who appreciate the time and effort. I’d rather keep the gorgeous lace shawl for me than give it to someone who won’t love it.
What is your favorite stitch?
Half-double crochet! It’s solid enough to be cozy and warm, but has enough flexibility to give the project good drape. I use hdc a *lot*.
What pattern/design are you most proud of? Why?
It’s so impossible to pick just one! Maybe the Bumps in the Road Shawl, I’m really pleased with how the technical aspects of the pattern work out. It’s a super wearable shape and the body features a modified stitch that’s fully reversible and delightfully textured. The pattern is also designed so that you don’t have to cut the yarn – there’s no ends to weave in, except for the start and end of each skein. Plus, the math is set up so you can work any number of rows in the body and add the edging at any point. I absolutely love the finished look of the shawl, but I’m especially proud of the behind-the-scenes technical bits that make it really fun to work up.
Bonfire Shawl by Rachy Newin
What is your favorite crochet tool or notion?
Bobby pins! They’re the perfect stitch marker. Cheap, easy to slide on and off, and you can pick them up anywhere in case of emergency.
When you aren’t knitting/crocheting, what are you doing?
I’m pretty low key. If I’m not crocheting, I’m probably hanging out with the dog, playing games on my phone, or deep in a book. My ideal afternoon is a dog on my lap, a soothing mindless project to work on, and a hardcover book so I can read while I crochet.
One of my favorite parts of the Indie Design Gift-a-Long is the opportunity to find new designers. Today I have the honor of introducing you to crochet designer, Fiona “Fi” Langtry.
Please tell a little bit about yourself and your designs.
I’m a crochet designer of ladies’ garments and accessories from Australia. Trevor and I have been married for almost 31 years and we live in a small town called Yass with our two teenagers.
I love to design and make gloves, scarves and beanies, along with ponchos and capes. My style is boho-shic – relaxed fit, comfortable and often colorful. I love working with chunky, unusual and/or hand-dyed yarns. No fiber or yarn scares me – I simply grab a big hook (9 or 10mm are often in my hand!)
Orchid Vest by Fiona Langtry
How long have you been crocheting/knitting?
I was a knitter. I learned when I was around 10 and never stopped. I would have said I was an intermediate level; I could make fairly intricate lacework, do color work and cables… but I was SLOW.
I became a crocheter. When I was in my 40s, a friend needed help making lots of brooches. I discovered how fast crochet was, and I’ve never looked back!
How long have you been designing and what led you to design?
I published my first design in May 2014. The EasyFit Beanie was a “happy accident” that I decided to write down for others to make too. I had already been a tester for others, and therefore knew some of the process, so I gave my own patterns a go. I now have over 60 patterns published and another 5 in various stages of the design / testing process.
Traverse my Heart by Fiona Langtry
What is your design process?
Many times, I will hold the end of a ball of yarn in my fingers and start crocheting with little-to-no plan in place. I may plan a hat, or some gloves or a poncho, but sometimes that will be the extent of the plan. Often the yarn will drive the textures I choose to incorporate.
I will usually make notes on my tablet while I create, then do the actual pattern writing on my computer.
Once a pattern is at a “certain stage”, I will send an email to my testing pool and request expressions of interest.
The testing stage can take a few weeks to a few months, depending on the size and complexity of the pattern in question. Once my testers are happy, I send the pattern to my tech editor and publish on Ravelry and my Website. Most patterns also end up in my Etsy shop and on LoveCrafts.
Shell Mitts by Fiona Langtry
Do you have any other crafts or hobbies? or is there one you would like to learn?
When my teenagers “leave home”, I plan on learning how to spin. I am deliberately NOT learning until then, because I feel like it will become an all-consuming hobby and for the moment I don’t have time for anything else J
What was the last thing you crocheted/knit for yourself?
I designed the Senorita Shawl using 3 balls of yarn I picked up at Lincraft (an Aussie chain store for crafters). It wasn’t intentionally for me, but this shawl/scarf became my wardrobe staple this past winter – a scarf under coats, and a shawl when the coat wasn’t required. I love it!
What are your favorite stitches?
I love using “cheat” stitches – I discovered “foundation” stitch and fell in love with it (no more working into chains, YAY!), and then I discovered Chainless Starting stitches – again, no more chains! Most of my patterns include one, if not both of these amazing alternatives to traditional methods… I have customers who thank me for introducing these stitches to them, some after 30 years of crocheting!
What pattern/design are you most proud of? why?
My proudest accomplishment is the Desert Dreams Poncho – it was a “barely there” idea for nearly 18 months, and then, when I was recuperating from minor surgery in July 2018, I sat and finally worked it out. I ran a CAL group on Facebook for my testers and we had a lot of fun getting this pattern to the final release in December 2018. It has been my most popular pattern across all platforms in 2019 and those who complete it are really proud of the final results!
Desert Dreams Poncho by Fiona Langtry
What is/are your favorite crochet tool(s) or notion(s)?
I love love love my Clover Amour hooks – I have 2 full sets, and they’re the only way I can complete the number of projects I make each year.
There is a screw-top magnetic needle case that means I’m never searching for a needle to complete a project – I store all sizes in it, from giant eye needles for super chunky yarn, through to the needle I use for tiny buttons.
And… my snippers – they travel with me almost everywhere – and they’re safe because they have a lid to keep the blades from stabbing anything!
The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is BAAAACCKKK! #GAL2019 #giftalong2019
I’m super excited to announce I’m participating in the Indie Gift-a-Long again this year (year 7!!) so….What is a Gift-a-Long.? I believe it is best stated from source, the Indie Design Gift-a-Long group on Ravelry, so…
What is the Indie Design Gift-A-Long? It’s prepping for the holidays as only fiber folks can, with special deals from hundreds of indie designers!
The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a 5 week long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by almost 300 independent designers. From November 26th at 8pm (US-EST) through December 1st at 11:59 pm (US-EST) these indie designers will be discounting between 10 – 20 of their patterns by 25% for this event.
There are eight KAL/CALs to participate in, prizes of all sorts given out, games, and generally a lot of fun! The Gift-A-Long KAL/CALs will run from November 26th at 8pm US EST through – December 31, 2019 at 11:59pm US EST. All patterns by the participating designers are eligible for the KAL/CALs and projects made from all not-free patterns by the participating designers are eligible to win prizes. Please note that all prize winners must be group members to be eligible to win a prize.
Join in the fun, discover new designers and patterns and win lots of prizes. It’s FREE, you just need to join Ravelry, free, and then join the Indie Design Gift-a-Long group, also free. It’s that simple. See you there!!
Cute as a Button Baby Blanket crochet pattern now available!
The Cute as Button Baby Blanket crochet pattern is now available! The pattern is easy and written for worsted weight yarn. I used Knit Picks Mighty Stitch for the sample. Pattern includes full written instructions, charts and a tutorial for sewing on the buttons.
This pattern is included in my Buy 2, Get a 3rd for FREE sale! No coupon needed, Ravelry will automatically deduct the lowest priced pattern from your purchase.
Crocheting can renew the spirit and calm the mind.
It is late summer and in the southeast and that means thunderstorms with threats of severe storms and tornadoes. More often than not, the threat is just that, a threat and we only have a mild storm with a brilliant show of lightening high in the sky. I look forward to rainy days and often find myself sitting on my screened-in-porch during these thunderstorms. I turn on my twinkle lights*, put my feet up, crochet and listen.
I relish the sound of the rolling thunder in the distance and when the rain comes, the sound as it falls through the trees. My cat joins me on the loveseat, curls up next to me after receiving her mandatory three minutes of petting, and falls fast asleep surely dreaming of the yarn just out of her reach. The sounds of her purring and the rain, combined with my silent counting, calm me and quiet my mind. All the stresses of the week fade away and I lose myself in the repetition of the stitches.
It is in these peaceful and meditative moments that I am able re-center myself and restore my energy for the busy weeks ahead. Like the trees and all the natural beauty that surrounds us, I, too, am renewed by the rain.
Before I know it the rain begins to subside and the summer bugs and birds return to their songs. I’ll hear the muted television from inside where my husband is on the couch most likely sleeping through a televised sporting event. And I’ll hear an occasional laugh as one of my sons plays video games online with a friend, and the chink of weights while the other son is working out. Now I am not just renewed but full of love and thankfulness for my amazing family.
I have spent many weekends on my porch crocheting and working on new designs. It is the one place where I sit and am able to concentrate on my projects without the distractions of dishes in the sink or paperwork next to my computer. Many of those weekends have been spent listening to not just the sounds of the rain but the neighborhood as well; grass being mowed in the distance, an occasional dog barking and the abundance of wildlife with buzzing cicadas, birds singing their mating songs, squirrels chattering and leaping through the trees, and the deer rummaging for food while crunching the leaves beneath their hooves.
I am so very thankful for these peaceful moments in my life. It is precious time to reflect and time when I can stitch my designs with love and happiness in my heart.
Happy Crocheting, Darleen
*If you keep clear holiday lights up year round they are called twinkle lights.
Every summer we have an issue with fruit flies. As soon as the weather turns warm POOF they appear. And this summer was no different. Most years they aren’t too bad but for some reason they were worse this year. I did some research online and found a few do-it-yourself options for fruit fly control. One that stood out was to make your own trap with apple cider vinegar. The site suggested pouring apple cider vinegar in a bowl and adding a few pieces of fruit. It then said to cover the top with saran and poke a couple of holes in it. The idea was that the vinegar and fruit would attract the flies, they would enter via the holes and then get stuck. Well, this worked for a few days and it seemed like the flies were going away. Then we started seeing more and more and more flies. What the heck? So I looked at my “trap” and realized I WAS BREEDING FRUIT FLIES! The buggers had laid eggs on the fruit and enough had figured out how to get out of the “trap”. So much for that idea. At this point the amount of fruit flies in my kitchen was so bad that I broke down and purchased fly ribbon. You know the stuff. Flies are attracted to the icky sticky goo on the ribbon, get stuck to it and die. Tacky, both literally and figuratively. But desperate times call for desperate measures and I hung a couple strips up in the kitchen. Within 24 hours they were full. Thankfully I was able to get rid of most of the flies but the sight of those nasty strips was beyond GROSS. So I had to come up with a better solution. And back to the inter-webs I went. This time I found a site that suggested a similar method but omitted the fruit (duh) and added a couple drops of dish soap to the apple cider vinegar. I tried this method and it worked! This time the buggers drowned, sorry little guys, and most certainly were not breeding. Yippee! But it was still ugly to look at. Not near as bad as the fly strips, but still, ugly. This is where crochet comes to the rescue.
The Zinnia Votive is a pattern for a sleeve that covers a small jelly jar. I pulled mine off the shelf, replaced the votive inside with apple cider vinegar, added a couple drops of dish soap, covered the top with saran, secured with a rubber band, poked a couple holes in the top and now I have a the prettiest fruit fly death trap that has ever existed. 🙂
Fruit flies enter this pretty trap and never, ever leave.
I keep my Zinnia Fruit Fly Death Trap on my kitchen counter, just behind my bananas. Every couple of days I check it and sure enough, there are fruit fly corpses floating in it. I change the solution inside weekly because dead flies are gross. And I put in just enough solution to catch the files but isn’t visible above the bottom band. If you find yourself with one too many fruit flies in your home, you may want to give this pretty trap a try.
I’ve mentioned before that I am trying to use up my much too large yarn collection. While I’m not near the end of it yet, I had noticed I was getting more and more partial skeins and bits and pieces. I also had a collection of swatches, unsuccessful design WIPS and projects that were abandoned when I realized I didn’t have enough yarn to finish. So I took some time this weekend to work on my scrap yarn stash. I pulled out all the scraps, partial WIPS, design fails and swatches of yarn that had been discontinued. Everything was frogged and balled up. I’ve been inspired by Grace’s Bits and Bobs Mother Bears so I put all the tiny scraps in one bin and the even tinier ones in another. I’ll need to make a magic ball with them at a later date. It was like going down memory lane frogging some of those items. Some dated back to my very first published design, theI Do Blanket, where I was working out different ways to attach the rings.
I’m excited to have this section organized. When a yarn is discontinued, I won’t use it for a new design. The discontinued yarn is what I use when I make Mother Bears or other small items for personal use. Having them all together and ready to use will make it a lot easier when I’m ready to start a new project. I haven’t yet dived into the partial skeins, unsuccessful design WIPS, abandoned projects or swatches of current yarn, but I’ll get to it. For now, they are in the appropriate stash box with full skeins of the same yarn.
I belong to a few groups on Ravelry. I love how groups have themes and I love when someone in the group starts a thread with a theme. In honor of Earth Day, one of the groups started a thread called Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and I was super excited to see what others would post. I wasn’t disappointed when KristyRecycles posted about three hot pads she made out of tarn (T-shirt yarn = tarn). While I have seen a lot of projects made with recycled t-shirts, I was really touched by her motivation for the project.
After my Grandma past away (a few years ago), my aunts, mom, and I were going through her things. Any t-shirts that didn’t have a side seam I took home and made tarn out of. When not working on it, I kept it in a sealed bag so that her smell stayed on it. I made these hot pads from one of the shirts, and gave them to my mom and 2 of my aunts for Christmas.
Hot pads Kristy made with tarn from her grandmother’s clothing.
I asked Kristy if she would like to interviewed for my blog and she graciously said yes. Please read about this eco-concious crafter.
How long have you been crocheting and/or knitting?
I have been crocheting for 33 years, knitting for 17 years, and weaving for 24 years.
Was your grandmother a crafter?
My grandma was a quilter and a sewer. I own a couple of quilts that my great-grandma pieced from my mom and her siblings’ clothing, and my grandma quilted. My grandma sadly had to stop sewing when her arthritis got to bad. When she passed away, the family agreed that I could keep her mother’s singer sewing machine, because I am the only quilter in the family (blood relative that is…and it’s a very large family). One of my childhood memories is of her letting me raid her fabric stash, which I made some Barbie clothes and clothes for myself from.
What was your inspiration to make the hot pads from your grandmother’s t-shirts?
The day after her funeral, my mom, some of my aunts, and I went to her trailer and were going through her bedroom. We were sorting items to be given to different family members, to be donated, and things to be thrown away. There was a shirt that didn’t have any side seams, which is perfect for making tarn (t-shirt yarn) from. I asked if I could have it, which got a few surprised looks from my aunts (because who asks to keep a brown t-shirt). When I told them that I planned on making something from it, then they put aside all of her t-shirts for me to pick through before adding them to the donation box. Sadly I think that that was the only non-seamed shirt in the bunch.
Do you use the hot pads or gift them?
I was only able to get 3 hot pads out of the tarn that I had made, so I was only able to gift them to my mom and 2 of my aunts. My mom is one of 8 surviving siblings, so I had some unhappy family members that Christmas.
How else have you incorporated Reduce, Reuse, Recycle into your crochet or knitting?
For Reduce, I try to only buy yarn and craft supplies as I need it and not buying it just because. The exception to this is souvenir yarn, but I do have a go-to pattern for that yarn (and I usually make it soon after the purchase).
For Reuse: I do a lot more sewing projects under the Reuse heading, but I think that my use of scraps might fit in this group. Not only do I save all of my “too small to use” scraps of yarn, but my friends and crochet students save theirs for me as well. On a weekly to monthly basis I use them as stitch holders. Around Christmas I put them into clear ornaments and give them to friends and family. During the off season, I like to add them to shadow boxes to make fun pieces of art for my home.
After Christmas I like to crochet around my Christmas cards and turn them into ornaments. It’s a great way to have the card and to see them (and the sweet words written in them) every year. I use the inside of the card as the back of the ornament.
One trick that I learned from some knitters at the yarn shop that I use to work at (and which I have passed on to a lot of other people) is to reuse the plastic bread tags to wrap up my yarn tails so that they stay out of the way. This prevents me from accidentally working with the tail instead of the ball of yarn. I make a lot of amigurumi which require me to start with a long tail to use when the section is finished (for sewing with).
I’ve used found sticks for weavings and for coiling string and embroidery floss around. I have also used cardboard food boxes to create the cards used in card weaving, and shuttles for weaving with. Once I even made a weaving shed out of a coral box.
For Recycle: For a while recycling was a big part of my crafting world. I even had a local t.v. show based on it. I use recycled materials in all sorts of crafts. For knitting and crochet I mainly focus on making and using plarn (plastic bag yarn) and tarn, plastic bottle caps, metal jar lids, plastic bottles, pull tabs, plastic bottle rings, corks, and toilet paper tubes. I have knit and crochet plarn bags, a hat, and an amigurumi jellyfish. I really like spinning with it, especially plying novelty yarn that I no longer care for with it, because the crochet bags from it look really cool. Since moving to California I haven’t made any plarn, because plastic bags are hard to come by here. With tarn (t-shirt yarn) I have crochet bags, a walker bag, hot pads, and a rug. With the pull tabs I have crochet bracelets, purses (one used over 800 tabs), earrings, flowers, and garland. With plastic bottles, I have crochet drawstring bags where the top is crochet and the bottom is the bottle. I have also made a tool caddy out of several 16 oz soda bottles. With the plastic bottle rings (that are just under the bottle cap), I crochet around them to create mini wreath ornaments and brooches. Those rings and the pull tabs also make great ways to hang the wreaths that I have made. I have knitted little hats and outfits to put on the wine corks so that they look like little people. My husband and I don’t drink, but I have a large collection of corks because of friends and family. Right now I actually keep them and the pull tabs in shadow boxes so that they can serve as a fun decorations until I get around to crafting with them. Last but not least are the plastic bottle caps and metal jar lids. I don’t actually knit or crochet with them, instead I make pincushions out of them which I used daily. The caps and lids are the base of the pincushions. I sew felt around them, and have the stuffing (inside of felt) on top of them. The jar lid ones I use for my sewing pins, and the bottle cap ones I use for my yarn needles. The bottle cap pincushion that looks like a mushroom is the one that is in my yarn tool kit that goes in my current project bag. I like to make hat ornaments with the toilet paper tubes. They aren’t knitted or crochet, but they do use yarn and make great gifts for my yarn friends.
How else have you memorialized someone with your crochet, knitting or other crafts?
A friend had asked me to use her grandmother’s nightgowns to make pillows for her and her family members as well as 2 little purses for her daughters.
I’ve used the buttons off of my grandpa’s shirt to use as eyes on a sock plushie for my youngest son.
When my grandma passed away, I got back most of the things that I had made for her (crochet and sewn). In a way that is a memory in and of itself. Every time I see them I think of her.
In college we learned how to make paper. I embedded some childhood family pictures in the paper. You could still see the image.
I have a box of t-shirts that contain their own memories that I plan on turning into a quilt.
A few years ago I started knitting a California King sized afghan. It’s one of my movie watching projects. Each colored stripe is a whole skein of yarn. It is actually inspired by a crochet afghan that I remember my mom making for years when I was a kid. She would crochet the length of the blanket until she ran out of yarn, and then she would start with another color. It became this warm colorfully striped afghan on my parents’ bed. She still makes versions of this on a wooden knitting board. She doesn’t really care about if the colors match or even if the yarn weight is the same, its about the process for her (about relaxing). I can’t be random like her, but this afghan is an ode to her.
Once I did an exquisite corpse drawing of my grandma with family members. I’ve drawn and painted lots of pictures of friends, family, and myself over the years.
I still think of a college friend every time I look at some small woven bags that I made in college, because I used her waste yarn (cut from the warp) from a hand dyed floor loom project that she did. I used my tiny table loom to weave the scraps with.
I have also dedicated several bears for the Mother Bear Project to family and friends. The one most like the person is my Swiss Bear, which is named after my dad. Once he saw the picture of the bear with his forever friend, he asked me to make him an identical one for his birthday.
What is your environmentally favorite crafting item (crochet/knit/other)?
My favorite one to craft with are pull tabs. I love it when people don’t realize until closer inspection that that’s what the metal part is. But the 2 things that I use the most when crafting are bread tags and my bottle cap pincushion. They are a staple in my yarn tool bag.
What else have you made with tarn?
Here is a link to the tarn items on my project page. There aren’t too many things, because shirts that work the best, and that you don’t mind cutting up, are not usually easy to come by. I have made a large market bag (my favorite one to use), hotpads, a walker bag, and a rug. Surprisingly the tarn rug is not very absorbent. I do plan on making a dog toy out of tarn in the future.
Any tips or tricks when working with tarn?
When making tarn (t-shirt yarn), look for a shirt that does not have a side seam (see the first 3 images). Also when it is time to cut the inch of the un-cut t-shirt so that you have a continuous piece of yarn, I like to lay that part on my leg so that the cut lines are very clear (See images 6 & 7). A suggestion when making the tarn is to make it outside while wearing clothes that you don’t mind changing out of afterwards. This is because little bits of the t-shirt (like fuzz) go all over the place, especially when stretching the tarn and winding it into a yarn cake.
Thank you Kristy!! Kristy is VERY EXPERIENCED in the world of eco-crafting. She sold her eco-crafts at different craft fairs for years, had an environmental local tv show for a few years, ran her town’s Earth Fair for 5 years and several years ago was the runner up in an environmental contest run by TerraCycle!
Bringing Your Own Utensils has Never Looked So GOOD!
Do you remember when you were a kid and you always wanted to be first in line? We all did because we all thought being first was the most important and no one wanted to be last. The truth is in grade school it didn’t matter who was first as we were all important. However, when it comes to the three R’s; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, while they are all important, REDUCE is probably the most important. While all three are necessary in helping our planet, recycle should be your last resort as recycling requires energy. If we reduce our consumption of items, there’s less to recycle. And if we reuse what we have, there’s less to recycle. Less to recycle means less energy used. While recycling is good, it would be best of we all had less to recycle. Make sense?
So, what’s that got to do with a crochet blog? Well, I’m passionate about two things, crochet and the Earth. And when I can combine the two, I’m a real happy camper. So I’m super excited to share with you how I have figured out how to reduce my use of disposable, single use plastic.
One day I was eating lunch out at one of my favorite casual dining restaurants (Moe’s) and as I was picking up a use once and toss fork, it hit me how wasteful it was. We all know there’s too much single use plastic trash in this world and I knew I needed to come up with a way to bring my own utensils for this type of dining. When I got home I pulled out my eyeglass case pattern sample and voila! it was the perfect size. I placed a variety of forks, spoons and knives in a ziploc bag and placed them in the eyeglass case. The eyeglass case, now a utensil case, went right into my purse. The plastic bag keeps the utensils clean while the soft cushioning of the crocheted fabric keeps the plastic from breaking. Going forward, I will always have clean utensils with me and do not have to use the restaurant’s wasteful, disposal utensils. And when I use one of the utensils, I just wrap the dirty part in a napkin and bring it home to wash. My choice is to use plastic ware in my utensil case, however, you could easily use your regular flatware. You just may need to make your case a little longer to accommodate the longer knives.
You can find out more about the Eyeglass Case crochet pattern here: Pretty in Pink
Crochet By Darleen Hopkins 