Sunday, December 18, 2016
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Friday, December 2, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Monday, September 26, 2016
Monday, September 19, 2016
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Crochet Mermaid Tail
I've made a mermaid tail!
and now I'm going to attempt to write the pattern up so I can remember how I did it!
The following is a picture of the top of the blanket. I decided to start with a border before I started the shells. I felt like it would give the blanket/tail a starting point.
The following is a picture of the gathers and at the end of the blanket. The tail is made separately and attached last.
And, here is a picture of the tail attached.
Hopefully, that gives you an idea of what you'll be making.
The Yarn: I used Hobby Lobby's Yarn Bee Soft Secret size 4 medium weight. 6oz, 198 yards per skein. I bought 7 skeins. I recommend a variegated yarn for this pattern so you get lots of color without having to change colors. But, if you want to do a solid feel free! I'd love to see how that would turn out.
The hook: size H
The Pattern:
chain 152
ROW 1 : hdc in 3rd chain from hook and each stitch across. Turn.
ROW 2: ch 2, hdc in the first hdc and each across in the back loop only. (This gives the top of the blanket a nice ridged look.) Turn.
ROW 3 and 4: repeat row 2
ROW 5: ch 3, dc in each stitch across, under both loops. Turn.
ROW 6: ch 3 (Starting the shells) 3 dc in 4th dc of previous row, ch 3, in the SAME stitch do 3 more dc, sk 4 stitches, *3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, repeat from * to end of the row, 1 dc in the top of the turning chain of previous row, turn.
ROW 7: ch 3, *3dc in the next ch 3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in the same chain space again, repeat from * to end of row, 1 dc in the top of the turning chain, turn.
ROW 8- 37: repeat row 7. (Feel free to estimate how many rows you want to actually do depending on the size of the child or adult you are making this for. The size I made is for about a 3 year old. approximately 36 inches long not including the tail. At row 37 the blanket will be about 22 inches long, so at this point if you want to make it bigger, keep going.)
ROW 38: Don't turn at the end of row 37, join with a slip stitch into the top of the turning ch and start crocheting in the round. (Do the last 1 dc into the top of the turning chain like the previous rows, then find the turning chain when you bring the two ends together to make a circle and slip stitch into that stitch, then crochet the shells like you've been doing. Maybe that helps to understand? I hope so!)
ROW 39 -60: Each time around decrease a row by one shell. The best way I can explain how to do that and the way I did it, so it sort of looked gathered and so I could disguise the decrease is to randomly, one time in each row, do only 1 dc in a chain 3 space, then move along to the next ch 3 space like normally with a 3dc, ch3, 3dc. (But I also want to encourage you to take some artistic license and do your own style of decreasing. if you want it tighter on the bottom or more gathered, wait to decrease, and do a 1 dc every 4 or 5 shells to really gather it up.)
ROWS 61- until I thought it was gathered enough to my liking, (about 3 or 4 more rows) I decreased 3 or 4 times on one row using the same technique.
TAIL:
Again, I'm going to encourage you to use your artistic self and decide how dramatic of a tail you'd like to make. I think the amount of chains you do depends on how long you have made your tail. We will be starting on a long end, then decreasing to the center, then adding back to make the other side of the fin. The long straight edge of the fin will simply be slip stitched to the bottom of the blanket, gathering it up as you go.
So I chained about 50,
ROW 1: in the 4th chain from the hook dc, and dc in each stitch across, turn.
ROW 2: chain 2, (in the back loop here and throughout) dc2tog, dc in the back loop in the remaining stitches across, turn.
ROW 3: ch 2, dc across to the last 2 stitches and dc2together those two stitches. turn.
Row 4: ch 2, dc2tog, dc across, turn.
Do as many decreases as you wish to the point. I did 18 rows.
When you decide then:
Dc2tog twice, then dc in each st, turn.
Ch 2, dc across to the last two stitches and in each of those, 2 dc, (increase) turn.
Ch2, 2 dc into the first stitch then one dc in each stitch across, turn
continue increasing until you match the number of rows you did on the one side.
Always crochet in the back loop of every dc to achieve a ridge look.
attach the tail, hide all your ends and you are finished!
I wish you good luck understanding my instructions, but please let me know if you find a mistake, or if something doesn't make sense. Also feel free to modify and use your own ideas!
Here's a tip about using the variegated yarn, there are very few ends to sew in, and it makes the tail look so mermaid-ish! I do like this yarn bee brand, but I bet caron simply soft would do a good job and is comparable to the yarn bee. In Red heart, maybe try the "with love" line, but stay away from super saver, I just don't think you'll like the results. It tends to be stiff and scratchy.
If you find something that works, I'd love to know too!
I'm on instagram @daisyfarmcrafts so tag me so I can see your tail! I also have a facebook page Daisy Farm Crafts that you can like and leave me messages or a picture! I love to meet my fellow crocheters!
Love to you all,
Tiffany
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Monday, August 22, 2016
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Friday, July 8, 2016
Gray and Yellow bobble and mesh stitch blanket
Made with 100% cotton and 100% love. I can't stop holding this blanket and hope the baby that eventually is cuddled up in this feels warm and happy.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Saturday, April 9, 2016
If you crochet it, they will come...or something like that.
I started sharing my crochet work with an Instagram account called @daisyfarmcrafts. Each day I consider a picture to create to add to all the other loveliness that I scroll past, daily, or sometime hourly! (I'm a slightly addicted right now to crochet accounts.)
Sharing a picture of a blanket I've made however, almost feels like sharing a picture of one of my kids, back in the day, of course. I used to take pictures of the kids, blog about the kids, be so proud of the kids, until, they became mini-adults and weren't so excited to be the subject of my blog posts, pictures, and my life.
They do grow, those kids, and become adults and move on and create their own loveliness without me needing to document it anymore. I'm left with the creations of a different sort and right now, it's blankets of the crochet kind.
My husband has found his niche too. We bought a place on a little bit of land, that I call a farm, but he calls--property with farm-like qualities, (always the legal definer that man), with the hope of creating a new space for Annie. For all of us, actually. We needed to leave behind the house of seizures, broken legs, restructured feet, and surgeries galore. This new place happened to come with a multitude of rose bushes that has inspired my husband to create in his own way; with a shovel and some fertilizer. And now, thanks to him, I have beautiful rose bushes lining the edges of our little farm, of all colors. The one pictured above is one of my favorites--a perfect combo of coral and peach.
But while I'm on the subject of creating, there is another purpose to my blankets. My oldest daughter Hannah, would like to have a baby and I would like to be a grandma for the first time. Hannah has been married for over five years and no little babies have decided to join them quite yet. She is healthy and her husband too. All they need is a bit of luck and a lot of faith. So, I had a thought one day. A question popped into my head, actually. What if I started crocheting a blanket for the baby, even though no baby was officially announced and on the way? It was a "Field of Dreams" type question. If I crochet it, will they come? That sort of thing. I started a creamy off-white and sage green blanket that could go either way, it was gender neutral.
I told Hannah, I was going to practice my faith, and just crochet it, because I knew that someday, she would have a baby. But, here is the interesting thing that happened. I ran into a good friend, who had been wanting a baby for a lot longer than Hannah, and I told her of my idea. As I did, I got the feeling that the blanket I had started might not be for Hannah. Fast forward three months, and I ran into this same friend, and miracles of all miracles, guess who was having a baby? Her! After ten or so long years, she was having a baby! My idea worked!
So, I started another one. This time I was bold. I thought, "I'll make a girl one, maybe Hannah's baby didn't want a gender neutral blanket." I picked coral, and white and gray and got started on it, and what do you know? Three months later, Hannah informs me that another close friend who had been married as long as her, was finally having a baby. And, it's a girl. So, that baby blanket is for her.
I've started another, it's a chunky blue and cream for a boy, and now I can't wait to find out who it's for, Hannah? Someone else? I don't even care because, my idea is working! My idea is actually working!
And now, what I can't wait for is that day, when I have created THE beautiful, perfect, blanket, and hold in my arms my first grand baby. Then what I'm going to do next, is wrap the baby up in the blanket and take him or her outside to see all the different colored rose bushes Grandpa created for his farm-like yard.
Although, I wonder if my husband is going to have to start building a baseball field in the backyard along with the rose bushes, at the same time I'm creating this blanket....
With love,
Tiffany
p.s. find me on instagram @daisyfarmcrafts
Friday, April 8, 2016
Thursday, April 7, 2016
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