Snuggly and Warm

To all the knitters out there, have you ever found yourself relaxing on the lounge or in a comfy recliner knitting away only to find the T.V program you were watching has suddenly ended and you are part way through a new program? I have to admit, I have that problem too, whenever knitting I end up having 'Nanna Naps' especially when knitting a blanket, the one that has sent me to sleep the most lately has been a large blanket I've been working on out of Pom-Pom wool, mostly as it is so soft and warm.

I've made a knee rug or two out of this deliciously warm Pom-Pom wool and thought to make a blanket large enough to cover a queen size bed. As there are certainly no needles out there long enough to knit the blanket all in one piece, I've been enjoying falling asleep while knitting strips to later stitch together to make the blanket. Unfortunately there wasn't enough of the good quality Pom-Pom wool, so cheaper and smaller balls of wool are being used at the top and bottom, hopefully it will still turn out well.

Pink Crochet Bear for Breast Cancer Patient

The weekend just gone was a wonderful one, I finally finished my crochet teddy bear. It certainly took longer than I had hoped but just looking at the end result, I'm very glad I didn't give up. There is a lot of heart and meaning with this teddy bear and it all started with a friend who received some terrible news.
The first thing you want to do when someone gets bad news is hug them, but what do you do when you can't be there all the time? That's when the idea of a teddy bear struck me. I'd not long learned how to crochet African Flowers and saw how people had made them into all kinds of things, blankets, jackets and various soft toys.

 I found out how to make a teddy bear and went from there, searching through my lovely stash of wool (doesn't everyone have their own stash?) and picked out some nice shades of pinks that would go well, and a white to outline them, then I was off and making African Flowers any chance I got, which, when you work full time is not much of a chance.
Pinks were chosen for two reasons, the first being my friend's favourite colour is pink, and second is what she is fighting, breast cancer.
So now even though I can't be there all the time to give her a hug, there is a teddy she can hug whenever she needs.

Soft and Cute

All of you would know that I've been working away making a crochet teddy bear for a sick friend, but I've also had this cute little project just sitting there, looking at me every day in my office. Yesterday I gave in, I started working on this cute little project and before I knew it, I was hooked!
In case some of you are wondering, the cute little project was a little felt soft toy, an elephant to be exact and she is the sweetest little thing I have created in a long time, even though my stitching is a little messy.
The little pack came with a printed template, simple instructions, a picture of the finished product plus all the materials needed.

Such a great way to break up all the crochet and brush up on my hand sewing skills. Might just have to have a look and see what else is available to make :-)
Happy creating :-)

Teddy Bear Gift

A midst all the latest hard work of updating and keeping the website running, I do find time to be a little crafty and creative myself. Lately it has involved crochet, which I find a little easier than knitting, mostly because I can put the work down somewhere and not have to worry about which stitch or row I was up to.

This is the lovely crochet bear I am currently working on, it has been growing far more slowly than I had hoped, it was intended as a birthday gift for a very good friend, but their birthday has passed now so I hope to get it finished asap as this friend has terminal cancer and I thought it would be a lovely teddy to snuggle with, cuddle or just hold on days when she is in hospital or at home.

I've just about got one arm finished, hoping to get the other arm and both legs done soon *fingers crossed* there has just been so much to do elsewhere that it has gobbled up my time. Now that things are running more smoothly again I will be back into it and hope to have this arm completed this weekend, and a limb completed each week after if I can :-)

Stay tuned for more updates :-)

Behind Squnches Craft Network

Hi, hello, hope you are well.

I thought to write up a little about my business Squnches Craft Network, there is a bit of a write up on the About page of our website, but I thought to make this one a little more personal.

I'm Sarah, the founder and director of Squnches Craft Network which was created after my organisation skills got the better of me one day, I discovered a need for an Australian craft directory that wouldn't charge through the roof for business listings. Many craft businesses are small and run from home by WAHM (Work at home Mums), charging through the roof would be pointless as the whole aim of the website is to help craft businesses, big and small, to get word out about their wonderful creations, and to make it easier to source supplies.

At the time I was between jobs, over qualified for some and lacking enough experience at others, that was when a friend suggested doing a small business course to help make this website dream a reality. I couldn't think of a reason why not, it would polish my skills and give me the assistance and confidence needed to run a business.

Now I'm not all about business, I have dabbled in quite a few crafts myself, bead work, candle making, knitting, crochet, drawing just to name a few. I find this really helpful when connecting with many businesses and sharing ideas because quite often I've been there myself or I'll have a go at creating something and share it. Angie sends in some wonderful creations when she gets a chance, sewing, crochet and knitting these days, and my helpful fiance has become more and more interested in shopping for craft supplies, not something I ever expected but having him there makes shopping much more fun.

The website itself is coming along well and I have big plans for it, we did hit quite a few hurdles early on in the development stage with costs and a lack of communication, so I took the big leap and went it alone and haven't looked back since.

I can safely say Squnches Craft Network is owned and run by a proud and creative Aussie, for Aussies. If you haven't already had a look, please head over to www.squnchescraftnetwork.com.au or you can follow us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/Squnches or Twitter, @Squnches_C_N

Cheers for taking the time to read my post.

Sarah Fowler
Founding Director of Squnches Craft Network

Crochet Granny Square Baby Jacket

Well Angie has been at it again, she has put a hold on her son's knitted jumper and taken up the trusty crochet hook. Angie is to be a Grandma once again and what little baby wardrobe is complete without a little something made by Grandma.

The wonderful pattern that Angie found by Patons listed a wonderful assortment of coloured wool, but they were more for a little girl and this baby is a little boy. I caught up with Angie a few weeks back and helped her find some colours more appropriate for a little boy.

It had been a little while since Angie had made this many granny squares but as you can see, she got straight back into the swing of things.

All laid out, not a bad choice of colours really. Now the fun part, stitching them all together.

The back of the jacket all finished.

Front of the jacket all finished, now to tidy all the loose ends. 

And there you have it, one adorably cute, granny square jacket for a little boy, complete with a bow to keep it together. All it needs now is the beautiful baby boy to try it on.

 If you liked this post, please let us know by liking, commenting or even sharing.

Simple Crochet Finger-less Gloves

We came across a wonderful and simple pattern for crochet fingerless gloves, with it being Winter and our hands being forever cold while working, we thought it a wonderful opportunity to try out this cute little pattern and see just how simple and effective they are.

Periwinkle Mitts are what they are titled, if you have confidence and already know the simple techniques of crochet then you are sure to be able to make your own gorgeous pair of Periwinkle Mitts.

Periwinkle Mitt in progress

There are only really 4 rows to this pattern which you then repeat 5,6 or even 7 times to get the size you need to keep your hands nice and toasty. The thumb hole is very easy to put together too. We would encourage all intermediates and even beginners to have a go at this wonderful pattern. 

The pattern says to use 2 balls of 50 gram 4 ply yarn, with our mitts we used 12 ply to give it extra warmth, plus we liked the colours. Of course if you are using thicker yarn, be sure to use a more appropriate crochet hook. 

Completed Periwinkle Mitt

We found this wonderful pattern in a magazine but have managed to locate for you, a website where you can order a kit online here at Love of Knitting

If you have enjoyed our post, please comment, like or share :-)

Basic Knit Scarves - Beginner

Knitting scarves can be one of the easiest project for the beginner knitter, once you have your tension right, you can create some lovely scarves. You don't have to stick to just one colour either, but if you don't like the idea of stopping and starting all the time with different colours, why not buy some multicoloured wool? There is a fantastic range and some create a stunning pattern.

The pictures I have included are of two basic garter stitch scarves which I have added a little creativity to by adding tassels on the ends. Both scarves were made using 4 mm needles, 40 stitches wide and took up just under 2 X 100 gram balls of wool each, we used what we saved to make the tassels.

Scarves by Squnches Craft Network

Making the tassels is easy enough, wind the yarn around your fingers, with them spread, about 2 times, cut the yarn then thread the yarn, still looped over, through the end of the scarf about 1 row deep. This is where a crochet hook comes in handy and saves a lot of time, put the crochet hook through the stitch, loop the yarn over it and pull it through. Then take the yarn off the hook and tie a simple but tight knot in it, cut the loops so each strand has an end.

Hope you enjoyed our little post, if you would like read more, head over to our blog page on our website www.squnchescraftnetwork.com.au

Simple Crochet Sock

Here is a great and simple crochet sock for beginners to start out with, it is a lovely warm sock that can be worn around the house instead of slippers. We used 1 x 250 gram ball of 12 ply yarn and a 4.5 mm crochet hook, and a wool needle. The design is still the same for any size hook and yarn and is made completely out of single crochet. We should note that we did not end up using the entire 250 gram ball, it is safe to say you can make one of these socks easily with a 100 gram ball.

First we started with the toes, now this is where the sock really truly becomes yours. Start with the slip knot, leave a tail a couple of inches long, then do a chain with as many links as it takes to measure roughly from your big toe to you little toe, make it fall perhaps 2 links short, this will enable the sock to be a little snug and not loose and floppy as you walk around. One thing we did with this sock is leave it square-toed, this way it doesn't matter which foot you put it on.

Once you have done the chain measuring across your toes, do single crochet back along that chain until you get to the end. When you get to the end link, do 6 single crochet into that one link, it should make a semi circle and bring you around and ready to crochet along the other edge of the chain. Again when you reach the last link of the original chain, do 6 single crochet into that one link. This is the only time, on this part of the sock, that you will need to do more than one single crochet in the same link/stitch.

It might look a little fiddly at first and then like a little bag but keep working and don't forget, you are measuring it against your own foot, so try it on. You will need it to reach the start of your heel, once you have made it this long you will need to work out which half is going to be the top half and then work only on the top half.

The sock, so far, will flatten naturally thanks to the first chain you made for the toes, this helps to find the top half of the sock to work on. Now you will need to work back and forth doing single crochet and missing the first stitch when doing each row (i.e, don't make a single chain and then go back into the stitch you made, instead go into the second stitch), this will make the rows slowly become smaller and give an almost triangle appearance. Yes you will get a slightly different pattern with your work, this is nothing to worry about, it actually adds a little something to the sock. From here, try the sock on and when the top half reaches just above your ankle, you start the next trick. Finish that row and then make another chain. You will need to try the sock on a few times to get this part right, but that's all part of the fun with making a sock specifically for you.

Soon as you have the chain long enough to reach around your ankle, making sure it is not too tight, continue on with single crochet, don't worry, it will go around in a spiral but will barely be noticeable. Only complete 2 rows and then try the sock on again to make sure that your foot will fit. If you are having a bit of trouble, pull back the stitches to the chain and add a couple more links. If you are finding it too loose, again, pull back to the chain and remove a couple of links.

Once you have it all comfortable and fitting well, continue on for 8 rows however long you like, as this will be the section that covers your leg, so if you only want little socks, probably do 5 rows, if  you want a sock to warm your ankle and a little more, do 8-12 rows. When you have finished, leave a couple inches to the tail, tie a knot to secure your work and put that piece aside for now.

What is a sock without a heel? We had better work on a heel now. We had tried starting with a circle but found it wasn't working the way we wanted, so same as the start of the toes, make a chain a little less than the width of your heel and, just like the toes go back over the chain with single crochet until you get to the last link, put 6 single crochet into that last link to bring your work around so you are ready to work on the other half of the chain, again when you get to the other end of the original chain, put 6 single crochet into that one link to turn your work. As per normal, singlet crochet around roughly 5 rows until the heel starts to take shape.



Try the heel on, don't be shy, you need to know it is fitting well. It should look like a little fabric bowl on your heel, notice how your heel isn't perfectly round like the heel you are making for your sock? Your crochet now needs a bit of adjusting from the heel to the underside of the foot and from the heel up the ankle/leg. Here is where you will learn to make little corners to change the shape of your heel. While wearing the heel, note where the underside of your foot meets the side of your heel, look at both sides and remember this. The next row of crochet will involve extra stitches in the place. When you find you are at one of these sections, do a single crochet then a single chain and then a single crochet again before continuing on with single crochet. Try the heel on again and this time, note what stitches are at either side of the back of your heel, these will need little corners like you have just learned.

When it comes to the next few rows, the single crochet, single chain, single crochet needs to be done in the previous single chain. Now it is time to put on the other part of the sock and then the heel, take a look at see if the front of the heel meets up with the underside of the sock, it should be close. Continue until these two just meet, this helps with the snug fit. Now there is a lot more to do on the sides and back of the ankle area, so forget going around the heel completely, instead, turn around when you get to the front of the heel as this is now the end of the row and work back, continue crochet like this for roughly 2 rows and then you will see that you need to shape the sides.

We found that after the final stitch, make a 2 link chain and go back into the 3rd stitch and start crocheting again from there, do this until the sides are complete and even, this should be about 6 rows but that depends on your foot after this there should only be a little left to complete which will be perhaps 3 rows which cover around the ankle and will join the heel to the band around the ankle/leg which you made on the other piece. When you try both these pieces on and you can see they will fit, it is then time to tie off on your work on the heel and this time be sure to leave a tail roughly 15 inch or 30 cm in length as you will use this with your wool needle to stitch the two pieces together, an easy way to thread your needle is to take your needle in one hand, loop the wool over once, pinch this tight over the needle, slide the needle out and hold it close to your pinched finger and thumb. Now slowly open up/roll back your finger and thumb a little and push the wool through your needle as you do so. From here the stitching is just a basic stitch remembering to keep it tight.

One sock completed, one to go, we do apologise for the photo, it was taken before the lounge was found after moving.
We hope you enjoyed this post, feel free to comment or ask for more information, if you like, feel free to share :-)

How To Knit - Basics

Winter is here and the cold weather is fast approaching, scarves, beanies and gloves are all being displayed in shops for all kinds of prices, if the item seems too pricey, why not make your own? Don't know how to knit? Read on and you'll learn the basics of knitting and before you know it, you'll have your own wonderful Winter warmer made with love and in the designs and colours you want for much less than what you saw in the shop.

First of all, you will need knitting needles. Depending on the yarn you are using and the stitch you are creating, determines the needle you should be using. For the basics, we are sticking to 4 mm needles which can be bought at any yarn/wool shop, especially the ones we listed in our Top 10 Winter Warmers You Can Make post. In terms of yarn, generally aim for 4 ply or 8 ply, you can find a range of colours and they are very versatile.

The starting point with knitting, after you have your needles and yarn, is the slip knot. We find it is always much easier to follow step by step diagrams than it is to understand just written instructions.

After you make the slip knot, the next step is called Casting On. This is where you determine how many stitches you are going to have in a row. Later we will teach you about adding and subtracting stitches as you work, for now though we will keep it basic.

When it comes to Casting On and knitting, provided you are right-handed, the wool needs to be on your right and controlled by your right hand. The simplest diagram to show Casting On, we've included below.

You then continue this on by using the newest stitch you make, or in other terms, the stitch closest to the point. Do this until you have made enough stitches for the row, patterns will generally tell you how many stitches to cast on. A good number for any beginner to practice with would be 20.

Now you are ready to start knitting. The first stitch to start with is called Garter Stitch.

Step 1)With all the stitches on the needle in your left hand, take the empty needle in your right hand and insert it into the first stitch (closest to the pointed end) on the left needle, making sure to keep the right needle underneath the left needle.

Step 2 & 3) Still holding onto both of these needles, with your right hand, wrap the yarn counter clockwise around the left needle so that it is pulled between both needles in the middle (sometimes you will hear a click of the needles if you pull it all the way in).

Step 4) Holding onto the yarn so the stitch you are making moves with the right needle, you can gently pull the right needle out, but not enough for the stitch to come off, you want to keep that stitch you made on the right needle, and as for the stitch on the left that you originally put your right needle through, you can now slide that one off the left needle.

When you have knitted to your heart's content, you will then need to know about casting off, this takes place once the item has been completed or, when you have completed the knitting stage and just need to stich parts together.

Casting off or as some people call it Binding off, involves knitting the first 2 stitches, which will then end up on the right needle, then the trick is, to insert the left needle into the stitch you knitted first on the right needle, pull it over the second stitch and off the needle. In a way it is leapfrogging the stitch on the right needle, over the new stitch on the right needle. You do this with every stitch you knit.

Once this is done, you will be left with one stitch on the right needle, the last stitch, take the tail of the yarn and thread it through the last stitch and pull tight. This will secure your work and if you have no need for this tail, you can then thread or sew it back through the work, this helps to keep your work tidy.

We hope you enjoyed our post on knitting, please feel free to share or leave a comment.

How to Crochet - Single Crochet

For those of you who have never picked up a crochet hook in your lives, we’ll run through a beginner course for you before we give instructions on how to make a scarf in a later post.

You will be needing a crochet hook, generally a 4mm hook works well for most projects and can be bought from just about any wool supplier either online or in store, also some yarn/wool (4 ply or 8 ply works well) or crochet thread and you will also need a pair of scissors.

Next you need to learn how to hold the hook and the yarn, find what works best for you.

There is the Knife Grip, which as the name suggests is the same way you would hold a dinner knife and there is the Pencil Grip, same way you hold a pencil. We have noticed that everyone holds both a knife and a pencil differently to everyone, so there is no right or wrong way to use the Pencil or Knife grip, go with what feels most comfortable to you. 

If you find yourself holding the crochet hook too tightly or you have arthritis and your fingers perhaps don't grip the crochet hook as well as they could, it might be worth looking at purchasing a crochet hook handle, these come in various sizes, shapes, textures and colours and are designed to make crocheting more comfortable for you. Again you can find these at most yarn/wool suppliers, including the suppliers we listed in our previous post.

Next step is making a slip knot which will be the start of your crochet. We found it easier to share with you step by step pictures, rather than try and tell you how to do a slip knot.

How to hold the yarn when crocheting.

Again this varies from person to person, go with what is most comfortable.

We use a basic hold which is found in diagram 3, but we include in the right hand, holding the loose tail as it tends to spin and wrap itself around the hook and make it difficult to get started. Once the crochet starts to grow, we often hold what we are working on with both hands depending on the size of the item being made. It does sound complicated at first but have a little patience, find what works for you and go for it.

Once you have worked out your grip and how to hold the yarn, you'll need to learn how to make a chain. This is the fun and easy part, here you'll work out your tension and perfect it. With your hook in your right hand, yarn in your left hand, hook still in the slip knot you made, you now need to hook that string of yarn from your left hand and bring it back through the slip knot. That's it. Take a look at the diagram below to see how simple this step is. You can do as many links in the chain as you like, have fun.

If you don't like the look of your chain, perhaps some links are tighter than others, it is very easy to pull them back (remove them). Take the hook out of the chain and pull the yarn back to where you want or even back to the slip knot. Put the hook back in the chain you want and work from there.

Your chain should look something like the image below.

From here you can then practice doing Single Crochet, we'll also give you an example of the abbreviations you'll learn.

Doesn't look to make much sense does it? You can almost work it out from the diagram though. 

Step 1) When you are changing from the chain to the single crochet, you generally put the hook through the second chain/stitch from the end chain/stitch (the chain/stitch the hook is in) otherwise the edge will look narrow and tight. 

Step 2) So after putting the hook through the second chain/stitch (st) wrap the yarn over (yo) and pull the hook back through the stitch (st)

Step 3) Your crochet hook should then have 2 stitches on it again. Yarn over the hook (yo) and pull the hook through both loops (lps) on the hook so you have just one stitch on the hook.

You can make a scarf this way, using single crochet, grab yourself some multi-coloured yarn and it can end up looking wonderful. Practice by making a chain of 20 stitches and then start going back and forth doing single crochet as shown in the diagram above.

We'll teach you another stitch in our next post on crocheting. 

We hope you liked this post, feel free to share and if you have any feedback or would like to know more, please leave us a comment.

Top 10 Winter Warmers You Can Make

Who doesn't like to snuggle under a nice warm blanket in Winter? And with utility prices on the rise, all the more reason to make or purchase your own Winter warmers. 

If you are someone who like originals or personalized items then read on. This post is all about handmade items perfect for Winter and you don't need to be a genius to make them, all you need is the right tools and plenty of time, if time is against you then never fear, we have listed some wonderful businesses who can help you out.

So we've had a think and the top Winter warmers for anyone to go at with either knitting or crochet are:

Beanie
Blanket
Scarf
Mittens
Gloves
Socks
Leg Warmers
Headband
Ear Warmers
Boots

Over the next few weeks we'll do posts on several of these Winter warmers listed.
Scarves and blankets are the best starting place when learning knitting or crocheting, they can be as simple or as creative as you like. There are loads of different types of wool to use (we say wool as it is easier and simpler to say than all the mixed blends that are available) and of course 100% wool is the warmest but it can also be the more expensive.

Knitting
WikiHow has great step by step movies on how to hold your needles, cast on and knit Garter stitch. There are a whole range of stitches you can learn which can create some very intricate patterns. Depending on what ply (thickness) of wool you are working with, determines how wide the knitting is going to be. For a scarf, generally 8 ply and 20-30 stitches per row is a good starting point.

Knit 2 Purl 2

Knit 2 Purl 2

Knit 2 Purl 2

Crochet 
Instead of using needles, crochet uses a single hook and as with knitting needles, the size depends on the wool you are working with. Again WikiHow comes to the rescue to help you learn the basics of crochet.

If you are going to teach yourself to knit or crochet then a good idea would be to join a group/guild, online ones are fantastic for sharing patterns, tips and ideas not to mention finished projects, meeting in person is also fantastic as you can pick up even more tips from watching others knit and hearing advice that may not be included in the pattern instructions.

Some Australian suppliers include:

House of Yarn
NeedleNook Knitting Wool
A Yarn in the Making
Dormani Yarns
The Wool Shack
Knitting Yarn Shop
Yarn + Co
Morris and Sons
Wool Baa
Black Sheep Wool 'n' Wares
The Wool Inn
The House of Wool
Woolshed
The Wool Shop
Yarn Glorious Yarn
Yarnover
Kaalund Yarns
Yay for Yarn
Wool Suppliers
Tasmanian Fibre
White Gum Wool

If you are someone who doesn't have a lot of time but would like a unique Winter warmer we did locate one fantastic business so far that can help you, Knit 2 Purl 2 is a very experienced business making all kinds of Winter warmers. You can take a look at their wonderful business listing here.

Knit 2 Purl 2

We hope you have enjoyed our post on Winter warmers, if you have anything to add such as pictures of your own creations or if you would like to know more information, please leave us a comment :-)

Top 10 Chain Maille Creations, More Than Just Armor

When we think chain maille, we generally think armor, knights and medieval things. These days, that isn't just what chain maille is being used for. What if we told you, that you can create beautiful jewellery items with chain maille? Don't believe us, then read on and be amazed.

Thanks to the skill and patience of many talented people, it is now possible to make and purchase bracelets and also necklaces made from chain maille. Boring? I don't think so.

Byzantine Bracelet

Does this colourful Byzantine bracelet look boring to you? 

Best thing is, you can use whatever colours and design you want.

You can keep your work flat and more 2D or you can jazz it up as you will see down the page.

Japanese 12 in 2 Diamond Cuff

Need a new pair of earrings but nobody has quite the style you want?

Japanese 12 in 2 Flower

Why not make your own pair? 

Be as colourful ....

Luna Eclipse

Or as simple as you like, it is completely up to you. 

Like beads? ...

Mobius Flower

Add some beads, the world is your oyster when it comes to creating jewellery with chain maille. 

How about a pendant to go on a necklace?

Japanese 12 in 2 Pendant

There you go, don't like it? Ok, how about this one ...

Helm Flower Pendant

Elegant and eye catching.

There really is no limit when it comes to chain maille, if you can imagine it, then you really can create it.

Three wonderful weaves to learn include ...

Full Persian

The Full Persian, did you know you can also do a Half Persian?

Byzantine Rose

The lovely Byzantine, which we also showed in the first bracelet.

Vertebrae Bracelet

Lucky last is Vertebrae. 

All three are very different and are probably not for beginners but they are a glimpse of what you can create if you try. There are a range of stockists around Australia where you can buy bags of these beautiful links from in all kinds of materials including sterling silver, stainless steel, copper, aluminium and even gold. They can also provide you with all the tools necessary to get you well on your way to creating some very fine jewellery with some ready made kits to teach you the basics when it comes to chain maille. 

The photos on this blog are thanks to Aussie Maille, their website is well worth a look.

Latest Trend - Upcycling

Upcycling has certainly become very popular lately, if you don't already know, Upcycling is the art of transforming an item which is no longer in use, into an item or object that can be used, in short, giving an item a new lease on life. 

To get a taste of what it is all about, take a look at Upcycling on Pinterest where you can see a wide range of upcycled items, chairs turned into a sun lounge, tin cans or glass jars being used as beautiful candle holders, or even a wooden door made into a stunning corner shelf.

So next time before you throw something out, take a look at it again and let your creative juices flow, see what you can create.

Photo thanks to www.thegardenglove.com