Tag Archives: designer

“Bumble bee” mask

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Hello all!

Who would have thought a year ago that masks would become staple wardrobe items?! There are so many different cloth masks available – plain ones, printed ones, even some bejewelled and lacy ones. Still, sometimes, it’s hard to find the perfect mask to go with your outfit…..and if you don’t want to make one from scratch, why not upgrade yours?

Here’s a one-of-a-kind “bumble bee” mask. I crocheted the yellow design directly onto a shop-bought black fabric mask using crochet thread and a 0.6 mm hook, to go with a black and mustard outfit.

Hope I’ve inspired you! i Look forward to seeing some of your creations.

Crochet multi-colour Pencil Case / make-up bag/ toiletries pouch – Free Pattern

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Hey all! Hope you are doing fine and churning out fabulous projects! If you need some inspiration, here is an easy one which I designed and made from nylon crochet thread (the same that I used to make the belt in my previous project ). Again, thanks to the stiff and abrasive nature, it lends itself really well to this pouch / case. The pattern is quite straightforward – it’s mainly single crochet (US Terms).  Here is the pattern :

Original pattern by Manjri’s Place

I used a 1.4mm crochet hook for this project.

CH – chain stitch
SC – single crochet

YO – yarn over

Start with 61 CH

Row 1: skip first chain and 1 SC into remaining 60 CH, CH 1 and turn

Row 2-9: 1 SC into each of the 60 SC from previous round, CH 1 and turn.

By the end of the last round, you will now have a rectangular piece, which will be the base of the pouch/case.

Row 10: In this round, you will be working all around the rectangular piece just made. 1 SC into the back loop only of each of the 59 SC from previous round. Make 3 SC in the last SC from previous round. 7 SC down the short side of the rectangle, 3 SC in the first stitch of the long side, 1 SC in each of the next 59 SC, 3 SC in last stitch of long side, 7 SC down the other short side. Slip stitch into the first chain made at end of round 9. CH 1 and turn.

Row 11: SC in the first SC from last round. Place a stitch marker between the CH and the SC just made as it will become hard to identify end of a row since we will be working all around. 4 SC, 3 CH, skip 1 stitch. (5 SC, 3 CH, skip 1 stitch) all the way round – N.B. you will end with 2 or 3 SC. Slip stitch into first CH. Remove stitch marker.

Row 12-13: CH1, SC in the first SC from last round. Place a stitch marker between the CH and the SC just made.  4 SC, 3 CH, skip ch space made in last round. (5 SC, 3 CH, skip 1 stitch) all the way round – N.B. you will end with 2 or 3 SC. Slip stitch into first CH.  Remove stitch marker.

Row 14: CH 1, SC in the first SC from last round. Place a stitch marker between the CH and the SC just made. 4 SC, SC over the 3 chain spaces from rows 11-13, into the Stitch skipped  in round 11. (5 SC, SC over the 3 chain spaces from rows 11-13, into the Stitch skipped  in round 11) all the way round – N.B. you will end with 2 or 3 SC. Slip stitch into first CH.  Remove stitch marker.

Rows 15-42: Repeat Rows 11-14  7 more times.

Row 43-47: CH 1, SC in the first SC from last round. Place a stitch marker between the CH and the SC just made. SC into each stitch from row 42. Slip stitch into first CH. Remove Stitch marker.  Cast off.

If you would prefer a deeper pouch,  repeat rows 11-14 until you get the desired size.

Once ready, sew in a zipper and voila! Your pouch is ready!  It’s fantastic for school – but you could also use it as a make-up bag, or for keeping toiletries.

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Crochet multi-colour Belt – Free Pattern

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Hey fellow crocheters,

I recently bought some rather nice nylon crochet thread because I really liked the colours. Nylon is quite stiff and abrasive, so you have to be careful what you use it for — but I thought it would be perfect for a belt.

This is a simple free crochet belt pattern, worked mainly in single crochet (US terms). I used a double-layer technique to give the belt some extra structure, and I’ve included step-by-step photos below to show how I worked it.

Original pattern by Manjri’s Place

I used a 1.4mm crochet hook for this project.

CH – chain stitch
SC – single crochet

YO – yarn over

Start with 11 CH

Row 1: skip first chain and 1 SC into remaining 10 CH, CH 1 and turn

Row 2: To create a double layer SC, put hook through the back loop only of the SC made on row 1 and also the loop left over from initial chain stitch (see marked image below).  Repeat until end of row, CH 1 and turn.

pic1

Row 3:  From now on, the double layer SC will be easier to make.  Insert hook through the leftmost loop in the SC just made on last row, and in the remaining loop in the corresponding stitch in the previous row. Repeat until end of the row, CH 1 and turn.

pic2

Keep working this way until you reach the desired length.

For the buckle, I used 2 brass hoops, recycled from an old handbag. 

belt

Hope this has given you some ideas!

Happy crocheting!

Where the crochet journey led…
This pattern comes from the earlier days of Manjri’s Place. Years of experimenting with crochet, colour and different techniques eventually grew into Studio Manjri, my creative studio in Malta, where I now make handmade crochet creations, accessories and plenty of other little ideas that begin with a hook and some yarn.

Visit Studio Manjri →

Stylecraft Fruit Garden Crochet Along (CAL) by Jane Crowfoot

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A little note: I originally wrote this post in May 2020, when the Fruit Garden CAL was just getting underway. I’ve kept the original post below as part of my crochet journal, so references to pattern releases and dates reflect what was happening at the time.

I recently came across a post in one of the Facebook crochet groups for a most beautiful Crochet-Along (CAL) project inspired by embroidery works by May Morris, daughter of William Morris. I could not resist – so I signed up, bought the yarn pack and have just started.

As we have just started, only the first part of the pattern has been released, and I can say that it is written very clearly. The designer has also provided a Youtube video, in which she has shared some really good tips. I will surely be applying some of the tips to all my projects henceforth – so very worth taking a look.

20200503_141016
Here is my first set of tiles. (Note that these are not blocked yet as we will be blocking them at the end of the project. Also, the threads you see in the corners are actually being used as stitch markers.)

I find the most efficient approach to making multiple tiles in the same pattern is to first do one completely, so you familiarise yourself with the pattern, and then work on the remaining colour by colour. So, in this set, I did one tile completely, and for the remaining 7 tiles, I first crocheted 7 flowers, then did the green background for all 7, then proceeded to do the parchment part. There is no rule about how you should do this, it’s just a matter of preference.

At the time I started the CAL, the pattern was available in two colour recipes, with another version planned for the second run later in 2020. Of course, you could also come up with your own colour combination. I even saw a monochrome version of the tile which someone tried — and it was quite pretty — but I love colours, so it wasn’t for me. 🙂

If you want to give it a try, the pattern remains available to download, free of charge, from the Stylecraft Yarns website here.

Photo credit: Janie Crow website (janiecrow.com)

See the finished Fruit Garden blankets →