Call Me a Tease if You Must . . .

. . . just so long as you call me. ;)

Hey all! I've been sick, and working, and working, and sick. Right now, my priorities include projects with Tony Healey, Bernard Schaffer, Reeni Austin, and a newbie by the name of Tony DePaul. However, we all know I try to squeeze in some crochet time whenever I can because it maintains my sanity.

Of course, crochet for me is more than just pleasure; it's work. Rarely do I crochet only for the love of the craft. Chances are, if you see a hook in my hand, I'm working on a gift for a friend, an item for a craft show, or a sample for a new pattern.

Over last weekend, it was a sample called "Movie Night." I actually sketched out the design two or three years ago and then it sat, waiting for me to get back to it. The problem with the creative process, whether designing crafts, writing music, or writing prose or poetry, is that when it rains, it pours.

Once I get started, I can't stop. I sketched out about fifteen designs all at once and this one got lost in the shuffle, but it's always been in the back of my mind to finish it. I even bought the yarn for the sample way back when.

You see, the reason I named it "Movie Night" is that it was inspired by the red-and-white striped boxes that the old theatres used to serve popcorn. The basic design will be on a plane of white with red stripes in the form of post stitches and embellished with yellow popcorn stitches.

I've only reached the point where the pattern for the towel is worked out and written, but I'm pretty excited about it.

Meanwhile, the latest crochet book is well on its way to being finished. All of the samples are done except for one which needs pictures to be taken step-by-step for part of the pattern. And the clearer, more formal writing of the instructions and formatting need to be laid out.

So what else could I possibly have going on? Well, there's a serial I'm co-writing with Tony Healey that I hope we'll be able to reveal officially next month, and a couple of story ideas I'm developing with/for Reeni Austin that I hope we'll be able to publish within the next couple of months. That one's been slower going than I expected. Friends, a word of advice: writing is fairly easy, but writing romance is HARD!

Anyhow, I'll keep you posted, so stay tuned.

Namaste.

A Sneak Peek... In Pictures

I was really hoping today to be able to make the big announcement, but things don't always go according to plan. That's okay, we drop back and punt. Instead, I'll hand you a sneak peek at the upcoming release of my first crochet pattern book. The book, titled Quick Crochet for Kitchen and Bath will include a total of twelve patterns from three of my collections. Scroll down for pictures of all twelve. (squee!)

For at least the first 90 days the book will be available exclusively on Amazon. It will be offered in mobi format for Kindle and in print. Because of this, I'll have to pull the patterns from Etsy and Ravelry, so below the photos, I'll share with you a clearance bonus going on in my Etsy shop right now.

 your first look at the cover by Glendon Haddix of Streetlight Graphics

the bread basket collection

the X-Factor collection

the Dominoes collection

The various parts of what has become Quick Crochet for Kitchen and Bath were mostly gone from my Etsy shop, but there were still five listings that would need to be pulled. I decided to move those five listings to a CLEARANCE section and change them to include all twelve patterns. Until they sell, or the book's release, the listings will be available at the mobi (Kindle) price. They will not be Kindle files; they will be pdf files.

You will receive all twelve patterns, in the pdf format, for $4.99. If you were to buy those separately, the way I've sold them in the past, you would pay $22.44. That's the bundle price, not the individual pricing. So, if you prefer pdf files, grab them now (all 12 for $4.99). I have not yet decided whether I will make the pdf files available again after my 90 days with Amazon is done. That will depend on how the e-book does.

The print edition is a separate entity and will not be affected. In fact, it's possible the print edition will be available in a few local yarn shops in the near future. Regardless, my blog will feature a link direct to the book as soon as Amazon has it. Most likely the print edition will be available first.

Change-Up, Just for Fun. . .Free Crochet Pattern

I like playing with new ideas that incorporate environmental responsibility with crochet, or crafting in general for that matter.  That's why I started dabbling with scrubby sacks or soap sacks a while back.  Call them what you will, if you haven't encountered them before, I'll give you a brief explanation.  Pretty much, a scrubby sack is something my brother and I though WE invented in the tub when we were kids.  We took our washcloths, wrapped them around our favorite bar of soap, and used the whole package to scrub us clean.  Boy, did we think we were brilliant...LOL  Fast forward to last winter when I started surfing the web for cute little quickie projects to keep my itchy fingers busy during the cooler months so I wouldn't start yet another afghan.  I came across what many crocheters called scrubby sacks which took our "invention" one step further.  It's simply a cute pouch crocheted in an hour or two that's closed with a simple drawstring.  It's large enough to hold a full sized bar of soap, but my favorite part is that it's a great way to collect all those soap scraps sitting at the bottom of your soap dish so they're large enough to handle.  I'm cheap; I like to use every little bit of that soap, especially since I use a more pricey brand for my sensitive skin.

An added bonus to this pattern is that it's pretty (you like how I toot my own horn there?) so wrap a small gift in tissue, drop it in the sack, and your cute crochet project turns into a reusable gift bag!  Think about it:  wouldn't a gourmet bar of soap make a great grab gift when given inside a delightful little pouch?  Anyhow, I'm giving you the simple, round pattern here.  I have a couple of oval variations available in my Etsy and Ravelry shops as a set bundled with the pdf version of this one.

I have but one request if you make this pattern:  please come back and leave a comment to let me know how you felt about the instruction.  The oval patterns were tested extensively, but this one was typed up a while ago and not really well tested.  (I couldn't decide exactly what to do with it.)  Just as with any of my patterns I would love to see your finished projects.  I'd like to post a collection of photos some time before Thanksgiving, (maybe even ON Thanksgiving) to show off readers' handiwork.

As always, Happy Crocheting!

Round X-Stitch Pouch

Crochet Pattern

by Laurie Laliberte, Big Girl Jewelry & More

Special stitch used:  X-stitch -- skip next st, work dc in next st, work dc in previously skipped st around the dc you just made
To begin a round of X-stitch, skip the first 2 sts, work dc in next st, work dc in 2nd previously skipped st around the dc you just made

To end a round of X-stitch, work your last dc around the beginning ch3 of the round in the 1st skipped stitch.

Supplies Needed:

2 oz (95 yds) worsted weight cotton yarn (example was made using less than 1 ball Lily Sugar 'n Cream)

size H-8 (5.0 mm) crochet hook

size J-10 (6.0 mm) crochet hook (optional)

stitch markers or scrap yarn (optional)

yarn needle or smaller hook for weaving in ends

All instructions use American terminology and standard abbreviations

with smaller hook ch4, join w/sl st in 1st ch to form a loop

Round 1:  ch4 (counts as dc, ch1), [dc, ch1] 8 times, join in 3rd ch of ch4 (9 dc, 9 ch1 sp)

Round 2:  sl st into ch1 sp, [ch 4 (counts as dc, ch1), dc, ch1] all in same ch1 sp, join in 3rd ch of beg ch4 (18 dc, 18 ch1 sp)

Round 3:  sl st into ch1 cp, ch5 (counts as dc, ch2), [dc, ch2] in each ch1 sp around, join in 3rd ch of beg ch5 (18 dc, 18 ch2 sp)

Round 4:  ch1, sc in same st as joining, 2 sc in ch2 sp, [sc in next dc, 2sc in next ch2 sp] around, join in 1st sc (54 sc) 

Round 5:  ch3, X-stitch around (27 X-sts)

Round 6:  ch1, sc in each st around, join in 1st sc (54 sc)

Round 7:  ch4 (counts as dc, ch1), [sk next st, dc in next st, ch1] around, join in 3rd ch of beg ch4 (27 dc, 27 ch1 sp)

Round 8:  sl st into ch1 sp, ch4 (counts as dc, ch1), [dc, ch1] in each ch1 sp around, join in 3rd ch of beg ch4 (27 dc, 27 ch1 sp)

Round 9:  repeat Round 8

Round 10:  ch1, sc in each st and ch1 sp around, join in 1st sc (54 sc)

Round 11:  ch3, X-stitch around (27 X-sts)

Round 12:  ch1, sc in each st around, join in 1st sc (54 sc)

Round 13:  ch4 (counts as dc, ch1), [sk next st, dc in next st, ch1] around, join in 3rd ch of beg ch4 (27 dc, 27 ch1 sp)

Round 14:  sl st into ch1 sp, ch4 (counts as dc, ch1), [dc, ch1] in each ch1 sp around, join in 3rd ch of beg ch4 (27 dc, 27 ch1 sp)

Round 15:  repeat Round 14

Round 16:  ch1, sc in each dc and ch1 sp around, join in 1st sc, fo (54 sc)

Drawstring:

with larger hook ch 70, fo leaving a 1-2" tail at each end, Separate the strands of the yarn to form mini tassels.  Weave the drawstring through desired row of dc, ch1 spaces.

About my work:

Any pattern I design and post is my property.  Please do not duplicate my patterns for any reason especially to sell.  Instead, please link to my blog (http://biggirljewelry.blogspot.com/) or to the page where you found the pattern when referencing one of my patterns.

You are more than welcome to offer finished products made from my patterns for sale.  I see no reason why you should not profit from your hard work.  However, I'd really appreciate it if you gave me credit for the design; please reference my blog or the pattern page.

If you do make any of my patterns I'd love to see your finished items; please take a moment to email pictures to me.

If you are not interested in making your own pieces, I occasionally offer finished items in my shops.  I also welcome special orders, so email me and let's work together.

BigGirlJewelry@yahoo.com

I would love to see your finished projects!  Please send me photos.  With your permission, I will post them on 

Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/designers/laurie-laliberte/patterns 

and/or Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/BigGirlJewelry 

and/or my blog http://biggirljewelry.blogspot.com/ .

Free Crochet Pattern: Big Girl Dish Scrubby

This pattern was inspired by my closest friend. She has three children (whom I adore) and seems to be constantly washing dishes. She uses kitchen sponges with one scrubby side for just about all of her kitchen cleaning. There are always two close at hand, one for washing dishes and one for wiping down surfaces. Following her example, I've adopted this practice.

The problem with these sponges is that they don't last very long. Once the "dish" sponge begins to wear, she throws out the "surface" sponge and replaces it with the old "dish" sponge. This practice serves two purposes: it saves her some money on sponges and it saves a bit of space in a landfill. Essentially she's throwing out one sponge when she could be throwing out two.

My issue is that cleaning with sponges doesn't always strike me as the most sanitary way of dealing with daily cleanup. Although we both pop the sponges in the microwave to kill whatever may be lurking, I still wonder what may be trapped in those sponges. Another concern is all those sponges. They're cheap and synthetic which means they don't decompose very quickly when they finally do reach the landfill.

That said, I offer you my kitchen scrubbie made of 100% cotton left over from another project.  You can throw it in the washer and dryer.  I plan to make enough for every day of the week and an extra just in case.

If you're not inclined to make one yourself, contact me.  I may choose to list them in my Etsy and/or Bonanzle shops. 

All instructions are in American crochet terms. I used worsted weight cotton and size 10 crochet cotton held together to make the example which measures about 4" x 5" x 3/8". This pattern has not been tested, so I welcome comments and questions. Please leave them here on this post so others can benefit from the answers as well.

You will need:

about 1 oz. worsted weight cotton yarn

equal length of size 10 crochet cotton

4.0 mm (size G-6) crochet hook

darning/yarn needle or smaller sized hook for weaving in ends

Design Note:  Most of this pattern is crocheted in rounds which is why the instructions specify "Row 1" but "Round 2."  You're working much of the pattern from the inside of the round, essentially making a tube that you will close with the last row (hence the instruction to work in the "inner loop only").  [Many thanks to my Ravelry pals for pointing out confusion with this technique.]

Ch 21

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch to end, turn (20 sc)

Round 2: ch1, sc in back loop only to end of row, turn and sc in remaining loops of same row, join in inner loop only of 1st sc (40 sc)

Round 3: ch1, sc in inner loop only around, join in inner loop only of 1st sc

Round 4: repeat round 3

Round 5: ch1, *sc in inner loop only of sc, dc in inner loop only of next sc** repeat from * to ** to end, join in inner loop only of 1st sc (40 st)

Round 6: ch1, *dc in inner loop only of sc, sc in inner loop only of dc** repeat from * to ** to end, join in inner loop only of 1st dc (40 st)

Note: That is not a typo. This row is begun with a ch1 not a ch3.

Round 7: ch1, *sc in inner loop only of dc, dc in inner loop only of next sc** repeat from * to ** to end, join in inner loop only of 1st sc (40 st)

Rounds 8 - 9: repeat rounds 6 - 7

Round 10: ch1, sc in inner loop only around, join in 1st sc (40 sc)

Rounds 11 - 12: repeat round 10

Row 13: flatten piece, ch1, holding front and back sides together sc in all 4 loops of 1st and 40th sc, continue across to end, fo (20 sc)

Weave in ends.
Note: I weave the ends in for about 1" then leave a tail measuring about 2" inside the finished piece.

About my work

Any pattern I design and post here is my property. Please do not duplicate my patterns for any reason especially to sell. Instead, please link to my blog or to the pattern page when referencing one of my patterns.

You are more than welcome to offer finished items made from my patterns for sale. I see no reason why you should not profit from your hard work. However, I’d really appreciate it if you gave me credit for the design; please reference my blog or the pattern page.

If you do make any of my patterns, I’d love to see your finished items; please feel free to email pictures to me.

If you are not interested in making your own pieces, I occasionally offer finished items in my shops on Etsy and Bonanzle. I also welcome special orders, so email me and let’s work together.

BigGirlJewelry@yahoo.com

Added 10/17/14: I receive numerous questions regarding my patterns and I have one request for my readers. PLEASE, if you have a question, post it in the comments of the pattern to which it pertains, either here on the blog, or on Ravelry. That way, your questions and my answers are public and can benefit other crocheters. Sending me private emails doesn't do as much good. Thank you!

Happy Crocheting!