The Speckled Sheep is one of my local yarn shops, and is one of my favorites. They offer a wide selection of yarn, roving, and locally made crafts. They just re-located to a beautiful Farmhouse location in Lancaster County, and it’s just a lovely experience. It is a family owned shop and they are talented and experienced with knitting and crochet work. In fact, this is one of those gold star shops that doesn’t look down on Crocheting at all!
10/10 Would go there again any time!
Yarn Shop Feature: Stars Hollow Yarns
On a road trip, I was able to visit Stars Hollow Yarns in Washington, CT! I somehow managed to convince the owner to open their doors before the official grand opening of the shop, and I am SO SO glad. It is a beautiful 2 story shop with wooden floors and wood beams, good lighting and the shop owner, Lisa Clark, is a gem. It specializes in both high quality fiber, and Gilmore Girl memorabilia including pins, prints, and more referencing the show. As a long time fan of Gilmore Girls, I really enjoyed that the setting of the town and shop are SO Gilmore Girls-esque, and the experience was lovely. I found so many treasures from yarn companies I haven’t seen very often - including Dragonfly Fiber, Alexandra’s crafts, and Mrs. Crosby Loves to Play.
It was a pricey trip, but well worth it. 10/10 would visit again.
Monster Pattern Revamped and More!
It has come to my attention that my formatting could be improved upon! I am committed to writing the clearest patterns possible. So in the coming year I will be re-formatting every single pattern I’ve already published, but I started with the Choose Your Own Adventure Monster pattern.
You can find it here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/choose-your-own-adventure-monster
Or here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/606495674/monster-crochet-amigurumi-pattern?ref=shop_home_active_5&crt=1
© 2019 Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™. All rights reserved. This pattern is FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. The pattern (or parts of it) may not be reproduced, distributed or resold, translated, published, altered, shared or posted (for sale or free) over the internet or offline. You can sell items made from this pattern, provided they are handmade by yourself in a limited number and you give credit to the designer. Please add the following lines to your item description and any item you are selling: “This item is handmade by (your name) from a design and pattern by Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™”.
Hand Health
A hooker’s hands are susceptible to any number of repetitive motion injuries, and I strongly recommend that you take care of yourself as you create your masterpieces. It is important to take breaks! Treat yourself to a more ergonomic hook that you can make yourself with polymer clay and metal hooks, or buy from Etsy, or even buy from Furls - which have a number of beautiful hooks. My personal favorite store bought hook is a Clover Soft Touch hook - they help me to be able to crochet for hours without pain!
Additionally there are exercises you can do to help prevent these injuries all together. Here’s an excellent video providing instruction on how to safely do some appropriate exercises specifically for knitters or crocheters.
https://furlscrochet.com/pages/crochet-hand-exercises
Community Support for Crafty Intentions Patterns
If you are working on Crafty Intentions Patterns and would like to share your works in progress, finished objects, or questions you may have along the way, then please come join us on facebook in the group called Crafty Intentions Amigurumi & Crochet community. There are over a thousand members, and you can get answers directly from me there, as well as feedback and input from many talented fellow crocheters!!
Malabrigo Yarn
I’m Thrilled to share that Malabrigo Yarn shared a Crafty Intentions pattern as made by Handmade by Lauren Lewis! It’s a fantastic rendition of the Unicorn pattern as a realistic Horse.
You can find the post here: https://www.facebook.com/malabrigoyarn/posts/2007391549307397
You can find the pattern here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/unicorn-23
or Here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/586740419/unicorn-crochet-amigurumi-pattern-by
Crafty and Thrifty: Embroidery on Thrifted Needlepoint Landscapes
I was out at yard sales and found three fantastic landscape needle points. They were SCREAMING for embroidered quotes. So I bought them immediately and whispered sweet nothings to them all the way home and then promptly forgot about them for months, maybe even years.
I did eventually work on them. They were clearly vintage. I pried them open, and fought my way through weathered cardboard and glue, and was finally able to embroider on top of the needle point some very touching quotes. Two of these were house-warming gifts for my brother.
And then this one was IMMEDIATELY hung directly above our front door:
Finding these vintage needle points was a big awesome score. I loved re-using these pieces in this way. I bet that if you found something similar there are so many more awesome things you'd be able to do with them!!
King Cole Yarns
It’s exciting to share that Crafty Intentions patterns, as created by Handmade by Lauren Lewis, have been shared twice by the Yarn Maker King Cole Yarns! Check it out here:
https://www.facebook.com/KingColeLtd/posts/2068760159838874
Crafty And Addictive: Miniature Cross Stitch
If you've ever want to try cross stitching, but you don't want to commit to a large project... Go Tiny! There are a million adorable teensy tiny frames out there. Go find one and fill it with something creative.
Or...
But careful...
It is addictive.
Giraffe Pattern
The Giraffe Pattern is the first new Crafty Intentions pattern published in 2019! Happy Hooking!
You can find it here on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/giraffe-60
Or Here on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/675848887/giraffe-crochet-amigurumi-digital
© 2019 Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™. All rights reserved. This pattern is FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. The pattern (or parts of it) may not be reproduced, distributed or resold, translated, published, altered, shared or posted (for sale or free) over the internet or offline. You can sell items made from this pattern, provided they are handmade by yourself in a limited number and you give credit to the designer. Please add the following lines to your item description and any item you are selling: “This item is handmade by (your name) from a design and pattern by Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™”.
Seahorses are for Lovers
New Seahorse pattern is now available!!
You can find it here on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/seahorse-32
Or here on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/681598581/seahorse-crochet-amigurumi-pattern
© 2019 Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™. All rights reserved. This pattern is FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. The pattern (or parts of it) may not be reproduced, distributed or resold, translated, published, altered, shared or posted (for sale or free) over the internet or offline. You can sell items made from this pattern, provided they are handmade by yourself in a limited number and you give credit to the designer. Please add the following lines to your item description and any item you are selling: “This item is handmade by (your name) from a design and pattern by Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™”.
TRUST THE PATTERN!
I use the phrase “Trust the Pattern” so often in the advice I give when people ask questions about following Crafty Intentions patterns, that it has become a slogan of sorts. In honor of this mantra, I did the work to turn it into a beautiful design for hookers everywhere!!
Go here to purchase your own tote bag that you, too, can fill with WIPs and Chains (stitches)!!
And say it with me…
Pony Pattern!
The Last published pattern of 2018 was the Pony Pattern! Using it, you can make a Pony (Horse), a Pegasus (Horse with Wings), or an Alicorn (Horse with Wings and a Horn)! Also features minimal sewing!
You can find it here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pony-pegasus-unicorn-alicorn
Or Here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/650091086/pony-crochet-amigurumi-digital-pattern
© 2019 Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™. All rights reserved. This pattern is FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. The pattern (or parts of it) may not be reproduced, distributed or resold, translated, published, altered, shared or posted (for sale or free) over the internet or offline. You can sell items made from this pattern, provided they are handmade by yourself in a limited number and you give credit to the designer. Please add the following lines to your item description and any item you are selling: “This item is handmade by (your name) from a design and pattern by Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™”.
Crafty Seamstress Intentions: Butterfly Wings
I've made butterfly wings several times. I love the idea of easy-to-use, not-easy-to-outgrow, dress-up clothes for kids. Butterfly wings are perfect. If they slip on to arms, and have loops of elastic for wrists or fingers, they are all of those things I mentioned above. Today you can find cheapy light weight Butterfly wing scarves on places like Amazon and Ebay. If you add a couple of Pacifier clips to the neckline of the scarf, you can clip it to a kids shirt and then you'll have your own happy butterfly. Or you can try to do it the hard way. I needed to do it the hard way for my son's Halloween costume one year. He was so into the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and I knew he'd love running around screaming that he was a VERY BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY, but I also knew I'd have to make it basically identical to the book to be appealing to him.
This was a lengthy process of cutting up two pairs of every piece of fleece, sewing it to a middle-felt & batting sandwich, and making sure that everything colorful was exactly repeated on each front and back of each left and right wing. It came out looking great, I think. But at the same time, it's like a heavy blanket. Using pacifier clips to clip it to his arms didn't pan out, because it was just too heavy. I ended up sewing it directly to a cheap orange sweatshirt, and I'm a little sad about that because I am very pro-reusability. But, it was the only way to fully support the weight of these wings! If I had to do it again, I don't have a better idea of how to get it done. Maybe paint a sheet instead? Hmm. But he was thrilled.
I had these grand visions (Before making these wings) of making beautiful piecey handmade butterfly wings that you clip onto a child for INSTANT magic. But... Like I said, it turned out to be a lengthy process. I tried it again using lighter weight fabric (Not fleece) on Felt, sandwiched between felt cut out to showcase the fabric underneath. And I glued the blue fabric in place using fabric glue. However, it ended up feeling like WAY too much glue, gobs and gobs and buckets of glue. And then I lined it up with a piece of felt and cut out felt windows to showcase the blue fabric beneath... but this was tedious and difficult. I ended up overstitching the top and bottom felt pieces into place (It looks the same from both sides of the wings, so it was 3 layers of felt total, 2 layers of glued blue shiny fabric).
It turned out decently well, but way too much work and time to be able to make something like this in bulk -- so this is the last version I made!
It was still a hit!
Affordable Wall Art: Thrift Store Altered Landscape
Do you want to add some whimsical wall art to a room using minimal crafty energy for very little money?? Awesome:
1. Go to local thrift store
2. Find a dowdy boring landscape
3. Paint in (or print out/cut out/modge podge on) some [Insert cool thing here]
4. Profit?
The "Cool Thing" could be space ships, robots, dinosaurs, black holes, Godzilla, the Emerald City, the whomping willow, a Death Star, Unicorns, etc.
Or Wild Things waving to Max.
For extra credit, paint the sky with glow in the dark stars/galaxy.
Featured Pattern: Mickey Mouse Baby Hat
[Free] Pattern by Olivia Kent
(Not a Crafty Intentions Pattern)
Available here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mickey-mouse-inspired-baby-hat
This was easy to make, and certainly a crowd pleaser at a Disney-Enthusiast's Baby Shower. I would certainly recommend this pattern!
Featured Pattern: Girl Dolls in Berets
Pattern by Desislava Dimitrova
(Not a Crafty Intentions Pattern)
Available Here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/aria-crochet-doll
This makes a larger doll than I expected, but it was fun to be able to make all the different bits in different coordinating colors. I chose to sew trim to the bottom of the inside of the skirt. I also sewed on all the accessories to make sure that they are secure as a toy for a small child. I would certainly recommend this pattern!
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
Be safe, be loved.
Holiday Gift Idea!
My nephew made this drawing in 2008. He drew a family portrait with his parents and his brother, and there's even a squiggle on his mom's belly which is meant to be his soon-to-be brother. I took the drawing, scanned it into the computer, printed it on fabric, and then I embroidered it by hand. I framed it as a gift for them. It took a bit of time, but I'm proud of the results, and when you're on a budget this is an excellent option!
Crafty Intentions: Failed Results, Part 5: Tentacle Cupcakes
Why?
Why is a good question. I don't know why.
All I can say is that at the time, it made sense. Now? Hmm.