Shaggy Loops Bracelet and Necklace

 Happy Easter Everyone! I hope you the Easter Bunny brought you lots of yummy chocolate :-) I spent the Easter weekend making a jingly bracelet and necklace set using a shaggy loops chain maille technique. Tutorials for this technique can be found all over the internet for free but I have linked a particularly nice one from CGMaille here http://cgmaille.com/tutorials/shaggy.shtml. I used 4mm 18G jump rings for both the bracelet and the necklace and I also added some silver toned beads to the outside loops to give it more interest. You can make the beaded part of the necklace as long or as short as you like....it is entirely your personal preference. I think I might make another bracelet with some black beads next, or maybe some green beads for the Spring.

Crochet Wire and Bead Bracelet

Here is a cute wire and bead crochet cuff bracelet I made on the weekend using 24 gauge wire, a 5mm crochet hook, a slide clasp and about 25 beads in various colours and sizes.

Sterling Silver Chainmaille Necklace

Here is a commissioned custom made sterling silver chainmaille necklace I just finished making. It contains about 350 sterling silver rings and is made using a European 4 in 1 weave. I am really happy with how it turned out and I hope the person I made it for is too!

Ice skate Ornaments

Happy New Year! I have been so busy with Christmas that I haven't been able to post anything in a while. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your families and friends and did lots of crafting! One of my friends plays hockey so I made her these little hockey skate ornaments to hang on her tree. I modified a pattern a found online here http://jewelrymaking.craftgossip.com/winter-jewelry-tutorial-crocheted-ice-skates-pin/2008/12/09/ by crocheting the first 2 rows white and not adding the white at the top. I also crocheted a row of sc around the paper clip in grey for the blade.

Cupcake Ornaments

This weekend I had a bit of a sweet tooth so I made some delicious little cupcake ornaments for my Christmas tree.

I love how whimsical they look, almost Dr Suess-ish,  and they were very easy to make. All you need are the following :

Glass or plastic Christmas balls (I used some mini glass ones with mini cupcake liners for mine)
Appropriate sized cupcake liners - foil lined ones hold their shape best
Snow-tex or other thick fake snow paste
Sparkles
Plastic Christmas berries
Hot glue gun
Plastic lunch bags (without zip lock closure)

Place a drop of hot glue into cupcake liner and set in Christmas ball on a slight angle. Fill plastic lunch bag with Snow-tex and squeeze to bottom. Cut a small hole in tip and pipe Snow-tex onto ball like icing. Sprinkle sparkles onto Snow-tex and place a Christmas berry on top. Allow Snow-tex to dry at least 24 hours then attach a ribbon or wire hanger and hang on your tree or give away as gifts!

Run, run for your life.....

The crochet zombies have arrived.....on etsy and ravelry that is! My crochet zombie pattern is finally available for sale at offthehookdesigns.etsy.ca and also on ravelry (just search for zombie amigurumi pdf pattern). Get them before they get you.

Ravelry!

Just a quick post to let you all know that I have now listed all my Etsy patterns on Ravelry! It's been a long time coming but I finally took the plunge yesterday and got them all listed. Now you don't have to have an Etsy account if you want to buy one of my crochet patterns, just go to Ravelry and search under offthehookdesigns. Also I have been working on a fantastic new pattern which I am working on writing up right now. I hope to have it up on both Etsy and Ravelry very soon. Here he is :