Nic.Crafty

I am very excited to announce that I have officially opened an Etsy Shop! Right now I only have one item listed, but it is still very exciting. Since I am in a full time MS OT program, I haven't had a lot of time to crochet (or update here), but with winter break coming up I plan to remedy that shortly. After watching a nail biting mid season finale of The Walking Dead a few weeks ago, I had been itching to crochet a zombie sophia. So one day after class last week, I whipped out my hooks and set out to do just that! Here is the first item in my Etsy shop: Zombie Sophia

All you have to do is google the words “free crochet patterns” and about 4,290,000 results show up (not an exageration). This can be very overwhelming; especially since many of these websites are just trying to get you to buy things. Maybe you like being bombarded by constant commercials, but I don’t need these websites trying to sell me craft products. I live several blocks away from two different craft stores, and a yarn store. I have plenty of other crafty temptation within walking distance to my home. Rather than having an internet search engine give you millions of results when all you want is a perfect pattern for your cousins birthday, here are some suggestions to simplify the process. In no particular order, here is a list of my five favorite sites for free patterns. Lion Brand Yarn  is a great website for patterns. Once you sign up for a free membership, you can search their database based on yarn, knit vs crochet, weight, project, size, difficulty level and key words. Th...

For those new to crochet, I suggest starting with a metal G/6 (4.25 mm) crochet hook and worsted weight acrylic yarn. Also, don’t use a color that is either too dark or two light, as this makes it difficult to see the stitches. When you pick up your crochet hook you will see that there is usually a finger rest or a grip. This is where you will hold your crochet hook. You can either hold your crochet hook in between your thumb and middle finger (Method 1) or hold it like a pencil (Method 2) , which is my preferred method. Method 1 Method 2 Leaving a 5 to 6 inch tail, make a circle with your yarn, and pull the end attached to the yarn ball through the circle. This is your slip knot. Make the knot tight enough to be secure, but not so tight that you can’t move the yarn through the knot. Next, insert the hook into the loop, and pull on the yarn so it fits your hook. Make sure you that your yarn is in the section of the hook in between the neck and the grip. If you are in the neck your ...

This chart uses the American abbreviations. British crochet abbreviations may vary. When following a pattern, take note of the country of origin. Abbreviation Meaning () or [] or ** Repeat the instructions within each pair of symbols as many times as directed * Repeat the directions following the asterisk as many times as directed “ Inches Alt Alternate approx Approximately beg Begin or Beginning bet or btwn Between BL bo Back Loop(s) only Bobble Stitch BP, BPsc, BPdc, BPtc Back post, Back post single crochet, Back post double crochet, Back post treble crochet CA or CB Color A or Color B CC Contrasting Color ch Chain ch- Refers to chain, or space previously made cm Centimeter cont Continue dc Double crochet dc2tog Double crochet 2 stitches together (decrease) dec Decrease FL Front loops only Foll Following FP, FPdc, FPsc, FPtr Front post, Front post double crochet, Front post single crochet, Front post treble crochet g gram hdc Half double crochet Inc Increa...