Name Tag for Crochet Guild

Each of us in our Crochet Guild is supposed to make ourselves a name tag to wear to meetings.  It is also a contest where we will vote for our favorite.  I was really happy with the way my turned out and luckily I took some pictures of it because I decided to cover it in mod podge so everything would stay in place nicely and so the tag could withstand more wear and tear.  Well it pretty much ruined it.  So I'm hoping with a little more drying time it will look better but if not then I will just use a picture of my name tag for my name tag.

Adding Crochet to a Second Hand Purse

I have been noticing how many of the new purses coming out have elements of bright crochet.  Every time I see one I think "I can make that".  I also love ruffles so I came up with this.

I started with a purse I found at Goodwill.  The one I found is made to look like crochet.  You should be able to use any purse that has a good open weave.  Here is the purse I used before I crocheted on it.

As you can see this purse has obvious rows.  There are nine rows so I crocheted a different color of ruffle in to each of these rows.  I used sock yarn and it took about 30 yards of each color for a total of approximately 300 yards of yarn.  To make the ruffles I did six fpdc in each spot (see below).  I think if you use heavier yarn it would take less yarn and you probably could do less fpdc in each spot to make a ruffle.

Here is how to do a front post double crochet (fpdc).

The first two rows don't go all the way around as they are interrupted by the leather loops that hold the handles so for those two rows I went back and forth on both sides.  For the rest of the rows I was able to crochet all the way around.  

I added some beads and here is the finished project.

Two new projects this week

These are two projects I finished this week.  The first one is an egg cozy I crocheted on the fly.  The egg cup is a vintage one I found at a flea market.  My second project started as a plain purse from Goodwill.  I will put directions for this in a new post soon.

Free Pattern for Measuring Tape Cover

I put all 5 of my crochet covered tape measures on etsy and while I haven't yet sold any of them I got a number of messages from people on etsy asking me to sell the pattern.  So I went ahead and put it on Ravelry like it is.  It is a free pattern so it won't be on etsy. You can find the pattern here http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/erins-rose-measuring-tape-cover

I was asked to do a presentation on Irish Crochet for my Crochet Guild.  I decided to come up with a pattern for a tape measure cover with an Irish rose.   I am not yet happy enough with this pattern to publish it.  A true Irish rose can be a little tricky for a newbie so for the Guild, I wanted to keep it simple so anyone at the meeting would be able to crochet it.  These are the covers I came up with while trying to develop a pattern.  I am still going to work on more of an authentic Irish rose but in the meantime these were a lot of fun to crochet.  I am happy with the pattern I came up with for the crocheted leaf but I had quite a few leaf buttons and beads so I used them as well to attach to the end of the tape.  I'm planning on putting these on etsy.

Hot Pad Pillow

Our project for January for the Crochet Guild was the piece on the middle of this pillow.  It was supposed to be a hot pad on which to sit hot pans.  Mine, however, didn't want any pans getting it dirty so it became instead a pillow.

 I went with the colors of red, jadeite and pink because those were popular colors of the era from which the pattern originated.  Without thinking about it and as luck would have it this pillow matches my bedspread perfectly.  My bedroom is Shabby Chic and full of vintage dolls, ceramics, glassware, pictures etc from the forties and fifties so this pillow fits right in.

I enjoyed the process of the hot pad part as it was new to me.  It was though very easy and one day soon I want to use the process to make an all cotton bathmat.  The only downside is that these are very time consuming and require a whole lot of yarn.

Thanks to Pam from the guild for her presentation and pattern.

My Latest Projects

These are my three latest finished projects.  The cowl is crocheted and is for me or my shop.  I will probably keep it as I wear a lot of red and I like it with a brooch and I have quite a collection of brooches, both new and vintage.  The yarn I used is Mirasol Tupa which is wool and silk.  It is very luxurious with a little sheen to it.

The socks are the first socks I have ever knitted.  I took a class from a great teacher at Twist (Susan).  We used heavier yarn than sock yarn (Regia Highland Tweed) so these are more like slipper socks.  They felt wonderful on my feet but they went to my mom for her birthday.  If and when I ever get time I will need to knit myself a pair.

The same goes for the gloves.  I want a pair for myself but these are going to my son Micah's girlfriend Erin for her birthday along with a matching hat that I am still working on.  These gloves were also made for a class at Twist of which Susan taught as well.  The yarn (Online Supersocke with Angora) for the gloves is wool with some angora and it is so soft.  The colorway knitted up so pretty for the gloves and is looking very nice on the hat (slouchy beanie) which has lace stitches.  I was reluctant to buy this yarn at first because it was a little pricey but one skein was enough for the gloves and the hat so I am now a big fan of this yarn and can't wait to try it for socks, a shawl and hairpin lace.

Besides finishing up Erin's hat I am also finishing up Noel's heavy scarf.  Her birthday is next Monday so this will be one of her gifts.  It is a knitted tube using bulky yarn (Charisma from Michaels) so it is extremely heavy and hopefully it will keep her plenty warm in Rochester this Winter.

After that I need to get busy on Micah's birthday present.  His birthday was almost a month ago.  I got some alpaca yarn almost straight off the alpaca (shorn & spun).  No dyes.  Just their natural color.  One skein is brown and one is black and they are so so soft. He will be getting a scarf and maybe some gloves. Alpaca is great for people who can't wear wool as Alpacas have no dander or lanolin like sheep.

My biggest and most important project this winter is to get my book room turned in to my yarn room.  I love to read but I love to knit and crochet a little bit more.  I have more books than I can ever read so I am going through them so see which ones I want to keep and read, which ones I think my mom will want, which ones are worth putting on paperbackswap.com or taking to bookaholic and which ones to donate to Goodwill.  It is  daunting task that is taking way longer than I had hoped.  But once I make room for all my yarn I will be very happy.  It will all be on shelves and organized so I don't have to dig through stacked bins every time I start a project.

I also have a few sewing projects in the works.  I have an idea for a large organizer that hangs on a door and holds circular knitting needles.  I also have some ideas for some yarn totes and project bags and I have a crocheted pillow top that needs a backing and a pillow.

I am so blessed to have the time to play so much with fabric, beads and yarn!

Original Designs

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#query=lisa%20mertes&page=1&view=captioned_thumbs&sort=bestI have four original designs on ravelry.com.  All are crocheted and there are patterns that can be downloaded for three of them.  Two of the patterns are free.  I am hoping to get some more designs on the site soon.