Crochet

Patterns, projects and techniques

Organized And Colorful Crochet

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Carmen Rosemann is one creative and well organized crocheter!  Her work is elegant in its simplicity yet appealing, enticing me to want to pull out hooks and yarn immdiately to work up some of her lovely designs.  Don’t be put off by the German titles if you don’t read German (I don’t) as Carmen presents every article in English too, including all of her patterns.

First, I bet I’m not the only person out there who has created motifs, blocks, and even swatches that we liked and held onto but never got around to using in a larger project.  Carmen has a simple and extremely clever idea for handling these oddments.

These sheets, originally created to store things from baseball cards to photographs, work very nicely to help us organize our little odds and ends of crochet.  Read more about this project here.

 

 

Looking for more Crochet organizational baskets to make? Check these baskets out on Etsy.

Here’s another really simple idea that reminds me of ‘yarn bombing’ that has been in the headlines recently. The best part about it is that you use this idea on any magazine rack you have in the basement or that you can find at a thrift store for a few bucks.  What other items in your home have handles that you can embellish this way?  Purse handles, log carriers, suit cases……  Read more about what Carmen has to say about it here.

How cute – and simple – is this idea?  Take a Pringles can or one of those single ‘sleeve’ cookie tins and use Carmen’s idea to make a useful hook holder.  You can get all the directions here.

Grab your partial skeins and make one for all your crochet friends!

Here’s another sample of Carmen’s colorful work – this time Starfish.

You’ll undoubtedly remember her wonderful display of color wheels that I have featured before.  If these don’t entice you to pop some colorful yarn on your hook, I don’t know what will!  This is a sample of her color wheel work.  You can read more about all her color wheels in articles on her blog.  Start here .  I bet you can figure out a way to work these up in splendid seasonal colors to fill baskets for centerpieces or to use as coasters or whatever.  Inspiring!

I look forward to seeing more of Carmen’s work as she develops more designs and shows us ways, both decorative and practical, to use crochet in our lives.

 

Comments

  1. I use those same baseball card holders to store my embroidery floss in color order. I have four notebooks of floss. It is the best method I have found.

Have you read?

Colorful Maker Hat Crochet Pattern Review

If you are in the mood for a quick crochet hat with a lot of personality, the Colorful Maker Hat from Lion Brand is a fun one to look at. It is described as a cozy statement piece with a bold colourful design, and Lion Brand says it is suitable for makers of all abilities thanks to the easy-to-follow pattern and included colour chart.

This pattern is rated Level 2 Easy (Beginner+), so it feels like a nice choice for confident beginners who are ready to try simple colour changes without diving into anything too fussy. Lion Brand also notes that it is made with super bulky Hometown yarn, which means it should work up fast and give you that lovely chunky finish that always feels extra cozy in cooler weather.

I think that is probably the biggest selling point here. This looks like the kind of project you can actually finish in a short burst of crochet time, and we all know those are the projects that save us when the yarn basket is already overflowing with half-started “I’ll get back to it” plans. Lion Brand says the hat can be finished in just a few hours, which makes it a nice option for gift-making too.

The finished hat measures about 20 inches in circumference and 12 inches high, so it looks like a comfortable, slouchy winter accessory rather than a tiny fitted beanie. The gauge is listed as 7 single crochet and 9 rows over 4 inches, which also gives you a good idea of how quickly this chunky yarn project should move along.

What I like most is that it feels cheerful without being overcomplicated. The colourwork gives it that handmade “look what I made” energy, but the pattern still sounds approachable. If you love easy crochet accessories with a bold finish, this one feels like a good pick. Lion Brand even suggests pairing it with the Maker Legwarmers if you want a matching set.

My overall take? This is a cute, practical pattern for anyone who enjoys easy crochet hat patterns, quick super bulky crochet projects, or colourful accessories that stand out a bit from the usual winter basics. It looks beginner-friendly, fast, and fun, which is a pretty nice combination in my book. That last bit is my opinion based on the pattern details provided by Lion Brand.