Crochet

Patterns, projects and techniques

WHERE’S THE BEEF? The Lion Ate It……

by

I have a beef with the LionBrand website.  It’s a great site – oodles of free patterns for crochet (and knit), great pictures of yarn and finished garments, etc.  I have no beef with that.  It’s all good.

But, why in the name of all things sane can they NOT figure out how to set their sign-in configuration so that I don’t have to dig out my password EVERY time I try to visit the site?  I’ve emailed them and have received several replies over the past few months.  The write back about cookies and blockers and such.  Have not much clue what they’re talking about – BUT I do know that I do not have this problem with ANY other free crochet site to which I belong!

If they had inferior yarn or yucky patterns, I wouldn’t care that I have difficulty entering their site.  Do you suppose they think that their site should be more secure than, say, Fort Knox??

They really need to fix this!  I have heard from others that I’m not the only person who has had this problem.  LIONBRAND – are ya’ out there listening???

Comments

  2. I have a password that I use for multiple Websites–any site that doesn’t have my personal or financial information.

    KATHY, I do this too. But, the LB site and Facebook simple don’t like me. Facebook refuses to recognize my password 30 seconds after I set it up – again and again. LB never recognizes my password twice in a row. So, I just give up unless the stars are aligned properly and the site lets me in to browse patterns. Makes me feel persecuted ;-(

  4. I hate to say this, but I totally disagree with all the comments but I also don’t use Internet Explorer. I use Firefox. You ought to try it! I avoid IE like the plague!

    KIRSTEN, appreciate your comments altho’ I always use Firefox unless a site won’t work properly with it. In fact, I haven’t tried the LB site with IE. Might give it a try. jd

  5. You’re definitely not the only one having this problem with LionBrand’s site! Tried plugging in yesterday via an email from them…and it didn’t recognize password AGAIN. I’m sitting here slapping myself (and my computer), but after reading your post I realize that I’ve been slapping the wrong person/thing…:) 🙂
    Garnie

Have you read?

Free Christmas Worry Worm Crochet Pattern With a Printable Gift Card

There’s something rather lovely about a handmade gift that says, “I was thinking of you,” without needing a large box, expensive supplies or three weeks of frantic crocheting.

Our Christmas worry worm is a sweet little example. It has a curly body, a smiling embroidered face and a pointed Santa hat, plus a decorative printable gift card that turns a small crochet project into a thoughtful festive present.

And yes, those little leftover balls of Christmas yarn finally have a job. Apparently, keeping them all was entirely reasonable.

A Christmas Twist on the Crochet Worry Worm

If you’ve enjoyed our original crochet worry worm project, this Christmas version offers a different construction and a festive finish.

The body is a narrow crochet corkscrew, while the head is a separate, lightly stuffed ball worked in continuous rounds. A small hat with a contrasting brim completes the character.

What I particularly like about this design is that the Christmas detail comes from the colours and that tiny hat. There are no fiddly fingers, miniature boots or elaborate accessories to sew together. The curly body gives it plenty of personality all by itself.

What Skills Will You Need?

This free Christmas worry worm crochet pattern uses chains, single crochet, increases, decreases and slip stitches. You’ll also need to work a magic ring, embroider a simple face and sew the three components together.

I’d describe it as an easy project for someone comfortable with basic crochet stitches and ready to try small amigurumi pieces. The tiny hat rounds may require a little patience, especially if you usually make blankets with a lovely big hook.

The materials are straightforward: DK or 8-ply yarn, a 3 mm hook, a little stuffing, black embroidery thread and a yarn needle.

Choose smooth yarn so you can see your stitches clearly. Fluffy yarn might look festive in the ball, but finding four tiny stitches in a magic ring is quite enough excitement without hiding them under eyelash fibres.

Make Santa, Elf or Snowy Christmas Versions

The same construction works in several Christmas colour combinations:

  • Traditional Santa: A red curly body, cream head and red hat with a white brim.
  • Christmas elf: A green body and green hat with a contrasting red brim.
  • Snowy Christmas friend: A white body and head, finished with a red-and-white Santa hat.

The faces are embroidered, and the hat tip has a few white stitches rather than a separate pompom. Keep those details simple and let the colour combinations do the decorating.

If seasonal variations are your weakness, our Easter bunny worry worm pattern is another idea to save for your next round of small handmade gifts.

The Printable Christmas Gift Card Makes It Feel Special

The accompanying printable card is the detail that brings this project together.

Watercolour-style poinsettias, holly, red bows and gold accents frame a short verse, with To and From lines for your message. A pale green space on the right holds