Crochet Guild of America Conference 2015

The Crochet Guild of America Conference 2015 was held in San Diego, CA and I am feel very lucky to say that I was able to attend it. I was excited to go to receive my Master of Advanced Crochet Techniques pin (I completed the course) and also very excited to take Karen Whooley's sock workshop. 

I managed to convince my friend Jennifer Pionk (a crocheted simplicity) to attend the conference and be my roommate. We had a blast! Here you see us at the Crochetville/Red Heart's booth signing the book "Crochet for Christmas".  Both Jennifer and I have contributed patterns to the book.

 Here Jennifer, moi and Carolyn Calderon.

It was great to meet Marly Bird in person! She makes fantastic videos for Red Heart Yarns and she has taught how to make a scarf from my pattern in one of the videos, which I thought it was pretty cool!

 Here's me with Tamara Kelly (Moogly):

 And last, but definitely not least... here is a picture of me and the crochet super star Lily Chin!

Looking forward to the 2016 conference in Charleston, SC!

Monster Pencil Case - Crochet Pattern

Summer is just going by way too fast, so I have been thinking about the things I have to do to get ready for the new school year. I am a planner, what can I say? Sometimes being a planner is a good thing, sometimes it's not. I think in this case is good. :)

I have already finished purchasing all the school supplies and the clothes for my kids, I also came up with this "monster pencil case" idea because the pencil cases I saw at the store were just... "blah"!

This is a quick pattern, fun to make. I am thinking about attaching a little hand sanitizer to one of the ears. Wouldn't that be cute? Or you could make a little coin purse or add charms or a key chain?

The pattern is available in my ravelry store and on craftsy, too.

Cheers!

Dainty Flower Crown Pattern {Free}

Copyright 2015 Alessandra Hayden. All rights reserved.

Please do not sell this pattern or post it on the internet. If you sell anything made with this pattern, please give me credit for the pattern.

Difficulty: Easy

Gauge: Not crucial for this project

Supplies:


- Crochet Cotton Thread Size 10
- Crochet Hook Size 1.75mm
- Needle (big enough to use with the cotton thread)
- Small Pearls (Optional)
- Scissors

Abbreviations:
- ch = chain
- hdc = half double crochet
- sl st = slip stitch

Instructions:





Flower (Make 12, or more!)

Make an adjustable ring, *ch 2, hdc 2, ch 2, sl st* - 5 times. Pull the ring closed. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing a small pearl (if desired) and sewing the flower to the crown.





With green thread, make a 31” chain. Sew the flowers, weave in ends. You’re done!

If you would like to download a PDF file, click here.

Enjoy!

Crocheted Phone Cord

I don't know if you have the same problem that I have, but in my house phone cords seem to have legs, they just vanish. I believe they walk away while we are not looking and just don't come back. I found a solution for that problem! I now crochet around the cord and it seems like it makes them happy and they don't leave anymore. 

Friends, family bring their phone and take your charger home with them? Well, not when they are colorful and crocheted... LOL

So here is what I did, I started with a slip knot in my crochet hook and left a long tail. I single crocheted around the cord and over the tail so I didn't have to weave it in, at least not the beginning tail. 

 I used a 1.75mm steel hook and Red Heart Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Thread Size 10, the color I used is Mexicana (ID#154_250).

 Throughout the way, bring your stitches together, so there are no spaces between them and make sure to crochet tightly. When you get to the other end, fasten off and leave a long tail to be weave in with a needle.

Enjoy!

Yarn Tip

I have a great tip for you!
Sometimes you buy a pattern and it calls for a yarn that is not accessible for you and you have no idea what yarn to use in it's place, so I have a solution for you!
There is a website called yarnsub.com where you type the yarn's name and it will show you a list of substitutions.
Pretty awesome, isn't it?

Stripe It Slouchy Hat

When I was browsing the web this morning, I was excited to see that the "Stripe It Slouchy Hat" that I designed for Red Heart Yarns had made its way to the their website. I used Heart Heart With Love, it's a hearty hat, it will keep you warm!

The picture you see above is a screenshot of Red Heart's website, you can see my name there! Did I mention that this is a FREE download?? Click HERE.

The pictures below are samples of the same hat, made in different colors:

Cheers!