bodner041

I'm really happy to say that after being included in dozens of treasuries on Etsy, my Fred Astaire Scarf is now going to a new home! I've always been a big fan of the debonaire Mr. Astaire and chose to include him in my series of knitwear dedicated to Old Time Movie Star Idols. Now that the scarf has a new owner, I've published a pattern so that even really new crocheters can make this fast and simple scarf. The pattern includes many suggestions for yarn and color variations, so there's no need to stick with the black and gray I chose for Fred. You can get this pattern at Craftsy Have fun making several of these for yourself or to give as holiday gifts. The scarf only takes a few hours and a small amount of yarn, so it's perfect for unique, inexpensive presents.

I don't know about you, but my search for a really great sunhat has been futile. Either they look good but don't keep enough sun off, or they're great looking but I don't want to lug around a big straw hat all day. (What do you do with those big hats when you go indoors?) Most hats I try on keep the sun off but look awful on me. However, with a ball of cotton worsted yarn and my trusty crochet hook, I've come up with a great solution. My new hat has a definite Retro 1940s look. I really love the elegant fashions of that period and they look just right now, too. Therefore, I'll show you the hat first in a photo montage I just made of Ingrid Bergman wearing it and gazed at adoringly by Humphrey Bogart! (Photoshop is so much fun!) Of course I can't promise you that you'll look like Ingrid when you wear this hat, but I can promise that if you have just the basic crochet skills, you'll be able to make it quickly, easily and inexpensively. In fact, the hat...

This is an update on my crocheted starfish. I had a lot of requests so I put together a pattern that includes the starfish brooch, earrings and ring. You can find it at Etsy and also at Craftsy The pattern shows all three starfish designs in turquoise, but I'm now working on some coral/apricot/tangerine starfish and really they look good in so many colors. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I always love to speak knitting and crochet, even though my patterns are always written in simple English.

My Turquoise Starfish Brooch and Ring are a call to the sea. I've loved poetry from my earliest years, most likely because of the music of its rhythms. I definitely remember learning this poem by heart when I was still quite young: This is meter right out of Homer and moves the spirit for sure! Starfish combine both the sea and the stars and also are wonderful design elements. A year or so ago I made a Turquoise Starfish Ring -- I used Perle cotton #5 to make it and it's been in quite a few Etsy treasuries. Then a few months ago, a customer asked me to make a starfish brooch -- Can you see the starfish impression on the shell? The brooch is made with a DK weight mercerized cotton. On my worktable right now is a starfish earring I've designed. This is made with variegated embroidery floss and the tiniest hook I could get to work with that easily separated thread. I'll mount these on silver plated ear wires. You can find the ring in my Etsy shop and the brooch here. fi...

When my Lily of the Valley first bloomed I made this necklace to celebrate the arrival of High Spring. Here's the necklace on a mannequin to give you an idea of the dimensions. The necklace is large and makes a big visual statement, but because I crocheted it with fine threads, it's actually very lightweight. I'm fond of using French embroidery floss for my fiber art jewelry because it has a beautiful sheen and comes in an almost limitless number of colors. Today I was delighted to see that the flowers are still blooming. This is unusual for Lily of the Valley which generally only lasts a short time in the garden. I'm assuming that the cold weather has lengthened their lifespan. This picture shows them just after a rainstorm last week. I like the sparkly water on the sturdy leaves of these very delicate looking flowers. These are the flowers I picked this morning. Not only do they look like little ivory bells, but they also smell so intensely sweet that the whole room i...

As promised, I have my Pink Tulip Baroque Crocheted Cuff Bracelet to show now. This is how the tulips looked in the garden last week. When I cut some and put them in a vase, they opened out to over 7 inches in diameter. That gave me a chance to analyze the coloration more which led to the cuff itself.   The crochet of these cuffs is so detailed that I didn't want to have any visible closure. Instead I used a tiny snap to securely hold the bracelet together. Here's what the fastener side of the cuff looks like. This smooth closure is very comfortable to wear and easy to fasten too.  I've been experimenting with Photoshop to join the cuffs and their floral inspiration. The next photo is an example of my playing around with Photoshop.  Many of my friends on Facebook have expressed an interest in my making a pattern/tutorial for these cuffs.  In the meantime, and for those who don't crochet themselves, the cuff is available in my Etsy shop here . I'd be happy to hea...

I've been working on a series of Baroque cuff bracelets inspired by the amazing tulips blooming in my garden this spring. I went a little wild with the plant catalogs last fall and am now reaping the benefit of my indulgence in floral fantasy. Some of these tulips are just amazing. Their size and colors are a feast for the eyes. Here's a sampling from my garden this week: This is a close up of the gorgeous yellow, red and green Parrot tulips: As they open up, they become more flamboyant looking! Here are the giant red tulips with touches of yellow on them:  As these flowers were coming into bloom, I was working on my thread crocheted cuff bracelets. I use fine French cotton threads to make them and a very tiny hook. At least 4 different colors and several stitch textures are incorporated into each bracelet. The intricate detail of these bracelets is reminiscent of the decorative Baroque style in the arts of the 17th and 18th centuries characterized by ornate detail. Think of th...