Uses for Crochet 3: Pin Cushion

When I made my 3D Christmas Tree back in high school, I had leftover yarn, so I crocheted another pattern from the same book the tree pattern was taken from.

It's a pin cushion this time. It's stuffed with fiberfill. I even placed a lovely ribbon, embellished with some flowers I recycled from a Christmas gift package, around it.

Pattern for the Pin Cushion was taken from the "At Home With Crochet"  book ("Quick Pincushion Bonnet," p.69) and designed by Shobha Govindan.

I think working on this book honed my crocheting skills. I crocheted a lot of patterns from it. Back then, it was my only crochet book so I was stuck to it and I was somehow "forced" to crochet any pattern out of it - I worked on the Christmas tree, a doily, picture frames, a pin cushion, and even crosses. I was able to explore different stitches and techniques, and from then on, it was easy for me to follow other patterns and even make my own.

Maybe that's a good takeaway for all you aspiring crocheters (for any reason, whether to pursue it as a hobby or as a business): focus on one book as a start. You may be too distracted jumping from one book to the next and might even end up with unfinished projects along the way. I learned a story about a friend who's pretty good (and kind of famous now) making music. He said he learned everything he knew about music by playing all the Beatles' songs, and because of that he figured out how to make his own. It's also true for me somehow. As grandma-ish this book might be, I guess I owe what I know about crochet from it.

Panda Earrings Represent!

A friend asked me to make earrings for his friend. I said ok. But then he said he wanted panda earrings [insert the sound of crickets in the background].

I figured it could be boring if I just crochet a flat surface with white and black yarn to make it look like a panda, so I made a small amigurumi of a panda head.

I hope it somehow looks like a panda. I did my best :p

I didn't want to put eyes anymore. I tried but they looked weird on them. I guess the black and white color already suggests they're pandas (or chubby dogs).

Each head is a bit more than the size of a 5-Peso coin. It has some fiberfill in them for the chubiness. But they're light on the ears.

Workshop 2: 13 Days of Christmas with Craft MNL at Bungalow 300

Craft MNL is teaming up with various crafty venues to host handmade gift-making sessions for the holidays. Make your holiday gift-giving extra special :)

Part of the lineup is a Christmas ornament-crocheting session at Bungalow 300 in Alabang with me! It will be on November 24 (Saturday), 2:00 - 5:00 PM. I recommend though that you have some basic knowledge of crochet to attend this workshop. Basic would be knowing how to make a chain, single crochet, double crochet, and a slip stitch and knowing how to read some basic crochet patterns.

This link will show you a detailed lineup of the workshops in various places within Metro Manila and it will also lead you to the sign up form for my workshop. Make sure to scroll down to the Bungalow 300 section to see my workshop :)

I will be making a blog entry soon on what to expect from my workshop!

Check out Bungalow 300's Facebook Page here. Bungalow 300 is a concept store in Alabang that showcases vintage modern furniture and objects. It's a cool place to hold crafty gatherings and workshops!

Part of the proceeds from the workshops will benefit the kids of the Virlanie Foundation, an NGO that cares for children in need of special protection.

Screen print grabbed from Virlanie Foundation, Inc.'s website: http://www.virlanie.org/

You can know more about this foundation by clicking this link.