Loom Band Butterfly: How To!

So I am late at hopping on the bandwagon, I know! Children are going absolutely mad for these small elastic bands, and I should know: I work in a shop that sells them. We can't get them in stock quick enough, it's ridiculous! And it doesn't look like the trend is slowing down any time soon.

Because I am a serious novice, I won't be making many YouTube videos on how to make "Rainbow Loom" or stretch band (or whatever you call it...) bracelets and charms. There are so many other YouTubers out there who have a lot more skill and talent than me in that area of craft!

We got a new book in at work, called Rubber Band Bracelets by Lucy Hopping and I was having a flick through it and saw something that took my fancy: loom band butterflies! The best part is, you don't even need a loom to make them!

I don't have any sort of "official" hook, so I just used my crochet hook, because I have plenty of them lying around my house... I picked up some bands and went for it.

I can't believe how easy it is to make these little butterflies. I had 4 made in no time at all. You can use these butterflies as charms to enhance the bracelets you're making, but I glued mine onto a hairclip and brooch back so I can wear them that way instead.

Exploring Etsy - Christmas Ideas Under £10!

I've decided to include a new segment to The Corner of Craft's blog in which I explore Etsy and find pieces that I enjoy and share them with you all!

This gorgeous necklace from ArtemisBridalJewelry is a lovely addition to any jewellery box! It only costs £6.27 so will make the perfect stocking filler. Available here :)

What better present than dinosaur crayons!? Perfect for children and those big kids that we all know :) These amazing crayons are from IvyLaneDesigns and cost just £5.61. Available here

This is a nail varnish ring! A ring that's been painted with nail varnish to give it this sparkly, magical colour! Such a brilliant idea by xSparklesMakeMeHappy and only costs £6.90! Available here

You can make your own Christmas minion for a loved one with this downloadable pattern by JAMigurumi. The pattern only costs £2.28 and is available here.

This necklace by FourSeasonFair is perfect for any Harry Potter fan! In a gorgeous antique gold colour, this necklace only costs £1.18 and is available here :)

No Christmas tree is complete without bacon! These delightful tree ornaments are by OlechkaDesigns. They're only £4.39 each and are available here :)

Gingerbread man soap! These will smell amazing and also look adorable in your bathroom. These soaps are by SymbolicImports and costs only £3.31. They are available here.

This is just perfect for any Christmas hairstyle! These clips are also perfect for children and toddlers, not just for adults! These are by the very talented Avabowtiquee and only cost £2.35. They are available here

These mugs of hot chocolate are absolutely gorgeous! They would look perfect on a necklace and just look at their little faces :) These are handmade by CheekyCharmz and only cost £3.13 each. They are available here.

Nativity finger puppets! They're so cute and look at those moustaches :) These creations are by dolllady237 and are £7.52. They are available here.

I hope that you liked this first "exploring Etsy" and please let me know if there are any improvements I can make! Also let me know if you'd like to be featured :)

Penguin "glittens"!

So about a month ago, my friend asked me to make some penguin mittens/fingerless gloves for her. It took me so long to work out how to make them, but I've finally done it! It will be much easier to make next time :)

To make the gloves/mittens, I used this pattern here as my friend is 6ft+ and therefore has larger hands, so I used a pattern designed for men. I used a 5mm (H) crochet hook and DK (worsted weight)  yarn in black. I decided not to crochet the individual fingers and just make it as I make my other fingerless gloves. I also added a loop at the top of the mitten so the mitten part could be held back with a button.

The pattern requires a lot of counting and I had to unpick and re-crochet a lot of the first mitten. Quick tip: read the pattern thoroughly before you start each row!! 

Once I finished the base, I had to make the penguin face. I didn't know how to do it so I had a look around on Ravelry and I found a great pattern for a hat. I used this pattern for the face, but with a 3.5mm crochet hook so it's smaller. For the eyes, I made a magic ring and DC (SC) 8 into the ring and then fastened off and tightened the ring. The beak I kind of made up... (US terms are in brackets)

CH2,

R1: 2 DC (SC) in second chain from hook, ch1 turn

R2: 2 DC (SC) in each stitch, ch1, turn

R3: 2 DC (SC) in first st, 1 DC (SC) in 2 st, 2 DC (SC) in last st, ch1, turn

R4: 2 DC (SC) in first st, 1 DC (SC) in 4 st, 2 DC (SC) in last st

Fasten off.

I'm so proud of these mittens! I will definitely be making more to post on my online shop!

Welcome and Quick and Easy Fingerless Gloves - US Edition

Hey there! Welcome to The Corner of Craft! On this blog I will be sharing some patterns with you, doing a roundup of my favourite patterns that I have found on the interwebs and sharing a little bit about my life!

To kick things off, I have decided to be extremely generous to you all and share a fingerless glove crochet pattern with you all. It's an extremely easy pattern that makes up quickly so your hands will be warm in no time!

This pattern uses US crochet-terms. I will rewrite the pattern with UK terms and leave the link here when it is done :)

You will need:

A 4mm (G) crochet hook

Worsted Weight Yarn

A Yarn Needle

Chain 35

Row 1: SC in 2nd chain from hook then SC in each chain. Then chain 2 and turn. (34)

Row 2: Skip the first stitch that the chain comes from and DC in each stitch along. DC in the chain from the row before. Then, as before, chain 2 and turn. (34)

Rows 3-20 (17 rows): Repeat the 2nd row.

Row 21: As row 2, but chain 1 and turn at the end of the row. (34)

Row 22: Skip the first stitch that the chain comes from, SC in each stitch along. Then SC in chain from last row and fasten off the yarn, leaving a long tail. (34)

To make up the gloves, either sew or SS the two edges together for 6 rows. Skip 3-4 rows (making space for your thumb) and then sew up the rest of the glove.

These gloves are completely customisable! If you'd like longer gloves, continue to DC for more rows. You can also add embellishments to the gloves to make them more individual.

I customised these gloves with some magenta hearts, which I made using a pattern I found on Ravelry.

I hope you've all enjoyed this pattern! Please feel free to leave me feedback :)