Remember a crocheted pigtail? Free pattern for this curly crochet stitch

Here's a little crochet smile...I know lots of crocheters from the 70's will remember the crocheted pigtail stitch, and most people will probably still see lots of it at craft fairs: it's a staple of bookmarks and hair ties! So here's the very simple way to do it!

And at the end, I'll show you a picture of a slightly more involved fashion crochet scarf I designed which elaborates on the humble crochet pigtail and makes it into statement neckwear!

First you start with a length of chains, for practice just make 25. (below)

Then, assuming you want a straight expanse of stitches before the curls, turn, skip one loop and start sc (single crochet) back toward the beginning. For this example I single crocheted 10 times, (photo below) then I was ready to start the curls!

(below) Now here's the big secret: simply start working 2 sc in every chain! First you'll see a hump. 

Then as you continue 2 sc in every ch, you'll see your work beginning to curl back on itself. (below)

Just keep working and if needed, twist the curly part behind you in a clockwise manner so that the curl lies evenly. (Below)

(Below) Voila! A curly pigtail, perfect for the end of a bookmark, the ends of a hair tie, a bow for a gift....OR (read on)

You can invent a cool fashion statement from this curly stitch by varying it a bit. If you'd like to see my "Curly Vines" statement scarf pattern, click here.

It looks like this: 

I'm so proud of it!! I love any statement scarves that reflect humble natural forms, and this one reminds me of the tendrils of a vine or seaweed. So much fun!! Stand by for some scarf patterns which look like leaves, coral and lichens!! 

Thanks for checking out my patterns! To see more, you can visit my Etsy store, check out my crochet blog or facebook page to find free tips, small patterns and inspiration, or see my Amazon Author Central page to see my patterns on the Kindle ebook store. Have a great time with your crochet!

New Ruffled "Who Hat" which is my latest crochet pattern! So silly, and it comes in sizes Preemie through Adult!

You guys, this pattern is live now right here on Etsy (and soon on Amazon).

I love how silly and ruffly it works up to be, and I've written it for sizes all the way from Preemie to Adult! I'm going to make up one in my daughter's school colors, because personally I think it will make a great school spirit hat. : ) 

If you want the free pattern for these easy pom poms, click here and thanks for checking in! 

To see more, you can visit my Etsy store, check out my crochet blog or facebook page to find free tips, small patterns and inspiration, or see my Amazon Author Central page to see my patterns on the Kindle ebook store. Have a great time with your crochet!

Susan

New Super Sale Amazon Collection of my Easy Crochet Patterns!

You guys, for a limited introductory period I have this new Mini Treasury listed on Amazon for $2.99! That's 75% off list price, and it's packed with patterns for small projects that won't bog you down! The best thing is...from your point of view, not mine (cough)...is that you can see all of the first chapter  by using the "look inside" feature, or even download the sample from its item page on amazon. Just click here.  But why would you do that when you can buy the whole ebook for three bucks?

The first chapter is my leaf and leaf garland collection, second chapter is a collection of super easy baskets and bowls, third chapter is a set of flowers for embellishing, and the fourth chapter is four of my easy baby hats, two of them brand new in 2015.

So check out the sample or check out all of my amazon patterns or better yet, my patterns on Ets

And thank you!

Scarf and Scarfette Crochet Collection Finished

Finally finished! I got my even dozen crochet scarf and scarfette patterns (one's actually a chunky edging pattern) collected into one ebook.

Whew! The neat thing about scarves is that they CALL to you1! They comfort you and coddle you, they make you feel cared for. By extension, when you make one for someone, you are offering them that same feeling. What a sweet gift! A bonus is that they're always an accent piece, a spot of your fave colors. Wow.

It's why I love them, and why I'm currently taken with scarfettes, really lariats...you can see the swirly rosettes in the cover pic. Oh, so much fun. Super unique. High contrast, which is a must for crochet jewelry.

Pure happiness! Thanks for looking, and show me what you're designing! Here are my various patterns on Amazon's Kindle Store, including this new one....when you see my patterns as Kindle documents, they're smaller in format and they're unable to be printed out, so I sell them more cheaply than the larger printable versions on my Etsy Crochet pattern store .

Here's the collection on Etsy, it's $12.90; when I get it on the Kindle Store in a day or two, it will cost a bit less (because it's a bit smaller in format and not printable)...I'll make sure to link to it.

Blessings, Susan

My Crocheted Tropical Flowers with Jazzy Details!

This is one I just finished, and I must say it was a blast to design. I love high contrast work, both in crochet and painting, and this one fits the bill: the center is all speckled and black and yellow, mimicking the center of a poppy or some such. Generally they look all summery and bold, not quite hibiscus, not quite poppy, but something imaginary in between. Besides which, the pattern is "modular" in that you choose your centers, choose your petals, just like Build A Bear or something. Yeah!
I tossed in my little nylon string purse, too, just the size you need for an iphone. An iphone purse with the biggest sassiest flowers on it you ever ever saw!
You can see the pattern at this etsy listing , and thanks for looking!

Susan's Small Project Treasury of Crochet Patterns
Susan's Etsy Crochet Pattern Store
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Permission to Sell items based on these designs is always included!
However, please do not pass around my patterns, as they are my own copyrighted work.


copyright 2011 Susan D. Kennedy

New Great Big Book of Bite-Sized Crochet Projects for the Crochet Enthusiast with ADHD!

My New Book!! New only in that I've collected the patterns I've designed from the last year into a nice big
179-page yearbook, "Susan's Small Project Treasury of Crochet Patterns"

It's all but one or two of my work since I started writing down my designs last fall, and I must say I'm proud! Send me a note if you want to see more about it, but if you click on the link you'll see the etsy item and a big description of what's inside, including a peek at some pages.
There is, of course, permission to sell items made from these patterns on etsy and elsewhere, but please do not pass around my patterns, as they are my own designs : )

This spring's projects include darling baby items and a beach hat, I'm cookin', baby! Show me your designs, and have a lovely crochet day!

New Hat Collection for Crochet!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110621748115&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

What a blast!
http://shop.ebay.com/susanlinnstudio/m.html
Check out my latest on ebay! I'm trying to figure out the right way to put things both on etsy and ebay...I think I need to make sure my pricing for fixed price listings is the same in both venues; right now the collections don't exactly compare because they are different mixtures, but am hoping to get my act together. Thanks for looking!

My New Paperback Coming Soon!

My paperback crochet collection: https://www.createspace.com/3509283You simply have to try createspace, I can't believe that POD publishing really could be so easy. Hope when the project's finally live I can sell a few copies! What an absolute blast. All you do is upload a pdf (make sure you choose the right page size and make the gutter on the left and mirrored margins....and wow, when they send you your proof, you'll be shocked by how CHEAP and SUPER looking it is. I sound like an ad for createspace...but  it's the POD of Amazon, so I think it's got a lot going for it. Kindle, now, is quite a formatting problem. Will have to save that for my Great American Novel, hah!

Crocheted Godzilla Costume

Wow. You think you've seen it all. Here's the designer's flickr album. How adorable!! This is what I start 10 times a month to do, and the false starts are littering my baskets and living room. Not Godzilla costumes for dolls, but funny physical jokes in the form of crochet. I've got a cool one bobbling around in my head, hope it can make it to some form of yarn. Can't tell ya what it is. I will say that the eyes have been the problem.

If you want to see my crochet, fanciful and otherwise, check out www.susanlinnstudio.etsy.com and my more arty fare at www,susankennedy.etsy.com Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Awesome Tree Cozy

I don't know if this crochet tree sweater is still there; this picture is quite old but SO AWESOME!!

Here's a link to the explanation, I believe from 2006: Tree Cozy What a delightful project! I wonder if I could be so dedicated, knowing that my sweater would mold and fall apart. How in the world to install this thing?

I love the topic of crochet art, because my hobby of crochet becomes more and more absorbing. I've been toying with ways to "paint" with crochet, and have been admiring the crochet art that is out there. Fascinating!

In the meantime, I guess today is a painting day. I have a wonderful project involving a squirrel, heaven, a virgin, and a hawk. Mysterious, yes? I hope I can do it justice. Etsy buyers who commission art are the best, what a privilege to live in a country where you can do art, the thing which brings the most delight, and make (even a paltry) wage. I know heaven will be like this, without the death and disease and all that. Hah!

I don't know if God dresses the trees in sweaters in heaven, but I do know that he loves it when Carol Hummel does.

If you'd like to see my crochet site, go to susanlinnstudio.etsy.com  and susankennedy.com/Instruction . If you'd like to see my more traditional art in oils, watercolor and linocut prints, see susankennedy.com or susankennedy.etsy.com

thanks for looking!!

What ever shall I do? Crochet, Art, Art, Crochet

I've got to figure out a way to merge crochet and fine art. I'm thinking crochet sculpture? I saw a crocheted heart, I mean anatomically correct heart, arteries and all, on etsy. Hah! The Venus de Milo in wool? I know, deconstructionist  crocheted wool art in which a jar of moths is released onto the sculpture inside the display case. Wow, time to go to bed.

All that to say, I crocheted and painted today. I like the way the painting turned out, with the early sun and the hawk, it was a scene I saw this morning. Not so much the crochet, I got skunked. Crocheted an entire hat and decided it looked like something between a shark egg case and a roundish baby dinosaur. Wow. I usually can get what's in my head out from the end of a hook, but hoo boy not today. I'd show it to you, but I unravelled it all in a fit of pique. However, I did come up with a butterfly for my bubble gum pink newsie hat, am a bit fond of it. It's perched behind the painting. You can see the newsie pattern at my etsy store listing

I'd like to invite you to look at my patterns and odds and ends on etsy and also at the Instruction Page of my website.  As far as the fine art goes, you could take a peek at my more snooty stuff at susankennedy.com. Thanks for looking!

Maybe Reshoot this

Well, I like the hat, and the girl is beautiful (Thank you, Shannon), but the photographer needs to get a clue. Am trying to get some better shots and finish writing up this pattern. It's a blast, so cheerful and silly. I was told that browns and turquoise were the thing, so Mom needs to redo the yellow, too! It will be on my pattern  store soon, and you can look there for lots of animal ornaments, a crocheted snail, a cute sleeping kitty ornament, several crocheted birds, some baby crochet, and of course, my beloved crocheted snowflakes.

If you want to see more flower patterns, check out this item and you can see my art at www.susankennedy.com . Thanks for looking!

New Fall Flower Accessories and Little Black Purse to Tie it On!

I'm so happy about this one!  (fall accessory)I wanted to make some flowers with black edges because I LOVE the POW that a bit of black gives to brights...must be my old eyes loving that they can actually see something. Actually the eyes aren't THAT old, but they sure as heck need new glasses!

I'd love for you to check out my other patterns at  www.susanlinnstudio.etsy.com and thanks for looking!

And another Fall Mum in Crochet

What is it about all that big fresh pile of petals in a mum that makes you feel like smashing your face in it and rubbing it with your nose? I've always loved the way that kids smell a flower, just like that. No delicacy, no fastidiousness, just pure abandon...smoosh your little nose into the bouquet of blooms and luxuriate. No worries for the present about bees, just inhale their smell and enjoy the moment. Wish I could always feel like that  Here's the newest mum pattern, by the way : http://www.etsy.com/listing/58511435/pattern-fall-mum-ii-crocheted-flower

Not that mums smell so wonderful, they're usually pretty bland. But the glowing colors in their recesses are fascinating, and I tried to make a humble and homey replica in crochet. Hah! There's the more colorful of the two, in the picture above.

To see more of my original crochet design work, check out my Etsy Pattern Store or my Kindle- and Nook-friendly patterns on Amazon  or Barnes and Noble

Dr. Seuss-Inspired Birdies to Crochet

I love Dr. Seuss birds, and these remind me of Mayzie and pals. I'm having a blast designing appliques that are easy to do, and putting them on my etsy store . So cool to sit down and show my fave hobby, and have it be the basis for a store, too. Etsy is that great for crafters and designers, may it have a long and fabulous future.

More Mayzies and Gertrudes and maybe even a Horton coming up.... Cheerio!

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I'd like to invite you to look at my patterns and odds and ends on etsy and also at the Instruction Page of my website. I'm also a watercolor and oil painter, and you could take a peek at my more snooty stuff at susankennedy.com. Thanks for looking!

New Cutie Pie Baby Hippie Headband for Crochet Nuts

And I finally finished it to my satisfaction, ahhhh. Nothing like the feeling of creating something comfy and kind. You can see it in this etsy listing
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I'd like to invite you to look at my patterns and odds and ends on etsy and also at the Instruction Page of my website. I'm also a watercolor and oil painter, and you could take a peek at my more snooty stuff at susankennedy.com. Thanks for looking!

Nuts about Flowers and Baby Stuff

Okay, another day of running around, shipping packages, getting ready for a refi, and planning my next crochet project!! The main subject of this goofy photo is a baby headband I hope to have the pattern written for by tonight, flower and all. But I might have to make an even bigger and floppier flower as an alternate, there's something so irresistable about a baby with a big flower on its head. Wow, sounds very strange in print, but make-your-tummy-flop happy about it in real life.

We'll see how it all turns out, and I also need to put a few free patterns on my site. Best wishes to all, send me a note about what I should make in crochet. I'm thinking birds, goblins, lizards, and tons of flowers. Ooooh, roses, and lots more daffodils and narcissus.

I'd like to invite you to look at my patterns and odds and ends on <a href=http://susanlinnstudio.etsy.com>etsy </a>and also at the <a href=http://susankennedy.com/Instruction> Instruction Page of my website. </a>I'm also a watercolor and oil painter, and you could take a peek at my more snooty stuff at <a href=http://susankennedy.com>susankennedy.com</a>. Thanks for looking!

Why is a cotton flower so cozy?

Another cool little crochet doodle, a daffodil! I hope to convince people that crochet is actually a construction medium or artistic medium which is SO VERY versatile! You can stiffen it and make a box, crocheted jewelry, crocheted Christmas ornament...or if it's soft and cottony and nubby it makes slippers, baby items, sweaters and scarves that can't be rivaled by anything in a store. I can't put my finger on why those bumps of cotton yarn make me so happy, but they do. Maybe it's like a textile version of comfort food. Always there, always positive, just start with some chains and see what kind of doodle you can make.

Love it. Take care and share your thoughts...
Here are my etsy crochet items and lots of crochet patterns in pdf format: etsy items...and on my website a page that has instructional video for watercolor, crochet pattern ebooklets, all kinds of instruction and inspiration, hopefully expanding as fast as humanly possible!

And a Lovely Peony! All nubby and crocheted, humble but so Happy!!!

I had to post a little portrait of my peony design which makes me so happy. Catch the crochet bug, it's good medicine for the crabby-snippy-I'm-in-a-snitty soul. Love love love it, I sit on my 47-year old bum and crochet while we watch pbs at night, it's a homey happy way to end the day.

You can see all of my ever-expanding collection of patterns at my online crochet store or at my etsy store.

I LOVE MY DAISY!!!!!

Here's why I love crochet: in just a few minutes, maybe half an hour, you can have a delightful, bright, cheerful, so-cute-you-want-to-bite-it DAISY or peony, or rose, or whatever adorable object you want to make. Invest a little time in learning to crochet, and you begin to realize that it is a construction method whose versatility rivals that of any other craft you can imagine. You can make everything from a huge rug that fills a room, like my mom did, to doll-house furniture so tiny you have to squint, like I did. From tiny threads and crochet hooks, to honking big hooks and super-thick yarn or rag, you name it, they sell it.

Go nuts about crochet, it will grab you and won't let go! You can see all of my patterns at my online store or on my etsy site.

By the way, this to-die-for daisy is included in my "Hippie Flower Collection #1" available at the online store mentioned and linked to above. Wooooo hooooooooooooo