Simple cord keeper crochet pattern

This is a great project for using up smaller amounts of yarn.. the larger size only uses about 6 1/2 yards.. the smaller one approximately 5 1/4 yards

 I used several different brands of yarn that varied from medium to a thicker worsted weight, 100% acrylic to give the cord keeper a bit of stretchability 

H 5 mm hook

Accurate gauge really isn't essential to this project as it is pretty easy to see the overall size.. 

That being said mine come out about 1 1/2 inches wide ( both the same  ) and about 4 inches long for the 16 row longer size and  approximately 3 inches long .. a tad under..  for the 13 row shorter size. 

This pattern is beginner friendly.... the hardest part is the beginning button loop with 3 SC going into the slip stitch joined loop .. which is made easier simply by making the first chain looser.. 

 it can easily be adjusted in length by adding or subtracting sc rows.... keep in mind the button loop when closed will add a bit of length as it stretches some what

The button loop can be adjusted as needed to suit the size of the buttons you choose..... I used buttons that are close to 1 inch or slightly over.. as the buttons are the main focal point have some fun choosing yours, I used a bunch of random ones I have picked up over the years

6 1/2 yards of worsted weight acrylic yarn 

H 5 mm hook

1 approximately 1 inch button 

American terms 

ch - chain

dec - single crochet decease in next two stitches 

inc - single crochet twice in next stitch

sc - single crochet

sl st - slip stitch

1) keeping first ch loose ch 8,  sl st into first ch made going through both loops of ch, ch 1    ... Check to see if loop goes around your button, you're looking for a easy slide over but not too loose, adjust loop size as needed 

2) in same stitch as the joining stitch sc 3, ch 1 turn ( 3 sts )

3) inc, sc 1, inc, ch 1, turn ( 5 sts) 

4) sc 5, ch 1 turn ( 5 sts )

For longer size 

5 - 15) do as row 4

Shorter size 

5 - 12) do as row 4 

 

or

Repeat row 4 untill you almost reach the length you want

For all lengths 

dec, SC 1, dec ( 3 sts) 

 

Fasten off..... 

I like to use the tail end to stitch down the button if you choose to do this leave a tail 10 to 12 inches long

Stitch button in center of second to last row, weave in ends

That's it fast and easy ... plus useful 

Pictured above is the shorter cord keeper, below is the longer one with the same cord ( 6 foot ) .. either would work for holding this size cord however the shorter one is pretty close to it's limit 

Thrift store bead find

I lucked out at the thrift store..

Two clear boxes of seed beads.. only a couple had any removed from the hanks

Many still had their original label 

One had not been opened... Yet .....

Size 13/0 ... beautiful ..

Most are size 11/0 with a few 13/0 .. 

so smooth... many appear to be Czech.. if not all of them 

Approximately 430 grams for just under $6. 

and another sequin pillow for less than a dollar and a half... light brown .. usable back satin fabric and the stuffing will make another pillow for my doggies
 

You never know what treasures you'll find well thrift shopping... 

Sequin harvest

While thrift store shopping I came across a few items with beautiful sequins.. 

I have been gathering up sequins for a few projects, when I come across an item on clearance, thrifting or at the Dollar Tree I get them and stick them on the side to "harvest" at a later date..  

3mm dark blue... Infinity scarf.. the color is darker than the photos make it appear.. 

The sequins are in beautiful shape.... Only issue I ran in to was having to wash it by hand 3 or 4 times... to remove the starch....???? 

The sequins were on mesh, that after removal is definitely still usable 
 

Got a fair amount of usable sequins plus just over two yards of mesh and knit fabric for around $3.00 

This piece of brown sequin fabric also came from a thrift store, over two yards of knit fabric with golden brown running through out.. both this one and the blue scarf were on fairly elastic fabric, with the sequins stitched in straight lines.. making it much easier to remove them with the fabric intact.. the fabric will make beautiful liners for smaller crochet bags where I want to keep the bag on the stretchy side... 

8 mm, top hole, black sequins 

8 mm, light silver top hole sequins both the black and the silver or less than four bucks each on a 40% off sale

Awhile back I picked up a yard of this beautiful black flower multi sized sequins on mesh... on clearance plus a coupon.. I don't recall the exact price but it was less then $4.00 ... Removing sequins on this is a long and tedious process each one has to be removed separately..

I plan on using the flowers fussy cut on some projects so I'm only using the ones along the cut edges of the fabric

Still a fair amount of the three different sizes well worth the price..

When a craft store was doing remodeling they put a lot of their trims on clearance so I grabbed a pink and a royal blue ...

They are more difficult to remove the sequins from but I plan on using the elastic that's in the blue one and the cord that runs through the pink as well as the other strands of floss on some freeform projects.. the sequence are larger center hole probably 8 mm as much as I am getting off of these they were definitely a good deal, I'm not sure how many yards I have 10 or 12 and these were less than $10 for sure but I don't remember exactly they've been sitting since last summer in storage waiting for me to get around to them..

I picked up a thrift store pink sequin pillow for less than $1.00 a couple of days ago.. these are size 3 mm

Stitched down in a very random pattern which is going to make removal slow, but the color actually matches the larger pink ones from the trim fairly well and will definitely be worth the effort

After opening the seam, I realize the center was a fluffy pillow and along one seam was a long zipper that wasn't exposed I'm guessing they decided to go with something different after placing the zipper and just closed over top of it either way it is an excellent condition and will definitely get used ... the back satin from the outside cover of the pillow is in really good shape and will make a nice liner or background for broach

I still have some 8 mm top hole sequins with different colors on each side, from the Dollar Tree that I need to remove, while they come off fairly easily as they're done in a straight line not much of the fabric is worth saving but having the choice of making them flippable or layering with one color up instead of variety of colors definitely adds to the fun factor of creating with them even though they turned out to be a little bit more expensive than some of my thrift store finds

I have spent the last few days harvesting sequins while watching YouTube videos, during my limited crafting time, as to give my arm and hand a chance to heal from the damage done by the antibiotics intubating in to my arm and  hand.. I

it's been on things that are mostly getting ready for other projects I've had in mind for quite some time but was too busy with crochet to actually create ... 

Taking a break from crocheting has not been easy as I have so many things I want to make, this busy mindless work will lead to creating some fun projects in the near future .. 

Dollar tree diamond painting keychain

I have been loving the little craft kits sold at the Dollar Tree .. 

Fun quick projects with most of the items needed to work them up, a few tools like scissors and players might be needed to complete some of them but overall most of the items have been there...

Yesterday I saw a diamond painting keychain

small and simple looking..

  I have never worked one before and haven't wanted to get into a big project just to see how it's done...

This was the perfect size to just try the craft out..

 I had no clue how any of this worked or if this is even how other kits do it... 

It came with limited instructions but enough where you got the idea of what to do, a small super cute tray for the beads, a sticky sheet with the pattern printed on it, it's sticky on both sides so after placing the "diamonds" you stick it to the wooden backing piece, included is hardware for the keychain as well as the "diamond painting pen" and what they are calling silicone clay and or wax depending on where on the packaging or instructions you read.. 

I assume do you use the tweezers or something like that to pick up the little rhinestones, but you actually just put a little bit of the wax / silicone play on the tip of the pen and it picks them up rather nicely, then just lightly touch the spot where you want them to be on the design that's it, super easy and surprisingly relaxing .. I can see why people like these kits, no real thought involved it really good mindless project that gives you something cute in the end.. 

I have no clue how well these will stay stuck on there if used as a keychain so I might try to add something over it... I think I'll do a little research into these projects before I try anything LOL 

There were plenty of extra rhinestones looks like there's enough to do a couple of them.. definitely a fun project and well worth the buck 

How I set out my embroidery floss scraps for easy use

I am on a forced break from crochet... I ended up with some tendon damage when two IVs infiltrated with two different antibiotics that I am allergic ... to one immediately after the other... It's been over a month... most of the intense pain is gone in my arm and I can almost use it normally, although the strength is still an issue.. 

both IVs were in the same limb so at least I can still use my other arm and hand ...

 my hand is still on the painful side just enough to limit me to only a couple of hours of crochet every few days at most ... So.....

I've been playing with embroidery... 

Like all of the crafting I do I save scraps...

 I have a lot of floss of small amounts and lengths, cross stitch kits I did ages ago among them..

I am currently working on small projects so it's a great time to use some of them up.. 

I thought I would share a time saver I use..  

I lay out them out so I can see the colors and a general idea of amounts available.. 

on a piece of crafting felt.. after wrapping them around my finger tip.. 

holds them in place nicely 

I stick another piece of felt on top and just roll them up for quick temporary storage between crafting times .. no more resorting them every time I need to stop for a bit.. 

 

 Be sure to remove the top piece of felt slowly to avoid a mess as they stick just as well to that piece... 😊

It's so much easier that trying to wrap so many small lengths around floss cards. 

With many of these being from kits the colors are a shade or two different.. this makes that slight difference easier to spot as well .. 

When I finish with the project I rebag the floss and put the felt back with the rest of my felt stock... No waste .. but even if I didn't have the felt on hand I would go grab some from the dollar tree .. as much time as I save with the ease of it it is definitely worth it to me..

I do save the pieces that are too short for stitching as well .... for small tassels and such, the smaller ones I use with making scrapy fabric bags.. the texture and interest it adds .. love it... 

It's been a good year since I did any real embroidery other than an embellishment here and there... was running out of smaller scraps.. so that is a bright side lol...

I had been planning on doing more bead and embroidery work it's just happening sooner than planned ... 

I haven't taken any photos yet... So here's some bees instead 

Dollar tree crochet kit

One of the crochet kits I found at the Dollar tree a few weeks ago, definitely not something that will teach you how to crochet as the instructions are rather vague.. that aside they make for great carry alongs .. 

Have almost everything you need to make it, yarn, stuffing, crochet hook that looks to be about a 3 mm, embroidery floss where the facial features, plastic needle, and safety eyes.. a couple of the other kids I had picked up we're a bit different the crochet hook was marked as a 3 mm and made out of aluminum instead of plastic and it had a stitch marker as well as the needle being just a little bit bigger,  the instructions were still a little bit lacking so I wouldn't call those a beginner kit either... But they are definitely fun and worth the $1.25 

I did add a couple of rows to the ears, 

And added a pom-pom tail, also worked in spirals as it is my preferred method for making toys or in this case a charm for my mother to clip on to one of her bags ..

I have plenty of yarn to work it up and more than half of the stuffing left over after making a few different ones I was able to make several other projects from the yard and stuff and leftover

Needle felted monster thingys

In my scrap yarn stash I've had a baggie full of light worsted weight scraps  ( Mainstay ) from an inkle weaving project.. used a few bits here and there but didn't want to use it for stuffing or tie the ends together to add to my yarn ball... I swear I will get back to that some day 😁... as the pieces were fairly long and seamed like they could be more useful... how I had no clue... until 

 I came across a needle felting video about adding hair to a project.. she called it a monster... so cute..

 After seeing some super realistic looking needle felting, I did want to try adding hair to something, but I will admit the super realistic looking critters .... they kind of creep me out.... 

I personally prefer not so realistic looking little critters sitting on my shelf ..

 the talent and skill that go into these is just amazing and awe-inspiring.. I find it fascinating to watch... just not something I want to do at least not at this point.. but that monster oh yeah I had to try a few of those...

Started by brushing out all of the yarn scraps with a pet brush ..

 The fibers that were "carded" caught up in the brushes, kind of a light felting or matting... I replaced in the baggie to use as my core fiber... the main body filler.. the term they use is core wool so I suppose I could just call it core acrylic.. anyhow I set that aside to

 

proceed with using a hair straightening iron to smooth out all of the strands that had remained straight-ish a bit better, the process also adds a nice shine to it, although I did not straighten it too much as I wanted a bit of a wonky look.. still ended up on the smooth side once it got it on..

 Set that aside going back to the core stuff I rolled it nice and tight .. as tight as I could with it puffing out every where.. 

I had picked up a felting kit from the Dollar tree.. actually my son went into the Dollar tree and found them ... I was outside sitting in the car working on crochet watching his doggie.. he only came out with three so I sent him back in for a couple more.. I couldn't believe it... I had asked him to pick up one of the small crochet kits.. he didn't even realize he picked up a felting kit LOL

while I can't use the wool in it... 

Or at least shouldn't.. ( serious reaction and allergy to wool and lanolin )

 I will admit I'm kind of tempted to put on safety gear and try it just to see what the difference is.. maybe I could get away with trying some wet felting outside with a mask on and huge rubber gloves or something... 

Okay back to this project the kit came with three needles ( if I had to guess I would say 36, 38 and 40 triangular ) and this neat little foam pad to felt on.. just the right size for a small project like this.. it also had the wool needed in the colors called for, plus an eye pin and little cord like thingy with a jump ring and  lobster claw on the end that I have since learned can be used to hang things off of phones... and whatnot ... Side note looking things up when you don't know the name is a very long process.... I definitely needed to get a few of those especially after it took me so long to figure out what they were called LOL lanyard phone ring strap on Amazon if your wondering..

Anyhow where was I ... 

I made my core very firm as I knew I would be keeping my hair rows close together and the firmness would be necessary... plus I just like they feel of it... Yeah okay it is also very satisfying for some reason to stab yarn fibers thousands of times over and get a solid shape out of it... 

Added felted eyes

I cut the "hair" in two inch sections.. and put the rows almost on top of each other they were that close... I did have to stop and find some of the smaller scraps that I had used on other projects to finish up the top of the head as I had run through everything I had prepared just at the last couple of rows.. talk about yarn chicken ugh.. it's a good thing I had already decided I wanted the hair to stand up more on the top and was able to use some smaller pieces to fill it in, lesson learned you definitely need more yarn than you would think at least more than I thought...

Using a 40 gauge triangular needle for the vast majority of it, only in the beginning did I use a 38 triangular, so far in my limited experience I find the 40 triangular to work the best for me with or worsted weight acrylic fibers.

I used a eyebrow brush/comb that I had purchased from yep the Dollar tree to use with my amigurumi doll hair... to smooth it out a bit as I went along, this particular yarn was full of static and tended to be very fly away, so I was moistening my fingers with a light mist of water as needed .. this really helped speed things up which was kind of nice as this is a very long and sort of tedious process ... but so worth it ... it turned out so cute 

I worked in circles around the base/body until I came to the eyes, between the eyes I kept the lower half worked downwards and the top upwards, I wanted the hair on the top of the head to stand upward ( good thing as previously stated lol ) ... so I added a part in the center of the head and worked rows downward from there meeting up with the circular rows I had done prior.. 

Not exactly like the video monster.. more of a "thing" vibe going here.. flat out love them .. 

This one is made with Simply Soft yarn by Caron with a part down the middle .. pre hair trimming .. core if mixed scraps.. no ironing 

Also Simply Soft with no ironing, but the cord was Simply Soft.. took forever to felt.. or about a half hour longer.... being the first and last with of anything a silky yarn core.. actually was the first of the monster thingys .. which I am sure is pretty obvious LOL I think he's gorgeous so I'm keeping this one.. and that one above this.. 

 

Both Simply Soft with random scraps core, both ironed and styled differently ... each has it's own one of a kind look ..