Colour Fun!

Hello friends!

As you know I have been preparing for the POP UP STUDIO SALE next week, and I have been SO busy making :-)

I love lots of colour. I love working with lots of different colours. I love putting different colours together. I love finding new (sometimes unexpected) colour combinations.

Another thing I REALLY love is things that are handmade (& proud to be handmade!)

Something you may no know is that I can't eat apples :-( It makes me very sad that eating apples makes me very sick :-( So, I have to explore my love of apples vicariously through this brooch :-)

P.S. If you like the Rainbow Connection Necklace then you might like to check out my blog tutorial HERE

What a productive day! :-)

Hello friends!

Well, what a busy day I've had! I got lots and lots of new things made for the POP UP STUDIO SALE . I finished off some of my hand coloured, wooden laser cut brooches & earrings and I'm really happy with them (yay!).

The Bloom Brooch pictured above is one of my favourites. I love the colour combination :-)
The Dot Earrings above are laser cut from Rimu, which is a sustainably collected wood :-) I had so much fun hand colouring them today. All the pretty colours lined up in a row made me very happy :-)
The Girl With Balloon Brooch pictured above is another favourite from todays busy work session.
The Rainbow Necklace pictured above brightened up the rainy weather :-)

Don't forget, if you're in Melbourne on the 4th, 5th or 6th of August, 2011, you should definitely come along to the POP UP STUDIO SALE so you can say hello to me and the other clever ladies that will also be there! :-)

Chat soon xox

POP UP STUDIO SALE

Hello friends!

As you might have seen in yesterdays post HERE I am one of the designers/craftspeople/creators that is going to be a part of the amazing POP UP STUDIO SALE in the Nicholas Building, Level 2, 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Vic (cnr Swanston St & Flinders Lane) in August. See the poster above (which was made by the amazingly talented Pilgrim of Draw! Pilgrim :-)

Or you can check out the Facebook Events page for more info HERE (this link may ask you to log into your Facebook account :-)

I've also been adding pictures of some of the items you will be able to find at my stall at the POP UP STUDIO SALE. And below are a few more :-)

Retro Square Necklace

Hello friends!

In about 2 weeks I'll be a part of an exciting event inMelbourne Town! A bunch of clever, talented ladies & myself will be having a POP-UP STUDIO SALE in the Nicholas Building in the Melbourne CBD, corner of Flinders Lane & Swanston Street.

We'll be there Thursday 4th August & Friday 5th August, 10am-6pm. Then Saturday 6th August from 10am-3pm!

I've been working away busily, making all sorts of fun new things. I've been saving them up so I can have a little "official release" at the POP-UP STUDIO SALE.

I've been making a lot of new crochet jewellery, which is always really popular (and LOTS of fun to design & make :-) I'll be adding pictures of the new pieces here on my blog so you can see what will be popping up at the POP-UP STUDIO SALE! For info on who else will be there you can click HERE to be taken to the Facebook Events Page for the POP-UP STUDIO SALE :-)

Hope you can come by and say hello!! :-)

Crochet Chain Link Necklace Tutorial

Hello friends!

I have had many, many requests for a How-To tutorial so others could make a Crochet Chain Link Necklace, so I thought I ought to do it :-) These necklaces are simple, pretty & even practical, yep, they're baby proof!

So here's what you need to know to make yourself a Crochet Chain Link Necklace:

What you need:

90m (100yds) DK weight cotton (approx)

4mm (US#6) crochet hook

Wool Needle to weave in ends

Scissors

Gauge:

Gauge (or tension) is not really important for this pattern. Although if you work in a slightly tighter gauge than normal for this project the links of your chain will hold their shape better :-)

Abbreviations:

Ch = chain

sl st = slip stitch

dc = double crochet (sc = single crochet, if using U.S. crochet terms)

yrh = yarn round hook

Pattern:

-Ch 20, join with sl st to form ring, taking care not to twist your sts.

-Ch 1, dc (sc) in each st for 4 rounds.

-Now you will be joining the working edge of your work (top) to the foundation ch (bottom). To do this insert your hook into the next st, then through the bottom loop of the foundation ch that is directly below it (see image above).

-Now yrh, pull through all sts on hook (that was a sl st), now repeat these steps to the end, joining your link together.

-Now you will need to weave in the tail that is remaining (see pics above) (You might be tempted to leave weaving in all the "tails" until you have completed all the chain links, but trust me it is MUCH easier to weave them in as you go :-)

-Now you will roll the sl st join into the centre of your link, and gently squeeze your link to get it into a nice shape. (See pic above)

- Now you will be making your 2nd link, through your first link. Ch 20, join with a sl st to form a ring around your first link (see pic above), complete this link as you did for your previous link.

- Keep adding new links in this way until your necklace is at the desired length.

- When your necklace is at the desired length, "close" your necklace by making one last link between the first link and last link, finish this link as before. Voila! you have finished making your amazing new necklace!!

Of course, you can use different weight yarn if you would like. It's easy, if you're using a heavier weight yarn you might like to start off your links with fewer chain stitches, if you're using a lighter weight yarn you might like to use more chain stitches to create your links. And you don't have to use cotton yarn, you can use anything that you have at hand, or maybe treat yourself to a specialty luxury yarn. Experiment & have fun!

Below are some pictures of other chain link necklaces I have made using various weight yarns & various fibres :-)

Cherry Cotton 4 ply

Saffron Cotton 4 ply

Midnight Wool with silver beads

Noro Sock Yarn

© Copyright Shara Lambeth Designs 2012. Copyright remains that of the author at all times. The pattern is for personal use only. Reproduction of this pattern in anyway (electronic, email, photocopying, transcribing etc) is strictly prohibited, except with the explicit permission of the author. Please do not sell the pattern or the finished product that is made using this pattern without permission of the author, as this is a direct infringement of the copyright laws protecting this pattern. Also please be aware that copyright laws vary from country to country (sometimes even from state to state), I am Australian, in Australia, therefore my patterns are protected by Australian copyright laws. This copyright protection still stands no matter what country the item is made in or who makes it. Thank you :-)