This is one of those items – a crocheted (they say knit but they’re wrong) tea set. SO CUTE right?? I thought, “I can make that!” and went out and bought cotton yarn in “Anneliese’s colors” – turquoise, yellow, and white.

I started with the cups, then the saucers. I don’t think I’m going to add handles, but I would like to make little fabric tea “pillows” to fill the cups with to help them hold their shape a bit more.

After that, I started on the tea pot. I had thought about writing up the pattern for this set, but I was really winging the whole thing and didn’t feel like making notes the whole time, so sorry… no pattern. But there are lots of crochet tea set patterns for sale on etsy, if you want to make one and aren’t comfortable “winging” it yourself.

Once the body of the tea pot was finished, I made a spout and a handle and sewed them on. Each of the 3 sections is stuffed with poly-fil. And? The set was finished. In a blog post it seems so quick. It really took about a week of evening crocheting to complete.

I’m looking forward to tea parties with Anneliese and probably her baby doll and her sleepy sheep. I haven’t really gone through much effort to hide Anneliese’s presents as I have been working on them, mostly because she still really doesn’t “get” the Christmas thing, and to her a new toy is a new toy.

So she has seen this, and has pretended to drink from the cups, and signed “water” to me, sipped, and giggled. I love watching her pretend. It’s so cool to me that she already has a little imagination!

Siiiiiip!

The little saucers can be for the cups to rest on, or for little imaginary treats. I might sew up some (grain-free of course) cookies or muffins for her a bit later. Not for Christmas though.

Would you care to join us for a spot of tea?

So the first decoration I made involved those, some ribbons in my “theme colors” for this year (and probably several years after this) – orange and turquoise, and some hot glue.

I just hot-glued ribbon to the center of each pine cone “butt” and tied them up on the curtain rod in my living room. Festive, not overkill though, and yummy smelling. I would’ve done more in other windows but I ran out of turquoise ribbon, and needed the rest of the orange for another project (below).

The second hand-made decoration I made this year is crocheted tree garland. I didn’t want to decorate with glass balls and such, for more than one reason.

1) Obviously I have a curious toddler. She is great about leaving things alone if I tell her to FOR THE MOST PART, but I wouldn’t want her to get hurt if she got a bit adventurous when I wasn’t looking.

2) All of our Christmas decorations are in a box on the very highest shelf in the garage. I don’t feel like standing on a step stool and trying to get down the very heavy box, especially pregnant. I could ask someone to help me, but then I’d have to ask them to put it back when the holidays were over too.

So anyway, I bought some delicious yarn in my colors, and crocheted tons of circles in each color. Then I “dressed up” each circle with a border and some embellishments in the other color. Finally, I crocheted them all together into a garland using silver eyelash yarn, which turned out to be pretty cool because it’s like tinsel and ornaments all in one!

Love how the silver garland catches the light from the tree.

Anneliese loves going over to the tree and touching the circles, looking at them carefully.

The third decoration I made is a couple of bell wreaths. I found the basic wreaths in the Target dollar section (for $2.50 each) but you could easily make your own with wire and bells from the craft store. Though I don’t know if it would save you any money.

Then, I took orange ribbon and wove it around the bells, then tied it into a bow at the bottom. The turquoise glitter snowflakes are also from Target. A pack of 4 was $1 I think. I used thin white (very strong) thread to attach them to the wreath too. It’s hanging on the back of my front door (on the inside) framing the peep hole a la Friends.

I haven’t actually found a good place to hang the other one, but I’ll have it for next year!

Have you made any decorations this year? What did you create for your home? I’d love to hear about it, or if you’ve blogged it, feel free to comment with the link!

Dyed silk play scarves – Tutorial by The Artful Parent, and there is also a great color chart by Gerbera Designs.

Coiled Rag Bowl – tutorial by Wee Folk Art (there are LOTS of great tutorials on this site for free, so be sure to check them out!)

Tree blocks – simple how-to by Crafting a Green World. Yes it’s as simple as it seems. And while I LOVE unit blocks for more architectural building and naturally absorbing math concepts (and would love for Anneliese to have a set of real full-size “preschool-quality” ones someday)… there is something perfect in the imperfection of these natural blocks too.

Wooden Peg Doll Family – inspiration by ColorFool. What a sweet idea, to make a little doll family modeled after our own! I’ll try to make a Zora (dog) peg too.

Rainbow people matching game – I’ve seen sets like this on etsy and thought they would be a sweet little game for Anneliese, but easy to make myself too. J Man and Miller Bug apparently had the same thought!

Busy Bottles – from Pink Pistachio. LOVE this idea. I was also a fan of the “glitter wand” as a kid, and this is a similar, homemade idea. You could make bottles with different themes or color schemes.

Upcycled Sweater Crafts – If I can find some great 100% wool sweaters at Goodwill, I’d love to make some felted stuffed animals, slippers, and a cute cap. (All how-tos from Martha Stewart.)

Wooden Lacing Cards – By Dollar Store Crafts. I’ll see if Michaels has any larger wooden shapes that I can drill some holes into. I’m pretty sure they have simple plain wooden geometric shapes I could paint. I know they have the smaller wooden shapes too but I don’t think those would be big enough to work well.

Crocheted tea set – I saw this in the Land of Nod catalog and made sure to “pin” it to my Pinterest. How sweet would this be?

A Play Kitchen – I love the “hacked” Ikea kitchens floating all over the internet. This one is probably my favorite though. I love how it’s simple but “complete” and has real touches like an actual faucet with knobs, and how it doesn’t take up a ton of space.

I would be remiss to not include my girlfriend Kim’s play kitchen she and her husband made for their daughter. Everything Kim does has such CHARM that it’s impossible not to fall in love.

Family Book – I’ve been meaning to do one of these for a long time, but maybe I’ll actually get one together for the holidays. I just need to find a good picture of each of us – my husband, me, Anneliese, Zora, our parents, our siblings and their spouses and kids… that should about cover it. I’ll probably order through shutterfly or picaboo or one of those types of book printing places.

Some sort of Mobile – there is a hook in the ceiling in Anneliese’s room and it would be the perfect place for a lovely-to-look-at mobile, but I haven’t made one yet. Add it to the list. This one is precious.

A gorgeous fabric memory game – Tutorial and photo from purlbee.com. I love the idea of this and think it would also be great with different textures of the same color fabric too for an older child and a bit more of a challenge (imagine all in royal blue, but pairs of felt, velvet, cotton, chiffon, wool, lace, etc.) and for more of a Montessori element (only one variable).

An activity board – For now I’ll stick with the Melissa and Doug Latch Board that we have, but I would love a more exciting version with more types of “goodies” on it when she gets older. This is something I could enlist my husband’s help with I’m sure.

Wall Abacus – From Anything Pretty. Another thing I’d rather have my husband build than do myself. But this would go perfectly on the wall in the play area of the living room. hmmmmmmmm….

Fabric Card Table Playhouse – From Bargain Hoot. Something I’ve been eyeing for years, since before I was even pregnant with Anneliese. I probably won’t make it for Christmas, but maybe for her birthday next year or even Christmas next year. She doesn’t really “pretend” yet but I know she’ll be into it soon!

Quiet Book – My sisters and I had a quiet book when we were kids, and I vividly remember a page with flowers we could button onto stems in a vase, as well as a page with shapes to match (I’m not sure if they were button-on, snaps, or velcro). There are SO many ideas on the internet for quiet book pages and book themes, and a flickr search will bring up a ton of inspiration. I also LOVE this color scrap book from Emmy Lizzy (shown below).

Painted Step Stool – Photo by Remodeling this Life. As Anneliese gets more sturdy on her feet and more independent with tooth-brushing and such, I’d like her to be able to reach the bathroom sink safely and easily. I have a little step stool but it’s not tall enough for a tiny toddler… it’s only one level like a tiny milkmaid stool. Apparently Ikea has some great-looking wooden step-stools with two steps that would be perfect! I’d love to personalize it a bit, not just leave it one color.

Painted Matryoshka Set – I got a set of 7 blank nesting dolls on etsy earlier this year and haven’t settled on a theme yet, but I got 7 so that I could do the rainbow (including indigo). I want them to be relatively simple and modern, but when I do come up with a design, I’ll paint them for Anneliese. Picture from ecrater – gorgeous, but a bit elaborate for me to make (and $80+ to buy!)

Handmade growth chart – here are two versions I LOVE. An embroidered quilted one, and a jute/safety pin/tag one. Totally different looks but I love them both so much. The doorframe thing doesn’t really work for military families!

Baby underwear – Since we’ve been ECing (Using elimination communication)since Anneliese was about 6 months, she is quite used to the potty. Now that she’s walking and also happens to be telling me (with sign language) more often that she needs to use the potty, I’m thinking it’s almost time to ramp up to actual “potty training/learning” instead of the casual EC we’ve been doing for nearly a year. But no one makes underwear for a less-than-20-pound baby. Well, some people do, but it costs $10+ per pair. Making my own would be much more economical. Maybe not “Christmas gift!” material, but something to do soon in any case. Photo from Noodle-Head. Pattern from That Darn Kat on etsy. Zaaberry also made a trainer/pull-up version which is a great idea. I’m planning to continue using cloth diapers during naps and at night, but maybe when she is more reliable a “pull-up” like this would be good for naps.
Note: The pattern only goes as small as a size 2, but I figure it can’t be too hard to scale it down further.

Fabric “Paper Chain” or Advent Chain – I know people use these to count down (or up) to Christmas, but I think they would be a fun year-round activity for toddlers to do (akin to the plastic linking chains, or the beads that snap together). I saw these covered plastic ones in the Land of Nod catalog and immediately thought “I can make that!” and imagined using heavier interfacing inside of tubes of fabric (quilting cotton or flannel), and snaps to fasten them together. A bit of googling led me to Roots and Wings Co, who has a tutorial for a less time consuming version using fusible webbing, pinking shears, and velcro.

Fabric Christmas tree with Velcro ornaments – This is an idea I came up with and when I googled, I didn’t find anything like what is in my head. There are lots of two-dimensional advent calendars that have similar ideas, and this 3D one is the closest to what I was thinking. But my tree would be cuter and simpler, my ornaments would be less cheesy, and it certainly wouldn’t say “My first Christmas tree” across the base. This is another one you could use as an advent/count down decoration, but I think it would be more fun as a toy through the whole month of December, to decorate and un-decorate as many times as your child wants. When I get around to making ours, I’ll be sure to post pictures of my non-ugly version.

Last week, my hubs was in San Diego for the Centennial of Naval Aviation celebration. He sent me these awesome photos of the huuuugetastic flyover. Those are jets, not birds. How crazy is that?

On Valentine’s day, I made my girl this hat.

Which I think is completely adorable.

And PSA for y’all…
These toys from Pink House? Definitely favorites. She really enjoys them.

Still V-day… I went out with some other squadron wives whose husbands were away, and we had dinner together. Then my girlfriend Amber and her kids and I went window shopping in the mall, and her little boy, Logan, got to fly a rocket ship. For real.

The next day? Poor boy was sick, so I got to steal my friend’s baby girl, Kaitlynn, while her brother went to the doctor.

Sweet little BFFs.

And a Starbucks playdate. (No pic of the babywearing nap that happened, but one totally did.) This is Rhett. He is adorable. But he moved. Sad panda.

Unswaddled sleeping is going pretty well, though sometimes the transfer to bed (if she falls asleep in my arms) is a little awkward.

I started crocheting a little dress, and found a mustache on Anneliese’s bath cow’s head. And a heart on its butt.

This past week, we’ve had at least 3 playdates in Starbucks, followed by a babywearing nap. Anneliese gets sleepy after playing for a while, so I tuck her in the ring sling and snug her feet against my chest, and she dozes off. I feel so fortunate to have good friends nearby with babies so close in age, especially since they also cloth diaper and babywear. It’s awesome to have such a great support system and women to bounce ideas and questions off of.
Anneliese, Ella, and Kaitlynn.

I finished Anneliese’s dress. I had thought I was making it bigger, for her to grow into, but it fits perfectly so she’ll probably only wear it a couple of times. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty cute.

One of the best parts of cosleeping is that I get to roll over and see this first thing in the morning.

Another Starbucks playdate that ended in a babywearing nap. Isn’t Anneliese’s friend Mellie so cute?

I’m thinking more teething might be coming in the next month or two, so went ahead and ordered 4 more boxes of Borion’s camilia. It had been taking foreverrrrr to ship, but now it looks like it’s Prime eligible. Free 2 day shipping, baby!
And more unswaddled sleeping, and sweet baby faces.

The office/craft room is the most un-roomified room in the house still, but this week I got my thread holder on the wall, with my pretty threads and sling rings. Exciting!

Sweet dog, sweet baby. Snuggling in bed after a nice nap.

Perfecting my baby thigh socks “Recipe”… added another seam that makes them much more awesome and *fitted* around the foot/ankle area.

Aaaaand… another Starbucks playdate (Logan and Kaitlynn). And another babywearing nap. Are we sensing a pattern? I have a (decaf) problem apparently… does anyone want to refill my Starbucks card? I take paypal!

Anneliese wasn’t sure about the whole sitting-on-Logan’s-lap thing at first. But she warmed up to him pretty quickly.

And the best thing this week? My guy came home. We are SO happy to see him.
Well, this face might not seem like it… but really, she was happy. He just smelled like boat when he came home. Which, as my friend Amber says, is enough to make any GROWN woman cry. It’s like metal, oil, fuel, body odor, and stale grime… combined.

After a bit, she got over the smell and was just happy to see DADDY!

And then? More baby-puppy hanging out.

And more unswaddled tummy sleeping…

Lovely life.

Eventually I’ll get back to posting more frequently again… sometime. Any tips for how to do that? (especially when the hubs is away?) I’m seriously like NEVER on my computer any more, and posting from my phone is far from ideal…Though I suppose I could.

You’ve seen some of the little dresses I’ve made for Anneliese. I have pieces cut out for several more, but haven’t sewn them together yet.

I’ve picked up a blanket I started crocheting… oh, about 6 years ago… it’s going to take a while to finish because it’s going to end up pretty big, and the cables slow me down a bit. But I’m working on it again.

I’ve picked up embroidery again (which I’ve always LOVED), to embellish some pockets for a super-secret project. I can’t reveal the whole project yet, but here’s a sneak of one I’m making for a friend:

…and one I’m making for myself:

I have fabric for lots of diaper inserts cut out and ready to go once I set up and figure out my new serger. The light blue is just some satin I’m going to serge into rectangles to put under my girl’s head when she sleeps, to hopefully stop all her hair from rubbing off when she moves her head… hopefully it’ll grow in by Christmas? The dark blue fabric is for another project.

This area has been getting a lot of use lately… my laptop is exiled to the living room.

This sucker needs to be set up and played with a bit… it came with instructional DVDs I need to watch! The husband just set up a big folding table in the office for me to put this on.

So basically, you’re going to be seeing a lot more projects coming up… my craft mojo is back!

You Will Need:

• Small amounts of yarn, any weight
• A crochet hook appropriate for your yarn
• A yarn needle
• Pin backs
• Embellishing Glue

To Begin:
Start with a magic ring.
ch 1.
7 sc into ring.
sl st to join.

Round 1:
ch 1. Do not turn.
1 sc in first 2 scs.
[sc, dc, sc] into third sc.
1 sc in next 2 scs.
[sc, 2dc, sc] into next 2 sts.
Sl st to join.

Round 2:
Ch 1. Do not turn.
1 sc into first 3 sts.
[sc, dc, sc] into next st.
1 sc into next 3 sts.
2hdc in next st.
3dc in next st.
[hdc, sc] in next st.
sl st in next 2 sts.
[sc, hdc] in next st.
3dc in next st.
2hdc in next st.
sl st to join.

Finish off. Weave in the ends.

Extras:

• Try adding a ruffled border by working a succession of scs and chs around the edge.
• Add top embellishment by using sl sts to make an outline. Or stitch on kisses and hugs (Xs and Os)
• If sequins and buttons are your thing, the embellishing glue will set those on your hearts nicely.
• Or, try gluing a tiny felt heart onto the crocheted one.
  

Making Your Hearts Into Brooches:

• Embellishing glue is a lovely thing… it will adhere anything to anything, as long as you follow the directions! I’ll tell you what my glue says to do, but read your glue’s label and double-check to make sure it’s the same.
• Turn your hearts over so that they’re face down. “Draw” a line of glue on each heart where you want the pins to be.
• Here’s the hard part: Wait ten minutes. The embellishing glue will hold the slick pin backs better if it has this time to think about it.
• Now, press a pin back into the glue on each heart, making sure not to get glue on any of the pin back’s moving parts.
• And…another hard part. Wait for 24 hours. Don’t play with the brooches until the glue has an entire day to dry.
• Now… Give hearts to everyone you know. One can never have too many Valentines!

Or Try…

• Adding magnets instead of pin backs. Make your fridge feel loved!
• Making lots of hearts and stringing them together for a Valentine garland.
• Creating several pairs of matching hearts, as a matching game for your toddler or preschooler.
• Gluing a spring-style clothespin to the back of each heart, and a magnet to the back of each clothespin. Turn any metal surface into a message board for love letters.
• Using the hearts to decorate picture frames, your steering wheel cover, your lunch bag, or anything!
• Wear your heart on your sleeve…literally.

Click here for my other patterns.

You will need:

• 2 skeins (140g each) of Bernat Soft Bouclé Yarn (I used the “Tropical Spray” color)
• G/6 hook (4.25mm)
• 3 yards of a satin ribbon in a coordinating colour (1/2 inch wide)

Sizes:Pattern is for size M (S, L)

Gauge: 12dc and 8 rows = 4” x 4” (10cm x 10cm)

Notes:

US pattern notations used

st = stitch
ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
dc = double crochet
fpdc = front post treble crochet
bpdc = back post treble crochet

In this pattern, the cross stitch (which appears as a row of Xs) is made using this technique: fptc around second st from hook, fptc in the skipped st.

Ch 3 at the beginning of a round will count as the first dc.

The Pattern

Starting: Ch 142 (122, 162). Sl st to join.

Row 1: Ch 3. 1dc in each st around. Sl st to join.

Rows 2-3: Ch 3. Alternate fpdc & bpdc around. Sl st to join.

Rows 4-11: Ch 3. 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to join.

Row 12: Ch 3. Cross stitch around (see note, above). Sl st to join.

Rows 13-19: Ch 3. 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to join.

Row 20: Ch 3. Cross stitch around. Sl st to join.

Rows 21-23: Ch 3. 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to join.

Row 24: Ch 3. Cross stitch around. Sl st to join.

Rows 25-26: Ch 3. 1 dc in each row around. Sl st to join. Finish off, weave in end.

Finishing: Weave your ribbon of choice through the third row, between fpdcs and bpdcs. Leave the ribbon long or cut to the desired length.

Click here for my other patterns.

You will need:

• Lily Sugar ‘n’ Cream (or other worsted weight cotton) in white and coral swirl (or other preferred colours). One ball of each.
• Size G/6 (4.25mm) hook

Note: Do not join rounds. This pattern is crocheted in a spiral.

US convention used.
sc(s) = single crochet(s)
sl st(s) = slip stitch(es)
st(s) = stitch (es)
tog = together
flo = front loop only
sk = skip

Begin FrontUsing pouf base colour, start with a magic ring. Sc 6 into ring.

2sc into next 6 scs.

(2sc into next sc, 1 sc into next sc) 6 times

(2sc into next sc, 1 sc into next 2 scs) 6 times

(2sc into next sc, 1 sc into next 3 scs) 6 times

(2sc into next sc, 1 sc into next 4 scs) 6 times

(2sc into next sc, 1 sc into next 5 scs) 6 times

(2sc into next sc, 1 sc into next 6 scs) 6 times

Enlarge last loop. Remove hook. Tie loop into a slip knot.

Petal Base

Join petal colour to the center of the pouf base. Sl st, following the spiral pattern of the base for 125 sl sts. Cut petal yarn. Weave ends in on back.

Back

Untie slip knot in base colour. Reinsert hook, work 1 sc into next 48 scs. Mark this round using stitch markers or a bit of yarn.

(sc next 2 sts tog, 1 sc in next 6 sts) 6 times

(sc next 2 sts tog, 1 sc in next 5 sts) 6 times

(sc next 2 sts tog, 1 sc in next 4 sts) 6 times

(sc next 2 sts tog, 1 sc in next 3 sts) 6 times

(sc next 2 sts tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts) 6 times

(sc next 2 sts tog, 1 sc in next 1 st) 6 times

(sc next 2 sts tog) 6 times.

Fasten off. Weave in end.

Petals

Join petal colour to center sl st of petal base. Ch 1.

Sc in first sl st and every sl st in spiral. Ch 1. Turn.

Working in flo, 5dc into 3rd sc. Sk 2. sl st in next sc.

Continue to work in flo. (sk 2, 5 dc in next sc, sk 2, sl st in next sc) around spiral, ending with a sl st in the last sc.

Finish off. Weave in ends.

StrapTurn pouf so that the back faces you. Join the base colour to the row previously marked.

Row 1: Ch 1. work 7 scs across one side of the hexagon.

Rows 2-19: Ch 1 and turn. Sc across.

Row 20: Cross the strap over the front of the pouf. Sc across, joining strap to the opposite side of the hexagon.

Fasten off. Weave in ends. Flip the strap to the back of the pouf.

Gift suggestion: “Wrap” a bottle of mother’s favorite body wash with the pouf.

Click here for my other patterns.

You will need:

• Hook, size H/8 (5.00mm) OR size needed to obtain gauge
• Worsted weight cotton (I used about 2.5 balls of Lily Sugar ‘n’ Cream to make a size 32” with 23 pattern rows.)
• Two buttons, about 3/4” diameter
• 1 needle that will fit through the holes in your buttons

Gauge: 4 sc per inch

Note: When choosing a size, measure where you’d like the top of the cover-up to sit.

Sizes: 32” (34”, 36”, 38”, 40”, 42”)

US pattern conventions used
ch(s) = chain(s)
sc(s) = single crochet(s)
dc(s) = double crochet(s)
sk = skip
bet = between

Foundation: Chain 135 (144, 153, 162, 171, 180).

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Ch 4. Turn.

Row 2: 5 dc in 4th sc. Ch 1, sk 3, dc in next sc. (Dc in next sc. Ch 1, sk 3. 5dc in next sc. Ch 1, sk 3. Dc in next sc.) 14 (15, 16, 17, 18, 19) times. Ch 3. Turn.

Row 3: 2 dc in first dc. Ch 1. Dc bet 2nd and 3rd dcs in shell. (Dc bet 3rd and 4th dcs in shell. Ch 1. 5 dc bet 2 dcs in pair. Ch 1. Dc bet 2nd and 3rd dcs in shell.) 14 (15, 16, 17, 18, 19) times. Dc bet 3rd and 4th dcs in shell. Ch 1. 3 dc in top of ch-3. Ch 4. Turn.

Row 4: 5 dc bet 2 dcs in pair. Ch 1. Dc bet 2nd and 3rd dcs in shell. (dc bet 3rd and 4th dcs in shell. Ch 1. 5 dc bet 2 dcs in pair. Ch 1. Dc bet 2nd and 3rd dcs in shell) 14 (15, 16, 17, 18, 19) times. Ch 3. Turn.

Rows 5 -?: Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until your cover-up is the desired length.

Finish off. Weave in ends.

To attach buttons

Using yarn or embroidery floss, sew one button onto a corner, attaching it to the row of sc at the beginning. Sew the other button on the same row of sc, just over the first dc pair.

Button Note
When sewing the button, don’t forget to leave a bit of space between the button and the fabric of the cover-up. Wrapping a bit of the yarn or floss a few times between the button and the fabric will solve this problem by making a shank.

If you’d like to use yarn to sew your buttons on, but can’t fit it through the eye of a needle small enough to sew the button on, try this: Cut a short length of yarn, and split it in half, using only 1 or 2 strands to sew with.

Your button holes are in the first row of pattern stitching opposite the buttons. The first is the hole at the corner, and the second is between the last two dcs in a pair. When you button the cover-up, one stitch pattern will overlap.

Click here for my other patterns.

You will need:

• G/6 hook (4.25mm)
• Various worsted weight yarns: 1 “short” piece 12 feet long; 19 “long” pieces, each 18 feet long

Finished Size

The Crazy Belt will be around 6 and a half feet long if your gauge is around 3 stitches per inch. If you’d like it to adjust the size, simply keep the 2:3 ratio of short to long pieces. Then, if your belt will be shorter, just stop wherever your yarn runs out. If you want it to be longer, when you get to the end of the “To Begin” section, start again from the beginning!

Note: This pattern is excellent for using up all that “leftover” yarn you’ve been collecting! You don’t need to use 20 pieces just because I did. You can use more or fewer strands to achieve the look you want. Also try experimenting with different textures of yarn, assorted color schemes, and using longer or shorter pieces (but keep a 2:3 ratio in the lengths).US pattern notations used
ch = chain
sc = single crochet

OK, here’s the pattern. Read every bit of it carefully, because it’s not like regular crochet patterns… once you get it though, you’ll be on a roll!
To Begin: Start with the shortest piece. Leave about a 7-inch tail when making your first slip knot.

Ch 6. Pull the long end of the yarn through the last chain as if you were “finishing off” at the end of a project.

Skip 4 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 6. Pull end through.

Skip 6 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 8. Pull end through.

Skip 4 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 4. Pull end through.

Skip 2 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 7. Pull end through.

Skip 3 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 8. Pull end through.

Skip 2 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 5. Pull end through.

Skip 4 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 7. Pull end through.

Skip 5 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 11. Pull end through.

Skip 3 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 6. Pull end through.

Skip 3 inches and make a new slip knot.

Ch 8. Pull end through.

To Continue: With each new piece, work in the same direction as the starting chain (i.e. starting with the Ch 6 section rather than the Ch 8 section).

Make a slip knot with a 7-inch tail. Join to the first chain.

Sc in each ch st.

After each sc section, ch 1 and pull the end through as if to “finish off” at the end of a piece. Skip the same amount of yarn before sc-ing in the next section.

Repeat with the rest of the pieces of yarn.

To Finish: Trim all of the “fringy” ends to between 6 and 7 inches long (all the same length). Now, experiment with your Crazy Belt! Wrap it around your waist, around your neck, around your head, and around your hair.

Run around and show everyone. Be sure to bring handkerchiefs for their drool.

Click here for my other patterns.