There are affiliate links below. If you are unsure of what affiliate links are, please go to “Disclosures/Disclaimers” and “Privacy Policy” at the top of my HOME page. Affiliate links basically allow me to receive a very small commission, butonly if you make purchases. Just because you go to the link doesn’t mean that I will receive a commission.
I don’t have a fancy crochet hook holder case or crochet item at this time, but I plan on making one in the future on YouTube video tutorial. In the meantime, I am keeping a file of the different crochet hook holders that are out there on the internet. I have formulated a list of the top 5 popular Crochet Hook Designs that I have found on the web as well as their links.
As of 5Apr18, I was able to get this crochet PDF written pattern for free from Zhaya designs. It is available for download in 7 different languages! She has some other crochet designs that you may like on the site as well.
There is a free PDF download that shows how you can make these wonderfully unique and collectible crochet hook holders. I will definitely have to start adding some to my crochet hook collection.
This is the one that I eventually want to make to go with my crochet hook holder set. Good luck finding this magazine! Natalie did a wonderful job showing all the details of this beautiful piece in Sewing Room Secrets.
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5. The pictures above are a bunch of inspirational designs that I think are unique and beautiful. I would love to incorporate something similar into my crochet hook holders/sewing kit designs. It may take me a while to get to mine, but in the meantime, you may like to use some of the ideas as inspiration as well.
After you make your beautiful handmade crochet hook/sewing kit holder, you need to fill it with crochet hooks, scissors, needles, needle holders etc… Some of the tools will be everyday use tools and some will be collectible. I plan on making a special handmade case for some of my collectibles. The following pictures are not in my set, but I wanted to show you some of the stunning vintage collectibles of the past:
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Here are some inspirational ideas for handmade holders:
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Have you ever heard of scissor fobs? I found this answer on Yahoo Answers:
“What you are speaking of sounds like a version of a chatelaine (for scissors and other sewing tools). You don’t see such things so often in the current era because our clothes have pockets, our sewing baskets have grown to cabinets, and most of us have double duty: we work at other activities besides the home arts.
Chatelaine refers to keeper of the keys & key with chain, but grew to mean more. Before garments had pockets, small, often-used items were hung from one’s waistband or belt. Chatelaines were highly used in the late 18th century. After a period of disuse, they reappeared in the 1870’s and very popular and in use in one form of the other until the turn of the century.
A fob is an adornment, whether practical or in-practical, that hangs from a waist chain. You might recognize the language from hearing “watch fob”, that is a decorative chain for a pocket watch.
So what is a scissors fob? Most of the time, it would be a decorative piece which hangs (by fiber or chain) from a pair of scissors. One could make it pinnable and use it as a pincushion or needle safe while sewing, but in the current era, mostly it’s an identifier (says, these are your scissors) and a decoration. ‘Tis a bit of history, creating your own makes it yours.
Decorative fobs are associated with much of the needle arts: scissors, wood bobbins for lacemaking, needle keepers for all kinds of stitchery, fobs for darning eggs, embroidery’s laying tools & thread sweepers.”
I love this variation of the scissor fob:
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You may like some of the great Amazon deals that I found for your handmade crochet hook holders/sewing kit designs: Wow-crochet-Deals blog post
I received my custom yarn bowl from Earthwoolfire today!
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I was impressed with how meticulously it was packed! It arrived in pristine condition! I am in love with all of the details and how it turned out! Thank you Earthwoolfire!!!!
Donations for the year 2019 are now closed. All monetary donations made at this time, or crochet pictures submitted, will be for the year 2020
Please go to the blog post Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Members 2020.
Teresa Desotelle’s name was drawn on 31Dec19 and Teresa D. has been notified. If I don’t receive a response from Teresa Desotelle by 7Jan20, a new Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member name will be drawn.
A new Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Name was drawn on 7Jan20. The winner was Claudia Niebergall. Here is the YouTube video tutorial showing the computer-generated random name drawing:
Claudia received her prize package, and she said: “I received my package today, and I love! The hooks, the yarn, everything is just so awesome. Thank you so much. I already started a beanie for my grandson.”
I received a message from Teresa D. on 20Jan20 and she said: “Well I just found your message now I know what all those numbers are for in messenger. I just wanted to let you know that I wasn’t ignoring you. And thank you for picking me and I’m sorry I didn’t see this sooner but I’m sure someone else is very happy. And thank you for all of the crocheting videos there are so many I want to make. I hope your New Year has started out awesome for you !!! I won’t miss another giveaway. Thanks again Teresa.”
Teresa is now a Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member for the year 2020. I am so sorry that you missed your giveaway Teresa! I hope that you have a Happy New Year also, and I look forward to seeing all of your beautiful crochet items!!
Closed from the year 2019:
New Year for Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Members 2019. The different colored gold bars on the golden member wall are just my corrections. To see the special surprise winners for the year 2018 scroll down.
How can I become a Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member?!?!?!?
You can make a monetary donation to my blog by clicking on the link above. Only monetary donations can be entered more than one time on the Gold Brick Donor Wall. Void where prohibited. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate. Permission must be given by a parent/guardian if a minor.
You can submit a picture of your completed crochet work using one of my YouTube video tutorials and/or written patterns. Not only will you become a special donor member, but because you submitted the picture, you will also automatically be entered into my random free surprise giveaway at the end of the year 2019 for the person who submitted the most crochet pictures using my video tutorials!!!! Multiple pictures of one crochet item will count as one submission, but please share multiple pictures! We love pictures of beautiful crochet items! Go to Contests and giveaways at the top of my blog HOME page for more details and rules of entry. Please remember that if you are 18 years of age or younger, I must have an email/letter from your parent or guardian giving permission for you to remain a Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member. Void where prohibited.
FINISHED. If you participate in my #snowballexpress charity random free giveaway for the year 2019, and meet the rules/guidelines, you will automatically become a Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member. A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU THAT DONATED FOR THIS GREAT CHARITY!
If you participate in my Crochet Amigurumi Contest for the year 2019. Deadline for the contest is 1Sept19. Go to the top of my blog HOME page, and click on Contests/Giveaways for the link to the rules/guidelines for the contest.
If you purchase one of my Crochet PDF written pattern bundles, or individual written patterns through my blog, you will become a Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member! You can always find the direct link at the top of my blog’s HOME page. NON-refundable.
Please read the Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member rules/benefits below carefully and Thank you so much for becoming a Special Donor Member and all of your support!!! Now, let us have some crochet fun!!!
DONATIONS ONLY! No refunds.
USA and International welcome to donate (Void where prohibited, and you must understand/speak English) . However, I am not responsible for lost/damaged mail. I will provide a tracking# as proof that the item was mailed (#2 below).
“Donations to my blog” People who have donated to my blog are now Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Members for the year 2019.
If you like my video tutorials and PDF written patterns, you can donate to help fund my creations and my work up until 31Dec19. If you want to add more than the minimum donation amount above, you can change the number before donating. The better the donations throughout the year the better promotional codes I can give, and I may be able to give away more surprise giveaways during the year.
All of my current donors for the year 2019 are eligible for all of the following:
1. Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Members for the year 2019 are eligible to receive 1 promotional code each year for 50% off anything in my Ravelry Store!!! Just contact me through my blog (www.Helenmaycrochet.com) to receive your promotional code. If you don’t contact me before 1Jan20 the offer becomes void.
2. Also, on 31Dec19, I am going to randomly draw one of my donor’s name for a special surprise of my choice (I am not responsible for lost or damaged mail). I am not liable for anything related to this surprise gift. If you participate, then you agree to all of my guidelines. I will pay for shipping. I will upload a YouTube video showing me pick the winning name on Helenmay Crochet YouTube Channel. If I don’t hear from the winning person in 7 days, I will draw another name. If I don’t hear from that person in 7 days, I will draw another name. I will continue to draw names every 7 days until there is a winner.
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Contents of the surprise prize box in the picture above a total value of approximately $158.92. I am not sponsored by Furls Crochet Hooks or Pastiche Accessories, and I am not their affiliates:
Handmade glass jar pendant with little crochet hook, granny square, and yarn balls: $20
Purse frame: $2.99
Premium Thread: $5.99
5 blank white cards with 5 white envelopes: $3.00
Color Scents 2 pens: $3.00
Furls Odyssey Crochet Hook with leather case: $45
Kitty Cat Journal: $2
One 6″ zipper: $3
Scooby Doo comic book with Scooby Doo Stamps: $10
1 white pom pom for winter hat: $5.99
1 Hildie and Jo glass pearls: $3
Quiche Lorraine Kitchen towel: $11.95
Guardian Angel stitch marker: $3
Top This Yarn with a cute dog head: $10
“Pastiche Accessories” Etsy Fairy Door Locket: $25
Misc charms/buttons: $5
Bonus additions:
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3 alpaca pom poms
1 alpaca pen
A copy of a free crochet pattern from the yarn crawl.
BONUS ADDITION ON 25NOV19:
I am adding a butterfly wing stitch marker case from Pastiche Accessories as well as a few Pastiche Accessories stitch markers of my choice (I am not an affiliate of Pastiche Accessories, nor am I sponsored by them).
I was crocheting my “Rozeta,” when I had to break out my own Pastiche Accessories stitch marker tin with all of my favorite stitch markers that I have collected from Pastiche Accessories. It was “VERY” helpful to have so many stitch markers!! I thought that it would also make a perfect gift for a crocheter! So, I decided to add one to my Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member package random free giveaway at the end of the year!
Here is the YouTube video that I made showing all of the contents:
Finished Giveaway 15Oct19
Bonus random free surprise!!!
On 15Oct19 it was announced on Facebook that Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Members could contact me via my blog if they were interested in winning a free Crochet Magazine issue 46, because if you want to use the promo discount codes, they expire on 31Oct19. I had 3 members respond: Jessica M. Julie G. and Lisa L. The winner will be picked at random and will be announced on 18Oct19. I am not sponsored or affiliated with Crochet Magazine.
The winner was notified on 17Oct19 and the crochet magazine and surprise yarn will be mailed on 18Oct19. The winner was Jessica M.(Also known as Jessica H. on YouTube). Here is the video showing the winner’s name being picked:
Since I made changes to my member benefits, I have special surprises, for individual members that made a monetary donation this year up to 21Jun19 only. The individuals who donated money will receive their special gifts on 31Dec19 too if they want to receive it (I am not responsible for lost/damaged mail). The monetary donors are still eligible for the larger random Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member random prize too.
Monetary donors Melissa L. and Debbie A. surprise prize packages will be mailed on 31Dec19 if they want them. Each package has a Furls Streamline Crochet hook, but other items may be slightly different as seen in the following pictures. The memory sticks have the following free PDF written patterns on them: 1. Special Pug Dog and puppy dog PDF written pattern, 2. Vintage Wine Dress PDF written pattern, 3. Fiesta Ripple Dress PDF written pattern, and 4. Life is a Hoot PDF written pattern. The packages were distributed randomly. I am not sure which package is going to who, but they are already sealed and ready to go. I will contact the recipients in December for shipping addresses:
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Message sent to Debbie A. via Facebook on 31Dec19 regarding small package above. Debbie A. responded and her package has been mailed.
Email sent to Melissa L. on 31Dec19 regarding small package above. No response received. If no response in 7 days, the package will become null/void.
Other small surprise packages:
Brenda B., Tammy Y., Tina H., and Carol Z. are randomly going to each receive one of the following prizes (In the picture below), due to their monetary donations, if they want to receive it. The memory stick has free PDF written patterns on them: 1. Fiesta ripple dress, 2. Life is a Hoot. One of the memory sticks has 1. Fiesta ripple dress 2. Life is a Hoot. 3. Special Pug and Puppy dog written pattern, and 4. Vintage Wine Dress. Wrapped in the bubble wrap is either a safety doll eye pair or a safety dog nose. In the bag are buttons and charms. I will contact the recipients in December for shipping addresses:
Tina H. message sent via Facebook on 31Dec19 regarding small prize package above. Response received and package mailed.
Tammy Y. message sent via Facebook on 31Dec19 regarding small prize package above. Response received and package mailed.
Carol Z. message sent via Facebook on 31Dec19 regarding small prize package above. Response received and package mailed.
Brenda B. message sent via Facebook on 31Dec19 regarding small prize package above. Response received and package mailed.
Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member Benefits Cont:
3. Members are eligible for 2 free paid patterns for the year 2019.
4. I will now only take special crochet requests for monetary donations of $20.
5. Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Members can request charities that they would like to help with crochet, and I “may” help try to crochet for the same charity and help advertise. Again, I make no promises, but I will try my best.
6. I will continue to place the donor names on the “Gold Brick Helenmay Donor Wall.”
7. Donors can request a PDF written pattern for YouTube video tutorials that don’t have one. I will write the PDF pattern on a first-come-first-served basis. If I get more than one request, I will create a waiting list. A monetary donation of $10 can supersede crochet requests.
The Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Wall will be cleared on 1Jan20 and will start new for the year 2020.
Any new changes made for Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Members will be updated here. Last updated 07Aug19.
Thank you for all of your support!!! Happy Crocheting!!!
You can request to be removed as a Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member at any time. You must be at least 18 years of age to participate. If you are not at least 18 years of age, I must have a letter/email from a parent or guardian giving you permission to become a Helenmay Crochet Special Donor Member. Void where prohibited.
I will list the crochet requests that I am working on, and what order, on my blog post:
There are affiliate links below. If you are unsure of what affiliate links are, please go to “Disclosures/Disclaimers” and “Privacy Policy” at the top of my HOME page. Affiliate links basically allow me to receive a very small commission, butonly if you make purchases. Just because you go to the link doesn’t mean that I will receive a commission.
So quick and easy, and a lot of fun to make!! These little crochet dresses fit perfectly over baby shower bottles! They make great baby shower favors! I have the free crochet written pattern to go with the YouTube video tutorial below.
If you want to attach your crochet baby shower favors to your favorite crochet baby blanket, these work great! These are similar to the ones that I used on my crochet baby blankets
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If you want to make the crochet baby carriage Favor, I have the free Ravelry PDF download and the step-by-step YouTube video tutorial:
If you want to make the crochet baby diaper Favor, I have the free Ravelry PDF Download and the step by step YouTube video tutorial:
One way to get your guests to mingle and have fun is with a photo booth. Some party places will allow you to rent an inexpensive photo area. I rented one, and was amazed at how fun it was! We loved the picture memories from it as well! Whether you rent a photo area or make your own photo area, you may like these:
Ch3 (Counts as your first dc), make a total of 30dc into the ring.
Slst into the top st of the first ch3 that you made.
Ch2, 1hdc into the same st, ch1, 2hdc into the same st (beginning shell)
*FPDC around the next st, ch1, 2hdc into the next st, ch1, 2hdc into the same st (shell). Repeat from* for one round.
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This is where some people have difficulties. Try not to skip stitches. You should end up with 14 shells total. In the video tutorial, I show how to make the dresses with different numbers of shells, but I would recommend finishing with 14 shells total for your first little crochet dress. This will give you 3 shells in the front, 3 shells in the back, and 4 shells for each armhole: 3 +3 +4 +4= 14 total.
You may have to spread the stitches apart with your fingers in order to see them clearly.
I skipped the last st, and then made a slst into the top st of the first ch2 that you made.
Slst into the first ch1 space, ch2, make 1hdc into the same space, ch1, make 2hdc into the same space (beginning shell)
FPDC around the previous rounds FPDC.
Make 2hdc, ch1, 2hdc (shell) into the next ch1 space.
FPDC around the previous rounds FPDC.
The first armhole, skip 4 shells and make an FPDC around the next FPDC from the previous round.
*Make 2hdc, ch1, 2hdc (shell) into the next ch1 space, FPDC around the previous rounds FPDC. Repeat from * 3 times.
The second armhole, skip 4 shells and make an FPDC around the next FPDC from the previous round.
Make 2hdc, ch1, 2hdc (shell) into the next ch1 space, FPDC around the previous rounds FPDC.
Slst into the top st of the first ch2 that you made.
ch2, make 1hdc into the same space, ch1, make 2hdc into the same space (beginning shell), FPDC around the previous rounds FPDC.
*Make 2hdc, ch1, 2hdc (shell) into the next ch1 space. FPDC around the previous rounds FPDC. Repeat from * for one round.
Slst into the top st of the first ch2 that you made.
ch2, make 1hdc into the same space, ch1, make 2hdc into the same space (beginning shell), FPDC around the previous rounds FPDC.
*Make 2hdc, ch1, 2hdc (shell) into the next ch1 space. FPDC around the previous rounds FPDC. Repeat from * for one round. FO.
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If you want to place a ribbon, turn your crochet dress inside out, if you haven’t already, so that the ridges are facing towards you. Place your ribbon, as shown in the pictures above.
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I used sewing needle and thread to sew on my accessories. Optional, you can sew your magnet in place on the back of the dress.
Crochet Quick and Easy Baby Shower Dress Favor Step-by-Step YouTube video tutorial:
I actually crocheted these adorable baby shower gift bags for all of the guests to the first baby shower that I ever hosted:
These quick and easy beginner crochet octopuses are adorable!!! Put baby socks on their tentacles for even more fun!
My favorite baby shower games: guessing the new mommy’s belly size, guessing the number of m&m’s in a jar, guessing the price of different baby items.
I would recommend having a diaper raffle for your baby shower. A family member let me know about this for my first baby shower that I hosted, and it was a huge hit! Diapers are expensive, and you will go through a lot of them! It is a fun way to get a lot of diapers for the new baby. On your invitations, let people know that they will receive a raffle ticket, in exchange for diapers, for a chance to win a gift basket. raffle tickets
It is also fun to have a Guest Sign- in book, I love this one because it also includes areas for them to write advice to the new mom. It also has a bonus area for writing down the baby shower gifts and allows organization of guests name and gifts. Here is another Guest sign-in book to choose from.
This is a funny story about my first baby shower that I hosted. I decided that I didn’t want to buy the bingo game, and that I would just make my own Bingo game. HUGE mistake! I didn’t want anyone to win too quickly, and I ended up making the game too hard! I was calling out items and more time was passing without a BINGO! Luckily, I was saved by someone who called out BINGO, but it definitely took forever, and was way too long…lol… I would recommend purchasing a Baby Shower Bingo game. If anybody else has funny stories, or fun baby shower games, please leave a reply and share with us.
If you crochet a lot, you will definitely start to organize your yarn into categories from least expensive to most expensive. There are certain crochet projects that will require an inexpensive yarn, for example, a crochet water bottle holder. You aren’t going to use your expensive alpaca yarn to make it. Usually, you will be saving the expensive alpaca yarn for something special, for example, a crochet baby sweater gift.
It is a very good idea to organize your different yarns. I will try to tell you to keep your yarn stash to a minimum, but I know how difficult it actually is to do that.
When you have a crochet project in mind, you will have to decide what yarn to choose for your crochet project.
The majority of inexpensive yarns are 100% acrylic, or are mixed with acrylic. When I first started crocheting, I made decorative crochet hot pads using acrylic yarn. Someone pointed out to me that acrylic yarn is made from petroleum products and could melt when hot items are placed on it. I still have my crochet rooster hot pad that I made from acrylic yarn, and I have placed hot items on it. The crochet rooster hot pad has a sheen on the surface where the yarn melted slightly. I have since switched to 100% cotton for my crochet hot pads. You will notice a difference in texture between different 100% cotton yarns. My favorite 100% cotton yarn is “I Love This Cotton” yarn by Hobby Lobby because it is extremely soft and has a wide variety of different colors.
On your yarn label, you may see the terms shown in the picture above: Lace, sock, sport, light worsted, worsted, chunky, or bulky.
These different yarn styles work better with certain crochet projects and crochet hooks. On your yarn label, you will see a crochet hook size. This is a recommended crochet hook size. I will often use different crochet hook sizes from the recommended, depending on the crochet project I am working on. I point this out because some people seem to think that you can only use the recommended crochet hook size with a particular yarn. For me personally, I rarely look at the recommended crochet hook size for a yarn style, but for some, it may be helpful to know that it is there to help you.
Yarns come in different weights, or thicknesses. The thickness of your yarn (among other factors) has a huge impact on the look of your crochet work and the amount of time it takes to complete your crochet project. Yarn weight determines how many stitches it takes to crochet 1 inch.
Ply, (plural plies) plied, or folded, yarns are composed of two or more single yarns twisted together.
The thickness of a given yarn is determined by the individual thickness of the plies, not by the number of plies. If the plies are thin, a 4-ply yarn can be finer than a heavy, single-ply yarn.
What is WPI? If you use an inch gauge, or yarn gauge, (above) to check the number of times you can wrap the yarn in an inch. That is the Wraps Per Inch (WPI).
What does worsted mean in relation to yarn? Wise Geek said it best.
“Worsted weight yarn is a medium width, smooth yarn that is used for a wide range of crochet projects, especially sweaters, hats, and throws. This yarn is very popular with beginning crocheters since it is easy to work with, and crafters can follow their stitches and patterns very easily when using it. It also yields smooth, warm end products with a hefty feel to them. Most Yarn stores stock a range of these yarns, and people can also order a specifically desired yarn from a yarn company or spin their own.”
“The “weight” of yarn reflects how fine it is.”
“Worsted weight yarn falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, with a gauge of 16-20 stitches for every 4 inches (10 cm), depending on the size of the crochet hook used. ”
“The yarn is named after the village of Worstead in Norfolk, England. As far back as the 12th century, this town was producing smooth, even yarn. ”
If you know of any interesting facts about yarn that I may have left out, please leave a reply! Happy Crocheting!
There are affiliate links below. If you don’t know what affiliate links see my “Disclosures/Disclaimers” and “Privacy Policy” at the top of my HOME page.
The crochet PDF written pattern is no longer free on my blog. The step-by-step YouTube video tutorial is still free.
Helenmay Crochet You Tube Channel 