necklace

When I made my bib necklaces (free pattern)  I incorporated fabric yo-yo puffs (Suffolk puffs) into the design, decorating and embellishing them with embroidery.

If you haven't tried crochet but would like to, this is the perfect project to begin with, it only uses two basic crochet stitches.

Chain, ch - Wrap the yarn over the hook and draw the yarn through to form a new loop.

Double Crochet, dc (US single crochet, sc) - Insert the hook into the work, yarn over the hook and draw the yarn through the work only, yarn over hook draw the yarn through both loops on the hook.

Another bead necklace. This time instead of knitting one of the beads, I purled it, in the round, to give a different texture to the bead. Basic knitted bead necklace here 

Bib necklaces are really popular at the moment, but can be expensive so why not make your own.

This is my free pattern and tutorial so you can make one for yourself or to give as a present.

You will need:

FELT, for the base. I cut two bibs out from the pattern and machine stitched them together using a zig-zag stitch.

At last I've finished my 'Bunch of Flowers' Necklace. I am not the world's fastest knitter so I get frustrated at the length of time it takes me to knit something, it's just a means to an end. Sewing on the other hand gives me a quick fix, the results are more instant. I like both crafts I just wish I was a bit more speedy with knitting needles.

like a lot of people I learnt to French knit when I was young. It's a very simple skill to master and the knitting grows really quickly, but I can't think of one single item I made from it. The knitting device used is called a Nancy, as a child I had a wooden cotton reel with four small nails hammered into the top. You can buy  wooden knitting Nancys from craft shops, I have one that looks like a painted figure. I also bought a child's knitting set from Poundland and that contained, amongst other things, a plastic Nancy.