creative jewish mom

Quick 1/6 Scale Crocheted Doll Pillows For 16" Maileg Style Animals Or Dolls

It is now officially confirmed, I have fallen down a very deep and all consuming rabbit hole regarding all things DIY dollhouses, and only just realized that it is even funnier that the main characters for my 1/6 (or 1/8 scale) dollhouse are rabbits! Yes, my art practice has taken a back seat (sadly, but will get back to it) as creating things for dollhouses and assembling them is just so very fun, what can I say? I have learned so very very much, which I'm planning to share here for others who might like to navigate the world of dollhouses, whether for themselves or for children or grandchildren. I have so much to say on the topic, so stay tuned! In the mean time, lets get our toes wet with the idea of crocheting items for dollhouses, in this case a 1/6 or 1/8 scale dollhouse that is Maileg style, using animals as dolls, which I just adore! (And friends, you can pick up some very inexpensive rabbit keychains like this one to use as dolls!)

Simple Crocheted Pouch With Colorful Stripes And Drawstrings

Want to make a quick crocheted gift to use up some of your stash, or maybe to give yarn from a previous now unraveled scarf a new life? One of my crafting students quietly asked me if I'd crochet something for him, so I dove into my basket of stash and this pouch, together with two others was created. I made up the pattern as I went along, which one certainly can and should do with a project as simple as a drawstring pouch! That said, I'm writing out the pattern for those who are just giving crochet a try!  And friends, summer is a wonderful time to make things for holiday giving, and having a bunch of crocheted pouches on hand when Chanukah arrives is certainly a wonderful thing! Okay, lets crochet a simple drawstring pouch with stripes.

Passover Crochet: Ten Plagues Characters For The Seder!

Meet the adorable Ten Plagues characters that were crocheted when I should have been cleaning my studio, and now aforementioned studio needs a very quick clean up/box up as Passover is literally on our doorstep and everything must be ready by shabbat, phew! Okay, but honestly, this was a labor of love, that I sent with my daughter who is celebrating the holiday with extended family (waah.) There is an over the top pouch and a few more items that I'll share with you in another six months or so to get a start for next year. So my friends, while there surely isn't time to crochet amigurumi ten plagues characters this year, if you have a long plane or car trip you could fit in a drop of blood or some lice if you can make up a pattern as I did. (Will write up the pattern for next year, not to worry, it was a quick one.) At the least get some white pom poms to make hail, or as my son said, the hail should be orange as it is fiery hail, not regular hail, ah yes!

The main thing is to think about how to make the seder very memorable for the little ones, as their passing down of the tradition is the whole point of the seder. No little ones at the seder this year, like us? Indulge the inner child who may not have had memorable seders like you'd make! I have honestly gone over the top with indulging my inner child with this crochet project, so i think we're good to go! (Not to mention another huge labor of love, the new Maileg style dollhouse I've put together – using a tall vintage metal cabinet – for little ones coming later in the week, stay tuned for that!)

Passover Crochet: Amigurumi Pharoah With Boils!

I almost can't believe it myself, as I don't generally crochet tiny-ish things nor create my own patterns, but here we are! Introducing my crochet for Passover Ten Plagues character, Pharoah with boils, and boy does he look unhappy, those boils are downright uncomfortable! With just a few days to go until Passover I'm rushing to share this and it is unlikely that anyone on the face of the planet will actually make this for this Passover, but if you can crochet and have some travel time or down time, give it a try! Though honestly, I'd make the amigurumi frog and amigurumi drop of blood, both of which are much simpler, well the drop of blood certainly. Then again, maybe you'd prefer an amigurumi locust, another member of the 10 Plagues crocheted characters born this year? I actually managed to crochet a new afikomen cover (a few weeks ago, phew) but that needs a lining and a golden tassel, and my poor studio, while soooooooo much better still needs a good few hours of organizing, so gotta run!

Passover Crochet: A Locust (Head) For The Passover Seder

With Passover coming at the end of this week, the pressure is on to finish up all the preparations, which in our case involve lots of cleaning, organizing and hard work! Of course I'm always dreaming of making new things for the holiday, and this year, while it was not at all practical, I ended up crocheting a really cute set of 10 Plagues amigurumi for a special little boy for the Passover seder. My daughter will be with extended family for the holiday, and is leaving tonight, so I HAD to finish everything last night, and phew, I did it! While I've already shared my tiny crocheted frog, and the crocheted drop of blood, I now present my crocheted locust, or rather a locust head, as crocheting an entire animal just was not in the cards, and this is much cuter! Okay, I doubt anyone is actually going to crochet this now, but I'm happy to add some basic directions, so keep on reading!

Passover Crochet: A Drop Of Blood For The Ten Plagues!

With Passover coming is just a tiny bit more than a week, now may not be the time to get crocheting for the Passover seder, but here at CJM central crafting takes precedence! I'll admit, I never thought I'd find myself delving into Amigurumi, tiny crocheted things, but daughter is spending the holiday with extended family and there is a sweet 4 year old for whom I've decided to prepare a bag of 10 Plagues items for the seder, some of which will be crocheted, in addition to the bag. Time allowing I have plans to crochet a frog, a drop of blood, a louse, and a tiny sleep mask which will go inside a bag that is a bear of sorts. Bag already crocheted, frog partly crocheted, so just a few more items to go! In addition, I'll be adding my 10 Plagues Cards to the bag, and these white pom poms, and then, calling it finished. Ah yes, and of course doing all this while trying to organize my craft room, which never quite gets organized on account of all the crafting, and so it goes, but maybe there is hope?

Want to whip up a crocheted drop of blood? Lets do it!

A Chunky Crocheted Sunflower Granny Square Baby Blanket

I crocheted this sunflower granny square baby blanket about 5 months ago and just now had a moment to share it with you! Truthfully I did not love the results as I was winging it and made the mistake of using a crochet hook that was really too small for the chunky yarn weight. This resulted in the medallions being more tightly packed than the white areas so the blanket has stiff circles and not so stiff borders, which is quite strange, but the recipients didn't really notice and loved it just the same. Lesson learned on my part, namely don't crochet all the medallions and then the border, do an entire sample of a finished square first. And so it goes! A crocheted sunflower granny square is also called a large sunburst or starburst granny square, while a starburst granny square has only 3 rows, instead of 4 in the center medallion. So do check out my starburst granny square pattern as well! Okay, lets take a closer look at this blanket, shall we?

How To Crochet An Afikomen Bag For Your Passover Table?

With Passover coming is just a little over 2 weeks, I have remembered that the felt afikomen bag I made years ago is no longer usable, and for the past few years we've simply used a nice towel of some kind, yikes! So this year I realized that I could crochet a bag to use as an afikomen bag and the place to look for inspiration (since no one else seems to have crocheted an afikomen bag and written about it online) would be patterns for crocheted clutches! I've created a folder on Pinterest called Crocheted Clutches, filled with lots of inspiration, including all the photos here, and yes indeed, there are so many patterns out there that I'm having a hard time deciding on which direction to choose! For some reason the zig-zagging lines appeal to me as they remind me of the pyramids, as does the idea of a triangular flap with a tassel, then again the round flap is nice as well. Hmmm, I'll have to choose one and make it very soon, so stay tuned for the results! In the mean time, think about crocheting yourself a new afikomen bag, or make one to give as a gift? Ah yes, and I've taken a look at standard sizes for afikomen bags, which range on the small side from 7"x9.5" to 8"x11". And of course the opening for the bag could be on the long side or the short side, though on the long side seems more practical, especially if you are using hand matza.

Another Crocheted No-Seam Baby Cardigan With Bobbles!

When you discover a great pattern that you modify a bit to make it yours, and the results are fabulous, you will surely want to make another! And that is what happened with this crocheted no-seam baby cardigan with bobbles when another baby was born in the family.......I just had to whip up another! And truly, if I had more of this cotton blend yarn on hand, I'd make more, as with no seams to worry about, this project is truly a pleasure and the results are jaw dropping! And even for a fairly inexperienced crocheter, I'd say this project is worth giving a try, and if not now when? So add this one to your list of great baby gifts, and if you need something for 19 inch dolls, the same pattern worked up with small guage yarn might just work, or at least for a teddy bear, hmm, gotta try it! Keep on reading for links to my previous sweater and the pattern!

Simple Crocheted Bear Free Pattern To Customize!

Introducing the cutest and minimal no-sew crocheted bear with a free pattern by Big Bebez, that is all about the details. And even more wonderful, the same free bear pattern is also available as patterns to crochet a whole variety of fun animals, wow! I crocheted this bear for a neighbor who requested one when she got engaged (yes, truly!) and while her family were shocked that she had the nerve to ask for such a thing, they knew I'd follow through for her, and I did, delivering it just a week before the wedding. The bear now sits as a fun piece of home decor in her new home, and my own daughter is begging for one as well. The fun thing about this crocheted bear pattern is that you can crochet the clothes into the pattern, even adding straps for suspenders at the end, and use color blocking to suggest sleeves, socks tights etc. So, do give this pattern a try, it is truly a keeper, especially since the sewing is somewhat minimal compared to many other patterns. Ready? Keep on reading......