Coffee Mug Cozy Crochet Pattern

I've had a lot of people admire my mug cozies lately and wanted to share with you all the pattern. It's adapted from several similar patterns. I always get out a mug and test the length as I go, but these are approximate lengths that seem to be pretty standard for me.

Abbreviations
ch - Chain Stitch
dc - Double Crochet
sc - Single Crochet
hdc - Half Double Crochet
sk - Skip
ss - Slip Stich
st - Stitch

Begin: Ch 8.  
Row 1: 1sc 1dc in second ch from hook, *sk next ch, 1sc 1dc in next ch, rep from * to end of row, ch1 turn.  
Row 2: *Sk next st, 1sc 1dc in next st, rep from * to end of row sk-ing every other st, ch 1 turn. Rep Row 2 until work measures approximately 7-8″ long.
Next row: Sk 1st st, ss in the next 2 sts, 1 hdc in each of the next 4 sts, turn ch1. These four st will make the "neck" of the cozy where the button hole is.  
Next row: 1 hdc in each st, ch1 turn. Rep last row until button hole strip measures approximately 2″. Wrap around a mug to check length.  
Next row: 1 hdc in 1st st, ch 2 and sk next 2 sts, 1 hdc in last st. Work sc border evenly around, working 3 sc in corners and 3-4 sc into ch2 button hole space. Join with a ss in 1st sc. Fasten off and weave in ends. Sew on button.

If you don't know how to crochet, there are lots of helpful videos on youtube! If you don't want to learn or just need some instant gratification, I sell these in my etsy shop.

Sharing this week at: 

- See more at: http://itssoverycheri.com/2014/12/14/party-time-12-14-2014/#sthash.BD0Xg9fu.dpuf

Well, hello again!

So it's been a while, hasn't it?! My last posts were at a rough time in my life career-wise and then I sort of abandoned the blog altogether. I certainly haven't stopped creating, though! Here are some of the things I've done as of late:

I learned to crochet..eek!

 

I built a headboard...screw spending $100+ for something you can make for around $20!



And... I opened an Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/kmariecrafts87



What have you been up to lately?

Turning An Old Box TV Into A TV Stand

This is a project that has been years in the making and it actually started long before this blog was even thought of and just recently was finished--as in last week. So there are no step-by-step photos (sorry!) but I will lay it all out there and hopefully do an ok job explaining it. I definitely learned a few things along the way and want to pass them along to you!

You might notice that the before photo isn't the same as the after. That's because I had no before photo and had to take a photo of one a littler different, but you get the idea.

Step 1: Getting that old TV out of there. Most of these old box tv's have some chipboard or something covering the back. If you pop that off, it's easy to get the TV on out. Pull out any unnecessary items or bracing inside until you have an empty box.

Step 2: Adding a shelf. For mine, my momma actually built the shelf for me. Just measure your width and depth on the inside and take a piece of ply wood and make a shelf. I attached another piece to the front to make it appear larger, but you don't have to do that.

Step 3: Paint! Add some paint, or you could leave it. For me, the wood didn't match my living room so away it went.

Step 4: Adding a back. For the longest time, mine didn't have a back. I got the bright idea that I wanted a rustic look, so I thought I'd disassemble a pallet--those pallet projects always look so cool. Feel free to skip the italicized text coming next, it's a bit of a rant...{Side note, disassembling a pallet is awful, awful, awful. It's difficult, time consuming, and all of those people making all of these pallet projects neglect to tell you how difficult it is. I took ten boards off and it took well over an hour to do so. Some cracked, snapped in two or just wouldn't come off. I disassembled an old and a new pallet (for a varied look), neither is better than the other. Be prepared to use a lot of muscle and time. Phew, ok now that that's all out of my system, I disassembled a pallet.} Once I had the pieces pulled apart, I cut them the length I needed using a circular saw (my dad is a cabinet builder, yay for unlimited tools!). Before attaching, you want to drill a couple circular holes in a few boards for your power cords. To attach, I simply used some small nails and wood glue.

I hope this is helpful! And sorry for the mini rant about pallets. Seriously, though, have any of you tried some pallet projects before?

ALIVE | {Try Something New}

One of my ALIVE items is to try something new at least once a month. This month I've already got two under my belt. For this post, I'm just going to focus on one.

The Contemporary Arts Center here in Cincinnati offers classes for $8 called One Night One Craft. The $8 includes all materials needed for the craft and the instruction. Each week it's a new craft. Last night, it was mono-printing on silk screens. Some pros from DIY Printing came and taught us everything we needed to know from prepping the silk screen, to designing, drying, and actually printing. It was really cool. Here are a couple pictures:

My Mono-print! 

I'm reallllly focused here... ha! 

What's something new you've tried recently?