Tutorial for Bead Crochet Trimming used on candles

 First came the Bats candle with its beady crochet trim..

 then the lace Angel candle for a bit of contrast...plus a close up of the bead trimming. 

 With safety in mind I have lit the candle first before decorating, taken the melted wax out of the little hollow created and added a battery operated tealight.

If you haven't crocheted before there are lots of basic tutorials on YouTube.  All you need to know for my patterns is how to make a chain stitch and a double crochet stitch (single crochet in US).
The pattern for the beaded trimming that I use is my own and it is more of a suggestion than a hard and fast pattern.  I have used 6mm Czech faceted beads for the Bat candle and size 6 seed beads on the Angel candle.  The yarn I use is 4 ply cotton with a 2.5mm crochet hook.  The amount of beads you will use depends on the width of the candle and your hook size.   Here goes:

               Pattern for 1 bead crochet trimming: (Black Yarn)

1.  First add your beads to the yarn you want to use then crochet a chain long enough to go around the candle when stretched.
2. Turn work and make a double crochet (single crochet in US) into the 2nd chain from your hook.

3.  Make 1 chain, then make a chain with a bead on it by pushing the first bead up right to your hook and making a chain around it.  (The bead should settle on the far(wrong) side of your work...if it slides back down towards the other beads you haven't "captured" it in the chain.  If you get stuck there are lots of bead crochet videos on YouTube.)  Then make 1 chain, skip a chain (on your base chains) and slip stitch into next chain.  You should have a loop with a bead in the middle of it.  Continue on making beaded loops across the row until you come to the end of the chain and finish off with a slip stitch.  Place trimming around candle, sew ends together and fix to candle with pins.

I have anchored the trim on to the candle using ordinary dressmakers pins with a bead added.
Close up of sample made with thicker yarn and bigger beads:

Pattern for 3 bead trimming used on Angel candle:

This pattern starts off the same way:

1. 1.Add beads to yarn.  Your will need 3 times more than the 1st bead trimming pattern.   Make a chain the length you need.

2. Turn work and make a double crochet (single crochet in US) into 2nd chain from hook.
3. Make 2 chains, add 3 beads at the same time, make 2 chains, skip 3 chains (on length of chains) and slip stitch into next chain.  Continue making loops with 3 beads in centre of each loop across the length of chain.. This bead trimming can be turned into a lovely necklace or used to decorate clothes etc

                             Close up of 3 bead trim sample

When you are crocheting with beads you will notice that the beads pop out to the far side of the fabric.  So its best to add beads on a wrong side row.  Hope you can follow this tutorial.  It is the 1st one I have written and,once again, if you get stuck there are lots of tutorials on YouTube or leave me a question in the "comments" section and I'll try to help.

Happy Hooking

Geraldine

Towel and Tea Towel Toppers

Here are some  hand towels and tea-towels I added toppers to recently.  I suppose you could say I "altered" them.  Now they can be hung from any knob, bar, or hook you have in your kitchen. The people who have Agas or range cookers love these. Putting a crochet topper on your Tea towel might solve the problem of the wandering Tea Towel....you know when someone takes your freshly washed tea towel and peels an orange into it...

 All the lovelies hanging on a clothes airer.

Top Row

                                                                  Bottom Row

                                  Close up of Crocheted tops

Thats all for today, folks!

Ger x

Pink and White baby blanket

I have created this blog to help me keep track of all my crochet and fabric makes.  I already have a papercrafts blog here but sometimes it can look messy with too much of a mixture of crafts.  

Today I finished a baby blanket, a present for a friend of my husband's who has just become a Grandfather for the first time.

 The yarn used is Tivoli Pearl Dk mainly pale pink with white stripes running diagonally.  The basic pattern is based on Sirdar 3135 but I added the white stripes and the edging was made up as I went along using up the yarn.

Close-up of corner of blanket showing the edging and the corner. 

In future I hope to share some of my own patterns and designs with you.

Happy hooking,

Geraldine