Blingy Socks

I have been working on a HUGEMUNGUS order of beaded bobby socks. I struck a deal with a neighbor. You see, I hate....no....loathe yard work. Really, I will scrub toilets all day if I don't have to mow the lawn. It just so happens she enjoys yard work and needed something special for baby shower gifts. 2 ladies in her life were expecting little girls, and after showing me a photo of some beaded bobby socks, I knew I could make them for her. She requested 2 dozen socks in return for mowing my lawn until the first freeze. Done deal!

I have been working on these socks for a couple of months now in between Etsy orders. I have fallen in love with the look of these socks, and I wanted to share with you how easy they are to create. These socks are meant for photo props only, under supervision since they are made with beads. Here it is! One of the easiest projects you will ever create!

What you'll need

*Aunt Lydia's crochet thred

*1.5mm crochet hook

*Bobby Socks (these are gerber brand)

*beads of any sort

Aunt Lydia's comes in a varity of colors that you can use to match your socks. It is small enough for the beads to slide onto easily, as well as small enough to fit through the gaps of the knit on the bobby socks.

A small hook is perfect for pulling the thread up through the gaps in the socks

Bobby socks are exactly what you need for this project. They are knit, which means the lines you can see visibly will have little gaps where you can insert your hook.

Colorful beads of any sort that will easily slide onto your thread. You can get creative too! I was given some beads to you, and I picked up a few of my own as well. Big, small, and everything in between. 

Now, lets get started! The first thing you will want to do is string the beads onto the crochet thread. You should add about 20 beads for one sock. I always add a little more.

When you unfold and stretch the sock, you will see the little gaps I have been speaking of. You will want to make sure you are not crocheting around the top hole. You want to reinforce it......

That means you will be inserting your hook in the 3-4 gap down from the hem. 

You are going to attach the thread to the back of the sock, then chain. The number of chains is up to you. The more you have, the longer the bead will lay on the sock. In this instance, In this case, I used 6 and 3 chains.

Next, you are going to pull the first bead towards your chains. I like to measure the loop I will create by pinching the 6th chain with the top of my thumb, and holding the bead about mid thumb to make a loop. You are going to slip stitch into the 6th chain to make the loop that the bead will lay in, then chain 6 more.

Here is the loop

Then, you are going ot stretch the sock enough for you to see the gaps, and you are going to slip stitch into the fourth gap from your previous join. Next, chain 3, and repeat the loop, chain 3, and slip stitch again into the fourth gap. This will create a verigation in the beads. You will repeat this all the way around the hem of the sock, and tie off when you are done. 

Here is the finished prodct. See! It is really freaking simple! All you have to do is chain, slip, and create that loop. 

Here are some examples of some of the other socks I have made. Once you figure out how to make them, you can do all sorts of fun things! I have experiemented with fun fur, as well as crocheting through the beads rather than stringing them onto the thread first.

Fun fur turned out to look like Tinker Bell

These are triangle shaped beads that I crocheted around rather then stringing onto the socks I was able to get this wavey shape by crocheting in every gap rather than skipping 3.

I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial! If you have any questions, please let me know. These make fantastic baby shower gifts! 

Charisma Yarn and Azel Pullover Pattern Review

About a year ago, I was given some Charisma yarn as a gift. It was soft and gorgeous and I had no idea what I was going to do with it. There it sat, waiting for the perfect idea to inspire. There it continued to sit while mermaid tails took over my life. Then, I was asked if I could make something for a silent auction, and suddenly, new life was found within these threads!

The silent auction is for my friend Jamie's dad. He has Multiple Myeloma and has had a very long road, and continues to face challenges ahead. You can read a bit more about Jon and the Mulitple Myeloma here.

I had purchased the Azel Pullover from The Velvet Acorn on Etsy a few months ago after a friend asked if it was something I could make. I decided to put it in my stash of patterns, and I am so glad I did! I had about a week to make something for the auction and I was looking for something both sweet, versitile, and would work up quickly.

Let me just say that between this pattern and that yarn, I had found the perfect match! The Charisma yarn is so soft and warm, and my favorite part....it doesn't split when you are working with it. I have worked with soft yarns that are so fuzzy and nice, but when you insert the hook, it's hard to tell where you inserted it, and the yarn tends to split. Charisma, on the other hand, stays together very well!

I had just enough to make a child's sized 5/6. I was able to work it up in a few hours. The pattern was incerdibly simple to follow, I found some fun buttons to add to it, and suddenly, I had an adorable poncho style pullover that will make some little girl happy and warm this winter. If you have a chance to work with Charisma yarn or to use a pattern from The Velvet Acorn, you really should!!

Yarn Tote GIVEAWAY!

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**

AND THE WINNER IS:
SABRINA RIVERA!

Congrats Sabrina! I will be in touch shortly to get more information from you.

Attention fellow yarn enthusiasts! I have found the most adorable and easy to use bag, and I am giving one away. This tote contains 8 grommet holes to help keep your yarn from tangling. That means it holds 8 skeins of yarn, and all of it stays organized. 

The brand is Everything Mary, and I had so much fun hauling this from Nebraska, to Chicago, to Florida and back again. The great thing about working for yourself, is that you are mobile. I have many tote bags, but find that my yarn gets tangled. This bag has 2 long pockets on each side for you knitters out there. I was easily able to place my hook in these pockets, and catch the hook on the side so it wouldn't slide down. I brought with me 6 skeins of yarn for a project I am working on, as well as a few crochet magazines and some doTERRA paperwork. All of which fit perfectly. If I needed something, it was very easy to find it and put it back. 

I used this tote as one of my carryon's, and began my project in Omaha at 3:00am. That's right....in the morning. I am so not a morning person, so having this organization was really helpful! This bag fit perfectly under the seat in front of me, and it looked adorable sitting next to the couch at my parents house. Without being too bulky, this bag is the perfect way to carry your yarn no matter where you plan to go. 

Now, are you ready to have one for yourself??? 

You have until Aug. 6th to enter.

Here's how:

a Rafflecopter giveaway