How to make a button stem for your yarny pumpkin...

After making several of these sweet little things:

...it struck me that a bunch of these would make a super cute centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner and fun little take-home gifts for anyone who might want one.   So, of course, I had to share my moment of inspiration here in my weekly Year of Projects post.  And since so many liked my button pumpkin stems on Wednesday, I thought I'd show step-by-step how to do it.

Using this pattern, a miniature pumpkin takes me just under an hour to make.  And the button stem took just a few minutes once I pulled all the materials together (wire, wire cutters, needle nose pliers, and a bunch of old buttons that I had previously cleaned and sorted by color). 

Select enough buttons to make a stem as long as you want it.  You'll want graduated sizes, and I like to use a variety of complimentary colors and materials (I used wood, plastic and even metal buttons).  Once you've picked out your buttons, stack them from largest to smallest.

As you stack them, they'll flop over on top of your pumpkin, but having them in order is important before you begin stringing them onto the wire.

Cut your wire about twice as long as you think you'll need:

I used 20 gauge wire.   You might be able to use thicker wire, but I don't think thinner wire will work.  You need a wire that is thin enough to thread onto the buttons, but thick (and strong) enough to allow you to push it through the pumpkin. I found 20 gauge wire flexible, but with just enough body for this purpose.   And 20 gauge is what I had on hand.  I almost always try what I have on hand before buying something else.

"Fold" the wire in half (make this a soft fold, or a curve - as opposed to a sharp fold). Trim one side of the wire shorter (it took me several fiddly attempts before this little idea occurred to me.  Do it. It will make it easier to thread buttons onto the wire):

Starting with the smallest button, thread it onto the longest wire end first, then pull the button down, slipping it onto the shorter end of the wire (through the opposite button hole), all the way to the "fold" of the wire.  Pull the wire tight:

Don't try to thread more than one button at a time.  If you thread more than one at a time,  you won't be able to see the button holes and you'll likely thread the buttons on crooked.  You always want to thread the buttons onto the wire through opposite button holes (this is important to pay attention to if your buttons have 4 holes).  Your stack of buttons should look like this:

To make pushing the wire through the pumpkin easier, cut both ends of the wire on the diagonal, making a point:

Decide which side of the pumpkin you want to be the top and push both ends of the wire into the center of the top all the way through the bottom. 

The wire ends will not likely come through the same place on the bottom.  Not to worry.  While you want them to be close to the center (and close together), it's fine (maybe better) if they don't both come through the center hole.

From the bottom, pull tight and twist the wires together by hand (this doesn't have to be perfect - just tighten and twist the wires together as best as you can by hand, making sure the buttons are snugged together on the other side of the pumpkin).  You'll want an inch or so of twist.  Trim the excess wire off.

Now, with a needle-nose plier twist the hand-twisted wire into a small circle and push the sharp edges of the wire up into the pumpkin:

And that's it!   Do this over and over again, with a variety of yarns and buttons, and soon you'll have a heap of pumpkins!

Just a few more and I'll be ready for Thanksgiving! 

To see what other Yoppers are up to this week, visit our thread on Ravelry.  

Great Balls of Squishy Hyperbolic Goodness!

This week I'm hosting a Crochet-A-Long on a Ravelry group:  2015 Kitchen & Bath Cal.   I've invited the group to join me in making some Sea Anemone Bath Puffs.    You will need a free Ravelry membership to access the links above, but I've also explained below how to make (my version of) these:

Nevermind that Sea Anemones don't look like this, but since the name they've been given has me thinking of places like the Great Barrier Reef (not that I've been there, but...), they do sort of make me think of coral.   So...let's just think of these as Brain Coral's yarn cousins and have fun crocheting some wonderful hyperbolic "balls" of squishy goodness.

I know...they kind of look complicated, don't they?    They're not.  They are super-de-duper simple.   Yes, I just said super-de-duper, and you will too - after you've made one.  And, if super-de-duper simple isn't enough to make you run and get your crochet hook and yarn, let me add... I'm pretty sure they're impossible to mess up.

Have I convinced you to make one, yet?

Why do you not have yarn and hook in your hands, already?!?

I'll start with some general instructions and pictures of the first two I made.  Then I'll spell out the specific instructions of my modified puff (modified in ruffliness, size, and how I made the hanging loop).   

The short, simple, general instructions are in this link, or below using more words (because I always use more words.  And yes I know that's something to work on.  And I am.)  The short, general instructions will make a bath puff with no hanging loop.  You'll probably decide you want to make a puff with a loop and use the more detailed instructions further down - below the next two pictures - that explain how to start this puff with the hanging loop.  But I suggest reading everything here.  And not just because I wrote it. Read it because it will give you a clearer picture as you're starting out just how these ruffly puffs form - and will give you confidence that you really can't mess these up.

To start, simply chain 4 (or 3 or 5 - it really doesn't matter) and join the ends of the chain together to form a loop.  Then, crochet 2 single crochets in each stitch.  Or you can crochet about 8 single crochet stitches right into the loop - it doesn't matter..  Once you have a foundation of about 8 single crochet stitches begin crocheting 2 single crochets in each stitch - going around and around - you don't even have to pay attention to what round you're on.  You just stop crocheting when it's the size you want. 

And this is what you get (or something like it):

As you crochet, you may decide you prefer your puff to be looser (for the ruffles to not be so dense or compacted). Changing this up is easy - instead of crocheting 2 single crochets in every stitch, just crochet 1 single crochet in some stitches - or even for a whole round.  Or alternate crocheting 2 single crochets in a stitch, and then 1 single crochet in the next stitch - back and forth.  Or any number of single crochets in any given stitch.   The more single crochets you have in each stitch (and, consequently, in a round), the tighter and curlier will be the ruffles.  You decide just how tight and curly you want this to be.   You can religiously crochet 2 single crochets in every stitch in one row, and then be completely random about it in the next row.   It really doesn't matter - as long as you like what you're producing.  It really is that simple.

Here’s a picture of the second one I made with looser ruffles (and it’s also a tad smaller):

Okay, now for the detailed instructions for how to make a puff by starting with the hanging chain:

Start by chaining about 25 (you can chain more or less, depending on how long or short you want that hanging loop to be).

Then starting with the second chain make a row of slip stitches back down that chain. This makes nice “cord”:

Slip stitch the two ends together to make a large loop:

From here crochet 3 chains:

And join them with a slip stitch to the bottom of the hanging loop:

Now crochet 3 more chains and join them on the other side of the hanging loop (basically you’re making something of circle at the bottom of the hanging loop (the shape and look of this base is not terribly important):

From here, simply begin crocheting 2 (or even 3) single crochets in every stitch (or make 9 or so single crochet stitches into the two small loops (this part may feel a little “fiddly”, but the good news is, this doesn’t need to be perfect - you just need to establish a base of about 9 single crochet stitches, though the exact number doesn’t matter):

And then keep going around and around, crocheting 2 single crochets into every stitch. By round 4 or so, you’ll begin to notice the circle of yarn begin to ruffle:

Again, after experimenting, I’ve concluded I actually prefer my finished puff to not be as dense as the original pattern creates. I like it a little looser - especially for a bath puff. To achieve looser ruffles, you simply switch back to making 1 single crochet stitch in the stitch below (instead of 2 single crochets).

You can crochet single crochets in stitches randomly, or for a whole round, and then begin crocheting 2 single crochets in every stitch again. I found that sometimes I even forgot if I was supposed to be crocheting 2 single crochets or 1 single crochet in every stitch. And guess what? It doesn’t matter!!!

This is all so completely flexible - again, the density of your puff and its ruffliness is dependent on how many single crochet stitches you make in each stitch as you crochet along. You can change this up throughout the whole thing. If the ruffles feel too loose, double up on those single crochet stitches. If it starts feeling too dense, single crochet for a while.  Really... it’s pretty hard to mess this thing up.

I like to finish my puff by crocheting a single crochet stitch in every stitch for the last round. Or slip stitching all the way around looks nice, too.  This isn’t necessary, but I think it might make it just a bit smoother. And it’s fun to add a different color on that last round.

When adding new colors, just add them at any point. You do not need to keep track of the beginning of a round because it won’t show when the puff is finished, and when you’ve gotten your puff to the size you want, you can just stop by making a slip stitch into the next stitch in the row below and you’re done!

This is a great project for using up scraps of cotton yarn. I would guess that it takes approximately a full 3 oz. skein of something like Lily’s Sugar ‘n Cream, but since I like mixing colors up and using a combination of yarns, I never used a full skein of anything.   If you don’t want many ends to weave in, choose a variegated for an effortless change of color.

The variations possible on this puff are pretty endless.  And if you try it, you'll probably find you can't make just one.  Fortunately, you don't have to!

Linked to Small Things Yarn Along

and

Frontier Dreams Crafting On