Megan Nicole Boyd 5/26/23 Megan Nicole Boyd 5/26/23

Finding Your Way With Crochet

basic crochet instructions to make anything, your way!
It is such an honor to be back at Lightning In A Bottle teaching crochet in the ArtClave
2023 will be the first year I am not teaching first thing Sunday Morning and there is only so much we can fit into an hour so below you will find some simple instructions to help you along!

Supplies will be provided at the ArtClave, but feel free to bring your own or choose whatever you want to use!

A hook (that matches your yarn size)
Yarn, rope, string, or other fiber
Patience or determination
& maybe… scissors

When it comes to what yarn to use, it all depends on how you want the outcome to feel! I prefer natural fibers for wearable items, acrylic is often cheaper to learn with & other poly blends work well for decorative pieces (but can be very itchy). I also like to work with rope, but it is heavy and takes some strength.
If your chain’s are real tight, rope may be just right!
My favorite places to find yarn is at a Local Yarn Shop (LYS) there you can see what fibers are common in your area and get additional tips on the material you choose to work with. Fibershed (your region may have it’s own) is a wonderful resource to learn more about the impact of fiber arts and our ecosystem as well as connect with sustainable sources.

Winding Yarn!

How you hold your hook will set you up for success! Our dominate hand will hold the hook, doing all the work, sliding and gliding through the stitch’s with ease. All of this is made possible through or tension control. The working end of your yarn will be held in the opposite hand. I like to wrap it around my middle or index finger to help me control the stitches (or the size of your loop!)

Any hook will do, and depending on your yarn or project you may prefer different ones, my fav are these because the tips are pointy and easy to get in a each stitch!

To start crochet you’ll need to know the basic names & abbreviations!
If you are following a pattern, each should have a list of the terms used.

Chain stitch - CH
Single Crochet - SC
Double Crochet - DC
Slip stitch- SL St
Increase - INC
Decrease - DEC

If you can tie your shoes, crochet is for you! The hardest part is always starting. As you begin, the first few loops can feel fiddley. But promise, you’ll get the hang of it!

Most everything I make begins with a slip knot. This is how you will get the first loop attached to your hook. There are tons of ways to wrap your head around this one, but not need to over think it.

If you want to try a fancy version, a Magic Ring is another way to begin that is a little more complicated but leaves less of a hole in your first round.

This one can be the hardest for beginners, but will be the start to almost everything. After a chain row, the project is much easier to work into your stitches

This is where your tension control will be put to the test! Working into your starting Chain is often easier with a smaller hook size (or make the chain with a larger hook, so it’s simpler to see which stitches you’ll be pulling up a loop through! This part can be one of the hardest, but one you get it, you’ll be on a roll come single crochet!

steps for single crochet:

insert hook through top of your stitch, bring a loop through, yarn over again. You should now have 3 loops on your hook. Slight twist with your dominate hand holding your tool, hook the first look, then slide the last two loops of the hook.

Read these instructions Right to Left, Top to Bottom, some of the above steps are also included.
(If you are a graphic or other artist please reach out to me, i want to make these even more easy for a book of crochet things)

Double Crochet Steps:

Yarn over firsr, insert hook through top of your stitch, bring a loop through, yarn over again. You should now have 4 loops on your hook.

Slight twist with your dominate hand to hook the first look, then slide the last two loops of the hook.

Repeat yarn over, glide through last two loops to complete your double crochet stitch

Double crochet is one I use the most often, the stitches are longer so you cover more ground with just one stitch and a few twists of your wrist!

I love crochet diagram charts, those show how a project is made using visual depictions of each stitch and how they connect to form your project!

Once you understand these, you can make anything!

YouTube is a great source for video tutorials, where as on Etsy & Ravelry you’ll find written crochet patterns!

Screen Shot 2023-05-31 at 6.39.02 PM.png

The granny square motif is one of the most common and versatile patterns. Here is a diagram of how to do it!

Start with Ch 4 then make it a ring, connecting the first and last chain with a slip stitch. Then chain 5 for your first DC stitch & corner chain space. 3 DC, CH 2, 3 DC, CH 2, 3 DC, CH 2, 2 DC & slip stitch to you 3ed CH to finish the round.

Repeat this pattern, with 2 chains in each corner, CH 1 between each 3 DC cluster.

Squares can be connected in many ways or create a huge one!

Thanks for leaning with me! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. I have a facebook group for questions too.
Teaching crochet is not my main job, but rather a creative hobby that gets me into a flow state and keeps me sane!

If you are into this instruction thing, please let me know! A few of my patterns are available on Etsy, as well as some one of a kind & custom designs, also listed on my personal Odyssey Designs Shop. It has been a few years since I shared a post on my creative journey, but you can see when I got super into this craft on the Odyssey Designs Blog.

Crochet has helped me through so many things in my life, it is such a delight to help you, in learning it too!

XOXO

Megan Nicole Boyd

Megan Nicole Boyd 8/24/22 Megan Nicole Boyd 8/24/22

Visionary Virgo

How will you be the best version of you?
Virgo season is here to help you ground & weed out what no longer supports your truth. What changes will create better self-care & lead to increased success? Maybe the themes of Virgo are already alive for you, use this time as an opportunity to check in on how you are being of service to yourself.

Virgo season winds down summer with some mutable earth energy. This physical sign, is a time all about planing. Use this season to iron out the kinks in your routines, allowing space for truly supportive habits to take shape.
Notice what ways you are caring for yourself. How can this improve? What may be impacting your ability to accomplish your goals on the daily? Ruled by Mercury, it’s an opportunity to use language & lists to your advantage. Support your creative vision! Make clear actionable steps, analyzing where struggles occur, taking note of what needs to change. Surrendering to a reenergized flow, feel it to heal it this Virgo season!

In addition to Mercury, the messenger, a few other Asteroids or myths are also associated with Virgo energy. Chiron, Ceres, & Vesta are also connected to this earthly sign. Each embodying another side to Virgo, we can learn more about the lessons this season brings by exploring the themes of their stories.

Each sign relates to a section of the sky & and area in our life. Virgo is the 6th sign of the Zodiac, connecting us to the polar spiritual side, Pisces.

With your Birth Time, see where Virgo falls in your chart to learn more about the area of your life this time is bringing attention to!

The house placement of Virgo’s ruling planet Mercury & the other asteroids are important to note too. These are energies wanting to be expressed by you, see what they connect or transit with for a better idea of how to interact & body your unique combination of Virgo energy.