Studio Create! Opening soon!

I am SO excited to announce that after almost a years worth of planning, we are launching Studio Create! We found a location, secured the initial funding, signed a lease, and have started remodeling. It's been insanely exciting and a true dream come true! 

This is the transition of my multiple Etsy shops (Horizontal Designs, Shabby Peacock Shack, OrganiGeek Soaps & Gifts, & The Purple Fairy Shoppe) into a real life boutique, craft supply store, studio to host classes, and donation spot for the non-profit I run called The Yarnheads Project. 
 
As a legally disabled single mom who works from home (in my garage studio), transitioning back out into the workforce outside the home can be a challenge! Owning a business allows for freedom to work around my individual limitations - such as making my store VERY wheelchair accessible, and making my own hours. If I'm too sick to go in, my partner/fiance can take over. I plan to use this as a means to come off disability in the future, God willing, and do some good in the community at the same time.

So - What's Studio Create all about?

Bouncing Bobbles! Baby Blanket and Hat

I recently made a blanket and hat for my good friend and her new baby boy. 

I love the way it turned out! The blanket is a basic Corner to Corner (or C2C), with a bobble edging. Find links to tutorials for these on my Pinterest Resources board:  https://www.pinterest.com/eklayre/beginner-and-crochet-resources/

Here's the blanket and edging:

I made a coordinating hat using a basic beanie style (free handed) in a mimicked pattern as the blanket, same bobble edge: 

It's going in the mail this week! Can't wait! Happy hooking!

-Claire 

This week! The Yoda Hood Pattern Launch!

Soooooooo excited to share this pattern with you! My house is Star Wars crazy, and with the new movie coming, I wanted to design something to honor the ultimate Master Jedi....

In a few days I'll have More pics of the kids size up, and the pattern will launch this week on Ravelry and my Etsy shop. Adult/kid/toddler sizes and works up quickly (took me 4 episodes of the Walking Dead). 

Stay tuned! May the hooks be with you!

-Claire 

 

Free Crochet Pattern! Skinny Sashay Scarf - No Ruffles!

I have a confession to make: I *highly dislike* ruffled sashay scarves! I prefer a feather boa anyday. I don't like making them, or the way they look, but I *LOVE* the yarn! It's metallic and sparkly and soft, and comes in fabulous colors. 

I found a bunch in my stash the other day and decided to solve this problem. This pattern is fast, simple, and there are no ruffles involved :) Hope you enjoy! 

The Skinny Sashay Scarf: 

Material/Notes:

- 2 1/4 skeins of Red Heart sashay yarn, in "boogie" or other color

- Q  / 15mm hook

- large tapestry needle

- stitches: dc = double crochet, ch = chain

- American crochet terms
- I used the "invisible join" method and it worked just fine with Sashay yarn to add a new skein! 

1. Ch 92, dc in 3rd, dc across, be sure to dc in top loop only, join new skein when needed in that row. In last stitch dc 3 times around (see pic below) (92)

2. Move beginning ch "knot" and continue to dc, do not turn, and continue using only the top loop left over from your starting chain (92). Tie off and sew in ends.

3. Cut 10 even lengths of yarn, knot to form fray. I did mine around 10" each, 5 on each side. Customize however you want!

Left: dc around beginning ch

Right: the end of your scarf after dc-ing around

Done! Easy! Fast! Happy Hookin!

-Claire 

***this and all patterns on this site are copyrighted to Horizontal Designs, The Gimpy Hooker and not to be reproduced or copied without permission. PS - You may legally sell finished products from ANY pattern! 

The Dude Hat - A free crochet pattern!

It's finally here! The Dude Hat crochet pattern! 

Coordinates with The Dude Scarf free pattern, and is very easy, fast, customizable, and a great last minute gift for the dude (or dudette!) in your life. The stitch combination creates a wavy slouchy kind of look, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I hope you are too!

Materials: 
- 1/2 skein of worsted weight yarn (Color A), I used Woolite Cincinnati Green
- 1/3 skein worsted weight accent color (Color B) a Navy Blue of unknown origin :)
-  5.5 mm hook
- Yarn needle for sewing in ends

Notes/Abbreviations:
- DO NOT TURN, join at the end of each round with a slip stitch
- To begin each round, ch 1, then do your first stitch in the same (this creates a more seamless look), I will NOT write Ch 1 at the beginning of each round, please assume it and do it :)
- Pattern is in USA terms
-Finished measurement is 22-24" depending on yarn and tension (mine was 23", I tend to have medium tension)
- You can carry your yarn color changes, or cut and weave. I carried mine, just remember this is a slouchy-ish hat so leave some give on your carry "tails". I used the "invisible join" method.
- Abbreviations: sc = single crochet, hdc = half double crochet, dc = double crochet, tc = triple crochet, st = stitch, sk = skip, * indicates repeat

PATTERN

1. Color B: Create a Magic Ring, dc 6 times into the ring (6)
2. 2 Hdc around (12)
3. Color A: 2 tc in each around (24)
4. *Hdc 2, hdc next 3* around (30)
5. *hdc next 2, 2 hdc* around (40)
6. Color B: *2 tc, tc next 3* around (50)
7. Color A: *hdc next 5, 2 hdc* around - hdc remaining stitches in round (58)
8. *2 tc, tc next 2* around (87)
9. Hdc around (87)
10. Color B: tc around (87)
11. Color A: hdc around (87)
12. Tc around (87)
13. Hdc around (87)r
14. Color B: hdc, sk 1 (to decrease), *hdc next 10, sk 1* around (78)
15. Dc around (78)
16. Color A: dc around (78)
17. Color B: *hdc 15, sk 1 (to decrease)* around, hdc remaining stitches (72)
18. Color A: sc around to finish/create border. You could keep going at this point to make the hat slouchier, or do whatever finishing border you like!

That's it! Please let me know if you find my stitch counts are off at all, I made two of these to double check, but would love the feed back!

THANKS DUDES! Happy hooking!
-Claire

 ~Patterns/Picture Copyright~ 
Feel free to use free crochet patterns for whatever purpose you like, but please link back to us. Please do not copy and post any patterns and claim as your own, but you may use links that direct to this blog post. You may share photos that include the Horizontal Designs text only, and use of photos or altering of photos without express permission is prohibited and copyright protected.  

Free Men's Hat Crochet Pattern on Friday! (and more)

I'm back! Took a little hiatus, had some medical and personal stuff to take care of, will be blogging regularly again now.

Friday - The Dude Hat free crochet pattern launches! So excited to finally get this to you - just in time for last minute gifts for your dudes! Coordinates with the Dude Scarf! It's slouchy and soft and has a fun customizable pattern, sized to fit a man's head. 

What else have I been up to? Learning to make organic soap, and boy am I in trouble! It's incredible addictive - and so much fun! I'll be sharing a few recipes I came up with to give away as Holiday gifts.

More patterns are coming (see pics below of a few, I have 32 in the cue!). Some are free and some paid, but I can't wait!!!

Hope everyone is staying ahead of their yarn Christmas gift to-do list - I sure am not! 

Have a great day hookers and crafters :) 

-Claire

Only 4 Days Left! Crochet Lounge Giveaway!

Have you entered this MASSIVE giveaway yet? If not - DO IT!!!!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win your choice of paid patterns from us, and a ton of other amazing prizes! 

PS - have been in the process of moving into my new home and setting up my new studio - will be back blogging and publishing the 32 (FREE and paid) patterns waiting to be formatted/finalized in the next few weeks! 

Happy hooking!

Claire

Crochet Therapy

I have been home from the hospital after surgery to have another port placed (a plastic disc in my chest with tubing that runs into my heart) so I can get IV fluids and meds and blood work done without having to deal with yucky veins. After 3 1/2 years of intensive damage to my veins, they are just plain shot, and no one can access them anymore. So I agreed to try to port again, and pray for no clots or nerve damage like the last time.

My Etsy shops have been closed (except for ready to ship easy stuff), and I have been in bed recovering. I'm not good at being in bed doing nothing. So I've been hookin! It really is like therapy, so here are a few pics of things I've made, I hope you enjoy.

First up is a free form cotton sunhat for my daughter. I made a flat spiral on top, some shells on the side, a space for some elastic and then ruffles. She loved this yarn and picked it out of my stash.

 

Of course a big pink bow was in order!

I've also been working on my hexagon design, I have no clue what I'm going to make with them! I spent a gift card on bright cotton yarn, and really like the way they are turning out. Any idea what to make them into? I love that they are 3D and have a raised puffy enter and flower petals!

And lastly, I have been finishing this romper pattern, as the lacy flapper style baby rompers are very popular, and quite frankly adorable! I got stuck after the second round of ruffles, I can't decide how many more to add. Or just to add a ruffle butt. Who doesn't love a cute ruffle butt?

And now I just need an extra cute baby to model!
Have a great day!!!
--Claire

Ravelry Crochet Pattern Sale!

All crochet pattern are 50% off through Mother's Day as a big thank you to all you amazing Mommy's out there!

Code: MDHDS2014
Ravelry Link: http://www.ravelry.com/stores/horizontal-designs

Enjoy!!!!

The Gabriella Blanket is now a FREE crochet pattern!

In light of all the new patterns I have coming out - and just because - I'm making The Gabriella Blanket a FREE PATTERN!

Named for my daughter, it's made with soft Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn (but you could use any chunky yarn) and can be customized to basically any size!I love the soft vintage tones and color combo.


Step by step instructions and suggestions for customizing when making your squares...

 And detailed instructions on joining and finishing the edging....

This makes a super soft, very durable blanket that my whole family loves. It has held up over the past year as well, even with toddler wear and tear, no frayed ends after lots of washing!

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! You can download the pattern from Ravelry HERE.

Happy hooking! Please share pictures of squares/blankets and I'll post them on Facebook!
--Claire

It's Done! My First c2c Afghan

Am so excited to have finally finished this corner to corner (aka c2c) afghan - it's definitely the biggest project I've done - and I love the way the colors turned out!I attempted to create a Moroccan jewel tone style - the jury is out on if that worked!

It started with this color palate:

...but ended up frogging the yellow and leaving it out.....

Crochet Pattern Launch Giveaway! The Posey Pixie Hood!

It's that time again! While my amazing testers are helping finalize the crochet pattern, which happens to be one of my favorites to date, it's time for a contest!






This is the Posey Pixie Hood, designed with my daughter in mind, inspired both by fairy tales and vintage charm. It comes in two sizes, and the smaller size will fit toddler - adult, but in case you wanted it bigger, I included a larger size as well. All pictures feature the toddler-adult size.

There are so many ways to customize this! And it includes loads of picture tutorials, a stand alone pattern for the large flower, and a bonus pattern for the coordinating headband.

 It's puffy and soft, and has interesting texture, and is made with under 1 skein of Homespun yarn!  Enter to win a copy below! There is a chance for a bonus prize of any two patterns as well!

GOOD LUCK! Contest runs through next Tuesday at midnight, and you can share and enter every day! Winner announced Wednesday, 3/19/14.
---Claire

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gimpy Hooker with a Twist of Lyme

Cute "Lyme" pic from Neen Crochet

Just a quick update - we may have found what's causing (or at least exacerbating) my gimpy-ness. I'm putting this out there to both hopefully inform anyone who also struggles with a mystery disease, and account for any big lapses in posting.

A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with both Lyme Disease and Bartonella (another tick born disease). This is after having my first POTS episode 11 years ago, and a slew of chronic syndrome diagnosis and no answers. I wrote about my current health situation and the diagnosis journey in detail on my other blog HERE for anyone that wants more detail.

It's going to be an interesting ride from here on out - and to cope, I'll only be selling things that are ready to ship, no more "made to order" crochet, jewelry, or stitch markers. Everything in my shops is ready to go and already made. I'll be focusing on patterns and creating things for fun while I start this long treatment process. I hope to post lots of pretty pictures of new crochet creations, and fun free (and paid) patterns.

Next pattern in the Que!

I urge anyone that has mystery illness stuff going on to get tested! I have been misdiagnosed and left to get progressively worse for over a decade, and I was bitten by my first tick (that we know of) at the age of 12 - so who really knows how long this has been going on?

Cheers and healthy well wishes!
---Claire



 

LAUNCH CONTEST - Yarn, Stitch Marker, Fabric Flowers, Necklace & More!

Starts at midnight tonight! 

To celebrate the launch of The Gimpy Hooker Shop on Etsy, we are have a BIG giveaway!!! Two winners, two prizes! And since Valentine's Days is fast approaching, it is love themed!

(contest closed, winners announced!)
 

ERASABLE Stitch Markers and Sets - Preview!

Erasable backside, "Accio Hook" on the font!

THE OFFICIAL GIMPY HOOKER SHOP LAUNCHES ON ETSY NEXT WEEK!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE - these are so fun to make!

In our new Gimpy Hooker Shop on Etsy, there will be a line of custom themed and beaded stitch markers for both crochet and (gasp!) knitting. The clasps are big enough, so work for both.

Plus - I developed a line of ERASABLE stitch/project markers that are not on the market anywhere. Using household stuff, you can record hook size, row, pattern name, whatever will fit - and then wipe it clean over and over! Guaranteed to work or money back! SO EXCITED! Did I mention I'm excited????  Here are a few samples of what's coming...

Winter Is Coming/Game of Thrones Set

The Men's Crochet Scarf Blues & Holiday Gifts

Overlay sc striping! Made for my Dad. Used Homespun and Caron Simply Soft.

I had tons of fun this Christmas creating scarves for the guys in my life (and a few clients!) and other random crochet stuff for family, friends, and clients.





Everything for the guys ended up blue! Not on purpose, just ended up that way. I "made" (or, rather he played along) my husband model this scarf created for my brother. This is what happened:

 He was a good sport (kind of), and after about 30 pictures I finally got a decent one:

FREE CROCHET PATTERN: Easy and FAST Toddler "Cotton Candy" Slipper Tutorial

These cute tootsies belong to my daughter, sporting her new Cotton Candy Slippers! I accidentally made the first pair too small, so ended up with sizing for toddler girls both 4/5 and 6/7.

Download a PDF to print from Ravelry HERE.

 

Holy Hooking Batman! New Crochet and Jewelry

Vintage glass and Swarovski Peacock inspired earrings

I have been a busy, busy bee. In the midst of ANOTHER surgery (port removal from my chest) and holiday madness I'm finding great comfort in crocheting and making jewelry, and decided some re-branding was in order for my shop, along with a slow going website overhaul.

My hands are also starting to function semi-well again! Yay for working hands! When already in a wheelchair, the thought of losing hand and arm function is pretty scary.

Anyhoooooo..........thought I'd share some pretty pics of new designs! If a pattern was used, I link to it. The others are my own, added to the long list of patterns I'm slowly compiling to publish, many of which will be FREE! I also am learning metal stamping, which makes jewelry creation that much cooler. Adding a favorite movie quote, initials, or verse to something is really fun!

Tutorial by Nastazia, chain Sashay infinity scarf (LOVE).

Small Business Saturday Sale & Giveaway!

Saturday, Nov 30 is Small Business Saturday (SBS)! 

Sales are now live! 25% off on Ravelry and Etsy! Runs through Cyber Monday!

Why does this matter? Because making just one purchase from a local small business, or online artisan, puts money back into your local economy, as well as supporting the thousands of people like myself who create things by hand from home!

Those people include single mom's and dad's, the disabled, hard working people who spend their extra hours outside a normal job creating things, and traditional small business owners who want a larger online presence.  

Why else is it extra cool to buy from artisan?

FREE CROCHET PATTERN: Marvelous Mini Stocking Ornament

I actually made these last year, and I'm really happy I kept the pattern because I'm making them again this year, they are great gifts you can make with scraps and are super fast (ninja crochet!). I even made a German colored one for my MIL!

 

 

 

 

Materials:

- Very little yarn, any weight
- Suggested hook size for yarn
- In the red stocking, I  used Lion Hometown Chunky yarn (with hook size 8), and RH Super Saver in White (hook size 5.5mm)
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends