This blog is meant to be a forum for those that love to share crochet tips, tutorials, ideas, etc. My name is Ife, and I've been crocheting for 18 years. Ife means love in the Nigerian tribe of Yoruba, and I love crochet. So, if you love crochet too! Feel free to become tangled up with us!
 |
| This is not my usual blog, but I wanted to share the link to this dragon, Pan Long, created by my mother in law! The pattern can be purchased or he can be made for you. click here for more details on how to buy the pattern or have the dragon made at A Better Bead in Pisgah Forest, NC Here is the description from my mother-in-law, Shelley Bossert, The Teddy Bear Lady! Pan Long is a fully articulated Chinese dragon constructed entirely from seed beads and Swarovski crystals. He is so flexible you can even tie him in a knot if you want. He can be worn as a necklace, a brooch, a bracelet or simply carried about as the ultimate in elegant worry beads. Pan Long, coiling dragon in Chinese, measures 8.5", when complete. His head is made using tubular and flat, even as well as odd count peyote. His scales are herringbone cones and his tail is a collection of seed bead and crystal streamers in a riot of colors. He has no wires if any kind inside his body, just seed beads. How this is achieved, you will have to buy the pattern to discover. The design and pattern for this undulating wonder is my original work as are the instructional text, diagrams and photographs. The pattern is twelve pages of detailed instruction and full color photographs and diagrams of every step of the instructional process. Supplies needed for this project are pictured above. This pattern is not for the faint-hearted. It requires advanced skills in both peyote and herringbone stitches. Pan Long himself, the pattern, text and graphics are all copyrighted material and may not be duplicated all or in part without written permission from me. The inspiration for this pattern was another artist's work, Linda Richmond. I work at A Better Bead and Crafts, the most wonderful bead shop I have ever visited. A customer came in one day wearing a segmented fish she had made from one of Linda's patterns. The shop owner, Alethea, and I were intrigued by the flexibility of the fish but we wondered if a fully 3D version of some creature might be made with as much flexibility as Linda's fish. We decided I should try. A dragon's body seemed to lend itself well to the project. Research told me that a Chinese dragon had a boxy head and a legless body versus the more complicated sculpted body with legs of a European dragon. Not wishing to make a hard job next to impossible, I opted for the Chinese dragon. It took me nearly four months and 20+ prototypes to rework the way the scales needed to be attached to allow completely free, 360 degree motion. When I attached the final scale to Pan Long's body, I felt sure I had been successful. Just to be sure he was up to the wear and tear his seductively limber body invites, we coiled Pan Long around a display on the front counter in the shop and stood back to see what reaction we would get from customers. They couldn't seem to put him down. If you are up to the challenge of making a dragon of your own, I'll bet you won't be able to put yours down either. This listing is for the pattern to make Pan Long only, not for the dragon himself. A full color hard copy is available for purchase at a cost of US $40.00 plus shipping. If you are in love with Pan Long himself, he too is for sale at a cost of US $150.00 plus shipping. If you love the Pan Long but wish he was in different colors, a special order version of him can be made for you for the pre-paid price of US $150.00 plus shipping. If you are not a beader; will never make a Pan Long of your own; cannot afford or do not wish to buy a completed Pan Long from me but still think he is worth your time, please, feel free to Stumble, Pin, Like or otherwise make note of him in social media or private messages to your friends and/or family. Thank you for reading my proud ramblings, Shelley, the NCTeddyBearLady P.S. A word of caution about the use of this pattern. You have my permission to make all the pouches with teddy bear toppers you wish from this pattern for yourself or to give away. You do not, however, have permission to make commercial use of it. Specifically, that means you may not make and sell pouches or teddy toppers made from this pattern, sell the pattern, copy, reproduce or use any part of it to make money or to share with others to save the cost of purchasing their own. I reserve that right solely for myself. You do have my permission to let this pattern be a means for finding your own artistic voice. Vary the design of the pouch or the teddy topper so that they are no longer recognizable as my work and I wish you G-d's speed. Change a stitch here and there for the sake of calling it your own and, as I learned to say in Turkey, may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your nether regions! . . .And. . .keep a watchful eye over your shoulder for my lawyer. As they say in department store dressing rooms, violators will be prosecuted. click here for more details on how to buy the pattern or have the dragon made at A Better Bead in Pisgah Forest, NC |
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crocheted Drawstring Bookbag with Adjustable shoulder strap Hello All! I recently broke the zipper on my $60.00 bookbag that I purchased 2 years ago from the college bookstore at UNC Asheville. I am now at CofC (College of Charleston), and I do not plan to purchase another expensive bookbag from the Borders bookstore on campus. I went home, and I immediately pulled out the fattest yarn that I could find (yarn thickness or weight), and started crocheting. Visit the following website to learn more regarding Yarn Thickness. Yarn Weight/Thickness for Dummies .
|
 |
| Crocheted Knapsack with adjustable shoulder strap |
