Herringbone Stitch (crochet)

 Hi loves,

Today, I want to introduce you to the beautiful and unique crochet Herringbone stitch, which has a knitted version as well. Let's learn and create something beautiful together!

I recalled the name of the stitch I used a few years ago when making a doll top. As I was writing about different stitches for my blog, 🤔 I thought of it. However, I couldn't quite remember how to do it, so I decided to refresh my memory on YouTube. 🤔 I clicked on the first video that appeared.

Armed with yarn and needle in hand, started practicing, but something wasn't right... This was not the way I remembered it.  YouTube here I come again...

That's when I realized there was the half double crochet herringbone stitch and the double crochet herringbone stitch. Phew!! got to say I was a bit worried I'd bitten off more than I could chew.  I was worried, I'd only be able to talk about the basic easy everyday stitches.

Here we go, for the half double crochet (hdc)  herringbone we start as we would the hdc, by yarning over, inserting the hook, and pulling up a loop. We now have 3 loops on our hook... Here is where the fun begins. Pull the last loop through the second loop only... Yarn over and pull through both loops on the hook... There you have it. The hdc herringbone stitch is completed.  For the tutorial this week I would like to thank Tiffany Hansen.

Double crochet (dc) herringbone stitch. 

To do the dc herringbone stitch, yarn over as you would when doing the dc, insert your hook and pull up a loop, you now have three loops on your hook. Pull the last loop through the second loop on the hook. Yarn over pull through two loops. Yarn over and pull through both loops on your hook and there you have it. You have just done the dc herringbone stitch.   
For this tutorial I would like to thank Hopeful Honey

Until next time, let's be friends! 

You can find me on Instagram 📷, Facebook 👍, Ravelry 🧶, Twitter 🐦, YouTube 🎥, and TikTok 🎵. I also have an Etsy page you can check out 🛍️. Please feel free to like 👍, share 🤝, and comment 💬 on my posts across all social media platforms.

 Thanks for taking the time to read this. Live, love ❤️, and laugh 😂 until next time! - Khenzuri

Little Miss Daisy

Hi Loves, 

So, I've been feeling inspired to take my creativity to a new level and experiment with designing more than just the usual bags and hats. Recently, a family member asked me to make some swimwear for them and I couldn't have been more excited! They gave me free rein to do whatever I wanted, as long as it's high-waisted. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

She sent the yarn for me to choose my colour combo. I selected the Lion Brand 24/7 cotton with white as the main colour and the lovely terracotta as the accent colour.  My cousin and I are almost the same size and measurement so with her not here for her measurements to be taken, I used my own.  

I haven't received her pictures yet, but she was really happy with the finished product. I named the bikini set "Little Miss Daisy" because it looked too plain after making the shorts and bralette. That's when I decided to add the little flower details, which made a huge difference. What do you think?

 Until next time, let's be friends! 

You can find me on Instagram 📷, Facebook 👍, Ravelry 🧶, Twitter 🐦, YouTube 🎥, and TikTok 🎵. I also have an Etsy page you can check out 🛍️. Please feel free to like 👍, share 🤝, and comment 💬 on my posts across all social media platforms.

 Thanks for taking the time to read this. Live, love ❤️, and laugh 😂 until next time! - Khenzuri

Popcorn Any One... Stitch that is.

 Hi loves, 

Thank you for being here! 😊 It's been a while since I've said hello. 👋 I had to take a break due to some personal issues. 💔 This is my first post for the new year, as it's now 2024. 🎉 This post has been sitting in my drafts for some time now. ⏳.  It's Finally posting time.

It's movie time, so let us get our popcorn 🍿🍿, sit back and enjoy the show... Just kidding.  Today's stitch is the popcorn stitch.  This is a fun somewhat easy stitch to do, it takes a little more time than most stitches to complete.  You can do your entire piece with it, whether you are making a bag, a fun skirt, or a blanket, the choices are endless.  It also doesn't matter if you are a knitter or a crochetier as the stitch can be done in both crafts.

How is the crochet popcorn stitch done you asked? No problem man! I'm happy to tell you.

Crochet version:  The popcorn stitch is worked by doing 5 double crochets (DCs) in the same stitch.  you pull up the loop of the last dc stitch made, remove your hook, insert the hook into the first dc and pull the loop through, chain 1, and just like that the popcorn is made.

Now that I've told you, let me show you. For the visuals, I want to thank Modern Made for her video, which is simple and easy to follow.

Next, I will tell you about the knitted version.  Until then

Let's be friends! 

You can find me on Instagram 📷, Facebook 👍, Ravelry 🧶, Twitter 🐦, YouTube 🎥, and TikTok 🎵. I also have an Etsy page you can check out 🛍️. Please feel free to like 👍, share 🤝, and comment 💬 on my posts across all social media platforms.

 Thanks for taking the time to read this. Live, love ❤️, and laugh 😂 until next time! - Khenzuri

Double Trouble.

 Hi Loves, 

Timing is everything.  After posting the monokini in the previous post I got an order request.  Can I say how excited and nervous I was all at once?  Why you asked?

Well! Let's see...

This was made 5 years ago back in 2018.  It was posted and a blog post was written and nothing happened then.  Secondly, though I had the bag pattern, I don't remember what the hell I did back then.  Luckily the actual item was still within my household.  I retrieved the piece of clothing and studied it the best I could.  With the colours decided by the customer, the ball was set to roll.

A little back story;

I don't know the person as this was a gift from her mother and she wanted it to be a surprise so couldn't get any measurements.  She sent me a picture and said "This is who you are making it for" when I asked for the cup size.  I prayed and asked for guidance, and just like that I made a well-fitted monokini. 

How do I know this? I was sent pictures along with praises for the work I did (see the last photo of the post).  The highlight of my day.

Excitement overload. This colour combo is spot on and made this piece pop. It was made with Premier Cotton Fair in the colour way Lemon Drops, the accent black is from a local yarn seller.

So without further ado...

Hey there! Let's be friends! 

You can find me on Instagram 📷, Facebook 👍, Ravelry 🧶, Twitter 🐦, YouTube 🎥, and TikTok 🎵. I also have an Etsy page you can check out 🛍️. Please feel free to like 👍, share 🤝, and comment 💬 on my posts across all social media platforms.

 Thanks for taking the time to read this. Live, love ❤️, and laugh 😂 until next time! - Khenzuri

Monokini

Hi Loves, 

Back in 2018, I decided I was going to start making swimsuits, as previously I was told not to as many persons were already doing so. I listened but with any other calling one has to follow their hearts. I knew there were many video tutorials on how to make them but I wanted to make one of my own designs.  Being the creative I am a normal design was not going to work.  

The design I used was a granny square pattern for the Wildflower Shoulder Bag. Now here's where the fun started.  I knew I wanted to use the square pattern, but had no clue how it would translate into a monokini.  My blog post Square... No Diamond outlines what happened while creating this beauty.

It does fit a small bum.

I gave the finished item to my daughter who back in 2018 didn't have much boob, and the butt fits... Fast forward to 2023... I had to make adjustments to the monokini.  We decided to highlight using white (shh don't tell but I had no more of the yarn left so we improvised).  I also had to make alterations to ensure there was support for her now busty chest.  There were also modifications made to the bottom to give a more slick design as well as a more comfy fit.

Drumroll, please... Now after 5 years, this masterpiece has seen the sand, sun, and sea.  Yeah, it was finally worn and, how marvelous it looks.  Don't you agree?

Hey there! Let's be friends! You can find me on Instagram 📷, Facebook 👍, Ravelry 🧶, Twitter 🐦, YouTube 🎥, and TikTok 🎵. I also have an Etsy page you can check out 🛍️. Please feel free to like 👍, share 🤝, and comment 💬 on my posts across all social media platforms.

 Thanks for taking the time to read this. Live, love ❤️, and laugh 😂 until next time! - Khenzuri

Butterfly Prom Dress (Finale)

 Hi Loves

It's the finale..... And a grand one at that.  Can I just say how proud I am of this dress,  and how proud I am of the young lady wearing this dress?

I am elated that she trusted and had so much faith in my abilities to entrust her Prom dress to me... Little old me. 

As promised this post is a showcase of the final product and the model wearing it.  

Until the next post...

Let us be friends, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Ravelry, Twitter, and TikTok   Check out my Etsy page as well.  

Thanks love for taking a read.  Live, Love, Laugh... Until next time. Khenzuri

Butterfly Prom Dress (Part 1)

 Hi Loves, 

If you have been reading my post you may have noticed that I have done a lot of Shyler Crochets designs.  I honestly love her work and identify with a lot of what she does being from the Caribbean.  It's like summer all year round here and her designs are suitable for the climate.  Her designs are also most times easy to modify which is perfect for me.  I love putting my own touch on what I am making.

Today we are going to get a preview of my version of her Butterfly Dress.  

One wing is completed.

When I started this dress back in January I thought of making it for myself.  I watched the video and went along verbatim.  

The wings were completed and joined to start working in the rounds for the bottom of the dress. After reaching this far I decided the top would not fit me properly.  I was still resolved to continue making it just the same as I know it would have been good for someone else. My eldest daughter asked if I would make it her prom dress.  This request had me jumping up and down, singing, and laughing. I was over the moon.  I have never made anything this intricate in terms of length (she wants it long and though she is 16 years old, she is already 5"6 or 5"7).  

I used Lion Brand's Summer's Night yarn in the color way Cast Away I hold 2 strands together as this was a superfine/fingering weight yarn.  When I started I had only 2 skeins of this color way so I worked until they were finished and I ordered 6 more skeins (hoping that was enough to complete it to the desired length).  Work was paused while I awaited my yarn order.  The 2 skeins got me just a little above the but cheeks.

Work has restarted, and the length was confirmed.  Now to start the slit.

Stay tuned loves, the other post will have progress pictures and the finale will be of her wearing it in this 3 part series post.

Until the next post...

Let us be friends, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Ravelry, Twitter, and TikTok   Check out my Etsy page as well.  

Thanks love for taking a read.  Live, Love, Laugh... Until next time. Khenzuri

Speaking It Into Reality.

 Hi loves, 

Have you ever wondered why something keeps affixed to your imagination or dreams?  I have.

I've dreamt many years ago of owning my own Beauty Salon which was operated as a classy beauty salon, with an actual start and end time. This last bit (opening hours) was very important, as at that time I was working in a hair salon that did not have an end time.  I would go to work by 9am and in comes someone after 3 pm requesting to get their hair braided small (if you have ever gotten your hair braided with extensions you know it takes time).  Once my boss accepts this client it means I could be at work until after midnight and still have to be back at work by 9 am the next morning.  That was exhausting and to say the least, I wasn't getting a lot of pay.

Fast forward a couple of years I got certified in general Cosmetology but right after completing tragedy struck and I was forced to seek employment fast as the sole breadwinner at the time died and my baby was just about to turn 2 years old.  While working at my new job I continued to do natural hairstyles (my specialty).  This was my second job, my weekend job, but a little over a year I had to change department and this caused me to lose clients as  I started working on weekends.  I stayed in that job changing departments and moving up the ranks until 2017 when I got laid off.  This is when my dream of becoming my own boss came to life, though not as a salon owner.

I've always been creative at heart, whether it's creating beautiful hairstyles, crocheting/knitting, or embroidering... So it came as no surprise when I registered the business name Khenzuri's Treasures.  I was really pumped up about sewing my seeds and getting my name out there.  But it's not that easy.  

My daughter's first day of school hairstyle

A simple twist with beads

I did my own hair as well

crochet braids

crochet then twist out

I've had good days and some not-so-good days but that doesn't stop me from believing that I will succeed.  I know I will not just own a successful business where I crochet and knit other people's designs... But I will become a designer as well... 

How are you so confident you will become a designer?

I am sure because no matter what pattern I am making my mind is racing 100 miles a sec with new ideas of what to make or how to change the current pattern I am working on. I have designed things in the past it's just not written for others to remake and that is what I am working on.

For instance, I made a dress from a scarf I test knitted.  While I was knitting the scarf, the idea came to turn it into a crop halter top.  However, after starting the new project that idea shifted and became a dress. Can I tell you how this dress stayed on my mannequin for almost a year before the final touches were added?  Take a look and tell me what you think.  Did I do well? 

My design, it was birthed from a scarf I test knitted for Petra Breakstone.

The issue I have now as to why I am not actively pursuing this part of my dream is designing takes time and I am a bit stretched at the moment but the stars are being aligned as we speak so it's just a matter of time.

And you know as long as there is life a dream can still become a reality.  Come along with me on my journey.  Until next time.

Thanks loves for taking a read.  Live, Love, Laugh... Please follow me on FB, Instagram, Twitter. You can also purchase yarn to make your masterpieces here.

Double Crochet (dc)

 Hi again loves, 

Thank you for sticking around.  Today I would like to teach you double crochet (dc).  This will be done using American terminology.

This stitch is not as dense as the single crochet (sc).  It works up quickly and is perfect for blankets, scarves 🧣, and dishcloths just to name a few.

To do this stitch you make your foundation chain, however long you need it to be for your project...

I'll be doing a chain of 18 stitches.

chain of 18 sts.

To do the double crochet, yarn over (yo) and inserts your hook in the 4th chain from the hook... Yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through two of the three loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through both remaining loops. There, you have just completed a dc.

We have 4 dc and 3 chains.

3 hooks on the hook

In this pic we yo and pull through 2 of the 3 loops

This picture is showing the completed stitch.

I also have a video for my loves. 

Thanks loves for taking a read.  Live, Love, Laugh... Please follow me on FB, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also purchase yarn to make your masterpieces here.

Spiderweb

 Hi loves, 

2021 started with a challenge presented to me by my mother.  She sent me a pic and requested the item for her birthday in February.  I was like wait a minute mama, I have never just looked at a pic and replicated it... I was about to back down but told myself this year, I will definitely step out of my comfort zone and really try to get my business off the ground as this is what I really love doing.

This is what she sent me.

I honestly went searching on the net for a possible pattern.  I typed in the search engine what I think this may be called... I search for images, I checked the page on Facebook, where she got it from, and no such luck. 

She then made another request....... Lady are you serious right now????   I am still trying to locate a pattern for your requested top.  You see, that item was made out of yarn but she hates yarn as she thinks all yarn is scratchy (trust me. I've tried telling her otherwise).  So, she wanted her's made out of crochet thread, you know that thin thread they used for doilies.

Yeah, that's the one... Aunt Lydia's size 10.. yup.. this same one.

On a side note, before you tell me there is one that was made for fashion (Aunt Lydia's Fashion 3, that's thicker), I found that out recently, but not available where I live.

Now back to the scheduled programming.....

I had to decide:

• How many chains I needed to do to get her size (which when asked for her bust measurement she replied... "measure yourself and add about 4")
• For the spacing how many stitches to skip etc.

With my picture, thread, and hook in hand I started to replicate... 

I also decided to hold 2 strands instead of two.  After working out how many chain stitches were needed. I started the easy part... Double crocheting the top section.

Now...... Here comes the hard part.... How am I going to start the design without a pattern now? Sighs!!!   Well, I did a thing.... It looked almost like the picture, but when I got to the end of the first round... Sighs again!!! there were too many stitches left, which means the last stitch will be too wide.. 

Aaaawwww!!!!

ok Melissa, think...... I counted the last stitches.. and did a little math and just perfect... I got equal spacing.. 

Working, working, working.. Crocheting, crocheting, crocheting... not feeling what I'm doing... Pause! Pause! Pause!

I finally got to the desired length... But something was off... Bummer!!!!!!!

This is what it looked like.

I wasn't feeling this look... then I did a thing... I slip-stitched the last row and felt that it looked better.. If you know me... I could not leave the others so I ripped back all the stitches back to the beginning of the pattern.  OMG, you say... That was easy to do... It's what followed next.. I did each round twice... 

What? How so?... Well after completing each round I do through each stitch and slip stitch around. That, in my opinion, thickens the strands and it looked better to me.  Let me know what you all think.

The end product.

Thanks loves for taking a read.  Live, Love, Laugh... Please follow me on FB, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also purchase yarn to make your masterpieces here.