Crochet Scale Pouch Pattern

I recently made another big order from The Ring Lord, and decided to splurge on some scales planning to use them in crochet. Haven't done that yet. These are small aluminum tags from The Ring Lord. They come about 500 to a bag which is enough to make 2 of these little pouches which would be excellent for a small amount of dice or as a little bag to tie to a belt to hold money at a Ren Faire. Look under Blanks and Tags.

You will need:

• Size 10 crochet cotton
• Size 5 crochet hook 
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle to weave in ends
• 1 package of small aluminum tags from The Ring Lord- I used Frost

Start by stringing 225 tags on the thread. These are crocheted in as you go. If you don't want to count 225 tags, count 25, measure that, and string on a bit over 9 times that number in length. Because of the large hole in these tags (large by the standards of a beader who's done a lot of dental floss bead threading on crochet cottons) you can actually just put the tapestry needle on the thread and string them directly on. Unwind a bit of thread and push them down the crochet thread and rewind it on the ball.

Stitches-

dc= double crochet

sc=single crochet

tagged sc= single crochet with a tag

ch= chain 

sl st= slip stitch

st or sts= stitch or stitches

repeat ** around = Repeat what is between the asterisks until you get to the starting stitch of the round.

tagged sc= insert hook in stitch, yarn over, pull loop through stitch, leaving two loops on the hook. Slide tag up the thread to the stitch, yarn over, pull thread through both loops. 

Quick note on starting rounds- I don't like using chains to start single crochet rounds. They aren't the same size as a single crochet, and I prefer the look of a tight ch, then single crochet in that stitch. Generally it's not a big deal if you do it the way you are used to doing it for my patterns, but in this case, it's essential to do that way because the tags are set up to alternate columns which means some rounds start with a tagged single crochet. For starting dc rounds, I generally do 1 tight single crochet and 2 normal single crochets. If you prefer starting DC rounds differently, do them the way you prefer.

Base of pouch:

Round 1: Ch 4, 9 dc in starting ch, sl st to 4th ch to join. (10 dc)

Round 2: Ch 3(counts as first dc), dc in same stitch, 2 dc in each st around, sl st to 3rd ch to join. (20 dc)

Round 3: Ch 3(counts as first dc), 2 dc in next st, *1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st* , repeat ** around, sl st in 3rd ch to join. (30 dc)

Round 4: Ch 3(counts as first dc), dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch, *dc in next st, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st*, repeat ** around, sl st to 3rd ch to join. (40 stitches)

Round 5: Ch 3(counts as first dc), dc in next st, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, *dc in next st, dc in next st, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st*, repeat ** around, sl st to 3rd ch to join (50 dc)

Scale part of the pouch:

The scales are offest by one column, and have one plain row between them. This diagram shows the placement as an example.

Round 6: Ch 1 (does not count as first st), sc in same stitch, sc in each stitch around, sl st to first st to join.

Round 7: Ch 1 (does not count as first st), sc in same stitch, tagged sc in next stitch, *sc in next st, tagged sc in next st*, repeat ** around, sl st to first stitch to join

Round 8: Repeat round 6.

Round 9: Ch 1 (does not count as first st), tagged sc in same stitch, sc in next stitch, *tagged sc in next st, sc in next st*, repeat ** around, sl st to first stitch to join. 

Repeat Rounds 6-9  3 times 

Round 17- repeat round 6

Round 18- repeat round 7

Round 19- repeat round 6

Scales done!

Top of pouch:

Round 20: ch 3, dc in each stitch around, sl st to 3rd ch to join. 

Rounds 21-24: repeat round 20

Round 25: ch 3, dc in next st, ch 3, skip 3 sts, *dc in next st, dc in next st, ch 3*, repeat ** around, sl st to 3rd ch to join.

Round 26: ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to join.

Make 2 cords and weave them through row 25. You can either chain cords, use ribbons or make monk's cord. My example uses monk's cord. 

The technique is easy, and if you want a bigger pouch, just plan accordingly. So if you went with a base that was 80 stitches around, you would need 40 tags per scale row, and you'd want more rows of them probably. 

Oh, this has nothing to do with the crochet project, but The Ring Lord also has rings of course and kits! One of the things I ordered was the juggling ball kit for my son and he made this lovely set of juggling balls for Michael for Father's Day! The instructions are well written, and the project itself is no-sew. 

Plaid printable boxes

My original plan was to put some sort of appliqued shape on this design, but decided the simple plaid looks good by itself. I hope you enjoy these plaid printable boxes! Click on the images for a larger version to print. Print on card stock, cut out, score folds, fold and glue!

Book Review- How to Make 100 Paper Flowers

Maria Noble is an enthusiastic artist who wrote this book to share with people the art of making paper flowers. It's 100 projects shown with color photos and with the templates you'll need to create the blossoms shown. It's spiral bound in a hard cover to lay flat while you're working on a project from this book.

It starts with an explanation of the tools and materials you'll need to create the flowers, explaining the different kinds of paper, what florist tape and how it works, and other information you'll need. It also offers suggestions for where to buy the materials.

Then it gets into the projects. The first section is the one that a lot of people will find the most inspiring. Realistic flowers made from good quality crepe paper. It's also the most extensive section in the book. The flowers in this section would work well for creating paper fashion accessories such as a straw hat decorated with flowers for a Derby party, or gorgeous decorative accents for a home or an occasion.

My favorite thing in this section is the fact that it has 10 of the 12 birth month flowers! So you could pair a pretty vase with a handmade paper flower as a birthday gift.

January- Carnation, pg 44
February- Violet, pg 38
March- Daffodil, pg 18
April- Sweet Pea, pg 59
May- Lily of the Valley, pg 43
June- Rose, there are several rose designs, my favorite is page 30- the country rose
July- Larkspur, not in the book
August-Poppy, pg 56
September- Forget Me Not, pg 25 (shown in pink, I'd do them in light blue)
October- Marigold, not in the book
November-Chrysanthemum, pg 24
December-Narcissus, pg 16

After that, is less realistic flowers made from a variety of materials such as newsprint, construction paper, cupcake wrappers and tissue paper. These are the flowers that will look fantastic in paper craft applications like shadow boxes, book covers, fanciful gift wrapping and dimensional cards. My favorite in this section is the black and white newsprint poppy and on the facing page, the brightly colored, loopy and easy to make Fiesta Flower. The fiesta flower is one that could be made as a project with children then hung on thread to create a fantastic spring decoration, or made small as a decoration on a gift or card.

Then comes origami flowers- these don't follow standard origami instruction diagrams. They are explained in text with photos to show how to fold them. There are some modular flowers in this chapter as well. My favorite is the Kusudama flower.

After that, quilled flowers! Quilling is such a great look, and the simple flowers shown are a great introduction to the craft. My favorite project in this section is a toss up between the intricate filigree effect of the quilled bouquet which would look wonderful framed as art or the dandelions because I love dandelions so much.

At the end of the book are the templates for the various flowers, and a resource guide with places to buy materials online. The projects are simple and look really beautiful.

To see one a project by Maria Noble, check out this one for whimsical poppies.


I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, I received no other compensation, and my review is my honest opinion of the book. You can read more about my review policy here.

AirWick scented oils are making my home smell great!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Air Wick for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love scented oils and warmers. When given the opportunity to try out the Airwick plug-in warmers and several of the oils, it was too good to pass up. 

The warmers plug into standard outlets. If you plug them into the top of an outlet, there is room enough underneath to plug in something else. This is the outlet behind my couch, and under the Airwick is my charger for my e-reader. 

If you haven't used scented Airwick products before, or haven't used them in a while, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the scents available. 

The first one we tried was my daughter's choice, Ocean Spray with Sparkling Sea Minerals which is a Sam's Club exclusive scent. I'm fond of florals and some fruits myself so I was initially disappointed with her choice. But then it started warming and the scent was really nice! It's absolutely non-offensive and a scent that I would recommend for offices just as much as for home. 

The scent oils come in glass bottles with a plastic top that's shaped to be screwed off easily. The warmers have a dial on top which indicates how open the wicking section is for how much scent will be dispersed. While the oils smell very strong in the bottle, don't worry that they will coat your house with too much scent. It's easy to get it just right. 

A bottle holds enough oil for a month of scent. 

So I wound up having them in a few rooms so I could try different scents.

My favorite is one of the National Park series- Grand Canyon Cactus Flower and Warm Breeze- since I got these during break up and the air outside smelled horrible (don't come to Alaska during break up, it stinks, literally)- this was a nose saver for me. It's only slightly floral, without a perfume-y smell. The scent is warm and friendly. (it's the darkest one in the bottles above!)

I also really like the other Sam's Club exclusive scent, Bright Citrus Splash- it's just that, bright and citrusy with a great mandarin and orange scent that doesn't smell really sweet. It smells very clean and cheerful.

So quickly listing the others, those were the standouts for me but the other scents were good too

National Park Limited Edition scents:

Hawaii Exotic Papaya and Hisbiscus is a sweet scent that my Hawaiian shirt wearing son loved. The floral and fruit are well balanced.

American Samoa Sweet Coconut and Island Palm is another great balanced fragrance, but the slightly coconut smell made me want to eat macaroons. I'm pretty easily influenced to eat macaroons though. 

Essentials-

For a bedroom scent, the Lavender and Chamomile is soothing and relaxing. It is a bit more heavily floral than the other scents, but I like it.

Island Paradise is another great balance of sweet and floral, it's a little on the sweet side but a nice summery scent and one I think I'd enjoy a lot in the depth and dark of an Alaskan winter.

Magnolia and Cherry Blossom has a touch of fruit, but is mostly floral and very nice. It's another one that smells summery and would be great in winter. 

These are all available for a great price at Sam's Club and if you buy them there, you can get either a bonus oil or a bonus warmer. They have a fantastic variety of scents. Sam's Club prices, bonuses and exclusive scents make it the best place to buy them. 

Honestly, these smell so good that my husband suggested plugging them in outside during break up to try and make it smell better during our Alaska spring (which only lasted about 4 days this year- now it's more like summer weather)