How to ~ Crochet a Hand Towel Ring Holder

Materials List:

~  Wool {I used left over scraps - I think it was 4 ply}

~  4.5mm/5mm hook

~  Needle for sewing in ends

Gauge:  N/A   Hook & yarn chart if you are not sure what to use, or if you wish to make a smaller/large holder.

Abbreviations:  

ch – chain
st - stitch
sk - skip
sc - single crochet
dc – double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
mc - magic circle
* – repeat

The Pattern:

Using two strands of wool at once to make your sts thicker, create a large magic circle loop.

Ch 2, dc 38 sts around mc.  Sl st to join and start the 'top' of the holder.

The aim is to create a triangle shape:  Sc 7 sts across the top of your dc.

Reverse.  Sk 1st sc, and sc 5 across the top.

Reverse.  Sk 1st sc, and sc 3 across the top.

Chain 8, and sl st to the other side of the triangle to form the hanging loop.   To re-enforce the loop you can sc across it.  Sl st to join back into the main piece.

{Optional} Picot Edging:

To do a picot edging ~

Ch 3 and sl st into the same st.  Sc 1, ch3 and sl st into same st* all the way around until you reach the other side of the hanging loop.

Sew in ends and hang your towel up!    (✿◠‿◠)ﾉ

Ta Da!

xox,
bonita

How to ~ Crochet a 1940’s Snood

For some time now I’ve been eyeing off various gorgeous hairstyles around the place that have involved lovely snoods, but I have hemed and hawed about purchasing one for myself.  Why, the ease alone of popping one on and waltzing out the door for the day is very tempting for a busy vintage mother.  The only problem ~ $16.00 or more seemed like a lot to spend on one snood….

And that was the local ones!  Overseas shipping cost a lot more.   I decided to whip out my Google fingers and see what I could turn up, and et voila!  I present to you the “Perky Snood” pattern.   A vintage 1940’s crochet snood pattern for a medium sized snood. 

~ *  Please click on the photo to download the full pattern  * ~

The pattern is very simple, but calls for a long treble crochet stitch which is rather old fashioned and not used that often these days.  Here are the instructions on how to do it:

Long Treble Crochet (long tr.) -  YO 3 times before inserting the hook into the work, YO and draw through 2 loops on the hook 4 times.

Decreasing Long Treble Crochet (dec. long tr.) - YO 3 times, insert hook in next long tr. and YO. Take off  2 loops 3 times in succession, leaving 2 loops on the hook. YO 3 times, insert hook in work (6 loops on hook), YO, take off 2 loops, 3 times in succession, YO and take off 3 loops at once.

Yarn Over -  YO

Now, I have to warn you that although I found this pattern easy to get the hang of in terms of stitches, it doesn’t seem to be easy to put together the right sized hook and yarn ply to get a large enough snood.  I actually repeated this pattern three times before I finally turned out a snood that was large enough to wear!

So I’ll give you my notes so that you don’t make the same mistakes that I did. 

~ *  Second snood on the left compared with the third snood on the right.  The first one was even smaller, can you believe!  More like a bun net than anything else…  * ~

First I tried using a small 1.50mm hook like I thought the pattern called for, and the yarn to match.  That turned out all wrong ~ it was far too small.  So was the next one, with a larger 4.00mm hook and the yarn to match.  I looked like I was wearing a lunch lady’s hair net rather than a snood!  So then I went back to my original yarn, which was actually 2 ply cotton, with the 4.00mm hook and somehow that worked.

I still think that the pattern ended up a little shorter than what I would have preferred, but in this case that’s ok, because my hair is quite short at the moment and won’t really suit anything longer.  If you want a longer snood, simply add more rows in the middle before you start your decreases and you will be all set!

Last, but not least ~ here’s the finished results in action. 

 

Remember to swatch your work, as the gauge is crucial, and enjoy your snood making ladies!

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~ Pictures are from this outfit post ~  Wet & Windy Spring Days

Link Love ~ How to wear 1940’s Lipstick

Glamour Daze comes out with another handy, era authentic post on “The Lipstick Decade”.  Find out the history and discover how to do the 1940s red lip from this handy guide. 

1940′s Make-up – The Lipstick Decade

The 1940′s, despite a world war, saw a huge leap in women’s use of daily cosmetics. If ever there was a decade for lipsticks then this was it.

With more and more women working on the home front and as army nurses, the convenience of the roll up lipstick – rather than a brush and palette, established the lipstick tube, once and for all ,as the main cosmetic accessory to have in your handbag.

xox,

bonita

How to ~ A guide for seaming a knitted cardigan

I was so eager to finish off my last {and first!} knitted cardigan that I didn’t bother blocking it, or learning how to seam it properly.  While the ribbing is very forgiving, and has settled down nicely into the shape I wanted, I thought that for my next cardigan I should learn a few more tricks for finishing a knitted garment. 

 

First off:  how to block a cardigan using wet blocking, or spray/steam blocking techniques.   Blocking is done at the end of the knitting process, usually before seaming a pieced garment. Here’s an article detailing the benefits of blocking and which fibers respond to what kinds of blocking ~ To Block or Not to Block, as well as a video on how to do the three different methods.

Then, you can seam it together with your choice of stitch style. This video is great in demonstrating how to set a sleeve in.

This one is good for stockinette shoulder seams.

And this website has some great knitting and finishing tips, including this great little video on mattress stitch, which is good for doing up side seams.

I hope you find these resources helpful.

xox,

bonita

My spectacles ~ how to find vintage frames to suit you!

~ *  Vintage 1950 advertisement for spectacles ~ I quite like pair number 4  * ~

Finding glasses frames that look good, suit your style, and don’t overwhelm your face is difficult at the best of times, but what do you do when you have a very distinct fashion style?   I am currently facing that problem ~ my script has changed {again!… } so I am shopping around for the perfect pair of vintage glasses to suit my look and my face.

The first place I went to look for glasses was Dead Men’s Spexs Vintage Eyewear.  You may have already heard of this site ~ they sell vintage frames that you can fill with your own prescription lenses. 

I couldn’t find a pair that I liked there, but I think that visiting their site is really handy.  You can use a “browse by period” feature to check out what style of frames where popular for the era that you prefer.

Now I tend to prefer to dress either 1940s or 50s, but I soon found out that I don’t really like either of the more common glasses frame styles from back then.  Before the 1950’s everything seems to be pretty much round ~ either thin gold frames, {which I could wear, except that I don’t like gold} or heavy black/tortoiseshell acetate.  Neither of those appeal to me ~ so onto the next era, 1950.

 

~ *  The classic pre-1940s/1940s spectacle shape.  The lenses rims can be gold, silver, tortoiseshell or black as seen here, and the arms can be either the same colour as the rims or a different colour like the picture above.  * ~

Everyone knows the classic 50’s look ~ cat's eye glasses!  I am not a real fan of the extremely pointy kind, although I have seen some vintage ladies looking absolutely fabulous in their sharp cats eye frames.  However, after searching around I decided that a nice deep cats eye frame, preferably two toned {dark on the top and light on the bottom} and in some shade of tortoiseshell or chocolaty brown would probably suit my style and my skin tone. 

So like these:

Or these:

At the end of a long hunt through all of the websites listed below I finally found a pair that I like, so we’ll will have to wait and see how they go when I get them!   I’ll show you the big reveal later…   Happy spectacle wearing!

Tips for purchasing vintage spectacles:

• Figure out which era you wear the most, or that suits your style the best.
• Look for frames that are similar in shape and colour to your favourite vintage pairs ~ you may be able to find a modern look-a-like for less.
• Try on styles at the optometrist to get a sense of what size/shape suits your face.
• If you have a complex script ~ bifocals or trifocals, buy the frames you like and get your optometrist to replace the lenses and don’t forget to ask your optometrist what size you need to get to fit your prescription.
• Shop around! There are many places to buy your perfect pair of frames, so if you can’t find the ‘just right’ pair, keep looking. 

Places to buy vintage eye glass frames:

• Ebay
• Etsy
• Dead Men’s Spex

Places to buy vintage reproduction/modern vintage look-a-likes:

• Bonlook – reproduction vintage glasses
• Zenni Optical – modern, but have some great vintage look-a-likes
  

xox,

bonita

How To ~ Pretty-fy Bobby Pins

Hello my dears! I have another simple DIY tutorial for you that produces some very cute hair accessories so let’s get right to it shall we? 

Supplies needed:

• Clean bobby pins/hair grips ~ preferably new ones
• Pretty nail polishes in your choice of colour{s}  ~  I used Mode Cosmetics – Cool As {this polish had the best results}, Maybelline Express Finish – Passing By Pink, BYS Nail Enamel – 05 Light Purple, N.Y.C. Color – Lemon {this polish was the worst – way too runny, but I did manage to get it to work out in the end.} 
• Some cardboard or paper
  
  
      Step 1:  Arrange your bobby pins on the cardboard and make sure there is paper underneath them to catch any extra spills.
  
      Step 2:  Carefully paint along the top of the individual bobby pins using your nail polish.  Be careful not to put too much polish on the brush or it will puddle over the side of the bobby pins.
  
      Step 3:  Rinse and repeat as often as you like!
  
  Extra Tip:  It is better to use a thicker nail polish for this then a thin one, as you not only get better coverage, but it’s also easier to paint neatly so that you don’t get puddles of excess polish everywhere!
  
      Step 4: Double coat your bobby pins to cover up any see-through spots.  When you are happy with how they look, very carefully move any bobby pins that are sitting in puddles of polish so that they don’t stick when dried and ruin the paint job.

Allow your bobby pins to dry over night and then enjoy wearing your new pretties in your hair!  ᵔᴗᵔ  ~ ♥

xox,

bonita

How To ~ Pretty-fy a Hair Comb

This is a super simple tutorial on covering a hair comb with yarn to make it pretty.  It’s very quick to do, but has some lovely results, so let’s get started.

Supplies needed:

• Some pretty yarn
• A hair comb or two
• A darning needle
• Glue {optional}

  Step 1:  Secure the yarn between the first two teeth and leave a tail at the back to wrap around.  

  Step 2:  Turn the comb over, and start wrapping the yarn a ‘fan’ shape ~ laying the strands next to each other* See below.  I found that five wraps was enough for the thickness of my yarn, but you may need to experiment to achieve the coverage you would like.

  The fan shape you are aiming for.

  Step 3:  Thread the yarn through the next space between the comb’s teeth and over lap the strands with the next fan shape.   

  Step 4:  Continue in the same fashion across the top of the comb, until you reach the end.

  Step 5:  Cut the yarn leaving a short tail to secure off.

  Step 6:  You can either glue the tail down, or tie it in a knot around the yarn.  You can do this by threading the tail onto a darning needle, passing behind and around the back of the wrapped yarn. Tie your knot, then thread the remainder of the tail behind your yarn to hide the rest of it.

Et voilà!  You are finished!

Now enjoy your pretty new hair combs! 

xox,

bonita

How to ~ A Quick & Easy French Manicure Tutorial

Hi everyone!  Today I want to show you a cool trick I used the other day to do a French manicure by using a rubber band.   It’s really simple, and makes fiddly French tips sooo much easier!   To do this tutorial you will need:

• Nail polish ~ I used BYS Nail Enamel - 02 French Pink, N.Y.C. Color – Blue Bird, Sally Hansen Double Duty Strengthening Top & Base Coat and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat.
• An elastic band; I personally think that a thin rubber band is better than a thick one, but that’s up to you.

Really simple right?  So let’s get started.

   Step 1:  Prepare your nail base.  I wanted a two-tone manicure, so I painted my nails pastel pink first.  Make sure your polish or base coat has dried thoroughly before proceeding to Step 2. 

   Step 2:  Stretch the rubber band over the top of your nail, placing it where you want the French tip to end.

  Step 3:  Holding the band in place with your other fingers, paint the tip of your nail. 

   Step 4:  Release the rubber band one side at a time and take it off your nail being careful not to smudge the wet polish.  Rinse and repeat. 

 
Extra Tip: The pinky nail is the hardest one to do, so here are some pictures of how I held the band down.  Also, I found that if you accidentally made the tip too short, you can re-lay the rubber band down lower on your nail and paint the tip again.  It works really well!

 

Step 5:  Coat your manicure with a top coat for extra protection and enjoy your cute nails.  ᵔᴗᵔ

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  I used a toothpick to dot a heart on the bottom corner of my thumb nail.  Just in case you were wondering where it came from.   ; 3

How to ~ Pom-pom Dandelion Floral Arrangement Tutorial

Hi everyone!  This is a tutorial on how to make a Pom-pom Dandelion Floral Arrangement with some dead branches and wool.  I needed a nice something to sit on top of the cupboard in my entranceway because it looks so bare and stark otherwise.  I saw the idea on Pinterest, and thought it would look so cute as part of a bigger arrangement{involving books and coffee filters!}. It’s a very simple, but effective look, so let’s get to it.  : D     

Materials you will need:

• Dead/dry thin, twig like branches ~ any size and amount you want.
• White yarn {or any colour you would like}
• Hot glue gun/craft glue
• Scissors
• Fork or other pom-pom making device
  

Step 1:  Start making your pom-poms ~ you can use any method you want.  In this tutorial I will show you the fork method.  You wrap the yarn horizontally around the fork prongs, leaving space at the bottom and the top.

Step 2:  When the yarn is about half a centimetre thick around the fork, cut the strand, leaving a tail about as long as the fork’s handle.  Using that tail, wrap the yarn several times vertically around the horizontal band, poking the yarn through the middle space between the fork prongs at the bottom of the band.

Step 3: Pull the half-finished pom-pom off the fork and cut through the sides of the horizontal band of yarn.  The strands will spring out and you can now trim the pom-pom into a smooth ball shape.  Don’t trim too much wool, or it’ll get too small.  It doesn’t have to be perfectly round, but smoothness is good.

Step 4:  Lather, rinse, repeat steps 1 to 3 until you have enough pom-poms.  This can simply be decided by taste.  You may want to stick a pom-pom on the end of each branch/twig, or you may want to leave a few ends free.  I went with the latter option, and left a few branches bare.

 

Step 5:  Put a dab of glue on the end of your branch and stick a pom-pom on.  Do this until you are happy with your branches.  Now you are done!  Ta-da!  > ω <

xox,

bonita

How to ~ A Ric Rac Rose Jewellery Tutorial

You’ve probably noticed that ric rac features heavily as a favourite trimming in the 1950s ~ a lot of dresses and skirts had ric rac detailing on them, like these lovely examples:

There are also a million different things you can do with ric rac, like this rose applique & ric rac trimmed collar :

Or these pretty cards decorated with ric rac:

However, when I found this tutorial by Janet of Vintage Vogue’s Nostalgic NeedleART I thought it was a great way to top off any outfit with a lovely vintage touch, even if you don’t have a ric rac trimmed 1950s piece, because you could easily add it in the form of jewellery! 

Materials you will need:

• Thin ric rac if you want to make earrings, thick ric rac to make a broach/ring
• Jewellry findings ~ I use post earring back and a broach pin {I would have made a ring, but I didn’t have one to glue the rose to}
• Thread to sew the roses together/to your jewellery findings
• Hot glue

So here’s what you do to make a ric~rac rose:

Step 1:  Cut a length of ric~rac, fold it in half and twist the two pieces around each other.

Step 2:  Roll the rose up and secure it with glue or thread so it doesn’t come unravelled. You can use pins to get the placement of the end right, or just hold it tight. 

Step 3:  Peel the petals back if you like, or use it as a rose bud.  : )

Now to make it into jewellery!

To make ric rac rose bud earrings:

Step 1:  Cut two 15cm pieces of 1/2cm wide ric rac and roll them into a rose bud.

Step 2:  Glue your bud to the earring finding.

Note:  I used bead cup/clasp/thingy with the post earring threaded through the hole in the middle because the disc at the end of the post was too small to glue the bud onto.  You can just use a plain post earring however.

Step 3:  Lather, rinse, repeat ~ and voilà!  You have two cute ric rac rose earrings to wear. 

To make a ric rac rose broach:

Step 1:  Cut a 82cm piece of 1cm wide ric rac and roll into a rose.  Glue the end down.

Step 2:  Peel the outer layers of the ric rac back to ‘unfurl’ the bud.  You may have to glue the bottom of the rose to keep it from falling apart. 

Step 3:  Cut out some green felt in the shape of leaves and a small circle that is the width of your broach pin.

Step 4:  Glue down the leaves, then the broach pin, then the felt circle.  You want the circle to sit in the middle of the back of the rose and cover all the untidy glue. 

Now you can début your lovely set of ric rac rose jewellery.   ^ ω ^   You could also make a ring, or glue a rose to a headband and wear it in you hair ~ really the possibilities are limitless.  Ric rac can add a lovely vintage touch to just about anything; so have fun with it!   ᵔᴗᵔ  

xox,

bonita