Crochet Hair Accessories

Hey, Bloggers! Crazy #2 here! And THIS is what I made today and what I'll be sharing with you!

So.... as a super girlie girl, I LOVE all things feminine. Interior design, jewelry, fashion, PINK and oh my stars... you should see my shoe closet (I think I lost count at 100 pairs...not kidding). So, needless to say, when it comes to any kind of fashion accessory, I'm always a sucker. But the problem is they're all so dang expensive!! I mean, who want's to pay $10 for a thing you put in your hair that you can only wear twice a month at the most without it looking tacky and like you wear the same thing every day? For me, it's the small fashion statements that set you apart from how other people dress. But how are you supposed to do this when you have a lot more important things to pay for? Answer! MAKE THEM!! For these crocheted flowers, I was totally inspired by the head wraps that came into fashion this last winter:

And decided to take a stab at crocheting. Unfortunately, I haven't ventured into doing the full wrap yet... I'm pretty sure I'm not that talented. And I'm also pretty sure they won't look fantastic on me... Maybe that's the real reason I haven't really tried haha! So instead I decided to focus on the flower

Looks pretty pro eh? SECRET!! It's not! Just knowing some very basic crochet skills and watching THIS video tutorial on youtube you can get some pretty fabulous results! I know I did! If you're unsure what the crochet lingo means, you can search other videos for the term(s) you don't understand. There are lots of beginner tutorials on crocheting that will show you exactly which stitches are what and how they effect your piece. The lady's voice in these videos kinda drives me crazy, so i listen to it at a low volume. I also have modified her pattern so stay tuned into the post to see my results!

Now, the first time I watched her video, I followed it exactly because I was still learning the basics of which stitches made what shapes. But once I understood the principles involved, I was able to modify the pattern I used into exactly what I wanted it to look like. Also, when I followed her pattern. The flower turned out WAY too tiny! And if I'm going to be sporting something... it's got to make a statement. And almost always that statement is "go big or go home" This is a pic of what her pattern made, compared to the ones I made today. The one on the right is the flower from the pattern.

Sure, the small flower might be cuter for a baby or something, but for me, it's just way too super teenie weenie! In the video, I think she says at the beginning to chain 17 links. Since I wanted it huge, I chained--wait for it--71. Whatever number you choose, make sure it's an odd number so that the stitching will come out evenly when you come back. The slinky was about a foot and a half long when I had chained it all.

If you follow the rest of her pattern, yours will turn out similar to mine. Just keep in mind that on your first one, you WILL be slow and it WILL be ugly if you're not familiar with crocheting. Even if you are, it STILL might be ugly. Don't be discouraged. The same thing happened to me. Just be sure not to cut the yarn off from the ball so that you can unravel it and try again (and we're not wasting yarn here).

The yarn I used, I just bought it at Wal*Mart and was less than $2 for the ball. The brand is sugar'n cream. That yarn has worked best for me because it doesn't fray like the softer varieties do. When the yarn frays, it's hard to see the detailing and makes it look more like a nest than a flower, and who wants to wear that on their head? You can get 3-4 flowers out of the ball of that brand, so if you have daughters-- you can make matching ones for all of them! (I can't wait to be a mom... my girls will be decked out!!) Cheap and easy right? I'm able to make one in the time it takes to watch my favorite TV show.

To finish the project, you'll also need and embroidery needle to stitch the slinky flower together. You can find these anywhere for a couple dollars and you'll have it for any future projects of this nature. You'll also need felt, hot glue, and an alligator clip. For the sake of time, I simply threaded the alligator clip through the yarn and clipped it to my headband.

But normally, I'd hot glue a circle of felt to under side of the flower, then hot glue the alligator clip to the felt. I like to have them not directly secured to anything like a headband or clothing because then you can use it as several different accessories without having to make more. And thats it! Voila! Super cheap, super cute hair accessories that you'll get dozens of compliments on.

And the best part is, whenever someone tells you they like the flower/headband or whatever you wear it as... you'll be able to say "Thanks! I made it!" Then you get to enjoy the impressed look on their face that says 'how awesome are you!' And believe me, there's not many things as satisfying as knowing you made something awesome. Get your crochet hooks out ladies!!

Expense breakdown:

• Yarn $1.98
• Crochet hook $3.00
• Embroidery needle $0.99
• Alligator clip $0.15 each (they come in packs of 20 at hobby lobby)

Total start up cost:

$7.57

Total cost of each flower once all supplies are purchased:

$0.50

Not bad right? This is Crazy #2 and thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed it!

-Crazy 2