Happy New Year!! Hope you had a good one, filled with yarny goodness! So this is the first crochet podcast episode of the year. Not many links to share, but there are crafty photographs to look at….
I am in a good place for this time of year. I hope you are too. I feel like I’ve played catch-up and won. This crochet podcast episode is all about showing off the latest finished objects (note that I have not said anything about WIPS!). I also chat about old pals and how I feel about progression in my work. Don’t forget to click on the picture above, which will take you to YouTube.
Oh, and something else I mentioned is this: Would you be interested in some kind of Granny-a-long? Embrace all things Granny? I am thinking of hosting a CAL (that’s Crochet-a-long) in the new year, focusing on the humble granny square/stitch. Let me know what you think!
Here are the links for everything I have talked about in this crochet podcast. Please do scroll beyond for all the crafty things…
Oh, how I wish I’d thought of these crochet Santa hats a wee bit earlier. There is literally just one week to go before Christmas Day, for goodness’ sake! Better late than never, I suppose, and now they’re here, they’re here forever!
It was this chunky Santa hat that popped into my head first (a couple of days ago). I didn’t like my other crochet Christmas hat very much; I’d not made enough of an effort in the design stakes (see me talk about that disaster Here). Instead of fiddly fine fluffy mohair yarn (i.e, the other Xmas hat I crocheted), I decided to go for a rush job and choose the chunkiest yarn my LYS had.
In the last two days, I’ve made three versions of this granny Santa hat to get the result I’m really happy with (the first two I was quite chilled about frogging; this festive hat takes no time to work up!). Yesterday we had a lovely Christmassy lunch at a pub with friends, and I sat there and worked on matching mini versions!
Crochet Santa Hat Bunting
The human-sized Santa hat used just over one ball of red chunky yarn and left me with about half a ball of cream colour. I felt bad about abandoning all those leftovers, and the mild to moderate guilt resulted in this collection of mini Santa hats that are ideal for crochet bunting.
One-Size-Fits-All Granny Santa Hat
Regarding the biggun, one size of the large granny stitch Santa hat fits all. We tested it on our after-lunch walk yesterday. It fits beautifully on all heads in different kinds of ways. My boy has it so that it is slightly oversize-in-a-good-way, it fits me like a normal hat, and it perches snuggly on a giant nut, like the one my friend got (cheers Paul!).
Today I’ve typed up the crochet patterns for both Santa hat sizes as a 2-for-1 thing. I have a free Granny Santa Hat pattern right here on the blog. The ad-free pdf is available as a download from Ravelry. More technical talk is over there, so do please pop over, and whilst you’re there, maybe you’ll be tempted to buy a copy! There is still time, honest! Or, if you would like to further explore more Christmas crochet patterns, go here.
The mini crochet hats can be Christmas tree decorations or a fabulous garland. I love both (which surprises me as I’m not a bunting person), it’s so versatile!!
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What do you think? Does it make you feel festive?! Honestly, I think this is such a quick crochet make for Christmas that you could make Santa hats for every member of the family over one weekend! HoHoHo? X
Here it is, a super simple yet surprisingly effective granny stripe scarf pattern. I’m all over crochet colour block designs at the moment. Of course, you don’t have to use colourblock aesthetics in your crochet granny scarf, but it does look pretty awesome.
The written crochet pattern is below, but you’ll be glad to hear that I put together a granny stripe scarf video tutorial as well!
What Do You Need To Crochet a Granny Stripe Scarf?
You will need around 350g DK yarn. That’s approximately 700 metres.
A 4mm crochet hook
A marginal approximation of brain power – nothing too strenuous, honest!
The DK yarn I used is Drops Lima in the following colours:
2x50g dark grey mix
2x50g powder pink
3x50g dark blue.
Drops Lima is hand-wash only, so feel free to swap it out for machine-washable yarn. I’m not sure it’s the best idea to use something that’s not machine washable for a scarf; maybe I should have gone for the superwash yarn, hmmm. It still looks pretty, though!
If you wanted to, you could go down a hook size for the ribbing at each end of the granny stripe scarf. I did (you can see the effect in the above photo). It cinches in a little bit, which stops the ends of the scarf from stretching too wide. However, it isn’t necessary, and whether it matters is up to you.
Notes on How to Crochet A Granny Stripe Scarf
Multiples of three are what’s needed. Chain as many as you like. For this scarf, I chained 54.
OK, this is the (sort of) tricky bit, but it is important. It will make one teeny little difference, depending on whether you have an even or odd number of multiples, it will determine whether you land on a Front Post st or a Back Post st on the second to last stitch of the row. It really doesn’t matter but it will change what you work first on the next row. All you have to remember is to work a BP in an FP and an FP in a BP. That’s what creates the rib effect.
US terms are used here, but I use both UK & US terms in the video. A US double is a UK treble.
Change colour once you’ve used about 100 metres of yarn, i.e., a full 50g ball of DK yarn. I counted to double-check that the end mirrored the beginning (you never know, your tension might change a bit).
Granny Stripe Scarf Pattern
US Crochet Terms. Work a chain using multiples of 3.
Row 1: 1dc in 4th ch from hook, dc along, turn. For a neat finish, work into the back bumps of the chain.
Row 2: Ch3 (counts as first stitch), *1BPdc, 1FPdc; rep from * to second to last st. 1dc in last st, turn (please read notes about BP & FP as you may land on either depending on the stitch multiple you chose).
Row 9: (1sc, 1ch, 1dc) in first st, *miss 2 sts, 3dc in next st; rep from * finishing with 2dc in the end st, turn.
Row 10: (1sc, 1ch) in first st, *3dc in next space between clusters; rep from * to end, finish with 1dc in last st, turn.
Row 11: (1sc, 1ch, 1dc) in first st, *3dc between each cluster; rep from * to end, finish with two dc in last st, turn.
Repeat Rows 10 & 11 until you’re happy with the length. End on Row 11.
Row 12: Ch3, 1dc in each st to end, turn.
Rows 13 – 19: Rep Row 2. Fasten off and sew in ends.
Check out the quick video tutorial (linked above) to see exactly where those post stitches go! Also, you may wish to explore the idea of crochet Post Stitch ribbing in more detail. In which case, take a look at my best crochet ribbing stitches, here. Thanks ever so much.
This scarf was inspired by the colour block jumper by Cleck Heaton, which I love! My granny stripe scarf is a free crochet pattern; you’re welcome to make as many as you like, but please let people know where you got the pattern from.
Holey Smokes is here!! I have wanted to design a crochet fade shawl for aaaages. It has been in my head for a while. I knew I wanted to make a fade style shawl, I knew it had to have lacy stitch patterns, and I knew I wanted crazy colours.
For a long time, I didn’t feel brave enough to sit down and do all the maths, but a few weeks ago I made myself do it. There’s no point putting something off just because you’re a little bit worried. The only way to find out how it would go was to dive right in. Back in the spring, I made Deanne’s Addydae Designs crochet Blurre Shawl (have a read) and this was another spur onwards (it’s so pretty, it’s so fadey!).
I love that knitting is embracing The Fade, but, come on, crochet! We need more! Sooo, Holey Smokes is my contribution. And I’m kind of working on another one too. Keep your eyes peeled. EDIT: (several months later…) The sequel: Smoke on the Water is HERE!!
Smoke on the Water. Holey Smokes’ sequel
The pattern is now for sale on Ravelry. You can find it HERE. I’ve put many more details about this lacey crochet shawl over on Ravelry; you can find out more technical gubbins by jumping across. I also have a tutorial on YouTube for the Crossed Treble stitch. In the meantime, here are some sporadic thoughts about my fancy new crochet shawl…
Yarn For a Colour Fade Crochet Shawl
I love the yarn! It’s Bluefaced Leicester (so hot right now!) and the colours are just amazing! I happened to stumble upon Somerset Yarns (I wish I could remember how). I absolutely knew that I had to get my hands on all those glorious colours. The fact that Tracey is relatively local to me (just over an hour away, in Bristol) is a coincidence. In fact, I’ve had a spate of buying local hand-dyed yarn recently, and all of it is coincidental.
The Crossed Treble Stitch
Working up the pattern is pretty easy once you get to grips with the main stitches. In the crochet lace shawl pattern, I have included written instructions, photographs and a chart. Not to mention the video tutorial – linked above.
Between all of that, you should be able to decipher the “Crossed Treble” stitch without too much trouble. I’ll be honest, it isn’t the easiest of stitches at first. I saw about 4 different ways of it being written before I decided to offer a fifth. It has been the biggest challenge in writing the pattern, but I did it! Yay!
The pattern has been tested by five wonderful, beautiful, helpful (not to mention patient) people, and I’ve had really positive feedback. Big, enormous thanks go to them; they spotted my silly mistakes, such as rows numbered the same as each other. Honestly, I don’t know how that happened!
I’m still having trouble photographing bright colours. The camera says “no”. You can get the gist, though. And we are talking bright colours. Really bright! In fact, I couldn’t help vocalising some choice words when I was hooking it up. That is why it’s called Holey Smokes. It’s a slightly tamer version of my initial exclamation. The “e” is there because the shawl has holes…
What do you reckon? I think it’s ace! I’ve got another one planned, but I’m not sure when I’ll get cracking on it. Do you want to make one? Let me know. Cheers! X
Christmas is pretty much just around the corner, honestly, it’ll be here before you know it. I’ve noticed this year that crochet baubles are all the rage, so I’ve had a go at my own simple bauble pattern. I’ve put together a tutorial for YouTube too, so if that’s more your thing, then do jump across to my YouTube channel… Here is where you’ll find the crochet bauble video!
It’s always surprising just how quickly these granny stitch crochet baubles work up, and you will find yourself making loads and loads! The more the merrier with a colourful crochet bauble. They look so good, decorating a Christmas tree, when there’s a gaggle of them (I’m not sure what the collective noun of a bauble should be, so if you have any suggestions, let me know!).
Anyway, rather than any further preamble, go get your decs out and get crocheting!
If you would like to support my crochet adventures, feel free to check out my other CrochetFree Patterns. Cheers! x
Things You Need to Crochet Granny Stitch Baubles
6cm (diameter) baubles. Mine are from Sainsbury’s, but I bought similar from Wilko’s last year. I think they’re a fairly standard bauble size.
3mm crochet hook.
DK cotton in different colours. I’ve tried many brands, and they’re all good: Paintbox Cotton, Drops Muskat, DMC Natura, Stylecraft Classique, etc…
Crochet Bauble Pattern Notes
Fasten off (FO) after each round and join the new colour with a ss (slip stitch) just to the right of where you fastened off.
If you want to avoid sewing in most ends, crochet over them as you go, but it is worth sewing them in if you have the time and patience.
UK terms are used in the written pattern, and I use both UK & US in the video. Things to remember are: a UK tr is a US dc. A UK dc is a US sc.
Make 2 of the pattern for each crochet bauble.
Please read the whole pattern through before starting.
Granny Stitch Crochet Bauble Pattern
Begin with a Magic Circle (or ch4 and join with a slip stitch).
Ch1, 1tr, ch1, *tr2tog, ch1; rep from * 5 times, join with a ss to the top of the first petal. [6 “petals”]
(Ch2, 1tr, ch1, tr2tog, ch1) in same space, (tr2tog, ch1, tr2tog, ch1) in each 1ch sp, join with a ss to the top of the first petal. [12 “petals”]
Ch3, 2tr in first ch sp, 3tr in each ch sp around, join to top of the ch3. [12 clusters]
Ch2, 1htr in each st around. [36 st]
Ch1, 1dc in each st around, join with ss.
Make the two halves. Sew in any ends. Do not FO after Round 5 on the second half.
Place both halves together, right sides out, and slip stitch together, facing loops only. At just over the halfway point, wriggle the bauble into its granny crochet jacket and continue to slip stitch together. This can be fiddly, but it’s worth it! Sew in the last end, using it to tidy around the hanging bit of the bauble if you need to.
How Many Granny Stitch Crochet Baubles Will You Make?!
And the next instruction is to crochet several granny baubles!! As I said earlier, with crochet baubles, in my opinion, it’s a case of the more the merrier. Think of all the differetn colour combinations you can put together. So gather all your yarn scraps, and get crocheting! Christmas is always a time to be merry (and bright!). Let’s decorate it in crochet!.
Please do give me a shout if you have found the crochet bauble pattern/tutorial useful. A thumbs up on YouTube helps too. Thank you very much!
Also, please feel free to go ahead and share a link to this free crochet pattern. Sharing is truly marvellous! But I ask (really rather nicely, please, thank you, please) that you credit Zeens and Roger if you do. Thanks again.
Happy Hallowe’en, folks! I have made minimal effort to jazz up this week’s crochet vlogcast with a spooky theme. Whilst there is a spooky crochet spider and some fancy-dress, er, there is little else to do with this fun-filled holiday. But I still love Halloween! Please fly (broomstick style) to YouTube!
In this crochet podcast episode, I talk about the following delights:
Hopefully you’ve heard of the Back To School Sweater CAL by now. If you haven’t, then you’ve still got a month before the Crochet-A-Long ends. It is the perfect excuse to try something you’ve never done before. I had never made myself a crochet jumper before. Now I have made two!
And it’s partly due to this fabulous sweater party that has been devised by Tamara from Crafty Escapism and Helen from Making at Number 14, not to mention shouted from the rooftops by awesome Fay of the Crochet Circle podcast. They will take you to a hive of information and lead you down a rabbit hole of jumpery goodness. There are loads of specially written blog posts by some truly knowledgeable people.
I’ve stopped caring about showing my mad face to the world. It doesn’t really matter, does it? I expect you’re looking at the jumper/sweater anyway. And you have probably noticed that both my jumpers are the same pattern. It’s the Cleckheaton Colour Block Jumper, and I have mentioned it several times now, mostly over on my YouTube channel (episodes 13-16), where I’ve shared the details of yarn (it’s Drops Lima, which I’ve learned is deffo handwash only) and other super informative stuff.
You can find the pattern for free on Ravelry, along with many others that are in a useful bundle put together by the CAL team. Look here, aren’t there so many you could make?!
Yes, my sweater seaming is a bit dodgy, but I’m saying it’s part of the look. And you can always turn it inside out, where it blends in more. And if I’m not mistaken, I appear to have walked past many (far more than usual) doors/walls/strange places that all have nails (or other protruding things) poking out, waiting to grab hold and snag at my granny clusters. It’s a handmade jumper’s worst nightmare (that, and the shrinking/felting thing that I achieved on the first wash).
As it’s a CAL, there are prizes to be won if you enter your project into the Ravelry threads. I have offered one of my patterns as a prize. I don’t know if it’ll be a bundle of prizes for just a couple of winners or if there’ll be many prizes for different categories. Here is the Chatter thread so you can see what everyone is getting up to. And here is the Finished Object thread. I admit that I’m not very good at chatter threads. I easily forget to check in, but I do enjoy seeing other crafter’s takes on projects. Simply by joining in on the threads (and by using the Instagram hashtag #BackToSchoolSweaterCAL) means you’re eligible to be entered into the prize giveaways.
Again, sorry about the face. This photo really shows the jumper off, though, so I’m overlooking the crazy stare (it’s not as if people cross the street when I walk by or anything).
Have you already made crochet garments before? Is it something you enjoy? I loved making mine and will definitely make more crochet clothes for myself in the future. And please shout out if you are already taking part. Or maybe you’ve had a spark of inspiration and now feel the pull of the CAL?! Let me know! Cheers.
This cute crochet bag is the perfect size for kids, and the kids I know love to carry little bags around with them; putting all their favorite things in to lug around wherever they go. It’s always toys cars and/or teddy bear of choice for my boys!
I decided to make a small version of my crochet beach bag for two reasons: one, I was curious about how it would turn out, and two, it was to become a video tutorial on how to crochet a little granny stitch bag and it would take an eternity to make and film a big version. And there is a big version – it’s pictured below and comes with the free crochet pattern, right here, on the blog!
Crochet Bag Video Tutorial
OMG, I love what happened! It’s such a cute little crochet bag. I think I might prefer this small granny stripe bag to it’s adult sized crochet bag.
Check out the video tutorial for how to crochet a little granny stitch bag:
Things You Need to Crochet A Little Bag
Bernat Pop (140g) in Paisley Pop
4.5mm crochet hook
Pompom maker – optional
I made this little crochet bag (including a handful of diddy poms poms) using a colour-changing yarn cake: Bernat Pop (140g) in Paisley Pop. I had about 20 grams left at the end.
My crochet hook size was a 4.5mm, but you might want to go down to a 4mm if you have loose tension. If your fabric feels stiff as you work up the bag, this would indicate that you need to go up a hook size. A bit of drape is good here, but you know what, whatever floats your boat, you can make it just how you want, and no one is going to judge!
You might also want to get a pom pom maker if you fancy decorating your crochet bag.
Little Granny Stitch Bag Measurements
This little granny stripe bag measures approximately 28 cm/11 inches across and is 23 cm/9 inches deep. The handles (including the ends tucked inside) are about 47 cm/18.5 inches long.
What’s Different to the Large Crochet Beach Bag?
The bigger crochet beach bag uses 2x 200g Caron Cakes. It was made bigger by adding another increase round before the sides began to build. You can read more about that one HERE.
So, what are the changes to this little crochet bag? Well, this kids’ version only works up to Round 6, and then Round 6 is repeated 13 times. Essentially, follow the first 6 rounds of the larger pattern and then no more increases are required. You should quickly see the bag start to form.
Once you have finished all the lovely granny stripe rounds, the next row uses the UK htr stitch (a US hdc) to create a tidy finish.
The handle has a couple of changes to the original: Chain 71, and only work one row of UK treble / US double clusters after the UK dc / US sc row.
Both crochet bags will also look fantastic with cotton yarn, by the way.
If you fancy making a little crochet bag, give it a go today! It is such a quick crochet project and a great idea for a beginner crocheter. And don’t forget to let me know. I would love to hear from you.
I am very pleased to say that I have a new crochet shawl design up on Ravelry! It’s a simple pattern for a pretty crochet shawl. It has been tested by some truly wonderful people, and I’ve had really lovely (and super useful) feedback.
The reason for the name? Well, after much chat on my Crochet podcast, between myself and fab viewers, lots of folks thought the stitch pattern looked like rattan or wicker chairs. Specifically, rocking chairs that had been made with rattan-style stuff. It’s fun and says what it is. Sort of!
So, it’s a triangle crochet shawl pattern, worked by increasing on one side. Just super simple crochet stitches. Every few rows, we have eyelet sections, the ones that look like rattan!
I made this Off Your Rocket in a sport weight yarn, but you could make it in any yarn weight you like.
Bonus Baby Blanket
Not only is this a crochet shawl pattern, but I have also included bonus information about how to make a crochet baby blanket using the same stitch pattern! I’m really excited about it. I’m just so pleased with how it turned out. What do you reckon?! Keep scrolling for more pics!
