free pattern Archives - Page 5 of 6

Crochet Catch up. October.

October 21, 2016October 21, 2016crochet, free pattern24 Comments

I may as well start with more pictures of me! (I know why I keep having to do this, it’s because I keep making hats and scarves that have to be worn to show what they’re like). I promise it really isn’t going to be a regular occurence.

It’s my Tunisian crochet cowl, which is a fabulous free pattern by BHooked. Once I got stuck in it took next to no time. I wrote about the beginnings of it a couple of weeks ago. I’m wearing it right now, I’m absolutely freezing. I used different colours to the original pattern. I ordered mustard and barley Lionbrand, Wool Ease Thick and Quick from Woolwarehouse. When I first put it on it was quite stiff even though my tension couldn’t have been that tight (I would have had loads of yarn left over if it was too tight and I didn’t). It’s sitting a lot better now that I’ve worn it a few times.

To go with my new snood/cowl, I made a hat with Drops Big Merino. The pompom matches the cowl but the cat found it and has mauled the hat slightly. I came down stairs the other morning to find lots of mustardy worms sprinkled on the carpet. She does love a pompom.

Can I get away with this combo? I’ll at least be warm!

I finally got this made. A cute kitty purse by Nicki Trench (from the book Cute and Easy Crochet). It had been sat waiting (half made) for a few weeks. I was gearing myself up towards getting out the sewing machine. The thought of dragging it out from the cupboard under the stairs and then setting it all up was a bit of an effort (so lazy). I thought it’d be better to wait until I had a few sewing jobs and get them all done at the same time. Mine looks more like a mouse but, whatever.

It has been posted to my niece whose birthday was in the middle of August. Seeing as she’s only two I didn’t think she’d notice that it was a momentarily delayed.

The lining is my favourite! More kitties! It’s from Fabricland. I bought it a year or two ago but I think they still sell it.

Marceline is always nosey. She came over and sat on top of all the crochet.

Sorry, more selfies. I had no idea how tricky it’d be to take a picture of a scarf! The angle you need to get it all in! This is the Geoffrey Scarf by Potter and Bloom.

Isn’t it lovely?! I watch podcasts every now and again (they’re vlogs really but podcast seems to be the word that has caught on) and I have recently found one by Potter and Bloom. I have now stalked Emma everywhere: You Tube, Twitter, Instagram, Ravelry, her blog; I have probably made quite a nuisance of myself. But it has paid off because when she asked for pattern testers for her Geoffrey scarf I was there shouting “pick me, pick me”. I spent last weekend scrutinising every last word, number, asterix of the pattern… It was like a really weird crochet exam.

I have never read a pattern so intensely in my life. I wanted to do it properly though. I thought it’d be a doddle; it was only a scarf! I thought I’d get it done and dusted in a few hours. It was actually a lot of work. It was a good experience though and I’m glad I’ve done it. It also turned out that I was the first of a handful of testers to finish. That means I get a lovely gift of Paintbox yarn from Emma! I’ll report back on that another day.

There’s a nice intersection of motifs in the centre of the scarf. When it’s wrapped around your neck they sit nicely at the front. My middle motif looks like an eye. It’ll be staring at whomever I talk to when I’m wearing it. Except for it won’t. I’m not keeping it, I’m putting it aside as a Christmas present. I’ve got my chunky Tunisian cowl!

Should I add tassels to the pointy ends, or leave it as it is? I think Emma decided to leave hers, she had pondered over the idea of pompoms.

If you’d like to hear more about the Geoffrey scarf, pop over to You Tube to watch Episode 10 of Potter and Bloom’s podcast. Just before the six minute mark is the part where my fellow testers and I are mentioned. And If you watch Episode 9 just before the 27 minute mark she starts talking about yarn for a shawl. Yeah, that was my joke!! How exciting to be mentioned! I was watching the podcast whilst cooking the tea (sausage and mash!) and had to “rewind” as I hadn’t been quite sure I’d heard right. But you should watch all of them! Not just the bits I’m in!

And there have been so many other exciting things happen this week. It has been ridiculously busy… A winner for the Take Care Mohair Giveaway was picked yesterday (that was over on Instagram), I’ve been to an event run by The Creative Business Network to get a massive injection of motivation (the artist Sarah J Perry gave a talk on Imposter Syndrome) and I’ve actually been writing out some new crochet patterns. It all feels great! But I must get on, I need to continue writing patterns. I forgot that it’s half term next week, which means I lose time I thought I had!

Winter is Coming: Get Crochet Ready.

October 5, 2016October 5, 2016crafty, crochet, free pattern32 Comments

It’s properly autumn now; the urge to make woolly warm things is upon me. I’m starting with things for me (this will come as no surprise to those who know me)! Then I have lots of things waiting which, will become wintery outerwear for others. Crochet hat? Crochet scarf? Crochet gloves? I hope so! Sorry everyone, it’s another handmade Christmas!

I ordered more Tunisian crochet hooks quite soon after I first tried it a couple of weeks ago. I very quickly spotted a gorgeous looking cowl from BHooked and I knew it was something I could do with my new skill. I ordered the same brand of wool used in the original pattern (Lion Brand Wool Ease in Barley and Mustard) and I have to say that it’s perfectly nice. I’ve got no problems with it and it’ll be lovely and warm because of the wool content. And there is no itch, which is very important when smooshing against a neck.

Tunisian crochet has quite a curl to it. This won’t be an issue once it’s finished. To get a good idea of my progress I have to hold it flat. My progress is slow, I’ve found that chunky yarn is not something that can be worked on for long stretches. Achey fingers are a bit of an issue. Also, I hold the hook differently, which will hopefully improve with practise.

To go with my new cowl I’m making a hat. I’m picking this up when I put down the other. I’m two balls into a three ball hat. I’ve guessed at three, I think it should just do it but there probably won’t be much slouch when I’ve finished. I’m using aran weight; Big Merino by Drops (love Drops!). It’s dense but super soft. I like it and know it’ll be lovely and warm. The pattern for this is sort of made up but before I started, I looked about on Pinterest and found that there are several patterns that essentially make this hat. Here is my hat board for Pinterest, try the Urban Slouch Beanie.

There had better be enough of something left so I can make a pompom…

Top Crochet Tips & Techniques!

September 26, 2016May 15, 2023amigurumi, crochet, free pattern32 Comments

amazing-crochet-secrets-thatll-knock-your-socks-off

Making The Best Crochet

One of the great things about crochet is that there are constantly new tips and tricks to learn. I’m always completely bowled over when I stumble upon a new crochet technique, pattern, or colour combination. Actually, I think what astonishes me most is that crochet, or more to the point, how we crochet, always has the ability to surprise!

As part of this, it’s important that, when upping our crochet game, we embrace new skills, news skills that can really elevate crochet and make yarny projects the best they can be.

Top Crochet Tips and Techniques

I learned to crochet six years ago (Nanna tried to teach me when I was little; I didn’t get on with it). After six years I still LOVE crochet and I still love it when it teaches me something new. A lot of it is probably my childish pride but I don’t care, it makes me super happy. It makes me squee when I accomplish something that’s new to me. I’ve found a hobby that continually delights.

And that’s the point here. Many of the crochet tips below are now part of my everyday hooking repetoire but they might be totally new to somebody else. We’re lucky enough that these crochet tricks and techniques get shared, for us all to discover and enjoy.

Anyway, I thought it would be a really good idea to collate some of my favourite crochet tips together in one place. Some are more common than others but I didn’t know them at one time, maybe you don’t either? There are probably loads more I have yet to try as well. Let me know what you think, and tell me if there are some awesome crochet secrets that I’ve missed.

Circle in square crochet blanket. Free pattern.

1. The Standing Start – Alternative to “Chain 3”

Check out Moogly for how to replace the “3ch” and seamlessly start a crochet project. Wrap new yarn around your hook twice and then insert the hook into the first stitch before completing what is effectively the first US dc / UK tr stitch. It is just one method that’s an alternative to the 3 chain at the beginning of rows / rounds. I like this technique for starting rows when changing colour.

2. The Chainless Foundation. Or Foundationless Start

I love this crochet tip! Love LOVE love it!! Find my video tutorial for a foundationless start HERE. In the tutorial I demonstrate the technique for US sc, hdc and dc starts. Beginning crochet projects has never looked so neat and tidy. Plus, there’s more elasticity with this method and you don’t end up with a twisty tangle of a foundation chain.

3. Stop your Chains Twisting!

If you do still want to chain the old fashioned way, here’s how to stop the twist! It is perfect for a project like an infinity scarf. Sometimes the old method is a good method, especially if you’re all fingers and thumbs with the foundationless start. This is the one where you pop the end of the chain onto your hook whilst you whip up the rest of your chains, then slide it over at the end to create a big ol loop.

Amigurumi Easter Eggs. Free crochet pattern.

4. The Invisible Decrease

Planet June has great amigurumi tutorials for techniques that create wonderfully neat crochet creatures. The invisible decrease is ace; it’s one of my favourite amigurumi secrets. It does what it says on the tin, it’s a decrease that’s invisible! Other decrease methods can be seen in the tight stitches of amigurumi fabric, so this one is a doozy.

5. Finishing off your Amigurumi

This top crochet tip saved me from having lots of stuffed toys with ugly bottoms! Quite literally for this fawn (not that you can see his bottom in the picture below).

Have a look here for this easy method for closing the little whole left at the end of an amigurumi pattern. Even with the invisible decrease, I reckon you can only decrease so much with amigurumi before the stitches start looking a bit overstretched. This is normally near the final round or two. So rather than struggling to squeeze them, I like to finish by using a needle and thread.

6. A Smooth Crochet Circle

If you add uniform increases when working a crochet circle, the final item can actually look more hexagonal. It’s all about mixing up the stitches. Bascially, you don’t have to work every increase in a formulaic pattern. Be a bit more random with the placemnt of the increases and it smooths out the rounds.

7. Work under the Bumps

This one, I learned near the beginning of my crochet obsession and I still think it’s fab. Many patterns never seem to state whereabouts in a chain you should work and, when I was a learner, this confused the heck out of me! I used to go into just the one loop of each chain, never really knowing if this was the right thing to do. To be honest, it looks a bit of a mess doing it this way. What someone should have told me was to work in the back “bumps” of a foundation chain. Check out this beginner friendly method here: under the bumps tutorial. Unless, you know, Foundationless…!

8. Tidy Crochet Edges for your Border

I only found this one a few days ago so I haven’t tried it yet. It looks great! My edges tend to look messy even when I make an effort to be extra neat. Felted Button has a great tutorial to rid you of unsightly borders.

Another crochet tip I picked up for creating a neat and tidy border is to make sure you colour match where you can. If the first round of a border matches the main body of you project, you disguise any potential quirky stitch placements.

9. Lose the Granny Square Twist

Why are my Granny’s twisty?! Cherry Heart will tell you! Sandra’s post has lots of useful crochet tips relating to the ubiquitous granny square. So simple, yet I never thought of trying any of these at first. All hail experienced crochet experts!!

10. The Continuous Join as you go

Not to be confused with the Join As You Go method, which still results in lots of ends to sew in (but is useful when using different rounds of colour), The Continuous JAYG has only two ends to sew in and it’s really easy! Honestly, if you haven’t done this before, it’s life changing. I’ve tried a couple of different methods and the one over at Patchwork Heart is the best.

This is one that’s easy once you have seen a demonstration. I tried to make it up once and got in a right pickle!

11. The Fancy Continuous Join as you go

I really really want to do this. You can save time and be pretty! It’s the Continuous Flat Braid. Same as above, but fancy!!

12. The Neat Granny Border

If you’ve gone to the effort of stitching all your granny’s together, the least you can do is make sure they get a beautiful border too. Too many clusters around the edges can cause a bit of a ruffle. Pop over to Bunny Mummy’s guide for how to crochet a flat border.

crochet blanket enjoying the autumn sunshine.

And that’s it for now but I reckon I’ll have to do a sequel one day. Crochet tips like this really can help create beautiful work and I’m always on the look put for more ways I can improve my crochet skills.

Once again, please do let me know if you have your own favourite top crochet tips and tricks. I’d love to hear from you. Cheers!

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Corner to Corner Geometric Crochet Cushion.

September 13, 2016January 27, 2017crafty, crochet, free pattern33 Comments

At last, I’ve finished my crochet cushion! I’m really pleased with it, even though it goes with absolutely nothing in the rest of the house! It was one of those things that just popped in my head one day. All other projects were put aside whilst I got the first couple of squares done. It has lead to other ideas too, which is great. It means that this cushion isn’t the end of my geometric crochet design (I’ve got another pattern/tutorial up my sleeve for some time soon).

Basically, it’s corner to corner in US single crochet stitches. For some reason I’ve adopted US speak for a lot, but not all crochet terminology (I still call UK trebles, trebles which can get confusing!). I added the tip of colour to make it more interesting; there wouldn’t have been much point in a plain c2c. Ultimately, what I want to do is work out the pattern in Tunisian crochet as I think you could do it all in one piece. Sadly, I don’t know how to do Tunisian crochet yet. This might well be the catalyst…

I bought an 18″ feather cushion and a plain cover (both v cheap from Amazon). This turned out to be a great fit for a 5×5 set of squares.

Stitching the squares together was easy. Right sides together and use matching yarn colours.

There are many ways to line them up but I went for all corners pointing in the same direction.

I did a crab stitch around the outside thinking it would be a bit like piping. Turns out, it isn’t like that at all but it was a good foundation for stitching the crochet to the cushion.

I took the actual cushion out to begin stitching.

I pinned it in place and then went around with a good strong needle, as close to the edge as possible.

And then it was done!

Do you like it?! I do! The balance of colours isn’t perfect. It was de-stash time again and I ran out of some colours before others. In an ideal world I would have planned that better but you can’t go out and buy new balls just for the sake of a few metres. I even scrounged some of the lavender colour off my friend up the road.

If anyone fancies having a go, here is the pattern:

I used Stylecraft Special DK and a 4.5 hook.

Ch2
2sc in 2nd chain from hook. Chain 1 and turn.[2]
2sc in both stitches. Chain 1 and turn. [4]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 2 stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [6]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 4 stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [8]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 6 stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [10]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 8 stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [12]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 10 stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [14]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 12 stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [16]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 14 stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [18]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 16stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [20]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 18 stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [22]
2sc in first stitch, 1sc in next 20 stitches. 2 sc in last stitch. Chain 1 and turn. [24]
Sc the first two stitches together (decrease), 1sc in next 20 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [22]
1 decrease, 1sc in the next 18 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [20]
1 decrease, 1sc in the next 16 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [18]
1 decrease, 1sc in the next 14 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [16]
1 decrease, 1sc in the next 12 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. Change colour. [14]
1 decrease, 1sc in the next 10 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [12]
1 decrease, 1sc in the next 8 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [10]
1 decrease, 1sc in the next 6 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [8]
1 decrease, 1sc in the next 4 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [6]
1 decrease, 1sc in the next 2 stitches, 1 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [4]
2 decrease. Chain 1 and turn. [2]
1 decrease. Fasten off and sew in ends.

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How to sew a cute kitty brooch. A tutorial.

July 23, 2016August 3, 2016crafty, felt, free pattern14 Comments

Whilst I was sewing lots of felt bits recently, I had a thought that it would be nice to share how I do it. It doesn’t happen often. Some kitty cats I made were quite popular so I decided to use my design to show you how to make a brooch. Sewing felt is great, no fraying edges to worry about, it’s versatile and quite sturdy.

I’m making a cat brooch here but you can create any design. Even if your drawing is shocking, something interesting will come out of it. I do not care for the excuse that a person is not creative, it’s complete nonsense. If you want to have a go, just do it. And, since we’ve just begun the summer holidays, I can tell you that this is a fabulous project to do with the kids. Mine love doing this kind of thing. Summer holiday crafts are a must.

Keyrings work well too. Or if you can’t be bothered to source brooch backs and keyrings (get them from Etsy or Ebay), then a few inches of ribbon attached means that it can become a hangy decoration.

This is a good craft project for those who don’t have loads of supplies. A square of felt and a couple of buttons costs less than a quid. You can use buttons, cut from old clothes. You can even use fabric off the same thing if you want. Change the thread for yarn, if that’s all you’ve got. Whatever.

What you’ll need:

Paper and pen/pencil.

Scissors.

Felt (or thickish fabric).

Buttons for eyes.

Embroidery thread (or normal sewing thread doubled up).

Sewing needle and a pin or two.

A small amount of polyfibre fill.

Brooch back, keyring or ribbon.

Draw out the design of your choice: cat, dog, fish, fruit, flower, blah blah. Cut it out. A tip here is to go slightly bigger than you want the finished item to be. The finished thing will work up slightly smaller. Keep shaping to a minimum too, you don’t want to give yourself the headache of awkward corners, or thin poky-out bits. Simple is key.

Pin your template to both layers of felt and cut out. I do it together so that they’re both the same shape.

Cut your thread to about 40cm. If you’re using embroidery thread then you need to separate out two strands, as in the picture above. This might seem daft but a whole thickness of floss is too bulky and looks naff. Alternatively, use sewing thread doubled up. This doesn’t produce as nice a finish but it’s good enough. Tie a knot in the end (obviously). If it’s for the kids, I tie the ends of the thread together because they always yank it off the needle. Always. If that’s the case, I make the thread longer.

I start with the eyes. You can place them anywhere you like, I like to go wider (leaving room for edge stitching). Poke your needle right through his eyes! Keep knots on the back. I think three rounds per eye is good.

I recently bought a fancy pen for drawing embroidery designs. It cost about £3 from a fabric shop. The ink disappears after a few hours so you can draw your face and not worry about scruffy pen marks. If you’re not that fussed, you can free style it or see if a soft pencil works.

With the embroidery thread, you’re essentially colouring in. For the nose use a satin stitch, which is just stitches placed really close to one another. For the bit under his nose, I change to a running stitch and follow the line I drew.

You Tube is your friend when learning stitches.

I ran out of my first lot of thread at this stage. It’s best to leave maybe 8-10cm of thread at the end to give yourself a sufficient amount to tie off and weave in. It doesn’t matter about the tangle you create on the wrong side. Just as long as it is kept to the wrong side.

A little kitty face sewn! If you still have a decent amount of thread left, don’t tie it off yet as you can use it to sew the two sides together. Put this face to one side while you do the next stage.

Sewing on a brooch back is similar to sewing on the eyes. I go in and out of each hole three times at the top and three times each for the bottom holes (bottom holes!!). Make sure the brooch back is the right way up and that it’s placed towards the top middle. Make sure you sew it to the correct side of your felt/fabric too.

Almost there. Just need to sew them together.

Rethread the needle and it’s time to sew the front to the back. I use a whip stitch. I used to use a blanket stitch but it uses a tonne of thread and a whip stitch looks similar when looking straight on. Meh, you can choose. Just make sure the stitches are neatly done.

(If I was using ribbon, it’d be at this stage, near the top that I’d get it ready to stitch between the two layers).

Again, if thread needs changing, tie off the old stuff and knot in the new all inside your kitty. No one will ever know about the mess!

When there’s only a couple of inches left to sew, kitty needs to acquire some chub. I’ve got a bag of toy stuffing (bought from Amazon) but if desperate go and destroy a cushion (but perhaps you shouldn’t :/). I can’t think of what else would make a good alternative. Anyway, stuff lightly, match up the open pieces and carry on with the stitching.

To finish off, the last stitch to the back needs to be poked upwards and out again, next to another stitch as in the left photo above. Check the front to make sure you didn’t go through to the face too. Go around the stitch you popped out next to and then repeat the process a few more times. I usually aim for five times or just keep going until the thread comes to an end. lose the thread inside newly made felt cat or carefully snip off any that is showing.

It is done. Miaow.

Feel free to and look at my Etsy shop where there are a few for sale! Here are some others that I’ve made before…

By the way, if I spot any of these for sale any where else, I will be cross that you’ve pinched my ideas, so don’t do it. Thanks. Have a good summer!

I have linked up here…

Another Granny Triangle Shawl!

May 13, 2016October 12, 2024crochet, free pattern15 Comments

A Granny Triangle Shawl

I’ve crocheted another Granny Triangle Shawl. I couldn’t help myself. When I saw Drops yarn on sale the weekend before last, I had to buy some. It was for research purposes; I wanted to try out my granny triangle shawl pattern again.

My original crochet pattern is woolly and wintery. This time, I wanted something with more of a drape. I chose Drops Baby Merino this time (it’s 4 ply) and added a chain between each cluster to create the looser fabric. I’d not used this yarn before and I’m already using it again (another shawl pattern)! I like it, it’s good.

I thought the colours in this granny triangle shawl were a bit more summery, and the drapey 4 ply would make it less stifling for the season. I’m really quite pleased. I used a 3.25mm hook with this weight of yarn.

Lazy Shawl Blocking

I was very well behaved because I actually managed to block my shawl. It’s a cheats method of blocking, but blocking nevertheless. I pinned it out directly on to the carpet (whilst I was watching the telly) and sprayed it with water. Just enough to lightly dampen it. I left it for a few hours to dry naturally. But to make sure it was dry, I also got the hair dryer on it.

I wouldn’t ever advocate this method because somewhere along the line I will no doubt, end up ruining one of my precious crochet makes. I can see myself ruining the carpet too. Yes, I know this is foolish.

I love the simple scallop edging for this triangle granny shawl. It’s not hard to do. I changed the colour sequence for this version of the shawl as I didn’t want to buy loads of different colours just to do a couple of rows of each. It still is essentially the same thing as the original. This time I used 4x 50 gram balls of green and one each of the other two shades.

Even though it was something I made up, I forgot how to do the edging so I dutifully followed my own crochet pattern. It worked too (but I shouldn’t let on that I was surprised, of course it worked!). I should confess that I did have to bodge the corner/point. By adding a chain between each granny stitch cluster (to get the nice drape I spoke of), it changed the stitch count from multiples of three to multiples of four.

Silly me! I had a skip a stitch here and there whilst making the scallops so that the middle cluster actually ended up in the middle. It’s not noticeable but something I should have planned for. At least crochet is very forgving when you fudge a few stitches!

The blocking definitely added to the drapey quality. It has also made the wool feel softer.

I took many many pictures, but sadly none of me wearing it this time. Shame. I got distracted by the cat. And then I started taking photos of other things around the room.

Plants aside, I’ve got some pictures of the cat…

Whenever something woolly comes out she decides it’s somewhere she wants to be. Good old Marceline (not that old, she’s only turning one sometime toward the end of the month).

Sleepy kitty.

Suspicious kitty.

A One Skein Crochet Mesh Bag. Free pattern.

May 1, 2016May 23, 2018crochet, free pattern33 Comments

EDIT:: Hold your horses!! Before you read on, you might like me to direct you to the updated version, which is a far more straight forward pattern with pretty much the same results. GO HERE for the written pattern. And go HERE to YouTube for the video tutorial. Ta! x

The first anniversary of my blogging ways today. That went quickly! Yay me! I’ve enjoyed all of it so far. I’ve learned so much and (conversely) haven’t learned anything at all! I wasn’t sure what it would be like and have been pleasantly surprised. I wonder what the following year will bring!?

In celebration of this momentous occasion (and it totally is momentous) I’m sharing a pattern of mine.

I’ve made a couple of mesh bags before but they required more than just one ball of yarn. I didn’t want loads of balls/skeins rolling about everywhere and I didn’t want to spend loads of money. Crochet can be an expensive hobby! This isn’t a tutorial as I didn’t take many pictures of the making process. I forgot. I remembered in time for the handle making stage, so I have some pics of that part. There is also a delightful diagram I’ve spent aaages drawing. It’s there to help with the end of rounds. I found it tricky to word the pattern for those bits!

It’s a deceptively good size bag. When I was making it I was unsure there’d be much point in it but you can actually fit loads in there!

I used Rico Essentials cotton dk in Emerald and a 3mm hook. At the end I had approximately a metre left. Your tension will probs be different to mine and if you’re worried about running out of cotton, you could skip a round or make the handle shorter. This yarn is lovely to use and I want more!!

Crochet Mesh Bag.

The pattern is written in UK terms.

Start with a magic ring (or ch4 and join with a slip stitch).

Round 1: Ch3, 11tr into ring. Join to third ch of initial 3 ch with a slip stitch. Pull the magic ring tight to secure. [12st]

Round 2: Ch3, 1 tr into same stitch. 2 tr into each space. Join to third ch of initial 3 ch with a slip stitch. [24st]

Round 3: Ch3, *2tr in next stitch, 1 tr in next* around, ending with 2tr in last st. [36st]

Round 4: Ch1, 1dc in same st. *ch3, skip 1 stitch, 1dc in next* around until the second to last st (stitch). At this point, ch1 and make a half tr into beginning dc. (Have a look at the diagram to see how to join rounds at the end. Bear in mind that it’s just a section of the round, showing the important bit. Placing a stitch marker on the last stitch of each row from here will help) [18 ch sp].

Round 5: *Ch4, 1dc in next ch sp* around until second to last ch sp. Ch2, 1htr into the top of the last st of the previous round (ie into the top of the htr of previous round).

Round 6: *ch5, 1dc in next ch sp* around until second to last ch sp. Ch2, 1tr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Round 7: *ch6, 1dc in next ch sp* around until second to last ch sp. Ch3, tr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Round 8-9: *Ch7, 1dc in next ch sp* around until second to last ch sp. Ch3, 1double tr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Round 10: Three increases will be made at even intervals in this round. *Ch7, 1dc in next ch sp, ch4, 1 dc in same ch sp. (Ch7, 1dc in next ch sp) x 5. Repeat from * two more times, finishing before the last ch7. Instead, Ch3, 1double tr into the top of the last st of the previous round. [21ch sp]

Round 11-12: *Ch7, 1dc in next ch sp* around until second to last ch sp. Ch3, 1double tr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Round 13-20: Ch8, 1dc in next ch sp* around until second to last ch sp. Ch4, 1double tr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Round 21 : Same as round 7.

Round 22 : Same as round 6.

Round 23: ch1, 1dc in same stitch. 4dc in each ch sp, 1 dc in top of each dc of previous round. Ss into first dc.

Round 24-25: Ch1, 1 dc in same space. Dc around. Ss into first dc.

Handle stage now…

Row 1: Ch1, 1dc in same space, 1 dc in next 7st. Ch1, turn. [8]

Row 2: Dc along the next 8 stitches. Ch1, turn. [8] repeat row 2 until desired handle length or when nearing the end of the yarn (I made my handle approx 18″).

Turn your bag inside out. To attach the handle to the other side of the bag, first count how many stitches are around the top of the bag. I had 100 stitches. You want your handles to be in the middle, I counted 42 stitches along from the right side of my handle and the next stitch (see pic below) was where I started to attach the other end of the handle. Make sure there are no twists in your handle!

The hook should be on the right side. If it isn’t, make another row or take one away.

Ch1. Insert hook through first stitch on handle and the chosen stitch on the other side of the bag (see pic below). Yarn over and pull through all loops/stitches. Repeat for the last 7 stitches, leaving out the initial ch1. Fasten off and sew ends in securely. Finished!

Make sure to sew the ends in really well.

This hasn’t been tested and I only made one bag (frogged it a few times in the process) so if you spot something that doesn’t make sense, or I’ve made a mistake, please let me know. This is mostly a way for me to practice pattern writing. I’m not a professional, it took blinkin’ ages and it’s free! Useful feed back here would be gratefully received. Thanks.

Having said that, if it does work, please don’t then publish this pattern without my permission, please don’t pinch the pattern to sell and if you want to make the bags to sell, please give me loads of credit. And I mean loads. And send me a message to say what you’ve been up to. Ta very much!

Thanks very much and thanks for reading!

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DIY Jedi robes. Reversible, in case you want to join the Dark Side!

March 31, 2016April 1, 2016free pattern, sewing19 Comments

It’s the Easter holidays so I’m behind on making stuff. I will be relatively quiet here until the week after next. It’s amazing how having an extra child at home creates so much more work. There has been a birthday too, which has made me busy.

Mini birthday chocolate muffins. I guess you could argue that the star decorations were part of a Star Wars birthday theme but I didn’t twig until just this second that there was a connection.

Anyway, on to what I’m here for. I made a Star Wars costume for a three year old. For a bit of diversity I decided to make it reversible. This gave the boy a choice of whether he wanted to be a Jedi or give in to temptation and join the Dark side. I think it is safe to say that he has joined the Dark side. I knew he would, which is why his big brother models the Jedi version. Not sure I’ve got my priorites right by buying him Kylo Ren’s lightsaber but whatever, he loves it.

The robes were actually really easy to sew. I’ve made a dolls dress before and Coraline’s coat, both of which follow the same basic pattern. I used this tutorial and made two (without hemming): one in brown and one in black. With right sides together, I sewed them together, leaving a gap in the bottom so I could turn the whole thing the right way round. Initially you ignore the sleeves, tucking them in whilst you stitch around everything else. Once it has all been pressed (don’t melt your cheap fabric like I did), the sleeves can be tucked into each other and their hems both folded to the inside, where they won’t be seen. A little bit of top stitching sews them together. Top stitching around everything else also tidies it all up and stitches closed the hole at the bottom.

Because it is just a fancy dress costume I wasn’t particularly careful about how it all went together, I’m pretty shocked that it worked out. I cut out the black fabric first and used it as a template for the brown so they’d both be the same size. I had some minor unpicking to do at the beginning where I messed up the shoulders. And I had some mighty gathering to do on the hood because it was so much bigger than the neck bit (it is supposed to be big though). I think it’ll get too short very quickly and the sleeves are too long. Other than that it all kind of worked. Three year old stomped around the house in Vader style and had a great time (there was even hands on hips and heavy duty breathing).

Both boys got right into the spirit of it, which I loved, especially as my eldest hates dressing up and will usually refuse. My efforts rewarded, phew!

Oh and I forgot to take pictures as I made it, so I can’t show a step by step thing. It’s not so important with the robes as I’ve linked to the other tutorial. The top was really easy. I had two rectangles and I snipped in a v neck. I sloped the shoulders slightly (downward towards the outside) then stitched them together. I quickly (and shoddily) hemmed all raw edges and left it open at the sides. It is tied down with a belt, which is a strip of leftover brown fabric that I folded in half lengthways (with raw edges tucked in) and top stitched.

Then, after Star Wars shenanigans, they did “art” or, in other words, they painted themselves…

Such a mess.

So yeah, that’s it really…. Back soon. x

FYI, I bought a metre of the cheap linen type stuff and used half (it was 60″wide) and three metres of each of brown and black, which about the right amount. I wouldn’t get any less than this. It was 45″ wide. I got it all from Amazon as I only needed cheap stuff. I usually only get fabric online if I don’t care much about the quality.

A Touch of Spice with a Pompom Edge.

March 14, 2016January 27, 2017blanket, crochet, free pattern35 Comments

I think this is one of my favourites. A blanket just for me! I am really surprised that I Iove it because most of my finished blankets tend to make me feel a bit meh. It’s usually to do with not turning out how they looked in my head, so they get abandoned or I give them away. The stitch used is the Stacked Shells section of Cherry Heart’s Spice of Life blanket. Sandra herself did the same thing and I liked it even more than the SoL [my SoL]. I’ve totally copied! It’s called A Touch of Spice and I really love it.

Last year I bought a pile of Stylecraft Life DK thinking I was going to make a Rustic Lace Square blanket. I’m still undecided about the Rustic Lace Square with this yarn though. Some of the blankets I’ve seen are exquisitely beautiful but they look cottony and fine, not woolly and wintery. They’re lacey. I’m not sure this is the yarn for that project but I’ve still got loads of Stylecraft left so…

The bobbly pompoms are my absolute favourite bit. I love the red and I just think they’re fabulous. I was super proud of them because I made up the pattern myself. Well, I thought I had until I started checking out other places on t’interwebs.

I’d found a couple of patterns and tutorials that had really faffy ways of crocheting pompoms, that I just couldn’t be bothered to do. I did try. Every pompom took an age and it would have taken a lifetime to go round the whole blanket. My reaction to that was to come up with my own cheaty pompom. However, someone else has too, I discovered via Pinterest. Oh well. On the plus side, I have discovered a delightful blog!

Since I’ve already taken some photographs I’ll put up the method of how I made my pompoms. It must happen all the time. It does happen all the time. Have you had this kind of experience? If you’ve come up with a new idea/pattern, do you check out whether or not it has been done before?

Bobbly pompom edging.

These are UK terms.

4tgr = treble crochet 4 together

Yarn over (YO) hook, insert hook in stitch (st), pull up a loop, 3 loops on hook. YO hook, pull through 2 loops, 2 loops on hook. YO hook insert into st, pull up a loop, 4 loops on hook. YO, pull through 2 loops, 3 loops on hook. YO hook insert into st, pull up a loop, 5 loops on hook. YO, pull through 2 loops, 4 loops on hook.YO hook insert into st, pull up a loop, 6 loops on hook. YO, pull through 2 loops, 5 loops on hook. YO pull through last 5 loops.

(I think this is correct. Tricky to write down, that’s for sure).

Essentially this is the pattern:

*Ch7, 4tgr in 4th ch from hook, ch1, ss into bottom of cluster, ch3, skip 3 st and ss into next st.* repeat around.

I’ve broken it down with a few pictures below:

Photo1: chain 7.

Photo 2: Beginning the 4trb cluster.

Photo 3: Before yarning over and pulling through last 5 loops.

Photo 4: Finished cluster.

Photo 5: Slip stitch into bottom of the cluster (original 4th ch from hk.)

Photo 6: ch3.

Miss 3 stitches. Slip stitch into 4th. Repeat all the way around. Fasten off, sew in ends and admire.

Amazingly for me, I blocked the blanket. I pinned it directly onto the carpet because I don’t have any spongey foam boards. It doesn’t seem to have ruined the carpet. I sprayed it lightly with water and left it over night. By morning it was dry (It was near the radiator). I have draped myself in it every evening since I finished it last week. It’s lovely.

Anyway, that is that. Sewing stuff next I think. Maybe some Jedi robes for the boys, slightly different. And I’ve dug out some paper piecing hexies, which is a very old, ongoing project.

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Amigurumi Easter Egg! Free Crochet Pattern.

March 8, 2016January 4, 2023amigurumi, crafty, crochet, free pattern45 Comments

Easter Eggs

Chocolate Easter Eggs are my favorite sort of chocolate. Mini eggs and creme eggs are both very good reasons to look forward to Easter but neither truly beat a large Cadbury’s Dairy Milk (or other Cadbury) egg that has been put in the fridge for at least two hours so that it cracks and crunches as you bite it.

When I was little I used to drink milk out of half a chocolate egg, I thought it was fancy. The other half used to get crumbed into a mug and ruined with hot water to make some kind of bad hot chocolate (not so fancy). I don’t waste it like that now, I shovel it in my face whilst hiding behind the fridge door. Mostly I hide because the chocolate doesn’t belong to me. When I’ve finished mine I’m then stealing from the children. Anyway, I shall move on…

Nearly as good as the chocolate thing are crocheted versions. I am here to celebrate Easter with a little bit of amigurumi style eggs. I came up with the pattern for these at Christmas. I was trying to design a Father Christmas head/hat combo but whatever shape I tried looked like an egg. I binned the FC idea but out of it came these so I can’t complain. That’s the thing about designing. Through mistakes and fails, come good things! I guess that’s the creative process, right?

I think they’re cute and I hope you like them too.

They did look quite nice sitting up by themselves. The children like throwing them around and I know the cat would too if she could get her paws on them.

It’s rather telling that I don’t have any egg cups and I had to use shot glasses.

Amigurumi Easter Egg Pattern

As with most amigurumi patterns, the pattern is written in US terms.

I used Stylecraft Special DK and a 3mm hook. I even found a use for the shade, Duck Egg!

Round 1: 6sc into a Magic Ring.
Round 2: 1 Inc in each stitch around. [12].
Round 3: 1 sc in next stitch, 1 inc in next. Repeat around [18].
Round 4: Sc around. [18]
Round 5: 1sc in next 2 st, 1 inc in next. Repeat around. [24].
Round 6-7: Sc around [24]
Round 8: 1 sc in next 3 st, 1 inc in next. Repeat around [30].
Round 9-15: Sc around. [30]
Round 16: 1 sc in next 3 st, 1 dec. Repeat around. [24].
Round 17: 1 sc in next 2 st, 1 dec. Repeat around. [18].
Round 18: 1sc in next st, 1 dec. Repeat around [12].

Fasten off leaving a long tail. Stuff firmly. Using a darning needle thread through the front loops only. Pull tight to close the hole. Stitch in and out a few times to fully secure and then snip the end neatly.

(Go HERE to see what I’ve done with the pattern for 2018!!)

Embroider your Easter Eggs

Decorating is relatively quick and easy. With a darning needle, I went in through the bottom of each egg and then made french knots for the flower centres and a few chain stitches for petals and leaves. With a poke and a prod from the darning needle, the snipped ends can be hidden inside. Hey presto!

Please don’t be frightened of the embroidery. I show you how I do it in the video tutorial (link just below). I have very little experience of needle work and just make it up as I go along. If I can do that then so can you, I promise!

I also tried a few different styles over the following years too.

YouTube Video Tutorial

EDIT: For 2017 I’ve added a video tutorial on YouTube, which also includes how to decorate with pretty embroidery. Please go here! Cheers.

This is an amigurumi Easter Egg pattern I’ve designed and belongs to me. It can be used to make decorations for yourself or for gifts for friends and family but please not for mass production. Thanks very much. Feel free to say hello and you can even follow my blog to get more patterns and, dare I say, inspiration. Cheers!

Happy Easter!!

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