Halloooo! How are you?! It has been a LONG time since I put together a YouTube crochet podcast but the time has come for me to pop my head in to chat about some finished objects.
There has been a lot of crochet going on this year, I’m quite surprised at how much actually. But I did cheat slightly as I thought it would be acceptable to include a few items from 2022 that you won’t have seen because I stopped podcasting about 18 months ago. Therefore, a couple of the patterns are a bit older. Hopefully, I haven’t podcasted about them before. However, please forgive me, my memory of previous episodes is hazy…
Not only do I waffle happily about garments, shawls and bags, but there are also a few other bits and bobs that I will add here too.
And my AOB is … should I do a CAL at the beginning of 2024? It would be in line with the release of my Little Fluffy Clouds cardigan pattern. And if I am super organised I would also publish She Sells Sea Shells at the same time. Therefore, the idea is to do a Cardigan CAL or a garment CAL. Is it something you’re interested in?
Crochet Patterns of the Year
Scroll down for a few photos showing some of my finished objects, however, what I will do first is list everything I chatted about so you can find patterns that are available.
Before I list what’s featured, please do also check out my Free Patterns Page. There are several other 2023 patterns there that I couldn’t squeeze into this episode, including a hat, a granny shawl and some easy peasy striped wrist warmers.
Granny Square Jumpers. I have linked to the first, colourful rainbow version. From there you can also find the other patterns where I explored different adjustments.
Wildcard – my new fave, a crochet market bag pattern. The link is to Ravelry but you can find it easily on Etsy and Lovecrafts too.
She Sells Sea Shells featured in Inside Crochet magazine, issue 162. I will release the pattern at the beginning of 2024.
The Rustic Ripple Wrap was in issue 161 and at some point, I’ll release it as well. It is very similar (but not the same as) the Lorax scarf.
Riley 2 is a bright and colourful, super chunky sweater. Find it HERE.
Sweety inspired Milis featured in issue 4 of Moorit magazine. It’s now available on Etsy and Ravelry. The idea for the combo of stitches came from my Mixtape Medley blanket.
The Barton Hap was commissioned for John Arbon Textiles Annual 3. I am immensely proud of this design. I pushed myself out of comfort zones for this one and I am very glad that I did!
Let me know what you think? How has your 2023 been? Did you get much crochet completed?
For more crochet good stuff, it’s definitely worth following me on Instagram, I am there pretty often. I also love a bit of Pinterest so if you’re after crochet ideas, then you know where to find me. And finally, should I make more of an effort with Facebook, what do you reckon?!
A couple of years ago I put together a Christmas crochet bundle of festive patterns. I did not make enough noise about it and it didn’t sell very well at all. At no point did I plan a fun publication party for it and I didn’t shout it from the rooftops. I am a silly sausage.
Essentially, I thought it would be a lovely idea to put together all of my Christmas crochet designs in one place so that there was all kinds of yuletide inspiration all in one place. Some of the patterns are available for free, you can find them in my Free Patterns page. A couple of the ideas are paid crochet patterns but in this bundle you can get them collectively for a bargain price!
Buy the Christmas Crochet bundle on Ravelry!! Or, if you don’t use Rav, you can find the bundle in my Etsy shop too. Up until the 30th of November you can receive a 25% discount with the code NOVSALE. Enter the code at the checkout.
This code applies to all of my patterns on Ravelry and Etsy at the moment, not just this bundle, so please have a look and see if there are any other crochet patterns that you fancy. Thanks!
Take a look at the Crochet Christmas collection of patterns below…
Easy Crochet Slippers Socks
A popular pattern of mine is for some very cosy crochet socks. I created ahelpful “how to” video tutorial as well as the written sock pattern on the blog. The original pair weren’t festive but it is super easy to crochet a holly motif to pop onto a plain pair of winter white socks. In fact, my feet are cold right now so I think I’m going to dig these out and put them on. It’s definitely acceptable to wear Christmas socks in November, right?
Simple C2C Festive Lights Sweater
As someone decided to tell me on Pinterest recently, it’s not a very Christmassy jumper, is it?! Hmm, I know it isn’t full blown Christmas style but so what?! It’s a gentle nod to colourful Christmas lights against a snowy backdrop. I like the subtle seasonal hints of this crochet sweater design. Not everyone wants Christmas to be a punch in the face.
Plus, the PDF does have an additional Christmas themed C2C design!
Find the blog post about my C2C Christmas jumper here. You’ll find a link to the video tutorial in the same place. I have tried to cover everything in the vid to help you make your own C2C jumper!
Crochet Santa Hats!
This fun festive pattern has a real life-size granny stitch hat design alongside its mini-me version of Santa hat bunting. I love it and the bunting is festooned upon our walls every year. These lil crochet Santa hats don’t have to be a garland, take a peek at my tree in the corner of the photo above and you can see a hat hanging from the spruce’s branches.
Is it too early to start making paper chains yet? They look so lovely with the hat bunting!
The life-size version of my granny stitch Santa hat was modelled by my baby (who does not look this young anymore!). This Christmas crochet hat fits most grown up heads too, not just kids. It has been a few years since I designed this chunky hat for festive heads and it is still going strong. We fight over who gets to wear it to which Christmas party! Perhaps I should make more….?
Christmas Crochet Baubles
I think these granny stitch baubles are my favourite! They are easy and very fast to make. Before you know it, you will have made a treeful! Every year I am tempted to make more crochet Christmas baubles but I resist. I really don’t need more, we have loads! How many would you make?
What do you think? Hopefully you like these Christmas craft ideas as much as I do. Fingers crossed, you also think that having them as a bundle is a good idea too, so let’s have an overview…
I’ve thrown together a collection of my favourite festive crochet designs all in one document. A Festive collection of Christmas Crochet patterns. In this bundle you will find: ● Cosy Slipper Socks in 3 sizes ● Chunky Granny Santa Hat ● Mini Santa Hat Bunting ● Colourful Baubles ● Christmas C2C Sweater in 9 different sizes
As well as the written patterns, there are also video tutorials for the C2C jumper, colourful baubles and cosy slipper socks, which can also be found for free on my blog. The Granny Hat and hat bunting are only available elsewhere as a paid pattern. It is bargain bundle for quick Christmas makes!
Don’t forget to check out my other Free Patterns, plus I have even more patterns in my Ravelry store. And if you’re not a Rav user, then I also have an Etsy shop (Oh, gosh, and Lovecrafts and Ribblr, I have all the fingers in all the pies!)
I’ve been a crocheter for almost fourteen years, and I think I can say that I have finally found crochet ribbing stitches that I actually, genuinely love! And no, there’s no single crochet in the back loop only here.
You can use crochet ribbing stitches in all kinds of projects. For the most part, I use them in the obvious scenario of adding a crochet edging to my designs. So we’re talking: cuffs on mittens, waistbands on jumpers & cardis, the brim of a hat or perhaps as fun edgings on a shawl or scarf.
Below, I share my thoughts about my faves and their written patterns. I have also put together a video tutorial for YouTube:
For the stitch patterns, I used DK yarn and a 4mm hook. All swatches start with 24 stitches.
Ok, so in this blog post, I am going to share my favourite crochet ribbing patterns. I will not share all the rib patterns out there because there are quite a few. Every time I discover a new stitch, I will always try it to see if I like it. I know I don’t really like double crochet (US sc) in the back loop, as I don’t think it’s the best ribbing. Neither am I keen on htr (US hdc) in the back loop only (blo). It’s not stretchy enough, it hasn’t got decent definition, and it doesn’t look very rib-like. *shrugs*
However, I do have a soft spot for front and back post stitches. I think they can be really effective in a garment design or accessory. But I get it. Those raised post stitches don’t always fit other design elements, and there are excellent alternatives which I love and use regularly. Luckily, for all of us, there’s lots of choice, which is awesome.
In terms of crocheting garments and accessories, I’m after a certain look in my ribbing that will complement the rest of the item and look fabulous, too. If the stitch offers fab stitch definition and a bit of ba-doing, then yes, I’ll take some of that, please!
Two Categories of Crochet Ribbing
I would split my faves into two categories of crochet ribbing. One, it’s all about getting the look using textured front and back stitches worked around the post of the stitches below. These are simple to work up and great for beginner friendly crochet makes.
The second category is about manipulating rows of stitches so that the tops of each row are pushed forward when the next row is worked, to become the rib itself. That’s why the htr (US hdc) is used so often, as it has three top loops to use rather than the usual two.
I often start my ribbing with Foundation Starts, as it is a more elastic technique than working into chains. Don’t be scared of starting your crochet this way; it’s awesome. I have a video tutorial on How to crochet a foundation start,and it covers the main stitches: dc, htr & tr (US sc, hdc &dc).
Crochet Post Stitches
I’ll get these out of the way first, as post stitch ribbing is well known, but seeing as I really enjoy using them in my design work, I cannot leave them out of my collection of fave ribbing stitches. In the UK, they might be referred to as “raised stitches” as well.
More often than not, you would work these stitches in the same direction as the rest of your work.
Essentially, to create the textural quality that looks kinda like ribbing, standard treble (US dc) stitches are worked around the front and back post of a stitch rather than in the top of it.
Look at the picture above. There are three swatches to show post stitches acting as a rib. I like to refer to them as 1×1, 2×2, and 3×3.
1×1: worked as a repeat of 1FPtr &1BPtr (US dc) over a multiple of 2 stitches.
2×2: worked as a rep of 2FPtr & 2BPtr over a multiple of 4.
3×3: worked as a rep of 3FPtr & 3BPtr over a multiple of 6.
You get the idea……
I find that post stitches look daintier and therefore more effective with finer weights of yarn. This is entirely subjective, but it’s worth bearing in mind. Try out a few swatches and see what you think.
Take a look at post stitch ribbing in action….
We have See My Vest, my granny striped tank top. January Hues, a cosy hat.Companions, a cowl and wrist warmer set. And then there are the Bifrost mittens, gorgeous chunky rainbow stripes, and Dreckly crochet mittens, which kick-started an obsession with mittens and wrist warmers! I’ve linked these to Etsy but you can also find them on Ravelry as well.
Here is an example of the pattern for working a 2×2 post crochet rib worked in the round.
Rnd 1 (r/s): 32ftr, join with sl st to form a circle, right side facing out.
Rnd 2 (r/s): 1ch (does not count as a st here & throughout), *2FPtr, 2BPtr in next st; rep from * around, join with sl st, do not turn.
Rnds 3 – 6: Rep Rnd 2.
Simple Front Third Loop
And so, we move on from post stitches…
The rest of these smashing stitch patterns are, most likely, worked perpendicular to your main piece of crochet.
Simple Front Third Loop. I’ve used this easy stitch in a few projects now and it can be really effective. It’s for days when anything with a slip stitch is too much like hard work. I find it intriguing that a lot of people choose to work the stitches in the back loop rather than the loop that sits at the front of an hdc. There is definitely a difference, which you’ll notice in the video tutorial and in the pics below.
The left shows htr back loop only (blo), the right, shows the stitches when worked in the front third loop. It creates much better stitch definition and squatter, compact stitches.
Note that the photos were taken at different times of day and the swatch on the right has two extra rows.
The anatomy of the half treble (US dc) stitch is that it has 3 loops on the top rather than the usual 2. Instead of working under the usual 2 loops that form a “V” at the top of the stitch, insert the hook into the horizontal loop that sits at the front of the stitch below that “V”. This pushes the top of the stitch forward to produce a rib-like effect, creating the neat linear wedges.
As I said, I’ve used this in a few projects because it’s simple yet effective. My stripey sweater, Riley Toonot only uses it for the cuffs and waistband but it’s also used as a feature at the boat neckline, which I think looks great! It is really effective as the button band in my Perfect Cardigan and my free recipe for a crochet JW Anderson cardigan.
The Perfect Crochet Cardigan!
Front Third Loop Pattern
Note, again, I’m using UK terms in the pattern here. Just swap the htr for hdc and voila!
Row 1: Work as many fhtr stitches as desired, turn.
Row 2: 1ch (does not count as a st here & throughout), htr in front third loop to end, turn.
Rows 3 – however many you like: Rep Row 2 ending on an even number if joining ends together.
Using Slip Stitches for Crochet Ribbing
Ok, so we’re moving into more fiddly territory here but it is well worth the effort. This is where the stitches are, relatively speaking, more recent for me so I don’t have quite so many photo examples of my own work.
Slip stitches in back loops do a great job of pushing the stitches forward and create the most springy fabric out of all the crochet ribbing stitches. The important thing here is to work the stitches quite loosely. Wriggling a hook into teeny stitches that are too tight is what put me off slip stitch ribbing for years. Another trick is not to pull on the individual stitches once you’ve worked them.
I often see slip stitches made in two clunky parts, especially when worked slowly. Practice a few times to become comfortable making deft, singular movements with the hook. This kind of swift movement definitely helps achieve the right tension.
Hdc With Slip Stitches
In my green jumper (sorry, no pattern!) I used a ribbing stitch that I first used in the Color Pop Sweater from My Square Hat (below). I used it for the cuffs and waistband, but, funnily enough, I used a htr (US hdc) back loop only for the cowl neck to ensure a loose drape. I’d be tempted to make the cowl with a htr front 3rd loop if I revisited this crochet sweater.
Htr and Slip Stitch Ribbing Pattern
Row 1: Work a row of ftr stitches, turn.
Row 2: 1ch (does not count as a st here & throughout), sl st in BLO in each st along, turn.
Row 3: 1ch, htr in blo along, turn.
Rows 4 – However many you like: Rep Rows 2 & 3. If joining in a round, make your last row a slip stitch row.
Yarn Over Slip Stitch
The ultimate, best ever crochet ribbing! It looks so good and is lovely and springy and bouncy. I first discovered this stitch at the beginning of last year when I madeAna D’s Rockmore cardigan (note that the sleeves are all yarn over slip stitches. Every row. Looks good, hey?!). It’s used on the button band, and it looks Uh.may.zinG! I went on to use it in my crochet Granny Sweaters.
For such a small change from htr to a yarn over slip stitch (also referred to as an htr sl st (US hdc sl st), I am gobsmacked. Essentially, you just yarn over before the slip stitch is made. But this one minor change really adds extra spring, squish and the magic ba-doing. I love it! And, it’s not as fiddly as if it were solely working regular slip stitches. We have a winner!!
Take a look at the two photos above. It is the same swatch in both pics, showing the “wrong” side on the left and the “right” side on the right. Both sides look great, to be honest, but it’s the one on the right where you could argue that it looks more traditionally rib-like.
Yarn Over Slip Stitch Pattern
Let’s work into a chain for this one. Work as many chains as you like.
Row 1: Working in back bumps, YO sl st in second ch from hook, YO sl st to end, turn. [You’ll have one stitch fewer than your original chain].
Row 2: ch1 (does not count as a st here & throughout), sl st BLO along to end, turn.
Row 3: ch1, YO slst BLO, turn.
Rep Rows 2 & 3 to end. End of a slip stitch row if joining the ends together.
And there we are, all my faves in one place!! Remember that you can hop over to YouTube to watch my tutorial on The Best Crochet Ribbingstitches here. Listen out for the cute cat sneeze…
Which is your favourite crochet ribbing? Let me know in the comments.
If you didn’t know already, I am a massive fan of crochet bags. I love quick crochet projects that are not only fun to make, they are practical too. I love love love crochet items that have a real use. And a bag really fits into this category!
Without really trying, a crochet bag is reusable, it doesn’t take up too much room and is easy to wash (cotton works best). A crochet bag also make the perfect handmade gift. You can whip one up in no time and the recipient will have totally unique crochet to enjoy.
Some of the patterns below are free on my blog, check out my Free Crochet Patterns page. Or I have added links to buy some of the patterns.
Wildcard, Crochet Market Bag
First up is my latest design: a crochet market bag that is easy to make and looks pretty fancy. This is Wildcard, named because the mesh and bobble stitches remind me of tennis. Bobbles for tennis balls? The lacy section as the net? Perhaps I should have launched it for Wimbledon…
This kind of handmade market bag is made all in one piece. It starts out as an easy square shape, which is then transformed into a gathered holdall using a few basic crochet stitches.
My Wildcard market bag is super similar to this slouchy Granny Market Bag (available on Ravelry, Etsy & Lovecrafts). This crochet design came to life after I was contacted by a crochet magazine asking for a simple, colourful shopping bag idea. There wasn’t much time so I knew I needed ideas that would work up quickly. This bag style fits the bill perfectly.
My favourite design element is that granny stripes are worked using the corner to corner method, which means that the stripes are on the diagonal. It’s modern crochet at its finest!
This granny stripe market bag is larger than Wildcard, with deliberately loose stitches to give it drape. I use this bag when it’s my turn to go on my weekly shop; it fits loads in it! You could always go down a hook size to tighten up the stitches if preferred.
Granny Stripe Tote Bag
Whilst we’re on the subject of a granny stitch crochet bag, do you like my free pattern for a colourful hotchpotch tote? This one can made in all sorts of sizes. Check out my blog post on How to make your own Granny Stripe Purse. It also has an accompanying video tutorial for a lil purse size version too.
Another brilliant stitch that works fantastically well for a crochet bag is the corner to corner (c2c) stitch, aka the diagonal box stitch. Find this C2C crochet bag here.
If you know how to crochet the C2C stitch you can easily make this bag. This one is more of a recipe than a pattern because C2C is the same no matter the project. However, I have lots of C2C projects on YouTube if you need a bit of guidance.
Another Drapey Market Bag
Are you starting to see a familiar theme?! Yes yes, there are lots of granny patterns here but I make no apologies for that. It just so happens that granny is a very versatile stitch and looks great in crochet bags.
Check out my pattern for a round bottomed granny market bag, here. It’s another crochet bag that I have made again and again. You absolutely cannot have too many crochet bags!
This is a teeny cotton purse that I put together so I could demonstrate how to add a zipper to a crochet bag. I also line the crochet purse with fabric too so it’s a useful tutorial for crocheters. This one is from my early days as a designer but it’s still effective and helpful.
Wahey, it’s another granny project (still not sorry!). This time it’s using the ubiquitous granny square. I created two video tutorials for this cute tote. One video demonstrates theJoin as You Go Technique (JAYG) so you can crochet the squares together rather than fiddle about with a sewing needle. The second tutorial shows you how to turn a rectangle of crochet fabric into this retro inspired crochet bag.
This crochet bag is a bit different to the others. The single crochet ribbing with the shell clusters are a lovely contrast that create an impactful crochet design. The bag in this pattern is small enough for kids but you can increase the size if you prefer.
The pattern shares the stitch multiples used so you can play around with different sizes. I called it We Don’t Need Roads as it’s a sort of sister project to a shlanketty shawl I designed with the same motifs, that crochet shawl is named Road to Nowhere.
A Crochet Bag for Kids
The last Granny bag (I’m obsessed!).
I created this petite crochet granny stitch bag to film the making of video tutorial. I didn’t want to make the large version as the process would have taken much much longer. Therefore, boom, new crochet pattern!
Finally, here’s another from my early days of crochet design. This easy crochet market bag pattern is perfect for scrunching up in your pocket and whipping out, ready to add a few bits on a small shop.
Looks can be deceiving with this crochet bag. You wouldn’t believe how many messages I’ve received over the years telling me one skein is DEFINITELY not enough to crochet a market bag. My response is always the same: Yes, it is! I can fit a bottle of soda water, a bag of sugar, pack of mint leaves, 3 limes and a small bottle of rum in this bag. So there.
Too Many Crochet Bags?
In my opinion, you can never have too many crochet bags. Be it a tote, market bag, purse, or other style, bags are useful and tidy away to nothing. I have them in my car, in my pockets, tucked away in my other bags, ready to grab as and when they’re needed. Phew, I admit it, I’m a bag lady!
If you fancy a break from some of your bigger crochet WIPs, or you need to dip your toe back into crojo waters, then this little corner to corner needle case is the ideal quick crochet project. This easy c2c project has been sat in the archives for a couple of years. I designed it for a specific publication but it was never chosen (standard stuff in the design game!).
I won’t mess about I’m just going to pop the crochet pattern down below. If you make this speedy DIY corner to corner needlecase, please do let me know, I really love seeing projects made from the designs I share. Other crochet freebies are HEREor you can get some of my more in depth patterns on Ravelry & Etsy
If this is a crochet c2c pattern you’ve enjoyed, please do think about supporting me by gifting a few quid on Ko-fi
C2C Crochet Needlecase Pattern
Please note that this crochet pattern is written in UK terms (Essentially, where it says tr, that’s a US dc, a UK DC is a US sc).
Things you need to crochet your corner to corner case: 3 mm hook, DK acrylic yarn, I used Stylecraft: 15g MC (Turquoise), 5g each CC 1 (Fuschia) & 2 (Lapis), A button, Felt: 11×16 cm approx, plus extra if making a pocket, Needle for sewing button and felt. Finished case measures approx: 7.5cm x 11cm
Row 1: With CC1 6ch, 1tr in 4th ch from hook, 1tr in next 2 sts, turn. [1 block]
Row 2: 6ch, 1tr in 4th ch from hook, 1tr in next 2 sts, sl st into the 3ch-sp of previous row, 3ch, 3tr into same 3ch-sp, turn. [2 blocks]
Row 3: 6ch, 1tr into 4th ch from hook, 1tr in next 2 sts, *sl st into next 3ch-sp of previous row, 3ch, 3tr in same 3ch-sp; rep from * to end, turn. [3 blocks etc]
Row 4 -8: Continue increasing as Row 3, change colour to MC at the end of row 4.
Row 9: Repeat Row 3, ending with 1sl st in the last 3ch-sp (ie. do not make the last block), turn.
Row 10: Sl st along the next 3 sts and into the first 3ch-sp, [3ch, 3tr] in same ch-sp, continue making blocks in each 3ch-sp to the end, turn.
Row 11: Rep row 9
Row 12: Rep row 10
Row 13 -19: Sl st along the next 3 sts and into the first 3ch-sp, [3ch, 3tr] in same ch-sp, continue making blocks, end with 1sl st into the last 3ch-sp, turn. Change to CC2 at the end of Row 15
To finish, sl st across the last 3 sts and into the corner, fasten off.
With right side facing, go around the edge of the work with dcs: 2dc in horizontal st, 1dc in each vertical tr, 3dc in each corner. At the centre of the right hand side, ch10 and join with a sl st and carry on with edging. Colour match as you go. Sew in ends. Sew on a button on the left hand side.
Hand stitch or glue felt to the inside. You could even add a little pocket!
This crochet owl decoration is from one of my first ever published patterns here on the blog. The other day I looked back at it, and ugh, it was so badly written. I had very little pattern writing experience in 2015, and it shows!! I am keeping the original blog post up, mostly for laughs, but also because I don’t see why I should hide it. Yes, I have improved quite a bit, but the whole point of this blog is to record what I’ve been up to. I won’t edit that.
To accompany the updated crochet pattern, I also recorded a free video tutorial for my YouTube channel. Click on the pic above to go directly to the tutorial.
Read on for the written crochet pattern so you can make your own little army of granny stitch owls.
Tr2tog: Yarn over, insert hook into st, yarn over and pull through, yarn over and pull through 2 loops (2 loops on hook), yarn over, insert hook into same st, yarn over and pull through (4 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through 2 loops (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all 3 loops.
Crochet Pattern Notes:
Don’t crochet over your tail ends as you go or you will see them in your finished owl. Sew them in after you’ve completed the body.
Instructions are written in UK terms.
No turns at the end of the rounds.
The “2ch, 1tr” at the beg of rounds counts as a tr2tog.
Crochet Granny Owl Pattern
Owl Body: Chain 4 and join with a sl st, or make a magic ring. Rnd 1: 2ch, 1tr into circle, 1ch, (tr2tog, 1ch) seven times, join with a sl st to the top of the first tr2tog. [8 tr2tog]
Rnd 2: Sl st in next ch-sp, (2ch, 1tr, 1ch, tr2tog) into same ch-sp, 1ch, *(tr2tog, 1ch, tr2tog, 1ch) in next ch-sp; rep from around, join with a sl st to the top of the first tr2tog, fasten off. [16 tr2tog]
Rnd 3: Join new colour with sl st in any ch-sp, 2ch, 1tr in first ch-sp, 1 ch, *tr2tog in next ch-sp, 1ch; rep from * around, join with a sl st to the top of the first tr2tog, fasten off.
Rnd 7: Sl st into any ch-sp, 3ch (counts as 1tr), 1tr in same ch-sp, 2tr in each ch-sp around, join with a sl st to the top of the 3ch. [32st]
Rnd 8: 2ch (counts as 1htr), 1htr in the top of each st around, join with a sl st to the top of the 2ch.
Rnd 9 -10: Repeat Rnd 8.
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing the head closed.
Turn inside out and using a darning needle, weave ends. Turn back the right way. Take the scrap of fabric and place it inside the owl; stuff. Tuck in the fabric neatly. Whip stitch the top of the owl’s head closed using a darning needle and the long tail.
Owl’s Finishing Touches
Owl’s Felt and Button Eyes: Cut out circles of felt, sew buttons to the felt and using contrasting embroidery thread, sew to the owl’s face. (Separate two strands from the thread to give a finer stitch.
Owl’s Stitched Beak: Using a darning needle, stitch on a beak with yarn. First, stitch on a triangle shape, then use five or six more vertical stitches to fill in the space. Finish it off with a couple of horizontal stitches across the top of the beak. Or stitch/glue on a little triangle of felt!
Owl’s Wings Chain 9. 1htr in 3rd ch from hook, htr in next st, 1tr in each of the next 3 sts, htr in next st, (1dc, 3ch, 1dc) in last st, turn work to crochet down the other side of the chains: 1htr, 3tr, 2htr, sl st to the top of the first st. Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing the wing to the body.
Other Options for Your Crochet Granny Owl Decoration
Tufty ears: Use a crochet hook to pull three 10cm strands of yarn through the corners of the owl’s ears, take the ends of the yarn and poke through the loop. Pull tight. Trim.
Hanging Loop: Crochet a hanging loop by attaching yarn to the top of his head with a sl st, ch25 and sl st to join back to the head. Sew in ends.
This pattern remains the property of Rosina Northcott/Zeens and Roger at all times and is for your own personal use only. Please respect my work and do not copy, reproduce, redistribute or re-sell this pattern.
This is a quick crochet flower tutorial that has kind of sprung from nowhere. I created it because I needed something quick and small to disguise some ugly bits on a blanket! It was quick enough to film a speedy tutorial too. I hope you like it!
To get to the tutorial please click on the picture above or go to my YouTube channel HERE. The written pattern is below.
The pattern couldn’t be easier! It is so fast! Use any yarn you like along with the recommended hook size for that yarn. I use cotton dk with a 3.5mm hook.
Pattern:
Chain 5 and join with a slip stitch. (You can also chain 4 for a slightly smaller centre, or do as I do and use a magic circle!
UK version:
Into the ring *(2ch, 3tr, 2ch, 1dc); rep from * four more times. Fasten off and sew in ends. Boom, done!
US version:
Into the ring *(2ch, 3dc, 2ch, 1sc); rep from * four more times. Fasten off and sew in ends. Boom, done!
This is the Lorax Scarf, a large crochet chevron scarf that is one of the cosiest makes ever! I made it as an experiment for some super soft merino yarn that the yarn company, Rico, sent me a few months ago. There wasn’t going to be enough yarn to make the kind of scarf I like (proper warm and snuggly) so I prepared for a major stash dive. There is a mix of all sorts of yarn in this colourful crochet chevron scarf but still only eight colours. Scrutinise it and you’ll see that there are all kinds of slightly different shades and different yarn weights. But, do you know what? No one ever looks that closely!
Therefore, this scarf pattern is a great stashbuster!
Crochet Chevron Scarf Pattern
There were so many lovely comments about this eyelet crochet scarf over on Instagram and YouTube, so I thought it would be nice to make it into a proper pattern to release. There is a download available to buy on Ravelry in both UK and US terms.
Lorax, this crochet chevron scarf, has all the info you need: written pattern, chart (hand drawn this time – speedier than software), pics, and a table to show colour rows etc. I also included a couple of other suggestions as to how you could use this pretty eyelet chevron stitch.
I also recorded a video tutorial for the Eyelet Chevron stitch. It shows a swatch being worked up in the stitch, which should be good for the more visual learners out there. You can find the video tutorial HERE.
The stitch pattern for this crochet chevron scarf uses multiples of 16. Therefore, if you want to make a narrower scarf, feel free to reduce it by 16, or even 32 chains. I enjoy a wide scarf so the original width (42cm / 17.5 inches) might be too wide for you.
However, with the scarf being almost Lenny Kravitz style scarf proportions, you would only need to add a couple more stitch multiples to create a beautiful crochet ripple blanket!
I can’t claim to have come up with the name myself. One rather splendid podcast viewer said it reminded them of Dr Seuss’s The Lorax and I have to say, I agree!! So it couldn’t really be called anything else, the colours were just too similar and before I knew it, it was The Lorax!
Note that on Etsy, I had to change the name as whoever owns the story nowadays, they don’t like people using the name.
I do hope you like it. And don’t forget to let me know if you make it. Cheers. x
Only two weeks after the last crochet tutorial (an asymmetric granny stitch cowl) and here are two more that show you how to make a granny square bag! Sorry, I’m flooding you with granny stitch designs at the moment. I swear I do have other crochet ideas that involve different stitches!
By the way, my YouTube channel is HERE. Please feel free to visit for podcast watching, as well as finding helpful crochet video tutorials.
Crochet a Granny Square Bag
Here are all the things you need to get crocheting…
To make your own crochet granny square bag you will need lots of lovely yarn in all your favorite colours. Mine is very much a stashbuster using double knit acrylic yarn. No need to buy yarn for this sort of project when you probably have plenty in your collection.
You will also need a hook that matches the yarn weight. I used my trusty 4mm crochet hook. You may even try going down a hook size to ensure that your bag has decent structural integrity. You don’t want a floppy bag, do you?!
You will also need some matching fabric (a polycotton will do nicely) and something to sew it (a machine is preferable but there’s nothing stopping you from sewing by hand). Along with, have some pins at the ready too. It’s also a good idea (but not essential) to get some interfacing to add to the sturdiness of the bag.
Bag handles, don’t forget bag handles! You can cut them from old knackered bags, or, I have found them by googling “long bag handles” before and up they popped. You can get all kind of bags handles for around a fiver.
Video Tutorials
Join As You Go Granny Squares
This tutorial is based on a granny square bag I made a couple of years ago. The original blog post can be found HERE. There are lots of details in that post that will be super useful here. However, this is a slightly different version. I’ve made this new crochet bag a bit less fussy, which is always a winner for makers.
There are two video tutorials for this project. Firstly, there’s How to Crochet Join As You Go Granny Squares. I start by making one granny square and then at the time stamp of 5.25 I begin to join them together. At first this can seem a little daunting but once you get your head around the construction, joining as you go is really good fun. Not to mention a huge time saver!
When I crochet my grannies, I don’t add chains between the clusters. This comes in handy a bit later, which I explain in the second video tutorial….
Turn Granny Squares into a Bag
The second video tutorial talks you through how to crochet the bag together so that it goes from basic rectangle to a functioning, useful project.
My rectangle piece of crochet is 4×6 Join As you Go Granny Squares. Once the ends have been dutifully sewn in, it’s time to turn it into a fab bag. At the two short ends I added some crochet rows that will become the handles. Then work UK dc stitches / US sc stitches down both long sides, popping stitches into the trebles of each cluster.
Fold the whole thing in half and slip stitch the sides together. This is the basic pocket created and a few extra steps are needed to finish off. Next is to attach the handles. You’ll see from the tutorial that I am not precious about my stitches but I would gently suggest you take more care than me.
Once you have the handles in place you could absolutely stop there. I make no judgement about this as sometimes it’ll be perfect right here. However, let’s say you want to keep a crochet WIP in your fancy new granny square bag, what’s going to fall through those lil holes?
There is no way that I am prepared to lose my crochet hooks so I am fully prepared to sew a pretty lining to make it super sturdy and structurally sound.
When I suspect that you might be able to see through crochet stitches of a bag, I like to add a double lining. This is so that you can only see prettiness between any gaps. I am quite laid back in my approach to measuring for lining and don’t often get the tape measure out. The lining technique is demonstrated in the second video from about 17 minutes.
Please see below for some accompanying pictures. Not quite step by step photos but they will help you put your own crochet bag together, especially for when you get to add the bag lining. Like I said, I would always advise lining a granny square bag. How else do you stop things falling through the holes!?
This is the Grainbow shawl! If I may I’d like to tell you a bit about it…
Firstly, it is now available to buy on → Ravelry← and Etsy!!
Secondly, I am a little bit proud of the fact that it’s a pattern partnership with one of my favourite independent yarn brands, John Arbon Textiles! They very generously supplied me with some of their Knit By Number double knit to make the first shawl. Knit By Numbers (KBN) is 100% merino and comes in both 100g skeins and 25g minis. You can get it in 4ply too (I used it for Harvest Moon). They also sent some of their gorgeous Exmoor Zwartbles to try. The Zwartbles is earthy and sheepy (oh my, the smell is beautiful!). The KBN is super soft, and saturated in gorgeous colour. Two different wools make two (almost!) different shawls, thus showcasing the awesome ability yarn has to create completely unique looks. I hope to take both shawls up to Edinburgh next weekend for EYF 19.
Knit by Numbers 25g mini skeins
In the pattern there are two options for the shawl edging because I did my usual trick of not wanting to make the choice between two different ones. I don’t see the point in only offering one if two will work equally well, albeit in different ways. The main body of the shawl uses simple stitches, eyelets and touches of colour; creating a modern crochet accessory. You can turn it from contemporary to classic crochet by adding the pretty lacy border.
Another thing I had fun doing was pretending to be a model for half a day. The Grainbow Shawl had to look its absolute best so I asked my friend to take the pics (the modelled ones. The others are mine). It worked well for us both because he got to work with someone who didn’t know how to model (this is a good thing apparently because he’ll learn how to direct others by having bossed me about), and I got to see how a real photographer works! If you’re in the south west of the UK and need a snapper, he’s Paul Courtney Photography.
I couldn’t decide what to call this shawl, no ideas came. Instead of plumping for something half arsed, I put it out to my friends online . Over on Instagram I asked for names and the one that put the biggest smile on my face was “Grainbow”, which was suggested by My Chaotic Bliss (I’ll link as soon as I can but shock, horror! Instagram is down right now!). The name works for both versions, don’t you think? I was delighted when Kat also volunteered to test the shawl too. Maybe I should have called it Chaotic Grainbow?!
Kat wasn’t the only tester. Everyone who volunteered has made or is making some fabulous versions of Grainbow. I have so loved seeing the enthusiasm these guys have shown for what might be my new favourite shawl design (I think I said that about the last design too!). I’ve been a tester on many occasions myself, I know the effort that is put in and I’m forever grateful to those who want to do it for me. Thank you!!
You’ll be able to buy the pattern from the John Arbon website in the near future too. I’m thrilled that quality yarn companies are embracing crochet design more and more, it’s very exciting to see it being taken seriously. Getting to be a little part of that and see others joining the party makes me very happy indeed!
If you make Grainbow please be sure to let me know. You can tag me on Instagram @zeensandroger and add your project to Ravelry. #grainbowshawl Cheers! x
