youtube Archives - Zeens and Roger

Simple Crochet Bobble Border

March 18, 2025March 18, 2025crochet1 Comment

Crochet Bobble Edging Pattern

There is no simpler edging for a granny square blanket than this crochet bobble border. It is super easy to do and very quick to crochet. You can use this simple crochet edging in lots of different ways, too. In addition to blankets, it works well for crochet accessories too (I’ve used it for shawl edgings, for example).

Below, you will find the written pattern for the crochet bobble border and you should also visit my YouTube channel for the bobble edging video tutorial.

Granny Square Blanket

For a while, I have been building up to writing up the crochet pattern for my granny square blanket (with its easy bobble border!). It is still not 100% complete. Over the last year or so, I have put together all the video tutorials and separate blog posts that, collectively, will be the resources you need to make your own version of the colourful crochet blanket.

It has actually been much longer than a year in the making. The picture above was taken many years ago. It’s a granny square blanket that I made for one of my sisters. I remember buying the yarn from a beautiful little yarn shop on the Isle of Wight. My eldest son was two years old at the time. He is about to turn sixteen, which tells you how long ago the idea was born!

Granny square blanket with crochet bobble border

I’ve tweaked the pattern a little bit since then; the granny squares are slightly different and I’ve played around with the colour combinations. Fundamentally though, it’s still the same crochet blanket.

Video Resources for a Crochet Blanket

There are a couple of final jobs before the blanket pattern is fully complete. I haven’t yet calculated yarn amounts needed and I need to remember all the colours I used. Listing yarn brands isn’t difficult but it does require some time to sit down at the computer. Especially as it would be nice to collate everything into a PDF too. It takes longer than you might expect!

Before I get to that final stage, here is what is available so far….

A fun place to start is my crochet podcast. In episode 104 I blithely chat about the blanket enough for you to get an idea of what it’s all about.

Then, for the “how to” vids, here is a video tutorial for the cute little granny squares. You’ll see what else I have used them for (aren’t granny squares versatile?!). I also demonstrate a Join As You Go Technique in the video tutorial for these squares, which is a great alternative for joining granny squares but I chose to join the blanket squares using the mattress stitch (see below).

To accompany the smallies, we have the large granny square with a circle centre. The video shows you how to change colour if you want new colours every round. It then continues to show you how to work the granny squares if you’d rather not change colour. Theses are useful techniques to have in your crochet repetoire.

Use the Mattress Stitch to join your granny squares. It creates such a professional finish. I know JAYG is awesome and speedy but I promise that the mattress stitch is worth the effort.

Granny square blanket. Joining with mattress stitch

Crochet Bobble Edge Video Tutorial

The latest video tutorial to join the granny blanket resources is my new crochet bobble border video. It’s such a simple crochet border and it’s really fun to work up. It must be fun as I regularly choose to add this to blankets and crochet accessories.

For example, check out the bobble border on my Cirrus shawl too. It looks utterly fab in boucle yarn!

Anyway, if you’re a fan of a written crochet pattern, and/or want to use it as well as the video on my YouTube channel, read on…..

A crochet bobble border on the Cirrus shawl.

Written Pattern for a Crochet Bobble Border

Bobble Border Notes Etc

The crochet bobble border uses a stitch multiple of 4.
Use whatever yarn and hook size you like to create your crochet bobble border. I used DK yarn with a 4mm hook.
You can work this into a round of US double crochet stitches, hdc or sc stitches, it’ll look great worked into any of them.
Work the crochet bobble border on the wrong side of your crochet project.
For my granny blanket, this final round is worked into a round of US dc stitches (UK tr stitches).

Also note, life is too short for accuracy with this border. When it comes to adding it to a large crochet blanket, I refuse to count all of those stitches to check if I have the correct amount of multiples. Just fudge it! You won’t get sent to crochet prison.

Before you begin, here is how to work a Bobble Stitch:
[yrh, insert hook into st, yrh, pull through, yrh, pull through 2 loops] five times in same st, yrh, pull through all 6 loops.

Crochet Pattern Abbreviations (US Terms)

ch: chain, dc: double crochet, dc2tog: double crochet 2 together, sl st: slip stitch, sp: space, yrh: yarn round hook,

TLDR Version -Universal Crochet Terms (Works for both US & UK!)

Round 1: Working on the wrong side, join yarn to any stitch, *3 sl st, 1 bobble; rep from * around, join with a sl st to the first st. Cut yarn and fasten off. Done

Do you want the longer version for this granny blanket? Oh go on then…

Full Granny Blanket Border

This is for when you have finished joining all your granny squares together, making one big crochet blanket, and you’re ready to add a full border. I mentioned in the video tutorial that you can add as many rounds of granny clusters as your yarn stash will allow.

Note that I have written “ch3” to start the rounds. However, should you wish to use an alternative technique that looks waaay better, take a look at this video on alternative ways to chain 3. I demonstrate both in the edging tutorial. Or, rewatch the large granny tutorial so that you can see the alternative ways in more context. This latter video helps with how to change colour for crochet rounds too.

Where two granny squares meet, we add a little twist to the standard granny cluster. This is to ensure the blanket edges remain nice and straight. You don’t want to create too much fabric by adding extra clusters or you’ll end up with a kinky granny.

Take a look at the picture above, it shows two corners of granny squares sitting side by side (blue & orange). Rather than each of them having its own cluster in their respective corners, we work one makeshift cluster across them both. (in US terms) you work 1dc in the first corner, then dc2tog (a decrease) across both corners, ending with 1dc in the second corner = (1dc, dc2tog, 1dc).

Granny Bobble Border Pattern

Round 1 (US terms): Join yarn to any space between granny clusters, ch3, 2dc in same space, *3dc in next space between clusters; rep from * to next two granny square corners, 1dc in first granny corner, dc2tog across the first and 2nd granny corners, 1dc in 2nd granny corner, continue in pattern to corner, (3dc, ch2, 3dc) in 2ch-sp, continue in pattern around, join with a sl st to the top of the first st, do not turn.

Rnds 2 – whatever number you like: Ch3, 2dc in same space, *3dc in next space between clusters; rep from * to corner, (3dc, 2ch, 3dc) in corner, rep from * to next corner and continue in pattern around, join with a sl st to the top of the first st, do not turn.

Next Rnd: Ch3, dc to first corner, 5dc in corner 2ch-sp, continue in pattern around, join with sl st to first st, turn.

Last Round (Bobble edging worked on wrong side): *3sl st, 1 bobble st; rep from * around, join with sl st to first st, fasten off & cut yarn.

Crochet bobble edging on a granny square blanket

If you have enjoyed this free crochet pattern, please take a look around my blog for some excellent crochet tips & tricks, which I really enjoy putting together, plus find more free crochet patterns here.

Cheers! x

Crochet Join As You Go Ribbing

May 22, 2024May 22, 2024crochetLeave a Comment

What is Join As You Go Ribbing?

Join As You Go Ribbing, or JAYG ribbing is an excellent technique you can use with all sorts of crochet projects. Its meaning is literal; as you work your ribbing, up and down, you anchor it to a main piece of crochet fabric with a couple of slip stitches every other row.

I have used a few different stitch patterns for Join As You Go ribbing and now have my favourites (I’ll share a few stitch patterns below). JAYG is perfect for crochet sweaters and cardigans, you can use it for the waistband, neck band and cuffs. It also works brilliantly for a blanket or shawl border.

I often find that the starting point is the fiddliest bit of many crochet patterns and that’s true here, I’m afraid. But as is normal, after a couple of goes it becomes much easier and you’ll have wondered why you were so worried about trying it in the first place!

To take away any confusion, I have also put together a video tutorial showing three ways to work Join As You Go Ribbing. This includes crocheting ribbing around a corner!

The Riley Sweater, The boat neck design uses a Join As You Go Hdc in the front thrid loop

Riley Too, JAYG ribbing for the neckline.

If you’re not ready for JAYG (but I’m certain that you are!), you can work your ribbing separately and stitch it on after. Check out my blog post on my absolute favourite Crochet Ribbing Stitches. That post also comes with a video tutorial to demonstrate how I work the ribbing stitches.

A Couple of Tips for Tidy JAYG Crochet Ribbing

There is very little restriction on what ribbing stitch patterns you can use for Join As You Go, it’s entirely up to you but I will share a few of my favourites that you may want to try on your own crochet items.

With any of these patterns, you’ll want a round/row of foundation stitches to work into. It’s best that this is in the same yarn and same colour as the ribbing or main fabric because it will help blend the joining stitches tidily. Obviously, this depends on what you determine to be the right side or wrong side. Experiment with a swatch before you embark on your actual project to work out what side you’d like to start on.

Even if the stitch patterns themselves look the same on both sides, where they’re joined to the fabric you can see the slip stitches on one side. Aim to make this the wrong side where possible and in some of the patterns below, I do point out which is the right side but in the case of the Yarn Over Sl St pattern, my favourite side of that stitch happens to show the slip stitch joins. Ah well, you can’t win them all. But, this is why it’s a good idea to use the same colour for the foundation, it hides your sins….

Please note that for all of the stitch patterns included here, I haven’t paid much attention to stitch multiples. I’m often happy to fudge the row I end on. I hope you’re not outraged. I am better behaved in my published patterns, I promise!

Gudrun, a crochet shawl with granny stitch motif and hdc Join As You Go Ribbing. — Gudrun Shawl with US hdc front third loop ribbing

How Many Stitches Do you Need For Crochet Ribbing?

The number of chains you need to start your Join As You Go Ribbing is entirely up to you. The patterns here have been lifted from some of my designs and they have been written for different yarn weights and with different design elements in mind. Also, the depth of your ribbing will mostly depend on your aesthetic and what you think looks best.

However, as a general rule, I use fewer chains for heavier weights of yarn. The buttonband for the Perfect cardigan, which is an aran weight garment, has about 8 sts. My Little Fluffy Clouds cardigan is crocheted with DK yarn and there are a couple more stitches for a (roughly) similar depth.

Make a swatch and decide how many stitches look the best for what you’d like the ribbing for.

Which Stitch Pattern is Best for Crochet Ribbing

I cover more on this in my first crochet ribbing blog post but a lot of it is down to personal preference as well as what you’re using it for. This is just my opinion but if you accept that it doesn’t quite grip or stretch like a knitted rib does, then you won’t be disappointed.

Do you want your crochet ribbing to be easy to work up? Look great? Have some stretch?
Each of these factors is impacted by the stitch that you choose. If you’re using only slip stitches in the back loop only, they’re more stretchy so have great functionality; they look awesome as well. But they’re also fiddly and require consistent tension. If it’s a beginner project then single crochet back loop only (blo or BLO) would be a good choice. That’s why I’ve included the latter here but if you read the other blog post, you’ll know it’s not actually one I like very much…

How Many Slip Stitches Should I Join With?

The number of slip stitches required for anchoring to the foundation row depends on a couple of different factors:
Do you want it to be flat or flared? The stitches you’ve chosen to use, how wide are they?

The wider the stitch, the more slip stitches you should use. This is why some of my patterns use three slip stitches and others, only two.

Take a look at my colourful crochet sweater, Milis (pic below). It has Join As You Go Ribbing at the neckline, waistband and cuffs. The stitch pattern uses a combo on US hdc / UK htr and slip stitches. There’s approx 5cm positive ease in this sweater which is less than other designs I’ve made. I was a bit worried that adding shaping at the waist and cuffs (by cinching it in) would affect the fit so the ribbing here is flat/inline with the sweater.

Conversely, I dislike fitted, tight necklines, I feel strangled. Therefore, I often design open necks with lots of breathing space. Milis had lots of that but I needed to be careful. Too much space and it’d end up as an off-the-shoulder top, which was not the intention. All of this to say, I used the same stitch pattern throughout but for the cuffs and waist, I attached the ribbing with two slip stitches; at the neckline, I used three.

This simple change gathered the neckline just enough so that it fits just like Goldilocks. Not too big and not too small.

Milis, Colourful Crochet sweater. I used Join AS You Go Ribbing

The JAYG Stitch Patterns

The Easiest JAYG Ribbing

Let’s start with the most simple stitch pattern for Join As You Go Ribbing. It’s all worked with US single crochet stitches / UK dc stitches. Both sides of the ribbing are the same and it’s all worked in the back loop only.

Pattern (US terms are used – my UK friends probably know that a US sc is a UK dc):
Chain 13 (or however many stitches you like). For this starting chain, work into the back bumps.
Row 1: 1sc in 2nd ch from hook, 11sc, sl st in next 2 sts of foundation round, turn. [12 sts]
Row 2: Miss 2 sl sts, 12sc BLO, turn.
Row 3: 1ch, 12sc BLO, sl st in next 2 sts of foundation round, turn.
Row 4 & 5: Rep Row 2 & 3.

The Road To Nowhere is an asymmetric crochet shawl that uses US sc / UK dc in the back loop only. The JAYG ribbing is worked all around the outside in painstaking fashion. Yes, it took ages. Yes, it’s so worth it!

The Front Third Loop Rib

I really love this one! Look at the tidy button band of the Perfect Cardigan (pictured below), it’s so pleasing!

What’s the front third loop?! Instead of working under the 2 loops that form a “V” at the top of the stitch, insert hook in the horizontal loop that sits at the front of the stitch below the “V”. This pushes the stitch forward to produce a rib-like effect.

Pattern:
With right side facing, attach the yarn to your project. For the starting chain, work into the back bumps.
Chain 8.
Row 1: 1hdc (a UK htr) in 2nd ch from hook, 6hdc to end, 3 sl sts into next 3 sts of main body, turn. 7 sts
Row 2: Miss 3 sl sts. Working in the front 3rd loop (here & throughout) 7hdc, turn.
Row 3: 1ch, 7hdc, 3 sl sts into next 3 sts of body, turn.
Repeat Rows 2 & 3.

The Perfect Cardigan uses a US hdc in the front thrid loop for the button band — The Perfect Crochet Cardigan!

Yarn Over Slip Stitch Ribbing

This ribbing uses a combination of yarn over slip stitches (YO sl st – aka a US hdc/ UK htr slip stitch) and regular slip stitches, all in the back loop only.

Pattern:
Chain 10 or however many stitches you like.
Row 1 (w/s): Working in back bumps, YO sl st in second ch from hook, YO sl st to end, sl st in next 2 sts of foundation row, turn – 9 sts.
Row 2 (r/s): Miss 2 sl sts, 9sl sts BLO, turn.
Row 3: ch1, 9YO slst BLO, sl st in next 2 sts of foundation row, turn.
Rep Rows 2 & 3 to end.
Fasten off.

If you’re interested in a tidying tweak for this ribbing pattern, on the last slip stitch of Row 2, work into both loops. Whilst not necessary, I think it creates a neater edge.

Granny quare Sweater. Sleeves with join as you go ribbing on cuffs

What About Creating Corners?

It took me a while to work out the best number of repeats. It depends on how acute your corner is but you can use JAYG ribbing around corners. Not only did I do this in the Road to Nowhere shawl, I also added ribbing to my Gudrun shawl, which was designed especially for the first issue of Moorit magazine.

When working the initial foundation row/round, make sure to have three stitches in a corner. The increase rows will be worked over those three stitches. Or if you prefer, play around with a number of increase rows that’s going to work best for your design.

Join As You Go Around a Corner

The below is pilfered from Road to Nowhere and uses single crochet BLO. Potentially, for other stitch patterns, this may be too many increases. You can also try other ribbing stitch patterns too. For example, Gudrun uses the front third loop rib around the outside.

Pattern:
Work in a 2-row stitch pattern of your choice until you get to the first stitch of a corner. Work 1 sl st into the first corner st.
Corner st 1: rep your two-row stitch pattern three times – sl st in same st after first two repeats, sl st in next st on last row of final rep.
Corner st 2: rep your two-row stitch pattern three times – sl st in same st after first two repeats, sl st in next st on last row of final rep.
Corner st 3: rep your two-row stitch pattern three times – sl st in same st after first two repeats, sl st in next st on last row of final rep.
Corner complete.

And that’s it! As always, I can write a lot about crochet! I hope you find these stitch patterns useful. Are you a fan of Join As You Go crochet ribbing?! What do you use it for?

Whilst I’ve linked to Ravelry for the patterns above, you can also find my crochet designs in my Etsy shop and Lovecrafts.

For more Crochet Tips and Tricks, take a look HERE. And, as always, don’t forget to check out my Free Crochet Patterns Page here.
Cheers! xx

Z&R Crochet Podcast 103. All the 2023 WIPs!!

November 23, 2023November 23, 2023vloggingLeave a Comment

Zeens and Roger Crochet Podcast

Perhaps a couple of days later than I had intended, here is episode 103 of the Zeens and Roger Crochet Podcast. In this episode it’s all about my works in progress (WIPs!). Some are a little closer to finished objects, it’s true, but I have some tweaks that mean they’re not quite ready as patterns.

Hop across to my YouTube channel to take a further look. You’ll find loads more episodes and crochet tutorials. Or you can go straight to the episode by clicking on the picture above.

Yarny Things in the Crochet Chat

Firstly, as we’re talking about WIPs in this episode, some of these patterns aren’t going to be linked because they don’t exist yet! I will be sure to let you know when they are ready.

The first thing I can link is a little bit of knitting! I’m knitting the Sophie shawl! Who isn’t?! Well, I suppose most other people have finished now but I’m still making mine. Very slowly! You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

I chatted a little bit about my old Hotchpotch granny purses. Whilst I have adapted the original design slightly, you can use my first granny stripe bag pattern as a guide. With the video tutorial and blog post, you can make either the big or small colourful, crochet purses.

After many, many years I have finally gotten round to making a large granny square blanket like the one I made for my sister twelve or thirteen years ago. It will be a mixture of large and small granny squares. This time I am using an acrylic/wool blend of yarn: Paintbox Yarns wool blend DK in thirteen shades. The original granny square blanket is pictured below.

And not linked or added here are ALL of my WIPS. I have quite a few! I talk about a crochet cowl collection, another mini granny square cowl, a crochet cardigan crochet along and a new corner to corner sweater design. And I’m sure there’s more but that will do for now!

What WIPS for 2024?

As 2023 draws to a close, I know which works in progress I’d like to see finished first. What about you? What would you like to see most of all? Not just my WIPS but yours too?

PS. This post contains an affiliate link for the Paintbox yarn. If you happened to click on the link and buy some yarn, it means I would receive a percentage of the cost. 🙂

Cheers. x

Z&R Crochet Podcast 102. Finished Objects of 2023

November 17, 2023May 11, 2024crochetLeave a Comment

Crocheting in 2023

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…

Click on the picture above or go to crochet podcast 102 HERE.

Other Podcast Business

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.
Zigzag Chevron bag. A fully lined, crochet tote bag.
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!
I wrote a post for different crochet ribbing options. you’ll find a link to the video tutorial in that post too.

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?!

Cheers!

Not a Natural Yarn Dyer!

March 2, 2021March 9, 2021vlogging7 Comments

A Beginner’s Yarn Dyeing Overview

I was recently sent a naked, undyed skein of King Cole merino yarn. (Disclosure: I am a King Cole ambassador; I got the yarn for free but this is not a sponsored post). Receiving the yarn was all the persuasion I needed to have a brief dalliance with yarn dyeing. And I do mean brief. My first time was dyeing with avocado skins a few weeks ago, which I found interesting but getting the right colour was tricky. The second time was with little pots of powdery acid dyes (thanks Sherrie of Ollie & Bella for recommending the dyes). Acid dyeing yarn is a messy affair and I don’t suggest you try it unless you’re willing to destroy your kitchen, clothes, and anything else within a fifteen foot radius. My kitchen is old and tatty, therefore I don’t care about the fact that it now has a rainbow of colours forever tainting my work tops. Bit dodgy for food prep though.

What I’ve done is put together a couple of videos for YouTube. The first was published a couple of weeks ago. You can watch it HERE. It’s the dyeing yarn with avocado video, not “dying”, which is what I’ve accidentally titled the episode. It’s actually a relatively safe process. I pretended it was homeschooling science and got the kids involved. Well, the youngest one helped, the eldest just came into the kitchen in search of the Flap Jacks that were being baked in the oven whilst we did the dyeing. Apart from using high temperatures in the dyeing process, it’s a pretty good project for getting the kids involved.

Recently uploaded is the acid dyeing vid, HERE. It’s a bit longer as the first section of the video is a “show and tell” of the yarn colours that were created. Then the shoddy demo of my attempts follows after. This one is not be so great for the kids (although one of mine watched from a reasonable distance).

The colours that you can achieve with the acid dyes are far more intense. I have a distinct lack of knowledge about the chemistry of colour work and it shows. I didn’t try to experiment with mixing or diluting, just jumped straight into bright primary-ish shades. The results aren’t too bad. They’re not exactly “my” colours but that’s OK. The dye is Landscapes Dyes from Wingham Wool Work, a great recommendation from Sherrie. I wasn’t scared of using it but hard core professionals use loads of safety gear during dye sessions. Gloves and breathing apparatus are strongly recommended. Please do be careful! The particles of the powders can get inside your lungs and the powders also contain other elements that you don’t want to end up in your dinner.

After a quick shout out for advice on my crochet podcast, Becca from Totnes Yarns got in touch and offered some invaluable advice, thank you so much Becca! She Recommended using an old pot for dyeing the yarn, don’t use your best pans. Some of the acid dyes contain chemicals you don’t want to consume. But also, Becca pointed me in the direction of ChemKnits on YouTube. This is a rabbit hole I do not want to go down. This is just a quick fling, not a new hobby!! But if you did want to commit, check it out.

Research was a quick glance at Google, finding blog posts about avocado experiments. For more information about dyeing with avocado I found Woods and Wool to be really thorough. And also Thoresby Cottage. Deffo worth a look. I didn’t google much about acid dyes, I had the advice from Becca, and the Landscapes dyes came with a leaflet full of excellent instructions for both simmering on the hob or blasting in a microwave. You can download guidance on safety from Wingham Wool Work too.

Michelle from Dora Explored also has a blog post about dyeing with every day household stuff. Lots of helpful explanations about processes in that blog post, including info on why you might need to give your wool a bath in vinegar before you dye, and what a mordant is. But I confess to only skim reading certain bits so missed where it said to heat the yarn again after I added speckles onto the already dyed yarn. Might be why I didn’t end up with as many speckles as I hoped. I do realize that the heat is how the yarn fixes the colour, it was just a brief moment of stupidity. The fact that I have no patience is also a reason why the speckles washed out, which you’ll see from the finished results.

Wool yarn will take on dyes really well. Different fibres react in different ways, which is worth bearing in mind. As well as having the King Cole merino dk to play with, I decided to purchase a few skeins of Regia 4ply merino, another yarn specifically for hand dyeing. It worked a treat with the microwave acid dyeing. I also went digging through my own stash and came up with a mystery mini skein of a sheepy wool, and two silky looking skeins of Teeswater/Wensleydale yarn that were purchased on a holiday in Lancashire a few years ago. Please do read the blog post about that, it’s HERE. It was really quite a treat for a fan of yarn. On a personal level, reading about that holiday demonstrates that I know much more about yarn now than I did then. But judging by my tinkerings with the dyes, I’ve got a long way to go! Still very much an amateur…

Anyway, that’s it really. It’s a vast subject and this experience is barely a toe dipped in avocado blush waters. So much to explore. Have you tried yarn dyeing? What do you think? I bet you’re better at it than me!

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The blue is my favourite. Followed by the red and then the brown. Don’t like the others though!

Z&R Crochet Podcast 83. Vertigo

November 17, 2020crochet2 Comments

Somehow it is November already! I honestly don’t understand. Do you think you’ve managed to get more or less crochet done this year?! To be honest, I haven’t got a clue what’s been going on over the last few months. If you fancy doing some crochet with your feet up, please may I join you? All you have to do is pop over to my YouTube channel and we can have a catch up! If you want you can hit the pic about which is linked to the episode. Cheers!

Before you explore all the fabulous links, don’t forget to enter all the crazy GIVEAWAYS on this episode! I will be drawing winners on the 6th of December so you need to watch before then to be in with a chance. The early bird n all that…

Links:

Keep you eyes peeled for Moorit magazine. At the moment you can follow @mooritmag over on Instagram. This is the brain child of Alyson Chu of the KCACY podcast.

Read more about my Dreckly mittens. I wrote a biiiiiiig blog post all about them. Sharing lots of pics and a silly story too!

Havana Nights has had an update. It now includes a downloadable chart for a baby version.

Wool on the Exe is my LYS. I will share more about a charity project they have worked on very soon.

Check out a conversation between Heather and I about designing crochet for the magazine HERE.

Lulu Loves’ Emma Escott has released a beautiful new book. It’s called Romantic Crochet.

The Color Pop Sweater is a totally innovative design. I have made it very difficult for myself with all the colour changes!

The Crochet Book is available from Amazon. I am in it!

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Z&R Crochet Podcast 81. Inspired for Autumn

September 16, 2020crochetLeave a Comment

Hello and welcome to Episode 81 of the Zeens and Roger Crochet Vlogcast! How are you? I hope you enjoy the episode… Not much to link today but I will share some pics so you can get a quick idea of what I talk about.

To watch this crochet extravaganza, please do click on the picture above. This will take you directly to the episode on YouTube. Oorrrr, the whole channel is HERE.

Thank you xxx

Links:

I am enjoying working with John Arbon Textiles Yarnadelic at the moment. I’ll share the project when I’m done!

I have extra good stuff on Patreon if you fancy giving a monthly subscription a try. So far Patrons have received at least one free pattern per month and usually there’s an extra, more focused video too. Not to mention opportunities to name designs and get involved in other ways….

Or, if that’s a bit much, you can buy me a coffee HERE (it’d be tea actually but you know, it’s Ko-fi not Ko-tea)

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Ruffled Feathers appears in issue 128 of Inside Crochet magazine

My Ticking Mitts appear in issue 128 of Inside Crochet

Z&R Crochet Podcast 79. Place Your Bets

August 18, 2020crochet2 Comments

Halllooooo! Episode 79 of my crochet podcast is here at last! I’m sure you were desperately waiting! Please see below for pics and links to projects discussed and other related things. To go directly to the episode, please hit the pic above to take you to the episode or go HERE to my YouTube channel. Ta very much. x

Links:

The recent granny market bag blog post is HERE. I talk about the alterations I made to the original pattern, which is linked in the post or you can find it in the Free Patterns page.

Days of Summer is out NOW and there is 20% off until the 31st of August on Ravelry and Etsy. It is also available from LoveCrafts. Read the story about it and its team mates HERE.

Join the Patreon gang! Please pop over and have a look HERE.

Failing that, feel free to buy me a coffee on KO-Fi (although it actually won’t be a coffee cos I don’t like it! – I’m saving up for a new camera so I can record a better quality podcast).

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Thank you xxx

xxx

Z&R Crochet Podcast 59. Le Gasp!

September 14, 2019May 11, 2024crochet, vloggingLeave a Comment

Hello! I hope you’re well!? I really enjoyed putting this episode together, I hope you enjoy watching 😀

As usual, click on the image above to go to Episode 59 of the latest crochet chat, or if you fancy going back to previous episodes or checking out some crochet tutorials, go HERE to my YouTube channel. Ta very much!

In this episode I reveal the name of last episode’s Giveaway and there’s a new Giveaway too!!

Links and pictures for all things Episode 59 are below…

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Links:

The Claudia Cowl is my latest design release for sale on Ravelry (and soon Lovecrafts and Etsy – keep your eyes peeled). For YouTube viewers, the pattern is free with the code I reveal in the episode. The code is valid until the end of October. I used a skein of 4ply yarn from Doulton Border Leicester, gifted to me by the lovely Claudia of CrochetLuna.

Speaking of Claudia, I have the Encanto wrap to make! Yarn is chosen and ready to go!!

I am working on the Mya shawl by Helda Panagary. I love it!! I’m using yarn from Rusty Ferret and Beehive Yarns.

The Star Cluster Tee. I used the recommended yarn from Hobbii

The Forest Valley Shawl by Christina Hadderingh

I am knitting the Kinesis Sweater by We are Knitters. I am in love with it but it might be too small….

I have rewritten my old owl pattern because it’s terribly done. I’ll write a blog post for the new version soon but I’ll be keeping the old one available HERE. Go forth and be embarrassed on my behalf!

Anything I’ve missed? Give me a shout. Cheers. x

Z&R Crochet Podcast 58. Crochet Crime

August 31, 2019crochet, vloggingLeave a Comment

Episode 58 of my crochet podcast is here! I hope you enjoy it… Don’t forget to enter the Giveaway too…!

Please click on the pic above to go directly to the episode or find the whole YouTube channel Here.

Links:

The Lorax Scarf on Ravelry is HERE. There is a 20% discount until the 15th September. You can read a bit more about it HERE.

If you fancy it, you can support me on Patreon HERE. Ta very much.

HERE is my review of the Dear Ewe products. I forgot to mention in the episode that until next Sunday the 8th September you can get a discount. The code is in the blog post.

The blanket join is from the Redagape casual granny blanket. It’s HERE.

The Kinesis Sweater. Wish me luck!

Yippee Yarn Yay’s Star Cluster Tee.

See below for some pictures of what is in the episode!!