Chunky Icelandic Blanket (Free crochet pattern)

Kaitlin Cone Crafts April 14, 2017

Want to try a new crochet stitch but don’t want to spend the time learning one that’s too complicated for a simple project? Look no further – we’ve got you covered with a dream project: the Chunky Icelandic Blanket from Mama In A Stitch. It uses the Lemon Peel stitch, which alternates single and double crochet. Sounds great, right? It also creates a great, cozy texture, perfect for winter gear, and in this case, the warmest, snuggliest blanket imaginable.

While the crochet pattern is available for free on Mama In A Stitch, there’s also a PDF pattern available via the Etsy shop. You’ll also find (for free) the blanket sizing guide which will help you determine how much yarn to purchase to complete your own chunky Icelandic blanket. You’ll need to make sure you’ve got a bigger crochet hook than you’d normally use (which is what helps create the blanket’s unique texture). The pattern recommends a size “P”. You’ll also need a tapestry needle, scissors, and at least 6 skeins of wool yarn (recommended: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick, or something similar).

The pattern has plenty of helpful photos to guide you through the process, but once you get the hang of alternating the stitches, the pattern’s a breeze. And when you’ve completed the blanket, you can add whatever little finishes you like, such as tassels or pom-poms on the corners, or even fringe if you prefer.

You can upload pictures of your completed project to Facebook or Instagram and tag @mamainastitch, who enjoys seeing the different takes on her chunky Icelandic blanket. The blanket would make a perfect Christmas present or addition to a guest room, living room, or camping trip.

If the Chunky Icelandic Blanket is calling to you, you can find the free pattern (or the ad-free PDF for a minimal fee) at Mama In A Stitch — where you can also find the blanket sizing guide.

2247 total views, 1 today

These Amazing Crochet Baskets (Free Pattern)

Kaitlin Cone Crafts April 13, 2017

Crochet In Color (Elizabeth Pardue)’s free crochet basket pattern is a great place to start if you’ve never made a basket. There are dozens of uses for one (in the kitchen for utensils, in the bathroom for necessities, in the craft room for supplies, etc.), and this pattern’s simple enough for everyone to try. You might also want to look at her other original patterns on Ravelry – there’s a lot of options to choose from, including more basket patterns.

You’ll need the following supplies: a crochet hook (size “L”), 3 skeins of super bulky yarn (the pattern recommends Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick), scissors, and a tapestry needle. The pattern is crocheted from the bottom up, in the round as one piece, and the website includes both written directions and a photo tutorial.

While you might be tempted to use a larger hook (after all, you are using larger yarn), resist the temptation. The smaller hook ensures that the stitch is stiff, which helps the basket retain its shape. Of course if you don’t want to use super bulky yarn, you can use a worsted weight yarn and up the strand count to four. This will produce the same effect, though the texture will vary slightly. You can of course use different materials as well, such as hemp, ribbon yarn wrapped around clear tubing, or t-shirt yarn. After you complete the basket, you can also add on finishing touches such as buttons, ribbon, or pom-poms.

If you’ve been looking for a crochet basket pattern you can modify by using something like t-shirt yarn, ribbon yarn, or other alternative materials, you can try this free pattern at Ravelry – you do have to have an invite to Nurin Kurin (and you’ll most likely have to use Google Translate for help, though there are photos of the alternative “yarn” materials) in order to see those alterations, though there’s a great picture on Tumblr if you want a peek.

129697 total views, 479 today

Crochet baskets of varying sizes (Free pattern)

Kaitlin Cone Crafts April 13, 2017

Sometimes you just need a basket in a specific size. And the more specific you get, the more difficult it is to find the one you want. But what if you could make the perfect size basket for a specific purpose? All About Ami has you covered with several free patterns for crocheted baskets in every size, ranging from simple one color baskets to the more complicated ombre effect basket. She’s also included her modifications to the patterns so you can make sure you have the exact size you need.

You’ll want to use a super bulky yarn to ensure that the basket holds its shape, and in some cases, you’ll use two strands of yarn throughout the pattern. However, if you want to experiment, you can use a smaller weight yarn and simply add more strands (start with three or four) to make sure it stays a stiff texture that you can shape into a basket. One of the patterns recommends using Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick if you’re going to use a super bulky yarn. If you’re wanting to try the ombre basket, however, you’ll simply use four strands of a worsted weight yarn to get the effect you desire.

Another thing to be aware of is the size of the crochet hook you’re using — too large, and the texture won’t be stiff enough to retain its shape. While it might seem like a good idea to use a larger hook with super bulky yarn, the basket might become more of a bag if you do.

None of these patterns are overly complicated. All you need to do is check that your crochet hook and yarn weight are the right fit so that your basket doesn’t slouch or succumb to being pulled in all directions because of its contents. Once complete, a set of these baskets would make great gifts for the people in your life who love to organize. They also make a thoughtful welcome present. Of course, you can always keep them for yourself and use them to hold all your yarn, crochet hooks, and other craft supplies.

Want to try your hand at making one or more sizes of these crocheted baskets? All About Ami has links to each pattern (whether you want small, medium or large) on her site.

2323 total views, 1 today

Stepping Texture Crochet Hat (Free Pattern)

Kaitlin Cone Crafts April 7, 2017

What’s better than a warm, fuzzy hat for those windy, early spring days? The Stepping Texture Crochet Hat made with Bernat’s Softee Chunky yarn is just the thing when you want to go for a walk and enjoy the breeze without experiencing chilly ears and a brain freeze.

The pattern, which can be found on Ravelry or Yarnspirations, is available as a free PDF and is marked as an “Easy” project, which means this beautiful beanie can be created quickly, just in time for that afternoon drive or stroll through the woods.

All you’ll need to make your own Stepping Texture Crochet Hat is a crochet needle (size 11), yarn (2 balls), a tapestry needle, and a pair of scissors. The pattern includes a graph as well as photos and sketches, so in case you need something more visual, there are tools available. However, if you’d prefer reading the pattern, it’s very detailed and well laid out. There are several abbreviations familiar to beginner crocheters (included in an abbreviation library), such as the usual slip stitch (sl st), chain (ch), and double crochet (dc), as well as other, less familiar abbreviations such as double crochet front/back posts (dcfp/dcbp), right side (rs), wrong side (ws), and yarn over hook (yoh).

You’ll be working the hat in rounds once you’re past the ribbed brim, so you may want to add a few stitch markers to the list of materials needed, though of course it isn’t necessary. If you like, you can forego the stitch markers and use paperclips instead, or even bits of differently colored yarn. Whatever works for you – feel free to experiment.

The Stepping Texture hat is a great project for beginner crocheters who want items that look more polished, as it starts out with a ribbed rim, then switches to the stepping texture before completing the hat with a handmade pom-pom (instructions are also included on how to make this using only your hand and a pair of scissors), showcasing several stitches in one item which means you might have to make a few of these for your friends if you don’t want them “borrowing” it!

One size fits all according to the pattern, especially if you’re using a looser gauge and chunky yarn. You might, however, want to check it as you go along to ensure that it is of the right proportions.

Of course, as with every pattern, if you feel comfortable enough crocheting your hat by adhering strictly to the directions, there are plenty of opportunities to go “off-pattern” and create a unique hat based on your own preferences for stitches and additions like buttons, ribbon, or variegated yarn.

If you want to try this pattern out and make your own beautiful Stepping Texture Crochet Hat, the Bernat Design Studio has it available on Ravelry. They have several other patterns available as well so if you like the way their patterns are written, or their subject matter, you might want to consider joining Ravelry, following Bernat Design Studio and Yarnspirations, and adding their patterns to your PDF library. They have a wide range of patterns offering everything from childrens’ clothes, hats, and bags to pillows, blankets, and rugs.

1469 total views, 4 today

Crochet Patterns from the Outside In!

Kaitlin Cone Crafts March 12, 2017

Does it ever feel like you’ve run out of projects and patterns to try, and you feel like you need a little bit of a challenge? Do you like unraveling the mysteries of crochet patterns? If so, you might consider attempting a little bit of sleuthing and re-working patterns that come in other languages.

This Polish Star crochet pattern from a Russian baby blog might be just the thing to pique your interest. And of course, the rest of us who wish we had an English version of this pattern would love it if you posted the results! The Polish Star may look complicated, but from the tutorial video I watched, it might not actually be that difficult.

The stitches look simple enough, it’s the joining and working around the color scheme that seem to make it look complicated or detailed at the end. It’s a gorgeous pattern, which I’m sure could be cobbled together from a few other patterns, like a star pattern and a hot pad.

What’s unique about this pattern is that it’s crocheted from the outside in – you begin the pattern by creating the edges and then slowly work your way up to the star in the middle. Which means the beginning of the pattern would be relatively simple.

If you’re curious about this Polish Star pattern and want to try your hand at either translating the video’s pattern from its original language into English, or if you’re intrigued by the video and want to write out your own pattern based on your experience creating a Polish Star, you can find the video tutorial at Baby Blog.

26663 total views, 6 today

Crochet Flower Starburst Hot Pad (Free Pattern)

Kaitlin Cone Crafts March 12, 2017

You can always use one more hot pad in the kitchen. Older pads are burned, singed, or have questionable spots on them. Newer ones may not be to your taste but you just picked them up to have a couple more around when you need them. But what if you could make your own unique hot pads that would never be mistaken for someone else’s at the next potluck, BBQ, or reunion?

This free crochet hot pad pattern from Loretta Schepp hits all the right points. It produces unique, beautiful, cost-effective, and simple hot pads you can tailor to your own liking by choosing various colors, textures, and ways to join the motifs together.

With plenty of photo inspiration on her Ravelry account, and a free video tutorial from Anel Gomez, this free pattern is one you’ll have put together in no time flat. The pattern calls for the following items: 1 1/2 oz. of 4-ply worsted yarn (variegated or whatever color you choose) for Color A, and 1/2 oz. of 4-ply worsted yarn for Color B (the pattern suggests using a solid color for this one), a “G” size crochet hook, and a tapestry needle.

Stitches you’ll need to know include chain (ch), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), and treble crochet (tc).

You’ll want to crochet a little beforehand to make sure the gauge is correct. Two lines of crochet should measure 2 inches. The finished product will measure 8 inches in diameter, but of course you can tweak the pattern to make it a 6 inch or a 10 inch if you need a different size.

The starburst effect is created by crocheting five individual motifs and joining them together.

Once you’ve created one or two of these, it’s easy to mix and match with colors to create your own look for these beauties. You can combine jewel tones, natural colors, pastel hues, and more in order to personalize your hot pads, or make sets for your family and friends. You can also add a loop onto them for easy storage on a rack or for display purposes.

If you’d like to try making one of these Starburst Hot Pads, you can find information at DIY How-To and Loretta Schepp’s Ravelry page. You can find the pattern at Crochet Memories, and if you want to watch the instructional video, you can find it at Anel Gomez’s YouTube channel.

108136 total views, 337 today

Crochet Edging

Kaitlin Cone Crafts March 11, 2017

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like being a little more fancy. I’ll set out real silverware, the good plates, and some nice glasses, and then remember that I don’t have any fancy cloth napkins. Once I have them, though, I might feel the need to add a little something to make them my own, like a crochet edging in a matching or coordinating color. Upping the fancy just a little can make dreary days seem a little brighter, and who doesn’t love a pretty table?

There are dozens upon dozens of crochet edging choices for your napkins, tablecloths, blankets, handkerchiefs, scarves, and other plain items in need of a makeover, but one of the prettiest edgings, I think, is this crochet edging from Filomena Crochet Tricot Costura.

The stitch itself is light, letting the fabric stand out above the stitches, blending into the overall look as a simple, elegant finish. It’s also pretty simple to do and with the photo tutorial and Google Translate (the original blog post is in Portuguese), following along is a breeze.

To make your own edging, you’ll need the yarn and crochet hook size of your choice (depends on what you’re adding edging to – if you’re adding to a handkerchief, you’ll want a small size, but if you’re adding onto a blanket, you’ll want a bigger size), and the item you’re adding onto, which in the tutorial is a dish cloth.

Filomena’s simple instructions and photos will guide you through the process and the results will be beautiful and make you feel a little extra fancy.

If you want to try this variation of crochet edging, you can find the free crochet pattern by visiting Filomena Crochet Tricot Costura. Be sure to check out her other free patterns as well, there’s plenty to choose from and more than one item in need of crochet edging!

3140 total views, 2 today

Arm Knit a Blanket in 45 Minutes

Kaitlin Cone Crafts March 5, 2017

Do you have a favorite blanket? The one you always curl up with on the sofa after a long day, or the one you grab when you’re going on a late-night adventure or camping trip, or the one you always fight over because it’s that soft? Even if you already have a favorite blanket, this arm knit blanket just might tip the scales in its own favor once you learn that you can make your own blankets using whatever yarn material you’d like – all in under forty-five minutes.

Simply Maggie recommends using Premiere Yarns’ Couture Jazz, though of course you can use any bulky or chunky yarn your heart desires. The pattern uses a size 6 bulky yarn, and you’ll probably need around 11 balls of yarn.

If you’re interested in seeing just how easy it is, follow along with Simply Maggie’s tutorial on YouTube. It’s just five simple steps:

• Create a long tail cast-on, about five feet. Then make a slipknot. Use whichever arm you’re comfortable with. The pattern is created starting on the right arm, but you will be using both of them as you would with two knitting needles.
• Cast on your stitches. This might be a little complicated at first but try watching the video and then following along. You want to make tight stitches so that the blanket has small holes, but do make sure that you can still slide them along your arm as you add more stitches. (You can make any size blanket you want, although this blanket’s size is about 5′ x 3′ approximately)
• Now it’s time to arm knit! If you’re having trouble watching and listening to the instructions at the same time, you might try muting the video while you watch it the first time, or turning the video away and listening to the audio by itself, whichever is easier for you.
• Bind off – this part should come a little easier now that you’ve learned how to knit with both arms. The pattern calls for about 32 rows before binding off. Remember to bind off loosely or else you’ll have a skinny end and a wide end.
• Weave in the ends and voila! You have a beautiful, cozy, snuggly blanket to wrap yourself in for any occasion! Be sure to tailor the knots you made when joining the yarn so that they are somewhat hidden. (Just cut the extra material close enough to where they aren’t glaringly obvious)

This can be quite a workout for your arms, so be sure you’re somewhere you can be comfortable and that you have enough time to complete the blanket in one sitting – it can be difficult fitting the loops back onto your arm, though of course if you need to, you can find a way to make that work, like sliding a dowel through the loops to keep them in order.

If this piques your interest and you’d like to try making your own arm knit blanket in under forty-five minutes, check out Simply Maggie’s YouTube tutorial (there are also bloopers at the end to show that no one’s perfect and it’s all in good fun) and follow along to create your own. You can also check out her Etsy shop and her social media channels on Instagram and Facebook.

1644 total views, 1 today

Crochet a Circular Rug – No Sewing Needed

Kaitlin Cone Crafts March 5, 2017

Who doesn’t love to sink their feet into a warm, cozy rug? And of course it’s even better if you’ve made your own rug, and with this no sewing required finger crochet circular rug, you’ll be able to make a houseful in no time! ExpressionFiberArts on YouTube has created an easy, beginner pattern in her video tutorial using a merino wool roving – which is a bundle of fiber used for spinning that can also be used to create specialty knit and crochet items.

Of course you could also try this with a super bulky yarn, but if you want to try the wool roving, you can purchase it through places like Amazon or Etsy. The pattern calls for a single color, but of course once you get the hang of it you might want to try adding in a variety of colors or even a variegated roving.

The pattern uses mostly single crochet, which is easy enough with a crochet needle but might take some practice if you haven’t finger crocheted before. The video tutorial moves slowly enough for you to match the pace, so I’d recommend watching it first and then attempting to follow along. You’ll crochet six single crochet stitches into the first stitch and then start creating rows.

Of course, with the roving and your fingers, it is best to move slowly and gently since the roving can be pulled apart easily until it’s crocheted. A large stitch marker (something like a large safety pin or even a hanger) will make it easier to tell where the rows end as the pattern is worked up into a spiral (the pattern multiplies, creating six new stitches in each round).

The pattern ends with two slip stitches (sl st) and a fake loop, which effectively hides the tail, hidden underneath. The rug is about 3 feet around, and it takes about 7 1/2 pounds of wool roving to complete the project. Of course, you can make it as big as you like as long as you remember to increase each row by six stitches.

The resulting rug is a thick, hardy rug you can use in a living room, bedroom, or sun room, but it could also be used as a play mat or yoga mat. If you experiment with different types of yarn (like t-shirt yarn, perhaps, although she mentions using cotton or bamboo, blue-faced Leicester, or Corriedale wool – it will all depend on your budget as merino wool is quite expensive, but fabric yarn will be quite cheap, especially if you can collect enough t-shirts to make it yourself) it could also be used for camping, sitting by the fire, or on the beach.

If you’d like to try making your own wool roving finger crochet rug, visit ExpressionFiberArts on YouTube for the free pattern and video tutorial. You can also find a link to her blog with both the materials list and instructions if you’d rather read instead of watch. You might also want to visit her website for free promo codes and other goodies, such as her newsletter.

If you do end up making a rug, follow ExpressionFiberArts on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, all of which are linked in her video description) – she enjoys seeing the results.

2888 total views, 2 today

Croche Bath Scrubby (Free Pattern)

Kaitlin Cone Crafts March 3, 2017

I’ve never understood the concept of loofahs. I’ve often wondered how long people keep them and worried about the drying time and mildew. So I’ve never bought them. But this Crochet Loofah pattern explains how to address the issues I was worried about, and it actually has me interested in trying out a loofah for myself.

Unfortunately, the “perfect yarn” for loofahs, the Bernat Cool Crochet, no longer exists. But there does seem to be a formula to match and there are plenty of sport weight yarns to try out. The type of yarn to look for is a 70/30 mixture of cotton to nylon, in a sport weight. The mixture allows some absorption and prevents mildew, and it creates a lightweight, quick dry loofah. It also (bonus) can be washed, though of course you should probably let it air dry or put it on low heat tumble.

If you happen to have Bernat Cool Crochet yarn to use, then good for you. But if you don’t, another cotton/nylon blend or even a cotton/acrylic blend will do well. You’ll also need an “I” size crochet hook, scissors, and a tapestry needle. You won’t need to know any special stitches, just the regular stitch, chain, slip stitch, and double crochet.

The instructions are very simple and short. You won’t need much yarn either, which means this project is a breeze to complete, and if you find the right yarn, you might be tempted to make a half dozen of these to hand out to the family and friends. Of course, you might want to experiment a little and see what works best for you in terms of texture, size, and weight. (You can also experiment with color and create designs like stripes or variegation in the loofah)

If you’d like to try this pattern out for yourself, it’s available for free from BeFriendMantic’s Blog O’ Crafts.

6108 total views, 3 today