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Free Pattern – Striped booties
I made these fun, striped booties to match my Dreaming of Pinwheels blanket. They’re made with the same Anne Geddes Baby yarn by Red Heart. I love the colors, and the acrylic / nylon blend means it’s strong and machine washable too. This pattern has instructions for sizes 0-6 months and 6-12 months This pattern is protected by copyright. Please do not distribute or share this pattern in any way other than by sharing a link to this page or to the pattern page on Ravelry. Click here for copyright information. This pattern contains affiliate links (click for more info). If you click one of these links and then make a purchase, I may…
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Coming Soon – Holiday Stashdown CAL
I’m excited to be participating in two great CALs that are starting soon! Earlier, I told you about the Mystery Lapghan CAL which started on Monday. Now here’s another one – the Holiday Stashdown CAL. 15 crochet designers (including me) will be sharing 15 free crochet patterns for holiday gifts and decorations. The CAL starts on September 14th and is designed to work from your existing yarn stash, so each pattern will be a one-skein project or a stashbuster / scrap yarn project. Of course if you do buy new yarn, and add it to your stash, then it technically becomes stash yarn too, right? At least, that’s the excuse I’m using!…
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It IS the size that matters
As those of us here in the US already know, US hook sizes are identified by a lettering system. We have our favorites for different yarns, for me H’s, I’s and J’s are great for worsted yarns, G’s and H’s work well for DK, and D’s , E’s and F’s are good for fingering. Whatever our choices, the lettering and sizes are all standard, right? Nope.
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Coming Soon – Mystery Lapghan CAL
It’s just about time for a fun, new CAL, and I couldn’t be more excited! I’m actually going to be doing 2 CALs this fall, but the first one I want to tell you about is this Mystery Lapghan CAL, which starts in just 2 days. This post contains affiliate links (click here for more info) – if you click on these links and create an account or make a purchase, I may be compensated. I’ve teamed up with 28 other crochet designers to share 36 free crochet square patterns for a one-of-a-kind lapghan! Each pattern will be 6-inches square, using a worsted or aran weight yarn – yarn symbol 4…
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Stashing on Ravelry
Today, I am sorting through and organizing all the new yarn I got on my trip to the Knit and Crochet show. There’s a lot of it, and like many of you, I already had a lot at home! Without some way to manage it, I would never remember what I have. Luckily, once again, it’s Ravelry to the rescue. I use the “stash” feature to keep track of it all, and I’ve found that really helpful. As soon as yarn enters my home (ok, within a couple of weeks, at least), I enter it into my stash. That way, I always know exactly how much I have of each yarn, including dye…
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Alternative Half Double Crochet Decrease
The traditional half double crochet 2 together (hdc2tog) decrease can be bulky, particularly at the edges of the fabric. This cleaner, sleeker, alternative half double crochet decrease reduces the bulk with just a slight modification.
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Free Pattern – Simple crochet balls
I ran out of dryer sheets the other day, so I decided to try making felted dryer balls instead. I only made it through one ball before other projects (and life in general) got in the way. One day I’ll make more, and then I’ll let you know how they work! Meanwhile, I thought I would share with you a general recipe for making crocheted balls. This is a great starting point for buttons, dolls heads, ornaments, toys, and more! Depending on the yarn you use and your gauge, you can make lots of different sizes. Really large balls may look a little misshapen (more like a capsule than a ball). I wouldn’t recommend making anything…
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15 Newbie tips for the Knit & Crochet Show
I just got back from the CGOA / TKGA Knit & Crochet Show in San Diego. This was my first show, and it was truly amazing. It was almost surreal to spend 4 whole days surrounded by such talent. Thanks to some good advice from some good friends, I was really able to make the most of it. I want to share that advice, from one newbie to another, along with a few tips of my own. If you’re going to the show next year for the first time: 1. Arrive Early. The fun starts bright and early on the first day! I arrived near lunchtime and ended up missing some of it.…
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Hanks, balls, and skeins – oh my!
Yarn comes in many formats, with different names. Sometimes it’s wound by a machine, sometimes it’s wound by hand, and sometimes it’s just twisted together. There are cakes, skeins, hanks, balls, cones, and even spools – do you know the difference? Here are some examples:
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Filet Crochet Butterfly Square
A pretty butterfly dances on a field of mesh in this filet crochet butterfly square. Learn filet crochet with this fun and easy pattern! Make it with any yarn or thread, with solid wings or lacy wings, and as a stand-alone square or as part of a larger project. So many possibilities!
