Tag: Crocheter

Fun, Festive & Simple Christmas Garlands

Two years ago, I had the idea to do a week of semi-simple crochet patterns for Christmas that I would call Crochetmas. I saw it on Instagram, and it sounded like a fun idea. Bringing it to fruition was another story. I came up with the patterns, tested them, but then doing the actual write-up for the blog posts just didn’t happen as I got busy finishing up orders for my Etsy shop and friends last year. So, this year I decided to share three of the patterns in one blog post. They are super simple, the patterns are pretty much variations of each other and you could call them stash busters since they don’t require much yarn to create. They are for a Christmas Tree Garland, Santa Hat Garland and a Light Bulb Garland. If you are feeling creative, you could crochet a few of each pattern to create a very festive garland. Either way, I would suggest using an odd number of components (Tree, Hat or Light Bulb) this way when you hang it it will be symmetrical with a clear middle.

First up, a Light Bulb garland. This project is a great stash buster since you can use whatever color you choose for the bulb part.  Make them all one color or get creative with a bunch of colors. The one color I would keep consistent is the one you use for the “socket” and for the “wire.” I am partial to lights strung on green wire, but white is popular as well.

Next up a Christmas Tree garland. I posted a picture of this garland two years ago on Instagram. At the time I wasn’t sure if I was going to share the pattern via a blog post. I posted a bunch of recipes for baked goods that year that I just didn’t know where to fit it in. And then I got the idea to do Crochetmas that I decided to hold-off, but as I mentioned that didn’t come to fruition. But finally, I am sharing it with you today. What’s fun with this one is that depending on the green you choose it can really change the look and feel of the garland. With this lighter green it has more a rustic feel to…

But with a darker green it has more of a traditional feel…

And the final garland, a Santa Hat Garland. This pattern is very similar to the Christmas Tree Garland since both have the same shape, a triangle. The Santa Hat pattern has one extra row added at the beginning to give it a more elongated look and to account for adding a pom-pom on top and three rows of single crochet in white yarn are added to the bottom for the trim.

The Patterns:

For all of these I used Red Heart Super Saver Yarn and worked with a size H-8 (5mm) crochet hook.

To assemble the garlands, thread a large tapestry needle with a long piece of yarn and then weave through the back of each component (Light Bulb, Christmas Tree or Santa Hat). Leave a long tail on each end to create a loop to hang.

Light Bulb

Ch 2

Row 1: SC in 2nd chain, Ch1 & Turn

Row 2: 2 SC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 3: 2 SC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 4: 2 SC in first stitch, SC in next 2 stitches, 2 SC in last stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 5: 2 SC in first stitch, SC in next 4 stitches, 2 SC in last stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Rows 6 – 9: SC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 7: SC2Tog, SC to last 2 stitches in row, SC2Tog, Ch 1 & Turn

Repeat Row 7 until 2 stitches remain.

Final Row: SC2Tog, Ch 1

SC around the entire light bulb. Fasten off and weave in ends.

For the “socket”: (With either green or white yarn, or the color of your choice)

On the top of the light bulb (the straight edge), attach your yarn in the first stich of the right side (right side facing you), Ch1, SC in the next 2 stitches. Ch 1 & Turn.

SC across, Ch 1 & Turn. Repeat this one more time then fasten off and weave in the yarn.

Abbreviations:

Ch – Chain

SC – Single Crochet

SC2Tog – Single Crochet 2 Together

Christmas Tree

With green yarn:

Ch 2

Row 1: 2 HDC in 2nd chain, Ch1 & Turn

Row 2: 2 HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 3: HDC, 2HDC in next 2 stitches, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 4: HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 5: HDC, 2HDC, HDC in next 2 stitches, 2HDC, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 6: HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 7: HDC, 2HDC, HDC in next 4 stitches, 2HDC, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 8: HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 9: HDC, 2HDC, HDC in next 6 stitches, 2HDC, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 10: HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 11: HDC, 2HDC, HDC in next 8 stitches, 2HDC, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 12: HDC in each stitch, Fasten off and weave in ends.

With brown yarn:

Row 1: Join brown yarn in 6th stitch from the right. Ch1 (counts as first SC), then SC in next 3 stitches. Ch1 & Turn.

Row 2: SC in the 4 stitches, Ch 1 & Turn

Repeat Row 2 two more times. Fasten off and weave in end.

With white yarn:

Magic Ring. *Ch 2, SC in 2nd chain from hook, Sl st into MR*. Repeat ** until you have 5 points. Pull the ring tight to close the circle and then fasten off. Leave a long tail to sew the star onto the tree.

Abbreviations:

Ch – Chain

HDC – Half Double Crochet

SC – Single Crochet

MR – Magic Ring

Santa Hat

With red yarn:

Ch 2

Row 1: 2 HDC in 2nd chain, Ch1 & Turn

Row 2: HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 3: 2HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 4: HDC, 2HDC in next 2 stitches, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 5: HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 6: HDC, 2HDC, HDC in next 2 stitches, 2HDC, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 7: HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 8: HDC, 2HDC, HDC in next 4 stitches, 2HDC, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 9: HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 10: HDC, 2HDC, HDC in next 6 stitches, 2HDC, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 11: HDC in each stitch, Ch1 & Turn

Row 12: HDC, 2HDC, HDC in next 8 stitches, 2HDC, HDC, Ch1 & Turn

Row 13: HDC in each stitch, Fasten off and weave in ends.

With white yarn:

Row 1: Join white yarn in last stitch on bottom of the right side. Ch1 (counts as first SC), then SC across the row. Ch1 & Turn.

Row 2: SC across, Ch1 & Turn

Row 3: Repeat Row 2. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Make a mini pom-pom using a mini pom-pom maker or with a fork, leaving a long tail, and then attach to the top of the Santa Hat.  

Abbreviations:

Ch – Chain

HDC – Half Double Crochet

SC – Single Crochet

A Few Projects from a Fiber Artist… AKA a Procrastinator

It’s been a while… well, a little over 3 months. I am sure I have taken longer breaks from blogging. I have been baking, but mostly things that I have made before. I recently tried a new pumpkin recipe that was a fail. It was a recipe for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Brownies that sounded promising but, in the end, had no flavor whatsoever. That led me to a deep dive into whether people post “fake” recipes and I learned that thanks to AI people are now posting recipes that have never been tested and completely computer generated, recipe and pictures, in order to generate clicks, views and likes. Great! No need to worry though, everything I am bringing you today is completely real and created by me. While I haven’t been baking my fingers have been busy crocheting and knitting.

Up first a granny square cardigan that I made for myself. I made my first granny square cardigan a few years ago. It was a request – order – from someone and they were happy with the final product. Since then, I thought about making one for myself, but I didn’t want to make the typical granny square for it. After some research I settled on a sunburst granny square, which was a bit more involved than your typical granny square. I started making the squares last year and then took a break from making them, started up again, took another break and it wasn’t until this summer that I decided it was time to finish. When I laid out the squares to design my cardigan, I realized that I made way too many, so I probably could have finished it a lot sooner. Oh well! I’m really happy with how it came out, and I have quite a few of the squares left-over and a bunch of yarn in this color that I will need to decide what to do with.

Next, another item – a crocheted tote bag – that sat for a while before I finally finished it. It’s the life of a crocheter though. More WIPs (works in progress) than they can manage. Actually, only one of these sat, the other one I got done fairly quickly. I started the tote bag in the fall colors last year. I worked this up without an actual pattern. I had an idea of what I wanted so I combined components of two different patterns to create it, and I was very happy with how it came out. But then it sat. The hold-up, having to sew a liner into the bag. Since I was hand sewing it and I haven’t had much practice doing so I psyched myself out and just put it aside. This summer though I decided it was time to finish. I think I got into a kick over the summer that it was time to finish the projects that I had started and left astray. Truthfully it weighs on my mind when I do this. I see the project half done and I just feel like something is amiss, that things are unraveling at the seams because I am not finishing things. Talk about a metaphor. So, I sewed the liner in, and I ordered handles that I stitched onto the bag. Truthfully, I was very proud of myself for how this tote came out considering I had no pattern to follow. I was so happy with it that I made another one in shades of purple for a friend. This was the one that I worked up quickly. No lagging whatsoever. Probably because her birthday was coming up and it was fresh in my mind how to finish it. I am thinking of making another one so that I can actually write-up the pattern to have for future reference.

And finally, a knitted cowl. I’ve made a few of these scarves, the pattern is super simple. It’s the seed stitch and it creates a scarf that looks good in basically any weight yarn. This was the first time I made it using a heavier weight yarn and I really like how full and warm it will be for the colder months ahead. Truthfully, I had to make this scarf two times. The first time I casted on too many stitches and the scarf didn’t look good in the end. It was too short and bulky to loop around my neck, so I sadly frogged the entire thing and started over by casting on fewer stitches and it came out exactly how I wanted.

And now, I am looking for my next big yarn project that will hopefully not take me over a year to complete!

Granny Square Cardigan

While I’ve been crocheting for over 10 years it wasn’t until recently that I learned how to make a granny square. A little backwards since learning how to make a granny square is usually one of the first things you learn to make when you start crocheting. When you are pretty much self-taught though you learn things as you go and as you need. So, why did I finally learn? Well, I was asked if I could make a granny square cardigan and since I am always up for a challenge and I like to learn new things I said yes.

First though I had to learn how to make a granny square. Once I found a pattern that was simple enough to follow I used some extra yarn from my stash to test it out a few times to make sure I had the hang of it.

Next, I had to finalize the colors. The person who I was making it for had a color scheme in mind from a cardigan they already saw. They were looking for pastel colors so after going back and forth with different options she decided on the colors below.

Now, the fun part. I started making the granny squares. I made a few and sent her a picture to make sure she liked the colors once they were all put together.

Once I got the greenlight that those looked good I went ahead and continued to crochet more. Truth be told I didn’t have an exact pattern to follow for how many squares I needed. I looked at various patterns and pictures to get an idea. I knew that I had to make the equivalent to a size medium. From doing my research I initially went with making 30 squares and I placed them in the layout below. I had a feeling that it wasn’t completely right but I decided to move on to another part of the cardigan… the sleeves.

Normally with granny square cardigans the sleeves are made using granny squares as well, but, the person I was making it for requested the sleeves to be solid white and they didn’t want them to be granny squares. So, more research. I knew that when it came to making sleeves they needed to be tapered to accommodate a wider upper arm to a narrower wrist. But, I didn’t want to just wing it and start crocheting. I was able find a sweater pattern that had the sleeves broken down exactly as I needed them. The width on top was perfect to be placed in the center of two specific granny squares. I also went ahead and crocheted two additional squares and placed them in the empty spaces I had.

I started seaming together the squares for the back of the cardigan but I still had my doubts about the layout. It just didn’t seem like it was going to fit correctly.

I ended up crocheting four more granny squares and added an additional row to the back of the cardigan so it would sit better. I then finished seaming all the other squares together and then attached the arms and seamed them together. I tried it on and it fit perfectly.

And finally, I crocheted a border around the entire cardigan to give it a more finished look.

I am happy to say that the person I made this for was very happy with it. I may make one for myself one of these days!

Crocheted Heart Table Runner & Garland

I normally don’t decorate for Valentine’s Day. The most I do is hang a tinsel heart wreath on my front door. This year though, possibly from spending so much time at home I decided to do a little more than just hang a wreath.

Initially I was just planning on making a crocheted heart garland. I started crocheting hearts in different colors reminiscent of the Conversation Hearts candy using Lily Sugar ‘n Cream yarn. Then I had the hearts I had completed on my coffee table in my living room and the idea came to me to make a table runner.

So, after measuring out another table runner I used on the table over the holidays I determined that I would need 60 crocheted hearts, 4 rows of 15 hearts (or 15 columns of 4 hearts.) Once I had them all crocheted it was time to settle on a pattern.

I ended up crocheting more of the lighter and darker pink hearts since I knew those colors were going to be the ones that would tie the table runner together. I went back and forth about what to do with the other colors but decided on placing them haphazardly. Doing my best to spread them out evenly. This is the pattern that I ultimately settled on.

And then the not-so-fun part… stitching the hearts together. I began by stitching the rows of 4 hearts together. Once I had finished stitching them, I laid the 15 4-heart columns out on my table and it became apparent immediately that I was going to need another row.

I crocheted 15 more hearts, thankfully they work up quickly, and placed them so I could stitch them onto the hearts I had previously stitched together. And instantly I could see that that additional row made my table runner the perfect width.

Next, I needed to stitch together all of the columns.

And finally, it was done. The finished size with the 75 hearts is 12.5” x 47”. This is the type of project though that you can completely customize to make it the size you need.

Also, this project is a great stash buster. While I used 7 different shades of Lily Sugar ‘n Cream yarn you could easily use any leftover yarn in your stash that has a similar weight (Medium/4) and use less or more colors depending on what you have on hand.

And I didn’t forget about that garland I wanted to make. To make the garland I crocheted 9 large hearts in Pretty in Pink and 8 smaller hearts in Rose Pink. Then using a long piece of yarn, I strung the hearts together. It ended up being just shy of 4 feet long. Just like the table runner though, you can adjust the length to fit your needs.

And there was one other thing I did to get my house into the Valentine’s Day spirit… I really didn’t feel like taking down my Christmas Tree, not because I was being lazy or anything, I just like how my tree looks, but, I didn’t want to leave the Christmas ornaments on it so I decided to make it into a Valentine’s Day Tree.

 

Crocheted Heart Table Runner & Garland

Lily Sugar ‘n Cream yarn in the following colors:

Sage Green – 2.5 oz ball

Tangerine – 2.5 oz. ball

Hot Purple – 2.5 oz. ball

Black Currant – 2.5 oz. ball

Teal – 2.5 oz. ball

Rose Pink – 4oz. ball (Super-Size Ball)

Pretty in Pink – 4oz. ball (Super-Size Ball)

 

Crochet Hook Size H-8 / 5mm

 

For the Table Runner I made 75 Larger sized hearts in the following breakdown:

24 Rose Pink, 14 Pretty in Pink, 8 Teal, 8 Tangerine, 7 Sage Green, 7 Hot Purple, 7 Black Currant

 

For the Garland I made 9 Larger hearts and 8 smaller hearts in the following breakdown:

9 Pretty in Pink, 8 Rose Pink

 

To make the smaller heart (1.5 inches long) only crochet Round 1, for the larger heart (2.5 inches long) crochet Round 1 & 2.

Magic Ring, Ch2

Round 1: Into the Magic Ring, 3 Treble Crochets, 4 Double Crochets, Treble Crochet, 4 Double Crochets, 3 Treble Crochet. Pull String, Ch2 and Slip Stitch into center. Pull string tight to close hole.

Round 2: Single Crochet in the side of starting Ch2. 2 half-double crochets in next stitch, 3 double crochets in next stitch, 2 double crochets in next stitch, Double Crochet in the next 4 stitches, 3 double crochets in next stitch, double crochets in next 4 stitches, 2 double crochets in next stitch, 3 double crochets in next stitch, 2 half-double crochets in next stitch. Single crochet and slip stitch in the side of last ch2 space.

 

To assemble the Table Runner:

Lay the hearts out in the pattern you wish and then stitch the hearts in the columns together first and then stitch all of the columns together

 

To assemble the Garland:

String the hearts, using a long piece of yarn, alternating between a large heart and a smaller heart, starting and ending with a larger heart. Tie a knot, or loop, on both ends of the yarn so the hearts will stay in place.