Baby crochet blanket for a cot

This crochet baby blanket is made using a lovely crochet throw design by Marianne Forrestal click here for link.  

The original pattern uses aran yarn however I had already purchased 8 ply yarn for this project so I modified the pattern a little and used a 4mm hook, instead of the 5mm hook used by the pattern.

I made this blanket using seven balls of Paintbox Simply DK yarn – 2 x Pistachio Green, 2 x Vanilla Cream, and 1 each of Peach Orange, Blush Pink and Duck Egg Blue - I have about half a ball of Vanilla Cream left over. Paintbox Simply DK are 100g balls with about 276m of yarn, so my blanket used about 1800m of yarn.

Making blankets using squares is my preference because little squares are so portable and you are not toting around a half made blanket while you crochet.

To make my squares a little larger, I also added an extra row of double crochet (US terminology) to each of the 42 squares. I made 11 squares in Pistachio Green, 10 in Vanilla Cream, and 7 each of the other three colours.

This blanket has a finished size of 45.5 inches (115.5cm) long and 39.5 inches (100cm) wide, suitable for a cot.

Crochet a man’s beanie using an easy pattern by Drops Design

This man’s beanie is very popular in my family and is super easy to make. Click here for the pattern http://www.garnstudio.com/pattern.php?id=6379&cid=17 .

I made these beanies in the recommended Drops Nepal yarn (65% wool, 35% alpaca) and they’re very warm and have a lovely texture.  The colour is very nice also.

The pattern has a great spiral design and fits perfectly. I also made a smaller beanie for my nephew, and a beanie in an 8 ply acrylic yarn for a friend who doesn’t wear wool – the pattern is quite easily adapted for other yarn and hook sizes because it provides some basic measurements.  Just remember to divide the required head circumference by 3.14 and increase every row until the diameter measures that amount, then continue the pattern without increasing until the length from the centre to the edge is sufficient (23cm for a large adult head is suggested by the pattern).

This pattern only uses single crochet stitch (US terminology) so is very simple.

Woman’s cotton jumper using Rowan’s free Sicily crochet pattern

This is a lovely cotton jumper which I’ve just completed. It was made using the free Sicily pattern from Rowan, by Marie Wallin (click here for pattern) .

The pattern includes very clear instructions and caters for various sizes from small to XXL.

For this jumper, I did not use the recommended yarn. Instead, I used Sirdar’s Cotton DK yarn, colour Cottonfield (shade 517). I made the jumper in the Small size, which used 7 balls of the Sirdar yarn with no yarn leftover.

The finished jumper is very nice and I like the colour, however I particularly like Rowan’s Cotton Glace yarn in Ivy so I might make up another in that yarn next time.

Women’s crochet scarf using 100% alpaca yarn - in violet

This is an easy scarf pattern by Shara Lambeth (click here for pattern). It makes up light and drapey using an 8 ply yarn and the recommended hook. This type of pattern is great when you’re not sure if you have enough yarn for a long scarf because you just decide the width and then keep crocheting until the yarn runs out.

For this scarf, I used  Rowan’s alpaca colour yarn (50g, 120m, 100% alpaca, 8 ply, colour violet). Recommended needle size 4.0 mm. This was a lovely yarn to work with, and created a soft and warm finish that I’m very pleased with.

Using a 4.0 mm hook, and starting with 32 chain, the scarf used 4 skeins of yarn, and had a finished size of 6.25 inches wide and 80 inches long.

This pattern is suitable for any size yarn or hook. Simply start with any number of chain divisable by 7 plus 4, which gives the desired width, and then work the pattern to the desired length.

Make a man’s scarf using an easy crochet pattern suitable for beginners – free pattern

This is a really easy scarf to make and has a nice solid texture.

 The scarves in the picture were made using the following Aran and Chunky weight yarns:

• Light grey scarf – James C Brett Chunky with Merino yarn (3 x 100g balls, Chunky)
• Dark grey scarf – Bergere de France Recycline (5 x 50g balls, Aran, colour Beton)
• Dark blue scarf - Bergere de France Recycline (5 x 50g balls, Aran, colour Marin)

The light grey scarf was made using a 5.5mm hook and had a finished size of 6.25 inches wide by 77 inches in length. These Chunky weight 100g balls have a yarn length of 150m or 164 yards, and the scarf used almost three balls of this yarn.

The other two scarves were made using a 5mm hook and had a finished size of 6.75 inches wide by 71.5 inches in length, with no yarn remaining, using about 425m (465 yards) of Aran yarn each.

This scarf pattern can be made using any weight yarn, just use the recommended hook size for that yarn and adjust the number of beginning chain to achieve the desired width.

The first two rows are a bit fiddly if crocheting into the ‘butt’ loops as recommended, however this is not essential.

For a downloadable pdf pattern (at a small cost) go to click here, otherwise, a free pattern is below.

Pattern (US terminology):

sc = single crochet

ch = chain

Ch 29 (or a sufficient odd number of beginning chain to achieve a length slightly longer than the desired width), turn.

Row 1: (working into the “butt” loop of each chain – see below for explanation) sc into the 3^rd chain from hook. *ch1, skip 1 chain, sc into the next chain. Repeat from * to end. Ch2, turn.

Row 2: sc into the first chain space (into the “butt” loop of the beginning chain below Row 1’s chain space). *ch 1, skip 1 stitch, sc into the next chain space. Repeat from * to end, with a sc into the last “butt” loop/chain space.  Ch2, turn.

Row 3: sc into the first chain space. *ch 1, skip 1 stitch, sc into the next chain space.  Repeat from * to end, with a sc into the last chain space.  Ch2, turn.

Repeat Row 3 until the scarf reaches your desired length. On the last stitch of the last row, make a slip stitch instead of a sc. Fasten off yarn and weave in ends.

Be careful not to increase or decrease the number of stitches in each row.

(The “butt” loop is the little bump on the bottom, or back side, of the chain stitch. Working into this gives the scarf’s beginning and ending edges the same finish/look. If this is too fiddly, just work into the chain or chain space instead.)

Women's long cardigan using a No Seams crochet pattern

This is an easy cardigan to make, using a pattern purchased from AnniesCatalogue.com (click here for pattern). The pattern includes very clear instructions and caters for various sizes from small to 6X, with options for length and sleeve style. The cardigan is worked in one piece with no seams to sew, and makes up very quickly using a 5.5 mm hook.

For this cardigan, I used the recommended yarn – Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable. I actually made up 3 of these cardigans, one for each of my daughters. The pictured cardigan is made in the Dragonfly colour in size small (about a women size AU 10) and it finishes just above the knee (which used 7 balls of yarn). I made up the other cardigans using the Polo and Echo colours (love all three colours) and made these slightly longer to end just below the knee.  

The cardigans are really soft and drape beautifully. 

Pretty Crochet Cardigans for Little Girls

These cardigans were made using the free Ellie pattern by Berroco (designed by Maureen Basher) (click here for pattern).  

The cardigans were made in sizes 2 and 4, using the recommended yarn (Berroco Comfort DK, 3 balls of Rosebud (2723) and 4 balls of Teaberry (2730)) and hook sizes 4.5mm and 5.0mm. There was only a tiny amount of yarn left over.

The pattern states it requires an intermediate skill level, and it was relatively easy to follow, just watch for a few errors – one of these being the sleeve length instructions which differ between the text and the diagram (follow the text). The other errors are minor and easily avoided if you are careful to keep the stitch pattern constant.

I am very happy with the finished cardigans as they are very pretty, and have a great texture and a nice soft finish.