Fun Pillow Project

Do you remember back at the beginning of the year when I started the Rainbow Pansy blanket for C? And do you remember how I said I wasn't a big project type. Turns out I was right. I made four spiral squares and a number of the pansy squares, then they sat there for months. C found them and asked what about my blanket? What to do? A trip to the fabric store later, here was my solution. Rainbow Pillow!

I joined the four squares I had making a 24 in by 24 in square and put a little border around it. Then I cut a square of fabric and zipped around it with my perforating rotatory blade and crochet fabric the the back of the squares on three sides. I stuffed in a 24 by 24 in pillow and closed up the other side. I went around the border one more time and viola!

C picked out the rainbow butterflies. Of course there was fighting over it with the younger one, so back to the store for another pillow. Since I didn't feel up to making squares for one of the sides I just crocheted two pieces of fabric together and added a border again. Why not just sew it you ask? Well my machine is packed away and old. This was actually easier. So W got a construction pillow.

They are hits and have saved my couch pillows from being floor jumping pillows. The kids have also come up with other creative using for them, one being holding the pillows in front of them and running at each other as fast as their little legs can go.

I know I didn't really put in details, but this was more just a idea post. If you want details let me know.

Happy Stitches!

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Amigurumi Person - Pattern

In the past few months I have made a number of dolls for my kids or other family members. I've been tweaking the pattern each time, but I think I've come up with a good pattern for a person now. I'm writing the pattern without any color changes for clothes, though I will make a note in the row where clothes might be started if desired.

Materials
Worsted weight yarn
Hook F (3.75mm)
stitch marker
Embroidery thread for face features (if desired)
Safety eyes (if desired)

Abbreviations
ch - chain
st(s) - stitches
sl st - slip stitch
sc  - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
sc2tog - single crochet 2 together
dc2tog - double crochet 2 together
dc3tog - double crochet 3 together
BLO - back loop only

Note: work done in joined rounds until head, then change to continuous rounds
Legs (make 2)
ch 11
R1 - in 2nd ch from hook 2sc, sc 5, hdc 3, 5hdc in last ch, working opposite side of ch hdc 3, sc 5, 2sc, sl st in first sc (25 sts)
R2 - ch 1, 2sc x 2, sc 8, 2hdc x 2, hdc, 2hdc x 2, sc 8, 2sc x 2, sl st to first sc (33 sts)
R3 - ch 1, sc around in BLO, sl st to first sc (33 sts)
R4 - ch 1, sc around, sl st to first sc (33 sts)
R5 - ch 1, sc 12, sc2tog, dc2tog, dc3tog, dc2tog, sc2tog, sc 10, sl st to first sc (27 sts) end ballet shoes here
R6 - ch 1, sc 11, sc2tog, dc3tog, sc2tog, sc 9, sl st to first sc (23 sts)
R7 - ch1, sc 10, dc2tog, dc, dc2tog, sc 8, sl st to first sc (21 sts)
R8 - ch 1, sc 9, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc 7, sl st to first sc (19 sts)  end shoes here
Stuff foot
R9-10 - ch 1, sc around, sl st to first sc (19 sts)
R11 - ch 1, sc 10, sc2tog, sc 7, sl st to first sc (18 sts) end boots here
R12-26 - ch 1, sc around, sl st to first sc (18 sts)
Add stuffing to leg
R27 - ch 1, 2sc, sc 8, 2sc, sc 8, sl st to first sc (20 sts)
R28-35 - ch 1, sc around, sl st to first sc (20 sts)
Fasten off, stuff almost to top of leg

Body
place legs together, find where the legs touch in the middle, this is where you will connect the legs together

R1 - sl st  4 middle sts of each leg together, continuing only on left leg, sc in next st, sc 15 around leg, continue to first open st on right leg, sc 16, sl st to first sc (32 sts)

R2-9 - ch 1, sc around, sl st to first sc (32 sts) end pants here
Stuff rest of each leg and some of body
R10 - ch 1, sc 8, 2sc, sc 15, 2sc, sc 7, sl st to first sc (34 sts)
R11-26 - ch 1, sc around, sl st to first sc (34 sts)
R27 - ch 1, sc 11, sc2tog, sc 15, sc2tog, sc 4, sl st to first sc (32 sts)
Remember to add your safety eyes if you are using them!
R28 - ch 1, sc 8, sc2tog, sc 3, sc2tog, sc 9, sc2tog, sc 3, sc2tog, sc, sl st to first sc (28 sts)
R29 - ch 1, sc 8, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc 9, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc, sl st to first sc (24 sts)
R30 - ch 1, sc 7, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc 7, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sl st to first sc (20 sts)
R31 - ch 1, sc 8, sc2tog, sc 8, sc2tog, sl st to first sc (18 sts) end shirt here
Stuff rest of body
DO NOT FASTEN OFF

Head (continue from body, start continuous rounds, placing stitch marker at the beginning stitch of each round)
R1 - ch 1, *sc, sc2tog* x 6 (12 sts)
R2 - *sc, 2sc* x 6 (18 sts)
R3 - *sc 2, 2sc* x 6 (24 sts)
R4 - *sc 3, 2sc* x 6 (30 sts)
R5 - *sc 4, 2sc* x 6 (36 sts)
R6 - *sc 5, 2sc* x 6 (42 sts)
R7 - *sc 6, 2sc* x 6 (48 sts)
Stuff neck tightly
R8-15 - sc around (48 sts)
R16 - *sc 6, sc2tog* x 6 (42 sts)
R17 - *sc 5, sc2tog* x 6 (36 sts)
R18 - *sc 4, sc2tog* x 6 (30 sts)
R19 - *sc 3, sc2tog* x 6 (24 sts)
R20 - *sc 2, sc2tog* x 6 (18 sts)
Stuff rest of head
R21 - *sc, sc2tog* x 6 (12 sts)
R22 - sc2tog x 6 (6 sts)
Fasten off

Arms (done in joined rounds) (make 2)
ch 3
R1 - in 2nd ch from hook 2sc, 4sc in next (last) ch, working on opposite side of ch, 2sc, sl st to first sc (8 sts)
R2 - ch 1, sc, 2sc x 2, sc 2, 2sc x 2, sc, sl st to first sc (12 sts)
R3 - ch 1, sc, 2sc, *sc 2, 2sc* x 3, sc, sl st to first sc (16 sts)
R4-8 - ch 1, sc around, sl st to first sc (16 sts)  Hands end here
R9 - ch 1, sc2tog, sc 6, sc2tog, sc 6, sl st to first sc (14 sts)
Stuff hands
R10-27 - ch 1, sc around, sl st to first sc (14 sts)
Stuff rest of arm
R28-30 - sl st 4, sc, hdc 7, sc, sl st
                Note: make sure to keep the sl sts loose so you can easily work into them
Fasten off, leaving long tail to sew to body.

Sew arms on around R29 and R30 of body.

This is the basic body for a amigurumi person. You can add hair and facial features many ways. I have found good hair tutorials here at EssHaych and here at K and J Dolls, or use your favorite way.

I hope you have fun making this with your own colors and embellishments. This is the ballerina I made for my niece.

This pattern is for personal use only. If you would like to sell a finished product, please credit me for the design. Happy Stitches!

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Little Witch - Pattern

I meant to get this little gal up yesterday for the first day of October, but I was having a lazy day and didn't feel like typing.
Anyway, Happy October! Are you getting ready for Halloween yet? Well if you are here is a little cheery witch to help you along. She is the same size as my Little Scarecrow and made pretty much the same way. I've added a few accessories with her for a little more fun.

Materials
Worsted weight yarn, multiple colors
Hook G (4.00 mm)
Stitch marker
Stuffing
Yarn needle
Embroidery thread for embellishments

Abbreviations
ch - chain
sl st - slip stitch
sc  - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
sc2tog - single crochet two together
BLO - back loop only
FLO - front loop only

Note: Worked in continuous rounds, place stitch marker in the first stitch of round, moving it up each round to mark the beginning of the round.

Body and Head
with purple or black, ch 2
R1 - 6sc in first ch (6 sts)
R2 - 2sc in each sc (12 sts)
R3 - *sc, 2sc* x 6 (18 sts)
R4 - *sc 2, 2sc* x 6 (24 sts)
R5 - *sc 3, 2sc* x 6 (30 sts)
R6 - *sc 4, 2sc* x 6 (36 sts)
R7 - in BLO sc around (36 sts)
R8-9 - sc around (36 sts)
R10 - *sc 7, sc2tog* x 4 (32 sts)
R11 - sc around (32 sts)
R12 - *sc 6, sc2tog* x 4 (28 sts)
R13 - sc around (28 sts)
R14 - *sc 5, sc2tog* x 4 (24 sts)
R15 - sc around (24 sts)
R16 - *sc 4, sc2tog* x 4 (20 sts)
R17 - sc around (20 sts)
R18 - *sc 3, sc2tog* x 4 (16 sts)
R19 - sc around (16 sts)
Stuff the body
R20 - *sc 2, sc2tog* x 4 (12 sts)
R21 - sc around (12 sts)
R22 - change to flesh color, *sc, 2sc* x 6 (18 sts)
R23 - *sc 2, 2sc* x 6 (24 sts)
R24-27 - sc around (24 sts)
R28 - *sc 2, sc2tog* x 6 (18 sts)
R29 - *sc, sc2tog* x 6 (12 sts)
Stuff the rest of the body and head
R30 - sc2tog x 6 (6 sts)
Fasten off

Arms

with flesh color, ch 2
R1 - 4sc in first ch (4 sts)
R2 - 2sc in each sc (8 sts)
R3 - sc around (8 sts)
R4-9 - change to dress color, sc around (8 sts)
Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing
Stuff lightly and sew to body, I attached them around R19.


Hat

with same color as dress, ch 2
R1 - 6sc in first ch (6 sts)
R2 - sc around (6 sts)
R3 - *sc, 2sc* x 3 (9 sts)
R4 - sc around (9 sts)
R5 - *sc 2, 2sc* x 3 (12 sts)
R6 - sc around (12 sts)
R7 - *sc 3, 2sc* x 3 (15 sts)
R8 - sc around (15 sts)
R9 - *sc 4, 2sc* x 3 (18 sts)
R10 - sc around (18 sts)
R11 - in FLO sc around (18 sts)
R12 - *hdc 2, 2hdc* x 6 (24 sts)
R13 - *hdc 3, 2hdc* x 6 (30 sts)
Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing

Before sewing the hat on the head I added a little bit of hair. I used a hair tutorial from EssHaych. It is the same method I used for the adding the hay around the Little Scarecrow. I left the top round bare since the hat will cover that part of the head.

 Once you have the hair on, sew the hat to the head. I lightly stuffed it to give it some stiffness.

 Add a face and there you go, a little witch to help celebrate the holiday season.

This pattern is for personal use only. If you would like to sell a finished product, please credit me for the design. Happy Stitches!

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Little Scarecrow - Pattern

My favorite season is autumn. I love the cooler weather. I love the colors. And I love the decorations. I'm celebrating the first day of September (even though it is in no way cool here) by sharing my new favorite crochet project. Here is a cute little scarecrow to decorate your table or shelf.

Materials
Worsted weight yarn, multiple colors
Hook G (4.00 mm)
Stitch marker
Stuffing
Yarn needle
Embroidery thread for embellishments

Abbreviations
ch - chain
sl st - slip stitch
sc  - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
sc2tog - single crochet two together
BLO - back loop only
FLO - front loop only

Note: Worked in continuous rounds, place stitch marker in the first stitch of round, moving it up each round to mark the beginning of the round.

Body and Head
with blue, ch 2
R1 - 6 sc in first ch (6 sts)
R2 - 2sc in each sc (12 sts)
R3 - *sc, 2sc* x 6 (18 sts)
R4 - in BLO sc around (18 sts)
R5 - *sc 2, 2sc* x 6 (24 sts)
R6 - *sc 3, 2sc* x 6 (30 sts)
R7-11 - sc around (30 sts)
R12-14 - change to shirt color, sc around (30 sts)
R15 - *sc2tog, sc 3* x 6 (24 sts)
R16 - *sc2tog, sc 2* x 6 (18 sts)
Stuff the body
R17 - *sc2tog, sc* x 6 (12 sts)
R18 - change to yellow, sc around (12 sts)
R19 - change to cream, *sc, 2sc* x 6 (18 sts)
R20 - *sc 2, 2sc* x 6 (24 sts)
R21-24 - sc around (24 sts)
R25 - *sc2tog, sc 2* x 6 (18 sts)
R26 - *sc2tog, sc* x 6 (12 sts)
Stuff the rest of the body and head
R27 - sc2tog x 6 (6 sts)
Fasten off

Arms (make 2)

with yellow, ch 2
R1 - 4 sc in first ch (4 sts)
R2 - 2sc in each sc (8 sts)
R3 - sc around (8 sts)
R4-9 - change to shirt color, sc around (8 sts)
Fasten off, leaving long tail to sew to body
Stuff the arms lightly and sew to body. I attached them around R16.

Overall Bib (make 2)

with blue, begin with long tail for sewing later, ch 7
R1 - sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc 5, turn (6 sts)
R2 - ch 1, sc 6, turn (6 sts)
R3 - ch 1, sc 6, ch 9, do not fasten off but leave long tail for one more st and sewing in

• sew bottom edge of bib to body at color change between pants and shirt, making sure ch 9 straps are on opposite sides
• bring strap over shoulder and sl st to corner sc of R3 of other bib, weave in end
• repeat with second strap

Hat

with brown, ch 2
R1 - 6 sc in first st (6 sts)
R2 - *sc, 2sc* x 3 (9 sts)
R3 - *sc 2, 2sc* x 3 (12 sts)
R4-5 - sc around (12 sts)
R6 - *sc, 2sc* x 6 (18 sts)
R7-8 - sc around (18 sts)
R9 - in FLO sc around (18 sts)
R10 - *hdc, 2hdc* x 9 (27 sts)
R11 - *hdc 2, 2hdc* x 9 (36 sts)
Fasten off, leaving long tail and sew to head. I didn't put any stuffing in the hat, but you can if you want it a little stiffer.

Now to add the hay around the neck and arms. If this is going to be a toy for a younger child, you might want to skip this step as it can be pulled loose easily.

• cut about 35 piece of yellow yarn about 3.5 inches long
• using a smaller hook (I used a size E 3.5mm hook), slip the hook in the bottom hole and out  top hole of the yellow row.
• fold a piece of yarn in half and pull the loop through with your hook.
• grab the ends with your hook and pull them through the loop. 
• pull tight
• continue around the yellow row, in each sc. I added a extra piece in the front couple sc and also in the back at the color change to help hide the change.

 

Do the same steps around the hands at the last row of yellow. For this I just did one piece in each sc.

Now trim the yarn down to the length you want and fluff it a little.

Add eyes and a mouth, maybe a patch on the pants or hat and you have a little scarecrow.

I made another one using two strands of yarn for the shirt for a plaid look. I used a sport weight and a fingering weight together.

Too cute.

This pattern is for personal use only. If you would like to sell a finished product, please credit me for the design. Happy Stitches!

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Lacy Ladder Cowl - Pattern

We have been having a fairly mild summer this year, maybe that is why I'm already making things for the fall. And what goes better with fall than cowls? I have been seeing a lot of lovely, lightweight cowls and thought since it still is summer, maybe I could try something like that. I found a stitch called the ladder stitch which I thought would work. The result was a airy cowl that will add a little something to that comfy tee we all like to wear.

Best thing about this...it is SO simple. It is just a repeat of chains and single crochets done in continuous rounds. Even a miscount here or there won't matter. This pattern works great with yarns with long color changes. This cowl can be made longer or shorter very easily, just change the number of chains in the foundation, keeping it a multiple of six. As written the cowl will measure approx. 60 inches in circumference.

Materials
Worsted weight yarn, about 180 yards - I used Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Dragonfly
       (which I feel is less worsted and more DK weight)
Hook J (6.00mm)

Abbreviations
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
sl st - slip stitch
sk - skip

Notes: worked in continuous rounds. Just keep going in a spiral. Easy peasy!

ch 240
R1 - sc in the beginning ch, creating a circle, ch 3, sc in same st, *ch 5, sk 5, sc, ch 3, sc in same st, repeat from * until you have 5 ch left (or if you miscounted somewhere about 5), ch 5 and sc in to first 3ch loop

at the end of R1 before sc into 3ch loop

R2 - ch 3, sc in same 3ch loop as last sc, ch 5, sk 5ch, *[sc, ch 3, sc] in 3ch loop, ch 5, sk 5ch, repeat from * until end of round

at the end of R2

R3 - *[sc, ch 3, sc] in 3ch loop, ch 5, sk 5ch, repeat from * until end of round

Repeat R3 until desired width. I did 13 rounds before the last finishing round and had a width of about 4.5 inches

a close up of the stitches

Last Round - sc in first 3ch loop, *ch 5, sk 5ch, sl st in next 3ch loop, repeat from * end with sl st in the first sc.

Weave in the two ends and you are done!

Now you have a beautiful, airy cowl for the end of summer and into the fall. Wear it long or looped or tied, however you choose, and ENJOY!

This pattern is for personal use only. If you would like to sell a finished product, please credit me for the design. Happy Stitches!

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Shell Trellis Belt - Pattern

I decided to finally make something for myself. I have a dress that I love. It's a nice causal dress, but can also be dressed up. I wanted to wear a belt with it, but it like and ones I had. I needed something a little lighter, more delicate looking. I got a new crochet stitch book awhile back and found this shell stitch that I've been wanting to use for something. So why not a belt?

First, here is the basic pattern. Then I'll go into how I made the belt.

Materials
Size 3 Crochet Thread
Hook 1.65mm
Clasp of some sort (will delve into that later)

Abbreviations
ch - chain
sk - skip
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet

ch a multiple of 12 + 1, plus 3 for the foundation chain
R1 - 2dc in 4th ch from hook, *sk 2, sc in next ch, ch 5, sk 5, sc in next ch, sk 2, 5dc in next ch* repeat to end, working 3dc in last ch, turn
R2 - ch 1, sc in first dc, *ch 5, sc in next ch 5 arch, ch 5, sc in 3rd dc of cluster* repeat to end, sc in 3rd ch of ch 3, turn
R3 - *ch 5, sc in next ch 5 arch, 5dc in sc, sc in next arch* repeat to last arch, ch 2, dc in last sc, turn
R4 - ch 1, sc in first dc, *ch 5, sc in 3rd dc of cluster, ch 5, sc in next arch* repeat to end, turn
R5 - ch 3 (counts as first dc), 2dc in first sc, * sc in next arch, ch 5, sc in next arch, 5dc in sc* repeat to end, working 3dc in last sc, turn
Repeat R2-5 until desired width/height. You can stop at any row. If you want some symmetry at top and bottom it is best to stop after a row of only arches, so R2 or R4

Now, what I did with this pattern.

I knew I wanted my shells to be stacked up which meant I needed a long chain to start. But how to know how long? So first I made a little sample swatch of 24 + 1 (start chain of 28) and stitched the first 5 rows.

Then I measured it. Mine was 2.5 inches. Next I measured my waist where I wanted to wear the belt, about 28 inches. Make sure to measure over your clothes since that's how you wear your belt. Now pick up your calculator or pull out your higher math skills. 28/2.5 = 11.2. That's how many chains of 24 you need. So I rounded down to 11 to account for space for the clasp. 11 x 24 = 264. Remember add 4 more for the foundation chain. Also remember that you need a multiple of 12. Substitute your numbers in.

So after all that I started with a chain of 268. I placed a marker every 48 stitches to help me keep track. This also helped with R1 in making sure I didn't miss count (you should end sets of 12 with a 5dc cluster). Have you ever got to the end of your first row of a long chain and realized something went wrong somewhere along the way? Then you have to unravel. Ugh.

Follow the pattern from here. I did a total of 12 rows. It gave the belt a width of a little over 2.5 inches.

Now for the clasp. This is something you can personalize. I choose to do a large hook and eye. I ended up making my own using 16 gauge copper wire. I made a version of a design I found at Art Bead Scene. It was my first attempt at using wire so it isn't perfect but I like it.

I attached it to the ends with crochet thread in the middle and around the second loop on each end.

And ta-da, a belt.

It ended up a little big since the clasp made a bigger gap between the ends than I accounted for. I originally was going for a type of clasp that would have had the ends touching but couldn't find what I had in mind. I do like how this one turned out though.

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