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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Rose Granny Square - Pattern

We have roses blooming in our backyard that are a pretty pink red. I love looking at them. I've been looking for a pattern for a rose square, something simple. I had been having trouble finding just the right one (though I found a number of other squares that I love). I was looking at one of my favorite blogs and found something really close. I made it, but it wasn't quite there yet. So I made some changes.

This is what I came up with. The original pattern came from Alexis at Persia Lou and her Flower Hexi Baby Afghan. I changed the placement of the back petals to make it look more like a rose. Alexis also made her pieces hexagons. I wanted to have squares as I am thinking of making these into a pillow. Below is both as squares so you can see the difference. My version is on the left and Alexis' on the right.

I made enough changes, that I thought I would post my version of the pattern. But go check out the original because Alexis' baby blanket is beautiful.

Materials:
Worsted weight yarn, two colors
Hook I (5.50 mm)
Yarn Needle

Abbreviations:
ch - chain
sl st - slip stitch
sk - skip
sp - space
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet
trc - treble (triple) crochet

with first color
ch 6, join with sl st to first ch to form ring

R1 - ch 1, sc 12 into ring, sl st in first sc

R2 - ch 1, *sc, ch 2, sk 1* x 6, sl st in first sc

R3 - ch 4, sl st in first sc, in ch 2 sp [sc, ch 2, dc 4, ch 2, sc], *sl st in sc, ch 4, sl st in same sc, in next ch 2 sp [sc, ch 2, dc 4, ch 2, sc]* Repeat * 4 more times, after final petal sl st in first ch 4 (6 petals, 6 ch 4)

first ch 4

ch 4, first petal, ch 4

R4 - ch 1, *in ch 4 sp [sc, ch 3, dc 5, ch 3, sc], ch 1 behind petal from previous round* Repeat in eah ch 4 sp, after final ch 1 sl st in first sc (6 petals, 6 ch 1)

ch 1 behind smaller petal

Fasten off

R5 - join second color at any ch 1 sp, sc in same sp, ch 3, sl st around post of middle dc of back petal (back to front like a back post stitch), ch 3, *sc in ch 1 sp, ch 3, sl st around middle dc, ch 3* Repeat * 4 more times, sl st in first sc

view from the back after R5

R6 - sl st in next ch 3 sp, ch 3 (counts as dc) dc 2 in same space, *in next ch 3 sp [trc 3, ch 3, trc 3], dc 3 in next 2 ch 3 sp* Repeat once more, in next ch 3 sp [trc 3, ch 3, trc 3], dc 3, sl st into 3rd ch of first ch 3 and fasten off, or do an invisible join

I prefer an invisible join. After the last dc cut the yarn and pull through the stitch. Thread your needle, skipping the ch 3 insert the needle back to front through top of the first dc, pull tight.

Insert the needle back into the last dc made through the back loop only and pull tight.

Ta da, invisible join

I haven't quite decided on a pillow for this or not. I still need to work on a solid square to go with it.

I would love to see any thing you make with this square and I hope you enjoy.

Happy Stitches!

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Lovely Mermaid - Pattern

Another mythical creature for you. It's a lovely little mermaid. Did anyone else pretend to be a mermaid whenever you went swimming? I did. I loved the idea of my hair flowing through the water. I don't know that it really did, but I pretended so.

Materials:
Worsted Weight yarn, three colors
Crochet thread or embroidery floss for details
Hook G (4.00 mm)
stitch marker
yarn needle
stuffing

Abbreviations:
ch - chain
st(s) - stitch(es)
sl st - slip stitch
sc - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
sc2tog - single crochet two together
fpdc - front post double crochet
bpdc - back post double crochet

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

Fin
ch 4, sl st to first ch to form ring
R1 - sc 5 into center of ring, turn
R2 - ch 1, 2sc in each sc, turn (10 sts)
R3 - ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in first sc, dc, *2dc, dc* x 4, turn (15 sts)
Starting first fin point
R4 - ch 1, 2hdc, *fpdc, bpdc* x 3, hdc, turn (9 sts, 7 sts left unstitched)
R5 - ch 1, 2hdc, *fpdc, bpdc* x 3, hdc 2, turn (10 sts)
R6 - ch 1, sc2tog, *fpdc, bpdc* x 3, sc2tog, turn (8 sts)
R7 - ch 1, sc2tog, *bpdc, fpdc* x 2, sc2tog, turn (6 sts)
R8 - ch 1, sc2tog, fpdc, bpdc, sc2tog, turn (4 sts)
R9 - ch 1, sc2tog x 2 (2 sts)
R10 - ch 1, sc2tog
Fasten off

Go back to unstitched sts of R4 for second fin point
R4 - join at same st as last st of row, hdc in same st as join, *bpdc, fpdc* x 3, 2hdc, turn (9 sts)
R5 - ch 1, hdc 2, *bpdc, fpdc* x 3, 2hdc, turn (10 sts)
R6 - ch 1, sc2tog, *bpdc, fpdc* x 3, sc2tog, turn (8 sts)
R7 - ch 1, sc2tog, *fpdc, bpdc* x 2, sc2tog, turn (6 sts)
R8 - ch 1, sc2tog, bpdc, fpdc, sc2tog, turn, (4 sts)
R9 - ch 1, sc2tog x 2 (2 sts)
R10 - ch 1, sc2tog
Fasten off

Tail (continuous rounds)
ch 2
R1 - in 2nd ch from hook sc 4
R2 - 2sc in each st (8 sts)
R3 - sc around (8 sts)
R4 - *2sc, sc* x 4 (12 sts)
R5 - sc around (12 sts)
R6 - *2sc, sc 2* x 4 (16 sts)
R7 - sc around (16 sts)
R8 - *2sc, sc 3* x 4 (20 sts)
R9-11 - sc around (20 sts)
R12 - 2sc, sc 4* x 4 (24 sts)
R13-15 - sc around (24 sts)
R16 - *2sc, sc 5* x 4 (28 sts)
R17-18 - sc around (28 sts)
R19 - *2sc, sc 6* x 4 (32 sts)
R20-21 - sc around (32 sts)
R22 - *2sc, sc 7* x 4 (36 sts)
R23-24 - sc around (36 sts)
R25 - hdc around, sl st in first st to close
Fasten off and add stuffing

Sew on fin to bottom on tail

Body
For the first row of the body, you will be working into the back ridge of the hdc. This is not the back loop of the stitch but ridge behind the top stitches. This pushes the top loops out to form almost a seam look. It adds a little extra definition between the tail and body.

Change to flesh color, join in back ridge of hdc

R1 - sc around in the back ridge of hdc (36 sts)

  
R2-5 - sc around (36 sts)

To make the stars, you will need to change color back to tail color [TC] for a few stitches in the round as well as using the flesh color [FC]. I carried the color not in use behind the stitches. I did break off the TC each round.

R6 - [FC] sc 3, [TC] sc, [FC] sc 3, [TC] sc, [FC] sc 2, [TC] sc, [FC] sc 3, [TC] sc, [FC] 21 (36 sts)
R7 - [FC] sc 4, [TC] sc 3, [FC] sc 4, [TC] sc 3, [FC] sc 22 (36 sts)
R8 - [FC] sc 3, [TC] sc 5, [FC] sc 2, [TC] sc 5, [FC] sc 21 (36 sts)
R9 - Repeat R7
R10 - [FC] sc 5, [TC] sc, [FC] sc 6, [TC] sc, [FC] sc 23 (36 sts)
R11 - sc around (36 sts)
R12 - *sc2tog, sc 7* x 4 (32 sts)
R13 - *sc2tog, sc 6* x 4 (28 sts)
R14 - *sc2tog, sc 5* x 4 (24 sts)
Add stuffing
R15 - *sc2tog, sc 2* x 6 (18 sts)
R16 - *sc2tog, sc* x 6 (12 sts)
R17-18 - sc around (12 sts)
DO NOT FASTEN OFF

Head
continuing from body
R19 - *2sc, sc* x 6 (18 sts)
R20 - *2sc, sc 2* x 6 (24 sts)
R21 - *2sc, sc 3* x 6 (30 sts)
Stuff the rest of the body and neck making sure to tightly stuff the neck so the head doesn't flop
R22 - *2sc, sc 4* x 6 (36 sts) 
R23 - *2sc, sc 5* x 6 (42 sts)
R24 - *2sc, sc 6* x 6 (48 sts) 
R25-34 - sc around (48 sts)
R35 - *sc2tog, sc 6* x 6 (42 sts)
R36 - *sc2tog, sc 5* x 6 (36 sts)
R37 - *sc2tog, sc 4* x 6 (30 sts)
R38 - *sc2tog, sc 3* x 6 (24 sts)
R39 - *sc2tog, sc 2* x 6 (18 sts)
Add stuffing
R40 - *sc2tog, sc* x 6 (12 sts)
R41 - sc2tog x 6 (6 sts)
Fasten off

Arms
ch 2
R1 - sc 6
R2 - *2sc, sc* x 3 (9 sts)
R3 - *2sc, sc 2* x 3 (12 sts)
R4 - *2sc, sc 2* x 4 (16 sts)
R5-7 - sc around (16 sts)
R8 - *sc2tog, sc 2* x 4 (12 sts)
R9 - sc around (12 sts)
Add stuffing here and then every few rounds to make it a little easier to stuff
R10 - *sc2tog, sc 2* x 3 (9 sts)
R11-21 - sc around (9 sts)
R22 - hdc 4, sc, sl st
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing to body

Sew arms to body

This is the main pattern for the mermaid. For the rest, hair, face features, I know most people have their preferences for how they do them. If you are new to amigurumi, or just like to try different things, here is what I did.

For the hair I followed this hair tutorial from EssHaych. It is a little time consuming, but if you want long flowing hair (and what mermaid doesn't?), this is a great way to do it.

For the eyes I used embroidery thread and made a two round circle of 6 then 12 sc. After I sewed them on to the face I stitched a couple eyelashes on.

For the mouth I used embroidery thread as well and just made a couple stitches for a little smile.

I also stitched around the loops at the top of the tail with some gold crochet thread to add a little.

I hope you enjoy making this mermaid. If you have questions or find a mistake please comment and ask or let me know.

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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