A lovely bunch…

I initially came up with these little flowers to use up scrap yarn and thread and since then, I’ve quite literally been hooked! They’re very quick and easy to make and are incredibly versatile. You can use whatever yarn you have to hand plus the flowers have many uses – as brooches, affixing to hairbands and hairslides, sticking on greetings cards or sewing on clothes. Different size yarns and hooks will give surprisingly different effects. I like to use embroidery thread with a 1.75mm hook as it gives pretty, delicate results and, as the thread comes in relatively small amounts, it means I can play around with colours.

Anyhow, enough waffle – here’s the pattern

U.K Pattern (U.S Pattern below)

Flower

Make a loop. 12 dc into loop. Slip stitch into first dc. If you want a different colour for the petals, fasten off and join in new yarn. In first dc (1 htr, 2 tr, 1 htr). Slip stitch into next dc. *In next dc (1 htr, 2 tr, 1htr). Slip stitch into next stitch. Repeat from * until end. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Leaf

Chain 11. Dc in 2nd chain from hook. Dc in next chain, 5 tr, 1 htr, dc to end. When you reach last chain, turn the leaf 90 degrees and dc into end chain, then turn by another 90 degrees and dc into back of same chain. Work into back of chains down the other side of the leaf as follows: dc in next chain, 1 htr, 5 tr, dc to end. Fasten off.

U.S Pattern

Flower

Make a loop. 12 sc into loop. Slip stitch into first sc If you want a different colour for the petals, fasten off and join in new yarn. In first sc (1 hdc, 2 dc, 1 hdc). Slip stitch into next sc. *In next sc (1 hdc, 2 dc, 1hdc). Slip stitch into next stitch. Repeat from * until end. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Leaf

Chain 11. Sc in 2nd chain from hook. Sc in next chain, 5 dc, 1 hdc, sc to end. When you reach last chain, turn the leaf 90 degrees and sc into end chain, then turn by another 90 degrees and sc into back of same chain. Work into back of chains down the other side of the leaf as follows: sc in next chain, 1 hdc, 5 dc, sc to end. Fasten off.

Stashbusting: Coasters

A little while ago, as part of my move towards greener crafting, I promised a series of stashbusting tips and patterns, and without further ado, here’s Tip Number 1: Think Small! This may sound obvious, but it’s amazing what you can make with only a small amount of yarn so save every last scrap! Here’s a few ideas for things you can crochet with very little yarn:

• baby hat, mittens or booties
• granny squares (once you have enough join them into one big, beautiful, cosy blanket)
• headbands
• dishcloths
• little pots for keeping change and odds and ends in
• brooches
• soap savers

If you need a pattern for any of the above, take a look at crochetpatterncentral as there are patterns there for just about everything! If you’re still stuck for inspiration, I made some simple coasters a couple of days ago using yarn leftover from the many, many hats I made for Christmas. I’m reluctant to call the directions below a pattern – it’s really just 3 rows of trebles worked in a round – but for anyone new to crochet I thought it might be handy to elaborate a little….

Simple Coasters

Hook: 5.00mm

Yarn: Odds and ends of aran weight yarn (I used some scraps of Organic Jacob Wool from Garthenor) – or you could also use 4ply or DK held together or use singly and simply work additional rounds until coaster-sized.

Note: The directions below use UK crochet terms. For US directions simply subsitiute tr (treble) with dc (double crochet).

Note on joining in yarns: To change colours neatly, work to end of the round but leave last stitch incomplete. Complete stitch with new yarn then slip stitch into starting chain. 

Directions

First Round: Make an adjustable ring, chain 3 then make 11 tr into the ring. Join in new colour. Slip stitch into top of starting chain (12 stitches).

Second Round: Chain 3, tr into same stitch, 2 tr into each stitch until end. Join in new colour. Slip stitch into third of three chains (24 stitches).

Third Round: Chain 3, tr into same stitch, tr into next stitch, *2 tr into next stitch, then 1 tr into next stitch. Repeat from * to end. Join with a slip stitch and fasten off (36 stitches). 

Weave in ends. 

Now the important bit, make yourself a cuppa, pop you mug on the coaster and admire your handiwork!

The coasters will be going to my tea-loving dad for his birthday later in the month. They’ll match the hat I made him for Christmas. Nothing like a good bit of accessorizing……

A Scarf for my Sister

 

This is a Christmas gift for my sister. I made it using the lovely Bluefaced Leciester wool I bought in Hay. The wool was a joy to work with – lovely and soft with a gentle sheen. However, of all the things I have made for christmas, this was by the far the most labour intensive – it has taken me ages. This wasn’t due to the pattern though, which is really very simple – no the problem was that I managed to get my yarn into a big fat tangle and so for every couple of rows I crocheted, I had to spend 20 minutes or so untangling the wool. Agh! I only have myself to blame – I wanted to get started straight away and decided not to bother winding my skeins into balls. ‘I’ll be careful not to tangle it’ I thought. What a fool. Needless to say I have learnt my lesson and have requested a nostepinne for christmas, to help wind all future skeins into balls! 

Anyhow, tangles aside, I am really pleased with how this turned out. It’s the first thing I’ve blocked and, although it took me a while to do (as I had to block in sections due to not having anywhere large enough to lie the whole scarf out) I was very impressed with how the blocking process transformed the drape of the fabric. It also added a couple of extra inches.

So, that’s my christmas gift for my sister and, as christmas gift for any crochet fans out there, I have posted the pattern here. Enjoy!

Cassia Scarf

Time for a confession – I have a bit of a thing about knitted lace and I always eye up the beautiful projects on Ravelry with a mixture of awe and envy. So, when I rediscovered some lacweight yarn in my stash, I thought it was about time that I attempted a crochet version and here it is, beautifully modeled by my sister….

I’m rather pleased with how it turned out – although I’m wondering if I should try blocking (another confession – the idea of blocking scares me) but it’s a good length, so maybe it really doesn’t need it. Here’s a close up of one of the ends so you can see a bit more detail:

So, down to the details…. The yarn is Crystal Palace Kid Merino in Berry but any laceweight yarn would work. I’ve just ordered some Rowan Kidsilk Haze for my next version which I’m sure will look lovely and be a bit softer on the skin. 

The stitch pattern is incredibly easy – although very repetitive but sometimes that is a good thing as it means you can zone out a bit as you crochet. Um, here is yet another picture…..

And now for the pattern – after my usual words of warning: it hasn’t been tested and I wrote it up after making the scarf so if you encounter any problems / mistakes, please get in touch and I’ll try to help!

Cassia Scarf Pattern by Kittyboo Crochet

Yarn: Crystal Palace Kid Merino (25g) in Berry x 3 or substitute with approx. 700 yards of any laceweight yarn. 

Hook: 4.00mm

Note: The first half of the scarf is made and then the second half isworked into the back of the foundation chain so that the pattern is the same at both ends of the scarf.

Pattern using UK terms

Chain 60.

Row 1: 3 tr into 8th ch from hook, ch 2, 3 tr into same ch as previous 3 tr, ch 1, miss 3 ch, 1 tr into next ch, *ch 1, miss 3 ch, 3 tr into next ch, ch 2, 3 tr into same ch as previous 3 tr, ch 1, miss 3 ch, 1 tr into next ch. Repeat from * until end. 

Row 2: Ch 4 (counts as 1 tr plus 1 ch), miss 1 ch and 3 tr then 3 tr into first 2 ch space, ch 2, 3 tr into same ch space, **ch 1, miss 1 ch, 1 tr into tr below, ch 1, 3 tr into 2 ch space, ch 2, 3 tr into same ch space, ch 1, 1 tr into tr. Repeat from ** until end, ending with last tr in 3rd chain of turning ch. 

Rows 3 – 64: Repeat Row 2 then fasten off.

Rejoin yarn at start of foundation chain and work as row 1 into the back of each chain then work as in first half of scarf until the halves are the same length. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Pattern using US terms

Chain 60.

Row 1: 3 dc into 8th ch from hook, ch 2, 3 dc into same ch as previous 3 dc, ch 1, miss 3 ch, 1 dc into next ch, *ch 1, miss 3 ch, 3 dc into next ch, ch 2, 3 dc into same ch as previous 3 dc, ch 1, miss 3 ch, 1 dc into next ch. Repeat from * until end. 

Row 2: Ch 4 (counts as 1 dc plus 1 ch), miss 1 ch and 3 dc then 3 dc into first 2 ch space, ch 2, 3 dc into same ch space, **ch 1, miss 1 ch, dc into dc below, ch 1, 3 dc into 2 ch space, ch 2, 3 dc into same ch space, ch 1, 1 dc into dc. Repeat from ** until end, ending with last dc in 3rd chain of turning ch. 

Rows 3 – 64: Repeat Row 2 then fasten off.

Rejoin yarn at start of foundation chain and work as row 1 into the back of each chain then work as in first half of scarf until the halves are the same length. Fasten off and weave in ends.

 

For those of you who prefer to crochet from charts, here is a (rather hurriedly) handdrawn chart of the stitch pattern repeats…

Hope that helps! If you do make this scarf, I’d love to hear how you get on and see some pics of finished items. Thanks for looking.

Cascade Scarf

I wanted to make a scarf that was light and airy, soft and romantic. This is what I came up with.

The yarn is Sirdar Blur – not the nicest of yarns, but I had some left over from a previous project and didn’t want it to go to waste. I think the yarn looks best when crocheted with a larger hook, which is why I went for a 8mm – I tried smaller hooks and the fabric they produced just looked too dense and hairy – not a nice effect! It does mean that the spirals are quite floppy though, not like in my ruffle scarf pattern where they have quite a bit of structure. Still, it does drape nicely and I guess the softer spirals fit more with the romantic theme.

The pattern is really simple. I basically just increased every other stitch after I had done a single row of double crochet (US sc) and with each row I increased the height of the stitch. Here is the pattern:

Cascade Scarf by Kittyboo Crochet

WARNING – this pattern has not been tested and I wrote it up after making the scarf, rather than as I went along. If you have any problems, please let me know and I’ll try to help.

Yarn: Sirdar Blur 50g  x 2

Hook: 8.00mm

Pattern using UK Crochet Terms

Chain 170.

Row 1: Dc in second chain from hook. Dc along to end. Ch 3. Turn

Row 2: Tr in stitch at base of turning chain. (1 tr in next dc, 2 tr in next dc.) Repeat to end. Chain 4. Turn.

Row 3: Dtr into stitch at base of turning chain. (1 dtr in next tr, 2 dtr in next tr) repeat to end. Chain 5. Turn.

Row 4: Trtr into stitch at base of turning chain. (1 trtr in dtr, 2 trtr in next dtr) repeat until end. Chain 1. Turn.

Row 5: Dc into stitch at base of turning chain. 2 dc into each stitch until end. Fasten off. Weave in ends. 

 

Pattern using US Crochet Terms

Ch 170

Row 1: Sc in second chain from hook. Sc along to end. Ch 3. Turn

Row 2: Dc in stitch at base of turning chain. (1 dc in next sc, 2 dc in next sc.) Repeat to end. Chain 4. Turn.

Row 3: Trc into stitch at base of turning chain. (1 trc in next dc, 2 trc in next dc) repeat to end. Chain 5. Turn.

Row 4: Dtr into stitch at base of turning chain. (1 Dtr in trc, 2 dtr in next trc) repeat until end. Chain 1. Turn.

Row 5: Sc into stitch at base of turning chain. 2 sc into each stitch until end. Fasten off. Weave in ends. 

Ooops: I noticed a couple of typos in the pattern which I’ve now corrected. If you downloaded the pdf, however, this has not been corrected so please refer to the pattern above instead. Thanks.

Ruffle Scarf

This is from my old blog but I have written up the pattern as a pdf now and thought I would post it here.

I’m not great with technology, so let me know if there are any problems! The pdf: ruffle-scarf