Pattern – Page 7 – Mamas2Hands

Fans & Lace Afghan Square

October 8, 2016July 13, 2024Celebrating, Crochet, Crochet Design, Free Pattern Links, Online, Pattern9 Comments

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October 13, 2016: Hello dear readers and new visitors just a little update to this post.

Happy Birthday to Me! I’m 21 today! No, not 21 years old, my Fans & Lace Afghan Square is block #21 in the 2016 Moogly Afghan CAL.

If you hadn’t heard about the Moogly Afghan CAL it’s not too late to join the fun. You can hop on over to Mooglyblog.com to get all the details and see Tamara’s interpretation of my square.

My video tutorial “Fans & Lace Square – Part 1” for this pattern ~~will be~~ is up on my YouTube Channel ~~this Saturday.~~

Thank you so much to Veronique HoRaive for providing a French Translation of this pattern, you can find the PDF of the pattern here. fans-and-lace-afghan-square-french-1

Check out today’s blog post to find for some fun ideas on playing with color choices and the number of colors used in the square. “Changing Color, Changing the Look”.

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It’s October again and the first week has gone flying by! I’ve less than a week before I celebrate my birthday, but I thought I would get an early start with my present to all my lovely readers.

This is my newest afghan square. I was playing with changing the height of stitches within the rounds. This is a skill building pattern with techniques that some may find challenging. Next week I’ll have a video on my YouTube channel that will walk you thru the pattern and the tricky bits.

I worked my sample square with just 3 colors, but you can use fewer or more than that. Next week I will also have a post showing you how changing the number of colors and when you change colors can dramatically change the appearance of your square.

FANS & LACE AFGHAN SQUARE

Skill level: Intermediate

Finished Size:

12” square

Materials:

Yarn

Worsted wt (Sample uses Lion Brand Yarns “Vanna’s Choice” 100% Acrylic (5 oz/142g, 251 yd/230 m)

Color A: #142 Rose (sample used approximately 52 yards)

Color B: #101 Pink (sample used approximately 48 yards)

Color C: #146 Dusty Purple (sample used approximately 38 yards)

Hook

I / 5.5mm

Notions

Yarn/tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Gauge

First 2 rounds of pattern = 2” across square

Pattern Notes

Start square with an adjustable slip knot. Beginning tail tightens the loop on the hook. *If you haven’t ever used an Adjustable Slip Knot this video shows you how.

Round 2 specifies “sl st loosely”, this means work the indicated slip stitches similar to a chain stitch and do not pull the working loop to tighten them as in a joining slip stitch. You will be working into those loose slip stitches in Round 3.

Special Stitches and Abbreviations

(Standing dc) Standing Double Crochet: make slip knot in yarn and place loop snugly on shaft of hook, yo, insert hook into indicated st, yo, pull up a loop, [yo, pull thru 2 loops on hook] 2 times. If substituting for a chain start of a round, do not work the first 3 chains of the round instructions.

(3dc Dec) 3 double crochet decrease: YO, insert hook in first st, YO pull up a loop, YO pull thru 2 loops, [YO insert hook in next st, YO pull up a loop, YO pull thru 2 loops] 2 times, YO pull thru all remaining loops on hook.

(V-st) V-stitch: (dc, ch 1, dc) in indicated st or sp.

(Fan) 10 Treble Fan: (5 Tr, ch 1, 5 Tr) in indicated st or sp.

(CL) 3 double crochet Cluster: [YO, insert hook in indicated st or sp, YO pull up a loop, YO pull thru 2 loops] 3 times, YO pull thru remaining loops on hook.

(8TrShl) 8 Treble Shell: (4 Tr, ch 1, 4 Tr) in indicated st or sp.

(GrnShl) Granny Shell: 3 dc worked in indicated st or sp.

Instructions

Rnd 1: Starting with Color A, ch 4 {counts as center and first dc}, 11 dc in 4th ch from hook, sl st to top of beginning ch-4. Gently pull beginning tail to tighten center. [12 dc]

Rnd 2: [Sl st loosely before next dc in space between stitches, ch 3, 3dcDec worked across next 3 sts, ch 3] 4 times, sl st tightly into first loose sl st. Fasten off. [4 3dc dec, 8 ch-3 sps]

Rnd 3: Change to Color B. (Standing dc, ch 1, dc) in any loose sl st, {counts as first V-st}, [*ch 2, skip ch-3 sp, (sc, ch 3 sc) in top of Dec, ch 2, skip ch-3 sp,* V-st next sl st] 3 times, Rep from * to * once, sl st to first V-st. Fasten off. [8 sc, 8 ch-2 sps, 4 ch-3 sps, 4 V-sts]

Rnd 4: Change to Color C. Begin as with Standing dc, YO, insert hook into ch-1 sp of any V-st in Rnd 3, YO, pull up a loop, YO, pull thru 2 loops on hook, [YO, insert hook in same ch-1 sp, YO pull up a loop, YO pull thru 2 loops] 2 times, YO pull thru remaining 4 loops on hook {counts as first CL}, [*skip 4 sts, Fan in next ch-3 sp, skip 4 sts,* CL in next ch-1 sp] 3 times, Rep from * to * once, sl st to beginning CL. Fasten off. [4 CL, 4 Fans]

Rnd 5: Change to Color B. Standing dc in any CL from Rnd 4, ch 1, dc in same st {counts as first V-st},[*ch 2, skip 2 sts, sc next st, ch 3, skip 2 sts, (sc, ch 3, sc) in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip 2 sts, sc next st, ch 2, skip 2 sts,* V-st next st] 3 times, Rep from * to * once, sl st to first V-st of round. Fasten off. [16 sc, 4 V-sts, 12 ch-3 sps, 8 ch-2 sps]

Rnd 6: Change to Color A. Standing dc in ch-1 sp of any V-st in Rnd 5, [ch 1, dc] 2 times in same ch-1 sp, [*skip ch 2 sp, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next sc, skip 1 ch-3 sp, 8Tr Shl in next ch-3 sp, skip next ch-3 sp, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next sc, skip next ch-2 sp,* ({dc, ch 1} 2 times, dc) in next ch-1 sp] 3 times, Rep from * to * once, sl st to first dc of Rnd. Fasten off. [28 dc, 32 Tr, 12 ch-1 sp, 8 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 7: Change to Color C. Standing dc in first ch-1 sp in direction of work from corner ch-1 sp, dc in same ch-1 sp, skip one st, 2 dc next ch-1 sp, [*skip 2 sts, GrnShl in next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts, GrnShl next st, skip 2 sts, (GrnShl, ch 2, GrnShl) in next ch-1 sp, skip 2 sts, GrnShl next st, skip 2 sts, GrnShl in next ch-2 sp, skip 2 sts,* {2 dc in next ch-1 sp} 2 times] 3 times, Rep from * to * once, sl st to first dc of Rnd. [24 GrnShl, 16 dc, 4 ch-2 sp]

Rnd 8: Ch 3 {counts as dc}, *dc in each st along side until reach corner ch-2 sp, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in corner ch-2 sp,* Rep from * to * until work last corner of square, dc in each st until reach first dc of Rnd, sl st to first dc. Fasten off. [104 dc, 4 ch-2 sp {26 dc each side}]

Rnd 9: Change to Color A. (Standing dc, ch 1, dc) in 12th dc in direction of work from ch-2 corner sp, {counts as first V-st}, [*skip 2 sts, V-st next st,* Rep from * to * until 2 dc remain before corner ch-2 sp, (V-st, ch 2, V-st) in corner ch-2 sp] 4 times, Rep from * to * until 2 sts are left before first V-st of Rnd, skip 2 sts, sl st to first st of V-st. [40 V-st, 4 ch-2 sp {10 V-st each side}]

Rnd 10: (Loosely sl st, ch 3, 2 dc) in first ch-1 sp {counts as first GrnShl}, [*GrnShl in ch-1 sp of each V-st* until reach ch-2 sp at corner, (dc, ch 2, dc) in corner ch-2 sp] 4 times, Rep from * to * until reach first GrnShl of Rnd, sl st to first st of GrnShl. Fasten off. [40 Gr Shl, 8 dc, 4 ch-2 sp {10 GrnShl each side}]

Rnd 11: Change to Color B. (Standing dc, ch 1, dc) in middle st of any GrnShl along a side {counts as first V-st}, [*V-st in middle st of each GrnShl *until work in last GrnShl before corner ch-2 sp, (V-st, ch 2, V-st) in corner ch-2 sp] 4 times, Rep from * to * until reach first V-st of Rnd, sl st to first st of V-st. [48 V-st, 4 ch-2 sp {12 V-st each side}]

Rnd 12: Repeat Rnd 10. [48 GrnShl, 8 dc, 4 ch-2 sp {12 GrnShl each side}]

Finishing

Weave in tails and block.

Modifying a Pattern

September 28, 2016Crochet, Crochet Design, Free Pattern Links, Online, Pattern, Tips and TricksLeave a Comment

daisies-in-vals-garden — Daisies in Val’s Garden

My friend Val and I get together most Tuesday mornings to crochet and visit. This Tuesday she was determined to finish up some small projects that she had in her basket. One of those projects was a headband she was making from my “Springtime Headband” pattern.

She wanted the headband to be adjustable, so I came up with a modification to add a button band and buttons to it. We were both pleased with how the finished headband looked and Val was really happy to have one of her projects completed.

I thought some of my readers might enjoy using this modification as well. I’m posting the changes we made. The original pattern can be found on my “Crochet and Springtime” post from March 2015. The post also includes a photo tutorial on making cluster and puff stitches.

SPRINGTIME HEADBAND w/BUTTONS

modifications and design by Andee Graves

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Headband is approximately 3.25”/8.125cm wide x 23”/55cm long.

YARN

Worsted weight yarn – approximately 35g or 82 yards

Val was using Lion Brand Yarns, Vanna’s Choice, I used Lion Brand Yarns, Wool-ease for my original project.

CROCHET HOOKS

Size US 7 / (4.5mm)

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

2 – buttons 3/4 inch diameter

Stitch markers

Yarn needle

GAUGE

6 rows & 9 sts in hdc = 2”

SPECIAL STITCHES

3 DC Cluster Stitch (Cl): (Yo, insert hook into indicated st or sp, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull thru 2 loops on hook) 3 times, yo, pull thru 4 loops remaining on hook.

Puff Stitch (Puff): (Yo, insert hook into indicated st or sp, yo, pull up a loop to desired height) 5 times, 11 loops on hook, yo, pull thru 10 loops on hook, 2 loops left on hook, yo, pull thru remaining 2 loops on hook.

Half Double Crochet 2 Together (hdc2tog): Yo, insert hook into indicated st or sp, yo pull up a loop, insert hook in next st, yo pull up a loop, yo pull thru all 4 loops on hook.

V-Stitch (V-st): (dc, ch 1, dc) in indicated st or sp.

NOTES

The Cluster stitches and Puff stitches in this project have more texture because they are “squished” between 2 shorter stitches. The texture is created on the back of the rows. The finished project will have the textured side as the right side of the fabric.

Once the first 65 rows of the headband are crocheted button band row is added and edging is worked all the way around with the right side of fabric facing you.

INSTRUCTIONS

For the buttoned version of this headband work Rows 1 – 65 in original pattern.

Button Band:

Row 66: Turn, DO NOT CHAIN, sc in first st, ch 2 (counts as first dc), *sk 1 st, V-st next st, sk 1 st, dc next st, Repeat from * once. [3 dc, 2 V-st]

EDGING

Ch 1, with RS facing turn band to work along first long edge, *work sc spaced evenly along edge in ends of rows (3 sc in the ends of the every 2 rows), ch 2, turn to work along end of headband, sc in next 9 sts, ch 2*, turn to work along second long edge, Repeat from * to *, sl st to first sc in round.

FINISHING

Weave in ends. Block lightly, if desired. Sew buttons to right side (textured side) to align with openings in V-sts.

With the colder weather we are beginning to have up here on the mountain it is time to have some extra layers of warmth handy when I’m walking the dog or taking the boys to school. I may be putting an ear warming headband in the glovebox of my car, just in case.

They are also great quick gift projects for those of you thinking about your holiday gift-giving lists.

The Dilemma of Naming Designs

September 16, 2016Creativity, Crochet Design, Free Pattern Links, Humor, Indie publication, OnlineLeave a Comment

As I have said before, trying to think up names for my designs can be one of the most challenging aspects of my work. It’s not just me though it turns out. Thursday this week I was facing the naming struggle once again and decided to tweet about it.

“Sometimes the hardest thing about being a #crochet designer is coming up with a name for my designs.”

My tweets show up on my Facebook page and I had a chuckle today when I finally looked at my page today and read the many responses from loads of my yarnie friends.

Some of my designer friends had funny stories about how they came up with a name. My friend, Bonnie Barker, had some help from family recently.

“Yep. I get that! That’s why when I was out of ideas (while working on my latest book), I spoke out loud wondering and my son replied with a silly (but catchy) name, and I ran with it! That’s how the Fergus Shrug got its name.”

My friend Kathryn White shared her solution, that sometimes creates it’s own problems. Turns out the talented Vashti Braha has this same solution and problem.

“Oh I know that problem. Whenever I see or hear a possible name I try and jot it down. But then I have to remember where I put the note….”

There were a number of designer friends who had some very helpful advice that I will be taking note of.

My good friend April Garwood of Banana Moon Studio says,

“Lately if I can’t think of one easily I use city names in Oklahoma. There is a list of all of them on Wikipedia. Maybe choose a theme: flowers, birds. I also once used part of a scientific name. The color of the scarf reminded me of purple cabbage, so I looked up the scientific name for the plant. That became Brassica Scarf.”

The talented designer and editor of “Crochet! Magazine” for Annie’s Publishing, Ellen Gormley had this helpful advice,

“Street names, city names, flower names, rock/gems, color names, simple words in other languages… I look at all of these to help.“

My dear friend, Brenda Bourg shared her favorite resource,

“I have a site with over 20,000 names in all different languages. It makes it pretty easy to find names. If I can pronounce it, and I like the meaning, I run with it.“

I think the suggestion that made me smile the most was from Elfie, one of my good crocheting buddies from Kansas City,

“Name then after your friends… for instance a hooded oversize sweater made with dark and sparkley with hints of green yarn would be an Elfie in the woods ..lol…or a purple butterfly shawl Erin about town..”

I still need to come up with a name for this latest design, in fact I’m working on 6 designs right now that are in need of a name. I tend to like “geeky” names or names that have a pun to them.

Recently I named this series of blog posts and the resulting shawl pattern “Playing with Triangles” which is a bit of a geeky inside joke.

And there was my alliterative and contradictory “Sophisticated Simplicity Necklace”.

Last fall when I was stumped for a name for this light and lacy shawl, I asked visitors to the blog to vote on a name. “Mountain Whisper Shawl” was the name that won. I tend to stick “mountain” into names as a nod to where I live.

One thing is clear, naming my designs may not get easier. Fortunately that won’t stop me from dreaming up new ones all the time. Have a great weekend dear readers. I’m off to see a special exhibit at the Denver Art Museum tomorrow and then I’ll be teaching crochet to knitters on Sunday at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe.

Crocheting in Longmont

September 14, 2016September 14, 2016Celebrating, Crochet, Free Pattern Links, Yarn, Yarnie FriendsLeave a Comment

Today I was at my crochet group in Longmont at the Longmont Yarn Shoppe, “Causal Crochet”. We had been getting together on the third Wednesday of each month for 2 hours starting at 10:30 a.m. This was our first meeting on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, and we will be having 2 meetings a month from now on.

If you are in the area you can join us at “Causal Crochet” for at least the next 8 months on the 2nd and 3rd Wednesday of the month. We will see if the schedule still works for everyone once summer rolls around.

Our group today discussed what our fall “Crochet-A-Long” project is going to be. Looks like we will be working on a blanket square. I’ll be putting the pattern up here on my blog and my YouTube Channel during the first week of October. That’s just 3 weeks away!

I was teaching a private crochet lesson today after the group met. This weekend I am teaching a “Learn to Crochet for Knitters” class, but one of the knitters that wanted to take it wasn’t going to be able to make the class. Instead we made arrangements to have a one hour lesson together at the shop. I think it went very well and she is well on her way to being able to add crochet to her knitting projects.

It’s always so fun to see a crafter get the hang of a new skill. This was my little practice piece for demonstrating the stitches to my student. I was working with Berroco “Vintage” yarn. I have 3 hanks of the green color in my stash, left-over from another project and I decided I needed to add some new colors for a project percolating in my brain.

Fall is definitely in the air up here on the mountain, even though it is late summer most days down in town. I’ve been seeing lots of sunflowers blooming everywhere. They are one of my favorite flowers, maybe that’s because I grew up in Kansas (The Sunflower State).

I picked the 2 yellows and the brown to go with the green I already have. They really put me in mind of sunflowers. Will have to see what they grow up to be. Berroco’s “Vintage” is a great machine washable work-horse yarn that is a blend of 52% Acrylic, 40% Wool, and 8% nylon. The nylon makes it very durable, which is really nice for afghans, blankets and hard working hats or scarves for the family.

If you are feeling too impatient to wait for my new afghan square, you can check out some of them I’ve already published here on the blog.

Whirlwind Afghan Square: the pattern is here on my blog, and I have 2 videos to help you work it here on my YouTube Channel: Whirlwind How-To Part 1 and Whirlwind How-To Part 2.

Annetta Square: the pattern is here on my blog.

Hot Spot (Annetta Square #2) : the pattern is here on my blog.

The Humble Granny Square: the pattern is here on my blog.

I hope all my US readers are enjoying some cooler temperatures and enjoying the last bits of summer. Soon we will have snow up here on the mountain. I’ll be digging out my warmer clothing in the next couple of weeks. The good news is, I will have lots of opportunities to wear some of my favorite scarves, shawls and hats again.

Prize Winner!

September 6, 2016Celebrating, Crochet, Free Pattern Links, Pattern, Yarnie FriendsLeave a Comment

Last Autumn I facilitated a Crochet-A-Long at my local yarn shop: Longmont Yarn Shoppe. I introduced our Causal Crochet group to the “Corner to Corner” crochet technique. Each crocheter picked a yarn in the shop that they wanted to try, and we each made a scarf.

One of the participants was Margie C. She enters the Boulder County Fair each year, submitting a number of crochet projects and this year she decided to enter the scarf she made. Last month when we all got together she shared the following photo with the group.

Her scarf had garnered 3 ribbons! Yay Margie!

If you would like to try your hand at the corner-to-corner technique you can find my tutorial and pattern on my blog post: Playing with Corner to Corner.

Corner to Corner is a really fun crochet technique. My favorite aspect of it is that you have that “small start” that I love to use. When you use a yarn with long gradual color changes you can get a truly impressive looking piece of fabric with minimal ends to weave in.

I’m heading off this weekend to Scotts Bluff, Nebraska for the Scotts Bluff Valley Fiber Arts Fair. I’ll be teaching 2 classes on Saturday, my “Playing with Triangles Shawl” in the morning and my “Don’t Let Your Hobby Hurt” in the afternoon.

I’m really excited about teaching the shawl class, I’ve added some fun variations to the basic shawl pattern and I’m hoping to inspire my students creativity. If you are in the area you can still enroll for the Saturday classes, just visit the website for more information on how and where to register.

If Scotts Bluff is too far away for you, you can find the pattern for the shawl here on my blog in my post: Playing with Triangles (the post also includes a link to an animated tutorial version of the pattern).

Hopefully I can get some pictures of the beautiful landscape around Scotts Bluff to share with you all next week. And some cute fiber critters as well.

Loopy De Loop Necklace

August 27, 2016Crochet, Pattern, Tips and Tricks, Videos4 Comments

Right before I left for the CGOA conference in Charleston I posted about this necklace and said I would get the pattern up soon. It didn’t happen as soon as I had hoped, but here it is. This post contains the written pattern and I have a new video on my YouTube channel that walks you thru the pattern and the techniques you need to complete this fun necklace. It also has some animated stitch charts for those of you that like charts (like me). Click here to watch the video: “Loopy de Loop Necklace”.

I used Classic Elite’s “Santorini” yarn for this project because of the mixture of textures and colors in each ball. You can use other yarns, just remember to adjust your hook size if you need to. I choose a size F (3.75mm) hook for my necklace because I wanted the “knot” part of my love knots to be snug, since they provide the structure of this piece.

One thing to note, my love knots collapsed in the heat and humidity of Charleston, basically it was “blocked”. The necklace is still pretty but looks different now from my original photos.

This is a simple project, but I am using some techniques in slightly different ways. Hopefully between the pattern below and the video you will be crocheting along without any hiccups.

Loopy De Loop Necklace

Finished size: Approximately 32″ around

Finished size: Approximately 30 inches around

Materials list

Yarn: Classic Elite “Santorini” (58% Vicose/42% Cotton), 50g /125 yards.

Hook: F (3.75mm)

Gauge:

1 Love Knot = 1″ in length

Foundation Motif Rnd 1 = 1″ in diameter

Pattern Notes:

This necklace is worked by crocheting long Love Knot strands off a foundation motif. Each strand is attached at its beginning and end as it is worked.

Instructions

Foundation Motif (dc yo-yo with chain loops)

Rnd 1: Starting with adjustable slip knot, ch 4 (counts as a dc and center), 11 dc in 4th ch from hook, sl st to top of beginning ch-4. [12 dc]

Rnd 2: (Ch 4, sk 1 dc, sl st next dc) 5 times, ch 1, sl st next st, ch 1, sl st in first ch-4 sp, sl st above ch-4 space.

Do not Fasten Off

Note: You may find it helpful to weave in the beginning tail at this point to get it out of your way. I show my favorite way of weaving in the beginning tail in my “Loopy de Loop” video.

Love Knot Strands

Note: Ends of strands are connected to the Foundation Motif in the ch-4 loops created in Rnd 2.

Strand 1: Chain extending the loop on your hook to approximately 1 inch in length, sc in back loop of ch just made, first Love Knot created, continue making love knots until strand is 27 inches long (unstretched) or 32 inches long (stretched), sl st in center of third ch-4 space along motif.

Note: My love knots are consistently an inch long, so it takes 27 of them to reach the length of strand that I used. If your love knots are consistent in size you can count how many you have in your first strand, then crochet that number of love knots for the rest of your strands instead of measuring.

Strand 2: Sl st tightly above ch-sp to lock end of previous strand, work love knots until strand is desired length, sl st in first ch-4 space to right of previous strand starting point.

Strands 3 – 28: Work similar to Strand 2, slip stitching into ch-4 spaces along the foundation motif working back and forth to fill in the ch-4 spaces.

Fasten off and weave in all ends.

I hope you have fun with this project. You can vary the length and number of your strands to make a longer necklace or even a bracelet. Add beads, play with yarn, most of all…have fun crocheting.

“Uncle!”

August 24, 2016Creativity, Crochet, Free Pattern Links, Humor, Inspiration, Latest News, Paid Pattern Links, Pattern, YarnLeave a Comment

Sometimes getting back into the routine of school days is a rough transition. That would definitely be the case this week. This is the first full week my boys are back in school and to add to the fun (not): my husband is out of town for work and there are major construction delays on the 2 shortest routes down the mountain to school.

I am really glad that we are getting our roads back to better-than-before. If you all remember back in September 2013 there was a nasty flood here and we had extreme damage to numerous roadways in Colorado, especially in the mountains. The construction has been on-going for the past 3 years, with the big job starting last year about this time.

What all this means for me though, is less time in my office at home. Being on the go isn’t too bad when I’m crocheting away on a pattern, but it gets a bit tricky when I need to do photography and video work.

I had planned to have an awesome Tuesday post for all my dear readers. Unfortunately, I finally had to accept reality since it is now Wednesday evening and I still don’t have the awesome post completed. I’m crying “Uncle” this time. Awesome post is being moved to my Saturday post instead.

But I won’t leave you with a completely empty plate. No starving children in Mama Andee’s house!

One of the good things about being trapped down in town this week, I had the opportunity to get lots of shopping errands out of the way. Seems like there are always little errands that get pushed off the day’s list when I come down during summer break.

This past Tuesday I took care of all my grocery errands, but I also made some time for errands that were a bit more fun. Like stopping by JoAnn’s and Michaels.

I needed some foam cushions for a project and knew that JoAnn’s would have the ones I wanted. I spent a few minutes having a wistful browse of all the lovely Ott-Lites they have in stock. I did resist that temptation, but a skein of yarn said it needed to come home with me.

I really like crocheting with Red Heart’s “With Love” yarn (very aptly named as well). It is nice and soft with a lofty springy twist to it. Great for making home décor or even wearables. I picked the Water Lily color because I thought it would play well with some purple that I had in my stash. Don’t they look nice together? Will be coming back to them later this winter.

There has been a lot of posting in social media about Caron Yarn’s newest product “Caron Cakes”. They are only in Michaels stores from what I understand. They did have them online at the Michaels website, but as of this writing they are out-of-stock. You can take a look at the various colors online though and see if there is a store near you that carries them.

I wanted to see if I could find them in my local Michaels. The store I go to is located in Superior, Colorado in the same shopping area as my nearest Costco. I decided I had time for a stop in Michaels before heading to Costco for groceries. I was pleased to see the yarn there, though they had already sold quite a bit of it.

I had to adopt a few balls for myself. I decided on 2 balls of the purple toned “Bumbleberry” and 1 ball of the “Blueberry Cheesecake”. The yardage in each ball is very generous at 383 yards. It is a yarn that requires a bit more care, the instructions on the label say “Hand Wash. Lay flat to dry.” A little surprising as the fiber content is 80% Acrylic/20% Wool. The yarn is very soft in the ball and doesn’t have that slight scratchiness you sometimes get with wool blends.

I’m looking forward to working with this yarn and seeing what new designs it inspires for me. Meanwhile my good friend and fellow yarnie blogger Jessie has put together a Round-up of pattern suggestions for folks that are wondering what they can crochet with this yarn.

You can find Jessie’s suggestions and the links to the patterns on her blog: Jessie At Home. I was flattered that she included my C2C Basics Scarf in there. Some of my other patterns that could work up nicely in this yarn are:

Granny Fans Redux, this is one of my paid patterns that has detailed charts and the instructions for 3 different styles of neck wear. The long runs of color in the Caron Cakes would likely give you fans in each color.

Playing with Triangles Shawl, this pattern is available here on my blog and I have a “how-to” video on my YouTube Channel.

You can see in the above photo how fun the color changes were using Red Heart’s Treasure. With the Caron Cakes the color stripes would be even more dramatic. The squishy loft of the Cakes yarn would make a very snuggly shawl, perfect for a gift for a dear friend or family member this coming holiday season.

Enjoy the rest of your week, and be sure to stop by on Saturday for another fun pattern and video.

Scrap Projects: Yo-yos

August 16, 2016March 1, 2021Crochet, How Tos, Pattern2 Comments

One of the easiest of scap projects is the humble crocheted yo-yo. I’ve always enjoyed these fun little circles of color and find them a terrific learning project for new crocheters. When worked in worsted weight yarn with a size I-9 (5.5mm) hook they use just under 2 yards of yarn each.

Beginning chain 4, arrow indicates 4th ch from hook.

I make my Yo-yos by starting with an adjustable slip knot, then chain 4,

11 double crochet in the 4th chain from the hook,

Tightening center, arrow indicates beginning tail.

Tighten the center of the stitches by pulling the beginning tail snug,

Insert hook in top of the beginning chain 4,

Slip Stitch to close round of stitches. Fasten off.

Weave in the beginning tail in the center. You can weave in the ending tail as well, or use it for sewing the yo-yos together. For my yo-yos I did weave in the ending tail, because I will be crocheting these yo-yos together.

Weaving in the ending tail. Arrow indicates the slip stitch.

To weave in the ending tail I like to insert my yarn needle thru the top of the chain stitch that I had slip stitched to.

Then I turn the yo-yo over and weave the tail thru the back bumps of that beginning chain and on around the center of the yo-yo. I pull this end gently when weaving it in so I don’t collapse the side of the yo-yo.

I trim off the excess yarn from the yo-yo and it is ready to join my other yo-yos. I will fill a bag with yo-yos until I have collected enough to make them into a project.

You can use yo-yos in any number of projects. My favorite is to make scarves with them. You can also make yo-yos in other yarns or threads. You will need to adjust the size hook you use to get a yo-yo fabric that you find pleasing.

A Few Quick Projects

July 9, 2016March 31, 2017Chain Link, Crochet, Crochet Design, Online, Pattern12 Comments

I’m down to the last minute stuff for my trip next week to the Knit & Crochet Show a.k.a. Chain Link.

Been a busy week getting the household in shape for me to be gone 7 days. My boys will have it completely destroyed by the time I get back, but I try to have it looking nice before I head out the door.

I’ve gathered up everything I want to take, now I just need to weed it out to what I really need so that my suitcases don’t go over the weight limit.

I’ve finished 2 sweaters that are currently blocking and I’ll be sharing more with you about those after my return from this trip. Meanwhile I wanted to show you 2 fun neck wear pieces that I finished for the trip.

This is my “Loopy de Loop Necklace” made with just one ball of Classic Elite’s “Santorini” yarn. The variety of colors and textures really looked great in this simple fluffy necklace. I’ll be sharing the pattern for it along with a fun video later this ~~month~~ autumn. The blog post with the pattern is done now! “Loopy de Loop Necklace” (August 27, 2016) and the link to the video on my YouTube Channel is here.

This is my “Sweet Song Decorative Scarf” made with one hank of Lion Brand’s Silk. I bought this yarn and the beads at the Knit & Crochet Show a couple years ago and finally came up with the perfect project for it. The toughest part of working this project is that is starts off with a very long chain foundation and the regular chain stitches are periodically interspersed with beaded chain stitches.

I’m hoping to have a helpful video up for this project soon, though it could be as late as August. In the meantime here is the written pattern.

Sweet Song Decorative Scarf

design by Andee Graves

Skill Level: Easy

Materials

Yarn: Lion Brand Yarns “LB Collection Silk”, 100% Silk (1.75 oz/50 g; 163 yds/150 meters): 1 hank

Hook: Clover Amour Size 7/4.5mm

Beads: 600 Size E glass beads thread all on yarn before starting project.

Gauge: 27 chains = 5.25″, 9 rows Shells = 3.25″

Special Stitches

Beaded Chain Stitch (BdCh): slide bead up near hook, yo and pull thru loop on hook capturing bead on back bump of chain stitch.

Slanted Shell Stitch (Shl): (dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in indicated place.

Pattern Notes

The first 2 rows are the most difficult, check count carefully while working them.

Instructions

Row 1: Chain 11, *(BdCh, ch 2) 4 times, BdCh, ch 14,* Repeat from * to * 11 times.

Row 2: Turn, dc in 4th chain from hook, sk 3 chs, Shl next ch st, sk 2 chs, dc next ch, *ch 3, (BdCh, ch 2) 4 times, BdCh, ch 3, sk 19 chs, dc next ch st, sk 3 chs, Shl next ch st, sk 2 chs, dc next ch, * Repeat from * to * 11 times.

Row 3 – 11: Ch 3, turn, * dc in next dc, sk 3 dc, Shl next ch-2 sp, sk 1 dc, dc next dc, ** ch 3, (BdCh, ch 2) 4 times, BdCh, ch 3, sk 19 chs,* Repeat from * to * until reach last Shl segment, Repeat from * to ** once.

Is it too Hot to Crochet?

June 21, 2016Crochet, Crochet Design, Indie publication, Paid Pattern Links, Pattern5 Comments

Summer is truly here now. Even up on my mountain we are feeling the heat. Of course what seems “hot” to us is nothing compared to what friends and family all over the country are dealing with. This past week temperatures have been over 100F in lots of places. Making me very grateful for our easy days of 87-90F days at my house.

When I go down to town to do errands it can be significantly warmer. But at least in Colorado humidity isn’t the factor that it is for many others. I’m looking forward to seeing all my yarnie friends at the conference in a few weeks, but it will be in Charleston, South Carolina. I suspect that I may be melting in the heat and humidity that they are experiencing.

In heat like that how does one keep crocheting? My choice for travel and for hot weather crochet is to work with small projects.

If afghans are your favorite type of project this is the time of year to tackle a motif afghan that requires lots of smaller pieces to be completed before being all sewn or crocheted together. The motifs are great projects to carry along with you to the beach and outings thru the summer. Then when the cooler weather finally rolls around you can do the joining work to make them into an afghan.

If you want some fun motifs to play with try my “Annetta Square” here on the blog.

Hot Spot Square copyright 2015 M2HDesigns/Andee Graves — Hot Spot Square
copyright 2015 M2HDesigns/Andee Graves

Or my “Hot Spot Square”.

I often take advantage of the warm weather season to get ahead on my holiday gifts. I work on my cotton thread snowflakes. They are fun and relatively quick projects that don’t take up a lot of room in my project bag. I can get a nice stack of them finished up before the hot weather is over with. The stiffening stage goes faster too as they dry super fast in the warmer weather.

Light as Lace Snowflake - M2H Designs — Lacy Snowflake – M2H Designs

I’ll be making quite a few of my snowflake pattern “Lacy Snowflake” that I designed for last December. You can find the pattern here on the blog. Who knows, maybe you’ll feel cooler crocheting snowflakes.

My very favorite projects for gift-giving and small project crochet are Hats. All my boys (including Himself) love getting hats for Christmas. I made a hat for my Dad a couple of years ago for Christmas and it was well received too. I also like making hats for various charities.

I’ve taught classes on crocheting hats at my local LYS and will be teaching my “Perfect Fit Crocheted Hat” class at the Scotts Bluff Valley Fiber Arts Fair this September. I also have a couple of other hat patterns in my M2H Designs line.

This is my “Spiraling Crosses Hat” and is made in a slightly mesh like stitch pattern that allows for a combination of breathability and warmth. You can purchase the pattern for this hat in my Ravelry shop here.

My newest M2H Designs pattern is the “Mountain Top Beanie” in my Ravelry Shop. This hat is crocheted in a super stretchy all over stitch pattern that looks beautiful in variegated yarn or solid colors. I made this sample in Ella Rae Lace Merino Aran weight. This is a gorgeous yarn that was lovely to work with. I’m planning on taking my oldest son to the Longmont Yarn Shoppe to pick out the color he wants to make him a beanie to wear in the coming school year.

This hat was one of the projects I was working on during our recent trip to Kansas for a big family reunion. The project fit entirely into one of my small project bags with room in the outside pocket for my phone. Worked great for a small crochet project to keep my hands busy while visiting with family. Most importantly it wasn’t too hot to work on as crocheting on a larger project could have been.

So to answer the question I posed in my title today. No, it isn’t too hot to crochet. You just need the right project. Air conditioning is a good idea too. Stay cool all my Northern Hemisphere friends. For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere heading into your cold season we may soon be jealous of you.