Planned Pooling Scarf!

Have you seen this new fiber trend?  It's so cool!  Yarn designed to develop a pattern as you work.  I just had to try it out.  Late last fall I made this scarf to test out the technique.  It is from Red Heart's colorway 'Fall'.  I used two Super Saver skeins to do it, making the project very affordable. It looks gorgeous in my lovely model.

If you would like to try the technique, check out these great links.  That's how I learned!  http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2016/09/crochet-planned-color-pooling-scarf.html
http://www.glamour-4-you.com/blog/planned-pooling-with-crochet-made-easy-4-simple-steps

Happy Crocheting!

Fleece Blankets

A few months ago the ladies of our church did a fleece blanket making party.  We made several lightweight, single-layer fleece blankets to distribute to homeless people in our area.  In the middle of summer, we thought a thin blanket would be perfect.  I promised the ladies to make a few videos for them to use as a reference for later.  Well, I still haven't gotten around to it!  But here are some great instructional links to help.

First question: How do you get the holes in the fleece?
I use a Skip Stitch Blade in a rotary cutter.  I cut the edges of the fleece nice and straight with a regular rotary blade.  Then I use the Skip Stitch Blade to make the holes.  You need to make the holes about 0.75-1 inch from the edge of the fleece.  Here's a great tutorial video.  I do the crocheting a little different than this tutorial.  She does a single crochet in each hole and then chain between holes.  I do two single crochets in each fleece hole (no chains).  I do four single crochets in each corner.

Second question: What fancy edging should I do after I single crochet in the holes?
The tutorial video uses a lovely shell.  I often do the very same edging.  It looks a little femine, so sometimes I do a crab stitch border, it's a little more masculine.  It reminds me of rope.  I recently learned this cathedral border.  It's a little more fancy.

Third question: How much material does it take to make a blanket?
Good question.  For an adult, I used about 2 yards of fabric.  That makes a blanket 56 inches wide by 72 inches long.  Plenty big!  For a baby or toddler, I use about 1.25 yards to get a blanket 44 inches wide by 58 inches long.  I like to buy my fleece at Joann's when it is on a 50% off sale.  Look for large remnants to save even more!  One large skein (Red Heart Super Saver) is usually enough yarn to do the edging.

Fourth question: How long does it take to make?
I don't really know.  I crochet while we watch TV.  Maybe two movies.

Thanks for reading.  Happy Crocheting!

Coffee Cup Corset Crochet Pattern

One of my friends requested that I make a coffee cup cozy for her. I wanted to make an adjustable cozy that would fit coffee cups of many sizes. I came up with this idea.

Row 1: Chain 55
Row 2: In the 3rd chain from the hook, hdc. (Chain one and skip one chain. Hdc in the next chain.) Repeat between parentheses 5 times so that at the end you have 6 hdc with 5 chains between them. Chain 2 and turn the work over.
Row 3: Hdc in each hdc and chain across for a total of 11 hdc. Chain 2 and turn the work over.
Row 4-23: Hdc across. Chain 2 and turn the work over.
Row 24: Hdc in the first stitch. (Chain one and skip one stitch. Hdc in the next stitch) Repeat between parenthesis 5 times so that at the end you have 6 hdc with 5 chains between them.
Row 25: Chain 42
Take the beginning chain and lace it through the holes chain one holes in row 24. Take the last chain and lace it through the chain one holes in row 2. Tighten to size of the cup. Then tie a bow at the bottom.

Use worsted weight yarn. I used Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice. One 3 oz skein makes 5.5 corsets.

Launder inside a lingerie bag. Machine wash warm or cold, tumble dry on low.

Happy Belated Mother's Day to me!

Guess what I got in the mail today... A yarn ball winder and a swift! Yay for me! The swift didn't even come with directions but I was able to set it up and use it. It was so easy to use. Both came from Joanns.com. I got the Royal winder and the small umbrella swift.

Crochet Pattern for Felted Wool Balls

I created this pattern for our Prayer Shawls Ministry. We make balls out of acrylic yarn and stuff them with fiberfill for the kiddos in the pediatric ward at the hospital.

Great for playing. Great for dryer balls. I’d recommend using an un-dyed yarn for dryer balls to prevent the dye from bleeding on your clothes.

Materials
G-hook
Worsted-Weight Wool Yarn (not super wash)
Wool yarn scraps or clippings

Row 1 Chain 2. Work 6 single crochets in the 1st chain. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet.
Row 2 Work 2 single crochets in each single crochet. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 12 sc
Row 3 Work 1 single crochet in the 1st single crochet. Work 2 single crochets in the next single crochet. Repeat to the end. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 18 sc
Row 4 Work 1 single crochet in each of the next 2 single crochets. Work 2 single crochets in the next single crochet. Repeat to the end. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 24 sc
Row 5 Work 1 single crochet in each of the next 3 single crochets. Work 2 single crochets in the next single crochet. Repeat to the end. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 30 sc
Row 6 Work 1 single crochet in each of the next 4 single crochets. Work 2 single crochets in the next single crochet. Repeat to the end. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 36 sc
Row 7-12 Work 1 single crochet in each single crochet around. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 36 sc
Row 13 Work 1 single crochet in each of the next 4 single crochets. Work 1 single crochet decrease in the next 2 single crochets. Repeat to the end. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 30 sc
Row 14 Work 1 single crochet in each of the next 3 single crochets. Work 1 single crochet decrease in the next 2 single crochets. Repeat to the end. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 24 sc
Row 15 Work 1 single crochet in each of the next 2 single crochets. Work 1 single crochet decrease in the next 2 single crochets. Repeat to the end. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 18 sc
Stuff the yarn clippings into the ball.
Row 16 Work 1 single crochet in the next single crochets. Work 1 single crochet decrease in the next 2 single crochets. Repeat to the end. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 12 sc
Row 17 Work 1 single crochet decrease in the next 2 single crochets. Repeat to the end. Join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. 6 sc
Row 18 Fold remaining stitches in half. Slip Stitch across the 3 doubled stitches. Cut yarn. Tie in a knot and pull the tail into the ball.

To Felt: put the ball in your next load of dark colored towels. Wash and dry it on hot. Repeat to desired felted state. Remember, bright colors may probably bleed, so don’t do this with nice towels.