Scarf Love: Valentine’s Day Crochet Pattern

January 16, 2017 Jeris1 Comment

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Love, love, love. It is what keeps me going in the cold, often bleak months of January and February. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it can get a little gloomy. There aren’t as many gifts to make or parties to attend. I have to psyche myself up to take down the Christmas tree so that I don’t end up woeful and in a listless funk.

So, I turn to Valentine’s Day. I am not a particularly sappy person, and Valentine’s Day has never been a particularly romantic or important day in my marriage. We don’t even celebrate it, usually.

That doesn’t stop me from finding ways of getting in the spirit, though. First, I love the color scheme of pinks and reds. So, if I have an excuse to add even more pink into our household decor, I will do so. I also love a good seasonal find at the Target dollar section, so I add a few cute heart-shaped signs and arrows around the house. I also like to get my boys a few Valentine’s Day treats or do a themed craft with them.

But my favorite way of getting into the spirit of the holiday of love is through knitting and crochet. Because it is still cold as heck in Minnesota on February 14th, scarves, hats, and other winter wear are still very relevant. So, I have created a cute, cozy, and whimsical scarf to mark the sweetheart season.

I’ve been wanting to design something that uses Caron Cakes because I love them and I have collected a few without knowing what I would do with them. They come in a variety of lovely colors, are very soft, and are really nice to work with. I also wanted something that would work up quickly and be really classic in style to contrast the funky colors. So, I came up with the Scarf Love scarf.

Finished, it is about 7′ long, if you include the fringe. I like a long scarf that can be wrapped numerous ways. Gauge is not important for this project, so I didn’t even bother to measure it. I started working from the middle of the cake and worked my way out, though it is not necessary to do it that way.

Scarf Love Crochet Pattern

Abbreviations:

Ch – chain

hdc – half double crochet

Materials:

Caron Cakes Self Striping Yarn 383 yd 200 g (Cherry Chip)

Size K crochet hook

Yarn needle

Instructions:

Chain 33.

Work hdc in 4th Ch from the hook. *(Ch 1. hdc in next ch.) Repeat from * to the end of the row. (15 hdc)

Ch 2. Turn. Work hdc in each Ch space, chaining 1 between each hdc.

Repeat the last row until the piece measures approximately 6′ in length (or desired length).

Fasten off and weave in loose ends with the yarn needle.

Fringe:

Cut 60 pieces of yarn, each approximately 24″ long.

Holding two pieces of yarn together, pull them half-way through one of the chain spaces along one of the short edges of the scarf. Knot the strands, creating the fringe. If you’d like to see a tutorial for adding fringe, here’s a good video tutorial.

Repeat this for each chain space along both of the short edges of the scarf. Trim the fringe if desired.

Happy Crocheting!

Five Things to Crochet in the Spring: Free Pattern Roundup

March 10, 2016March 10, 2016 JerisLeave a comment

What to Crochet in the Spring: Five Free Crochet Patterns

Crochet Mary Janes Baby Shoes

Whale Tissue Box Cover to Crochet

Crochet Bodice Toddler Tutu Dress

Crochet Boho Headband

Crochet Dishcloths with Ruffles

When spring and summer roll around, many yarn-crafters get the blues. No more Outlander cowls with super-bulky wool. Bye-bye heavy mittens. The urgency of making Christmas gifts has long gone, and we’re left wondering: “Now what?”

If you’re like me, you like to knit and crochet what you can use or give in the relatively near future (if not the immediate present). So, while it is always fine to start a months-long journey into a fair isle cardigan, it might be more fun to work on quick projects that can be used right now, in the spring.

These are five of my favorite milder-weather crochet patterns. The links to the free patterns are included, along with photos of some of my finished versions. I am also providing some notes about yarn choice and pattern tips.

Five Free Spring Crochet Patterns:

1. Crochet Baby Mary Janes

Free Pattern from Whistle & Ivy: Little Dot Mary Janes

Pictured Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Brites in Grape

Baby Mary Janes 1 — Crochet Mary Janes Baby Shoes

These little cuties come from the amazing Whistle & Ivy blog. I opted to make mine without the “dot” detail in the pattern, instead using a vibrant grape color and a basic white button. Once you get the hang of the teeny tiny shoe pattern, you will be able to whip up pairs of these in no time. I will say, for me, they ran small. I went up a hook size to achieve the correct measurement.

Finished product also available in my Etsy shop: Baby Mary Janes

2. Whale Tissue Box Cover

Free pattern from Moogly: Get Whale Soon Tissue Box Cover

Pictured Yarn: Sensations Everyday Solids in Turquoise (Discontinued)

Alternative Yarn Suggestion: I Love This Yarn in Turquoise

Whale 1 — Whale Tissue Box Cover to Crochet

This is such a fun project. This whale is whimsical and fun for any place in the house, but works especially well in a kids’ bedroom or bathroom. I thoroughly enjoy many of Moogly’s fabulous patterns, but this is one of my favorites. I use a tiny bit of black yarn to make the smile, and simple plastic black buttons for the eyes. The tail was the only slightly challenging aspect of this pattern. Otherwise, it is simple and fun.

Purchase a finished product here: Whale Tissue Box Cover

3. Toddler Tutu with Crochet Bodice

Free pattern by Patricia Klonoski available for download on Ravelry: Empire Waist Crochet Tutu Dress

Pictured Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Country Blue

Olivia Tutu 1 — Crochet Bodice Toddler Tutu Dress

This tutu dress is great. I chose not to add the flower, because I opted for wild, multi-colored tulle in the skirt. It has a tie-back closure, so it can work for a variety of sizes, really. I thought this would make a perfect first birthday outfit, especially for a photo session. It would also be really adorable as a flower girl dress, which could be done in all white or the wedding colors.

Purchase a finished tutu here: Crochet and Tulle Tutu Dress

4. Boho Headband

Free pattern from DROPS design: Twined Ivy

Pictured Yarn: Bernat Vickie Howell Cotton-ish in Crimson Twine

I didn’t follow the yarn and hook recommendations within the pattern. I used a light-weight yarn in a cotton blend. I also used an E or F hook. Gauge isn’t really important to this headband. The tie-back closure is cute, and it makes it work for any size. I think this headband is so fun, especially with the boho trend going on. It works with an everyday look, and updo, as a festival accessory, or even as a headpiece for a casual boho wedding.

Finished headbands for purchase here: Boho Crochet Headband

5. Emma Ruffle Washcloth Set

Free Pattern (by yours truly): Emma Washcloth

Pictured Yarn: Lily Sugar ‘N Cream in Rose Pink, Mod Green, Hot Purple, and Sunshine

I like girly, frilly, feminine things. Pink and purple are my favorite colors, and I am a sucker for a ruffle. So, I created this pattern to fit those criteria and brighten up my house a bit. I like to choose three or four colors and make a set that coordinates. This makes a really nice gift for a bridal shower, hostess, birthday, mother’s day, etc. They work up larger, but because they are made with cotton, they’ll shrink once they go through the washer and dryer.

Purchase a complete set here: Emma Washcloth Set

I hope you enjoy making some of these things this Spring. If you do, I’d love to see your work in the comments. Also, feel free to share any of your favorite go-to patterns for the Spring season.

-Jeris

The Writers Collection: A Series of Knitting and Crochet Patterns

July 18, 2015July 21, 2015 Jeris1 Comment

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite novels. It is a Gothic masterpiece, and the story of how it came about is equally intriguing. Mary Shelley, at age 19, wrote the novel during a ghost story writing challenge with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. The story came to her in a dream one night at Villa Diodati in Switzerland. The backstory of the novel’s origin and the novel itself have always captivated me, and I thought I’d use them as inspiration to launch my Writers collection of knitting and crochet patterns.

The Writers Collection is a series of designs I’ve created inspired by some of my favorite authors, spanning many genres and time periods. The collection is not meant to replicate the styles worn by those writers or that of characters from their work. Instead, they are inspired by those authors. The colors, stitches, and yarns are selected to capture the essence of that author’s work, as I perceive it. This collection is important to me because it combines two of my favorite things: Literature and Fiber Arts.

The Writers Collection will include designs inspired by the following seven writers:

1. Mary Shelley

2. Louise Erdrich

3. Walt Whitman

4. Edgar Allan Poe

5. Jane Austen

6. Ernest Hemingway

7. J.K. Rowling

This list is not, of course, a complete list of all writers that inspire me. It is a snippet of some that have left a major impact. I will share a bit about a favorite work from each Writer when I publish the pattern that writer has inspired. That way, you can choose to read that work before you start knitting or crocheting. Or, better yet, you can listen to the audiobook while you knit. I hope you enjoy the patterns.

First up: The Shelley Cowl Knitting Pattern, found here.