Last Minute Easy One Skein Crochet Scarves

Dec10

Amazing how fast this year has gone and here we are approaching another Christmas!! And, if you are like me, I always seem to be making gifts at the last minute too. I just love giving handmade gifts even if they are really small like a simple bowl to put your rings in or hold those small items that seem to gather on your dresser or counters. At the current time, I’ve been crocheting fun, quick neck warmers to wrap and place under the tree. Here are some pictures and directions to help you make some of those last minute gifts too!!

DC Cross Stitch/HDC

Chunky Cowl/HDC

Scalloped Edge Scarf

Double Crochet Cross Stitch/HDC The first picture shows my extra long scarf that is perfect for several wraps around your neck. For this one, I used a lovely Oink Pigment yarn (Helix) and a Size H crochet hook. The skein of yarn had 400 yards and I used all of it to complete this design. I started off by making a HDC foundation crocheting 22 stitches. Round 1: Turn, chain 3, *skip first stitch, make a double crochet in next stitch, then cross over and make another DC in the stitch that you just skipped. Repeat from * until to reach the last stitch and then make 1 double crochet. Here’s a great site for the New Stitch A Day cross double crochet stitch – you will complete a total of 10 cross over stitches using 20 stitches. Round 2: Next row turn, chain 3 (counts as a stitch) make 21 HDC stitches for a total of 22 stitches across. Now repeat rounds 1 and 2 until you reach the desired length of your scarf. Remember, to end you scarf with Round 2.

Chunky Cowl/HDC For this pattern, I basically followed a cool design that I found on one of my favorite sites, Hopeful Honey with just a few changes. I used a great Heartland yarn, Thick and Quick by Lion Brand (super bulky/category 6) for this cowl and a Size N crochet hook. Total yardage was 125 yards and I used the whole skein. If you want your cowl to be a little bigger or longer, you might want to use 2 skeins of this awesome yarn. So warm and soft to wrap up in. I began with a HDC foundation stitch (55 stitches, like pattern directions). Then followed the directions but I only completed 14 rows and the last row I completed 55 HDC in each stitch. This Basic Chunky Cowl pattern works up super quick too.

Scalloped Edge Scarf I used my scalloped edge pattern but this time I started off with 21 stitches (multiples of 3) and had 6 scallops along the bottom and top edges. I found a cute yarn by Red Heart called Gumdrop (color Smoothie) that I loved – nice bright, cheery colors and thought this would be perfect for a child’s scarf. This yarn had 204 yards (worsted weight/category 4) and I crocheted this with a Size H hook. Came out soft and cuddly. If you want this a little longer, follow the pattern beginning with 15 stitches and use a Size G hook. Again, I just crocheted using up the entire skein of yarn to complete this fun, colorful scarf. Now I need to go and get some more yarn to make a matching beanie 🙂

Enjoy these quick and easy patterns and hopefully they will help you complete those last minute gifts too!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Boppin’ with Barbie Again

Apr8

Was yarn “surfing” through some of my stash bins and found some bright, colorful skeins that inspired me to do some more Barbie clothing. My designs are fitted to the Belly Button Style doll.

Fun and Flirty Dress

Made a couple of dresses using my fun and flirty pattern for those summer outings and then not wanting to “skirt” the issue, designed and crocheted a couple of those for her too!!

Another Fun and Flirty Dress

Nothing fancy about the pictures but I hope you like what you see and get inspired too. This pattern for these dresses can be found here. I try to design items that are easy to slide on and off especially made for those young Barbie lovers with “little” hands. Here are some pictures of my new skirt designs using the slip stitch ribbing technique found on Moogly. This ribbing really gives a nice stretch and makes it easy to slip on and off your doll. A little loose around the waist but you could always weave in a gathering ribbon if you want it tighter. Both of these skirts were made using a sport weight (category 2) yarn and a size E crochet hook. In my design process, I did make a skirt and top outfit and made a deeper waistband which I felt worked better than my original waistband so my directions will be for that style and not the one you see in the pictures.

Pattern for Pink Skirt Row 1: (Waistband) Chain 6, slip stitch (SL ST) in 2nd chain from hook and SL ST in next 4 stitches for a total of 5 SL ST. Chain 1, turn, skip chain and SL ST in next 5 stitches. Do this for 28 rows, keep waistband untwisted and SL ST together. Row 2: Chain 1, 30 SC spaced evenly around waistband. SL ST join in first SC Row 3: Chain 2, *1DC (double crochet), 1DC, 2DC in next stitch, repeat from * around (40 DC), SL ST join in first DC Row 4: Chain 2, 1DC in each stitch around in BLO (back loop only), SL ST join in first DC Row 5: Chain 2, 1 FPDC (front post double crochet), 1 BPDC (back post double crochet) around, SL ST join in first FPDC Row 6: Chain 2, Repeat row 5 Row 7: Chain 2, *1DC, 1DC, 1DC, 2DC in next stitch in BLO, repeat from * around (50DC), SL ST join in first DC Row 8: Chain 2, 1 FPDC, 1 BPDC around, SL ST join in first FPDC Row 9: Chain 2, Repeat row 8 Row 10: Chain 1, complete 50 SL stitches around finish off and weave ends.

Here’s what I created using Aunt Lydias baker’s cotton (category 1) and a size C hook – again using the slip stitch ribbing (6 chains and 5 slip stitches) so no seaming, snaps, or Velcro needed. Will do another post to share the denim blue skirt pattern too. Hope you enjoy and any questions, please let me know. Would love to see your finished outfits too 🙂

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Get a Grip on Crochet

Jan14

I love to crochet and thoroughly enjoy all the fun and interesting projects that evolve from that ever amazing hook. Getting a grip on your hook is totally a personal preference but if you are new to crochet or wanting to teach someone this art, then I hope this information will help you. There are mainly 2 styles of gripping your hook – the pencil hold and the knife hold. I’m a left-handed person for everything but crochet. Being the only leftie in my family was a true stump factor so if I was going to learn how to do this craft, I had to learn right-handed. What I have discovered over the years, is that I can keep a good tension on my yarn as I control that with my left hand where my right hand is really only doing one movement going through my loops. Anyways, how I hold my hook is with the knife style. I place my thumb on the flat section or thumb rest, my index finger rests on the shaft helping to hold my loop in place, my middle finger sits gently on the back of the hook along the thumb rest and my ring finger and pinkie slightly wrap around the hook and hold it in place against the palm of my hand (this helps to keep the hook from rotating in my hand).

My left-hand thread tension is this: wrap the yarn under my pinkie finger, over my ring finger, under Mr. Tall Man (the middle finger) and over my index finger. I hold my work with my left hand using my middle finger and thumb and extend my index finger away from my hook to keep it slightly taut as I use that yarn to make my crochet stitches.

I do not vary from this setup whether I am using a steel hook with thread or a super bulky yarn with a Q hook. Also, I have found the Susan Bates hooks to be my personal favorites. I like to work with the in-line style hook versus the tapered hook that you find on a Boye design. I have just been introduced to the Clover Soft grip style hooks and I think I’m going to like them a lot too especially when working with thread designs for doilies, etc. Experiment and find the type of hook that works the best for you and feels the most comfortable in your hand. There are tons of choices available.

If you are new to the crocheting bug or teaching someone, maybe begin with a larger hook like a size J or size K. The fatter hook might help you not to grip too hard and make your stitches too tight. I still have my very first crochet hook which I believe is a Susan Bates, just is marked as a size 6 or size G. With some research, I actually believe it is a 4.25 mm as I have the latest size G6/4.00 mm and the size 7/4.50 mm and the shaft is really in between these two hook sizes. It is always my “go to” hook for most of my projects!!

So “get a grip” and pick up a crochet hook and make that wonderful cozy scarf or baby blanket for yourself or as a gift for that special someone.

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Barbie Fun and Flirty Dress Pattern

Jul5

You can never have too many Barbie outfits!! And a simple crochet style dress is an awesome addition to add to her wardrobe. Here’s my pattern for a fun, flirty style Barbie dress to crochet for that special 12″ doll lover!!

Fun and Flirty Dress with Ruffled Edge

I have used a category 2 (sport or baby) fine yarn and a Size E/4 (3.50mm) crochet hook for this dress. Probably no more than 50 – 75 yards. The pattern includes the following abbreviation stitches: HDC – half double crochet and HDC foundation stitch, SC – single crochet, INC – increase, DEC – decrease, BLO – back loop only, SL – slip stitch, CH – chain, DC – double crochet This entire pattern is worked in the round. Begin your dress by completing:

22 HDC Foundation Stitches, SL join into top of 1st stitch. Be sure to leave a longer tail at the beginning so you have a thread to stitch up the join.
22 HDC Foundation Chain
Rows 2 – 10 will be all SC (22 stitches). At the end of each row join your round using your preferred method. I like to use the no-cut joining method found here on Planet June blog. Row 11 – 4 hdc, 1 hdc dec, 3 hdc, 1 hdc dec, 3 hdc, 1 hdc dec, 4 hdc, 1 hdc dec. (18 stitches) join Row 12 & 13 – 18 SC join Row 14 – 8 sc, 1 sc inc, 8 sc, 1 sc inc, join (20 stitches) Row 15 – 9 sc, 1 sc inc, 9 sc, 1 sc inc, join (22 stitches) Row 16 – 5 sc, 1 sc inc, 4 sc, 1 sc inc, 4 sc, 1 sc inc, 5 sc, 1 sc inc, join (26 stitches) Row 17 – 6 sc, 1 sc inc, 5 sc, 1 sc inc, 5 sc, 1 sc inc, 6 sc, 1 sc inc, join (30 stitches) Rows 18 – 30 SC, join (30 stitches) Row 19 – CH 1, 30 HDC in BLO, join (30 stitches) Rows 20 – 25 – repeat row 19 (30 stitches) At this point, you can really decide how long you want your skirt to be. You could add a couple more of the HDC, BLO rows if you wish or maybe you actually want less rows to make the dress shorter. Also, if you want this look,
No ruffled bottom edge style.
you can end your dress here and just do one row of SL stitches for a finished edge. Just fasten off and weave in your ends at the bottom and join at the neckline. If you want to add the ruffled look here is what you will need to do. Row 26 – CH 2, crochet 2 DC in each of the HDC going through both loops of the HDC stitch. Join. Row 27 – CH 2, crochet 3 DC in each of the DC stitches. Join Fasten off and weave in all ends. Again, make sure you join together your 22 HDC Foundation stitches together at top.
Fun and Flirty Dress with Ruffled Edge

Back view

One of my favorite things about this dress is the simplistic ability to slip it on. It can be slightly snug going over her hips (my Barbie is the belly button style doll) but shouldn’t really pose any issues for children to dress the doll. There is really no definite front or back to the dress either so however it is slipped on works. Actually, you can put the joining seam at the side of the dress and your front and back looks seamless.

Please feel free to make this fun dress for all your Barbie enthusiasts. I have no issues if you want to make this dress and sell it (providing you are the one doing the actual crocheting), however, please do not distribute, copy or publish the pattern as your own. Should you elect to sell your finished products, please reference my blog www.stitch4ever.com as the pattern designer.

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Barbie Crochet Dress Pattern

Jun22

I’ve been in a Barbie doll crocheting mood recently – must be reflecting back on my childhood days when I played with my Barbie all the time 🙂

I prefer to crochet my Barbie clothing in fingering/light weight cottons or sock yarns which gives you such fun color combos. My hook size is usually a size C (2.75mm) especially for a form fitting top and then I increase to a size D (3.25mm) or E (3.50mm) for the skirt and ruffles. These size hooks are Susan Bates Silvalume Crochet hooks, by far, my favorite hook!!

After searching around, I did come across a fun, bohemian/peasant style dress that I liked. So I hooked two variations of the pattern – making one style a full, twirly skirt and the other just a fuller style. I added ruffles and reverse crochet along the bottom edges. My dresses are a little snug to slide on and off because I wanted the top portion to fit securely. You can always add straps if you want your dress to have a looser fit around the top.

You can find the cute original dress pattern at linmary123. I did crochet the sun hat like the original pattern and I think it adds a nice finished look to the dress. Used my own shoulder strap purse pattern as a perfect accessory for Barbie’s outfits.

Fun, flirty dress

Out on the town dress

Well now, I’m on a roll so I worked up my own design for a form fitting dress that you can easily adjust the size to fit whatever style Barbie doll you have. Also, this pattern accommodates a fun flirty look or a dressier evening out on the town style. You can find this pattern here in the next couple of days. Check out the pattern here: https://stitch4ever.com/2016/07/05/barbie-flirty-dress-pattern/ Have fun crocheting clothing for your Barbie dolls. These make awesome handmade gifts too. I always try to look for patterns that make it easy for putting on and taking off too for those little ones who enjoy Barbies but sometimes a “good style” requires a little more work to slide into 🙂 These are great crochet projects that are good for a beginner too. Use up those little leftover balls of yarn from your stash and have fun mixing your colors too. And don’t forget about adding buttons and beads to give your outfits that pizzazz!! TIP: My Barbie is a Belly Button style doll so you might need to increase/decrease in places to fit your specific doll.

HAPPY CREATING!!

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Last Minute Easy One Skein Crochet Scarves

Boppin’ with Barbie Again

Get a Grip on Crochet

Barbie Fun and Flirty Dress Pattern

Barbie Crochet Dress Pattern