Sunday, August 28, 2022

Beautiful Flower Stitch for a Scarf, Table Runner, Summer Blouse, etc. Crochet Video Tutorial

Here is a beautiful lacy stitch with lovely flowers! 

You can create so many crochet projects with this stitch, such as scarves, table runners, summer blouses, curtains, etc.


The yarn that I used is Patons Grace by Yarnspirations. It's 100% mercerized cotton, category 3. 









 

This stitch is not as complicated as it seems. Check it out on my Youtube channel:


The written pattern is available in my Etsy and Ravelry shops. 



Saturday, August 27, 2022

One Skien Crochet Lacy Cowl, Free Crochet Pattern and Video Tutorial

It's still summer and the weather here in California is still hot, but I already started working on the fall and winter crochet projects! 

My first one is this simple lacy cowl made with only skein (who doesn't love one skien projects, right?) of Red Heart Unforgettable yarn, in beautiful color combination called Gotham. 

The cowl is worked with trebles and you can make it in one evening! This could be a wonderful, budget friendly Christmas present for a family member or a dear friend! 







Skill Level: Beginner

Finished Measurements: 30 inches around, 12 inches wide

Materials:

US hook size H (5 mm)

Worsted, 100% acrylic yarn, about 270 yards, 100 grams

I used one skein of Red Heart Unforgettable, color Gotham

Abbreviations:

ch: chain

sl st: slip stitch

st: stitch

sc: single crochet

dc: double crochet

tr: treble crochet

* * instructions between asterisks should be repeated as many times as there are stitches to accommodate them.

Ch 126 loosely (multiple of 9).

Round 1: ch 3 (count as 1st dc), dc in each ch around, join with sl st to top ch of beginning ch-3. (126 dc)

Round 2: ch 6 (4 ch count as 1st tr and 2 ch count as ch-2 space), 3 tr in same st as joining (half-shell made), *skip next 8 dc, (3 tr, ch 2, tr, ch 2, 3 tr) all in next dc* around, make 3 tr in same st where half-shell was made, join with sl to 4th ch of beginning ch-6 (half-shell is now completed). (14 shells)

Round 3: ch 6 (4 ch count as 1st tr and 2 ch count as ch-2 space), 3 tr in same st as joining (half-shell made), *(3 tr, ch 2, tr, ch 2, 3 tr) all in middle tr of next shell* around, make 3 tr in same st where half-shell was made, join with sl to 4th ch of beginning ch-6 (half-shell is now completed). (14 shells)

Repeat Round 3 for the pattern until you have 12 ronds of shells.

Next Round: ch 1, sc in same st as joining, ch 8, *sc in middle tr of next shell, ch 8* around, join with sl st to 1st sc. (14 sc, 14 ch-8 spaces)

Last Round: ch 3 (counts as 1st dc), dc in each ch and each sc across. (126 dc)

Fasten off.

The free video tutorial for this cowl is available on my Youtube channel! 



If you'd like to have a clearly formatted, ads-free, inexpensive PDF version of the pattern, I have it in my Etsy and Ravelry shops. 

By purchasing it, you'll support my work, so I can continue sharing my crochet projects with the readers of my blog and viewers of my channel. Thank you!

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Summer Wildflowers, Crochet Lacy Scarf Pattern and Video Tutorial



My new lacy scarf is now finished! The rows of the flowers made with clusters were quite hard to make (keeping twelve loops on the hook and maintaining your crochet tension is not easy), but the final result was well worth it!  



This pattern can be easily adjusted to other crochet projects; it doesn't have to be a scarf! 

It can be a table runner or a tablecloth! It can be a lacy curtain! Or it can be worked into a summer blouse!


The yarn that I used is Yarnspirations Patons Grace, 100% mercerized cotton, category 2 or DK. I used five skeins in color #15, Brown. 




And I worked my scarf with a hook size E (3.25 mm). 




I wrote the pattern for this scarf, which is available in my Etsy and Ravelry shops. 

I also filmed a free tutorial, which is available on my Youtube channel

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Crochet by the Sea, My Day Trip to Carmel, CA


I hope you are all enjoying the summer as much as I am! 



I live in California, not on the coast, but pretty close. And California coast has so much beauty to offer! 

Being so close, how can one not take time to enjoy it? So I took a day trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea, a quaint little town on the Monterey Peninsula.



I enjoyed the gorgeous views, the sounds of the waves and seabirds, and the warmth of the sun on my skin!



I also wandered through the town, enjoying its beautiful and quaint architecture, art galleries, shops, and flowers. 





And of course, I did lots of crocheting! 



If your are interested to see and hear more about my one-day escape to Carmel, you can watch my video








Tuesday, August 9, 2022

I started my new project! And I have more crochet tips and tricks to share!


I already started working on my next lacy project using the mercerized cotton yarn that I recently purchased, and for this project I had to start with a very long chain. 393 chains to be exact!

And as I did that, along the way I ran into a few problems, which of course I fixed, but it made me think that I absolutely must share them with you!




Now in my previous tips and tricks video I already shared that it’s a good idea to add a couple of extra chains to your long starting chain. Then those chains can be easily undone if you don’t need them.

That’s exactly what I did when I started my project. And to my astonishment, as I got to the end of the first row, which was 391 dc, I realized I am still missing one chain!

That’s a lot of work to undo!

But luckily, there are ways to add more double crochets to the first row without redoing it entirely. And that’s what I show in this video!




Mercerized Cotton Yarns for Summer Crochet Projects, Patons Grace and Yarnart Begonia



On hot summer days it may not be very pleasant crocheting with warm wool or acrylic yarns. That's why I like cotton yarns for summer! 

I recently purchased two mercerized cotton yarns from Amazon. 

The first one is Patons Grace by Yarnspirations, which is a category 3, light weight yarn. I chose delicate beige color. One skein is 50 grams and has 136 yards. 

I purchased it in a pack of six skeins.


The second yarn I purchased is Yarnart Begonia, which is a category 2, DK yarn. It comes in many beautiful colors, and it was hard for me to choose only one. I decided to go with warm, light brown color, #15. 

This yarn also comes in skeins of 50 grams, but because it is a lighter yarn, each skein has 185 yards. 




If you know of any other cotton yarns, mercerized or not, that you can recommend, please let me know in the comments below! Thank you! 

Enjoy the summer!