Double-Crochet Purple Cowl

This double-crochet cowl will be a lovely gift for one of my aunts or cousins.  It will be a wrapped and given away in our family's "white elephant" Christmas game-- oh, the suspense!

I used a size "I" crochet hook with scrap yarn in Dark Orchid by Red Heart Super Saver.  The pattern is one that I wrote and used previously for the Double-Crochet Beige Cowl.

This cowl is 25 inches around and 11 inches tall-- perfect measurements to scrunch and fold into cozy layers.

Hope this project inspires your next creation!

Happy hooking,
Jilliane


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Simple Fluffy Cowl

This fluffy cowl was such a simple project-- I whipped it up in about 1 hour! 

I used a huge crochet hook-- a size Q, I think.  As for the pattern, it's simply a chain of single-crochet stitches connected with a slip stitch, followed by rows and rows of single crochets.  For yarn, I used a leftover skein of Lion Brand Homespun (the soft, wavy, fluffy kind!).

This cowl was super quick and easy, and it measures 25 inches around and 9 inches tall.  I plan to give it away in our family's "white elephant" Christmas game-- can't wait to see someone in my family wearing it!

Happy hooking,
Jilliane


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Amigurumi Pumpkin

Fall is in full swing with the beautiful foliage, chilly mornings, and Halloween right around the corner.  It's only fitting that my latest project is a pumpkin!

I used a size "G" crochet hook and scrap yarn in orange, brown, and green.  Just like the Ripple Stitch Beach Blanket, this project has an extra special touch-- it was made with yarn that I inherited from my Great-Grandma Bolt.  For the stuffing, I used Silky Soft's ultra soft poly-fil found at JoAnn Fabrics (on sale last week!).  

This adorable pumpkin measures 14-1/2 inches around and 5 inches tall.  It took only a few hours to complete following Lion Brand Yarn's Amigurumi Happy Pumpkin pattern.  You'll notice that I skipped the step of adding a smiley face.  I thought it looked too Halloween-y, and I want to use the pumpkin as a decoration into Thanksgiving time.  

Hope you're feeling motivated to start your next project!

Happy hooking,

Jilliane

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Cowl in Narcissus Lace Tunisian Stitch

This crocheted cowl was a birthday gift for my mother.  Cowls are fun to do because they're so small and can be stitched up in a few evenings.  Not to mention, they're a great way to try out a new stitch!

For this project, I used a size "I" Tunisian crochet hook and about half a skein of Red Heart Super Saver in Buff.  I tried a new stitch called the Narcissus Lace Tunisian Stitch by M. J. Joachim, which included pictures and easy-to-follow instructions.

My mother is petite (only 5'1"!), so I made sure to keep the cowl small, too.  It measures 8 inches tall and 11-1/2 inches wide (making it 23 inches around).  For someone who's taller, you may want to add an inch or two to the width. 

Hope this gives you some new inspiration for your next crochet project... Happy hooking!

Jilliane


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Ripple Stitch Beach Blanket

This blanket is the result of my niece's wild imagination.  Long story short, I inherited 30+ skeins of yarn from my Great Grandma Bolt's collection and my niece dreamed up the idea of beach-themed blanket.

Coolest thing about this project?  My nieces are cuddling up with a blanket crocheted by their aunt and made of yarn picked out by their great-great-grandmother!

My imaginative niece, Mariella

I used a size "G" crochet hook and many colors of scrap yarn.  The stitch is the Large Ripple Crochet Pattern by Daisy Cottage Designs and includes easy-to-follow instructions.

Because I was working with scrap yarn, I changed colors very often.  To keep it smooth and hidden, I used a technique called the Russian Join.  Easy peasy!

Mariella with photo bomber / little sister, Laurina

I'm realizing now that I forgot to measure this blanket but I'm going to estimate that it's close to 40 inches wide and 30 inches tall.

Hope you're feeling inspired for your next project... Happy hooking!

Jilliane


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Rainbow Granny Square Blanket with Flower & Fringe

After seeing her sister's new blanket with interlocking rings, my niece, Mariella put in a request for a blanket with "lots of colors!  And fringe!  And a flower!"  And being the awesome aunt that I am, I said "yes," of course.

For this project, I used a size G crochet hook and the following yarns:
- Lion Brand Homespun, Mimosa - 2 skeins, 185 yards each
- Red Heart Super Saver, Aran - scrap

While beautiful, the texture of the Lion Brand Homespun yarn can be a bit tricky to work with-- the layers pull apart and it can be hard to see and count stitches.  So, I chose the granny square pattern for its simplicity.  As I have for past projects, I continued to follow the clear and easy instructions for Lisa's granny square crochet pattern.  After 19 rounds of the granny square pattern, the blanket measured 24 inches by 24 inches, and there was only a small scrap of the blended yarn remaining.

For the flower applique, I followed the 3-part video tutorial by epicabundance.  As you can see in the picture, I used the beige yarn for the first and third layers, and the last bit of blended yarn for the second layer.  Once the flower was finished, I secured it to the blanket using the tail of the blended yarn to help it blend in seamlessly.

After that, the fringe was the only step left to do.  I used the beige yarn again, cutting a lot of 7-inch long strands and looping three at a time through the spaces on the final row of granny squares.  Fringe included, the blanket measures 30 inches by 30 inches.

This was a very simple project with a few extra touches to make it special.

Hope you're feeling inspired for your next project... Happy hooking!

Jilliane


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"Peek-a-boo!" Baby Blanket with Interlocking Rings

Well, as you can see, I took a short break from crocheting after the fast pace of my winter projects.  Both my mind and my hands needed a moment to recuperate.

For my latest project, I was asked to make a new baby blanket for my youngest niece, Laurina to make her feel better about nap-time at Nana and Papa's house.

For this small project, I found three balls of scrap yarn that went well together and used a size G crochet hook.  I think the pink and white yarn are both RedHeart Super Saver, and the blended yarn is most likely Lion Brand Homespun.

I was feeling creative, so I decided to experiment with a new pattern.  You won't believe it-- this pattern was for a potholder!  And to add more challenge, the potholder ring pattern by Bigu Handmade was written in Spanish (not my native tongue, in case you were wondering!).

Thankfully, the pattern included lots of pictures and numbers-- and the rest was just guesswork.  For each ring, I made a chain of 18, connected it with a slip stitch, and then crocheted 36 double crochets around the loop.  I think the pattern said to do 32 double crochets, but it didn't seem like enough to me.

After the rings were connected, it was time to begin making the square around the rings.  I did 8 single crochets along the top of one ring and then 8 single crochets across the top of next ring.  Next, I did two single crochets to create a "corner."  I repeated this three more times until I had completed the square.  Finally, I connected this row with a slip stitch.

After that, I just continued with rows of single crochets and double crochets, switching colors along the way to create an interesting pattern.  Easy peasy!

I'm realizing now that I forgot to measure the blanket before giving it to my niece.  Oops.  More importantly, though, Laurina loves her new blanket and likes playing peek-a-boo through the rings!

Happy hooking!

Jilliane


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