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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Leaping Stripes & Blocks Newborn Beanie

My cousin, Daisy and her husband are expecting their first child in late-April, so I decided to make crochet a matching blanket and beanie for the little guy.

After crocheting the beanie, I was feeling skeptical about the sizing, so I made some adjustments and crocheted a second smaller beanie.  Throughout the blog, I'll refer to the baby beanie and the newborn beanie.

For both beanies, I used the same three colors of yarn as I did with the matching blanket-- Red Heart Super Saver in Dark Orchid, Red Heart Super Saver in Turqua, and Red Heart with Love in Pewter.  And once again, I followed Moogly's Leaping Stripes and Blocks pattern.

Here are my notes for the newborn beanie:  
I used a size G crochet hook.  After completing Round 3 (36 stitches), I skipped ahead to Round 5 of the leaping blocks section.  After completing Rounds 5-10 of the leaping blocks pattern, I skipped ahead to Round 13.  For the edging, I crocheted only 3 chains.

The newborn beanie measures about 5-1/2 inches tall and 13 inches around.

Here are my notes for the baby beanie:
I used a size "I" crochet hook.  After completing Round 3 (36 stitches), I skipped ahead to Round 5 of the leaping blocks section.

The baby beanie measures about 7-1/2 inches tall and 15 inches around.

I am so excited to see the handsome little guy wearing his beanies!  Hope this gives you some inspiration for your next project.  Happy hooking!

Jilliane

Update:  Alcott Jameson was born on March 31!

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Leaping Stripes & Blocks Baby Blanket

This baby blanket is a gift for my cousin, Daisy who is expecting her first child-- a baby boy-- in April.  And to go with it, I crocheted a matching baby beanie in the same leaping stripes and blocks pattern.

The color palette was inspired by Daisy's wedding colors: purple & turquoise.  For yarn, I used 1-1/2 skeins each of Red Heart Super Saver in Dark Orchid, Red Heart Super Saver in Turqua, and Red Heart with Love in Pewter.

For this project, I followed Moogly's tutorial for the Leaping Blocks and Stripes Blanket.  I used a size "I" crochet hook and followed the pattern for a standard baby blanket (36" by 36").

For the color pattern, I simply alternated rows of turquoise, grey, and purple throughout the blanket.  And for edging, I did a single crochet stitch around the entire blanket in turquoise.

Despite following the pattern for a 36" by 36" standard baby blanket, this blanket turned out much larger-- about 50" by 50".  I suppose that just means Alcott has room to grow!

Hope this inspires you to start your next project... Happy hooking!

Jilliane

Update:  Alcott Jameson was born on March 31!

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Double-Crochet Beige Cowl

This great cowl is actually for me-- crazy, right?!  I was inspired by a cowl worn by one of my students and decided to make an attempt at imitating it.

For this project, I used a size "I" crochet hook and about two-thirds of a skein of Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Buff.

After studying the student's cowl, here is the super-simple pattern I created:

Foundation:  Chain 61 (or any other odd number)
Row 1:  dc in 5th chain from hook, *ch 1, skip 1, dc 1, repeat from * to end.  Ch 3, turn.
Row 2:  *dc around the ch 1 space, ch 1, repeat from * to end.  Ch 3, turn.

Repeat Row 2 until you reach your desired length.  Secure off the last stitch-- no need to cut the yarn.

Stitching the ends together:
Lay the project flat and then line up the ends.  Stitch together using a whip stitch, which you can learn here: Bunny Mummy's whip stitch tutorial.  I chose the whip stitch because it blends in well with the pattern.

All done!  My cowl measures 37 inches around and 15 inches wide which makes it very fluffy and cozy.

Aside from varying the length, width, yarn texture, and color patterns, I'm sure this would be great with buttons, bows, and even flowers.  Hope you're feeling inspired to crochet your own version of this simple cowl!

Happy hooking,
Jilliane


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Houndstooth Infinity Scarf

After crocheting so many blankets lately, I was excited to work on a smaller and quicker project.  This houndstooth infinity scarf is a birthday gift to my sister, Allison who's turning 29... again.  (Love ya, sis!)

I was inspired by the Hounds Tooth Scarf pattern by Kathy Lashley.  My stitch tends to be a little tight, so I used a size K crochet hook-- one size larger than recommended in the tutorial.  For yarn, I used Red Heart Super Saver in Zebra (244 yards) and Red Heart with Love in Boysenberry (370 yards, used about half).

I had good luck using the black/white blend yarn (Zebra) before with the Thick and Quick Steelers Blanket. With both projects, the blended yarn created a neat pattern with no effort on my part.  With this scarf, I noticed the zig-zag pattern emerging after about 20 inches and was able to choose a stopping point that completed the pattern perfectly.

This pattern was really fun to do!  Switching back and forth between single crochet and double crochet stitches kept it interesting.  And the project moved so quickly with the blogger's suggestion to crochet around the loose yarn, rather than cutting it when switching colors after each row.

Modeling my amazing creation... :)

The scarf measures approximately 9 inches wide by 60 inches long/around.  As you can see, it layers nicely to create a cute cowl effect-- perfect for cold winter weather!  (Perhaps I'll crochet another one for myself!)

Well, hope this gives you some inspiration.  Happy hooking!

Jilliane


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Puffy Spike Stitch Infinity Scarf for Child

This was a short and simple project that put a big smile on my niece's face!

I used a size H crochet hook and scraps of Red Heart Super Saver in Orchid and Heather Grey.  I was inspired by the puffy spike stitch tutorial by Crochet N' Crafts, and only made a few minor adaptations to these instructions.

1. For my pattern, the puffy spike rows involved 5 single crochet stitches between each puffy spike. To replicate that look, you would start with a foundation in a multiple of 6 (plus 1 more). 
2. My puffy spikes had 3 "spikes" each, which were all inserted 3 rows below the skipped stitch.  The tutorial says to stagger the spikes at 1, 2, and 3 stitches below; however, I liked my adaptation better for this project.
3. The tutorial shows the puffy spikes stacked directly above each other.  I decided to shift the puffy spikes so that they were more nested and layered with each change of colors.

My pattern (color & stitches):

Grey:  foundation row, 3 rows single crochet
Purple:  1 row puffy spike, 2 rows single crochet
Grey:  1 row puffy spike, 2 rows single crochet
Purple:  1 row puffy spike, 2 rows single crochet
Grey:  1 row puffy spike

As mentioned in the tutorial, the puffy spike stitches look slightly different from the front and back-- it looks very similar, if you ask me.

Front

Back

I really enjoyed this stitch and expect to use it again for edging on a blanket.  The scarf measures 3-1/2 inches wide by 59 inches long-- perfect to keep a little girl warm in the cold winter weather.

Hope this inspires your next project.  Happy hooking!

Jilliane


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