Triangular Crochet Poncho

Violet/purple is the colour for 2018 that’s why I chose it! Poncho’s can be tricky to make with different shapings and joinings. By making this crochet poncho in motifs it is much easier to put together and gives you the flexibility to change the size so you can easily make it any size you like, by adding or taking out motifs. Use the plan provided and it will be easy to do this, just remember to keep a check on the size of the neck opening. Make for yourself or smaller for a child

The motifs are not the traditional granny square; I’ve added some popcorns to give the poncho more texture and interest. This design is quick to make with an easy repetitive pattern. If you are a crocheterer who want an easy relaxing pattern with clear instructions, then this one is for you!
Make this lovely lighter weight poncho for yourself or as a gift. If you want a thicker chunkier poncho use a chunky or Arran weight yarn and make fewer motifs.

I’ve included a plan and an image file to help you make your poncho. Block motifs to square them off. A pretty tassel edging around the bottom and a generous loop stitch border around the top make this an interesting and different pattern to make.

The lovely think about this design is once you have made a couple of motifs you can use them to make other things such as a baby blanket, throw or table runner. Find the pattern here.....


Pattern suitable for beginners to crochet

Long Lines Crochet Scarf

Infinity scarves are everywhere, quick to make and very easy to wear no wonder they continue to feature large in fashion magazines and in crochet patterns alike. However it’s easy to forget how elegant and flexible a full length scarf can be. Wrap it around, knot it, plait it or let it hang loose.



That’s why I decided to design a long crochet scarf and to build on the elegance of the design I made. Using silky soft Sirdar Baby Bamboo makes this a luxury scarf design.  Baby bamboo does not go as far as other yarns so if you are economising go for an alternative yarn, but choose something with a slight sheen. I made the scarf in taupe and teal blue yarn a colour that go with most things, but you can choose your own colours.

While I’m not a fan of making long chains as they make the second row seem to take forever it’s definitely worth it with this one. After the second row the scarf grows very quickly. I’ve incorporated easy to create large clusters and they make the ends of this long elegant scarf look very pretty. They appear beautifully when you wrap the scarf around.

This pattern is suitable for intermediate crocheters, grab the pattern here.....

Popcorn Square Crochet Baby blanket

Baby blankets should be soft and warm that’s why I chose Sirdar Snuggly Crofter yarn to make this warm baby blanket. I used textured stitches to create a double layer and I chose motifs to make the design more flexible and more interesting to work.

Sirdar Snuggly yarn comes in a wide range of colours from pastels to punchy brights. Baby Crofter is a blended yarn, part of the Snuggly range. Again choose from pastels or opt for brighter colours. I picked the pale pink, pale blue and pale yellow blend, then combined it with a pale blue from the plain colour range to soft green, pink or coral would look equally as pretty.

I’m a bit addicted to making crochet popcorns and they bring a lovely texture to this double thickness soft baby cover. As well as using popcorn stitches in the motifs. I decided to add them to the border, which is a bit unusual but I think it works well. This baby blanket is a lovely project to work which you could easily make larger by adding more of the two crochet motifs to make a larger blanket.

Using lovely soft wool and a basket weave stitch creates a beautiful double thickness but light weight baby blanket. The stitch is repeating and in many ways is easier to make than traditional crochet as the main stitch is worked around stitches rather than into loops and it’s quicker to work.

The popcorn stitched edging looks lovely and are easy to make but if you wish you could easily miss them out and the blanket would look just as pretty. Use double crochet (sc) or half trebles (hlf dc’s)  in the edging if you decide not to include the popcorns. Grab the pattern here.....

Acorn Trim Crochet Infinity scarf

I love infinity scarves. Wear them loose or wrapped around, they are warm and chic. This one is bang up to date in new season hot colours and on trend stripes this lovely infinity scarf has decorative crochet acorns. Crochet scarves are one of the most exciting projects to make, they get bigger quickly and there are so many choices of design and yarn to use.

I created this design in sections, so you can see how quickly your project is growing. Many infinity scarves are crocheted in net stitch. I’ve made this one more interesting to work and prettier to look at by adding some simple crochet picots. The very interesting acorns are easy to work and bring more to the design.

Change the colours of this scarf to oranges and reds for an autumn scarf or paler pastel shades in a soft cotton would work well in Spring. It’s easy to make your crochet scarf any length you want by adding more panels.Grab the pattern here.....

Stained glass Window Crochet Holdall

This lovely bag has a patchwork look about it achieved by adding rows of one main colour in between blocks of contrasting colour which highlight the multi coloured squares. It’s made in a tapestry style crochet which I’ve made simpler for this easy to make bag.

My inspiration for this bag was a blouse design I saw in a clothing catalogue. I knew immediately the material design would look good translated into a crochet design. For my bag I chose colours that blended together but using contrasting colours would look just as good and produce a wonderful pool of colour for your bag. By using brighter colours for the square inserts you would produce a stained glass effect.

The double crochets stitches (single crochet) used in this design show the colours to their best effect and gives a more rigid dense structure perfect for a bag. Before finishing your bag, it’s worth lining your bag stops it stretching and to prevent it being damaged.

The main points to remember when making this bag is to carry the yarn across the back and front. When working the front keep your yarns to the back and carry the main colour along the back, be careful not to pull this too tight. When working the back carry the yarns along the side facing you.

I added big tassels for more interest and thick chunky carrying strap which is long enough to fit comfortable over your shoulder. Grab the pattern here.....

Review of West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley Arran

Good value for a 100gm ball I used the Forest Green shade it to make the lovely evening bag pattern in my Geometrics and Shapes collection. West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley Arran is quite a course yarn, it wouldn’t work for children’s clothing or scarves, but it’s the perfect yarn for the small evening bag. Firm and robust for holding and handling, it would be perfect for thick chunky knits and jackets.

The yardage for Aire Vallet Arran (100gram ball) is 200m/219 yards. The yarn has a high wool content of 75% Wool 25% Nylon.

Aire Valley comes in a range of colours including Forest Green and red, pinks, this seasons plum, violet and blues, plus the fusions range in green, lilac and red blends. It's also available in the cocktail range of bright multi coloured blends.

You can buy direct from West Yorkshire Spinners. 

What's in a name?

Discovering new crochet stitches and techniques in books, online and in blogs can be both inspiring and intimidating. The names of stitches and techniques can vary and be confusing. This can mean nothing to you or stand for time spent learning something new rather than starting a new crochet project! Sometimes it’s the abbreviations that can put you off or reams of text describing new stitches you need to make to complete the pattern.

It can be even more intimidating if the new techniques and specialist stitches use particular equipment such as with broom stick crochet. Or crochet hooks that look more like knitting needles for Tunisian crochet! The decision is, is it worth investing in new equipment? Will you be able to make good use of it?

I urge you not to be intimidated by having to learn something new and so stick with your tried and tested crochet designs and styles. Incorporating new stitches and techniques in a crochet project makes the project more interesting to work, results in a high class finish and you create a stand out project.

The chances are you’ve already used some of the stitches and techniques in more intricate patterns or have the skills you need and you do not realise it. For example my peacock leaf crochet scarf uses Tunisian crochet (not named in the pattern) but you do not need any specialist equipment to make this crochet scarf. The Tunisian crochet in this design is simple enough for a newbie to crochet to make.

More often than not the pattern you are looking at is much simpler than it at first appears. To give yourself confidence in tackling something new it’s worth using a simple design or pattern that you are familiar with and adding a few specialist stitches. As always keep a check on your tension. You can for example easily change a pattern that uses groups of trebles(double crochets) for cross trebles (cross double crochets). This will use the same number of stitches and looks very pretty. 

If your design uses a mesh pattern add a picot to the chains between stitches. For example if your pattern asks for 3 chain to make the spaces then make 4 chain with a dc picot into 3rd chain from the hook with another chain to complete the mesh gap. It will look so much more attractive than a plain mesh.

If your design uses groups of trebles (double crochet), crochet around the stem of the stitch on the row below, this makes a denser finished project, but uses the same number of stitches and creates a completely different look.