Super soft ripple stitch crochet scarf

I loved making this crochet ripple stitch scarf. I always find ripple stitch relaxing to do as soon as I get that first crucial row right! I start all my crochet designs with a visit to my yarn and wool room. I put together different colour yarns by choosing my favourite colours and watching trends in fashion and interior design.

One of the things I love about crochet is how easy it is to use up odd balls of yarn, left over from  bigger projects or purchases from the rummage basket in my favourite wool shop.

I had some Louisa Harding Aimee left over from a baby blanket and also some lovely Louisa Harding Willow which I had bought a year ago. This was just 2 balls which I found in the rummage box and I bought it knowing that at some time I would find a use for it!

Ripple Stitch Crochet Scarf

Last year I made a lovely ripple stitch cushion and it gave me the idea for a scarf. By making the scarf widthways I figured the scarf would be quite stretchy and luckily this worked out. I managed to grab some late summer sunshine sitting in the garden with the dogs and most of the scarf was made before an autumn wind made the garden too cold.

Ripple Stitch Crochet Cushion

I always use combinations of different yarns when I am making projects. It always makes the finished item look different and special. It does take a little care, but as long as you keep the weights the same you will be OK. I wanted a luxurious feel to the scarf and by sticking to my ‘use quality yarns’ when you can’ principle the result is just that. The combination of cashmere, alpaca, silk and Merino gives a beautiful soft plush scarf, perfect for Autumn and Winter!

It is strange how some unlikely combinations of colours look good together once you put them alongside each other or crochet up a sample and this was the case with this scarf. The two shades of pink Aimee always looked good together in my wool basket, but I wasn’t sure about the blue. Once I added in the Willow yarn they all look lovely together and made a subtle combination.

Never one to use a simple pattern I adapted a traditional ripple stitch pattern by adding some popcorn stitches and using double crochets and trebles. What do you think?

To order your ripple stitch pattern click here.....

My Flower Bag

You know how it is..... A new book of crochet patterns sets you off to a head full of ideas. This happened to me about a month ago. I have plenty of patterns for crochet flowers and patterns incorporating flowers, some of these are new and some are vintage. But its always good to see new ideas or older motifs used in new ways.

About the same time I'd also made a visit to one of my favourite wool shops 'Little Lamb' in Helmsley in North Yorkshire and rummaged in the 'odd balls' basket. I came away with some Sirdar Sunggly, Sirdar Crofter Sirdar Bamboo. The bamboo I particularly like, it has a lovely sheen.

I could instantly see how good a pattern for small flowers would look made in the bamboo. I'd chosen a rusty red colour for the bamboo, rust for the Sunggly and a blue/rust mix for he Crofter. Putting my ideas and inspiration from the new book together with the lovely Sirdar yarn and I decided to design a holdall. My reason was to have another  place for my crochet projects. I already have the shelves in my work room, a large basket with a current project or design, another basket with a commission I am working on, but you can never have enough!

I  started by creating some of the flowers and trying out the Sirdar Snuggly in double crochet (US single crochet) and borrowed a cross over treble stitch I'm using for a throw. The pattern for the holdall is now in my Ravelry store.....

The holdall was lovely to make and I spent some very relaxing warm summer evenings in the garden with the dogs.

Pink Crochet Hanger

This is the second child's crochet hanger I designed and made made for a friend. This one is also in double crochet but with a slight difference. The flowers are interesting as you can change their appearance by changing the double trebles into popcorn stitches which I love making!

I have a feeling that these won't be the last little hangers I make! the pattern is available for downlaod from my Ravelry store.

Baby pink crochet hanger for friends baby

This sweet baby pink hanger I designed for a baby or toddler and makes a lovely gift. It's quick and easy to make. I added some bows to make it extra special, crochet flowers would also look very nice.

It came about as a friend's daughter is pregnant and I wanted to make and give an original gift, something pretty (it's a girl) and something that would be seen and used.  Both the baby's grandmothers are great knitters so I know they will be making blankets, jackets and hats, so I had to make something a bit different.

While I was working out what I could do I went into my wardrobe and saw some covered hangers my mother had made for me many years ago. My mother was a pretty basic crocheter but the way she made the hangers and the use of colours means they are very pretty and practical too. Clothes don't snack on them and as they are made using wooden hangers clothes keep their shape well.

I hit on the idea of making some hangers for the baby. Surprisingly I easily found some wooden baby sized coat hangers easily, essential for this pattern. I tried out a few designs and a few test covers before I got the sizes and shape right.

The finished pattern is suitable for beginners and is quick to make. Covering the hangers with wadding first is crucial to create a soft springy effect. I added small pink bows to this ones, but other ones I made ( I made a set of six!) have crochet  flowers, some of which I've grouped together.

You can buy the pattern from my Ravelry shop, just click on the link!

Crochet Flower Embelishments

As you know by now I love embelishments, those little extras that make your crochet project something very special! This time I'm looking at flowers. There are so many lovely designs and any number of ways to use them. It's very easy to design your own and adapt existing designs, changing colours, working into the back of stitches and grouping together can all turn an existing design into your own original crochet flower..

I came across this flower design which is very simple to make, this group are for a crochet bag I'm working on at the moment. http://mamachee.com/

and I wanted to share with you one of my own flower designs.

This flower is very easy to make. I made the one in the picture using Bergere de France Coton with a 2.5mm crochet hook.

Start with 8 chain. Join with a slip stitch to form a ring. 2 chain, into the ring make 16 double crochet (single crochet). Join with skip stitch into top of first chain.

Next row 2 chain 1 double crochet (single crochet), 12 chain, 1 treble (double crochet) into 6th chain from the hook, 1 treble (double crochet) into next 7 chain. 1 double crochet (single crochet) into next double crochet (single crochet) of previous row. Repeat to end, 8 petals. Join with slip stitch to top of first chain, fasten off.

Here are a few ways I've used crochet flowers

Designing a crochet throw

What yarn to use?

• Use the best yarn you can get and afford for a better finish, bigger choice of colours, easier to work with, better dyes so better colours
• What thickness your yarn? I like double knit but the choice is yours - thinner grows more slowly but shows more definition
• Using scraps - throws are an amazing way to use up scraps of wool. If I'm doing this I like to have one or two main colours, this brings your designs together saving it from a messy finish.
• Using the same brands and mixing thicknesses. I always mix brands in throws because I like the choice of colours textures you can get. Sometimes I use sock wools for the lovely blends you get in one ball, sometimes I use them as double thickness.
• Do dye colours matter? I've only once fallen foul of dye colours. Because throws are usually multi coloured different dye lots don't usually matter. 

How to Design a Crochet Throw

Do you dream of creating your own original crochet throw or cushion? Something special for your home or family that becomes your own heritage project? Designing and making an original cushion or throw can be much more than usng a pattern and simply changing the colours suggested.

However experienced or inexperienced in crochet you are designing your own crochet items is much easier than you think. A whole world of opportunities to create something truly original exists and you don't have to a creative genius to do. Even something as simple as changing colours or the layout of motifs and your crochet throw will look completely different from the original pattern.

Planning and designing is exciting! Pulling together yarns, ideas and patterns and motifs you love is very inspiring. then beginning my throws or cushions. will the finished item look exactly how I expected it to look, will I make some changes as I get into the project?  Planning is the first stage and it will save you time and money and means you will finish up with something you really love and is exactly what you want.

Throws can be square, oblong or round. Cushions might be square, round, small large, bolster style or small and delicate for your bedroom. Where will your finished crocheted item it go? Is it for your lounge, sun room or window seat.

Cushions, throws and blankets for children need to be softer while throws for outside need to be more robust. Are you going to use double knitting, Arran or 4 ply weight. Children's blankets look lovely in soft 4 ply.

The finer the yarn the greater the definition of the crochet stitches and you will have more opportunity to bring in colours and stitches. Use a thicker yarn and your project will grow more quickly, so if your impatient or are new to crochet, this might be the way to go.

Are you planning to use up all those balls of wool and yarn in your work basket. Are you going to use one type of yarn or would you like to introduce something special, such as a tweed finish, multi colour or yarn with a different content from your main yarn. It will have to be the same weight but it can be very effective. Do you want to make your throw or cushion to be made using motifs or in one piece or a combination of motifs and in the round.

How to make a tassel

When you put love into something you make it's worth spending time to make it into something to make it look good. It doesn't matter if you are making it for yourself or for someone else as a gift or to sell it. A few embellishments make a simple project very special.

I've been crocheting and embroidering for many years so I've learnt experimented and taught myself various techniques for bringing something special to crochet projects. Many years ago I made a large cushion as a commission. I added four large tassels with the wool left over. with big beads. They looked stunning.

I love to share so I've included some instructions on how to make tassels. I love doing this like all repetitive stuff its soothing and relaxing.

You don't need thousands to make something special

Work has kept me busy this week as has the garden. The weeds are growing and so is the wild garlic. The path down to the steam is filled with the heady scent of garlic as the wind gently blows through the trees and the dogs are busy rummaging in the comfrey.

As you will have noticed I've completed a few projects over the last few weeks. To be honest all but one have been unfinished projects started through the winter. I see a design on Pinterest and I have to try it, so it was with 'Sophie's Garden'. Forgetting to check the size of the finished motif I ploughed on and finished up with a large motif the size of a cushion.

Until last week I wasn't sure where I was going with it, but now you can see what I decided to do with it! And the reverse which I'm quite pleased with!

What I’m doing now

Hi crochet friends

The ripple stitch cushion I started earlier in April is finished! I made using left over wools from my big wool basket. As soon as I’d set the cushion on the window seat next to my patchwork crochet cushion I realised that many of the colours I’d used for the ripple stitch cushion where in the patchwork cushion. Even though the designs are completely different using some of the same colours means the two cushions  look lovely together.

With nothing to crochet on a rainy afternoon in May, I looked in my wool basket . There were  numerous odd balls of different coloured wool  so I settled to use them all up. I rummaged around and some of the same colours as the patchwork and ripple stitch cushion where there with a few more shades. So I decided to make a couple of cushions in different designs using the same colours.

The cushions are for the lounge. For so long I’ve been making stuff for everyone else I thought it was time for me. I get bored with one design so all the cushions will be different but the colours of each will all tie together.  As always colour combinations make the design effect completely different.

The lounge of our cottage can be quite dark, but my favourite part of the lounge, the big Georgian window that looks out onto the front lawn brings afternoon sun in. Under the window we have a large chest that  Sam the dog loves to sit on.

Back to the cupboard next to the fireplace where I keep my crochet books, but no ideas jumped out. On to Pinterest where I found the ‘circle of friends’ motif in various colour ways. It's an unusual pattern as it looks good on both the 'right' and the 'wrong' side.

When the showers stopped I went into the garden with the dogs and we sat on the covered seat and I began to make the first motif. I have been crocheting for many years but I don't usually get the first motif right. A few goes before I got the colour combinations I wanted.

I know that most people make all the motifs first and pile them up neatly but this drives me mad. I have to see what the finished item will look like or at least get some idea. In the past this has saved me time as I have either discovered faults with my design or I don't like the finished result. When I had made four motifs of the circle of friends complete I stitched them together.

It looks quite good, but somehow lacks that extra bit of sparkle I like, so I am going to crochet an edging around it, using some of the colours in the motifs. One colour per row and I think I'll either do a raised shell or a raised double crochet border.

After a perfect afternoon in the garden the first butterfly I'd seen this year flew across the comfrey plants.....

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Rainbow colours

Hi Crochet friends

I wonder why it is that when we think of nature we think of subtle and subdued colours? Looking out of the cottage window on a sunny day this spring the new grass in the field is vivid green.   Bright yellow celandines give the grass a hazy gold look. The new growth on the trees is lime green and the sky is bright blue.  The contrast of brilliant white blossom on the damson tree is anything but subtle!

It's not so long ago when bright coloured crochet blankets were made up of fluorescent coloured granny squares that gave crochet a bad name! Thankfully now wools and yarns give us quality, variety and a fantastic range of colours to choose from subtle to bright. Rainbow colours to turn a simple motif into a lovely bright design. And who doesn't on a dark gloomy day love to dive into a basket of rainbow coloured yarn.

To make something with rainbow colours you need a good spread of colours and they definitely work better when you use the same brand as the dyes work better together and this will show in your final design. If you are looking for rainbow yarn in one ball, sock yarns are a good choice and create interesting results.

Bright colours work well in motifs whether made in the round or in rows and are lovely used with ripple stitches when you can create lots of effects.

From a simple granny square to a more complicated motif, you can use close shades together, contrasts or pick one colour to feature a row of textured stitches.

Don't restrict your rainbow colours to standard double knitting yarn, there are so many wonderful choices from artisan spinners to bigger brands and retailers such as Deramores, Bergere de France and West Yorkshire spinners. Bigger brands and artisan spinners can give you a range of rainbow yarns - some wispy some and others with silk and mohair added. 

A plea to you! Whatever you make always use the best yarn you can afford. Quality yarn is easier to crochet with, the colours are better and the finished item that you have spent so much time making will have a quality finish.

For so many years I've used subtle colours to create throws and cushions, this really fought against my nature as I've always loved bright colours. My favourite winter throw always cheers me when its cold and dark, but I also love rainbow coloured throws and cushions set on the bench in my garden in the summer.

On warm summer evenings  watching the dogs rootling around the garden and paddling in the stream that runs along the bottom of the garden, listening to the birds and relaxing after a busy day. Not forgetting my basket of wool, crochet hook and tablet for ideas!

This post is my submission to the Deramores Craft Blog Competition 2015. Deramores is the UK’s number one online retailer of knitting and crochet supplies. Visit www.deramores.com for more details. 

Big Motifs

What makes you smile?

For me it's a big basket of wool, a crochet hook and a head full of ideas. Just lately I've fallen in love with big motifs which I've seen in growing numbers on Pinterest and Ravelry. Is it my imagination, or are crochet motifs themselves growing bigger year on year.Thanks to the internet and sites like Pinterest and Ravelry there is an endless source of inspiration and talented  crocheters from around the world  to get ideas from.

When I make small motifs I seem to finish up with them drifting around.  I've found them in the bottom of my work basket, down the side of the settee and in the dogs basket. Not so with big motifs.

Why do I love big motifs?

• They have Impact
• You have more scope to use textured stitches
• There is more scope to use clever colour combinations for more impact
• There is more room for creativity

Big motifs don't have to be made using a complicated design. I've made them using a standard granny square and combined them in various ways to make bigger motifs. Using one main colour for example gives your finished design much more impact. 

And while growing a small motif is fine and can be effective as with the patchwork cushion to my mind a big motif should be more than a small motif with added rows. 

Not all big motifs have to be created in the round, using rows to create a big motif can just as satisfying and creative and you can use them to make more structured designs. Using colours creatively can make modern and interesting designs for cushions and throws. 

This big cushion is made up of 9 big motifs, all worked in rows.

Who says you can't square a circle?

There is something satisfying in starting with a circle and turning it into a square. A full sized project can get tedious, but using big motifs you soon get the satisfaction of completing something lovely in its own right. Big motifs also have one tremendous advantage over small motifs. Cushions and throws grow more quickly. Four or six large motifs can make one side of a cushion.

Follow Everything Crochet's board Big Crochet Motifs on Pinterest.

This post is my submission to the Deramores Craft Blog Competition 2015. Deramores is the UK’s number one online retailer of knitting and crochet supplies. Visit www.deramores.com for more details. 

My favourite crochet yarns

Bergere de France Ideal

I first came across this lovely soft yarn at my local farmers market one cold autumn day in 2012. I crochet all year round, but come the autumn I love a big project for the dark and cold winter nights. A throw to cover my dining room basket chairs would be good! A basket full of colours on the stall was irresistible to me. I took home 6 balls each a different colour to experiment with.

Using a 3.25 size hook I tried out a few circular motifs from memory including a traditional granny square, which with clever use of colours could have looked really good. But I wanted something to challenge me, so out came the books , cuttings and patterns from my craft cupboard.

Jan Eatons book, 200 crochet blocks gave me the inspiration I needed. I like to do projects that include challenging patterns with repetitive bits I can do when I'm tired. I tried out several motifs but the combination of 'popcorn flower', 'alternate bobbles', 'sunshine and flowers', 'and 'lacy cross' were the ones I loved the best. I also created my own version of bobbles and a raised flower square for the corners.

For such a big project the colours had to be right. I love autumn colours so brown, rust, copper came to my mind. Taking the dogs into the garden one day in October a bright sun lit the trees with golden yellows, deep browns and sludgy green browns. Amazingly the little stream that runs through the village and passes by our cottage sparkled a lovely bright blue in the sparkling sun. These are the colours I chose, brown, golden yellow, sludgy brown and bright blue.

Beregere de France provided the golden yellow(girolle), brown (elephant) and blue (myosotis). I love combining more than one yarn to throws and cushions it adds interest and is more fun to crochet. A bit of research online and I found a double knitting sock yarn online that had a mixed yarn that included sludgy brown and blue.

Making the throw I loved using soft Bergere de France. It comes in loads of lovely bright colours, but you can see how I used more subtle colours to create my favourite patchwork cushion.

To begin with I made one motif in each colour and decided to use the sock yarn only for this motif. Then out with the graph paper and I came up with my design. This is an oblong and features a diagonal of the same motifs which I think looks really good and you can see in the image.

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Winter suddenly turned cold and icy following a relatively mild December.

Looking in the cupboard under the stairs where I keep my walking gear and the dog leads I discovered my woolly hat had a big hole in the back!

Out came the wool baskets and on to Pinterest for inspiration! I used three balls of King Cole double knit wool to create this woollen beret. Berets are not normally my style but as I crochet the rounds of stripes it seemed to naturally form a beret shape so I decided to go with it.

I love textured crochet stitches and adding them into the outer edge of my beret pulled the band in so it would stay on my head!

When it was finished the beret seemed to lack something so I added a small tassel that includes all the coloured wools. Here's the result.....

What is your favourite colour?

The variety of yarns and the choice of colours available now seems limitless making it difficult to make a choice for crochet projects! From mass produced to hand spun and hand dyed yarns are wonderful today.

Rather than decide that I want to make a specific item I look for patterns and stitches I like first with a bit of inspiration from home magazines, Pinterest and sometimes my garden. Then I look for a yarn. You can see some of my favourite yarns here!

Bergere De France Ideal

This cushion I made this winter. I was looking for something to make and and I saw a baby blanket made using popcorn stitches. It gave me an idea for a cushion with a popcorn stitch bow central motif, with double crochet motifs surrounding it.

I always order too much wool so I had some Bergere de France Ideal in my large wool basket, including some red and turquoise blue. The cushion is made using squares 3 x 3 and the stripey squares are made with double crochet. It's a double sided cushion and was lovely to make.

Everything I make has memories associated with it. This cushion I made on dark winter nights, hence the bright colours! It makes me thing of my new dog who sat at my feet in front of the wood burner while I crocheted and listened to the radio.