Crochet Throws

Throws are so useful, to snuggle up to when nights are cold, in the garden when days are a little cooler or just for when you need a bit of comfort! Crochet throws are fun to make. Not too big so they take too long to stitch but big enough to make an interesting project. And there are so many style choices!


Oblong,  this is the most useful size and oblong throws look better too 

Use one style of motif
Choose two or three complimentary style of motif

Use small or large motifs to make your throw or combine small and large together
Strips give you more scope for design choices. Make simple horizontal or vertical strips or fit together in a log cabin design.

Make your throw as one piece from top to bottom and build your design in rows

Start in the centre of your crochet throw and work outwards. This works well if you start with a large oblong central motif or one or two square motifs stitched together. You can then add another row of motifs to finish your throw

Use chunky, double knit or finer yarn. The thicker the yarn the more quickly your throw will grow. 

Finer yarns give more definition and thicker yarns work really well with popcorn stitches and cables. 

Finer yarns work beautifully with more intricate motifs to create a lovely lacy effect.

The yarn content is critical for what you want to use your throw for. A cotton or acrylic blend is ideal for summer throws. Wool blends are ideal if you want something warmer. 

Colour is critical to your finished effect, use one colour or multi colours. One colour creates a subtle effect. Stick to four or five colours for a sophisticated effect or use yarn scarps and take pot luck!

Ripple or zig zags stitches work well 

Textured stitches such as popcorns, clusters look classy in throws. Work as a whole or as individual motifs

Raised stitches and cables are brilliant if you use a thicker yarn 

Flower based motifs are lovely if you sue cotton or a cotton blend

If you want a more contemporary look go for diagonals, squares and triangular shapes

Entrelac or stitch is very useful if you want to create a picture design. Use dc’s (sc’s) or trebles (dc’s).

Sirdar Snuggly Spots review

Sirdar Snuggly spots is the perfect  yarn to use if you want to create an unusual finish without the need to change yarns. There are many yarns now available that create a variety of special effects but Sirdar snugly spots is a bit more unusual, it creates spots randomly as you work.

There are 16 colours to choose from. I’ve tried the very pale pretty spot, this gives a very subtle sprinkling of pale pink and pale lavender spots. The darker cosy spot produces more pronounced spots of orange and grey.

A 50g ball makes 165m/179 yards. Sirdar Snuggly is made with 55% nylon and 45% acrylic and is very easy to work with. It’s perfect for children’s clothing and blankets and soft scarfs. I used it to make the teddy (more on this in May!). I use hook size 3.25 but any size up to 4 mm would be fine.

I’d like to Snuggly spots for a crochet Arran style jacket using the speckle. This is my favourite in the large range of Snuggly spots. You could also use this yarn for throws and blankets, picking out the colour of the spots for contrasting yarns.

Buy from Deramores.com and woolwarehouse.co.uk

Finishing off

When you spend time making something special and original to you finishing off well will show your work in the best light. Remember if you are making something like a scarf both sides of your work will be on show!

Make one extra chain for a more secure finish before weaving in ends. Fastening off the ends of thicker yarns, thread through denser areas of the same colour.

To keep the back of your work tidy crochet over loose ends as you work if you can. This works well if you are working with a thicker yarn or making a close work pattern. Doing this also makes finishing off easier.

Make sure the corners of cushions or bags are fully pushed out, use the back of your hook to do this.
If you are using a fine cotton yarn block out your motifs and your work will look 100% better.
For cushions and scarfs block edges to get a crisp straight edge finish.

Depending on what you are making if your first chain row is a bit loose crochet a dc(sc) row at both edges of your work or all around.

Attaching a material lining or backing add right side to right side with your work and use a matching shade of cotton. Use stem stitch and your stitches will disappear into the fabric of your crochet stitches.

Use back stitch on the wrong side when stitching motifs together.

If you don’t like sewing you can double crochet or slip stitch motifs together or even use something a bit more complex to make the joining of the motifs a feature of your work.

Leave long ends when finishing off or changing yarn, so you have enough to fasten off securely.
Sounds obvious, but invest in a pair of sharp embroidery scissors to make your finish ends  neater
Trim pompons and tassels so all strands are even

If possible use your main thread for stitching on buttons

If you can crochet edgings directly on to cushions and baby clothes rather than stitching it on for a better and more secure finish.

Making cushions choose a cushion pad slightly larger than your finished cushion cover. Your cushion will look plumper and will show your work off more distinctly

If you are making button loops add a row of dc’s (sc’s) for more secure fastening than a simple row of chains.

Calico Crochet Bag Pattern Story

I made a crochet bag a couple of years ago, I love it and use it all the time. I decided to create another bag but something simpler that a beginner would be able to make. I wanted this design to use the same layout as the first one which makes a strong rigid and reliable bag that doesn’t stretch.

This latest design is quick and easy to make and you have the choice of making the basic pattern which looks really classy or adding on the surface crochet to lift the bag to an extra level, something that makes it really special. Even with the surface crochet this crochet bag is not as complicated as it looks!

Use your bag for your craft projects and it would look really stylish as a holdall or beach bag. Cotton yarn is lovely to use for summer patterns and using a cotton rich yarn makes for a good rigid bag. Adding a lining is not my favourite thing to do but is so worth it to stop your bag stretching and also protects your bag from damage by the contents you add.

I used a pale sage green as this is one of my favourite colours but the crochet bag would also look good in pink with a cream trim or a darker colour with a contrasting colour for the surface trim. You could also try this pattern in Sirdar Beachcomber which is a cotton rich yarn with slubs and comes in a range of blended colours. This finished bag would make the perfect beach bag, pick one of the colours from the blend for a contrasting lining.

Debbie Bliss Juliet

Debbie Bliss Summer Tweed is sold as DK (light worsted) but it feels more like a 4 ply to me. It comes in a lovely range of beautifully blended colours from violet, daisy, poppy, rose, begonia, marigold, honeysuckle and petal. I used honeysuckle. The yarn has slubs which makes for a more interesting finish and gives and extra level of interest.

Made up of 52% cotton 48% acrylic Debbie bliss summer tweed is brilliant for shawls, scarves and lightweight summer knits. Wash at 30C 50 g balls. Yardage is 120m/131yds and Debblie Bliss summer tweed comes in 50g balls.

It would make a lovely cover up or summer jacket. I made a summer shawl with motifs, which I designed for summer weddings. This lovely quality yarn would make a gorgeous holdall style bag particularly blended with a plain double knit yarn (light worsted).

I used a hook size 3.25mm (U.S. 3) and my motif is 9cm (4”) by 9cm (4”). Pay up to £4.50 and buy from Black Sheep Wools or Deramores.

My 10 favourite yarns and how and what to use them for

Sirdar Snuggly double knit (light worsted) is my all time favourite yarn. It’s soft, comes in a wide range of colours and crochets beautifully. It washes well, it’s soft enough to make a baby blanket or a throw. I’ve used it for scarves and it feels beautifully soft next to your skin. Well priced it would be too soft for a bag or basket.

Bergere de France. I’ve used a few of the Bergere yarns range. I started out with the double knit and it was my favourite yarn for throws and baby blankets, but Sirdar Snuggly won me over! The quality of the double knit is excellent and the range of colours tend to be brighter than Sirdar Snuggly so if you want something bright go for the Bergere. It is priced higher than the Sirdar double knit and this helped in my decision. Bergere De France washes well.

DMC Petra is a finer yarn and it comes in 3,5,8 weights. All are more suitable to lace type crochet. It has a gorgeous soft sheen and comes in a wide range of colours with some very welcome brighter colours. I’ve used number 3 and 8. It is slightly thicker than traditional lace crochet cottons so if you are new to lace crochet this would be a good yarn to start with. Petra would make a lovely light weight summer scarf and fine baby blanket or shawl.

Sirdar Calico DK(light worsted) cotton as with all Sirdar yarns is a well priced quality yarn. It crochets beautifully and I love the colour range which goes from subtle greens, and greys, pinks, amber and baby blue. It would make a lovely summer waistcoat or more formal style crochet jacket, summer knits and I’ve used it for baskets and bags. It is very soft but more rigid than double knit wool or acrylic.

Manos de Uruguay. I used Maxima to make a cascade scarf. It was a joy to use, soft, warm and cuddly and it has a lovely finish. This extra fine merino is a hand dyed yarn and this shows in the finish. You will find slubs and variations in the colour but I see this as a sign of originality and I love the finish this produces. Manos del Uruguay is a non profit cooperative of women in the countryside of Uruguay. Maxima is 100% merino wool.

Sugar n Cream Sugar n Cream is a soft and strong yarn Arran weight (worsted) and makes a relatively strong and rigid structure perfect for crochet baskets and bags. Hardwearing, it works perfectly for place mats and rugs. Excellently priced and 100% cotton Sugar and Cream is a very economical yarn to use for larger projects. It comes in multiple colours and different ranges from solid colours to the denim and ombre ranges. It is also available in stripes and twists to a more subtle scents range ideal for baby blankets. Available in 50gram balls  I’d love to try using Sugar n cream for coverings for jars and macramé plant hangers. Use Sugar n Cream to crochet children’s toys, bibs, and baby blankets, dishcloths and sandals.

Puppets Eldorado Puppets Eldorado cotton comes in a whole range of colours and sizes 6, 10, 12, 16. The traditional colours still exist but for a more contemporary look go for a darker colour. Colours range from pale pinks and blues to darker like a deep red, dark brown, black and dark green. I love the broze and gold yellow. Puppets Eldorado also comes in a range of lovely blends which I’ve used for my 3D flowers. I used Puppets Eldorado number 10 for my gold table runner and number 20 for my pot pourri bags, it’s 100% cotton and lovely quality. Use puppets Eldorado to make traditional doilies and table covers but for delicate edgings and flower trims for summer straw hats. Use Puppets Eldorado to make a lovely anniversary or wedding gift when crocheted to match bought towels.

Sirdar Baby Bamboo is a soft yarn with a lovely sheen and comes in a gorgeous choice of colours, pinks, red, shades of green and blue and more subtle greys and browns. I use Baby Bamboo a lot in cushions and baby blankets and you can see it here in my summer holdall.  Baby bamboo while reasonably priced does not go as far as other 50 gram yarns so it makes sense then to combine it with another type of yarn.

Louisa Harding Azalea is a soft 100% cotton DK(light worsted) print yarn that comes in a choice of subtle blended colours, including heather and rusty purple subtle blends with multiple colours per ball. Azalea has an elegant drape effect which you can see in the cascade scarf I made. Used in combination with a Bergere de France Ideal wool based yarn the result was a lovely soft drape tweed scarf. Azalea is perfect for beautiful warm weather knits and stunning shawls. As you would expect from a cotton yarn, it has fantastic stitch definition.  Azalea is machine washable.

Sirdar Crofter double knit (light worsted is a quality yarn priced well. Very soft it was designed to create a Fair Isle effect in knitted jumpers and cardigans. I’ve seen Crofter used in knitting to create that lovely Fair Isle look, but you can also use Crofter very effectively in crochet tops and jackets. When you use it for scarves, cushions or throws, Crofter will make a simple design look much more intricate than it really is.

Sirdar Crofter Review

 Sirdar Crofter double knit (light worsted is a quality yarn priced well. Very soft it was designed to create a Fair Isle effect in knitted jumpers and cardigans. 60% Acrylic and 25% Cotton a 50g ball gives a Yardage/metre of 170m/184y.

I’ve seen Crofter used in knitting to create that lovely Fair Isle look, but you can also use Crofter very effectively in crochet tops and jackets. When you use it for scarves, cushions or throws, Crofter will make a simple design look much more intricate than it really is.

Simple strips or motifs of double crochet Crofter looks very effective combined with other Sirdar yarns, such as Baby Bamboo and cottons. Crofter would be lovely used in a ripple pattern using plain colours contrasting or blending with the colours of the Crofter Fair Isle.

I used Crofter for my summer bag/work bag and I added strips of Sirdar Crofter in a blue/rust/brown blend in double crochet in between rows of Sirdar double knit (light worsted) Snuggly. To add interest and to tone in with it I used Sirdar Snuggly double knit in a rusty brown colour.

Sirdar Crofter comes in a range of colours with dyes that tone in with other Sirdar yarns. Choose from 21 colours including pinks, purples, heathers, oranges, grey, greens and a lovely pale sea grass.
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