My favourite crochet Stitches and what I use them for

Do you have favourite stitches, ones you love to make and love the look they create? In this blog I'm talking about my favourite crochet stitches and what I use them for. When I first started to crochet I dreaded finding patterns I liked that included picot stitches, made by creating a small ring in chains worked usually in the middle of your work! I struggled to make them look good; they were either too slack or too tight. Now I love them. Take a simple net pattern and add a few picots and you create something much finer than plain crochet net. Picots are easier to make if you make your stitches not too tight. I also love picots added to edgings. If your edging has a rise and fall add the picot to the rise.

Child's crochet jacket

Chio
 Another stitch I was not keen on when I first started to crochet was popcorn stitch, made by joining the first stitch to the last stitch of q group of trebles (double crochets) shells.  I think the problem I had was my tension was too slack producing a large loop at the top of the popcorn that did not look good! With practice popcorn stitches are now another favourite of mine. They look lovely used in baby blankets and add a warm texture to women’s crochet scarves.

Front row posts made usually with trebles (double crochets) produce crochet that looks like knitted ribbing and create a very pretty reversible fabric, thicker and more rigid than usual crochet. Front row posts are worked around the stem of the stitch on the row below the one you are working on. This creates the perfect stitch for bags and crochet cushions.

Slip stitch is almost the forgotten crochet stitch used often to join rows together, particularly in older crochet patterns. Used on its own slip stitch can create lovely effects and are very simple to stitch. I use slip stitches to join motifs together and to create edgings for table runners and throws. Add a chain between your slip stitches on an edging to make a very pretty frilly edging.

My all time favourite stitch is the half treble (half double crochet) in a similar way to slip stitches the half treble was (in early patterns) used as a transitional stitch. On large shells half trebles (half double crochets) were used to move the work along from a dc (single crochet) to a treble (double crochet) without too large a leap. Now they have come into their own and they appear in many modern patterns. This stitch has the benefit that it grows quickly and creates a lovely top ridged effect. It’s the perfect stitch to use in plain patterns to produce something that looks classy. I use the half treble in my cluster scarf, basket and rug.

Working in back loops is not really a stitch it’s more of a technique, but is something I use a lot. It creates a gorgeous ridge which makes the base of crochet baskets look amazing.

Square motif Poncho blog

Violet/purple is the colour for 2018 so I decided to choose it for something a little bit special! Poncho’s can be tricky to make with different shapings and joinings. By making this crochet poncho based on a pretty motif, it’s much easier to put together and gives you the flexibility to change the size of your poncho so you can easily make it any size you like, by adding or taking out motifs. Using  the plan provided with the pattern it will be easy to do this. Remember to keep a check on the size of the neck opening. Make for yourself or make a smaller version smaller for a child.

The motif in this pattern is 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 chunkier poncho use a chunky or Arran weight yarn and make fewer motifs. The pattern includes a plan and an image file with tutorials to help you make your poncho. When finished block your motifs to square them off. A pretty tassel edging around the bottom and a generous loop stitch border around the top have big impact and make this an interesting crochet project to make.

The lovely thing about this poncho 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.....
This pattern suitable for beginners to crochet

Tapestry Style Crochet Cushion with Large Squares

Designing and creating beautiful crochet designs that are simple and rewarding to make is my life’s work! This cushion designed in 2018 is a modern contemporary design and the large squares and blocks of colour have big impact.

My inspiration was the wonderful Aztec tapestry design bags created by South American crocheters. While tapestry crochet has been around for a while these crocheters have taken it to a whole new world of possibilities. Tapestry crochet is very simple to make and can be used to create elaborate designs and pictures.

I used two toning colours for the design I created the cushion so the colour changes are easy. Make it in black and white for a very contemporary design perfect for a modern home. The design uses only double crochet (single crochet) stitches so is very easy to make, once you have mastered how to change colours and the pattern include a tutorial on how to do this.

Make the cushion bigger by adding more blocks widthways or lengthways, just keep your proportions OK and the design would make a lovely floor cushion with six blocks square. As with all designs change the colours you change the look of your project completely.

I added a checkerboard effect border to add interest and to make the main design stand out as if framed. Full instructions included in the pattern. Grab the pattern here.....

Sparkle Crochet Infinity scarf with Sparkly triangles

Everyone loves a bit of sparkle! Sparkle isn’t just for evenings and Christmas celebrations. Sparkle works really well when combined with other yarns to brighten up dark Winters day and when days are cold. And it doesn’t just have to be a scarf, sparkle yarn would look lovely on a hat or used to make a very special throw.

This gorgeous stylish scarf not only looks pretty but is also dense and warm. You don’t have to use a sparkly wool or an iridescent such as ??? would work well. This is an easily adaptable pattern you can make your scarf wider, longer, change the stripes and add more, whatever you like!

I mainly used the sparkly yarn for the surface crochet in this crochet scarf design, but I added a few stripes in the sparkly yarn to bring the design together. Surface crochet is easier than you think and is very relaxing to do. I added a pretty, but simple, edging to finish it off to perfection and also to hide a few straggly ends! Push the boat out with tassels or a large sparkly flower and you have a very special scarf.

As always this design I created to be adaptable, you could use it to make a poncho, throw, or hat. Full details on how to do this are included in the pattern. Grab the pattern here.....

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.....