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Crochet blog – January update

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Hello everyone. Welcome to my crochet blog – January update with a couple of free patterns to start 2021. I have been reviewing and overhauling old blog posts. Turns out the last time I sent a general update was back in April 2019! There is nothing that points to success as a blogger better than consistency 🙂 Possibly why my little blog is still just that…. a very little blog!

Anyway – thank you for reading, despite my lack of proper application to the task.

Project Updates

Lockdown Lapghan

In recent months I have been working on two projects. Firstly I created a pattern for a Lapghan using only one stitch, five colours and a pattern suitable for beginners. I called it Lockdown Lapghan and have worked it up in two sets of colours. You can see these below.

Lockdown Lapghan - berries in snow
Lockdown lapghan – Berries in the snow (with Milo)

lockdown lapghan - autumn sunset
lockdown lapghan – Autumn Sunset

The pattern for the Lapghan is spread across three separate posts as follows:

Lockdown Lapghan charts available to download here

Lockdown Lapghan basic pattern in UK and US instructions here

Lockdown Lapghan finishing and edging instructions here

New Large Heart and Edged Heart patterns

The other project I have just completed is a new crochet heart pattern. This is based on my previous heart pattern which remains my most popular (only popular) blog post. I wanted to create a larger sized heart. This one is c 10cm across when worked in chunky yarn. The free pattern for the new large heart is available here and I have also just added an edging pattern which is shown below. The original post for crochet hearts in three sizes is here

free pattern for new large heart
new large heart pattern

New Large Heart Edging – UK instructions

Starting at the centre of the top of the heart in a contrasting colour work 6 Dc. At the top of the heart into the next stitch work 2Dc. Work 2Dc into the next stitch then Dc into the following stitch. Then work 2Dc into the next stitch and 13 Dc down the left hand side of the heart. At the bottom of the heart work 1 Dc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 3Dc into the bottom stitch of the heart.

We are going to complete the second half of the heart edging as a mirror to the first. Work 1 Dc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 13 Dc up the right hand side of the heart. Next work 2Dc into the next stitch then Dc into the following stitch. Work 2Dc into each of the next two stitches. Finally work 6Dc down the centre of the right hand side of the top of the heart and finish off.

New Large Heart Edging – US instructions

Starting at the centre of the top of the heart in a contrasting colour work 6 Sc. At the top of the heart into the next stitch work 2Sc. Work 2Sc into the next stitch then Sc into the following stitch. Then work 2Sc into the next stitch and 13 Sc down the left hand side of the heart. At the bottom of the heart work 1 Sc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 3Sc into the bottom stitch of the heart.

We are going to complete the second half of the heart edging as a mirror to the first. Work 1 Sc into the gap made by the chain on the previous row then 13 Sc up the right hand side of the heart. Next work 2Sc into the next stitch then Dc into the following stitch. Work 2Sc into each of the next two stitches. Finally work 6Sc down the centre of the right hand side of the top of the heart and finish off.

crochet blog January update - New Large Heart - edging
new large heart pattern with edging

That is it for the crochet blog – January update. Spot the new year’s resolution to be better at posting updates and newsletters and blogging in general. Expect more in February (or not 🙂 ) Happy Crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Finishing your Lockdown Lapghan

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This post is the third of my lockdown lapghan instructions. The first post covers the pattern for the basic square so if you are just starting you need to following this link to pick up the free pattern – Lockdown Lapghan free pattern. The second post covers the design of the lockdown lapghan. You can find the second post here – lockdown lapghan design. In this third post I will give you the instructions for finishing your lockdown lapghan.

Finishing off each square

The first job you have to complete is to finish off all the ends. Depending on your choice of colour changes you might have lots of these! Using a wool needle you need to weave each end into the work securely. Try to make them invisible by weaving in and out of a patch of the same colour. It is possible to make them ‘disappear’ from both sides with a little practice. Finishing off ends is not my favourite task but it is made an awful lot easier with the right equipment.

I highly recommend KnitPro Wool Needles. These have a big flexible loop rather than a fixed eye which makes threading eveng the thickest yarn very easy. You can find these easily on an Amazon search. They are less than £3 for three at the time of writing. Please note – I do try to work as an Amazon Affiliate from time to time. This means that it is possible that if you click on any advert or a link to Amazon in my blog I might receive a small payment. However, I only ever recommend products that I love – whether I am paid to say so or not!

I say above that I TRY to work as an Amazon Affiliate because if you sign up with Amazon and nobody clicks on any adverts for a few months, Amazon end your affiliate membership. So far it hasn’t worked for me – I think I have had my membership cancelled three times now 🙂 I have written a series of posts on my blog progress if you would like to read more on this. I will keep trying!!

Finishing your lockdown lapghan – sewing up

Although I call this sewing up we will actually be joining the squares together using a very simple technique with a crochet hook. I covered this method in an earlier post which has full instructions and clear pictures. You can find these instructions here.

I like to lay out all my squares in the final positions once the ends are finished off and they are blocked. Blocking really helps with the appearance and is covered in my first post. I then gather up the squares for the two rows I am going to join into two piles. Starting at what will be the edge of the blanket I begin joining two squares along one edge. Once these are joined I pick up the next pair and join these without breaking the yarn. The advantage of not breaking the yarn? Fewer ends to finish off!

When I am joining my squares I work all the way down the blanket in one direction. After four joins, all the squares are attached at the top and bottom but not the sides. Then I start the four joins that run top to bottom and again work each of these in one continuous thread. I will add some pictures of this process when I am finishing my second blanket.

lockdown lapghan - autumn sunset
lockdown lapghan – Autumn Sunset

Finishing your lockdown lapghan – edging.

I promised this would be a very easy pattern so your edging can be very simple. Work one round of the same stitch we have used all the way through in a colour of your choice. At each corner follow the corner pattern from the odd rows of the block ie just do one Tr, 2CH, Tr (or DC, 2CH, DC in US terms) The picture of the finished blanket above includes just this simple edge as shown below.

lockdown lapghan treble edge
lockdown lapghan basic edge

There are other options with the edging though! If you are up for a little bit more complication, I would recommend adding a row of HTr (UK terms) or HDc (US instructions). This is a strong stitch for a border but does mean you need to learn another stitch! If you do go for an additional row of HTr work the corners as follows: UK terms – 2Htr, 2ch, 2Htr. US terms – 2HDc, 2CH, 2HDc. You can play with the colours in your border. Put in more than one row of different colours if you choose. The picture below shows the effect of adding a row of HTr (UK terms) or HDc (US terms).

edge with tr and htr
additional row of half trebles to give a stronger edge

If you are feeling more adventurous you could use one of my other favourite edging stitches. There is a free pattern on my blog for a three colour rope edging which I think I am going to use for my second blanket – pics to follow.

And you are done. Unless you feel like adding tassels to the corners 🙂 I hope you have enjoyed this free pattern and that if you are new to crochet you manage to produce your first blanket! Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Crochet Stars in Three Sizes

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In this post you will find free crochet patterns in UK and US terms for you to make crochet stars in three sizes. I originally started working on these because we had heating on for the first time this year. My thoughts went straight to the making time remaining to me before Christmas 🙂

However, these stars don’t have to be for Christmas. There are many uses through the year as card toppers, in garlands or as decoration when wrapping presents. They also work as reusable table confetti like the crochet hearts I made last year. You can find the patterns for the crochet hearts in this post – Crochet Hearts in three sizes.

Firstly let me tell you that the stars in the photos here are worked in Sirdar Cotton DK on a 4mm hook. I love this yarn for the stitch definition and the soft texture. Using this yarn the small star is roughly 4cm across, medium star measures 5cm and the largest one is 6cm across. The pattern will work in any yarn quality but the stars will come up different sizes of course.

Crochet Star – three sizes. Patterns in UK crochet terms – (Scroll down for patterns in US instructions)

Small Star – UK instructions

First round – make a magic loop (see below)

making a magic loop
magic loop

Work 2 chain into the magic loop and 9DC.

chain two into the magic loop
chain two
working the first round into the magic loop
work the first round into the magic loop

Pull the magic loop closed and join the first round with a slip stitch to the second of the starting chains.

close the magic loop and slip stitch to finish the round
pull the yarn tail to close the loop and finish with a slip stitch

Second round – Working into the same stitch, CH2, 1TR, CH2 picot*, 1DTR, 1TR. Work a slip stitch into the next stitch. There are eight stitches on round 1 remaining. Repeat the following pattern between the square brackets to the end of the row. [Working all the stitches in the following bracket into the next stitch (1HTR, 1TR, CH2 picot, 1DTR, 1TR), work a slip stitch into the next stitch] x 4. Finish off the yarn and you have your small star.

* work a picot as follows. slip stitch into the chain two from the hook as shown below.

work a slip stitch into the second chain from the hook to form the picot

Medium Star – UK instructions

First round – make a magic loop (see photos above)

Work 3 chain into the magic loop and 9TR. Pull the magic loop closed and join the first round with a slip stitch to the third of the starting chains.

Second round – Working into the same stitch, CH2, 1TR, CH2 picot*, 1DTR, 1TR. Work a slip stitch into the next stitch. There are eight stitches on round 1 remaining. Repeat the following pattern between the square brackets to the end of the row. [Working all the stitches in the following bracket into the next stitch (1HTR, 1TR, CH2 picot, 1DTR, 1TR), work a slip stitch into the next stitch] x 4. Finish off the yarn and you have your small star.

* work a picot as follows. slip stitch into the chain two from the hook as shown above.

Large Star – UK instructions

First round – make a magic loop (see photos above)

Work 3 chain into the magic loop and 9TR. Pull the magic loop closed and join the first round with a slip stitch to the third of the starting chains.

Second round – Chain 2, DC into the same space. Work 2DC into each of the remaining nine stitches then join with a slip stitch to the second of the starting chains.

Third round – Chain 2, 1TR into the same space. Into the next stitch work (1DTR, Chain 3, picot*, Chain 1, 1DTR). Into the next stitch work (1TR, 1HTR). Slip stitch into the next stitch to finish the first point of the star. Work four more points of the star as follows: [ into the first stitch (1HTR, 1TR), into the second stitch (1DTR, Chain 3, picot*, Chain 1, 1DTR), into the third stitch (1TR, 1HTR), work a slip stitch into the fourth stitch] repeat the instructions between the square brackets [ ] three more times and you are done!

* work a picot as follows. slip stitch into the chain two from the hook as shown above.

Patterns in US crochet terms – (Scroll up for patterns in UK instructions)

Small Star – US instructions

small crochet star

First round – make a magic loop (see photos above)

Work 2 chain into the magic loop and 9SC. Pull the magic loop closed and join the first round with a slip stitch to the second of the starting chains.

Second round – Working into the same stitch, CH2, 1DC, CH2 picot*, 1TR, 1DC. Work a slip stitch into the next stitch. There are eight stitches on round 1 remaining. Repeat the following pattern between the square brackets to the end of the row. [Working all the stitches in the following bracket into the next stitch (1HDC, 1DC, CH2 picot, 1TR, 1DC), work a slip stitch into the next stitch] x 4. Finish off the yarn and you have your small star.

* work a picot as follows. slip stitch into the chain two from the hook as shown above.

Medium Star – US instructions

First round – make a magic loop (see photos above)

Work 3 chain into the magic loop and 9DC. Pull the magic loop closed and join the first round with a slip stitch to the third of the starting chains.

Second round – Working into the same stitch, CH2, 1DC, CH2 picot*, 1TR, 1DC. Work a slip stitch into the next stitch. There are eight stitches on round 1 remaining. Repeat the following pattern between the square brackets to the end of the row. [Working all the stitches in the following bracket into the next stitch (1HDC, 1DC, CH2 picot, 1TR, 1DC), work a slip stitch into the next stitch] x 4. Finish off the yarn and you have your small star.

* work a picot as follows. slip stitch into the chain two from the hook as shown above.

Large Star – US instructions

First round – make a magic loop (see above)

Work 3 chain into the magic loop and 9DC. Pull the magic loop closed and join the first round with a slip stitch to the third of the starting chains.

Second round – Chain 2, SC into the same space. Work 2SC into each of the remaining nine stitches then join with a slip stitch to the second of the starting chains.

Third round – Chain 2, 1DC into the same space. Into the next stitch work (1TR, Chain 3, picot*, Chain 1, 1TR). Into the next stitch work (1DC, 1HDC). Slip stitch into the next stitch to finish the first point of the star. Work four more points of the star as follows: [ into the first stitch (1HDC, 1DC), into the second stitch (1TR, Chain 3, picot*, Chain 1, 1TR), into the third stitch (1DC, 1HDC), work a slip stitch into the fourth stitch] repeat the instructions between the square brackets [ ] three more times and you are done!

* work a picot as follows. slip stitch into the chain two from the hook as shown above.

I hope you love these little crochet stars as much as I do. Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Crochet Rope Edging

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This three coloured rope crochet edging makes a beautiful finish to any project. I was looking for an neat edge that used all three of the colours from my project. This edging forms a pretty rope effect and although it feels a bit fiddly to start with you will soon find you get into a rhythm.

crochet rope edging
three colour crochet rope edging

The materials I am using in this example are Sirdar Cotton DK and a 4mm hook. These photographs use the following colours, Red (shade 510), Honeysuckle (shade 508) and Citrus (shade 531). The base colour is Vanilla (shade 502).

Three coloured rope crochet edging pattern

Choose your start point and join in the first colour. Make a chain of five stitches and take the hook out of the stitch to leave a loop. Tip – as you work it is easy to pull out stitches so I recommend pulling a bit of thread through to leave a larger loop.

Join in the second colour to the stich alongside your first chain and again make a chain of five stitches then remove the hook.

Finally join in the third colour into the next stitch of your project, making your final chain of five stitches. When you have joined your third colour the work should look like this picture below.

crochet rope edging
three colours joined

Start making the three coloured crochet rope

Next we are going to start to make the rope. Put your hook back into the loop at the end of the first chain you made. In my work above this is the yellow chain. This is where it gets a bit fiddly! I found if I worked slowly at first and kept the colours from tangling, I got into an easy rhythm after a few colour changes 🙂

With your hook in the loop at the end of the first chain, bring this chain down in front of all the others and put your hook into the stitch next to the third colour. This is the next available stitch on the edge of your project as shown below.

crochet rope edging
hook placement for first twist of the rope

Make a slip stitch by putting your hook into this stitch, wrapping the yarn around and pull back through the work as shown below. Next pull this through the loop on the hook to form a slip stitch.

slip stitch to make the first twist
slip stitch to secure the first twist

Work another five chains with this colour and remove the hook from the work. Your edging should look like this picture below.

crochet rope edging 4
crochet rope edging after the first twist

You have made the first twist and the rest of the crochet rope follows the same method. Put your hook into the end of the chain nearest to the right of the work. Bring the chain to the front of the work and put your hook into the next available stitch to the left of the work. For my example here this means putting the hook into the end of the orange chain. Bring this chain forward and secure the twist with a slip stitch into the stitch next to the yellow chain, as shown in the photos below.

crochet rope edging 5
bring the next chain to the front of the work
crochet rope edging 6
work into the next available stitch
crochet rope edging 7
slip stitch leaving one loop on the hook
crochet rope edging 9
work another five stitch chain and move the hook to the next colour

Finishing your work – Tips

That really is all there is to it. Continue picking up each colour, bringing it to the front of the work and secure with a slip stitch before making a new five stitch chain. You will see your rope start to grow. More pictures below along with a few final tips.

crochet rope edging 10
third twist secured
crochet rope edging 11
keep going in the same way to form the rope

Using the rope edging on the ends of rows side

If you are working along an edge that has the ends of rows rather than a neat set of stitches this can be difficult to space. Measure the gap between two slip stitches of the same colour on your first edge and use that as a guide to place your slip stitches on this edge.

Changing the pattern to suit different weights of yarn or tension

If you find that the tension of the rope doesn’t sit well or look right then adjust the number of stitches you have in your chain. I found five chain stitches was perfect for this Cotton DK. You might need more/fewer if you are working with a different weight of yarn. Just find the right tension by trial and error working a small section then see how the edging sits.

Dealing with corners

If you are working on a square or rectangular project you will have to deal with a 90 degree corner or rather four corners! You should find that if you work three colours into one stitch either side of the corner the rope will continue round the corner. This means that you work all three colours into the last stich of the row before the corner. Turn and again work all three colours into the first stitch on the next side. Please let me know if you would like to see photos of this and I will add them or put up a separate post.

Adding in more colours

I only used three colours in my design here but you could work a rope with more colours or fewer. Simply adjust the length of chain you use to give the desired effect.

I think that is it for now. I put up a pattern for flower petal edging if you would like to try something different. You can see that pattern here – flower petal edging. Please let me know if you like this edging pattern and if there is anything else I can help with. Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Rainbows and Hearts crochet blanket

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Here is a Rainbows and Hearts version of my hearts and stripes blanket. I didn’t design the original blanket this way deliberately but when I realised the striped squares have seven bars of colour I HAD to make a rainbow version 🙂

One of the issues with using more colours is having more ends to finish off. I have to confess I actually shelved the project at one point because tying off all these ends in REALLY thick yarn was pretty grim. However, I have found the most AMAZING gadget to help.

This is probably old news to lots of you but I hadn’t found these before. A ‘Wool needle’ made by Knit Pro. This needle has a blunt end like a tapestry needle. It also has a big loop (rather than an eye) to make threading easy. I love it!! When I am more organised I will put a link to Amazon in here. Until then, all you have to do is search on ‘knit pro wool needle’ to find them. Like all great inventions I am wondering why it took this long to be available. It seems such an obvious design and perfect for the job when you use it.

I will make a PDF of this pattern for sale on my Etsy store when I get chance. I didn’t want to hold up posting because it does take me a while to scrape the time together sometimes. The pattern for the blocks and advice on joining etc is available for free here:

This is the link that takes you to the heart block pattern

Here is the link to the striped block pattern

Finally this link takes you to the instructions for making up and border pattern. For the rainbow version I kept the border very simple. For UK instructions work one round of DC in White. One round of HTR in black. For US instructions make that one round of SC in white. One round of HDC in black.

Sorry if that is a bit clunky – I will produce the PDF as soon as I can. When I produce the PDF I will do a colour chart. If you want to make a start here is a full picture of the blanket laid out flat. Hopefully you can take your colour instructions from this!

I am already onto the next project. I have decided to make a cushion with the left-over yarn. Pattern and pics to follow.

Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Crochet Blog – update #9

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Welcome to my Crochet blog – update #9. It has been such a long time since I posted an update. I have been working on a number of projects but life and the day job took over. It is difficult to find time to get the patterns together and tested. I am trying to ring fence time to work on my crochet projects, for the sake of my mental health if nothing else!

I have been trying to organise this blog better, updating menus and links. Building my Pinterest profile has been a focus and reviewing all the beautiful work that my fellow crochet designers are producing. I have set up a Tailwind tribe to collect and promote inspiring crochet block and crochet blanket patterns.

Join my new Tailwind tribe here!

Project updates

Hearts and Spots blanket

Now onto the projects I have been busy with. Firstly I am close to finishing a couple of long standing projects. My Hearts and Spots blanket which started life as a Christmas present from my husband. The present was one ball of every colour of Drops Paris cotton yarn. The only thing I have left to do is to finish stitching in the ends. There are a lot of ends!! The design is made up of squares that I designed and have already shared as free patterns. I have added the links to these patterns below the picture.

Hears and spots blanket

Open heart square

Sample square

Cosy Knitted blanket

I branched out into knitting for a short time and will be putting the pattern for this lovely cosy blanket up on my blog as soon as I can get it written. Not to make excuses for the delay but I am actually waiting for my husband to draft the chart 🙂

Cosy knitted blanket

Hearts and Stripes blanket

My latest project is a 4th of July inspired Hearts and Stripes blanket. I designed a solid block based on my heart motif and put it with a simple striped square to produce this blanket. The free patterns for the two squares you need to make this project are already posted. I will post the full pattern for the blanket next – just finishing the pattern test! Here is a picture of the finished project. I hope you like it. Below the picture are the links to the patterns for the two squares.

Hearts and stripes blanket

Full Heart crochet block

Striped square

Finally I have been working on yarn recycling. We (Mum and I) put together quite a stash of salvaged yarn and it has been nagging at me from bags in my stash room….. YES… I am so lucky – I have a whole room for my stash. Admittedly the room is only about four foot square so I suppose it is more of a cupboard than a room … but it is stash dedicated space 🙂 Anyway these bags of recycled yarn have been on my mind so you can expect to see an update on that project in the coming days. I think that is it for now – Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂