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crochet project

Log Cabin Love Blankets

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In this post I am sharing the love and making my Log Cabin Love crochet blocks into Log Cabin Love Blankets! I have two suggested designs to share with you and some pics of my blanket as it progresses.

Firstly – if you are starting with this post, you need the link to the block pattern which is here

The first blanket design I am sharing is based on the colours in my original block. In this version I have worked the blocks identically. The yarn is my favourite Stylecraft Special Chunky which you can see here at my favourite UK yarn store – Woolwarehouse.

The colours I have used are as follows: Panels 1 and 2 – White 1001, Panel 3 – Silver 1203, Panel 4 – Cloud Blue 1019, Panel 5 – Graphite 1063, Panel 6 – Aster 1003, Panel 7 – Black 1002 and Panel 8 – Royal 1117.

The hearts themselves are worked in Lipstick 1246.

log cabin love blanket
Log Cabin Love blanket

The second layout I have tried requires a flipped version of the block. You can see the effect that that produces in this picture.

log cabin love blanket v2
log cabin love blanket with flipped squares

If you would like me to share the pattern for the flipped block then please leave a comment and I will put that version up on this blog.

Edging the log cabin love blanket

For the edging I worked four rows of half Trebles (HDc in US terms) in black then pale blue, white and finally black again. As an additional option you could add a row of small hearts. I am planning to try this and will post additional pictures when I have completed the border.

log cabin love blanket
log cabin love blanket – basic edging

I hope you enjoy making these log cabin love blankets. Please share pictures of your work if you do use this pattern. I am happy for anyone to use or share my patterns but please include a link back to this blog if you do. Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Hearts and Flowers Scarf

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Sharing with you my latest heart based pattern – Hearts and Flowers Scarf. This pattern is based on the new large heart pattern I shared a couple of weeks ago. The pattern uses three sizes of heart but they are actually all the same pattern. To make the different sizes you simply stop after the first, second or third rounds. There are also two sizes of flower 🙂

hearts and flowers scarf
hearts and flowers scarf

Materials

The scarf pictured here is made from Stylecraft Special Chunky yarn. The shades used are Lipstick – 1246, Saffron – 1081 and White – 1001. I buy all my yarn from woolwarehouse here in the UK. The flowers and hearts are made using a 6mm crochet hook. TIP – have a smaller sized hook available to use for fiddly bits – more later on this!

You could make this scarf using oddments of any weight of yarn. It would be a great stash busting pattern if you did just use up any scraps you have. You could use a complete mix of colours but I think it would be most effective if you keep one pallet of colours for the hearts and a different pallet of colours for the flowers.

This pattern is ‘free form’ rather than being a specific layout. This means you make lots of hearts and flowers then lay them out as you like them before joining them together to make the scarf.

Start your own Hearts and Flowers Scarf

‘Free Form’ is all very well but you have to know what you are aiming for! There are two options for this. The first option is very simple if you have a scarf you already like the length and width of. Lay that scarf out on a flat surface. Second option, if you don’t have a suitable scarf to base your hearts and flowers scarf on then as a rough guide, a scarf is normally between six and eight inches wide and about as long as you are tall. Cut a template out of newspaper or tape together scrap paper till you have something the size and shape of the scarf you are making.

Whichever your base, the next step is to place on the hearts and flowers in a design you like. Bear in mind that you will need to join them up with a couple of stitches so aim for each shape to touch another in a couple of places without being bent or forced to do so. If you have to bend or stretch a shape to make it fit then you will end up with unwanted bumps and lumps in your scarf.

You could make the hearts and flowers and build the design up as you make them. Or, you could use paper templates to design the scarf first which then tells you how many of each shape you need to make.

Here is a free download which contains outlines of the hearts and flowers in all sizes. You can cut these out and play with shapes until you get the design you want. Note these sizes are representative of the space required only and not accurate versions of the flowers. They are based on my own tension using Stylecraft Special chunky and a 6mm hook. If you are using scraps of different yarns you will need to use your own shapes to make templates.

Hearts and Flowers template (14571 downloads )
hearts and flowers scarf layout
laying out the hearts and flowers to design the scarf

Heart and flower patterns

The heart pattern can be found here. To make the three sizes simply finish off after the first, second or third round!

Large flower pattern

First round – in first yarn, make a magic loop, Chain 2 and work six DC (SC in US terms) into the loop. Pull closed and slip stitch into the top of the two chains to form a small disc.

Second round – join a contrast yarn, Chain 2 work a round of DC (Sc in US terms) work 2Dc (Sc in US terms) into the second and 5th stitch and slip stitch to join back to the start point.

Third round – with the wrong side of the disc facing you work 12 Chain then slip stitch into the next stitch. Work 12 chain and slip stitch into the following stitch. Proceed like this until you get back to the start of the round. This should give you 10 ‘petals’ but to be honest, if it gives you 11 or 9 it really doesn’t matter!

Small flower pattern

First round – make a magic loop, Chain 2 and work six DC (SC in US terms) into the loop. Pull closed and slip stitch into the top of the two chains to form a small disc.

Second round – with wrong side facing, chain 9 then slip stitch into the next stitch. Work 9 chain and slip stitch into the following stitch. Proceed like this until you get back to the start of the round. This should give you 7 ‘petals’ but again, if it gives you 6 or 8 it really doesn’t matter!

Finish off all the ends on the flower centres. Leave the ends on the petals and hearts and use these to join the hearts and flowers.

Making up your Hearts and Flowers Scarf

You can start anywhere when you make this scarf up. I started at one end adding each element as I went. I think if I was making this with scraps, I would start in the middle and keep each side more or less even with the colours.

Pick up your first heart. Using one of the ends that you left without finishing, thread a wool needle and work the end through the heart to the point where it touches the next element in your layout. Join to this next element with a couple of stitches then continue to finish off the end by weaving it into the heart as normal.

Lay the two joined elements back into your design. Pick up the next element that touches these and again join using the other unfinished end. If you have too many joins and not enough unfinished ends then you can thread your needle with a yarn scrap to form the join but I tried to get away without doing this!

One final point on the layout. Pushing the hearts and flowers together closely to minimise the gaps and spaces, will make the scarf more substantial and warmer. Spreading the hearts and flowers out, leaving larger gaps, will make the scarf more decorative than warm!

If you use this pattern please share your results – it would be lovely to see them. I am happy for anyone to use these or any of my patterns to make things to sell or share but please include a link back to my blog if you do.

I have one more heart based pattern to come for this years Valentines day so watch this space. Hope to be posting that one in the coming week. Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂

Log Cabin Love crochet block

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Here is my latest heart themed block. This one is a great stash buster! You can use any scraps of yarn you have to make the log cabin love crochet block. However, the yarn does need to be roughly the same weight.

To make the examples shown here I have used Stylecraft Special Chunky and a 6mm hook. You can see the range here where I buy all my yarn at Woolwarehouse.

It is possible to mix different yarn types and I can cover this in a separate post if you would find it helpful. Please leave a comment to let me know.

NOTE – This pattern will be a lot easier to follow when I add photos which will follow in the coming week – before end Jan 21. If you find it hard to follow please come back when the photos are up. 🙂

Log Cabin Love crochet block pattern – UK crochet terms

NOTE – for US terms simply work DC where the pattern states Tr.

The heart of the pattern (see what I did there?) is the crochet heart. To make the heart you need to follow this link to my new large crochet heart pattern. The link takes you to another page on my blog where you will find the free pattern in both UK and US crochet terms. I made a few of these hearts then started to build the log cabin panels around them.

This diagram shows you the order in which the panels are worked.

log cabin love block diagram
log cabin love block panels

First panel

With your crochet heart face up this panel sits down the left hand side of the heart. We will be working from top to bottom of the block. The first four blocks have foundation rows made of chain stitch or slip stitches. This is because they frame the heart and are not joined to anything else in places.

First row
log cabin love panel 1
start by adding foundation for panel 1

Make a loop to start and chain 3. Count the stitches up the left side from the bottom of the heart with the bottom stitch being #1, slip stitch into #13 to attach your chain to the heart. Continue with 12 more chain. Turn the work ready for the second row.

log cabin love panel 1 - second row
starting the second row of panel 1
Second row

(wrong side facing) work 1Tr into the fourth chain from the hook. Continue working Tr along this row, 7 more Tr will take you to the slip stitch on the edge of the heart. Work 1 Tr into this stitch then 1Tr into each of the three chain stitches to reach the end of the row. CH3 and turn the work ready for the final row of this first panel.

log cabin love block - end of second row of panel 1
3CH at end of second row of panel 1
Third row

(right side facing) miss the first stitch and work 12 Trs to take you to the end of the row. Fasten off the yarn.

Second panel

With your crochet heart face up this panel sits across the top of the heart. We will be working from right to left of the block.

First row

Make a loop to start and chain 3. Slip stitch into the top of the right side of the heart to attach your chain to the heart. Continue with 6 more chain stitches then slip stitch to attach the chain to the top of the left side of the heart. Chain 3 then slip stitch into the edge of the top of panel 1 and work 3 more slip stitches across the top of block 1 to take you to the top left hand corner of the log cabin love block. Chain 3 and turn the work ready for the second row.

adding the second panel of the log cabin love block
foundation row for the second panel
Second row

(wrong side facing) miss the first stitch then work 3Tr into the slip stitches across the top of block 1. Work 3Tr into the three chain stitches then one Tr into the slip stitch at the top of the left side of the heart. Work 6Tr into the middle chain section then 1 Tr into the slip stitch at the top of the right side of the heart. Finally work 1Tr into each of the three chain stitches to reach the end of the row. CH3 and turn the work ready for the final row of the second panel.

Third row

(right side facing) miss the first stitch and work 17 Tr to take you to the end of the row. Fasten off the yarn.

Third panel

With your crochet heart face up this panel sits down the right hand side of the heart. We will be working from the bottom to the top of the block.

First row

Make a loop to start and chain 9. Count the stitches up the right side from the bottom of the heart with the bottom stitch being #1, slip stitch into #13 to attach your chain to the heart. Continue with 3 more chain then slip stitch into the bottom corner of panel 2 and work 3 more slip stitches across the end of panel 2. Turn the work ready for the second row.

adding the third panel of the log cabin love block
start the 3rd panel with a chain then slip stitch to the heart
Second row

(wrong side facing) miss the first stitch and work 3 Tr into the slip stitches on the previous row. Work 1Tr into each of the 3CH then one Tr into the slip stitch at the right side of the heart. Finally work into the Chain 9 Tr to reach the bottom of this panel. CH3 and turn the work ready for the final row of this third panel.

Third row

(right side facing) miss the first stitch and work 16 Tr to take you to the end of the row. Fasten off the yarn.

Fourth panel

With your crochet heart face up this panel sits across the bottom of the heart. We will be working from left to right across the bottom of the block.

First row

Attach your yarn to the outside corner of the bottom of panel 1. Slip stich 4 across the bottom of panel 1 then chain six and work one slip stitch into the bottom of the heart. Chain 6 and work four slip stitches across the bottom of panel 3. Chain 3 and turn the work ready for the second row.

foundation row for the fourth panel of the log cabin love block
foundation row for the fourth panel of the block
Second row

(wrong side facing) Miss the first stitch then work 3Tr into slip stitches across the bottom of panel 3. Continue working 6 Tr into the chain and 1 Tr into the slip stitch at the bottom of the heart. Work 6 Tr into the chain and four Tr into the slip stitches across the bottom of panel 1 to reach the end of the row. CH3 and turn the work ready for the final row of this fourth block.

Third row

(right side facing) miss the first stitch and work 20 Tr to take you to the end of the row. Fasten off the yarn.

Fifth panel

With your crochet heart face up this panel sits along the right side of the block next to panel 3. We will be working from the bottom to the top of the block. Things get easier now with no need for a foundation row.

First row

(right side facing) Attach your yarn to the bottom right corner of the work – at the corner of panel 4 and chain 3. Work 2 Tr into the end of panel 4 then work 17 Tr along panel 3. Chain 3 and turn the work ready for the second row.

fifth panel of the log cabin love block
adding the fifth panel
Second row

(wrong side facing) miss the first stitch and work 19 Tr to take you to the end of the row. Fasten off the yarn.

Sixth panel

With your crochet heart face up this panel sits across the bottom of the block below panel 4. We will be working from the right to left side of the block.

First row

(wrong side facing) Attach your yarn to the bottom right corner of the work – at the corner of panel 5 and chain 3. Work 2 Tr into the end of panel 5 then work 21 Tr along panel 4. Chain 3 and turn the work ready for the second row.

sixth panel of the log cabin love block
adding panel six to the block
Second row

(right side facing) miss the first stitch and work 23 Tr to take you to the end of the row. Fasten off the yarn.

Seventh panel

With your crochet heart face up this panel sits along the right side of the block next to panel 5. We will be working from the bottom to the top of the block.

First row

(right side facing) Attach your yarn to the bottom right corner of the work – at the corner of panel 5 and chain 3. Work 2 Tr into the end of panel 5 then work 20 Tr along panel 3. Chain 3 and turn the work ready for the second row.

adding panel seven to the log cabin love block
adding panel seven to the block
Second row

(wrong side facing) miss the first stitch and work 22 Tr to take you to the end of the row. Fasten off the yarn.

Eighth panel

With your crochet heart face up this panel sits across the bottom of the block below panel 6. We will be working from the right to left side of the block.

First row

(wrong side facing) Attach your yarn to the bottom right corner of the work – at the corner of panel 7 and chain 3. Work 2 Tr into the end of panel 7 then work 24 Tr along panel 6. Chain 3 and turn the work ready for the second row.

adding the final panel to the log cabin love block
adding the final panel!
Second row

(right side facing) miss the first stitch and work 26 Tr to take you to the end of the row. Fasten off the yarn.

Log Cabin Love crochet block
Log Cabin Love crochet block

I hope you love this Log Cabin Love crochet block and have fun making log cabin blankets to share the love. I have some suggested blanket layouts which I will post separately but I wanted to get his pattern out there! Happy crocheting!

Annie 🙂