Outlander Cowl

The infamous Outlander Cowl! I decided I wanted something simple, beginner friendly, and fast. Fast was really something I was after. This pattern fits the bill – it is very simple, works up fast – and best of all, it’s gorgeous. Squishy and drapey, the bulky yarn really shines.

Great for beginners or experienced knitters, this project is a hit for holiday gifts, too.

For a classic Claire style, pick a heathered grey yarn.

This pattern is free, but if you’d like to support my designing habit, buy me a cup of coffee!

Materials

Yarn: 200 yards of bulky weight yarn. Sample used Loops & Threads Charisma in “Forest”, 2 skeins.

Needle(s): US 35 (19 mm)

Notions: Optional buttons (sample used 2 but 3 would work better), sized 1 1/8” (28 mm) or larger as needed.

Note: This cowl is worked flat with two strands held together to create a super soft, squishy end project.

Pattern

Using 2 strands at once, CO 10 stitches. If making a solid loop, use a provisional cast on for a seamless finish. Otherwise, cast on as usual.

Row 1: k all stitches

Repeat row 1 until cowl is desired length, leaving enough yarn to BO (measure 4 x the width of your piece and leave at least that much yarn – a bit extra doesn’t hurt though!).

For a seamless finish with a provisional cast on, sew pieces together using Kitchener stitch.

If no provisional cast on was used, seam ends together.

Optionally, twist piece as it’s being sewn to make the cowl lay flat when worn longer as a scarf.

To add buttons, sew along one end. No button holes are needed since the piece is gappy enough to let them slip through.

Don’t knit? I make these to order in my Etsy shop in colours of your choice. Check out the listing here!

Lucky Horseshoe Mason Jar Cover

I set out to design this mason jar cozy after finding an interesting stitch pattern that reminded me of horseshoes. I thought the arches and gaps in the pattern would make for very interesting light patterns on the wall – and it turned out great!

If you’d like an easy to print PDF with notes on how to adjust your pattern, you can purchase it on Ravelry, Etsy, or Craftsy! Thank you for your support & I hope you enjoy the pattern!

Materials

Yarn: 50 yards (~25 grams) of worsted weight yarn. A lighter worsted weight yarn will give a more delicate effect.

Hook(s):

J (6 mm) hook

Notions:

Yarn needle for weaving in ends, Mason jar (32 oz  / 1 quart).

Pattern

Note: Ch 3 do not count as a st.

Ch 26, join in the round being careful not to twist. (Or, fdc 26 and join to work in the round with a slip stitch to first fdc. Begin pattern on round 2.)

Round 1: Ch 3, dc in each st to end. Join with a slip stitch to first dc. (26 dc)

Round 2: Ch 3, *fpdc, hdc. Repeat from * to end. Join with a slip stitch to first fpdc.

Round 3: Ch 3, *fpdc, hdc. Repeat from * to last two stitches. Fpdc, 2 hdc in last st. (27 st)

Round 4: Ch 3, *dc in next 3 st, ch 2, skip 2 st, dc in next 3 st, ch 1, skip 1 st. Repeat from * twice more. Join with a slip stitch to first dc.

Round 5: Ch 3, *dc in next 3 st, ch 5, dc in next 3 dc, ch 1. Repeat from * twice more. Join with a slip stitch to first dc.

Round 6: Ch 1, *skip next sts and 12 dc in ch 5 space from previous round, sc in ch 1 space. Repeat from * to end. Do not join at the end of this round. We’re moving the beginning of this round a little, but it’s okay, I promise!

Round 7: Ch 7 (counts as tr and 3 ch). *Skip 4 dc, sc in next 4 dc, skip 4 dc, ch 3**, tr in next sc, ch 3. Repeat from * twice more, finishing the last repeat at **. Join with a slip stitch to the top of the beginning tr (4th ch of the ch 7).

Round 8: Slip st into ch 3 space. Ch 3, *3 dc in ch 3 space, ch 2, 3 dc in next ch 3 space, ch 1. Repeat from * to end, join with a slip stitch to first dc.

 

Repeat rounds 5-8 once more. Your cover should be about 8” (20 cm) long. If you want a longer cover, repeat rounds 5-8 as desired. (If your cover is about 7” (18 cm) long, you should still be fine to start decreases, it will just stretch a bit more.)

If you want your cozy to have a bottom, work the decreases. Otherwise, work round 1 of the decreases and finish off, weaving in your ends. This will leave the bottom uncovered and make a sleeve instead of a cozy.

Begin decreases below.

Decreases

Round 1: Ch 1, sc in each dc and ch around. Join with a slip stitch to first sc. (27 sc)

Round 2: Ch 1, *sc in next 7 st, sc2tog. Repeat from * to end. Join with a slip stitch to first sc. (24 sc)

Round 3: Ch 1, *sc in next 4 st, sctog. Repeat from * to end. Join with a slip stitch to first sc. (20 sc)

Round 4: Ch 1, *sc in next 3 st, sctog. Repeat from * to end. Join with a slip stitch to first sc. (16 sc)

The bottom should be flat – if it’s not quite working out, decrease another round more or less to get a flat bottom so the jar sits level.

Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Using a yarn needle, weave through the stitches of round 4 and pull tightly. Weave in ends.

Flower Cup Cozy

This quick little cup cozy works up perfectly in spring colours! Use it to hold your hot or cold drink year round. The size listed in the pattern is for a standard large sized cup from Starbucks – if you order various sizes, make it a little smaller than directed for some flexibility, as the pattern does stretch depending on the yarn you use.

Hook: H (5 mm)

Yarn: Worsted weight in 2-3 colours, roughly 12 grams total.

Special Stitches

Beginning Cluster: *Yo, insert hook into st, pull up a loop, yo, pull yarn through 2 loops. Repeat from * once more, then pull yarn through all three loops on hook.

Cluster (cl): *Yo, insert hook into st, pull up a loop, yo, pull yarn through 2 loops. Repeat from * twice more, then pull yarn through all four loops on hook.

Corner Cluster: cluster, ch 2, cluster.

Pattern

Make a magic ring with yarn A, or ch 4 and slip stitch to first ch to form a ring.

Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as a dc), beginning cluster into ring, ch 3, *cl into ring, ch 3. Repeat from * 5 times, join with a slip stitch into top of beginning cluster. Cut yarn.

Round 2: Join yarn B to any ch 3 space. Ch 3, beginning cluster in same ch 3 space yarn was joined in, *ch 3, corner cluster in next ch 3 space, ch 3, corner cluster in next ch 3 space, ch 3**, cluster in next ch 3 space. Repeat from * once more, ending at **. Join with a slip stitch to beginning cluster. If using 3 colours, cut yarn.

Round 3: Join yarn C in ch 3 of first corner cluster after round 2’s end OR sl st with yarn B into ch 3 space of first corner cluster. Ch 1. Sc 2 in ch 3 space, sc in cluster. Sc 3 in next ch 3 space, sc in cluster, sc 2 in ch 3 space of next corner cluster, turn. (9 sc)

Row 4: Ch 2, hdc in each stitch across, turn. (9 hdc)

Row 5: Ch 1, sc in back loop of each stitch across, turn. (9 sc)

Repeat row 4 – 5 until piece measures 9″ (23 cm). Fold cozy with right sides facing and cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Seam ends together to create a tube.

Note: To create a custom sized cozy, crochet until desired size instead of 9″ – you could crochet even longer for a headband option or boot cuff!

Edging: Turn cozy right side out and attach yarn colour of choice to the cozy. Ch 1. Sc evenly around. Repeat edging for the other end. Weave in ends. Optionally, slip stitch or a basic picot could be added for a decorative edge.

Fairy Hat & Petal Skirt

Welp folks, I finally got a new pattern published! I’ve been working on a bit of a side project lately, so pattern making has been put a bit on back burner. But I was feeling an itch to make something cute and straight forward. I found myself drawn, as usual, to baby items!

Hence this cute fairy flower hat and petal skirt. The version I made used the tulle under the petals option, but there’s directions for a two layer petal skirt, as well. It’s sized for 0-3 months and 3-6 months, so you can get those baby photos in pronto! (Seriously, get the pictures in before the kiddo figures out how to wiggle around so much!)

You can find this pattern up on the various sites I sell at, linked here:

Ravelry – Etsy – Craftsy

As always, thank you for your support & I hope your weekend is going fabulously! We’re melting here in the pacific northwest, so there’s not much hope for us at this point.

Free Pattern Friday

It’s that time of week again already! This week has zoomed by for me, personally. This week I’m actually featuring one of my patterns that Red Heart just published! Excitement, right?!

These quick little hanging baskets are so great for spring and organizing! You can find the Ravelry link to the pattern here, which lists all the details and links to the pattern on Red Heart’s website. The yarn used for the basket is a little tricky to work with, but it’s worth it – it creates a very dense, stable fabric, perfect for the little things at your work station.

Freebie Friday

Free patterns are the best – I think we can all agree on that! My recent freebie find that I’m in love with is Geraldine Allemand’s new free pattern – Easter Bunnies! (Ravelry Link / Website Link)

Easter Bunny – free pattern feature 4/7/18

Geraldine very generously offered this pattern for free right in time for Easter crafting, and she translated it into English from her native French. The pattern is a spin on another free bunny pattern that’s floating around, but a few simple details make this one shine.

What’s to love? It’s all worked in garter – knit knit knit! It’s also very beginner friendly, and you can change up the yarns used to make it a stash-buster endeavor, as well.

I’ve been making up a whole army of them as gifts for my nieces & nephews this year. As you can see in my photos, they’re great little treat bags for the kiddos.

One change I made was giving them fluffy little ball tails instead of pom poms. My youngest nephew is 1 (happy birthday today, kiddo!) so I wanted to make them friendly to him and pom poms aren’t great for chewing on. I used Pipsqueak yarn for the tails and crocheted them – which at first that yarn was a little over-hyped for me, but now that I’ve used it on my… six bunnies… and counting, I think I’m sold. It works great for them.

These bunnies work up for me in a bit over an hour after I really got good at them, and they’re just so darn cute. You can see more details on my project page on Ravelry, if you’d like.

Don’t knit? I’m accepting orders for these little fellas in my Etsy shop until the 9th! Use coupon code “TWOBUNNIES” to get a discount when you order 2!

So, are you going to make some bunnies?! Well, hop to it!

 

Pattern Testing, ahoy!

Yesterday, I started my day off with a goal to write a pattern. It’d been bouncing around in my head for a while, and I felt like I really needed to get it down. I knew from the start I wanted something fitting the following criteria:

• Easy. I wanted it simple and enjoyable.
• Practical. Something people would want to put time into as gifts for themselves and others.
• Adjustable. Works with the yarn and hooks you have, no specifics.

In this pattern, I’ve found all those aspects. Thus far, I’ve written the pattern for the 6-12 mo, 12-18 mo, and 18-24 mo. Today I hope to take the real test and try writing the child/teen/adult sizes to round it off and get it set up for testing!

Here’s a few preview photos of my new pattern, hopefully being published sometime next week!

18-24 mo size.

Size 6 – 12 mo.

Crochet Hat & Flower Accent Patterns

I was bribedencouraged with the prospect of a free pattern the other day to hook up a hat pattern – it was an interesting pattern, and I really liked that it provided a video tutorial, a chart, and written directions! I’m the type of person who likes written patterns, with photos/video to supplement, and maybe a chart to clarify (though I usually get by on written just fine.)

The hat itself was pretty cute, I made a baby size with a brim. But it seemed to be lacking that… pop. Crochet hats in solid colours can be a little underwhelming sometimes, and it’s a baby hat – they’re supposed to be adorable!

So the pattern feature is really for two crochet patterns that I found. Last night, after the hat was finished, I took some time to search Ravelry for a lovely floral addition to my hat, and found the fantastic pattern used below!

Free crochet your own adventure hat pattern and flower pattern.

The flower pattern is really nice because it can be done with any hook/yarn. Basically, find a button you want to slip it over (did I mention it’s no sew?), size your beginning chains, and then make as many layers of petals as you want (3 layers are supplied; I did 2 for mine.) How great is that? It could be used to make a variety of colours and then be changed out depending on season or outfit themes… yes. The potential is endless.

Here’s the links you’ve been waiting for!

• Crochet Your Own Adventure Hat
• Flower Accent

Any grand plans for your crafting weekend? I’m still working on my pattern process posts at the moment, in-between crocheting and knitting, of course. Classes at uni start Monday for me, so I’m enjoying my last tastes of freedom and preparing for OFFF on Sunday, as well! There’ll be lots of pictures and coverage of that event on the blog, too.

Dead Fish Hat

Every year, I face a dilemma around holiday times: what do you craft for someone who has everything? Many people in my life fall into this category, so I’ve had to learn what ways work best for dealing with this hard to gift persons.

This year, I found an excellent pattern for my grandpa for his birthday. He’s a country, small town folk sort of guy, so it was hard to think of anything practical that he’d need (crochet/knitted gloves wouldn’t suffice for his level of work.) To that end, I went with something silly instead.

Enter, the dead fish hat.

The dead fish hat in all its glory.

What I loved about this hat was the versatility. It used up some colours I wouldn’t normally use, and allowed for me to really customize it for the person I was gifting it to. Even better, it’s actually a pretty warm hat! Grandpa ended up really liking it, so that’s a bonus too.

This is a free pattern that you can find more info about on ravelry, or go directly to the pattern page through this link. Either way, if you’re looking for a quick knit to stash away for the impending holiday rush, this might be just the pattern for you! (The only thing you should check is your gauge! Mine was way off for the suggested needle size, so check that to make sure the brim is a good fit and to save yourself some stress.)

Cafe Au Lait Poncho

Here’s a great pattern up for 24 hours on Cre8tionCrochet! This poncho is super fun and easy to customize, and comes with various sizing options too. Lorene has some really great patterns up for free and sale, and is running a celebration giveaway for reaching 60k fans – quite the accomplishment!

To read more about the giveaway and goodies, check out the main post about it here!