Crocheting For My Grandchildren

I thought it may be nice to show you some crochet items I have been making for my grandchildren recently, links provided where possible.

 This set is for Cindy who is almost 3

You can grab the free pattern for the vest at this site

 This set is for Savannah who is almost 2

For the boys, Cooper and Bradyn

 For Savannah

For the hat above and below, I used my beanie babe hat pattern and increased to 60 hdc.
 This is Cindy and a new hat I made for her

 A circular vest I made inspired with Minnie Mouse in mind, I used the idea from the crochet schema at this site, this turned out to be a small size 6 to 12 months and I gifted it to a lovely young woman who is having a baby girls in August

 

I used the information from this page to get the crochet look in the beret below

Instructions For This Beret Coming Soon!

Oh and here are a pair of slippers I made for myself

Quick and Easy Polo Style Crochet Neck Warmer

Quick and Easy Polo Scarf

I first made this polo style neck warmer to match Robyn's Beret.

It is very quick to make up and uses a small amount of yarn, you can make several of these to match your favorite outfits. They look great with or without a decorative touch, perfect for a broach placement, but most of all perfect for keeping out the cold.

US crochet terms used
Hook 5 mm, yarn 10 to 12 ply, approx 50 gm's
Stitches used:
ch
sc
back loop
hdc
dc
Time approx 1 hour
Experience, beginner
All sizes, follow instructions below.
To begin, you need to measure the circumference of your head, make a chain length, or a single crochet foundation row, that will fit  around your head.

I used 12 ply yarn with a 5 mm hook and my head measured 22 inches around, my stitch count was 50, the pattern will work with any number of st's.

Round 1, join your chain to form a ring, ch 1, work 1 sc in each ch to end sl st to join/or sl st to join your sc foundation row. Be careful not to twist when joining to form a circle
Rounds, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 ch 1, work 1 sc in the back loop of each st to end, sl st to join
Round 10, ch 1 work 1 hdc in the back loop of ach st around, sl st to join
Round, 11, ch 1, working in both loops, work 1 hdc in each st to end, sl st to join
Round 12, ch 1, increase by 10 st's evenly around while working 1 hdc in each st to end, sl st to join
Round 13, ch 1, work 1 hdc in each st around, sl st to join
Round 14, decoartive row, *ch 3, work 2 dc in same place as ch 3, skip 1 st, sl st into next st* repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join, finish off and sew in ends

Free Crochet Patterns, Courtesy Of Cathy Wood
Aka, Cats-Rockin-Crochet.
2014.

You can sell your items made from this free crochet pattern
I’d love to see this pattern used for charity use
Please link back to this pattern if you use it

Latest Free Crochet eBooks from AllFreeCrochet

I have given my permission to AllFreeCrochet to use my free pattern for the Shy Butterfly Baby Sweater in their soon to be released, free crochet patterns ebook.

This is an honor for me, All Free Crochet is not only trustworthy, it is the leading free crochet pattern directory. The free pattern directory is easy to navigate, has a pictured pattern directory with a short description of the free pattern which includes experience levels,  they also have a what is hot list in every category. 
As a pattern writer, the rewards for having your patterns available for listing on their site is on going, a steady flow of traffic to your free crochet patterns, acknowledgement and what I like to call trophies when your pattern does very well with the pattern users such as this icon you are given.

I have enjoyed reading about the crochet designers on AllFreeCrochet, it's nice to know a little bit about the designers who supply their designs for free and who are willing to share so much of their time for others they do not even know, thank you to you all.

Crochet Neck and Chest Warmer

 

This was born out of necessity, I have a chest cold and my chest is feeling very cold, no matter what I do I cannot not warm myself up in the chest area. Knowing what I needed I decided to make a neck and chest warmer in one, something I could just pop over my head, easy on and easy off, as my temperature fluctuates, going from cold to hot the easy on and off was the perfect solution.
I needed a circular shape for my neck and a V shape for my chest, I just had to figure out how to make it all come together in a one piece item.
The circular part was easy, which uses small st's to keep the warmth in, the V shape construction forms by making a row of chains, turning and making st's into the chains and sl st back into the circular neck piece, continuing this process then adding extra chains and st's, the V shape is formed, the other side of the V is continued by decreasing ch's and st's. The neck and chest warmer is finished off with a simple decorative edging of ch's, dc's, and sl st's.
So here goes with my pattern instructions, writing it under the influence of the flu and medication, hope it is as clear as rain for you to use.

US crochet terms used
Hook and yarn of your choice, approx 25 to 50 gm's
Stitches used:
ch
sc
back loop
hdc
dc
Time approx 2 hours
Experience, beginner +
All sizes, follow instructions below.
To begin, you need to measure the circumference of your head, make a chain length, or a single crochet foundation row, that will fit loosely around your head.
I used 8 ply yarn with a 4mm hook and my head measured 22 inches around, my stitch count was 70, the pattern will work with any number of st's.

Round 1, join your chain to form a ring, ch 1, work 1 sc in each ch to end sl st to join/or sl st to join your sc foundation row. Be careful not to twist when joining to form a circle
Rounds, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, ch 1, work 1 sc in the back loop of each st to end, sl st to join
Rounds, 7, 8 and 9, ch 1, work 1 hdc in each st to end, sl st to join

This is where we will be working the V shape
Take a stitch marker and place it in the center st of your collar, ie: if you have 70 st's place the marker on stitch 35.
All rows are worked into the back loop of the stitch.

Row 1, ch 6, work 1 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, work 1 sc in each of the next 4 ch, ignore the st the ch's came out of, sl st into each of the next 2 st's, turn your work (5 sc)
Row 2, ignore the 2 sl st's, work 1 sc in the back loop only of the next 5 sc, ch 1, turn (5 sc)
Row 3, work 1 sc in the back loop of the next 5 sc, sl st into the next 2 st's of the collar, turn (5 sc)
Row 4, ignore the 2 sl st's, work 1 sc in the back loop only of the next 5 sc, ch 1, turn (5 sc)
Row 5,  repeat row 3

Increases begin
Row 6, ignore the 2 sl st's, work 1 sc in the back loop only of the next 5 sc, ch 2, turn,
Row 7, work 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, work 1 sc in the back loop of the next 5 sc, sl st into the next 2 st's of the collar, turn (6 sc)
Row 8,  ignore the 2 sl st's, work 1 sc in the back loop only of the next 6 sc, ch 2, turn,
Row 9, work 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, work 1 sc in the back loop of the next 6 sc, sl st into the next 2 st's of the collar, turn (7 sc)
Continue working the increases in every row until you reach the center stitch where you placed the stitch marker
Decreases Begin
Row 1,  ignore the 2 sl st's, work 1 sc in the back loop only of each sc, leave the last sc of the row un worked (decrease made), ch 1, turn
Row 2, work 1 sc in the back loop of each sc, sl st into the next 2 st's of the collar, turn
repeat rows 1 and 2 until 5 sc's remain
Stop decreases
Row 1,  work 1 sc in the back loop of the next 5 sc, sl st into the next 2 st's of the collar, turn (5 sc)
Row  2, ignore the 2 sl st's, work 1 sc in the back loop only of the next 5 sc, ch 1, turn (5 sc), repeat the above 2 rows until you meet the beginning of the rows, sl st to join seam, do not break off yarn, continue on to decorative edge instructions

You will be working the decorative edge into the end rows of the V shape, if you do not have your yarn when you joined the seam, attach yarn to the join and follow the instructions
Round 1, ch 3, work 2 dc in same space as ch 3, sl st into next row end, sl st into next row end, *ch 3, work 2 dc in same space as ch 3, sl st into next row end, sl st into next row end* repeat from *to* to end of round sl st to join finish off and sew in ends

Free Crochet  Patterns, Courtesy Of  Cathy Wood
Aka, Cats-Rockin-Crochet.
2014.
You can sell your items made from this free crochet pattern
I’d love to see this pattern used for charity use
Please link back to this pattern if you use it

Quick and Easy Crocheted Coffee Cup Cozey

The quick and easy coffee cup cozey is made with 9 rounds of crochet. The pattern begins at the bottom of the cup with 4 rows of dc, then to allow for the widening of the coffee cup and allowing for a firm fit, the next row is increased with 5 extra st's for the widening and uses the hdc stitch for firmness. The most popular size coffee cup used is a medium size cup, this crocheted cup cozey pattern is a medium size.

Once we have mastered the easy coffee cup cozey, we can decorate the cozey in many ways. Crochet shapes, buttons, felt etc can all be used. If it helps you, do a crochet coffee cup cozey image search for inspiration. I like to use crochet appliqués too. We can get real fancy and add a decorative crochet edge, or keep it simple and play around with color combinations.

Coffee cozey is worked in the round
Size medium: circumference measures approx 9 inches to 9.3/4 inches
Stitches used:
Ch = chain
Sl st = slip stitch
Hdc = half double crochet
Dc = double crochet
Hook Size: 4 mm
Yarn: small amounts, great scrap buster

The beginning ch 2 of the round is not counted as a stitch

To Begin: ch 25, sl st into beginning ch to form a ring, (25 ch)
Round 1, ch 2, work 1 dc in each ch to end, to join sl st into the 1st dc of this round (25 dc)
Round 2,3 and 4 are worked the same, ch 2, work 1 dc in each dc to end sl st to join
(Increase in every 5th stitch, 4 times)
Round 5, ch 1 *work 1 hdc in each of the next 4 st's, work 2 hdc in the next st* repeat from *to* to end (30 hdc) sl st to join
Round 6, 7, 8 and 9 are worked the same, ch 1, work 1 hdc in each st of the round, sl st to join.
finish off and sew in ends, decorate with your favourite theme

Knit Look Crochet, With The DC Stitch

It was slow going but I did it, I made a crochet hat that looks like it was knitted. Yes a knit look within a crochet hat, you can achieve this with most crochet stitches, the technique seems to go much faster when working on a flat crochet piece such as an afghan, but once you apply the method with in a crochet hat it becomes a different story.

If I increased in every stitch on the 1st row of increases, the hat became too bunched up, so I increased in every 2nd stitch and it worked, I would have to do a row with out increases in every second row and work the increase rows so the hat would not bunch up or curl up on it's self. It's never taken me so long to make a small hat, but I persevered as I could also see and feel how thick the hat was becoming making it this way. The hat is for my 6 month old grand son and when he and his family go to the snow this hat will be perfect for him.

This is the picture my daughter tagged me in, requesting a hat for little Dayne. 

Yo Nanny! Make me a hat please

I made a very short recording of how I made the stitch, I believe the stitch technique has been around for some time and I have seen the sc being used more and more the same way as a flat piece, but I found it way too time consuming and fiddly to use with in a crochet hat worked in the round.

Baby Daughters Hat. Mother and Daughter Free Crochet Hat pattern

Free Crochet Hat Patterns Delivered To You From Cats-Rockin-Crochet

Lovely Kat and her charming baby daughter Quinn

Every daughter wants to be just like their Mummy

View with flower

View with no flower

Introduction: This crochet baby hat pattern uses a very simple crochet technique, a little tweaking of the dc stitch gives you this wonderful textured look. You will conquer the tweak in no time and have your very own Baby Daughters Hat that will match the Mothers Beret, Mother and Daughter crochet beret pattern. This free crochet pattern includes instructions for making the flower and leaf too. Get your hook and yarn ready, grab the free pattern and away you go! 

Size: newborn
Time: approx 1 hour
Materials Used:
Hook: 4 mm medium
Yarn: 8 ply approx 50 gm's
Sewing needle
US terms used
Stitches Used: Main body of the hat
Sl st = slip stitch
Ch = chain
Dc = double crochet
Bdc = back double crochet = see special stitch explanation

Stitches used: Hat edge
Fphdc = front post half double crochet
Bphdc = back post double crochet


Special stitch Explanation: when we look at the loops of the dc that we work into, you will see that there are 2 strands of yarn on the top of the dc and one strand of yarn on the bottom, coming from the front of the dc, we place our hook in the space between these and make a dc. The special stitch is made by placing your hook behind the dc, going into the space over and under the single strand pulling our working yarn through to make a dc. This technique does become as fast and efficient as a commonly placed dc.


 
Chain 4, sl st to first ch to form a ring. Or use a magic ring
Please note! The beginning ch 2 of every rnd is not counted as a st
BEGIN: the hat is made from the crown and down to the hat edge
Chain 4, sl st to first ch to form a ring. Or use a magic ring.
Row 1, ch 2, work 12 dc into ring, to join, sl st into the 1st dc of this round, (you will join this way on every round)
(Increase in every st)
Row 2, ch 2, work 2 dc in 1st st, work 2 bdc in next, *work 2 dc in next st, work 2 bdc in next st* repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (24 dc)
(Increase in every 2nd st)
Row 3, ch 2, work 1 dc in same place as join, work 2 bdc in the next st, *work 1 dc in next st, work 2 bdc in next st*, repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (36 dc)
(Increase in every 3rd st)
Row 4, ch 2, work 1 dc in same place as join, work 1 dc into the next st, work 2 bdc into the next st, * work 1 dc into each of the next 2 st's, work 2 bdc into the next st*, repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (48 dc
(no increases) row 5 will form the pattern used for making the body of the hat
Row 5, ch 2, *work 1 dc into each of the next 2 st's, work 1 bdc in  each of the next 2 st's* repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (48dc), repeat row 5 until your hat measures approx 4 to 4.5 inches in length
Hat Edge:
Row 1, ch 2, *work 1 fpdc in each of the next 2 st's, work 1 bpdc in each of the next 2 st's* repeat from *to* to end, to join, sl st into the 1st st of this round, repeat hat edge, row 1, until your hat measures approx 5 to 5.5 inches in length. finish off and sew in ends

Adult 7 petal flower pattern

Flower Pattern: 5 petals
ch 3, sl st to 1st chain to form a ring, or use the magic circle
Round 1, work 10 sc into, sl st into 1st sc to join
Round 2, ch 5, *sl st into each of the next 2 sc, ch 5* repeat from *to* to end, sl st into 1st st , to close round, 5 loops, leave a long tail for sewing and break off yarn, join in new color yarn with a sl st and ch 3 into any loop
Round 3, make 10 dc in the 1st loop, sl st into the next loop, ch 3 and work 10 dc into the same loop, repeat for next 3 loops, finish off, leave a long tail for sewing (5 petals)

Leaf:
Ch 10, work 1 sc in second ch from hook, work 1 hdc next ch, work 1 dc in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 trpl in the next ch, work 1 dc in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 hdc in the next  ch, work 1 sc in last ch, now working on the other side of the ch row, sl st into 1st ch, work 1 sc in 1st ch, work 1 hdc next ch, work 1 dc in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 trpl in the next ch, work 1 dc in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 hdc in the next  ch, work 1 sc in last ch, finish off leaving a long tail for sewing

Free Crochet Hat Patterns, Courtesy Of Cathy Wood
Aka, Cats-Rockin-Crochet.
2014.

You can sell your items made from this free crochet pattern
I’d love to see this pattern used for charity use
Please link back to this pattern if you use it

Mothers Beret. Mother and Daughter Free Crochet Hat pattern

Free Crochet Hat Patterns Delivered To You From Cats-Rockin-Crochet

Lovely Kat and her charming baby daughter Quinn

Every daughter wants to be just like their Mummy

Side view with the flower

Side view without the flower

Introduction: This crochet beret pattern uses a very simple crochet technique, a little tweaking of the dc stitch gives you this wonderful textured look. You will conquer the tweak in no time and have your very own Mothers Beret that will match the baby size Mother and Daughter crochet hat pattern. This free crochet pattern includes instructions for making the flower and leaf too. Get your hook and yarn ready, grab the free pattern and away you go!

Size: Adult, small/medium, medium/large

Time: Leisurely 2 hours
Materials Used:
Hook: small/medium follow pattern using a 4 mm, medium/large follow pattern using a 5mm 
Yarn: 8 ply small medium, 10 ply medium/large, approx 100 gm's
Sewing needle
US terms used

Stitches Used: Main body of the hat
Sl st = slip stitch
Ch = chain
Dc = double crochet
Bdc = back double crochet = see special stitch explanation

Stitches used: Hat edge
Fphdc = front post half double crochet
Bphdc = back post double crochet

Special stitch Explanation: when we look at the loops of the dc that we work into, you will see that there are 2 strands of yarn on the top of the dc and one strand of yarn on the bottom, coming from the front of the dc, we place our hook in the space between these and make a dc. The special stitch is made by placing your hook behind the dc, going into the space over and under the single strand pulling our working yarn through to make a dc. This technique does become as fast and efficient as a commonly placed dc.

Beret begins at the crown and is worked down to the brim

Chain 4, sl st to first ch to form a ring. Or use a magic ring
Please note! The beginning ch 2 of every rnd is not counted as a st
BEGIN:
Chain 4, sl st to first ch to form a ring. Or use a magic ring.
Row 1, ch 2, work 12 dc into ring, to join, sl st into the 1st dc of this round, (you will join this way on every round)
(Increase in every st)
Row 2, ch 2, work 2 dc in 1st st, work 2 bdc in next, *work 2 dc in next st, work 2 bdc in next st* repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (24 dc)
(Increase in every 2nd st)
Row 3, ch 2, work 1 dc in same place as join, work 2 bdc in the next st, *work 1 dc in next st, work 2 bdc in next st*, repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (36 dc)
(Increase in every 3rd st)
Row 4, ch 2, work 1 dc in same place as join, work 1 dc into the next st, work 2 bdc into the next st, * work 1 dc into each of the next 2 st's, work 2 bdc into the next st*, repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (48 dc)
(Increase in every 4th st)
Row 5, ch 2, work 1 dc in same place as join, work 1 dc into each of the next 2 st's, work 2 bdc in the next st, * work 1 dc into each of the next 3 st's, work 2 bdc in the next st*,  repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (60 dc)
(Increase in every 5th st)
Row 6, ch 2, work 1 dc in same place as join, work 1 dc into each of the next 3 st's, work 2 bdc in the next st, * work 1 dc into each of the next 4 st's, work 2 bdc in the next st*,  repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (72 dc)
(Increase in every 6th st)
Row 7, ch 2, work 1 dc in same place as join, work 1 dc into each of the next 4 st's, work 2 bdc in the next st, * work 1 dc into each of the next 5 st's, work 2 bdc in the next st*,  repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (84 dc)
(Increase in every 7th st) you will now be working 2 dc, 2 bdc through out this round and for the rest of the beret pattern until we reach the hat edge
Row 8, ch 2, work 1 dc in same place as join, work 1 dc in next st, work 1 bdc in each of next 2 st's, work 1 dc in each of next 2 st's, work 2 bdc in next st, *work 1 dc in each of next 2 st's, work 1 bdc in each of next 2 st's, work 1 dc in each of next 2 st's, work 2 bdc in next st* repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (96 dc)
(no increases) row 9 will form the pattern used for making the body of the hat
Row 9, ch 2, *work 1 dc into each of the next 2st's, work 1 bdc in  each of the next 2 st's* repeat from *to* to end, sl st to join (96 dc)
repeat row 9, 12 more times, or continue for length desired

Hat edge: Tips for hat edge: if you find your hat edge is not getting smaller as you use the sc stitch, you can make decreases any where in the round, I suggest that you wait until you have at least 5 hat edge rows made and try it on before you make any decreases.
Row 1, ch 1 work 1 sc in each st to end, to join sl st into the 1st sc of the round
Row 2, ch 1, work 1 bpsc in each st to end, to join, sl st into the 1st sc of the round.
Repeat rows 1 and 2, 5 more times (10 rows plus  the 1st 2 rows =  12 rows) finish off and sew in ends or follow on for a very simple decorative hat edge
To make a simple decorative hat edge
Row 1, ch 1, work 1 hdc in 1 st, sl st into next st, *1 hdc in next st, sl st in next st* repeat from *to* to end, join, finish off.

Flower: 7 petals
Chain 4, sl st to first ch to form a ring. Or use a magic ring
Round 1, ch 1, work 14 sc into ring, to join, sl st into 1st sc of this round
Round 2, ch 5, *sl st into each of the next 2 sc, ch 5* repeat from *to* to end, sl st into 1st st , to close round, (7 loops), leave a long tail for sewing and break off yarn,  join in new color yarn with a sl st and ch 3 into any loop
Round 3, work (6 dc, 3 trpl, 6 dc, ch 3 and a sl st) into ch 5 loop, *sl st into next ch 5 loop, work (ch 3, 6 dc, 3 trpl, 6 dc, ch 3 and a sl st)* repeat from *to* 5 more times. You will have 7 petals. The flower petals will be disorganized, you will need to arrange them the way that you like them.
 

Leaf: make 2
Ch 15, work 1 sc in second ch from hook, work 1 hdc in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 dc in each of the next 3 ch, work 1 trpl in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 dc in each of the next 3 ch, work 1 hdc in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 sc in last ch, now working on the other side of the ch row, sl st into 1st ch, work 1 sc in 1st ch, work 1 hdc in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 dc in each of the next 3 ch, work 1 trpl in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 dc in each of the next 3 ch, work 1 hdc in each of the next 2 ch, work 1 sc in last ch, finish off leaving a long tail for sewing

You may also like the Two Faces free crochet hat pattern using the very same stitch.

Free Crochet Hat Patterns, Courtesy Of Cathy Wood
Aka, Cats-Rockin-Crochet.
2014.

You can sell your items made from this free crochet pattern
I’d love to see this pattern used for charity use
Please link back to this pattern if you use it