Sunday, November 29, 2009

Dishcloth Patterns


You can crochet this wavy pattern into a dishcloth, towel, blanket, or any other piece of work you wish to decorate with a unique wave. The wavy pattern is used making a variation of the double crochet stitch. For complete instruction on making the wavy pattern visit:

How to Crochet a Wave Pattern

Friday, November 13, 2009

Oval Rug: Double Crocheted and Seamless



Last night, I finally finished the oval rug I've been working on. You might recognize the center oval in the photo from a previous post on "How to Crochet an Oval." The center oval is 100% cotton. The outer 2 rings are washable merino wool.

In retrospect, I wish I had used cotton for the entire project. The cotton is a heavier weight and it is inexpensive. I used the merino wool because I happened to have that yarn in the colors I wanted, but merino wool is expensive! It is also very soft, lighter weight than cotton and very warm. I would have preferred to use it to make something I could wear.

Regardless of whether I am wearing it, or making it for my home, I always use natural fibers. I dislike synthetic fibers which produce static. Natural fibers do not produce static and they allow your skin to breath. I always choose yarns made of cotton, wool, etc. I never use polyester.

The oval rug turned out a tad bit smaller than I wanted, but I ran out of blue merino wool yarn. I will probably add a few rows to the outer edge after I order more yarn from knit picks.

Here are the instructions for Making an Oval Rug Without a Seam.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Crochet a Scarf


With winter approaching it seems appropriate to point out that you can crochet a scarf quickly and easily as a beginner. I have personally crocheted many scarfs using a simple double crochet stitch. You can crochet through only one loop of the previous row to add a textured ridge to the scarf. You can double crochet the scarf length-wise to add a long length of the scarf ridge, or you can crochet the scarf from side-to-side to produce a stripe across the width of the scarf as seen in the photo.

How to Crochet a Scarf: Free Pattern

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Crochet a Wash Cloth or Lots of Wash Cloths!

Wash clothes are one of my favorite things to crochet. Perhaps because I can mindlessly crochet a square while watching the evening news. It takes about an hour to crochet a wash cloth. Here is the pattern: "How to Crochet a Wash Cloth"

You can use inexpensive cotton yarn from peaches n cream. It comes in some very pretty color varieties. My favorite is "shaded denim" seen in the photos.

I usually make the wash clothes with a double crochet stitch, but a single crochet stitch would make cloth that was more solid. Whether you use a single or a double crochet, go around the outer edge with a single crochet when done to give it a finished look. I use my wash clothes to decorate my bathroom as well.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Pattern to Crochet an Oval Rug

My favorite way to crochet a rug or oval doilie is to continue the row of double stitching around the work without turning. This enables you to crochet a rug with no seam. How to Crochet an Oval shows you how to crochet without turning the work and creating a seam. For crocheting an oval rug use 2 or 3 strands of yarn at once to give weight to the rug.