Alice had a Little Lammy - Free Crochet Baby Blanket Pattern

So, way back one evening about 3 years ago, when I was almost half way pregnant with my second son, I was giving my 7 month old baby a bath when I took a phone call from my sister.

Given that my husband had managed to knock me up twice within the space of 11 months, I had babies on the brain. Turns out, there must've been something in the water, because my little sister was calling with some exciting baby news of her own! 

I was still a relatively new crocheter at that point. I'd made two crochet blankets, one for each of my boys, and whilst both were lovely, they were full of treacherous holes little fingers could get caught in, and I could see where improvements could be made. I made it clear pretty early on that her baby was getting a special one of a kind blanket, and my sister (legend that she is) proceeded to her local yarn shop to purchase a pile of grey and white 8ply wool balls for me to use. 

I spent quite a bit of time with swatches and gauge pieces to try and figure out the right pattern for the look I was after.  I discovered the trinity stitch pretty early on (sc3tog, repeat ad infinitum). I realised pretty quickly that single crochet wasn't going to work for this project, as it would take forever to work up, so I started playing with double crochet's instead. 

It worked into a lovely textured (and practical) pattern with closely woven fabric which had no holes for teeny tiny fingers to get tangled in, the downfall of many crochet baby blankets.

So, given how wonderfully generous the crochet community has been to me in developing my skills, here's the very first pattern I wrote. For free. Cos free is awesome.

The finished blanket ended up being approximately 120cm x 90cm, however this may vary depending on your own individual tension and hook choice.

Yarn was Shepherd Colour 4 Me 8ply, but any 8 ply yarn will suffice.

As I mentioned before, this was my first pattern, so please let me know if there is something incorrect or I have confused you in any way. Hopefully it's pretty straightforward.

Isn't she just the cutest? Same kid, same blanket, 2 years apart. It's felted ever so slightly with washing, but the blanket has moved from being a large cot blanket with horizontal stripes to a small  bed blanket with vertical ones.

Alice had a little Lammy

I came up with this pattern when my sister was expecting her first baby, to make a cot sized blanket (120cm x 90cm) with horizontal stripes by working 163ch for approx 120cm wide with a 5mm hook and DK wool.

This pattern is written in US crochet terms.

Hook: 5mm

Yarn: Shepherd Colour 4 Me DK / 8ply (12x 50gm  white, 6 x 50gm grey)

Gauge is not required, as long as it makes a relatively dense fabric.

Stitches:

Ch - Chain

SC - Single crochet

dc2tog - Yarn over, insert hook through stitch, draw the yarn through (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through 2 loops, (2 loops on hook), yarn over, draw yarn through next stitch, (4 loops on hook) yarn over, pull through 2 loops, (2 loops on hook) yarn over and pull through three loops on hook.

dc3tog - Yarn over, insert hook through stitch, draw the yarn through (3 loops on hook); yarn over and pull through 2 loops, (2 loops on hook); yarn over, draw yarn through next stitch, yarn over, pull through 2 loops, (3 loops on hook);  yarn over, draw yarn through next stitch, yarn over, pull through 2 loops, (4 loops on hook); yarn over and pull through all 4 loops.

v-stitch - double crochet in stitch, chain 1, double crochet in same stitch

picot - chain 3, slip stitch into 2nd chain from hook

The Blanket

Foundation Row

The foundation chain is worked as multiples of 2 +3. In my case I worked 163 stitches.

1st Row

In 3rd ch from hook work dc2tog (Yarn over, insert hook through stitch, draw the yarn through (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through 2 loops, (2 loops on hook), yarn over, draw yarn through next stitch, (4 loops on hook) yarn over, pull through 2 loops, (2 loops on hook) yarn over and pull through three loops on hook). CH1, *dc3tog from same ch as 3rd st on previous dc3tog, CH 1* rep to last st.  DC into same ch as the last st of previous dc3tog. Ch 2. Turn.

2nd Row

Work dc2tog  (this makes DC3TOG cluster as the ch2 makes the first dc). Ch1. *DC3TOG, starting from the same st as last stitch of previous cluster. CH1*  Repeat to end.  Ch 2. Turn.

3rd Row

Secondary colour, repeat row 2. 

4th and subsequent rows

Each row is a repeat of row 2 but every 3rd row is completed in the secondary colour. Repeat 2 rows primary colour, 1 row secondary, until blanket is desired length.

Note:

When you reach the  first stitch of a new row, the first stitch of the DC3TOG cluster is worked into the 2nd ch stitch of previous row.

The centre DC of the cluster is the only place where only one stitch is worked into a single stitch. It is aligned to be  worked into the top of the cluster stitch of previous rows DC3TOG.

Each of the side stitches of the dc3tog are worked into the Ch1 space between each cluster, and each ch1 space will have 2 stitches - one as the last stitch of the previous cluster, and the other as the first stitch of the new cluster

Edging

Row 1: Work around the edge of your blanket with one row of single crochet, working 2 sc into each of the 4 corners.

Row 2: Chain 4 , double crochet in same stitch, (your first v-stitch),  skip 2 st, then work *1 double crochet in  next stitch, chain 1, double crochet in same stitch, skip 2 st*. Repeat to end of round.

NB: Corners - when you reach the corner, work the v-stitch into the corner, adding an additional chain to make a 2 chain space (instead of 1ch).

Row 3 - repeat row 2

Row 4 -  Final round - V-stitches and Picots

Chain 2, picot (ch3, work slip stitch in 2nd chain from hook) , double crochet in same stitch, (now you're made a  v-stitch with picot),  skip 2 st, then work *1 double crochet in next stitch, 1 picot, double crochet in same stitch, skip 2 st*. Repeat to end of round.

The WI Craft Day

 So, this week I was asked to help out at our local WI Craft Day fundraiser. Now, I'm don't belong to a WI, but I'm beginning to think that perhaps I should join!

We held an open day with all sorts of crafts on display that people could try their hand at. I was assigned the task of demonstrating the art of crochet.  Not sure where to start, (or even if I know enough to teach someone else!), I started where I always do. With a list. 

Things I love about crochet

• You can make gifts with little more than with love and time
• It’s quick, Once you get in the rhythm of making something, it’s easy to churn out a small project like a beanie in an evening or two.
• If you’re stuck, I guarantee someone on You Tube has made a video to show you how do it.
• It’s portable! I always have a ball of wool, a hook, and a project on the go in my handbag. You can easily take your crochet to coffee with a friend.  It helps you meet new friends!
• Even the most ambitious projects can be broken down into easily achievable chunks

I've been tagged in various
versions of this image at least
5 times in the last 2 months.
Thing is, it's right.

Things I don’t love about crochet

• My friends and family now tag me in any picture of outrageous 70’s crochet they find on Facebook. 
• The terms can get confusing. US and UK terms can use different names for the same stitches – they both have “Double Crochet” as a basic stitch, but they’re not the same! Look for confirmation of the terminology used before you start any new pattern.
• Traditional patterns published in NZ use UK terminology, however with the advent of the Internet to as a way to share patterns, the US terms are becoming more prevalent.  

And then I learnt that teaching isn't as easy as I thought....

I'd planned to show anyone interested how to make a simple crochet flower. Turns out, it's been a while since I was a complete crochet beginner, and I underestimated how difficult learning a new technique or stitch could be. Most of the ladies I talked to could knit, and found the hardest part of crochet was holding the yarn in their left hands rather than their right. 

I feel like I should be the one learning, not teaching! Rose is a master knitter, who learnt
to knit 80 years ago on 8 inch nails. And I'm showing her how to crochet.

The high light of my day, however, was a lovely lady called Rose, who spent about 2 hours with me, learning how to 'join as you go'. At 84, Rose is a master knitter, and was looking for ideas to use up the scrap wool left over from knitting projects. Granny square and granny circles blankets - like the one on the table - are a great way to use up little bits of scrap wool, otherwise known as "stash busting".

This big glass biscuit jar is home to all my scrap balls of yarn.

Other ways to use up scrap yarn - Flowers!

Stitches used Ch       Chain stitch SS        Slip Stitch SC       Single Crochet DC      Double Crochet

Terminology:   US Skill level:         Beginner/Easy Yarn Type:      Any scraps you have to hand Hook size:       Whatever takes your fancy.

Simple Six Petal Flower

Foundation Chain:     Chain 6, join in a ring with a slip stitch.

Round 1:                    Chain 1 then SC 12 in the ring, slip stitch.

Round 2:                    Work *3DC in the next stitch, then SS in the following stitch*. Repeat * to * until you have 6 petals, Join with a SS to cut yarn and weave in ends. 

Gerbera Daisy Flower

Foundation Chain:    Make a magic circle, join into a  circle with a slip stitch. Pull tail to draw in centre.

Round 1:                   Chain 1, then SC 8 times into the ring. Join with a SS. (8 SC stitches)

Round 2:                   Change Colour. *Chain 10. SS in 2nd Ch from hook.  1 SC in each of the next 3 ch spaces, 1 DC in each of the next 2 chain spaces, 1 SC in next, then SS into the centre ring, in the stitch your Ch10 starts from. SC into next stitch in centre ring.* (one petal finished). Repeat * to * until you have 8 petals. Join with a SS to the base of your first Ch10, weave in ends.

Upcycled Tractor Seats

My desk now has a seat, and it's AWESOME.

Primed and waiting for top coat

 See. Doesn't it look like they were made for each other?

These two stools have been hanging around our place for years. My dad found the old tractor seats over a decade ago, and mounted them onto the pedestal bases.  At the time, we painted them with roof paint as that was all we had to hand. Since then they've had a bit of a rough life outside, and were starting to get a bit rusty, when I decided to give them a new lease on life to join my new (old) sewing desk.

After sending them off to be sandblasted to clean off the rust and the paint, I primer coated them with a heavily zinc based primer called Zinc-It.

Next coat was a simple matt black to match the Singer framed table I've planned to use the stool at.

All that was left was to let them dry, then carry them upstairs to their new home at the sewing/laptop desk.


Pretty easy makeover, if you ask me.

Falling Autumn Leaves Beanie - Free Crochet Hat Pattern

The trees are changing colours in my neighbourhood, the evenings are cooling down, and I lit our first fire of the year last night.  

One of my favourite Autumn "jobs" coincides with the ending of daylight saving, when the night starts to fall a little earlier each evening, making me want to curl up on the couch and watch TV with a crochet hook in hand.
It's at this time of the year that I usually dig out my yarn and start planning projects to keep my busy over the winter.
I've got a few projects on the go at the moment - a knitted vest for my 3 year old, both kids could do with another hat for winter, and they could do with some nice warm slippers as well, and my sister's birthday is coming up next month.  There's certainly lots to keep me out of trouble!

Fresh of the hook is this the first of two winter beanies for my boys, so I thought I'd share the pattern with you. Enjoy!

Falling Autumn Leaves Beanie

I wish I knew the names and suppliers of the
yarns I used - they were all purchased from
Op Shops and Thrift Stores, and were
missing their original labels. Tan and Brown
are wool or wool blends, the multicoloured
is a cheap and cheerful acrylic.
Cost to make: next to nothing.

This pattern is written in US terms

4.5mm (US 7, UK 7)

Sized to fit 2-3 year old

Worsted weight wool in 3 colours - in this case: 

Main = Tan

Accent = Multicoloured browns and oranges

Spike = Dark Brown

Stitches

SS - slip stitch

SC - single crochet

DC - double crochet

HDC - half double crochet

HDC Spike Stitch - Yarn over, insert hook through base of previous round, draw up loop, pull through all three loops.  This YouTube tutorial from CrochetCabana explains how to work a single spike stitch. The only difference between the pattern and the video is that you wrap the yarn over the hook before inserting into the row below, creating one extra loop on the hook which you then draw the yarn through.

I carry the yarn on the inside of the hat, working with 3 live balls so when it comes to the end, there are less ends to weave in.

1. ACCENT colour: Chain 4, join with slip stitch. Ch2, (counts as 1 DC), then 11 DC into ring. Join with SS, (12 DC)
2. MAIN colour. Chain 2 (counts as 1 HDC), HDC in the same stitch. 2HDC in each of the next 11 stitches, join to Ch2 with SS. (24 HDC)
3. ACCENT colour. Chain 2 (counts as 1 HDC), work 2 HDC into next stitch, then 1HDC in the following. Repeat 2HD-1HDC until the end, join with a SS. (36 HDC)
4. MAIN colour. Chain 2, work 1DC into same stitch (counts as 2DC), 1DC into each of the next 2 stitches, then 2DC in the following stitch. Repeat 2DC-1DC-1DC until end, join with a SS. (48 DC)
5. ACCENT colour. Chain 2, work 1HDC into the same stitch (counts as 2HDC). Work 1 HDC in each of the next 3 stitches, then 2HDC in the following stitch. Repeat 2HDC-1HDC-1HDC-1HDC until end, join with SS (60HDC)
   **For larger sizes, work extra rounds from here, increasing the number of single stitches by one each round (IE the next increase round would have 2DC-1DC-1DC-1DC-1DC), alternating between the accent and main colours for each round**
6. MAIN colour. Ch2, 1DC in next stitch, and in each stitch until end. Join with SS.
7. ACCENT colour. Ch2, 1HDC in the next stitch and each of the following stitches until end. Join with SS.
8. MAIN colour, Ch2, 1DC in next stitch, and in each of the following stitches until end. Join with an SS. 
9. SPIKE colour. Ch 1, 1 HDC in each of the next 2 stitches. Work SPIKE STITCH into the base of the previous round, then 1HDC in each of the next 2 stitches. Continue until end, and you should finish with 20 Spike Stitches and 40 HDC stitches.
   **NOTE: the Spike Stitch counts as a stitch, but as it is worked into the base of the DC from the previous round, the top of the stitch is skipped.
10. Repeat rows 7, 8 & 9 three more times,
11. ACCENT colour. Ch2, 1 HDC in each of the next stitches until the end.
12. MAIN colour. Ch2, 1 HDC in each of the next stitches until the end.
13. SPIKE colour. Top Stitching.  Working in slip stitch, with the yarn on the inside of the beanie, work a row of slip stitch between the two loops of HDC that form the final round.
14. Cut yarn, weave in ends. 

The inside of hat. When working with colour, I like to keep the yarn connected and
carry it through  so that when you've finished there are less ends to weave in.

You don't have to spend a fortune on yarn if you shop around. All of the wool I used in this beanie  came from Op Shops and Thrift Stores, so it cost next to nothing to make. The downside of this is that I don't know the brands of the yarns as they were purchased without labels. The multi coloured yarn is a type of cheap acrylic, but when paired with the tan and brown yarns which are wool, or wool rich, it's created a lovely warm and durable preschooler hat.

Old made New

Old made New

There's a new arrival in the corner of my lounge. It's been a labour of love to make, and it's all made from recycled abandoned materials. I can be a bit handy with things like that.

I've had the table top for a while, when I scored two single bed heads from a local pub that was being demolished. They're solid rimu, which is a lovely native New Zealand timber, and I stripped the lacquer, removed the bedhead legs and joined them together to make a table top. While waiting for the right table legs to make themselves known, it got plenty of use as the most ridiculous cheeseboard ever.  

May I present the Over Achieving Housewife's Cheeseboard. I know, right? 
A Very Special Girlfriend was having her baby shower. I don't go to this much effort for just anyone.

Then, last week, after a visit to our local dump shop, the legs I was waiting for made themselves known!  I scored this old sewing machine frame (with original wooden top but sans the Singer machine), for just $3! I knew I was onto a winner, and I could see it fitting perfectly with a simple oiled wooden top, of which I just happened to have handy.

Fast forward a week, and it's done!  I removed the original wood top (which although lovely, was in poor repair with the oak veneer peeling and cracking), cleaned and repainted the frame a classic matt black. Last night I screwed the table top on the sewing machine legs, wrestled it upstairs to make a funky and compact workspace where I can get creative in the corner of the living room while the boys play. 

It's a tidy little corner, mostly because it's new.  I already have a sewing table, but we have a large house and it's away from our living area and I find it hard to keep an eye and ear on the preschoolers when I'm working on something. An added bonus is the Autumn afternoon sunshine streaming over my shoulder and warming my back. 

The very best part about my new table though, is how it reminds me of my Grandmothers. Before she married my Grandfather, (and eventually became a mother of eight), my Grandma was a seamstress in Ballentynes, a well known department store in Christchurch. She was 18 years old in 1947 when the building caught fire in what remains the deadliest fire in New Zealand history, however she and her workmates escaped unharmed, and I remember her telling me as a child that her manager calmly lead her and her fellow seamstresses to safety. 

My Nana was the original upcycler and Freegan, before it was cool. (In summer she would always carry a set of secateurs in the glove box of her car so she could clip her way into any blackberry thickets she might happen across.)  She had a big family too - six kids - and was an expert at making something out of nothing. My sewing machine was a gift from her, which makes it extra special. They've both passed on now, but whenever I sit at my sewing machine, I think of them both, so my new work table is a special place for lots of reasons.

I can't wait to see what I make here. Today I replaced the elastic in some chain-store trackpants so they fit my skinny hipped little boys better.  I'll be more inspired tomorrow.

Starting Out

I feel like the new kid at school. Everyone here knows each other already, and here I am, awkwardly trying to show my best side so everyone likes me.

Home for me is a small town in rural New Zealand, with my husband and two small boys. I love to make things, be it  wrapping on a pinny to do some cooking or browsing Ravelry for projects to start with my yarn, and when I’m not running around after everyone, I’m watching Netflix into the wee hours with my crochet hook for company.

Four years ago this month, while pregnant with my first child, I visited our local library, planning to bring home a book that would help me learn something new. The book I came home with was “The Ultimate Crochet Bible” by Jane Crow, and it started off a whole new passion. My first ever project was a rather scraggly looking granny square throw, which I never used, but it gave me a good basic understanding of the simplicity and versatility of crochet.

Fast forward to 2016. I have two energetic boys (‘Irish twins’ aged two and three), a wardrobe full of balls of yarn, four pinnies and a shoebox full of knitting needles and crochet hooks.

I've been learning how to write patterns, and I have had so much joy making items from patterns generously shared on Ravelry and blogs, so I feel the best way to pay that forward is to make some of my own patterns available through this blog.  Pattern writing is still new to me, so please let me know if any of my patterns are confusing or have errors. 

My challenge this winter is to improve my knitting skills – while I learnt to knit at primary school, I haven’t picked up needles for years and I struggle with anything more complicated than a peggy square. First up, socks! Next step: YouTubing “casting on methods.”

I might be a while.