Easy Car Seat Blanket Pattern

Easy Car Seat Blanket by Tw-In Stitches

Last year, BreeAnna from String with Style shared her awesome pattern for a fantastic car seat blanket. It is a great pattern and the resulting blanket is lovely.

String with Style's Bobble Car Seat Blanket

Do you see those two slits right there? Those are holes for the bottom buckle of the car seat to fit through.  The beauty of this blanket is that it stays on the infant car seat without dropping our falling off without interfering with the safety straps.  Just that little part of the blanket is held under the buckle and this keeps it on!  Brilliant.

This has become my go to pattern for baby shower gifts.  Not only does it look like I worked really hard on it, but it is awesomely functional.

The other day, I started working on a new blanket for a coworker and was not feeling the bobble love.  BreeAnna's pattern uses the bobble stitch to make those great bumps in the blanket.  They are adorable, but frustrating at times.  You have to keep careful count of your stitches to make sure that the pattern works.  I was feeling blah and wanted to just make a blanket I didn't have to think about after the first row of chains.  In addition to that, I only had DK weight yarn which is much too thin for the Bobble Blanket pattern to work correctly.

Using BreeAnna's pattern as inspiration, I came up with a pattern for my own car seat blanket.  The part for the buckle holes is all BreeAnna's work applied to my pattern.  Thanks, BreeAnna!

Simple Baby Car Seat Blanket

Materials:

K Hook (6.5 mm)

2 strands of Sport Weight (size 3) yarn held together (I used Loops & Threads Snuggly Wuggly Yarn)

Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge: 11 stitches = 4 inches, 9 rows = 4 inches

Note: throughout, the chain 2 does not count as an HDC

Blanket:

Chain 44.

Row 1: HDC in the third chain from the hook and in each chain across. (42 HDCs)

Row 2-15: Chain 2 and turn.  HDC in the same stitch and in each stitch across. (42 HDCs)

Row 16: Chain 1 and turn. SC in the same stitch and in the next 17 stitches.  Chain 6 and skip the next 6 stitches. SC in the next stitch and in the remaining 17 stitches. (18 SC, 6 chains, 18 SC)

Row 17: Chain 1 and turn.  SC in the same stitch and in each stitch across.  Make sure to SC in each of the 6 chains from the previous row. (42 SCs)

Row 18-19: Chain 2 and turn. HDC in each stitch across. (42 HDCs).

Row 20: Repeat row 16.

Row 21: Repeat Row 17.

Row 22-37: Chain 2 and turn. 1 HDC in each stitch across.

Border:

You can do whatever you would like for your border.  For mine, I wanted a feminine look, so I made a ruffle border.

Row 38: Chain 1. SC in each stitch around.  Place 2 SCs in each corner.

Row 39: Chain 2. 2 DCs in the same stitch, 3 DCs in the next stitch.  Continue around the blanket.  Crochet 3 DCs in each corner stitch. (You can stop here, but I went a little bigger)

Row 40: Chain 2. 1 DC in each stitch around.

I also added a flower to mine because it did not feel finished.

I hope you enjoy making this blanket as much as I did.  Enjoy!

Spiral Flower Pillow Pattern - I'm a Crochet Ninja

A friend of mine called me a Crochet Ninja.  She has determined that there is nothing I can't figure out by looking at a picture and testing what I think works.  There's this pillow pattern on the Herrschners website.  It is called the Vintage Rose Pillow pattern.  It is beautiful.  This is the link, but it may or may not work.  Herrschners has done something with its website that messes with urls. Anyway, I am fascinated by this pillow pattern.  Rather than be individual rows of petals like my other pillow pattern, the design is a spiral and the petals spiral out from the center.  It is actually quite beautiful.  However, I'm not really interested in paying $19.99 for the kit,  even if it does come with the yarn.

So, I started testing. First, I crocheted a circle in spiral form.

Row 1: Magic Circle with Chain 2 and 12 DCs. Do NOT join.
Row 2: Starting in the top of the first DC from Row 1, in back loops only 2 DC in each stitch around. (24 DCs)
Row 3: In the back loops only, 2 DC, 1 DC, repeat around. (36 DCs)
Row 4: In the back loops only, 2 DC, 1 DC, 1 DC, repeat around (48 DCs)
Row 5: In the back loops only, 2 DC, 1 DC, 1 DC, 1 DC, repeat around (60 DCs)
Row 6: In the back loops only, 2 DC, 1 DC, 1 DC, 1 DC, 1 DC repeat around (72 DCs)
To finish my test, I did 2 DC in the next stitch, 1 HDC in the next stitch, 1 sc in the next stitch, a slip stitch in the next.  Fasten off and weave in ends.

Then, starting with the loops at the center of the circle, I made 2 HDC in one stitch, 3 DC in the next and repeated around the spiral for 2 rounds. Then I switched to 2 DC in one stitch, 3 DC in the next for the remainder of the spiral. The key to this pattern is that the petals are not too wavy, so 3 DC in every stitch is too many and makes the petals too wavy.  2DC then 3 DC seems to be the perfect combination.

I'll post pictures when I get some more yarn. I ran out of the color I was using.  :(

Rebecca Cowl

Cowls are really popular right now.  I've made at least 10 in the last few weeks.  Cowl patterns are best when they are simple and use chunky yarns.  There is something about the texture of a chunky yarn that is beautiful and warm at the same time.  Perfect!

One of my favorite patterns is a blanket pattern.  I've used it for hats and scarves as well as blankets.  The other day, I decided to try and see if it would work for a cowl.  Look what I came up with! The Rebecca Cowl.

The Rebecca Cowl with 8 rows.

The Rebecca Cowl with 4 rows.

Front Post stitches facing out.

Front Post stitches facing in.

 It is flexible in that you can elect to make it longer or shorter and wider or thinner depending on your preferences.  You can also use bulky yarn or worsted. It really is up to you!

You can get the Rebecca Cowl pattern in my Ravelry store for just $1.99.  It has pictures to help you create the pattern.  You will love it!

Click here to buy your copy of the Rebecca Cowl Pattern on Ravelry.

Hats with Baby's First Yarn by Lion Brand

The other day, I was buying yarn for some cowls I am making and I ran across a new yarn.

Lion Brand Baby's First Yarn

Lion Brand Baby's First yarn comes in 8 colors, all baby colors, but it is a really wonderful yarn.  A size 5 bulky weight yarn, it feels like someone took t-shirts and made yarn out of them.  So lovely.

I have a coworker who is having a baby girl in March and another coworker who is having a baby boy that same month.  I bought some pink (fairy tale) and some blue (splish splash) and started looking for patterns.  Alas, no one has thought to design patterns specifically using this yarn.  So, I winged it.

The first hat I made is probably more of a 6-9 month size than a newborn size.

K Hook (join each row)
Row 1: Magic Circle and make 8 HDC.
Row 2: Chain 1, then 2 HDC in each stitch around (16 HDC)
Row 3: Chain 1, then 2 HDC, 1 HDC repeat around (24 HDC)
Row 4: Chain 1, then 2 HDC, 1 HDC, 1 HDC, repeat around (32 HDC)
Row 5: Chain 1, then 2 HDC, 1 HDC, 1 HDC, 1 HDC repeat around (40 HDC)
Row 6-11: Chain 1, then 1 HDC in each stitch around (40 HDC)
Row 12: Chain 1, skip 1 stitch, in the next stitch 5 HDC, skip 1 stitch, slip stitch in the next, repeat around (10 scallops around)

I was amazed to find that I still had yarn left, so I made a second hat.  This one I wanted to make sure would  fit a newborn.

K Hook (join each row)
Row 1: Magic Circle and make 8 SC. (8 SC)
Row 2: Chain 2,  then 2 DC in each stitch around (16 DC)

Row 3: Chain 2,  then 2 DC, 1 DC repeat around (24 DC)
Row 4: Chain 2,  then 2 DC, 1 DC, 1 DC, repeat around (32 DC)
Row 5-7: Chain 2,  then 1 DC in each stitch around (32 DC)
Row 8-10: Chain 1, then 1 SC in each stitch around (32 SC)

I still had yarn left, so I decided to make some embellishments. The heart is the one I used for my Heart Necklace pattern.  The flower is a new pattern I created today.

Flower:
Row 1: Magic Circle and make 6 SC, join. (6 SC)
Row 2: Chain 1, 2 HDC, chain 1, slip stitch all in the same stitch. In the next stitch, 2 HDC, chain 1, slip stitch. Repeat around. (makes 6 petals)

What I love most about this yarn, other than how soft it is, is how beautifully it shows the stitches used.  Often yarn hides the texture of the stitches, but this yarn highlights them.  I'll definitely use it again!

At least it fits

Divine hat from Ravelry. At least it fits over Bianca's bun.

Toasty Warm Ponytail Hat

It's my very first pattern for sale!

I designed the Toasty Warm Ponytail Hat for my sister, Kristen, who wanted a beanie she would wear with a ponytail when she went for a run or exercising.  It is worked in one piece and is adjustable.  It uses snuggly bulky weight yarn and is an easy pattern for beginners and more experienced crocheters.

The hat is adjustable and allows for different heights of ponytail.

Looks like a regular beanie in the front and on the sides.

It comes in adult and child sizes.

Would you like to make the ponytail hat?  You can find it in my new Ravelry store!
Or, you can buy it by clicking this button!
 
 
I hope you have fun making it!

Granny Christmas Tree

I have been wanting to make a garland for Christmas.  Stars are nice, but Christmas trees are better.  A friend of mine shared a picture of a Christmas tree and asked me if I could try to come up with a pattern for her to follow.

Granny Christmas Tree:

Gauge does not matter.  Just use an appropriate hook for your yarn.

Chain 4 and slip stitch to first chain to make a circle.

Row 1: Chain 3 and crochet 3 DC into the center of the circle.  Chain 2. Crochet 4 DCs, Chain 2. Crochet 4 DCs.   Chain 2. Slip stitch to the top of the Chain 3 at the beginning. Chain 3 and turn.

Row 1

Row 2: Crochet 3 DC into the chain 2 space. Chain 2.  Crochet 4 DCs into the same space.  Chain 2. *Crochet 4 DCs into the next space.  Chain 2. Crochet 4 DCs into the same space.  Chain 2.*  Repeat from * to *.  Slip stitch into the top of the Chain 3 at the beginning.  Chain 3 and turn.

Row 2: two sets of 4 DC separated by 2 chains in each space.

Row 3:  In each corner of the previous row, you are going to crochet  two sets of 4 DCs separated  by 2 chains.  In each space along the sides, you are going to crochet one set of 4 DCs.  As follows:

Crochet 3 DC into the chain 2 space.  Chain 1. SC into the top of the 2nd DC from the previous row. Chain 1. Crochet 4 DCs, chain 2, 4 DCs into the next space. Chain 1. SC into the the top of the 2nd DC from the previous row. Chain 1. Crochet 4 DCs into the next space.  Chain 1. SC into the top of the 2nd DC from the previous row. Chain 1. Crochet 4 DCs, chain 2, 4 DCs into the next space. Chain 1. SC into the the top of the 2nd DC from the previous row. Chain 1. Crochet 4 DCs into the next space.  Chain 1. SC into the top of the 2nd DC from the previous row. Chain 1. Crochet 4 DCs, chain 2, 4 DCs into the next space.  Chain 1. SC into the top of the 2nd DC from the previous row. Chain 1 and slip stitch into the top of the original chain 3.  

Row 3: Chain 3 and 3 DC into the same space

Row 3: The chain 1 and the SC into the 2nd DC gives a scalloped edge.  

Row 3

Row 3 complete

Row 4: Chain 3.  DC into the same stitch.  DC into each of the next  5 stitches.  Fasten off and weave in ends.

I'm going to decorate mine with beads and sequins.

Finish off your Christmas tree with the Tiny Star from Fiber Flux here
.

Enjoy!

Baby Bobble Car Seat Blanket - inspired by String with Style

I recently tested a pattern for one of the moms on a website I frequent.  The blanket is designed for use with a car seat and is designed so that the bottom part of the belt slips through the blanket securing it to the child. No more dropping the blanket when you are carrying a baby in the car seat. The pattern is very simple and because it uses two strands of yarn held together, it works up quickly.

The Bobble Car Seat Blanket can be found over at String with Style.  The original pattern has an eyelet border so that you can weave a ribbon through it, but I finished mine by crochet a border of one row of HDCs and a row of SCs.

I can't get the blanket to rotate, but those two holes in the middle are for the belt.

Isn't this adorable?

Wiggle Crochet - Heart Pillow

I've recently discovered wiggle crochet.  It is this fantastic method where you crochet a grid and then crochet multiple stitches in each grid bar.  The effect is that you get this great wavy pattern.  The patterns are endless.

I got it in my head that I was going to design a heart pillow.  I created a 17x17 grid and used a spreadsheet document to plan out my pillow.  I'm so pleased with the results! I finished it the other day and it was destined to be my coworker's wedding gift.

The finished pillow

I just love the colors.  I used a lovely red in Red Heart Soft yarn and charcoal grey in Vanna's Choice.

Aren't the wiggles/waves gorgeous?

Side view with the back attached.

The back is wonderful too.  I used a granny square pattern I discovered on Ravelry that alternates FPDC and DC to create this great cabled look.

I'm so proud of my pillow!

Birthday blanket installed

The Birthday Blanket of Awesomeness has taken its place with my crazy purple high thread count sheets.

I think it looks just right.

My Flower Pillow Pattern

Here it is!  My pillow pattern.

If you make a pillow using my pattern, I hope you will share the link in the comments!  Enjoy!

A Tale of Two Pillows

I love the cushion I made using Lucy's pattern from Attic24.

It's colorful happiness makes me so happy.

But the petals bother me.  They fold forward and don't really sit right.  I don't know why.  I suspect it may be due to an extra stitch between each of the petals.

A friend of mine asked me to make a pillow for her and I started one with Lucy's pattern. She wanted brilliant happy colors for her pillow and chose pink, turquoise, light green, purple, yellow, and aqua.  You can see that the pattern starts great in the center, but as it spreads out toward the ends, the petals flatten out and start doing strange things.

I ended up turning the circle into a square to create a square pillow.  For the back, I used Cherry Heart's back of cushion tutorial to create a fabulous back. The back is literally crocheted to the front panel about 3/4 of the way and then the second part is crocheted from the other end.  My friend asked for a lot of pink in the pillow, so I made the majority of the back the lovely bright pink color.

By the way, did you notice my birthday present to myself?  Isn't my new purple polka dot hook beautiful??

The color is a little off, but this is what the back looks like.  I just need to add the buttons and it is finished!

When I finished this pillow, I wondered if my original flower pillow pattern wouldn't work better.  So, I used my remaining yarn and created this pillow.

My version has a different way of increasing the circle and has one fewer stitch between petals.  Here's a view from above.

See how even the petals are?  They stay nice and loopy and don't flatten out as you get to the outside.  Now I just need to write up a pattern so that I never forget how I made this happy flower!

Baby Bobble Blanket Pattern with DCs!

Using a combo of Little Rays of Sunshine's suggestions and my DC pattern rows, I came up with the following pattern to use for the baby blanket.  I started the blanket and it was looking great and then...I ran out of yarn and then...could not find it anywhere.  :(

The blanket before I ran out of yarn

It's okay, though.  I turned my 1/4 of a blanket into a pillow sham.

Bobble Pillow Sham

I've purchased new yarn, and shouldn't have any problem with finishing it this time.  It's a skein of Pounds of Love yarn!

The pattern:

I hook
worsted weight yarn

Bobble rows:

1st bobble row: 4 sc, bobble (in 5th stitch), 9 sc, bobble (in 15th), 9 sc, bobble (in 25th), repeat and end with 5 sc (10 bobbles and 90 sc)

2nd bobble row: 9 sc, bobble (in 10th stitch), 9 sc, bobble (in 20th), 9 sc, bobble (in 30th), repeat and end with 9 sc (9 bobbles and 91 sc)


The Baby Bobble Blanket of Awesomeness!

Chain 103.

Row 1: DC in 4th ch from hook and in each chain across.  Chain 3 turn. (100 stitches)

Row 2: DC in same stitch as turning chain and in each stitch across. Chain 3 turn. (100 stitches don't count turning chain)

Row 3: DC in same stitch as turning chain and in each stitch across.  Chain 1 turn. (100 stitches don't count turning chain)

Row 4: 1st Bobble row. Chain 3 turn.

Row 5-6: Repeat Row 2. (100 stitches)

Row 7: Repeat Row 3. (100 stitches)

Row 8: 2nd Bobble row. Chain 3 turn.

Repeat with 3 rows of Dc between each bobble row and alternate 1st and second bobble row every 4th row.

Finish with 3 rows of DC after the last bobble row.

This works up so quickly and I love it. So easy to do!  Enjoy!


A note about my pattern:  Please feel free to use my pattern to make blankets for yourself and to sell.  DO NOT claim my pattern and sell it.  If you do share my pattern, I ask that you link back to this blog.

Bobbles and Blankets

I have several friends expecting babies in the near future and I am planning to make something for all of them.  Recently, I became obsessed with the adorable bobble blanket crocheted by Rachel over at Maybe Matilda.  It is lovely and unique and adorable for a baby.

Not wanting to pay for a pattern, I decided I could figure it out.  I found a free pattern for a bobble hooded blanket through Ravelry, but to my horror, it was all in single crochets.  A) I hate them. B) They are annoying. C) It takes forever to see any progress.  The trouble is that the only way to get the bobbles to work is if they have single crochets before and after the bobble stitch.

This morning, rather than grade papers, I decided to see if I could create a pattern for bobbles that used double crochets to advance the pattern more quickly. Guess what?  It worked!  Here is what I came up with in my test swatch:

You need to start with the following math:

a multiple of six + 4 + 3 (counts as 1st DC)

I did 25 for my test 18 + 4 + 3 = 25

Chain 25

Row 1: DC in 4th ch from hook and in each chain across.  Chain 3 turn. (23 stitches)

Row 2: DC in each stitch across and in the top of the original chain 3. Chain 3 turn. (23 stitches)

Row 3:   DC in each stitch across. Chain 1 turn. (23 stitches)

Row 4 (1st bobble row): 1 sc in each of the next 2 stitches, *bobble in the next stitch, 1 sc in next 5 stitches, bobble in the next stitch*, Repeat from * to * 2 more times, 1 sc in the next stitch and 1 sc in the top of the turning chain from the previous row. Chain 3 turn. (19 sc + 4 bobbles)

Row 5-6: 1 DC in each stitch across, Chain 3 turn. (23 stitches)

Row 7: 1 DC in each stitch across, Chain 1 turn. (23 stitches)

Row 8 (2nd bobble row): *1 sc in each of the next 5 stitches, bobble in the next stitch, 1 sc in each of the next 5 stitches*. Repeat from * to * once more.  Chain 3 and turn. (20 sc and 3 bobbles)

Repeat pattern of 3 rows of DC followed by alternating 1st bobble row and 2nd bobble row every 4th row.

Alternating bobble rows always go like this:

1st: 2 sc, bobble, 5 sc, bobble, 5 sc, bobble, repeat and end with 2 sc

2nd: 5 sc, bobble, 5 sc, bobble, 5 sc, bobble, repeat and end with 5 sc

I'm going to use this pattern and restart a blanket I began for one of my friends.  I bet it will get done in 1/2 the time of the all single crochet!

Here's some inspiration for spreading out the bobbles.  I may have to use this instead!

The Birthday Blanket of Awesomeness

Whenever I type "Birthday Blanket of Awesomeness", I can hear Jack Black as Kung Fu Panda saying it.

The Birthday Blanket of Awesomeness was born from an idea.  On April 16, 2012, I turned 40.  I haven't turned super introspective for this 40th year of my life, but I did think, "Huh, what's my problem that I can never finish anything for myself?" I've always wanted a ripple blanket and I decided that this was something I could do.  I could take the time to make something for ME for a change. So back in February, I made a commitment:  I would crochet myself a ripple blanket that would be all mine.

At first, I imagined that it was a lovely rainbow ripple like the ones I've seen Lucy and Sucrette make on their blogs.  But I decided that I have so much yarn in my stash that I needed to use it.  When I went to look, I did not have a whole lot to work with.  While plentiful, my stash does not contain a bunch of happy, spring colors and I definitely wanted happy and spring to be together in my blanket.

At one the bottom of one of my containers, I found a lilac skein, followed by a green skein, followed by a lilac variegated yarn that just screamed "CROCHET US TOGETHER!"  Using Lucy's Neat Ripple Pattern, I started my chain.  Lucy's pattern calls for a multiple of 14 + 3 to start and rather than count from 1 to 140 or 196, I just counted 14s. I kept going until my chain looked long enough and started the first row.  What I failed to realize was that I had 21 multiples of 14.  Yes, 21. When I finished the first row, I looked at the thing and thought: "What the heck have I gotten myself into?!" The row was ginormous. So, ginormous that I took it to my room and discovered that the blanket covered my California King sized bed and hung over by 2 feet on either side. The task seemed daunting.

But, I had committed to crocheting a blanket for myself and I wasn't about to frog the thing.  So, I crocheted my way through the first 6 skeins I had and realized that I was in trouble.  Six skeins only made 23 rows.  That was barely enough to cover my lap.  I did some math and found that I would need at least 100 rows to cover my bed.  100 rows meant that I needed to buy a lot more yarn.  A LOT more. Off I went to the store and after shopping for my new yarn, I did some more math.  This darn blanket was going to cost me over $100 by the time I was done.  With a sign, I bought the rest of the yarn, adding in a dark purple and a gray for some interest.

In the end, it took me a month to crochet.  Nights were my primary time to crochet and I usually finished only a few rows.  It took 35 minutes to crochet a single row.  While the goal was to finish by my 40th birthday, it was not to be.  However, I did finish it just this past Saturday when I added the row of single crochet border and a row of ruffle border.

TA-DA!

284 stitches across (there are extras in there)
100 rows
2 rows of border
All made with Michael's Loops & Threads worsted yarn and an H hook (Well, 2 H hooks.  I lost one about 2/3 of the way through.)

There is no rhyme or reason to the colors.  I just used colors as I was moved to use them.   Those rows of dark purple were my milestone rows so that I did not have to keep counting.  I just remembered that they were the 31st and 62nd rows.  So much easier that way.

The border is simple, but feminine.  I like how the variegated yarn breaks up the solid colors.

So how big is this thing?  Well, when I hold it in my arms and stand up, it is well above my head to the ground.  It is big and heavy.

Here is some perspective:

That's Gracie.  She's 4 years old and 42 inches tall.  I tried to get her brother, Lucas, to lay across my blanket diagonally, but he wasn't having any of it.

The blanket is currently in my dryer and I intend for it to be on my bed tonight.  I love my blanket and I am so proud of myself for finishing the darn thing.

Score one for me!