Monday, July 4, 2011

Pillow Talk… Beautiful Round Crochet Pillow

Off White Ruffle Rose Pillow
By: Tracie Barrett for Red Heart Yarn

Compliments of All Free Crochet.com

Spruce up your home decor with an Off White Ruffle Rose Pillow. Red Heart Soft Yarn is used in an off white color but you can choose any color you wish. This is an intermediate skill level so grab your hook and this free crochet pillow pattern and get stitching.

Ruffle Rose Pillow

Off White Ruffle Rose Pillow

This image courtesy of redheart.com

Intermediate

Crochet Hook: H/8 or 5 mm hook

Yarn Weight: (4) Medium Weight/Worsted Weight and Aran (16-20 stitches to 4 inches)

Pillow measures 16” diameter (not including ruffle) x 3” deep.
Materials:

  • RED HEART® “Soft Yarn®”: 4 balls 4601 Off White.
  • Crochet Hooks: 5mm [US H-8] and 5.5mm [US I-9].
  • Yarn needle, stitch markers, 16” diameter round pillow form.

GAUGE: Rounds 1–5 = 4½” using smaller hook. CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size hook to obtain the gauge.
NOTE: Front is made first; then spiral ruffle is added. Back and sides are then made in one piece. The two pieces are joined, and pillow form inserted to finish pillow.

PILLOW
Front

With smaller hook, ch 4; join with slip st in first ch to form a ring.
Round 1 (Right Side): Ch 2 (does not count as a st), 12 hdc in ring; do not join, work in continuous spiral with right side facing at all times—12 hdc.
Round 2: Working in back loops only, 2 hdc in each hdc around—24 hdc.
Round 3: Working in back loops only, [hdc in next hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—36 hdc.
Round 4: Working in back loops only, [hdc in next 2 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—48 hdc.
Note: Continue to work in back loops only in all following rounds.
Round 5: [Hdc in next 3 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—60 hdc.
Round 6: [Hdc in next 4 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—72 hdc.
Round 7: [Hdc in next 5 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—84 hdc.
Round 8: [Hdc in next 6 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—96 hdc.
Round 9: [Hdc in next 7 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—108 hdc.
Round 10: [Hdc in next 8 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—120 hdc.
Round 11: [Hdc in next 9 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—132 hdc.
Round 12: [Hdc in next 10 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—144 hdc.
Round 13: [Hdc in next 11 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—156 hdc.
Round 14: [Hdc in next 12 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—168 hdc.
Round 15: [Hdc in next 13 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—180 hdc.
Round 16: [Hdc in next 14 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—192 hdc.
Round 17: [Hdc in next 15 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—204 hdc.
Round 18: [Hdc in next 16 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—216 hdc.
Round 19: [Hdc in next 17 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc] 12 times—228 hdc.
Round 20: Hdc in each hdc around. Place a marker in first st of this round.
Sc in back loop of marked stitch. Fasten off.
Ruffle
Row 1: With outside edge facing and smaller hook, join yarn with sc in unworked front loop of marked st, sc in each unworked front loop to center of pillow front, turn.
Row 2: Change to larger hook, ch 1, (sc, hdc) in first sc, *dc in next sc, 2 dc in next sc; repeat from * around spiral to last st, (hdc, sc) in last sc. Fasten off.
BACK
With smaller hook, ch 4; join with slip st in first ch to form a ring.
Rounds 1–19: Work Rounds 1–19 of front—228 hdc.
Sides
Rounds 20–24: Working in back loops only, hdc in each hdc around. Do not fasten off.
FINISHING
Weave in ends. Place front and back with wrong sides together, and match stitches. Working through both thicknesses and working in back loops only of both layers, join yarn with slip st in any st, slip st in each st around, inserting pillow form before seam is completely closed.
Fasten off and weave in ends.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Holiday Gift Ideas Free Knitting Patterns Today's Blog "The Handbag"


  If you are like many people still trying to make ends meet and as we all know time just seems to fly, today we are celebrating the Fourth of July, working on our tans and before you know it the holidays start rolling in and Christmas creeps up on us.  I always find some really great patterns and think what a great gift that would make. 
How to personalize each gift for your loved ones during the Holidays.
1. Start creating your Christmas list
2. Go online search free patterns for great gift ideas, scarves, hats, gloves, handbags, sweaters, shawls, jewelry, etc.
3. Stock up on yarn, see yarn guide on selected patterns and stock up early. Stock up on extra yarn,
4. Use up your yarn scraps and find miscellaneous patterns for those unexpected people that show up during the holiday and you start racking your brains on what you can give them.  Make some bracelets, makeup bags, handtowels, washcloths wrap them in a ribbon, bookmarkers are great for everyone kids included. Be creative and hand fun and if you are a newbie, practice makes perfect.
5. Give yourself a deadline, complete a gift a week or X amount of gifts per month and have your gifts wrapped up and ready and don't let the holidays creep up on you.  They get me everytime.  Let's see if I can walk the talk this year.

I have a pretty impressive collection of free patterns from those wonderful people who love the craft and are more about sharing than making money on it.  Which is why I don't sell the patterns listed, it wouldn't be right.  So I will hand select a variety of styles, chic and easy skill level patterns.  Continue to check in. 


I've started with Handbags, Berroco  has the most awesome bags, so here are a few to motivate you and get the wheels turning.  Just keep in mind that you are not knitting for yourself right now.  If you are looking for something in particular and need help, contact me and I will try to find you the pattern you are looking for. 

 




Berroco's Exclusive Bagette
 Berroco's Felicity Bag
imageBerroco's Pretty Ditty Bag
  Berroco's Exclusive Lali
 Berroco's Exclusive Crystal Bag
 Berroco's Pignoli
imageBerroco's Moette
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

THE CLOCHE HAT STILL IN STYLE...GREAT FOR BEGINNERS

CLOCHE HAT
Absolutely my favorite girly girl hat that is always fashionable to wear.  The "cloche hat" as defined by Wikipedia (Cloche hat) is a fitted, bell shaped invented in 1908. Cloche is the French word for "bell".  During the twentieth century it's popularity influenced the shaping of hairstyles like the Eton crop and was an ideal fashion showcase. They were initially made of felt, designed to be worn low on the forehead with the wearer's eyes only slightly below the brim, commonly worn with the brim turned up.  The hats were decorated with with ribbons, bows, brooches, feathers,etc. 

Often, different styles of ribbons affixed to the hats indicated different messages about the wearer. Several popular messages included: An arrow-like ribbon which indicated a girl was single but had already given her heart to someone, a firm knot which signaled marriage or a flamboyant bow which indicated the wearer was single and interested in mingling.  I've collected quite a number of cloche patterns for knitting as well as crocheting.  I am a bit short on time today, but have a look at the slide show above, these are some cool Cloche's.  Contact me if you are interested in the pattern.  I hope to add the patterns for them later on anyway, but for now I just wanted to share my favorite hat, cant seem to get enough of the many Cloche looks.