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36 Small, Portable Crochet Projects

October 14, 2020 By admin Leave a Comment

Whether you want a crochet project that’s easy to take to the playground or the dog park, or you need something that can handle the doctor’s waiting room, or you’d just like to be able to easily sit outside on a nice day and stitch, small, portable crochet projects are what you need!

These FREE portable crochet projects from bloggers are perfect when you need a project that can be on-the-go with you!

36 Free Small, Portable Crochet Projects

Hats, Earwarmers, and Hair Bands

Wings of Hope Hat by Marly Bird: Designed for pancreatic cancer awareness, it’s a great gift for a cancer charity!
Oh Sandy by Rebecca Velasquez: Gently tie up your hair with this hair scarf!
Picot Me Up Ear Warmer & Cowl Set by The Loopy Lamb: This matching ear warmer and cowl set will have you looking super cute all winter!
Berry Good Hair Day Crochet Hair Scarf by The Loopy Lamb: Keep your hair out of your face with this cute hair scarf!
Jessie Slouch by Rebecca Velasquez: A cute slouchy hat with a pompom, crocheted in Chic Sheep!
Bumpy Road Headband by Marly Bird: This headband and a matching washcloth make a great gift!
Jelly Beanie by Loops and Love Crochet: Puff stitches add a different look to this hat!
Edgewood Earwarmer by Through The Loop Yarn Craft: Show off a yarn you love with this earwarmer!
Lunt Twisted Headband by Joy of Motion Crochet: A combination headband and earwarmer!

Fingerless Mitts

Basic Fingerless Gloves by Raffamusa Designs: This simple pattern lets you make the fingerless gloves in a hurry!
Rail Mitts by Rebecca Velasquez: These textured fingerless mitts are gorgeous and oh-so-useful as the weather cools!
Winter Time Fingerless Gloves by Carroway Crochet: Easy fingerless gloves keep your hands warm and fingers free.

Socks, Scarves, and Legwarmers

Slouchy Crochet Leg Warmers by Sigoni Macaroni: Cute leg warmers will keep you cozy!
Winter Legs by Rebecca Velasquez: Shorts can be worn longer when paired with leg warmers like these!
Infinite Hues Crochet Scarf by Jen Hayes: A color-changing yarn is perfect for this scarf!
Winter’s Edge Scarf by A Crocheted Simplicity: Easily add style to your outfit with this scarf!
One Ball Shawl by Marly Bird: Just one ball of Roll With It Tweed lets you make this shawl!
Step On Socks by Dora Does: Keep your toes warm with this sock pattern!

Bags, Pouches, and Cases

Rainbow Sprinkles Handbag by Pine Tree Crochet: One ball of Red Heart Super Saver lets you crochet you a colorful purse!
Earbud Holder by A Crocheted Simplicity: Keep your earbuds handy and tangle-free with this holder!
Simple Cotton Pouch by Creations By Courtney: Use leftover yarn to make a pouch to organize your supplies!
Rainy-Sunny Coin Purse by Raffamusa Designs: An adorable coin purse with rain on one side and sun on the other!
Sunglasses Case by Pine Tree Crochet: This glasses case pattern can also be used for reading glasses, and they make great gifts!
Simple Produce Bag by Pink Plumeria Maui: Be environmentally-friendly in your shopping with a reusable bag!
Keyring Pouch by Sonya Blackstone / Blackstone Designs: Mini pouches can hold headphones or change!
Easy Sunglasses Cases by Loops and Love Crochet: Use your favorite color of yarn for these glasses cases!

Home Decor

Sunshine Coasters by Crafting Each Day: Coasters with a plain center and a colorful scalloped edge are easy to make — you can coordinate with every occasion!
Flower Soup Bowl Cozy by Sonya Blackstone / Blackstone Designs: Keep your bowl of soup piping hot with this bowl cozy!
Mug Rug by Pine Tree Crochet: You’ll never miss the coaster with these oversized mug rugs!
Granny Bobble Wall Hanging by Sweet Bee Crochet: Update a traditional granny square with fun bobbles!
Mini Flower Scrubbie by Carolyn Calderon – The Purple Poncho: Have fun while doing your dishes with this flower scrubbie!
Yarn Ball Stress Reliever by Sonya Blackstone / Blackstone Designs: Relieve stress with this stress ball that looks like a mini ball of yarn!
Heart Ornament by GoldenLucyCrafts: Two-color hearts are a great gift for a friend!
Crochet Ornaments by Fosbas Designs: Start Christmas ornaments now so you have time to enjoy them later!
Tunisian Mug Rug by Desamour Designs: Practice Tunisian crochet with a project you can do on a regular crochet hook!
The Not Knit Dishcloth by Desamour Designs: Tunisian crochet gives a knit look to this dishcloth!

Get Warm and Cozy with this Knit Butterfly Hat Free Pattern

October 9, 2020 By admin Leave a Comment

Knit hats are both functional and fun. They keep you cozy as the temperatures start to drop. Plus they provide the perfect pop of color for accessorizing. This knit butterfly hat free pattern gives you a chance to practice a fabulous textured dip stitch.

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click one of the links and end up making a purchase, then a small portion of your payment will go to support the blog. The price that you pay doesn’t change at all. Thank you for your support of this blog.*

About the Knit Butterfly Hat

This is a basic knit hat worked bottom-up in the round. It’s designed for you to work it up quickly and easily, especially if you’re an intermediate or advanced knitter.

The hat starts off with K1, P1 ribbing that will keep that brim close to your head to keep out the chill.

Then you make the main portion of the hat using a dip stitch also called the knit butterfly stitch.

There is a slight change to the repeating pattern at the top. This creates a beautiful radiating star pattern that closes the hat up.

This is a one-size hat pattern designed for adults.

Things You’ll Practice With This Knit Butterfly Hat Free Pattern

Although this knit butterfly stitch hat is fairly straightforward, it still offers the opportunity to learn / practice some new things:

Casting on in the round, which is a great way to make a seamless knit hat
Why I use the long-tail cast on (hint: stretch plus stability)
Knit one, purl one ribbing
Increasingly evenly when knitting in the round
How to knit two together including through the back leg

Of course, the main thing that you’ll practice is the textured stitch that makes up the main body of this pattern. It’s a version of the dip stitch. In the pattern, it’s called the butterfly loop stitch. As you can see by looking at it, it’s got a texture that loops similar to butterfly knit stitch. However, it varies in how it’s created and the final shape that forms. The texture is dense, which makes the hat extra warm and cozy.

Learn the Knit Butterfly Hat Techniques

I have created a video to show you each of the different techniques used in the knit butterfly hat free pattern. Once you work through the video, you’ll be able to complete the pattern with ease. Hopefully, you’ll learn some new things along the way. Here’s the video:

The Yarn for This Hat

This knit butterfly hat free pattern calls for the use of a luscious yarn: Caron Lovely Layers Swirl Cakes. This is a #5 Bulky Weight yarn. That’s why the knit hat works up so quickly. Moreover, this bulky yarn will keep you extra warm this winter. Plus it feels really great to the touch.

Caron Lovely Layers Swirl Cakes is blend of acrylic and wool (approximately three quarters acrylic, one quarter wool). One 8 ounce skein contains over 250 yards of yarn. That’s a lot for such a bulky yarn; at less than $10 per ball, it’s one of the most affordable yarns on the market. Of course, you will only need one ball of this yarn to complete the knit butterfly hat.

Get the Knit Butterfly Hat Free Pattern

Click the image above to get the knit butterfly hat free pattern. The video that I’ve created will show you a lot of what you need to know in order to complete the pattern, of course. However, the pattern itself has the full written instructions. Therefore, you’ll want the free pattern download as well. as the video.

More Knit Hat Patterns

knit and crochet hat patterns by Marly Bird

7 Affordable Yarns That Give Big Bang for Their Buck

October 7, 2020 By admin Leave a Comment

What do you look for when choosing a yarn? The fiber type, the weight, and the color are all important, of course. But for many people cost is also a big consideration. If you’re looking for affordable yarns, then you want to consider the price of a skein but also the amount of yardage that skein gives you. After all, they aren’t affordable yarns if you pay a little but also only get a little. In this roundup you’ll find seven yarns that give you lots of yardage for a relatively low price.

Tip: Check out our one ball projects for ideas of how to use these yarns.

1. Bernat Plentiful

How often can you complete an entire large project using a single ball of yarn? Not often, especially when it’s a bulky weight yarn, which often has less than 100 yards per ball. That’s not the case with Bernat Plentiful, though.

Bernat Plentiful is a #5 bulky weight yarn, and yet it comes with over 950 yards in each ball of yarn. That means that with a single ball you can easily knit or crochet a winter sweater, a small blanket, or any number of other projects. This wool, acrylic, polyester blend has a brushed texture that makes it extra cozy for wearables.

Available in a range of colors, as well as stripes, this machine washable (and machine dry) yarn is one of the best new affordable yarns on the market.

2. Caron Jumbo / 1 Lb Yarn

If you’re looking for a solid choice when it comes to worsted weight yarn, then the big skeins of Caron Yarn (Caron Jumbo and Caron 1 Pound) provide a steady option.

Both yarns are 100% acrylic. You can wash and dry them in a machine. Caron 1 Pound comes in solid colors, whereas Caron Jumbo is a striped yarn in varying color ways.

I skein of Caron 1 Lb. Yarn has more than 800 yards. You can easily knit or crochet 3-4 winter scarves with just a single skein. Of course, you could also make a bigger project. Caron Jumbo has almost 600 yards per skein. Use it to make a one-skein crochet shawl. At less than $10 per skein, that’s a lot of bang for your buck.

3. Red Heart It’s a Wrap

This yarn was specifically designed so that you could easily. make a three-color wrap using only one ball of yarn. If you’re the kind of person who loves to craft with multiple colors but can never decide on the right color combination, it gives you the ease and convenience you’re seeking.

It’s a Wrap is a lightweight yarn. It’s 2 #1 Superfine blend of cotton and acrylic. You can machine wash it but should lay it flat to dry. Worked up into a shawl, it’s got beautiful drape. And with 1100 yards to one ball and a price tag under $10, you definitely get your money’s worth.

This yarn also makes a good gift for other knitters and crocheters in your life.

4. Caron Latte Cakes

Going back to the bulky weight yarns, since they’re the coziest as we approach the winter months, here’s another #5 bulky yarn that comes with a lot of yardage. Although not quite as much as Bernat Plentiful, the Caron Cakes still have more than 500 yards of yarn each. That’s a lot more yardage than you’ll typically get for a bulky weight yarn.

Plus, this is a unique yarn. It’s a blend of acrylic and nylon. Each ball has five different colors worked into a variegated blend that pops with brightness. You can machine wash and dry Caron Latte Cakes.

5. Bernat Super Value Yarn

If you’re looking to stock up on affordable yarns that will work for a wide range of projects then consider this worsted weight yarn. It’s a very economical yarn, with more than 400 yards per skein (except for ombres, which have less yardage.) Each skein costs less than $6.

Bernat Super Value Yarn comes in a wide range of colors. It’s a very durable yarn good for all types of different projects. You can machine wash and dry this yarn.

6. Red Heart Fleece Hugs

In my original review of this yarn I noted that with just one touch you’ll never want to put it down. It’s super soft, works great for making baby items, and is especially terrific as a yarn for knitting because of the particular texture it offers.

This is a unique worsted weight yarn. It is 100% polyester. You can wash and dry it in the machine. Each ball comes with more than 400 yards. Use it to craft up a cute baby outfit or a wrap to give yourself that feeling of a cozy yarn hug.

7. Bernat Blanket

At first glance, this might not seem like a yarn that offers a lot of yardage, since it’s about 220 yards per ball. However, when you realize that this is a #6 super bulky weight yarn, it becomes clear that this is an economical choice. One ball of this yarn can easily work up into a great, soft, affordable home decor project.

Obviously, given the name, it’s particularly popular for making blankets. It’s a chenille-style yarn that feels extra cozy. At less than $11 per ball, it’s definitely one of the most affordable yarns out there for people who want to get a lot of bang for their buck.

Which affordable yarns are your favorites? If we missed them on this list, comment with them below!

20+ Free Halloween Crochet Patterns | Spooky Fun

October 5, 2020 By admin 4 Comments

It’s not too late to make crochet Halloween decorations. Whether you’re going to have a party this year or stay at home as a family, Halloween crochet patterns can dress up your house and make for a more festive mood. Taking the time to sit and crochet for a holiday can really help you get grounded in the season so that you celebrate it instead of letting it just pass you by. Get started with these free Halloween crochet patterns, which run the gamut from coasters to costumes.

10 Free Crochet Halloween Patterns from Red Heart

Let’s start with a set of ten classic Halloween crochet patterns made using Red Heart Super Saver yarn. After all, this 100% acrylic worsted weight machine-washable yarn has been a favorite for over three decades.

With over 120 colors and counting, I know that you will find the perfect color for any project that you work on. Super Saver comes in solids, stripes, and ombre. Best of all, it is made in the USA.

Here are ten of the best free crochet Halloween patterns available using Red Heart yarn. They are each pictured in the image above.

Halloween Coaster Free Pattern: Ghost Coasters

This Halloween coaster free pattern is really quick and easy to make. Use one skein each of 316 Soft White A and 312 Black B Super Saver yarn and a 5 m (US H-8) crochet hook to craft these Halloween coasters. They look like fun, bright, adorable little ghosts. Use them under drinks at a Halloween party or string them into a garland.

Download the FREE Crochet Ghost Coasters Pattern

Halloween Top Hat Free Crochet Pattern

Do you need a simple crochet hat that doubles as a Halloween costume? If so, then this free Halloween top hat pattern is a top choice. Using 2 skeins of 254 Pumpkin A and 1 skein each of 312 Black B and 512 Turqua C, you can create a bold accessory that will have everyone asking about your crochet skills. This hat requires a few extra materials that you can’t purchase through Red Heart to get the full effect.

Download the FREE Halloween Top Hat Pattern

Free Crochet Halloween Patterns: Jar Cozies

Use two different crochet hooks and two Red Heart Super Saver yarn skeins to craft these adorable Halloween jar cozies. Fill them with candy or other treats to give as gifts. Since most people don’t give Halloween gifts, they’re an extra special treat. Alternatively, use them to decorate jars around the house for candles and other spooky decor.

Download the FREE Halloween Jar Cozies pattern

Free Crochet Halloween Pattern: Party Banner

Whether or not you’ll have a Halloween party this year, a Halloween party banner is a fun project to crochet. It’s easy to make but adds a big pop of seasonal color to any room.

Download the FREE Halloween Party Banner pattern

Free Crochet Halloween Pattern: Ghostly Candy Bowl

Use stuffing and black floss in combination with intriguing Red Heart Super Saver Yarn choices to craft a candy bowl for Halloween. If you’re handing candy out to trick-or-treaters, then this will be a surprise treat for them to see. Alternatively, place it as a centerpiece on your table to enjoy throughout the Halloween season.

Download the FREE Ghostly Candy Bowl pattern

Free Halloween Crochet Patterns: Ghost-A-Glow Candle Cozies

Candles warm the season. You can make creative ones for nearly any winter holiday, starting with Halloween. This free crochet pattern gives you yarn ghosts to cover Smart Candles. That way, the house stays safe, but you still get that seasonal glow. These also make cute gifts.

This pattern requires a few additional non-yarn-related items. See the pattern for a full list of materials.

Download the FREE Ghost-A-Glow pattern

Free Halloween Crochet Patterns: Spiders Climbing Walls

Crochet just one of these Halloween spiders as a statement decor piece for any room. Or crochet a set of them to climb the walls. Place them outdoors to delight (or frighten) your neighbors. Have them climb the bathroom walls during a Halloween party. Or lay them out on tabletops for Halloween mealtime fun.

Download the Spiders Climbing Wall pattern

Pumpkin Face Throw Blanket Free Crochet Pattern

Halloween comes and goes so quickly. However, you can keep the spirit around all winter long by creating a themed throw blanket. This one has bright colors that will delight the senses. Put it away when the sun comes out and bring it out again next year to start the season anew.

Download the Pumpkin Face Throw pattern

Free Halloween Crochet Pattern: Spooky Spider Jewelry

Slip on a pair of bold Halloween earrings to note the season wherever you go. Whether you’re attending a party that you don’t want to get fully in costume for or just heading to the corner store to pick up some extra Halloween candy, these earrings will announce your seasonal spirit. They don’t use very much yarn and work up quickly.

Download the Spooky Spider Jewelry pattern

Free Halloween Crochet Patterns: Gift Trims

These are a set of free Halloween crochet patterns that you can wrap around gift bags to decorate them for the holiday. They also make great appliqués for a wide variety of different projects. They’re small and you can work up a bunch of them really quickly without using up a lot of yarn. Have fun with this project.

Download the Halloween Gift Trims pattern

Other Free Halloween Crochet Patterns

Those Red Heart Super Saver Yarn patterns are top choices for quick Halloween crochet projects. However, there are so many different patterns for the holiday that you don’t want to limit yourself! Here are some additional ideas and free Halloween crochet patterns:

Free Crochet Pumpkin Patterns

Pumpkins are the quintessential symbol of Halloween. Here are ten free crochet pumpkin patterns to play with.

Halloween Coaster Free Patterns

Crochet coasters are always a smart choice for decorating. The ghost coasters at the beginning of this post are popular Halloween coaster free patterns. However, any appliqué pattern can make a good coaster. Look for free patterns for ghosts, witches, pumpkins, and other symbols of the season.

Crochet Witch Patterns

The witch is another classic symbol of Halloween. Crochet a witch’s hat for an easy costume. Alternatively, you might want to crochet the Harry Potter sorting hat, a free Hogwarts crochet pattern.

More Free Patterns

Here are ten more free patterns for Halloween.

*This post contains affiliate links. By clicking one of these links and making a purchase, a small portion goes to the blog. The price you pay is not changed. Thank you for your support of the blog.*

10 FREE Blanket Patterns for Knit and Crochet

October 5, 2020 By admin Leave a Comment

Each week we are pulling together some of our favorite patterns from the Yarnspirations website. Use these patterns to inspire you to try new projects or even some new yarn! This week I have a collection of 10 FREE knit and crochet blanket patterns sure to get you excited to pick up your needles and hooks. Browse through them for your next project to put your hooks or needles.

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10 FREE Crochet Sock Patterns

September 21, 2020 By admin Leave a Comment

Each week we are pulling together some of our favorite patterns from the Yarnspirations website. Use these patterns to inspire you to try new projects or even some new yarn! This week I have a collection of 10 FREE crochet sock patterns sure to get you excited to pick up your needles and hooks. Browse through them for your next project to put your hooks into.

Weekly Theme: Crochet Socks

Handmade socks are the perfect accessory in cold weather. Crochet some socks for you or your family or friends. These 10 FREE patterns from Yarnspirations include skinny socks to wear with shoes and thick slipper socks, so you’ll definitely find the right pattern for you.

Featured Patterns of the Week: Crochet Socks Patterns

More FREE Patterns

Free Crochet Patterns by Marly Bird

Find My Complete Guide to Learning How to Knit Socks Here.