Go beyond the granny square

2008 has been a pretty good year. I rediscovered crochet and have loved creating amigurumis, scarfs, and other items for the ones that I love. Here is a list of some of my absolute favorite patterns that I have discovered in 2008.

Lion Brand’s amigurumi pig. There is no link to it because you have to register at the Lion Brand website to view patterns. Registration is free. This little pig was a huge hit at Christmas. I made one for my niece who had a favorite piggy bank that she carried everywhere.

I love how my toy animal leash turned out. I was also pretty excited to actually create a pattern. It definitely sealed the deal on being excited about crochet creations.

Another favorite is this cute amigurumi owl that I made for a Harry Potter swap. I loved working with the Lion Brand Jiffy yarn. It was so soft and so hard to sent it off. I may have to make me one.

I also enjoyed making this cute elephant. I used the Lion Brand elephant as a guide but worked some of it freestyle. My sister-in-law loved it as she is a huge Alabama Crimson Tide fan.

There are so many other projects that I’m ready to get started on. It looks like 2009 will be a bigger and better crocheting year.

Now that Christmas is past, it’s time to look forward to the next holiday - Valentine’s Day. For fun I did a search of free patterns at Lion Brand and found quite a few cute Valentine-themed projects.

There are some purses, potholders, and even flatware holders that are inspired by the February holiday. I think I will be making something for my little girl for Valentine’s instead of buying yet more stuffed animals. Besides it will give me a project to do that’s fun.

Now is the time to start thinking about the upcoming holidays because it will give me plenty of time to crochet.

I’m sure as January rolls by that I will find more patterns that I want to give a try for Valentine’s Day.

There are several websites that are wonderful resources for those who crochet. I’m always looking for patterns or looking at people’s latest projects. Here are some of my favorite spots on the web.

Ravelry is one stop surfing for knitters and crocheters. You can find groups, patterns, and all sorts of information.

Crochetville is a forum that offers crochet classes, free patterns, and more.

Crochet Me is more of a traditional website but has an active crochet community. There is a forum, blog, and plenty of free, great patterns.

Most - if not all- yarn companies have websites that include free patterns. When I find yarn on clearance this is a good way to find patterns made for that yarn weight.

Crochet Pattern Central is also another great cache of patterns.

If you are looking to learn crochet stitches, then there’s no better source than You Tube. You can find videos on practically anything. There are some really good crochet videos that you can find just by searching for ‘crochet.’

The web has really helped me with my crochet. I’m not sure I would have picked it up again if not for the Internet. It’s a wonderful resource for crocheters.

There are a lot of things I want to learn in 2009. Some of those goals involve crochet. Here is my list as it pertains to crochet -

Learn filet crochet
Learn Tunisian crochet
Crochet a cardigan
Open an Etsy shop
Submit a pattern to a crochet magazine

Two of those goals I will be attempting in January as there are two classes I plan on taking at Crochetville. Etsy might be a good avenue to crochet items that I really have no plan for but want to make anyway. The cardigan will be a real challenge but hopefully will turn out OK. It will be a lot of work but rewarding.

Creating a pattern for submission will hopefully help me develop some real discipline when it comes to pattern making. Usually I just throw them together, so my patterns are probably riddled with errors. The Internet offers to many outlets for self-publishing. I would love to publish more of my work so hopefully having a goal in this arena will help me in the long run.

Now that the Christmas rush is over, I can concentrate on moving forward with these and other projects.

Swaps are fun to take part in because you get something especially made for you. It’s also a great opportunity to try something new. I decided to make a purse for my partner. There were a few challenges in making it but overall I was pleased at how it turned out.

I used Gryffindor colors and found a simple pattern in a crochet book. The purse is basically made up on single crochet. I just switched colors to make the flap a different color. It’s all one piece except for the strap.

Once I attached the strap and stitched up the sides, it was time to line the purse. I had bought some festive material. Having no clue as to how to line a purse, I consulted the Internet. After reading a tutorial, I was even more confused than ever. I decided to mix the advice of the website and to do what I assumed would have to be done to make a lining. I measured twice and cut once My lining was way too big but I tacked it up. The purse could stretch so at least the lining will be big enough.

After sewing the lining together, I had to hand stitch it into the purse. My stitching is not perfect but a lot better than I thought I could do.

I did learn a few things and can’t wait to make another one. In fact, next year some people might find a purse made by me as their Christmas gift. It took about a week to make this one but I worked on it probably everyday. It was a fun project and showed me I can line purses. I’m glad it turned out OK and can’t wait to start my second purse.

Here is another crochet item from the Harry Potter holiday swap. I made a Hufflepuff scarf. It was easy and I just winged it without a pattern. I started with a chain the length of how wide I wanted the scarf to be. Then I used the half double crochet(hdc) stitch to make the scarf. I switched colors every 10 rows. My partner preferred the broader, 1st year scarf than the thinner striped one that is in the latter movies.

The hdc stitch made an interesting pattern and made the scarf seem almost textured. The hdc is one of my favorite stitches because it’s not as loose as the double crochet but works a lot faster than single crochet. You really see more progress when working with the half double crochet than with single crochet.

The scarf wasn’t as long as I would have liked. I should have bought more yarn but didn’t dare try to match up yarn from different dye lots as I already learned that lesson. Next time I will buy more yarn as I’m getting a better idea on how to judge just exactly how much I will need for projects that have no pattern.

It was fun to work on this scarf as it is something I’ve been wanting to make but just needed the proper motivation. Maybe within the next few weeks I’ll make one for myself.

As part of the Harry Potter Holiday swap, I made this cute little owl for my partner since she had several owl related items on her wish list. The challenge was to find an owl pattern that could resemble Hedwig - the snowy owl that belongs to Harry Potter.

I found a cute free owl pattern. The pattern was first published in 1981, so therefore seemed a little dated. I improvised the owl’s feet to be a little more modern. That was the only change I made to it.

I chose the pattern mainly because it was small and for the shape of the owl. I tied a gold ribbon at the top so that the owl could be hanged on a Christmas tree. After all, it is a holiday swap. Overall I was pleased at how it turned out. My only problem was getting the wings straight. It was impossible and after a few attempts I just gave up. We’ll just chalk it up to a little extra character for the owl.

He was pretty fast to make, too. I just used an off white yarn, some safety eyes, and a small amount of brown yarn for his beak and feet. So, if you need a fast crochet gift, this one can be done in under an hour.

There is an adorable Santa Hat crocheted purse on Ravelry. It would be such a cute bag to take to a Christmas party or other holiday event.  The problem is - along with not having enough time to add one more project to my list this December - there is no pattern. The pattern is from Quick and Easy Crochet magazine July/August 2006.

The hat part might be straightforward to do since it is most likely made up of single crochet. Just need to increase in rounds until you have the desired size of the purse. I have plenty of fun fur, so making the edge and the top of the hat should not be a problem. I know I have plenty of red yarn to work with, too.

While I ran out of time to crochet one this year, this is one project that I would like to tackle before next Christmas. I figure around February will be a good time to start tackling crafts for next Christmas. Maybe ten months will be enough time to get everything done.

If you are checking the Christmas list and realize you are a few gifts short, then there is still time to crochet something up. Here are some fast crochet projects to help fill that list with a handmade gift.

Christmas candy dish

Christmas coaster

Five minute crochet Christmas bell

Santa little helper ornament

Bookmarks, dishcloths, and amigurumis are also fast patterns to look for when trying to crochet a last minute gift. There’s still plenty of time to get crocheting on gifts for those on your list.

When you need a fast crochet gift, nothing beats a dishcloth. While it might not be the best piece to show off those mad crochet skills, it’s a quick gift that will be used again and again.

I always hold back on making a crochet gift for someone to wear. I always wonder if it is really something that they will wear and like. With dishcloths, you are giving something that everyone uses. One skein of cotton(50g) will make at least two. Make a set of four and tie a pretty ribbon around them. Voila! And you have a pretty impressive handmade gift for less than $5.

I need to make eight dishcloths for work. Last night I finished one and am already halfway through another.

To crochet a dishcloth, start with a foundation chain. Size really depends upon how big you want to make the dishcloths. Next you can double crochet in the second chain from hook and then one in each chain until the end of the row. Chain two and then double crochet into each dc(double crochet) back across. Repeat until you have the desired size you want.

You can use multi-colored cotton yarn to make interesting dishcloths or use a solid color and then add a border to it.

Dishcloths are something everyone uses even if they have a dishwasher. It’s also one of those items that you can never have too many of. New dishcloths are always a treat anyway as they seem to be one of those household items that are seldom purchased.