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Crocheting Q & A

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It’s no secret that the art of crocheting appears to be a dying art. Although within our crocheting community it is ever growing and changing, to the general public crocheting isn’t a common hobby. Being a crocheter, especially a crocheter from a very young age, I frequently get asked a lot of questions. I decided what better way to address those questions than writing up a blog post to help people interested in learning how and/or learning more about crochet. Listed below will be multiple questions that I get asked about this “hooklife.” While reading this, if you think of any more questions, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below and I’ll answer them as soon as possible.

Question 1: How do I begin? Like where do I start to learn the basics?

Answer: What I was told years ago when I wanted to learn was that it is impossible to learn how to crochet from a book. I tend to agree. So I will always say if you know someone who crochets, asking them to show you is probably going to be the most helpful and quickest way to learn. At least if they can show you the very minimal basics of how to crochet in person. For example, to show you how to do a simple chain and how to hold your hook. Things like that when you have no experience at all with it is much easier to learn when you are in person with an actual instructor.

When I was probably in 1st or 2nd grade, a lady in my church sat with me at a Children’s Quiz meet and showed me how to chain and do double crochet (thanks Pam!!) I did that stitch for years and years. I made countless scarves because that’s all I knew how to do. I got some books but from that point on when I was in elementary school, I couldn’t learn from the books and I couldn’t read patterns. It wasn’t until I was a little older that I got much more into the art of crocheting.

Then entered YouTube. I cannot stress enough how helpful YouTube has been. I can’t even give you certain YouTube accounts that have helped me the most. There are hundreds of YouTubers out there that can teach you any and every stitch, pattern, project or technique you could ever dream of learning. As soon as I dove into the world of YouTube for crochet, my skills have multiplied ten fold. From just doing basic stitches, to learning intricate stitches and techniques, to finding fun patterns to make and to just watching for refreshers on certain stitches, I am constantly YouTubing for crochet.

So that would be my suggestion. Ask someone you know to show you some basics and then use YouTube to go from there. But if you don’t know anyone that can teach you, YouTube would be such an awesome tool for you to use to learn about anything you want to learn.

Question 2: What yarn should I use to start?

Answer: I will always suggest plain, simple acrylic yarn for any beginner. You need to learn the fundamentals before you can delve into any fun, fancy yarn. Pick yourself up some cheap yarn from Walmart and a cheap hook from there as well and just practice and practice and practice until it becomes muscle memory. You might just be making a square or practice making a scarf, something very basic, until you have the stitch down and engrained in your head.

Yarn comes in many different sizes, shapes, materials, and textures. You name it, there is a yarn like that. That’s why learning on basic acrylic yarn is so important. Some yarn is hard to work with. Some yarn you can’t see the stitches you are making. Some yarn is so thin, it will take you eighteen years to make a scarf. Some yarn is so big it won’t fit on your hook. Once you learn the basic fundamentals, then it will be time to experiment with all the different kinds of yarn. And let me tell you, it will SO be worth the wait. This is the best/worst part of being a crocheter. Yarn comes in so many pretty and wonderful options and you have to try them all, regardless of what your bank account is telling you.

Question 3: What size hook should I use?

Answer: This question depends on if you followed my instructions for question number two. 🙂 So as mentioned in the last answer, each yarn has a different weight to it. That weight depends on what hook size you should use. It took me quite a few years to realize this. When picking out your yarn, look for a little square box on the back of the label. You will see a little crochet hook that has a number in millimeters next to it. That is the suggested hook size for that specific yarn. This isn’t a set in stone number, which once you get more into crocheting, that will make more sense. But for a beginner, this is a good suggestion to go with when picking out your hooks.

The box I’m pointing to is the suggested hook size box. So for this specific yarn, it’s saying using a 5 mm or U.S. H/8 hook is the best. Also pictured, to the left of that box, the box that has a skein of yarn with the number is saying this is a medium weight, size 4, yarn.

Another feature about crochet hooks that you should be looking at is whether you get an inline or tapered hook. This honestly comes down to personal preference so once you get a hook and get familiar with it, you can always try the other kind and see what you like better. I personally like tapered hooks better. I think the round edges make me crochet faster and smoother because the yarn doesn’t get separated as much. But some projects I like the inline hooks better because I need the point and deeper groove in the head of the crochet hook. There honestly is no right or wrong. Some crocheters love inline and some love tapered. So you will just have to find what works best and is more comfortable for you.

The crochet hook on the left is an inline hook. The crochet hook on the right is a tapered hook.

Question 4: What project should I make first?

Answer: This is probably dependent on the teacher. I always suggest a square or a very basic scarf to learn. Although it might be boring to just do a square, I think learning the fundamentals is extremely important before jumping on board with some project that is more difficult and overwhelming for beginners. The most important thing to do after learning how to make a stitch is learning how to count your stitches. This is something that even extremely experienced crocheters must do. And it’s also one of the most common mistakes of beginner crocheters.

Each row you make must have the same number of stitches in it. At first, this is extremely easy to miss and mess up. (Hence the reasoning behind starting with basic acrylic yarn. It’s easier to see and count your stitches compared to other yarn.) This is why I always say start with a basic square or a scarf. Something that is narrow enough to be able to easily count from row to row and get used to going into the last stitch of a row. Once you master this, then you won’t have to worry about your edges zigzagging all the way up your project. But if (and when) that happens, there’s no reason to be discouraged. Every crocheter has been there and experienced that. It’s all part of the practice makes perfect for crocheting.

Question 5: Isn’t crocheting for old ladies?

Answer: ABSOLTELY NOT. When I was growing up, I always felt like I was from the wrong era. I loved to crochet and craft and do all these things that most kids my age didn’t do. When I hit college I discovered I was craving to crochet and work on new projects. It didn’t dawn on me until a few years ago that crocheting is literally my therapy. When I get stressed about life, the thing I want to do most is crochet. Which explained why when I was nearing graduation from my bachelor’s degree that’s all I wanted to do and when my wedding plans were getting ripped apart because of Covid that’s all I wanted to do; crochet my stress away.

Fiber arts’ hobbies are making a come back. When I started getting into crocheting more I just randomly decided to look up crochet on Instagram and my whole view of the art changed. There are thousands upon thousands of women and men that have thousands and thousands of followers on their accounts solely based on crochet. When I thought my whole life I was in the minority, I quickly realized I was not alone. People are designing and making businesses all based on this hobby. And not just crocheting projects but creating designs and creating and dying yarn. The possibilities are endless with this art. There are literally so many people that use crochet as a hobby, outlet, stress relief and their career!

So I guess my answer is no. It’s not just for old ladies, old ladies are the smart ones to use this as a way to create and destress. It’s not just for old ladies, it’s not just for women, it’s not just for adults. There’s children learning and there’s men learning. This art is taking off in a whole new direction. It’s no longer just the ripple afghans that your great aunt made your parents when you weren’t born yet. It’s not just about the granny square blankets that every house had lying on their couch in the seventies. This is about creating modern, beautiful pieces that are functional and unique.

I can go on and on about crochet, but I will save more questions and answers for a part two of this blog someday. Until then, I want all you beginners to know that if you ever want any help, just ask me! I’m trying to make this website a place where beginner crocheters feel comfortable. I write my patterns very beginner friendly because I want all crocheters to be able to create something they are proud of. Check out all my patterns and see if there’s anything that you might want to try to make. And keep checking back, because I have a lot of pattern ideas floating around in my head.

If you aren’t a beginner crocheter, this website will also contain fun projects for you to mindlessly do as well as highlight other patterns that I’ve tested for people over the years that aren’t quite at a beginner level.

Regardless of what skill level of crocheting you are at, you are welcome here and I am so happy to have you go along this journey with me.

If you have any questions, please feel free to comment on here or email me at [email protected]. If you want, feel free to follow me on Instagram. Also, feel free to use the hashtag #madisonsmakings on Instagram if you start working on something or are getting started crocheting. You can check out my Pinterest board to see what all I’ve been making or working on by clicking here. Or if you would like to purchase any patterns, feel free to check out my Etsy page by clicking here. While you are on any of these social media platforms, you can search through my accounts and see how many hundreds of fellow crocheters are out there.

As always, happy crocheting friends! 🙂

Snowball Scarf

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It’s 2021 ya’ll!

We made it officially out of the year 2020 and so far, these first few weeks doesn’t look like we are completely clear of 2020 yet. But we still have a whole year to change that!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year’s! Ours ended up being very different looking than the past few years, but what’s important is we got to spend Christmas and the holidays with everyone even if it took a couple weeks to do that. Our Christmas decorations are down, the house looks horrifyingly bare and I have so much anticipation and excitement for this year! I have so many pattern ideas flowing through my brain and to be honest, this one was not on my radar AT ALL.

I still have so much Red Heart Hygge yarn left over from the babies’ blankets I made last summer that I’ve been trying to use up. (I’m still hard core trying to use up all the yarn I have lying around and not make routine trips to get yarn unless absolutely necessary. So far so good!) And around Christmas time I just got this picture in my head of a huge, cozy and long scarf. I just couldn’t get the picture out of my head. I knew I would need a project to work on at the Christmas festivities so I brought home a skein of Hygge and just went to town on that idea. A few days later, you got the Snowball Scarf!

This pattern is literally so unbelievably easy and even with the huge size (I mean it ended up being 91 inches long!!), it works up soo fast! While sitting with my family just talking and crocheting, my grandpa said, “Madison, you’ve gotten like a foot of that done already!” It works up so fast! Which is exactly what I wanted! I wanted a pattern, like my goal for all my patterns, that a beginner can look at and start making and be proud of what all they’ve accomplished.

Another cool feature about this scarf is because of the length, it can be worn in many different ways. Here are the three ways that I like to wear it:

This scarf uses Red Heart Hygge yarn just like the Sophie Headband and uses the same stitch pattern as the Victorious Infinity Scarf. If it’s not obvious yet, I’m pretty obsessed with the treble crochet v stitch and Hygge yarn. (I promise I have projects in the works that do not use those two things.) As I mentioned, it works up incredibly fast all thanks to the treble crochet stitches height.

Maybe you guys were the same way, but some of my first projects I ever crocheted was double crochet, back and forth a bunch of times to make scarves with fringe on the ends. I mean I made soo many of those and I recently found some in an old tote I have. Let’s just say, those look ROUGH. My skills have greatly increased since then. But I think from making those so much, I thought that those kind of scarves aren’t popular or useful anymore because of the big hit infinity scarves and cowls have become. Yet once I started this one I knew it was going to be one of my favorite patterns. Because I think it’s nice to take something you made so often as a beginner crocheter and kind of upscale it now to show yourself just how far you’ve come over the years. What a perfect New Year task to do. It isn’t just about “New Year, New Me” but it’s about “New Year, Look How Far I’ve Come.”

I hope this pattern brings you that same sense of accomplishment that it gave me. I am proud to give you guys this pattern and I hope you are proud to make this scarf and share with others what you’ve made!

What you will need to make this pattern:

  • About 440 yards (a little more than 2 skeins) of Red Heart Hygge Yarn
  • 6.5 mm hook
  • Scissors
  • Yarn needle
  • Pom Pom maker (optional)

Some abbreviations you will see in this pattern:

  • Ch = Chain
  • St = Stitch
  • Sts = Stitches
  • Hdc = Half Double Crochet
  • Tr = Treble Crochet
  • * * = Repeat instructions inside the asterisk across the row until otherwise noted

Gauge:

  • Gauge isn’t a necessity in this pattern, it all depends on how you want the look of the scarf to be and how long you want it.
  • My finished dimensions are 91” long (including the poms) and 9” wide.
  • Depending on your gauge and the size you make your scarf, the amount of yarn used will vary.

Notes:

  • This pattern uses a treble crochet v stitch.
  • The ch 2 at the beginning of the hdc rows DOES count as a stitch.
  • The ch 4 at the beginning of the tr rows DOES count as a stitch.
  • If needed, feel free to do a foundation hdc for the first row if your tension is tight on the ch and first row.
  • If you would like this pattern to be narrower or wider, simply chain an odd number of stitches to get started.
  • If you would like this pattern to be longer or shorter, just don’t do as many tr v st rows.
  • Each row’s stitch count will be in parenthesis at the end of the round’s instructions.

Pattern:

Ch 25

Row 1:  Hdc in 3rd ch from the hook, ch 4, turn (24)

Row 2:  Tr in next st from the ch 4, sk st, *2 tr in the next st, sk st, 2 tr in next st,* repeat across, ch 4, turn (24)

Row 3:  Tr in between space of previous rows last two tr sts, *2 tr in space between the next group of tr from previous round, sk st, 2 tr in space between the next group of tr from previous round,* repeat across, ch 4, turn (24)

Row 4-71:  Repeat row 3 (24)

Row 72:  Tr in between space of previous rows last two tr sts, *2 tr in space between the next group of tr from previous round, sk st, 2 tr in space between the next group of tr from previous round,* repeat across, ch 2, turn (24)

Row 73:  Hdc in each st across (24)

Tie off and weave in all ends.

Next you will make two large pom poms out of the remaining yarn. You can also use a pom pom maker if you have one and if that is your preferred way to make them. (You can even put a faux fur pom at each end of the scarf if you prefer that.) Personally, it’s easier for me to make pom poms with my hands. I have huge hands though, so if you have smaller hands it might be more difficult to make a large pom pom. But for these pom poms, I ended up wrapping the yarn around my hand about 100 times to make it super big and fluffy.

When making the pom pom, leave the ends really long. Take your yarn needle and thread one of the pom pom’s tails in the needle. Weaving in and out of the first row’s hdc sts, start from one end to the other end of the first row. Take the other pom pom tail and repeat the process, starting from the opposite direction and working all the way across.

Tie the two tails of the pom pom together after you finish weaving them all the way through from both directions. Ensure it is centered on the end of the scarf before securing. Trim the tail ends to essentially add it to the pom pom.

Repeat this for the other end and then you are all done! You’ve officially made the Snowball Scarf.

I hope this scarf keeps you warm for years to come and I hope you loved every minute of making it. I would love to see all of your Snowball Scarves so please tag me on Instagram when you do make it and use the hashtag #SnowballScarf. If you would like to pin this free pattern on your Pinterest board, you can click here. And if you would like a paid copy of this pattern, you can purchase that on Etsy here. Buying the paid copy will help me to continue to bring you patterns regularly. Like always, if you have any questions about this pattern, or any of my patterns, feel free to message me on Instagram or email me at [email protected].

Happy crocheting friends!!

Feel free to make as many of these as you would like and feel free to sell them. I just ask that you please acknowledge Madison’s Makings when you do. Please do not steal or copy this pattern and/or my pictures and credit them as your own work. Thank you!

Buoy Bag – Grocery Bag Holder

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I’m not sure if this was all 90’s moms or just mine, but does anyone else remember those cloth grocery bag holders that used to hang somewhere in your kitchen? The one that had a cinched top and bottom so you could stuff a bunch of grocery bags in the top and pull one out at the bottom whenever you needed one? My mom’s broke a long, longg time ago but my mother-in-law still has hers and I loved how convenient it is to grab a grocery bag at their house whenever we need one. I decided there was nothing stopping me from making my own since I have no idea where I could buy one anymore.

So that’s why I created the Buoy Bag! Clearly the name came from the way it hangs on the side of our cabinets like a buoy hangs off a boat. But I got so sick of taking up a whole cabinet that is filled with soo many grocery bags and each morning digging around to try to get just one to put my lunch in it.

The pattern is so fast and quick to make. This now being my second original pattern, you probably have noticed a pattern that I am trying to use up some of my cotton yarn that I have lying around. I used cotton for it, but there’s no reason why you can’t use any type of acrylic yarn. I’m sure I will be making a bunch of these with acrylic yarn to so I can have more color choices and to help bust down some of my yarn stash.

What you will need to make this pattern:

  • 5.0 mm hook
  • About 95 yards of weight 4 yarn
  • Yarn needle
  • Scissors

Some abbreviations you will see in this pattern:

  • Ch = Chain
  • St = Stitch
  • Hdc = Half Double Crochet
  • Tr = Treble Crochet
  • * * = Repeat instructions inside the asterisk across the row until otherwise noted
  • Sl st = Slip Stitch

Gauge:

  • Due to the “lacey” appearance of this pattern, gauge is difficult to calculate and will not make too much of a difference in this pattern.
  • Finished dimensions: 14.0 inches tall and 7.5 inches wide at the widest, most center portion of the bag.

Notes:

  • The ch 2 or 4 at the beginning of each round counts as a stitch throughout the pattern.
  • Each round’s stitch count will be in parenthesis at the end of the round’s instructions.
  • This bag can hold at least 20 plastic bags when finished.

Pattern:

Ch 35

Sl st into first ch of first st – do not twist the chain

Round 1: Ch 2, hdc around, sl st into top of ch 2 (35)

Round 2: Ch 4, tr in first st, ch 3, sk next 3 stitches, *tr in next 2 st, ch 3, sk next 3 st,* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (35)

Round 3: Ch 4, tr 2 in the space between the ch 4 and first tr from previous round, ch 3, *tr 3 into the space between the two tr from previous round, ch 3* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (42)

Round 4: Ch 4, tr 1 into space between ch 4 and middle tr from previous round, tr 2 in space between middle and third tr from previous round, ch 4, *tr 2 in space between the first and middle tr group from previous round, tr 2 in space between the middle and last tr in group from previous round, ch 4,* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (56)

Round 5: Ch 4, tr 2 in space between second and third tr from previous round’s tr group, tr 1 in space between third and fourth tc from previous round’s tr group, ch 4, *tr 1 in space between first and second tr from previous round’s tr group, tr 2 in space between second and third tr from previous round’s tr group, tr 1 in space between third and fourth tr from previous round’s tr group, ch 4* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (56)

Round 6-12: Repeat round 5 (56)

Round 13: Ch 4, tr in space between second and third tr from previous round’s tr group, tr in space between third and fourth tr from previous round’s tr group, ch 3, *tr in space between first and second tr from previous round’s tr group, tr in space between second and third tr from previous rounds tr group, tr in space between third and fourth tr, ch 3,* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (42)

Round 14: Ch 4, tr in between second and third tr from previous round’s tr group, *ch 3, tr in space between first and second tr from previous round’s tr group, tr between second and third tr from previous round tr group,* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (35)

Round 15: Ch 2, hdc in each stitch around, sl st into top of ch 2 (35)

Ch 15 and sl st the last ch into the last st of the previous round to make a loop.

Tie off and weave in all ends.

Make 2 separate chains of 55 stitches each.

Tie off and sew in ends of each strand.

To assemble the bag:

  • Weave the ch strands in and out of the hdc st posts in rounds 1 and 15.
  • Tighten each end to the desired width.
    • I tighten the top one pretty tight and leave the bottom one about half way open to be able to pull the bags out of the bottom easier.
  • Try to aim it so that both ends of the chains will be centered and even in the front of the bag, making it easier to tie off.
Sl st the last of the 15 ch into the last st of previous round to make a loop.
Weave in and out of rows 1 and 15’s hdc posts to add a “cinch” effect, ending and beginning in the front of the bag.
Picture of the bag’s stitch pattern.
The Buoy Bag finished and laying out flat.

That’s it! Not too bad, huh? Now you can clear out some cabinet space and stash those (way too many) grocery bags that you have in something that is more functional. As mentioned in the notes, this bag held 20 grocery bags for me. If you want it to hold more, you could always add more rounds in the middle.

I hope you enjoyed this pattern! If you would like to make one sometime, please pin it on your Pinterest board. Click here to open up the pin on Pinterest. If you make one, please tag me in your pictures of it on Instagram so I can see how you put your own spin on it. Also, feel free to use the hashtag #BuoyBag when you do post about it.

I have some more pattern ideas in mind, so always check back to see my latest creations. If you have a question about this pattern, please feel free to message me on Instagram or email me at [email protected].

Happy crocheting!

Feel free to make as many of these as you would like and feel free to sell them. I just ask that you please acknowledge Madison’s Makings when you do. Please do not steal or copy this pattern and/or my pictures and credit them as your own work. Thank you!

Baby Galore!

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The last few months have been filled with lots of baby crochet projects! To sum it all up, my brother and sister-in-law are having a baby boy in September and my sister-in-law and her husband are having a baby girl in August and a friend of mine is having a baby boy in a couple weeks. These are the first babies in my family in a very long time, so to say I have had very little experience in the realm of baby projects is an understatement. I went on the search to make something as personalized to each baby as possible without losing all the wonderful soft and cozy features that I believe all baby items should obtain.

The first project I started working on was a cactus themed nursery blanket for my friend’s baby. We went on a Mission’s trip to Arizona last year which inspired her and her husband to have their nursery be a cactus/desert/Arizona theme and so I ran with that. I checked out Nella’s Cottage because I love how personalized her baby blankets are. I started with her granny square blanket and used Caron’s Simply Soft yarn. I love using this yarn for granny square blankets or blankets where there is going to be color change because there is such a huge selection of color options to choose from. Not to mention, this yarn is so soft and works perfectly for blankets. For this blanket specifically I used a combination of Taupe, Grey Heather and Off White for the main stripes portion. For the cactus applique, also from Nella’s Cottage, I used Pistachio and Dark Sage and added a few accent stripes in these green colors on the edge of the blanket. For the flowers on top of the cacti, I used some light blue scraps of yarn I had lying around in the never ending abyss of my yarn collection. (Don’t tell my hubby that I said it’s never ending, because then I won’t be allowed to go back to the yarn store.)

I had never sewn anything like the applique onto a blanket before. It was a little tricky at first, but once you started sewing it on, it became easier and more stable. The one thing to pay attention to is that you are placing your needle in a good “hiding spot.” A few times I would flip the blanket over and realize that I sewed in some of the back most parts of the stitches which exposed the sewing stitches. It’s a quick and easy fix, but just something to be mindful of while making it.

If you would like to try making this blanket, I highly suggest it! The pattern is easy, fun and mindless. Nella’s Cottage has soo many amazing applique patterns and different pictures and styles on her Instagram to inspire a blanket for any and all occasions. You can find all these at http://www.nellascottage.com.

The next project I worked on has been a long time in the making. As soon as I found out my brother and sister-in-law were having a little boy, I wanted to make him something special. My brother is a big Pittsburgh sports fan, especially of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. (If I’m honest, most of my family is, myself included.) I had only made one baby outfit as a pattern tester and that was the extent of my baby clothing experience but I knew I really wanted to try to make him a little hockey outfit. A quick search on Etsy and I discovered Grandmabilt’s shop that is filled with adorable little baby outfits for every sport you could imagine.

Before the world shut down from COVID, I made a quick trip after work to Joann’s to search for black, gold and white yarn that could work for a baby outfit. This was my last outing before Ohio shut down nonessential stores. But I knew that things were going to be closing soon and I had to make this for them. Walking into Joann Fabric’s into the yarn section, I realized I had greatly underestimated how challenging it would be to find black, size three, baby yarn. I had just about given up hope when I turned to walk out the store and saw The Hook Nook’s new yarn line. I have been a fan of her products for awhile but hadn’t had any experience with her new yarn line yet. (I am totally obsessed with her interchangeable hooks!) She has a type of yarn called Small Stuff which miraculously had black, white, and yellow, size three yarn. I gathered up way more than I would ever need, but let’s be honest, COVID made us all hoarders. The official color names of the yarn are Tattoo Ink, Minimalist, and Warm Sunshine.

The pattern itself was so easy to follow and recreate. It worked up fast and came together so much better than I ever imagined. The part that took the longest was sewing in all the ends of the color changes, but that might have been just all in my head since that’s my least favorite part of crocheting. I made the little jersey first, then the pants and the skates last. When I first looked at the skate’s pattern I thought it was beyond my skill level when I got to the blade part. But as I’ve found out before, just start with the first row and keep tackling the pattern one step at a time and it always works out. That is now one of my favorite parts of the pattern because having the actual blade of the skate made out of yarn was a very nice and realistic touch on the designer’s part.

I couldn’t keep the secret anymore so gave it to my brother and sister-in-law for a Father’s Day/Belated Mother’s Day gift to them. My whole family loved it and now I can’t wait to see my little nephew in it when he arrives.

If you are looking for any type of outfit that is sport’s related, please check out http://www.grandmabilt.com. She has a huge selection of awesome patterns! This will not be my last experience with her patterns because there is just so many adorable ones to choose from. These would be perfect patterns to make for newborn pictures.

The third project I worked on was a blanket for my sister-in-law and her husband’s baby. I knew that I wanted to make my soon to be niece a warm and cozy blanket so I ventured into the wide selection of baby blankets that Daisy Farm Crafts has. I knew that their nursery was going to be a blush pink color along with other neutral colors. I came across the Crochet Hygge Powder Puff Blanket on their website and knew that was the one. I absolutely love Red Heart Hygge yarn. It has to be one of the coziest, softest, squishiest, most beautiful yarn I’ve worked with. While shopping for the yarn, I discovered that Red Heart has made a lot more colors in this type of yarn. When it first came out there was just a handful of colors to choose from, but now, there is about any color you could think of which is great!

The pattern was very easy to follow and turned out great! The Hygge yarn gave the blanket the perfect amount of weight and softness. It also helped the blanket work up quickly with the thicker yarn. The stitches were very easy and basic, making this a great project for beginners. The pattern itself intertwined a couple basic stitches which gave the finished product a very detailed look. I loved it! I plan on using this pattern a lot in the future.

If you are wanting to delve into this squishy, soft blanket, the pattern can be found at https://daisyfarmcrafts.com/crochet-hygge-powder-puff-blanket/. There is also a YouTube video that goes along with this pattern if you are a more visual learner.

Last but certainly not least, I made the Butterscotch Baby Onesie from megmadewithlove for my soon to be niece! When I first saw her post about the pattern getting released, I knew I needed to make it. It also really matched the style of clothing that my sister-in-law and I talked about making for her little one. I had some Baby Bee Sweet Delight yarn, in the color Naked, from Hobby Lobby lying around and decided to put it to use for this special project.

The pattern worked up fast and took form quickly. The instructions for not only the pattern but also the assembly were so easy to follow with helpful pictures to go along with it. I made the newborn size, but the pattern came with sizes all the way through to twelve months. I finished it with some wooden buttons which I thought complimented the off white yarn well. It turned out so much cuter than I expected from only my second baby onesie that I’ve ever made. Like the other projects, it used basic stitches but incorporated them in a way that gave the onesie a very beautiful and finished look.

If you would like to create this beautiful little outfit, check it out on her blog! The pattern can be found at https://megmadewithlove.com/blog-2/2020/3/11/the-butterscotch-onesie-free-crochet-pattern.

This has been enough baby projects to keep me busy for the past couple months, but there is definitely a couple more already on my hooks. I’ll be sharing them as they come on my Instagram for sure and maybe here too. Please check out all the designers that made these wonderful patterns that inspired this post. If you decide to make any of these, please share them with me (and them). I would love to see what all you create!

I hope this inspired you to want to start crocheting something new! Have fun and happy hooking!