Flowers in her hair

I have been doing a lot of crocheting, but I think I need more practise at writing patterns. How is one to get all the ideas in one's head actually out and onto paper (or screen) while still having time for knitting and crocheting and cooking and eating and caring for a family and satisfying one's new obsession with FIREFLY and occasionally doing the laundry. (Oh except the washing machine has been condemned.)

Anyway, here is a quick and easy girly pattern, in both UK and US terms.

Getting a good photo of something on a toddler's head is not easy! And don't judge me for the slug killer in the photos - it is the non toxic kind that doesn't hurt other wildlife, and still lets me eat some of my cabbages!

UK terms
I used Patons cotton in 4ply and 3mm  hook.
chain 25 - 30
turn and slip stitch (single crochet)  in 2nd ch from end and each stitch to last stitch

At end, chain 3, then do 2 Trebles into the base of the chain 3.
This is the beginning of the bit that will go around the head.

For a very small child, 3 stitch long rows are wide enough.
So *turn, chain 3, treble in two remaining stitches*

repeat from * to * until the headband is as long at you need it, which is just below the ears on either side.
(For a bigger head, or to just get a wider band increase at either end of next row to have 5 stitches across. Each row is now chain 3, Treble in remaining 4 stitches. The purple one above is 5 stitches across, whereas the orange is only 3)


When it is as long as you need it, Treble three together.
Do this by doing chain 3, (wrap yarn around hook, insert hook into next stitch, yo and pull through, yo and pull through 2 loops,) twice
You should have 3 loops left on the hook - yo and pull through all three loops.

Chain 25 - 30 to match other tie. turn and slip stitch in each stitch to where the tie is attached to the body of the head band. Slip stitch into the stitch right at the point of the head band.  Finish off and cut yarn, weaving it back into the tie.


Flower
Chain 4, join loop with ss.
chain 2, DC in loop 9 - 11 times.
I find that if I am doing this flower in dk or using a bigger hook, it works better with 10 stitches in the first round, so do the 9 dc. You will end up with 10 petals. If you are using thicker yarn or hook, then it will be very crowded and will not lay flat.

If I am using 4 ply as in the photos, it works fine with 12, so do 11 dc, (which makes 12 dc with the first chain 2 being counted as a stitch)
join final dc to 2nd chain of beginning ch 2 to complete the round.

(The number of petals does not really matter. The basic flower just has *dc, ch3, dc* in each dc of  the previous row. Therefore stitch counts do not really matter and you could do 8 petals or 12 depending on what you like and what looks best with your chosen yarn.)

(If you want to change colours, do so here.)

Chain 4 (first chain counts as a dc)
dc into the same base as first ch
dc, chain 3, dc in next stitch and each stitch around.
finish off (you may want to end with a ss into the first chain. I find it depends on the yarn I am using whether or not this creates an unwanted gap, or closes an unwanted gap. A dk cotton is a bit stiffer here and tends to create a gap, whereas a 4 ply or a wool or acrylic yarn will benefit from the ss )

I cut a long tail and use it to weave the flower onto the headband. Voila!

US terms

 

Use a D hook and fingering or fine sport

chain 25 - 30
turn and slip stitch in 2nd ch from end and each stitch to last stitch


at end chain 3, then do 2 Doubles into the base of the chain 3
This is the beginning of the bit that will go around the head.


for a very small child, 3 stitch long rows are wide enough.
So *turn, chain 3, double crochet in two remaining stitches*


repeat from * to * until the headband is as long at you need it, which is just below the ears on either side.

(For a bigger head, or to just get a wider band, increase at either end of next row to have 5 stitches across. Each row is now chain 3, DC in remaining 4 stitches. The purple one above is 5 stitches across, whereas the orange is only 3)
When it is as long as you need it,  Double crochet three together.
do this by doing chain 3, (wrap yarn around hook, insert hook into next stitch, yo and pull through, yo and pull through 2 loops,) twice
You should have 3 loops left on the hook - yo and pull through all three loops.

chain 25 - 30 to match other tie. turn and slip stitch in each stitch to where the tie is attached to the body of the head band. Slip stitch into the stitch right at the point of the head band.  finish off and cut yarn, weaving it back into the tie.


Flower

Chain 4, join loop with ss.
chain 2, sc in loop 9 - 11 times.
I find that if I am doing this flower in sport weight or using a bigger hook, it works better with 10 stitches in the first round, so do the 9 sc. You will end up with 10 petals. If you are using thicker yarn or hook, then it will be very crowded and will not lay flat.

(The number of petals does not really matter. The basic flower just has *sc, ch3, sc* in each sc of  the previous row. Therefore stitch counts do not really matter and you could do 8 petals or 12 depending on what you like and what looks best with your chosen yarn.)

If I am using fingering weight yarn, as in the photos, it works fine with 12, so do 11 sc, (which makes 12 sc with the first chain 2 being counted as a stitch)
Join final sc to 2nd chain of beginning ch 2 to complete the round.

(If you want to change colours, do so here.)


chain 4 (first chain counts as a sc)
sc into the same base as first ch (first petal formed)
sc, chain 3, sc in next stitch and each stitch around.
finish off (you may want to end with a ss into the first chain. I find it depends on the yarn I am using whether or not this creates an unwanted gap, or closes an unwanted gap. A thicker cotton is a bit stiffer here and tends to create a gap, whereas a fingering, 4 ply, wool or acrylic yarn will benefit from the ss )

I cut a long tail and use it to weave the flower onto the headband. Voila!

The Bilberry Pie Hat

The story...

So we went camping. It seemed a good idea at the time. We headed off to Anglesey for a lovely holiday by the beach with friends for all the kids and ourselves. And about 10 hours later, two of our 3 tents were broken and torn, and I was sleeping in the car with the baby, third daughter and her friend, while others were in their cars or hanging out in the washroom.

We went home, regrouped, built up an old tent, picked another place to go. I felt that we really needed to get away again in spite of the work and disappointment, as this was to be our only camping trip this year. So off we went to Shropshire, as it seemed to have the least wet weather forecast, was not too far, and we found a nice site.

It was a short holiday, but lovely - with friends, and walks and singing, and plum wine, and a bit of time to crochet.  The first morning I woke up early with the baby, and went to sit on the bench by the Buddha and watched the sun come up through the trees. It was a bit chilly as I nursed her, so I thought I had better crochet her a hat. :-)

The inspiration for the name comes from one of the walks we took up Stiperstones, where there were bilberries galore, several purple tongues and fingers, and some rain. :-) And let's face it - it does look like a pie.

                                               There are 5 Ravelryers is this photo!

The Pattern

In UK terms. Uk dc = American sc

crocheted in Sirdar denim chunky using a 6mm crochet hook. 

This one fits a 9 - 15 month old babe. To make a slightly smaller one, only go up to 4 stitches between increases. For larger size, add an extra round or two, going up to 6-7 stitches between increases.

Chain 4, join with slip stitch.

Round 1
Ch 1 (does not count as 1st dc) 8 dc into centre of ring, join with slip stitch.

Round 2
chain 1, 1 dc into same stitch that ss went into, 2 dc in each stitch around, join with ss.
16 stitches. You will be increasing 8 stitches per round.

Round 3
ch 1, dc into same stitch  that ss went into. dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch,repeat to end. It will seem that you are putting the last stitch into the same one that the ch 1 came out of. That is fine. I find that this means you have a less noticable seam.

Round 4
ch 1 dc into same stitch that ss went into. 2 dc,  *2 dc in next stitch, 2 dc, repeat from * to end

(You will continue in this way, increasing the number of stitches between the increases by 1 stitch, until you have 5 dc between increases.)

Round 5
Ch 1, dc into same stitch that ss went into, dc x3, * 2 dc in next stitch, dc x 3, repeat from * to end. Join round with ss.

Round 6
Ch 1, dc into the same stitch that ss went into. Dc x 4, * 2 dc in next stitch, dc x 4, repeat from * to end. Join round with ss.

Round 7
Ch 1, dc into same stitch that ss went into. Dc x 5, * 2 dc in next stitch, dc x 5, repeat from * to end. Join round with ss.

Round 8
Ch 1, Backstitch for one row. This means you are crocheting in  reverse, from left to right. Reverse dc in each stitch around. Instead of joining with a slip stitch, you may want to remove your crochet hook from the final loop, insert hook from behind into first ch1 one of the round, which will be to the right of the loose loop, pick up the loose loop and pull through.

The top of the hat is finished.  You are now working on the sides.

Turn the hat over, so you are looking at the wrong side. Insert hook through whole of stitch in row previous to reverse stitch row. Instead of crocheting into the top of the stitch, you will be crocheting around the bars of the stitch. The first photo below is not that detailed, so I am including another from an aran version of the hat.

 

Round 9

This is where you insert the hook, yarn over, and continue to do a dc.  Dc all the way around, joining with a slip stitch.

Round 10

Ch 1, dc 2 together, * dc x 5, dc 2 together, repeat from * to end of round, join with ss.

Dc all rounds until hat is desired lenth. The one in the above photo has 9 complete rounds of dc.

Final round, Reverse stitch for one round to finish. Join final round with ss, break yarn and  pull through final loop, then weave in.

Pack up the tent, and go camping! 

Do let me know if you have questions or problems with the pattern, or notice anything wrong that I have missed!?

This is just the beginning...

So I don't imagine this is going to be a particularly busy blog, but I wanted someplace separate where I could post patterns. I have been crocheting for most of my life, and I feel that I can make up a lot of things, but I would like to get good enough to actually share some of the things I make with other people.

The name of the blog comes from the idea that crochet isn't really going to change the world. So it is the little things in life that I would like to get right, to try to be a good person, to live true to myself, and spread a little crocheted happiness.

Good things about crochet is that it grows quickly, you can make beautifully intricate lacy things, and it is really quite forgiving, should you screw up and have a extra stitch here or there. Or if you are crocheting something straight which will eventually be seamed up, and you drop a stitch off the end, you can do two things. Rip it back and redo it without losing any other stitches - or  just add a stitch when you realize to get back up to the number you need. Of course, you never admit this, and always sigh heavily when somebody who may not appreciate your creations walks into the room, just to make sure they understand the effort you are putting in.

Here is my first pattern which is really so simple, anybody could do it, and they probably have. I am trying to write it very clearly so it would be good for a beginner crocheter, but since I have been crocheting for years, I may get that wrong. Please comment to let me know.

I just made this pattern up over the weekend, when Baby was wearing a cute little sundress that we had been given, and I thought a shrug would just go perfectly with it.  I looked down, and there was some  pink acrylic on the living room floor, which I think was bought to make amigurumi pigs, and would do just fine. :-) It is in an alternate double crochet which lightens up the fabric a bit, as crochet can be heavy, and this is meant to be a light springtime garment. 

I should point out that I will use UK crochet terms, although I hope to make a page with US term translations, as I learned when I was a kid in Illinois.

JUST A SHRUG 

This one fits my chunky 9 month old, so I would say this is sized 9 - 12 months.

UK terms!

With DK weight yarn and 4mm hook, chain 31. (For a Shell stitch, chain 6 plus 1)
5 treble in 5th chain from hook, * skip 2 chain, double crochet in next chain, skip 2 chain, 5 treble crochet in next chain * contiue from * to * until end.

You will have 5 treble crochet in the last stitch. When you sew up the sleeves seams, this will match up with the beginning shell to make what looks like a continuous border. around the sleeve.

Ch 1 and turn and turn over. Continue crocheting into the starting chain, at the bottom of the shell stitches you have just done.

This will be the wrong side of the shrug.
Row 1 Dc in same stitch as turning chain, * ch 1,  skip one ch, dc in next ch*  continue to end, ending with a dc. Turn


Row 2  Chain 1(counts as first dc).  Dc in ch 1 space (of previous row,) * ch1, skip 1 stitch, dc in next stitch * to last stitch. Dc in last stitch. Turn.

Row 3  Chain 2 (counts as first dc, ch 1), * dc in ch 1 space, ch 1, skip next stitch,* to last stitch, dc in last stitch (which is the ch 1 from the beg of the previous row.)

 Rows 2 and 3 form the pattern. Continue until shrug is as long as you want it. This will depend on the type of yarn you are using - acrylic is not as stretchy as others. In the photos above, one is acrylic and one is is Sidar denim tweed DK, which is a cotton/ wool/acrylic blend, and the latter is going to fit for much longer. It is also softer. :-)

How long you continue is going to depend on how long you want your sleeves. For a short sleeved shrug, I did about 36 cm, for 3/4 length sleeves about 39-40 cm.

When you are ready to finish, do another row of shell stitch. Make sure you are on the right side of the fabric, so your shells match at the end of each sleeve.

5 treble in 3rd stitch from hook, * skip two stitches, dc in next stitch, skip 2 stitches, 5 treble in next stitch * to end of row, doing one last dc in the last stitch.  secure yarn and break off.

Fold the shrug lengthwise with right sides inside. Sew up the sleeve seams, but only about 6-8 cm. You will probably always want to sew more, thinking it will be too big, but if you are like me, you will always make it too small, and have to undo some sewing!  I had about 26 cm of unsewed space between the seams, before I finished.

Round 1 To finish, attach yarn in the middle of the bottom back on the right side. (Just decide which is going to be the bottom and which the top as they are still the same.) Ch 1, dc  around the body of the shrug, taking care not to skip too many stitches. Often when picking up crocheted stitches along the edge like this, you would skip about 1 in every 3/4 stitches (depending on your gauge) to have a straight matching edge,  but since you are, in effect, crocheting in the round now,  it can turn out too tight if you aren't more generous with your dcs. (You can see this in the photos above of the light pink one. I did the shell stitch all the way around, but it is pulled too tight and the shells are stretched out almost flat.)  

Continue all the way around, from the middle back, to the sleeve seam, across the shoulders to the other sleeve seam, and back to meet where you started. Slip stitch in first ch 1.

Round 2 Ch 1 and  dc in each dc around, ending with a slip stitch to attach to first ch 1.

Round 3 Ch 1 dc in each dc until you pass the first sleeve seam. When you are about 8 dcs past the seam begin the shell stitch collar. After your last dc, *skip 1 stitch, 5 treble in next dc, skip 1 stitch, dc in next dc,* until you are about 8 dc in front of the next sleeve seam. (Note that you are only skipping one stitch instead of the 2 you would normally do on a flat shell stitch.)    (Edit - having made them in different yarn, I think it is worth making the finished border looser if you are using acrylic, but tighter if you are using a yarn that will stretch a bit. So if using a natural fibre - put *skip 2 stitches* back instead of 1 - otherwise the shrug may end up sagging and falling off of shoulders.)      Dc to end of round. Join with slip stitch and fasten off.

Weave in ends and wake up the baby to try it on. :-)