Beginner Mandala Dishcloth

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm crazy about dishcloths and washcloths.  There's a couple of reasons.  (1) Dishcloths are small and quick to finish.  This makes them perfect for crocheting on the go!  I often take a break from a big project and make a dishcloth or two, especially if I feel like I'm not making progress on the big project  (2) Dishcloths are practical.  I'll admit it.  I like to crochet practical things.  (3) Dishcloths & washcloths make fun little gifts.  (4) When I want to test out a new stitch, I almost always use a dishcloth.

This fun pattern comes from the Crochet Crowd.  It was my first attempt at using the invisible join technique when stitching in the round.  If you look close, you cannot see where I moved to the next round!  No seam line! Have you tried an invisible join?  If not, I highly recommend trying it and this dishcloth too!

 The pattern and video linked below are from Crochet Crowd. The invisible join technique video also has some great tips for working in the round.  The video shows the invisible join technique. 

Beginner Mandala Pattern by Crochet Crowd

Invisible Join technique

 Happy Crafting!

💗 Grandma Duck 💗

Northern Lights Winter Scarf

Do you ever see the Northern Lights where you live?  Here in Minnesota, I see them every few years.  The colors in this scarf remind me of the waves of purple that I saw one evening driving home from a friends house.

This yarn was one of my impulse buys.  I only picked up two skeins, so it took me several attempts to get the pattern right for the yarn.  This yarn is so beautiful and soft so I just knew I needed to make a warm winter scarf.   It's made with the Lemon Peel stitch, one of my favorites.  I love the simplicity and texture of it and how it showcases the yarn.

One of my other favorite scarf patterns is the Minnehaha Mesh scarf.  It's a lighter weight scarf perfect for fall or spring. 

If you are looking for a coordinated hat, the Northern Lights Winter Hat is done with the Lemon Peel stitch in the round!  It coordinates beautifully!

Supplies: 
Crochet Hook Size N
Size 5 Bulky Acrylic Yarn, approximately 210 yards
Yarn Needle
Scissors

This scarf was made with two skeins of Serenity yarn, Majesty by Premier Yarns.  It is soft and cozy and perfect for cold winter days!

  

Crochet Stitches: 

Chain (ch)

Single Crochet (sc)

Double Crochet (dc)

Finished size is 57 x 6 inches

Pattern:

Ch-15

Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, dc in next.  (Sc in next, dc in next repeat until end) Chain 1 and then turn. (14 Stitches)

Row 2: sc in first st, dc in second.  (sc in next, dc in next to end.)  Chain 1, turn.  (14 stitches)

Repeat row 2 until scarf is desired length.  Fasten off and then weave in the ends.

If you want your scarf wider or narrower, you can use any multiple of 2+1 for your starting chain.  You will have to adjust the amount of yarn required accordingly.

Pin it on Pinterest

Place it in your Ravelry Queue

 Happy Crafting!

💗 Grandma Duck 💗

Criss-Cross-Scrub Dishcloth

This easy dishcloth has a single crochet center followed by a round of single crochet, criss-cross double crochet and then a few more rounds of single crochet. How are you celebrating National Crochet Month?

One of the hardest crocheting items for me to figure out has been the placement of borders on the sides of my crocheting. As part of celebrating National Crochet Month, I decided to challenge myself by designing a dishcloth with a focus on a fun border.

Stitches and Abbreviations:
CH = Chain
ST = Stitch
SC = Single Crochet
DC = Double Crochet

Supplies:
Size I Crochet Hook
Cotton Dishcloth Yarn- Approximately 70 yards
Scissors
Yarn Needle

Special Stitches:
Criss-Cross DC - skip one ST, DC in next, go back and DC in skipped ST.

Center of Dishcloth:
Chain 21 Row 1: SC in the 2nd CH from hook, SC across, chain one, turn (20 stitches) Row 2: SC in each stitch across, chain one, turn Repeat Row 2 until square (I did 21 rows)

Borders:

Round 1: ch 1, sc around the entire dishcloth, placing 3 SC at each corner. Make sure that the sides have 20 evenly spaced SC Round 2: CH 3, 10 Criss-Cross DC on each side, 3 DC in each corner Round 3 & 4: CH 1, SC in each ST around, placing 3 SC at each corner Note: I used a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round.

 

Pin it on Pinterest

Place it in your Ravelry queue

 Happy Crafting!

💗 Grandma Duck 💗

Easy Knitted Baby Blanket

I am not a very good knitter.  There, I've said it.  But despite that fact, I love to knit.   I learned to knit from my mother when I was in grade school.  Since my mom is left handed and I'm right-handed, it was a challenge for both of us.  She's a fabulous knitter!  I have a whole drawer full of her hand-knit socks.  I knit mostly blankets, dishcloths, and scarves using simple patterns.

Pictured above is one of my favorite knitting projects.  I've made about a dozen of these over the years.  The pattern is easy.  You only need to pay attention to the first few stitches in each row and then it is mindless knitting across the blanket.  This is a perfect project for car trips or while watching a movie.  

The blue/green blanket, pictured, is made using Bernat Baby Blanket yarn.  The pink blanket is knit with Red Heart Baby Clouds.  Unfortunately, the Baby Clouds yarn is now discontinued.  

The blankets are knit on the diagonal.  Repeat the increase row until the blanket is the desired size.  I make mine about 36" square.  Each blanket takes me about 40 hours to complete.  I often make a matching baby hat with leftover yarn using the Knifty Knitter.  Perfect baby gifts!

Supplies:

Yarn: Boucle for a summer weight blanket or a Chunky baby yarn such as Bernat Baby Blanket

Circular knitting needles, an appropriate size for the yarn weight
Tapestry needle
Scissors

Blue & Pink: Red Heart Baby Clouds Yarn 

The bottom blanket is knit with boucle yarn.

If you are familiar with the Grandmother's favorite dishcloth pattern, this is the same thing only upsized with thicker yarn and sized to wrap a baby. 

Pattern:

Increase:

Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1: Knit across row
Increase Row: Knit 2, yarn over, knit across row.
Repeat row 2 until the blanket is the desired size

Decrease:

Once the blanket is the desired size, use the following to decrease by one stitch each row.
Decrease Row: Knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit across.
Repeat decrease row until 3 stitches remain.  Cast off.

Weave in ends and trim off excess yarn.

Place this in your Ravelry Queue

Another blanket using Bernat Baby Blanket Yarn

 Happy Crafting!

💗 Grandma Duck 💗