I Like Crochet Collections

Wow!! I Like Crochet has been super busy this last month. The August 2019 Issue was published at the end of June 

I Like Crochet August 2019

and 12 (yes twelve) new crochet collections. I just love all the collections that were published. You can have access to these plus all the previous collections and magazine issues for only $1.97 per month. That's an amazing deal!

Which patterns are my favourites?

From the August Issue, I have to say I'm in love with the Marigold Bucket Bag by Susan E. Kennedy. 

Marigold Bucket Bag by Susan E. Kennedy

The shape is amazing and that flower is so pretty. It would work well for one of my in-progress projects (I have quite a few).

From The Collections ... it was hard to choose just a few to highlight!

The Clear Water Cover Up is so cute and would look equally nice as a shorter top. 

Clear Water Cover Up

From the Cute Crochet Amigurumi Collection, this Confetti Unicorn and Rainbow Pillow are both adorable.

Confetti Unicorn

Rainbow Pillow

Or this Prickly Pear Pillow from the Pillow Collection ...

Prickly Pear Pillow

So go to the I Like Crochet website to browse through all these wonderful patterns and you may find something to start hooking!

Happy Crocheting!

April Edition of I Like Crochet Magazine

This year is just flying by ... March is already here, which means the April edition of I Like Crochet is also available. And what a great line up of patterns. So many cute, spring ideas.

Like Bright and Early Hexagon Pillow by Toni Lipsey and worked in 100% cotton heavy worsted weight yarn. I love these bright colours!

Bright and Early Hexagon Pillow by Toni Lipsey

Maybe you love cardigans ... Brooke Scalloped Cardigan by Quinny Zhang is gorgeous. Crocheted in a cotton/wool blend DK weight yarn. I really want to make this one!.

Brooke Scalloped Cardigan by Quinny Zhang

Brooke Scalloped Cardigan by Quinny Zhang

If you have little ones in your life, why not make Petunia the Pillow Buddy by Debra Arch. She's so adorable and is worked in worsted weight acrylic yarn. 

Petunia the Pillow Buddy by Debra Arch

And finally, a quick project just for you. A light and airy scarf will pair perfectly with your new spring outfit. Abigail Striped Bias Scarf by Cheryl Chow is worked in wool fingering weight yarn. Have fun choosing 3 of your favourite colours!

Abigail Striped Bias Scarf by Cheryl Chow

Abigail Striped Bias Scarf by Cheryl Chow

Find all the patterns on the I Like Crochet website.

Happy Crocheting!

Gift-A-Long 2018 is Here

It's that time of year again when I am thinking of all the gift knitting/crocheting I want to do and that I should have started months ago! But then I remember that I don't have to despair ... the Indie GAL (gift-a-long) is here and it's the perfect time to set my pattern designing aside and knit/crochet other designers patterns. No need to work the math, think about the stitch counts, or rip out a bunch of times cause it's not working ... the work is done!

GAL 2018 on Ravelry

What is the Indie Gift-A-Long?

The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a 6 week long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by a rather extensive list of independent designers. 

From November 23rd, 2018 at 8:00 pm US EST to November 29th at 11:59pm US EST tons of indie designers will be discounting between 10 - 20 of their patterns 25% for this event. Use coupon code: giftalong2018. Find all the discounted patterns in this bundle on Ravelry.

From November 23rd, 2018 at 8:00 pm US EST to December 31, 2018 at midnight US EST there will be fun games, contests, and 8 KAL/CALs that will help you get your holiday knitting and crocheting done with companionship and fun! 


Gift-A-Long Stats

There are 349 designers participating with 6,118 patterns on sale for 25% off until November 29th at 11:59pm US EST.

Both Knit and Crochet patterns are available with 51 crochet designers, 263 knit designers, and 33 designers who create both knit and crochet designs.

Patterns 25% off using coupon code giftalong2018 on Ravelry

I have 20 patterns on sale at 25% off using coupon code giftalong2018. Find those patterns in gift-a-long 2018 bundle here.

I hope you will come join in all the fun on Ravelry. 

Happy Knitting and Crocheting!

Midnight Soirée Shawl

San Francisco is such an amazing city. My husband and I went there in August and of course I had to stop by at least one yarn shop to peruse the local yarns. We took a bus from downtown to Atelier Yarns. This little shop is in a quaint part of town and is small (compared to the lys around here) but they had some wonderful yarns. I picked up Michael's CWD merino/angora/nylon sock yarn dyed by a local dyer in colourway SF Fog. It's gorgeous and I couldn't wait to use it. Thus, Midnight Soirée was created.

Midnight Soirée

This shawl is worked from the point up and when the main body of the shawl is complete a chain and shell edging is worked along two sides. It is easy to customize in size and notes are added to the pattern to help you.

Midnight Soirée

I would rate this an intermediate pattern, but like with most ratings this depends on how confident and adventurous a crocheter you are!

Skills needed to create this shawl include chains, single and double crochet, shells, and v-st. You also need to work a lot of single crochets along and edge evenly.

The pattern is written for one size which is approximately 29" x 65" (73.5 x 165 cm) but is easy to make larger or smaller.

Midnight Soirée

To create this shawl you would require an 8/H (5.0mm) hook and 800 yards of light fingering weight yarn or whatever combination of hook/yarn that gives you a gauge of 17 double crochets and 10 rows in 4 inches.

One of my testers used worsted weight yarn (Redheart Unforgettable) and her shawl turned out beautifully.

Go check out the projects on ravelry created by my testers. It's amazing how an item looks different in different yarns.

Until next time, Happy Crocheting!

Stornes Cowl - Free Crochet Pattern

Spincycle Independence Yarn

This pattern was born from one skein of Spincycle Independence yarn that was gifted to me by my daughter. I've had it out for a while now wondering how to best use it so I can enjoy the softness and colours!

Along comes Stornes Cowl. It's a short cowl (only 26 inches; 66 cm in length) so it hugs ones neck nicely.

It's a great pattern for that one skein of worsted/aran weight yarn (200 yards; 183 meters) that you have always wanted to use but can't find the right pattern.

Here is some basic information you need to create this cowl ...

SKILLS REQUIRED

Chain

Single Crochet

Double Crochet

Shell

V Stitch

Puff Stitch

SIZE

One size approximately 8 x 26 inches (20 x 66 cm)

HOOK SIZE

US size I/9 (5.5 mm)

GAUGE

 13 dc and 7 rows is 4 inches (10cm)

 YARN REQUIREMENTS

200 yards (183 meters ) worsted weight yarn

Sample crocheted with

Spincycle Yarns Independence; 100% American wool; 200 yards (183 meters) in 100g (3.53 ounces); Color: Idle Nights

OTHER MATERIALS

4 - 7/8 inch buttons (22mm) and matching thread

Tapestry needle

NOTES

Written in US Terminology

To create a wider or narrower cowl chain a  multiple of 6 + 5

Turn at the end of each row unless indicated otherwise

Want a chart? Find it on Ravelry here Stornes Cowl

Stornes is a rocky peninsula near the Larsemann Hills region of Antarctica. Why this name? Stornes features rich mineral deposits of boron and phosphate that create beautiful striations in the rockwork. Much like this Spincycle yarn creates in this pattern.

ABBREVIATIONS

beg-ch    Beginning chain

ch(s)       Chain(s)

ch-sp      Space formed by chain(s)

cm          centimeters

dc           Double crochet

Puff3       (Yarn over hook, insert hook into specified stitch, yarn over again and draw up a long loop) three times, yarn over hook and pull through all 7 loops on hook, ch 1. Find a picture tutorial of the Puff Stitch here Puff Stitch

sc           Single crochet

shell        3 dc in indicated st

sk           Skip

sl st        Slip stitch

tc           Turning ch

Vst         (dc, ch 1, dc) in indicated stitch

Now for the actual pattern ...

STORNES COWL

Ch 23.

BUTTONBAND

Row 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each ch to end. (22 sc)

Row 2:  Ch 1, sc in each sc to end.

Repeat row 2 three more times.

MAIN PATTERN

Row 1: Ch 3, 2 dc in first sc, [sk 2 sc, shell in next sc] to end. (7 shells)

Row 2: Sl st in first dc, sl st in next dc, ch 4, dc in same dc, [sk 2 dc, Vst in next dc] to end. (7 Vst)

Row 3: Sl st in first dc, sl st in ch-sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same ch-sp, [shell in next ch-sp] 6 times, shell in tc.

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until cowl measures 24 inches (61 cm) or desired length, ending with row 3.

EDGING

Row 1: Ch 4, sk first dc, dc in next dc, [ch 1, sk 1 dc, dc in next dc] 10 times, ch 1, dc in tc. (11 ch-sp)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first dc, [ch 2, Puff3 in same dc, ch 1, sk 1 dc, sc in next dc] 4 times, ch 2, Puff3 in same dc, ch 1, sc in tc.

FINISHING

Break and fasten off yarn.

Weave in ends.

Block cowl.

Sew buttons onto buttonband using the chain spaces on row 1 of edging as buttonholes.

A note about the buttons ... these are ceramic buttons from Kaminski Pottery in British Columbia, Canada. They are beautiful and so unique. You can find her on Instagram here.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer:

This post may contain affiliate links.
When you purchase something using these links a small amount of the sales price goes to me to help keep this site, and the patterns on it free. You do not pay any extra for any item you purchase.  

That Wonderful Feeling ....

... of finishing a project. Whether it's crochet or knit, I just feel so excited when a project is off the hook or needle! I guess it's because I now have a new accessory or garment that I can wear or gift and it's unique. No one else has one just like it!

This week I finished a crochet shawl. 

This is yarn I bought at a San Francisco Yarn Shop - Atelier Yarns and is aptly named SF Fog. It's hand dyed by a local dyer and I believe is only available at this yarn shop. It is a light fingering weight yarn with merino, angora, and nylon. It just glows. So I've called this new shawl pattern Midnight Soirée.

Do you want to be one of the first to crochet this shawl? Head over to my group on Ravelry to read all the particulars (deadline to complete the shawl is November 5th). I would love to have to try out the pattern!

Happy Crocheting!

Stord Scarf - Free Crochet Pattern

I've had this yarn in my bin for quite some time, just waiting for the perfect project. It's 100% wool and fingering weight that was hand dyed by Melanie of Baad Mom Yarns. Unfortunately, she doesn't offer this base anymore but there are some other lovely fingering weight yarns on her website.



Stord Scarf is an easy to memorize, two row pattern with a delicate flower edging created with puff stitches. Never created a puff stitch before ... no worries ... you can find my picture tutorial here.

Some particulars for crocheting the scarf ...

SKILLS REQUIRED

Chain

Single Crochet

Double Crochet

V Stitch

Puff Stitch

SIZE

One size approximately 6.5 x 54 inches (17 x 137 cm)

Easily customize to a different width or length

HOOK SIZE

US size 7 (4.5 mm)

GAUGE

18 dc and 10 rows is 4 inches (10cm) though it's not critical. Have fun playing around with different yarn weights and hook sizes.

YARN REQUIREMENTS

420 yards (385 meters) fingering weight yarn

Sample crocheted with

Baad MomYarns Inverness; 100% merino; 250 yards (229 meters) in 50 g (1.76 oz); 2 skeins in color Berries

OTHER MATERIALS

Tapestry needle

NOTES

Written in US Terminology

Pattern is both charted and written
Turn at the end of each row unless indicated otherwise. 

To create a wider or narrower scarf chain a  multiple of 12.

Let's get started ...

Ch 36.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, sk 1 ch, sc in next ch, [ch 3, sk 2 ch, sc in next ch] 10 times, ch 1, sk 1 ch, sc in last ch.

Row 2: Ch 3, sk 1st sc, [Vst in next sc] 11 times, dc in last sc.

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in 1st dc, ch 1, sc in ch-sp of Vst, [ch 3, sc in ch-sp of Vst]10 times, ch 1, sc in tc.

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until scarf measures 50 inches; 127 cm, ending with row 2.

EDGING

Row 1: Ch 3, dc in first dc, [dc in next dc, dc in ch-sp, dc in next dc] to end, dc in tc. (35 dc)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first dc, ch 4, sk 3 dc, sc in next dc, ch 5, sk 2 dc, sc in next dc, ch 4, sk 3 dc, [(sc in next dc) 2 times, ch 4, sk 3 dc, sc in next dc, ch 5, sk 2 dc, sc in next dc, ch 4, sk 3 dc] 2 times, sc in tc.

Row 3: Ch 3, [Puff2 in 4 ch-sp, ch 3, (Puff2, ch 5, Puff2) in 5 ch-sp, ch 3, Puff2 in 4 ch-sp, ch 1] 2 times, Puff2 in 4 ch-sp, ch 3, (Puff2, ch 5, Puff2) in 5 ch-sp, ch 3, Puff2 in 4 ch-sp, dc in last sc.

Row 4: Ch 1, sc in first dc, [3 sc in 3 ch-sp, 5 sc in 5 ch-sp, 3 sc in 3 ch-sp, sc in 1 ch-sp] 2 times, 3 sc in 3 ch-sp, 5 sc in 5 ch-sp, 3 sc in 3 ch-sp, sc in tc.

Row 5: Ch 3, sk 4 sc, (Puff3 in next sc, ch 3) 4 times, Puff3 in next sc, sk 3 sc, dc in next sc, [sk 3 sc, (Puff3 in next sc, ch 3) 4 times, Puff3 in next sc, sk 3 sc, dc in next sc] 2 times, do not turn.

Work 3 sc in each dc and 1 sc in each sc along long edge of scarf to beg-ch.

Row 1: Ch 3, work 35 dc evenly along beg-ch.

Work rows 2 to 5 of EDGING.

Work 3 sc in each dc and 1 sc in each sc along long edge of scarf to first Puff3 stitch. Sl st into top of Puff3 stitch.

Fasten off and break yarn.

FINISHING

Weave in ends.

Block scarf.


And you will need a list of the abbreviations I've used ...

beg-ch       Beginning chain

ch(s)          Chain(s)

ch-sp         Space formed by chain(s)

cm             centimeters

dc              Double crochet

Puff2          (Yarn over hook, insert hook into specified stitch, yarn over again and draw up a long loop) twice, yarn over hook and pull through all 5 loops on hook, ch 1.

Puff3          Same as Puff2 but work instructions in parentheses 3 times (7 loops on hook)

sc              Single crochet

sk              Skip

sl st            Slip stitch

tc               Turning ch

Vst             (dc, ch 1, dc) in indicated stitch

Enjoy creating your scarf and post a picture of your creation on Instagram and tag me @designsbycherylchow

Disclaimer:

This post may contain affiliate links.
When you purchase something using these links a small amount of the sales price goes to me to help keep this site, and the patterns on it free. You do not pay any extra for any item you purchase. 

Puff Stitch

I really love the puff stitch ... the smoothness of it compared to the popcorn stitch or "double crochet 5 together in the same stitch" type stitch. The puff stitch stands out from the background and can be really puffy if one pulls up many loops. 

I've used the puff stitch in my Lonicera Scarf 

Lonicera Scarf © Designs By Cheryl Chow, LLC

A 5 loop puff stitch and 7 loop puff stitch  will be used in my upcoming Stord Scarf pattern (soon to be released).

Following is a picture tutorial on how to create this versatile stitch. 

Step 1: Yarn over hook, insert hook into stitch, pull up an elongated loop. I like to make the loop about the height of a double crochet.

Step 2: Yarn over hook, insert hook into the same stitch, pull up another elongated loop. There are now 5 loops on the hook.

For a 5 loop Puff Stitch (Puff2 in the Stord Scarf pattern)

Step 3: Yarn over hook, pull through all 5 loops on the hook.

Step 4: Chain 1. The 5 loop puff stitch is complete.

For a 7 loop Puff Stitch (Puff3 in the Stord Scarf pattern)

Step 3: Yarn over hook, insert hook into the same stitch, pull up another elongated loop. There are now 5 loops on the hook.

Step 4: Yarn over hook, pull through all 7 loops on the hook.

Step 5: Chain 1. The 7 loop puff stitch is complete.

Of course one can always make a puffier puff stitch by pulling up more loops and then working steps 4 and 5 above.

Happy Crocheting!

Disclaimer:

This post may contain affiliate links.
When you purchase something using these links a small amount of the sales price goes to me to help keep this site, and the patterns on it free. You do not pay any extra for any item you purchase.