The Cool Crochet Society

Category: Crochet Patterns and Tutorials

• How To Crochet and Where to Start – Podcast episode 1

  Posted at 9:10 pm by thecoolcrochetsociety

  May 19th

  This article contains affiliate links, I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links

  Crochet is a great craft to choose as a hobby. It’s cheap to get started, there are lots of free online resources to teach you and you can do it in your comfy spot on the couch – no complicated set up or special space required.

  But all that choice of yarn, hooks, online information can be so overwhelming. What are the absolute basics you need to start?

  Yarn

  The very first thing you should do us choose your yarn. Its better to choose something you like the feel of as this will make things easier for you, after all you are going to be handling this stuff a lot so you should be comfortable with it. Choose a light coloured yarn as this will make it easier to see the holes you will be worming into – black is the worst choice you can make when learning.

  Avoid fluffy yarns like mohair, as these are harder to work with and the fluff will obscure your holes.

  You can choose any thickness you like, but chunkier will make it easier. The brand of yarn and fibre type are not important. All you need to consider at this point is that you like the feel of it, it’s on the chunky side and it’s a light colour. The yarns in this link are good ones to consider

  Hook

  You can buy crochet hooks singly, or you can purchase a cheap starter set of basic steel hooks, such as this set from Amazon

  You’re going to need a hook that matches your yarn. On the panel of your yarn, orin the description of you’re buying online, you will find a box with a hook or needle size (see picture). This is the size of hook recommended for this yarn.

  

  Stitch markers

  You’re going to need something to help you keep track of your stitches. It’s really easy to loose track of your start and end stitches so you need to mark them. You don’t need anything special, you can use a hair grip or a safety pin, but you can buy pretty charm like stitch markers too. You will need at least 2 for every project.

  These are the only purchases you need to make to start crocheting.

  What Should I Learn First?

  The next step is where to learn from. If you don’t have someone who can help you in person (which makes learning much easier) there are lots of YouTube videos to help you here. My advice is to watch a few by different channels and see which style of teaching suits you best. The way one person explains it may make more sense to you than another.

  Other than my own YouTube channel, other popular crochet channels with beginner tutorials are Bella Coco, Good Knit Kisses and Happy Berry Crochet

  I have a YouTube channel with short videos going over the basic stitches. Crochet only has 6 basic stitches, and if you learn these then you will be able to tackle 90% of the other stitches out there.

  The basic stitches are:

  • Chain
  • Single crochet
  • Half double crochet
  • Double crochet
  • Treble crochet
  • Slip stitch

  Once you have learnt the basics, you are ready to try a pattern. A single stitch pattern may be the best way. I suggest a simple pot holder or a C2C blanket as your first project.

  With crochet everything takes practice. Your stitches will become more consistent as you learn to control your yarn tension better. Keep practising, experiment with different stitches. Don’t be dishesrtened with your first attempts you will get better.

  If you would like crochet news tips and offers straight to your inbox, you can sign up to my newsletter

  Posted in Crochet Patterns and Tutorials | Tagged How To Crochet, Learn To Crochet
• 

  Really Easy Crochet Hotpad Pattern

  Posted at 9:37 pm by thecoolcrochetsociety

  May 3rd

  

  This article contains affiliate links, I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links

  This is a super easy pattern for a double thickness pot holder, that is great to do if you want to just crochet without having to think about anything.

  This super simple pattern creates a thick oven pad which will protect your hands and worktops from most heat sources.

  The printable, ad free version of this pattern is available in the Lifetime Pattern Pass – access to all of the patterns from The Cool Crochet Society – current and future – for a one off fee – click here to find out more

  I’m using Rico Cotton Creative Print Aran and a 4mm hook for this pattern, but you can use any 100% cotton of your choice, just choose a hook size that gives you a tight no holes fabric.

  

  You need to use 100% cotton for this as cotton is heat resistant and won’t melt like synthetic yarns such as acrylic

  Start by making a chain that will be the diagonal length of your pad. I’m making a chain of 41 which made my pad 16 x 16cm. You can adjust your chain to any length if you prefer a smaller or bigger hot pad.

  In the 3rd chain from your hook make a sc. 

  

  Sc in each stitch in the chain. When you get to the end of the chain, make a sc in the other side of your chain. This will make your row start to pinch at the end, which is what you want to see. Then carry on down the other side making a sc in each stitch. 

  

  When you get to your beginning sc, make a sc in the top and carry on making a sc in each stitch.

  Keep on like this, as if you’re crocheting in the round in a spiral. You will start to see the corners at the ends of your foundation chain start to fold over to create 2 pockets. These pockets will eventually meet in the middle to form the other side of your pad.

  

  Keep going until both sides are square and meet in the middle. 

  Once your sides meet, finish your stitches in the corner where the sides meet and leave a length of yarn twice as long as your pad. You can then whip stitch the sides together without having to join another piece of yarn.

  

  

  Weave in your ends and you’re done!

  If you’d like to join a friendly crochet community for tips, pattern suggestions and anything crochet, come and join my Facebook group – The Cool Crochet Society

  You can also sign up to my newsletter for monthly updates and new pattern releases

  Posted in Crochet Patterns and Tutorials | Tagged free crochet pattern, Hotpad Pattern
• 

  Heart Motif Crochet Pattern

  Posted at 6:06 pm by thecoolcrochetsociety

  Mar 29th

  

  • This article contains affiliate links, I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links
  • This little heart motif crochet pattern can be used in oh so many ways for so many different types of crochet project:
  • Reuseable cotton wool pads
  • Keyring’s
  • wedding or party favours
  • Paper clips
  • Applique for hats, bags, blankets etc.

  They are quick to make up, as they are only 3 rounds and can be made into super sweet gifts. I’d love to know if you used them for other things not on the list above – come and let me know in The Cool Crochet Society Facebook group.

  Keep reading to see how you can add this heart motif crochet pattern to keyring chains and paperclips, the blanks of which are available on Ebay or Amazon relatively cheaply

  The printable, ad free version of this pattern is available in the Lifetime Pattern Pass – access to all of the patterns from The Cool Crochet Society – current and future – for a one off fee – click here to find out more

  Reuseable Cotton Wool Pads

  These hearts are a sweet addition to your face care routine. Replace single use cotton wool for these, they’re also super handy to add to travel kits for washing on the go. The point of the heart is fab for removing eyemake up and the lobes give you a bigger surface to wipe the larger areas of your face like the cheeks and forehead.

  They are machine washable, just follow the care instructions on the yarn label.

  I recommend using 100% cotton if you’re using them for cotton pads. I use either Stylecraft Cotton Classique or Rico Creative Cotton Aran with a 4mm hook

  The Pattern

  This pattern is written in US terms and we’ll be using the following stitches, click the links to go to videos on my YouTube channel to see how to create the them:

  • sc = single crochet,
  • hdc = half double crochet,
  • dc = double crochet,
  • trc = treble crochet
  • Magic circle
  • Chains

  Round 1. Magic circle, 1sc, chain 1. Make 15 dc in circle and slip stitch into the first dc (chain 2 doesn’t count as a stitch)

  Round 2. Chain 2 and in the same stitch make 1dc. In next stitch make 4 trc, 2 dc in next stitch. Into the next 4 stitches make a hdc, in the next stitch make (1 dc, 1 trc, 1 dc) all in the stitch. Over the next 4 stitches make a hdc, 2dc in the next stitch, then 4 trc in the next stitch. In the next stitch make 1 dc, chain 2 and slip stitch into the same stitch as your dc. 

  

  Round 3. In the side of the chain 2 of round 2, make 2 sc, then in the 1st double crochet of round 2 make 1 sc in the top,

  

  2sc in the next stitch, 1sc then 2sc in the next stitches. For the next 8 stitches make a sc. In the top of the treble crochet of round 2 make a sc, hdc and a sc in the same stitch.

  Make a sc in the next 8 stitches. 2 sc in the next stitch then 1 sc, 2sc, 1sc. In the side of the chain 2 from round 2 make 2sc then slip stitch into the slip stitch of round 2.

  Tie off and weave in the ends

  To Make Keyrings

  The hearts can also be added to keyrings to make a cute addition to your keys, and as bag tags, or how about giving them as wedding or party favours?

  I use keyring blanks such as these from Amazon

  

  To do this, thread a keyring blank onto your yarn before you start, and leave it until you need it. When you have made the final 2 chains at the end of round 2, slip the keyring up (picture 1.) and make your slip stitch over it (picture 2 and 3.). Carry on the pattern as above.

  

  To Add The Heart Motif To Paperclips

  I use jumbo paperclips with a length of 7cm. You can pick up a pick of 100 for just a few pounds like these from Amazon

  To add the heart motif onto paper clips, make the pattern as normal up until the 7th sc in the set of 8 in round 3. When you get to the 7th make it around the top of the paper clip (picture 1.) Carry on the pattern, and when you get to the 2nd sc after you have made the 3 stitches in 1 stitch, make that sc over the top of the paper clip again (picture 2.) Finish the round

  

  Push the paperclip up, so that the top is level with the centre of the heart, and use your starting tail to secure it in place (picture 3.)

  

  For more patterns from The Cool Crochet Society why not take a look at our 2020 crochet along The 50 Stitches CAL and all my paid for patterns as well as my Lifetime Pattern Pass can be found here

  Posted in Crochet Patterns and Tutorials | Tagged free crochet pattern, Heart motif, heart pattern

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