I'm back! It's been over a month since I last posted something in my blog. I've been busy making stuff for Christmas gifts - yes, as early as July! Since I want to give crocheted gifts to a handful of family members and friends. Ambitious, right? But that's why I started early. I remember one of my friends told me she planned on giving placemat-coster sets to her married couple friends for Christmas, but she started a bit late so in the end she crammed and stayed up for several nights to finish everything, and it was not a pleasant experience for her. Thanks to her, I learned from her story, started early so I think I can make it in time. :)
As promised, I am finally making my first pattern collection: fruity coasters! Here are 5 fruit coaster patterns that I've tried. These are really good patterns to begin with when you're practising your newly-acquired crochet skills. I've also managed to master crocheting circles because of these. I also think these coasters are cute and unusual, which makes them great as gifts, too.
Some of these patterns are designed by me, and some I found in other cool and interesting blogs.
1. Whole Lemon Coaster
Lemony! Tangy! A new take on a lemon coaster - not the cross-section, but the whole thing. Get it now. Make it. Have fun with it.
2. Watermelon and Grapefruit Coaster
Refreshing fruits for your refreshing refreshments!
3. Kiwi Coaster
Kiwi is juicy, kiwi is funny, kiwi is yummy! I totally have no idea what I'm saying here.
4. Apple Coaster - For this one, I skipped the last optional round since I have achieved the coaster size I wanted, and I also wanted the apple shape to be more evident.
5. Strawberry Coaster
Straw-very easy to make! Get it? Pun-ny, I know.
I still have a number of fruit coasters I want to make, and I'll post them too as soon as I get them done. Right now, I hope you enjoy making these fun fruity coasters as much as I did. And as always, Enjoy crocheting AF! \m/
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
Kiwi Coaster Pattern
Kiwi!
I can't think of an introduction to this post other than my boyfriend loves kiwi, and he eats it without peeling off the hairy skin. WTF right?? He says he eats the skin as well because it's nutritious, but I still don't understand how he manages to eat them without getting itchy or something. But we all have our own quirks right? So I don't judge him (I just occasionally make fun of him for that, which is all cool with him, or which he already got used to, hehe).
So this is my third coaster pattern, and it basically uses the same pattern as my watermelon and grapefruit coasters, but with different color changes and I think one less row as well. Hopefully next post I'll be doing the list of coaster patterns I made and used before. Next Monday, maybe? I'm thinking of posting stuff regularly, and so I'm currently deciding which day of the week is best - currently deciding between Monday and Tuesday - what do you guys think? :)
Anyway I said I won't be doing much introduction but I got derailed but now I'm back on track and here it is now, without further ado, the pattern!
Materials
Hook: 4mm crochet hook
Yarns:
Gantsilyo Guru Light Cashmere Blend White
Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton Light Lime (green)
Creme de la Creme Fudge Brown
Some black yarn
Note: Again, I would recommend using the same type of yarn throughout the project, to get the same gauge and thickness and all that in all parts of the coaster.
Stitches Used
ch (chain)
dc (double crochet)
sc (single crochet)
sl st (slip stitch)
magic ring
Kiwi Coaster
Using white yarn, make a magic ring.
Row 1: ch 2, 12 dc in the ring. Join with a sl st to the first dc (12 sts).
Row 2: Change to green yarn. Ch 2, 2 dc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the first dc (24 sts).
Row 3: ch 2, *1 dc in next st, 2 dc in the next* repeat around 12 times. Join with a sl st to the first dc (36 sts).
Row 4: ch1, *1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around 12 times. Join with a sl st to the first sc (48 sts).
Row 5: Change to brown yarn. Ch 1, *1 sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around 12 times. Join with a sl st to the first sc (60 sts). Fasten off.
For the seeds, kiwi seeds aren't really that random, so what I did was on the second row (first row of green), I stitched between the st and dc spaces (not sure if this makes sense) all around. It's a bit hard to explain, but you can refer to the image below to get a better idea of what I'm trying to say. You can also choose not to follow how I put the seeds there, and do what's easy for you (and make sure to share your technique in the comments below!) :)
For a more realistic kiwi look, I would suggest using a brown fuzzy yarn for the skin for a more hairy look; I remember my boyfriend asking me, "why doesn't it have hair?" when I showed him the kiwi coaster. He's passionate about kiwi. And the nutrition it brings. Did you know there's a lot of vitamin C in a single kiwi? Like, enough (or more than enough) for you daily vitamin C requirement? His kiwi passion has rub off me. And I am making fun of it again (I'm sorry! haha!).
So there you have it, kiwi coaster! Very simple. And nutritious. And helpful. Like your feedback and questions and reactions if you leave them in the comments section below ;) Anyway, as always, enjoy crocheting AF! \m/
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
I can't think of an introduction to this post other than my boyfriend loves kiwi, and he eats it without peeling off the hairy skin. WTF right?? He says he eats the skin as well because it's nutritious, but I still don't understand how he manages to eat them without getting itchy or something. But we all have our own quirks right? So I don't judge him (I just occasionally make fun of him for that, which is all cool with him, or which he already got used to, hehe).
So this is my third coaster pattern, and it basically uses the same pattern as my watermelon and grapefruit coasters, but with different color changes and I think one less row as well. Hopefully next post I'll be doing the list of coaster patterns I made and used before. Next Monday, maybe? I'm thinking of posting stuff regularly, and so I'm currently deciding which day of the week is best - currently deciding between Monday and Tuesday - what do you guys think? :)
Anyway I said I won't be doing much introduction but I got derailed but now I'm back on track and here it is now, without further ado, the pattern!
Orange on kiwi! Not sure why I did this. |
Materials
Hook: 4mm crochet hook
Yarns:
Gantsilyo Guru Light Cashmere Blend White
Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton Light Lime (green)
Creme de la Creme Fudge Brown
Some black yarn
Note: Again, I would recommend using the same type of yarn throughout the project, to get the same gauge and thickness and all that in all parts of the coaster.
Stitches Used
ch (chain)
dc (double crochet)
sc (single crochet)
sl st (slip stitch)
magic ring
Kiwi Coaster
Using white yarn, make a magic ring.
Row 1: ch 2, 12 dc in the ring. Join with a sl st to the first dc (12 sts).
Row 2: Change to green yarn. Ch 2, 2 dc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the first dc (24 sts).
Row 3: ch 2, *1 dc in next st, 2 dc in the next* repeat around 12 times. Join with a sl st to the first dc (36 sts).
Row 4: ch1, *1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around 12 times. Join with a sl st to the first sc (48 sts).
Row 5: Change to brown yarn. Ch 1, *1 sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around 12 times. Join with a sl st to the first sc (60 sts). Fasten off.
For the seeds, kiwi seeds aren't really that random, so what I did was on the second row (first row of green), I stitched between the st and dc spaces (not sure if this makes sense) all around. It's a bit hard to explain, but you can refer to the image below to get a better idea of what I'm trying to say. You can also choose not to follow how I put the seeds there, and do what's easy for you (and make sure to share your technique in the comments below!) :)
For a more realistic kiwi look, I would suggest using a brown fuzzy yarn for the skin for a more hairy look; I remember my boyfriend asking me, "why doesn't it have hair?" when I showed him the kiwi coaster. He's passionate about kiwi. And the nutrition it brings. Did you know there's a lot of vitamin C in a single kiwi? Like, enough (or more than enough) for you daily vitamin C requirement? His kiwi passion has rub off me. And I am making fun of it again (I'm sorry! haha!).
So there you have it, kiwi coaster! Very simple. And nutritious. And helpful. Like your feedback and questions and reactions if you leave them in the comments section below ;) Anyway, as always, enjoy crocheting AF! \m/
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
Monday, July 4, 2016
Watermelon (and Grapefruit) Coaster Pattern
Last weekend, I was teaching my mom the different kinds of crochet stitches and how to read crochet patterns. My mom actually already knows the basic stitches such as chain and single crochet, but she doesn't know that they are called as such. When she was younger, she used to crochet stuff to earn extra on the side (like mother, like daughter!). She would be given a finished product, and she would copy how it's done based on its stitches. Without a pattern! How crazy is that? I mean, sure, we can copy stitches based on a finished product but imagine if the yarn used was fine, and you had to count how many stitches are in a row, and then count how many rows there are, etc. etc. So hands down to my mother and all the people out there copying a finished product's stitches. And thank you to those who "invented" crochet patterns and for all the available patterns now in the world that make my life and many people's lives a lot easier. :)
Anyway as I was saying, I was teaching my mom how to read a pattern, and I also taught her how to make a magic ring, how to change colors, how to make rounds, etc. When I finished teaching her all these, I looked for a simple pattern she can use to practice her newly-acquired pattern-reading skills. I wanted something that involved different stitches, but simple enough to finish in a few minutes. I simply googled, "basic crochet pattern" and a bunch of patterns came up, but most of them involved only using one or two types of stitches. Most of them are good but I just didn't quite find what I was looking for.
Then I remembered my watermelon coaster. Had I posted this pattern before, I would have used this to teach my mom how to read patterns. Ha ha!
Materials
Hook: 4mm crochet hook
Yarns:
Gantsilyo Guru Light Cashmere Blend Coral (pink)
Gantsilyo Guru Light Cashmere Blend White
Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton Light Lime (green)
Some black yarn
Note: I would recommend using the same type of yarn all throughout, but I only had these in hand so I made do with them. Also, it can be anything, really, as long as it's for a 4mm hook.
Stitches Used
ch (chain)
dc (double crochet)
sc (single crochet)
sl st (slip stitch)
Watermelon Coaster
Using pink yarn, make a magic ring.
Row 1: ch 2, 12 dc in the ring. Join with a sl st to the first dc. (12 sts)
Row 2: ch 2, 2 dc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the first dc. (24 sts)
Row 3: ch 2, *1 dc in the next st, 2 dc in the next* repeat around (12 times). Join with a sl st to the first dc. (36 sts)
Row 4: ch 1, *1 sc in the next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around (12 times). Join with a sl st to the first sc. (48 sts)
Row 5: Switch to white yarn. ch 1, *1 sc in the next 3 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around (12 times). Join with a sl st to the first sc. (60 sts)
Row 6: Switch to green yarn. ch 1, *1 sc in the next 4 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around (12 times). Join with a sl st to the first sc (72 sts). Fasten off.
For the seeds, you can randomly sew in black yarn around the pink part. But as you can see in my coaster, they are not very random, because I have some difficulty randomizing things like these (hahaha!). So what I did here was: *sew in one seed in row 3, skip 2 sts, sew in one seed in row 2, skip 2 sts* and repeat that all around. I think this will not be exactly symmetrical, but it would make the seeds somewhat evenly spaced. Alternatively, you can also randomize, it's really up to you. :)
Question: My coaster looks like it has corners (made by the increases), instead of a perfect circular shape. Do any of you guys know how to get rid of those corners? Please do let me know in the comments section, I would love to know your suggestions!
Grapefruit Coaster
I used the same method for my grapefruit coaster, only using different colors, of course. I used Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton Light Old Rose, the same white yarn with my watermelon, and Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton (light) Sunshine. The adjustments are as follows:
In the beginning, use the Old Rose yarn until row 4.
In row 5, switch to white yarn as well.
In row 6, switch to yellow yarn.
For the division, I simply attached white yarn from one part of the white row to the center, then to the opposite side, three times to achieve six divisions.
The coaster measures up to 4 inches in diameter. The grapefruit measures bigger, because the old rose yarn I used is slightly thicker than the coral one for the watermelon. If you want to resize your coaster, you can simply add rows to increase size, and skip/remove rows to decrease size. Easy peasy. :)
For my recommendations, as I've mentioned earlier, I would prefer to use the same kind / weight / ply of yarns in all the rows, so the stitches will be even, and the size, too. But if you don't have the same kind, it's also just fine, as long as you can work them all with the same hook size. Also for the grapefruit, you can use a different shade of yellow for the outer row, maybe something paler. You can also sl st across the grapefruit to make the divisions, for a "more attached" version (because in this version I made, the white strings tend to loosen up and might get entangled, or something like that. You get it, I know (: ).
By the way if you didn't notice, I included a list of stitches used in this coaster, so you can already decide early on if this is the type of pattern you want to use, especially if you want to teach someone how to read a pattern (like I did with my mom, I had to find a pattern that uses different kinds of stitches). One time I was halfway through a project I was doing when I encountered an unfamiliar abbreviation in the pattern, and at that time I was reluctant on learning a new stitch, because I am lazy. Haha! So I think it's important to list the stitches used especially for beginners. I'm sorry I did not do this in my previous posts, but I will now from this post on.
Lastly, because I got inspired by teaching my mom how to do basic stitches, I made a page with the basic stitches here. I also plan to make a page for the different techniques I use (e.g., magic ring, changing colors, etc). I will post it once done!
That's it for this post, you know the drill - leave your questions, comments, suggestions, praises, what-have-you, in the comments section below. And as always, enjoy crocheting AF!
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
Anyway as I was saying, I was teaching my mom how to read a pattern, and I also taught her how to make a magic ring, how to change colors, how to make rounds, etc. When I finished teaching her all these, I looked for a simple pattern she can use to practice her newly-acquired pattern-reading skills. I wanted something that involved different stitches, but simple enough to finish in a few minutes. I simply googled, "basic crochet pattern" and a bunch of patterns came up, but most of them involved only using one or two types of stitches. Most of them are good but I just didn't quite find what I was looking for.
Then I remembered my watermelon coaster. Had I posted this pattern before, I would have used this to teach my mom how to read patterns. Ha ha!
Materials
Hook: 4mm crochet hook
Yarns:
Gantsilyo Guru Light Cashmere Blend Coral (pink)
Gantsilyo Guru Light Cashmere Blend White
Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton Light Lime (green)
Some black yarn
Note: I would recommend using the same type of yarn all throughout, but I only had these in hand so I made do with them. Also, it can be anything, really, as long as it's for a 4mm hook.
Stitches Used
ch (chain)
dc (double crochet)
sc (single crochet)
sl st (slip stitch)
Watermelon Coaster
Using pink yarn, make a magic ring.
Row 1: ch 2, 12 dc in the ring. Join with a sl st to the first dc. (12 sts)
Row 2: ch 2, 2 dc in each st around. Join with a sl st to the first dc. (24 sts)
Row 3: ch 2, *1 dc in the next st, 2 dc in the next* repeat around (12 times). Join with a sl st to the first dc. (36 sts)
Row 4: ch 1, *1 sc in the next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around (12 times). Join with a sl st to the first sc. (48 sts)
Row 5: Switch to white yarn. ch 1, *1 sc in the next 3 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around (12 times). Join with a sl st to the first sc. (60 sts)
Row 6: Switch to green yarn. ch 1, *1 sc in the next 4 sts, 2 sc in the next* repeat around (12 times). Join with a sl st to the first sc (72 sts). Fasten off.
For the seeds, you can randomly sew in black yarn around the pink part. But as you can see in my coaster, they are not very random, because I have some difficulty randomizing things like these (hahaha!). So what I did here was: *sew in one seed in row 3, skip 2 sts, sew in one seed in row 2, skip 2 sts* and repeat that all around. I think this will not be exactly symmetrical, but it would make the seeds somewhat evenly spaced. Alternatively, you can also randomize, it's really up to you. :)
Question: My coaster looks like it has corners (made by the increases), instead of a perfect circular shape. Do any of you guys know how to get rid of those corners? Please do let me know in the comments section, I would love to know your suggestions!
Grapefruit Coaster
I used the same method for my grapefruit coaster, only using different colors, of course. I used Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton Light Old Rose, the same white yarn with my watermelon, and Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton (light) Sunshine. The adjustments are as follows:
In the beginning, use the Old Rose yarn until row 4.
In row 5, switch to white yarn as well.
In row 6, switch to yellow yarn.
For the division, I simply attached white yarn from one part of the white row to the center, then to the opposite side, three times to achieve six divisions.
The coaster measures up to 4 inches in diameter. The grapefruit measures bigger, because the old rose yarn I used is slightly thicker than the coral one for the watermelon. If you want to resize your coaster, you can simply add rows to increase size, and skip/remove rows to decrease size. Easy peasy. :)
For my recommendations, as I've mentioned earlier, I would prefer to use the same kind / weight / ply of yarns in all the rows, so the stitches will be even, and the size, too. But if you don't have the same kind, it's also just fine, as long as you can work them all with the same hook size. Also for the grapefruit, you can use a different shade of yellow for the outer row, maybe something paler. You can also sl st across the grapefruit to make the divisions, for a "more attached" version (because in this version I made, the white strings tend to loosen up and might get entangled, or something like that. You get it, I know (: ).
By the way if you didn't notice, I included a list of stitches used in this coaster, so you can already decide early on if this is the type of pattern you want to use, especially if you want to teach someone how to read a pattern (like I did with my mom, I had to find a pattern that uses different kinds of stitches). One time I was halfway through a project I was doing when I encountered an unfamiliar abbreviation in the pattern, and at that time I was reluctant on learning a new stitch, because I am lazy. Haha! So I think it's important to list the stitches used especially for beginners. I'm sorry I did not do this in my previous posts, but I will now from this post on.
Lastly, because I got inspired by teaching my mom how to do basic stitches, I made a page with the basic stitches here. I also plan to make a page for the different techniques I use (e.g., magic ring, changing colors, etc). I will post it once done!
That's it for this post, you know the drill - leave your questions, comments, suggestions, praises, what-have-you, in the comments section below. And as always, enjoy crocheting AF!
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Lemon Coaster Pattern [UPDATED]
Hello!!
I've mentioned in my previous post that I've been making coasters these past weeks. I've finished a handful of them already, and I hope to post them in the coming days (sweet!). I made most of them using free patterns I found online, some I adjusted to fit the size I want, and some I improvised. I will be posting the coasters I made using my own pattern first, and hopefully you guys find it useful. :)
First one on the list of my improvised patterns is the lemon coaster - not a lemon slice, but the whole lemon with the pointy ends. I was making these citrus slices coaster one time - green for lime, and orange for, well, orange - and when I was about to start yellow for lemon, I thought, why not make the "un-sliced" version of these coasters too? So I tried looking for patterns for a whole lemon coaster, but all I found were hot pads (which I had difficulty adjusting to make it smaller) and lemon slices. Eventually, I decided to make my own lemon coaster pattern, which turned out to be pretty easy (I already got the right measurement and pattern by the second try!).
Materials
Hook: 4mm crochet hook
Yarns:
Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton (light) Sunshine
Some green yarn
Lemon Coaster
Using yellow yarn, make a magic ring.
Row 1: ch2, 12 dc in the ring. Join with a sl st to the first dc. (12 sts)
I've mentioned in my previous post that I've been making coasters these past weeks. I've finished a handful of them already, and I hope to post them in the coming days (sweet!). I made most of them using free patterns I found online, some I adjusted to fit the size I want, and some I improvised. I will be posting the coasters I made using my own pattern first, and hopefully you guys find it useful. :)
First one on the list of my improvised patterns is the lemon coaster - not a lemon slice, but the whole lemon with the pointy ends. I was making these citrus slices coaster one time - green for lime, and orange for, well, orange - and when I was about to start yellow for lemon, I thought, why not make the "un-sliced" version of these coasters too? So I tried looking for patterns for a whole lemon coaster, but all I found were hot pads (which I had difficulty adjusting to make it smaller) and lemon slices. Eventually, I decided to make my own lemon coaster pattern, which turned out to be pretty easy (I already got the right measurement and pattern by the second try!).
Refreshing! |
Materials
Hook: 4mm crochet hook
Yarns:
Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton (light) Sunshine
Some green yarn
Lemon Coaster
Using yellow yarn, make a magic ring.
Row 1: ch2, 12 dc in the ring. Join with a sl st to the first dc. (12 sts)
Row 2: ch 2, 2 dc in each st around. Join with a sl st to first dc. (24 sts)
Row 3: ch 2, *1 dc in the next st, 2 dc in the next* repeat 12 times. Join with a sl st to first dc (36 sts).
Row 4: ch 1,
*
sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next,
hdc in next 2 sts, 1 hdc 1 dc in next st,
dc in next 2 sts, trc, ch 2, sl st to 2nd ch from hook, trc in same st as first trc,
dc in next 2 sts, 1 dc 1 hdc in next st
hdc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next,
sc in next 2 sts
*
This is the first pointy end of the lemon. Now make 2 sc in next st, and repeat * to form other end. To finish, sc in the last st, and sl st to first sc. Fasten off.
Leaves (make two, or how many you like!)
I used the leaves pattern I found here. As you can see in the picture below, I deliberately made the leaves different in size - I still used the leaves pattern, but used hdc and dc for the smaller one, and htr and trc for the slightly bigger one. You can opt for this too, or you can have uniformly-sized leaves, it's up to you ;)
On the other hand, if you want you can also leave out the leaves and just stick with a plain lemon coaster, and I think that will also look and do just fine.
So after making the leaves, sew them to the lemon coaster, preferably to one of the pointy ends (I actually searched for images of lemons just to see where to put the leaves; silly me, right?). And then you're done!
The coaster measures 4 inches in diameter from one pointy end to the other, and 3 inches from the "flat" sides. If you want to make your coasters bigger, you can use trc instead of dc for the first row up to the third row, depending on how big you want it. If you use trc for all rows, I think it can size up to 4.5 to 5 inches measuring from the pointy ends. Additionally, you can also use a paler shade of yellow for a more lemony look.
[UPDATE] Sizing up the coaster
Thanks to AMJ for pointing out that using trc in the first row makes the stitches dense. :) So I came up with an alternative way to make your coaster bigger!
Instead of using trc in some/all of the rows in the coaster, you can also increase the initial stitches by 2 in your magic ring, and then cascade the increase to the succeeding rows. For example,
Row 1: 14 [16 | 18 | 20 | ...] sts
Row 2: 28 [32 | 36 | 40 | ...] sts
Row 3: 42 [48 | 54 | 60 | ...] sts
(The numbers in [] mean you can also start with 16 sts, then row 2 has 32 sts, row 3 has 48 sts. The same goes for 18 and 20. I also color-coded them for easier reading.)
And then for the 4th row, add one [2 | 3 | 4 | ...] *sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st* at the beginning of the round, and one [2 | 3 | 4 | ...] *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts* at the end. This is to make sure the number of stitches needed for the last row will be met (so the coaster will not curl), and also to keep the pointy ends opposite of each other.
I haven't tried this for much larger sizes, I have a feeling that the pointed ends might become less prominent as the coaster gets bigger. If you want to try it, let me know of your final results in the comments below!
[end of update]
If you guys have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below, and I'd also love to see your finished products so you can also leave them in the comments section. That's it for this post, so stay tuned for the next episode of this coaster series, and I hope you enjoy crocheting AF! \m/
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
*
sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next,
hdc in next 2 sts, 1 hdc 1 dc in next st,
dc in next 2 sts, trc, ch 2, sl st to 2nd ch from hook, trc in same st as first trc,
dc in next 2 sts, 1 dc 1 hdc in next st
hdc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next,
sc in next 2 sts
*
This is the first pointy end of the lemon. Now make 2 sc in next st, and repeat * to form other end. To finish, sc in the last st, and sl st to first sc. Fasten off.
Leaves (make two, or how many you like!)
I used the leaves pattern I found here. As you can see in the picture below, I deliberately made the leaves different in size - I still used the leaves pattern, but used hdc and dc for the smaller one, and htr and trc for the slightly bigger one. You can opt for this too, or you can have uniformly-sized leaves, it's up to you ;)
On the other hand, if you want you can also leave out the leaves and just stick with a plain lemon coaster, and I think that will also look and do just fine.
So after making the leaves, sew them to the lemon coaster, preferably to one of the pointy ends (I actually searched for images of lemons just to see where to put the leaves; silly me, right?). And then you're done!
Lemon coaster |
The coaster measures 4 inches in diameter from one pointy end to the other, and 3 inches from the "flat" sides. If you want to make your coasters bigger, you can use trc instead of dc for the first row up to the third row, depending on how big you want it. If you use trc for all rows, I think it can size up to 4.5 to 5 inches measuring from the pointy ends. Additionally, you can also use a paler shade of yellow for a more lemony look.
[UPDATE] Sizing up the coaster
Thanks to AMJ for pointing out that using trc in the first row makes the stitches dense. :) So I came up with an alternative way to make your coaster bigger!
Instead of using trc in some/all of the rows in the coaster, you can also increase the initial stitches by 2 in your magic ring, and then cascade the increase to the succeeding rows. For example,
Row 1: 14 [16 | 18 | 20 | ...] sts
Row 2: 28 [32 | 36 | 40 | ...] sts
Row 3: 42 [48 | 54 | 60 | ...] sts
(The numbers in [] mean you can also start with 16 sts, then row 2 has 32 sts, row 3 has 48 sts. The same goes for 18 and 20. I also color-coded them for easier reading.)
And then for the 4th row, add one [2 | 3 | 4 | ...] *sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st* at the beginning of the round, and one [2 | 3 | 4 | ...] *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts* at the end. This is to make sure the number of stitches needed for the last row will be met (so the coaster will not curl), and also to keep the pointy ends opposite of each other.
I haven't tried this for much larger sizes, I have a feeling that the pointed ends might become less prominent as the coaster gets bigger. If you want to try it, let me know of your final results in the comments below!
[end of update]
If you guys have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below, and I'd also love to see your finished products so you can also leave them in the comments section. That's it for this post, so stay tuned for the next episode of this coaster series, and I hope you enjoy crocheting AF! \m/
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Ewok Scoodie Pattern
Finally! After weeks I am now able to create another blog post. I have been a bit busy lately, and with my crochet I've been doing a lot of projects - mostly coasters. I'll be posting them soon, once I finish the coaster sets I want. :)
One of these projects is my first big (and I think the biggest!) project so far - my very own Ewok Scoodie! Well, it's not exactly my own Ewok scoodie as one, I got the pattern online from a very talented person and two, I really made it for my little brother.
As you might already know, I was a little bit of a braggart when I started crochet and was able to actually make something decent. I also started doing Pinterest and pinning a sh*tload of crochet projects that I wanted to dowhen I grow up when I gain enough crochet powers. Sooooo, one weekend while having breakfast (or lunch, or dinner; I don't really remember, I only remember being in the dining table with food!) with the family, I was showing them the crochet projects I intend to do in the future. One of them was the Ewok scoodie, because Star Wars, and I love Star Wars. Actually, my whole family loves Star Wars, so when my brother saw the scoodie he told me I had to make him that. At that time I was only doing headbands and animal appliques, so naturally I responded, "Maybe give me five years." Exaggerated, I know! But I didn't know that then (which was only a couple of months back, haha).
So while shopping for yarn during one of my yarn escapades, I spotted this carrot yarn and I thought, hey I can use this yarn for the Ewok scoodie my brother wants. And so the next thing I know, I'm double-crocheting my way into the galaxy far far away.
For my version of the scoodie, I used a medium weight yarn and a 5mm hook, smaller than those in the pattern I found. Since I live in a constantly hot-weathered country, I thought a bulky scoodie would really be impractical, so I wanted the scoodie to be lighter and less bulky, and therefore cooler.
Here's the link to my Ravelry project, where you can find the yarn I used, and here's the link to the original Yub Nub scoodie pattern.
For the adjustments:
Scoodie
Row 1: Instead of doing 140 sts, I made 180. You can also add more, depending on how long you want your scoodie to be.
Row 8: I skipped 50 sts instead of 40, and then made 80 dc's instead of 60.
Row 9-11: I added 2 more rows for a total of 5 rows, to make the hood deeper/longer.
Row 12-16 (from the original pattern, disregarding the additional 2 rows I made in the previous step): I made 30 dc instead of 20, and followed the dc increases for each row (row 12 has a total of 75 sts, row 13 has 70, row 14 with 65, and so on).
And finally after the last row, I added another row: dc 29, dc2tog, dc 29.
Ears
I added one more row after row 5 while constructing the circle: *4 sc, 2scinc, repeat from * around. And then proceeded with folding it in half and doing sc edges with the lighter-colored yarn.
The final product:
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
One of these projects is my first big (and I think the biggest!) project so far - my very own Ewok Scoodie! Well, it's not exactly my own Ewok scoodie as one, I got the pattern online from a very talented person and two, I really made it for my little brother.
As you might already know, I was a little bit of a braggart when I started crochet and was able to actually make something decent. I also started doing Pinterest and pinning a sh*tload of crochet projects that I wanted to do
So while shopping for yarn during one of my yarn escapades, I spotted this carrot yarn and I thought, hey I can use this yarn for the Ewok scoodie my brother wants. And so the next thing I know, I'm double-crocheting my way into the galaxy far far away.
Here we go!! |
Here's the link to my Ravelry project, where you can find the yarn I used, and here's the link to the original Yub Nub scoodie pattern.
For the adjustments:
Scoodie
Row 1: Instead of doing 140 sts, I made 180. You can also add more, depending on how long you want your scoodie to be.
Row 8: I skipped 50 sts instead of 40, and then made 80 dc's instead of 60.
Row 9-11: I added 2 more rows for a total of 5 rows, to make the hood deeper/longer.
Row 12-16 (from the original pattern, disregarding the additional 2 rows I made in the previous step): I made 30 dc instead of 20, and followed the dc increases for each row (row 12 has a total of 75 sts, row 13 has 70, row 14 with 65, and so on).
And finally after the last row, I added another row: dc 29, dc2tog, dc 29.
Ears
I added one more row after row 5 while constructing the circle: *4 sc, 2scinc, repeat from * around. And then proceeded with folding it in half and doing sc edges with the lighter-colored yarn.
The final product:
Yes I have a cat face :3 |
Side view |
I did not sew in the button as the pattern instructed because I liked it open just like this. But I might add it later on, if my brother wants it. Also I didn't have fuzzy yarn at hand so my ewok ears aren't as fuzzy as they should be, but nonetheless it still looks cute! I hope my brother likes it.
So that's it! If you have any questions about the pattern and the adjustments I made, just let me know in the comments below. :)
Enjoy crocheting AF, and may the force be with you! \m/
Yub Nub! |
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Animal Appliques: Pug Applique Pattern
When I started crocheting, I wanted to do simple things first like appliqués to boost my confidence as well as to practice my pattern-reading skills. Being a practical person (and a bit of a braggart among friends), I thought of making some things I can give to my friends, and at the same time practice my crochet skills. Two birds with one stone!
So what to crochet? As I was making a cat face appliqué the shape of Hello Kitty's head (which I also gave away, to my cousin), I thought maybe I can also give them something animal.
We've always had "animal nicknames" for each other, mainly because we are animal people, among other things. Friend number 1 is a pug, because she has a pug and she has a tiny nose much like that of a pug's (haha!). Friend number 2 is a duck primarily because he has ducks for pets, and also because he has a protruding bottom :D Friend number 3 is a penguin, not because she has a pet penguin (sadly!) but because she looks like Gunther from Adventure Time, and also either because she's a slow walker/waddler or she hates hot weather, or both. :)
So I decided to make some simple and cute animal appliqués for my friends, and I hope they find it funny and cute!
The pattern for the duck can be found here, and the penguin can be found here. And instead of sewing in eyes, I glued googly eyes to them :D They turned out to be cute, and I was able to save time because sewing has always been a challenge for me.
For the pug, I had quite a difficult time looking for a free pattern, and I did fail to find one so I thought of improvising my own.
Pug Applique
Materials:
Hook: 4mm crochet hook
Yarns:
Creme de la Creme Dark Linen
Creme de la Creme Brown
Other stuff:
a pair of googly eyes
glue
Base
Using the dark linen yarn, make a magic ring.
Row 1: Ch2, 6 dc in the ring, sl st with the first dc (6 st).
Row 2: Ch2, 3 dc in the first st, *2 dc in the next st* 2 times, then 3 dc in the next st, 2 dc in the rest sts. Sl st with the first dc (14 sts).
Row 3: Ch 2, 2 dc in each st all around. Sl st with the first dc. FO.
You should get a somewhat slightly oval base.
Nose/Snout
Using the brown yarn, ch 4. 2 dc in the 3rd st from the hook, then 4 dc in the next st (you should end up turning to the other side when you finish the 4th dc). 2dc in the next st, FO.
Ears
Using the brown yarn, ch 3. Hdc in the 2nd ch from the hook, ch1, sl st in the same stitch. You can FO here or keep the yarn in the hook to attach the ear to the base.
Putting them together
Choose one st in the top of the base (the slightly longer side), and sew the ear in that st using a tapestry needle, or sl st through the chosen base st if your yarn is still in your hook. Do this for the other ear - I placed mine with 9 sts between each ear.
You can either sew the nose in, or be lazy like me and just glue it to the base. Then position the eyes so that they are a bit far away from each other, similar to how it is on a pug's face. Glue them in and let it dry.
And voila! You're done with the pug face. Very easy, right?
This was one of the first projects I did without a pattern, so I had a number of trial and errors before I was able to complete it.
If you have any questions or corrections, let me know in the comments below and I will be glad to respond.
Enjoy crocheting AF! \m/
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
So what to crochet? As I was making a cat face appliqué the shape of Hello Kitty's head (which I also gave away, to my cousin), I thought maybe I can also give them something animal.
We've always had "animal nicknames" for each other, mainly because we are animal people, among other things. Friend number 1 is a pug, because she has a pug and she has a tiny nose much like that of a pug's (haha!). Friend number 2 is a duck primarily because he has ducks for pets, and also because he has a protruding bottom :D Friend number 3 is a penguin, not because she has a pet penguin (sadly!) but because she looks like Gunther from Adventure Time, and also either because she's a slow walker/waddler or she hates hot weather, or both. :)
So I decided to make some simple and cute animal appliqués for my friends, and I hope they find it funny and cute!
The pattern for the duck can be found here, and the penguin can be found here. And instead of sewing in eyes, I glued googly eyes to them :D They turned out to be cute, and I was able to save time because sewing has always been a challenge for me.
For the pug, I had quite a difficult time looking for a free pattern, and I did fail to find one so I thought of improvising my own.
Pug Applique
Materials:
Hook: 4mm crochet hook
Yarns:
Creme de la Creme Dark Linen
Creme de la Creme Brown
Other stuff:
a pair of googly eyes
glue
Base
Using the dark linen yarn, make a magic ring.
Row 1: Ch2, 6 dc in the ring, sl st with the first dc (6 st).
Row 2: Ch2, 3 dc in the first st, *2 dc in the next st* 2 times, then 3 dc in the next st, 2 dc in the rest sts. Sl st with the first dc (14 sts).
Row 3: Ch 2, 2 dc in each st all around. Sl st with the first dc. FO.
You should get a somewhat slightly oval base.
Nose/Snout
Using the brown yarn, ch 4. 2 dc in the 3rd st from the hook, then 4 dc in the next st (you should end up turning to the other side when you finish the 4th dc). 2dc in the next st, FO.
Ears
Using the brown yarn, ch 3. Hdc in the 2nd ch from the hook, ch1, sl st in the same stitch. You can FO here or keep the yarn in the hook to attach the ear to the base.
Putting them together
Choose one st in the top of the base (the slightly longer side), and sew the ear in that st using a tapestry needle, or sl st through the chosen base st if your yarn is still in your hook. Do this for the other ear - I placed mine with 9 sts between each ear.
You can either sew the nose in, or be lazy like me and just glue it to the base. Then position the eyes so that they are a bit far away from each other, similar to how it is on a pug's face. Glue them in and let it dry.
And voila! You're done with the pug face. Very easy, right?
Pug face! Measures a little less than 3 inches in length. |
If you have any questions or corrections, let me know in the comments below and I will be glad to respond.
Enjoy crocheting AF! \m/
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Adventure Time Finn and Jake Mini Baskets
When my friends went to Seoul last March, I asked them to buy me Brownie Cookies from Petite France. These are one of my favorite cookies, because brownie and cookie in one! I intended to pay for these cookies, but my friends insisted on giving them for free. Being the shy person that I am, I couldn't just let them do that, so I decided to make them some simple crochet stuff in return.
Finn's Face
The prize. |
They both like Adventure Time, and good thing I had the yarn colors I needed for Finn and Jake, so I looked for some easy Adventure Time crochet patterns. I found a couple of mini amigurumis, but I thought maybe I should give them something they can use. I can't make them phone cases because I don't know what sizes their phones are, and I thought coasters would be too simple. Then I remembered the mini square basket I made from before to put our coins in, so I decided on doing that, and then just improvise for the Finn and Jake details.
Somehow some part of me regrets this, and tells me I should have gone with the coaster. Because I had less than a day's notice of our rendezvous and I wanted to impress my friends with my new-found crochet skills, I crocheted AF to finish these in a few hours.
Without further ado! The pattern. (This is the first pattern I've ever written, so please bear with me :) )
Algebraic! Finn and Jake mini baskets. |
Materials:
Hook: 4 mm crochet hook
Yarns:
Red Heart White high bulk acrylic
Red Heart Light Blue high bulk acrylic
Gantsilyo Guru Milk Cotton (light medium) Yellow
Creme de la Creme Dark Linen
Some black yarn
I based and used the basket pattern here and just adjusted the size and switched colors for Finn.
Finn Pattern:
Yield is approximately 3 inches on one side. I did Finn's face first so I'll know the basket size I need to make for the face to fit.
Finn's Face
I just made a simple oval shape I learned from doing a cat applique before. I really can't remember how I did this, but here's a great tutorial on how to make an oval shape.
You can use felt for the face details, but I didn't have any so I just sewed in the eyes and mouth with some black yarn.
Basket Base
Using the light blue yarn, Ch 12.
Crochet hdc in 3rd ch from hook. Continue hdc for the rest of the 9 ch (10 sts).
*Ch 2, turn, hdc 10 times* repeat 7 times
Crochet around the sides: *ch1, sc 10 times* repeat 4 times for all sides
Crochet 1 extra sc to get to the corner. Ch 2.
Basket sides
Row 1: *sc 10 in BLO (back loop only), in the corner sc 2 in the same space* repeat 4 times for all sides. Sl st on top of the starting ch 2.
Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in all stitches in both loops. Sl st on the ch 2 at the beginning of this row.
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in BLO. Sl st on top of the starting ch.
Row 4: repeat row 2
Row 5: repeat row 3
Switch to white, and fasten off the light blue yarn.
Row 6 - 13: repeat rows 2 and 3, alternating. Or you can continue doing this until your desired basket height.
Attaching Finn's face to the basket
I was supposed to use the light brown yarn to attach Finn's face, but I forgot to bring it to the office so I just used the white yarn. I recommend using light brown for this, because using the white yarn will result to some light brown showing on the sides.
You can sew the face to the basket using a tapestry needle, which I think will be easier, but I wasn't in my right mind or I just don't have a needle, so I did the more difficult way.
Position Finn's face on one side of the basket. Start at any side of Finn's face. Sl st through the basket and BLO of Finn's face, all around. Fasten off.
The instructions for this is not very clear (I know!), but I learned this technique when I was doing baby sandals before. Here's the video tutorial for slip stitching together.
Jake Pattern:
The pattern is similar to Finn's, only this time I made it smaller because I wanted them to be nested. Yield is approximately 2 inches on one side. Again, I did the face details first to gauge the basket size I need.
Jake's face
Like Finn, you can also use felt which will be easier, but I didn't have felt so I crocheted the details too. You can make your own if you have a faster / easier / preferred way, but I'm just gonna put mine here.
Eyes (make 2): Using white yarn, ch 4, sl st in the first ch to make a ring. Sc 5 in the ring, sl st in to the first sc.
Switch to black yarn. Sc 2 times in each st, sl st in the first sc to finish. Fasten off.
Nose: Make an oval shape using black yarn. Ch 3, hdc in the 2nd ch from the hook, sc in the last st, fasten off.
Snout: Using yellow yarn, ch 8 (or until the whole thing can wrap the nose on one side, you know, how Jake's snout and nose looks like). Sc into the 2nd ch from the hook, continue sc until the last st. Fasten off. Note: slightly tighten the stitches, so that it will curl a bit.
Basket Base
Using the yellow yarn, Ch 8.
Crochet hdc in 3rd ch from hook. Continue hdc for the rest of the 5 ch (6 sts).
*Ch 2, turn, hdc 6 times* repeat 3 times
Crochet around the sides: *ch1, sc 6 times* repeat 4 times for all sides
Crochet 1 extra sc to get to the corner. Ch 2.
Basket sides
Row 1: *sc 6 in BLO (back loop only), in the corner sc 2 in the same space* repeat 4 times for all sides. Sl st on top of the starting ch 2.
Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in all stitches in both loops. Sl st on the ch 2 at the beginning of this row.
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in BLO. Sl st on top of the starting ch.
Continue repeating rows 2 and 3, alternating, until your desired basket height. I based the height on Finn's height, and for Jake's face details to fit.
Attaching Jake's face
This was the hardest part of doing these baskets. I spent the most time stitching the details than crocheting the baskets themselves. :( I would recommend using a tapestry needle, because these details are so small and very difficult to keep in place.
Position Jake's nose on one side of the basket. Sew it in. Next, position Jake's snout to curl around the nose. I did the same technique I used sewing in Finn's face, but sewing only on one side of the snout.
Last, sew in Jake's eyes near the snout. Then you're done :)
Final products:
My baskets are not very square, most likely because of the yarn types I used. But I still like how they turned out. As you can see, Jake's eyes are not symmetric because as I've said, I had a difficult time sewing them in. Also, Finn's face had some brown peeping on the sides because I did not use the brown yarn for sewing (bad Raine!).
Final recommendations:
- Use felt for easier face details.
- If you don't have felt, use the same light brown yarn to sew in Finn's face. Also, use tapestry needle (or any needle that can hold your yarn) and sew Finn's face and especially Jake's like a normal person would.
- Use a lighter shade of brown for Finn. And more mustard-y yellow color for Jake.
I enjoyed doing these so much, I'm planning on doing Marceline and LSP versions once I get the colors for them. And I'm also thinking of doing other Adventure Time projects. :)
If you have any questions or corrections, please feel free to share in the comments below, I'll be glad to answer and respond. After all, homies help homies, right? :)
Enjoy crocheting AF! \m/
Enjoy crocheting AF! \m/
This pattern is free and not for sale. Please credit and link back to this site when sharing, using for business, etc. Thanks! :)
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