This blanket is made with Red Heart Snuggle Bunny yarn (a super bulky weight 100% acrylic yarn) and a size N-13 crochet hook, making it a quick project to crochet! It measures 35″ wide x 38 1/2″ long, which is a great size for babies. I love how “fluffy” this blanket looks in the photo! Since the yarn is 100% acrylic, the blanket is machine washable, which is a must for baby items! Why not make one for your favorite baby, grandbaby or a baby shower?
I hope you enjoy this FREE crochet pattern. Happy “National Crochet Month” everyone!
In honor of National Crochet Month, I’m going to post a photo and a link to a free crochet pattern every day this month! Here’s the first of 31 free crochet patterns that you may love just as much as me!
Bernat Baby Booties
I LOVE this baby booties design and I’m going to give it a try sometime this month. I love the texture of the post stitches and the functional button band at the top to help keep these booties on babies’ feet! How about you? You can find the FREE pattern here.
Do you enjoy crocheting for the holidays? I definitely do! During the past 15 years, I’ve designed quite a few heart-shaped crochet patterns! So in honor of Valentine’s Day, I’ve compiled a list of my published Valentine’s Day and/or heart-shaped crochet patterns for you (and a few are FREE, too!). If you’re like me, you’re looking for a new heart-shaped crochet pattern to make for this Valentine’s Day (before it’s here and gone!). Why not crochet something for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day?
Valentine Placemat Set
1. Valentine Placemat Set (published in the Feb. 2010 issue of Crochet World magazine). This filet placemat set was made with size 20 cotton crochet thread.
Wiggly Hearts Rug
2. Wiggly Hearts Rug (published in the Feb. 2010 issue of Crochet World magazine). This rug was made with Red Heart Super Saver and LusterSheen yarns.
Heart Swag
3. Heart Swag (published in the Feb. 2010 issue of Crochet World magazine). This swag was made with size 10 cotton crochet thread.
Filet Heart Coaster
4. Filet Heart Coaster (available for purchase on my website here). This coaster is made with size 10 cotton crochet thread.
Heart Coaster
5. Heart Coaster (FREE pattern download on my website here). This coaster is made with worsted weight cotton yarn.
Valentine Earrings
6. Valentine Earrings (published in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Crochet Today! magazine). These earrings were made with size 10 cotton crochet thread.
Justify my Love Coasters
7. Justify my Love Coasters (published in the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of Crochet Today! magazine). These coasters were made with Red Heart Super Saver yarn).
Wiggly Valentine Hot Pad & Coaster Set
8. Wiggly Valentine Hot Pad & Coaster Set (available for purchase on my website here). This set is made with size 10 cotton crochet thread.
Bruges Lace Heart Centerpiece
9. Bruges Lace Heart Centerpiece (published in “Crochet Beyond the Basics” book in 2014 by Rita Weiss and Susan Lowman, published by Leisure Arts). This centerpiece is made with size 10 cotton crochet thread.
Easy Cell Phone Cosy & Heart-Shaped Key Fob
10. Easy Cell Phone Cosy & Heart-Shaped Key Fob (FREE pattern on the Red Heart UK website here). This set uses Red Heart Detroit Color yarn, which is a 100% acrylic, light weight yarn (#3) that is available in the UK. If you live in the US, you could easily substitute Red Heart Anne Geddes Baby yarn or Red Heart Baby TLC yarn instead.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at my Valentine’s Day and heart-shaped crochet patterns. There are TONS of other published Valentine’s Day and heart crochet patterns out there by many talented crochet designers. Why not find the perfect pattern and start your Valentine’s Day crochet project(s) now (before it’s too late!). And if you’d like to learn a new crochet technique (such as wiggly crochet, filet crochet or Bruges Lace crochet) at the same time, what are you waiting for? Start learning something new right now!
Upon reading the newest issue of the Talking Crochet newsletter this morning, I realized that Crochet World magazine is offering my Purple Haze Wrap pattern for FREE now! And I wanted to share the pattern with all of my blog followers! So here it is…
Here’s the link to the free pattern and some photos of it for you to see:
This wrap was a lot of fun to design and make with Lion Brand (LB Collection) Silk Mohair yarn, which I LOVED using! I was careful to watch my stitching so I didn’t make too many mistakes that needed to be ripped out and restitched, since mohair yarn is “tricky” to rip out! The yarn blocks beautifully to really show off the stitch pattern to it’s full potential! This yarn (and the wrap I made) is as light as a feather!
I remember when the box of yarn arrived for me to crochet this wrap. The box was about 8″ square and weighed maybe a pound at the most! It was hard to believe that inside that small, light-weight box there was enough yarn to make a whole wrap! To see all the beautiful colors of LB Silk Mohair yarn, go to the Lion Brand website here.
Ahoy, matey! Shiver me timbers! Happy “International Talk Like a Pirate Day” to everyone! What will they think of next?
But seriously, I wanted to share a few newly published crochet patterns that I designed with you. And best of all, one of them is FREE!!!
Here’s my Mod Flower Necklace, published by Red Heart/Coats & Clark and available on their website here.
Mod Flower Necklace
This necklace is made with a new crochet thread by Coats called Aunt Lydia’s Baker’s Cotton. This is a size 3 cotton thread that comes in 150 yard balls. It’s currently available in 6 colors, which are all plied with white. It’s very soft and has a great drape to it. You can watch a video about this new crochet thread on the Red Heart website, featuring the editor of Crochet Today magazine, Theresa Gonzalez, who is wearing my flower necklace in the video here. I designed this necklace with double-sided flowers, so whichever side of the flowers is facing will be the right side (no backs of flowers for me on this one!). I also added white buttons in the center of each flower, while sewing the flowers onto the necklace chain. And best of all, this pattern is FREE!!!
I just had 2 more patterns published, both in the October 2013 issue of Crochet World magazine. You can see the projects in this issue of Crochet World here.
First is my Reversible Popcorn Ripple Afghan.
Reversible Popcorn Ripple Afghan in Crochet World magazine Oct. 2013
This afghan is made with 5 shades of Plymouth Encore yarn, which is a worsted weight yarn. I designed this afghan with a one-row repeat, changing colors in every other row. Because of the one-row repeat, the popcorn stitches stick out on the front and on the back of the afghan, making it truly reversible! Be creative and use any colors you desire to make this afghan for yourself or as a wonderful Christmas gift for a friend or family member.
Second is my Autumn Blaze Table Mat.
Autumn Blaze Table Mat in Crochet World magazine Oct. 2013
This design is special because it’s the first design I’ve done for the new column in Crochet World called “What’s Old is New Again”. Basically, I’m taking a vintage pattern from the past and turning it into a modern treasure. This design started with the inspiration from this vintage pattern:
Vintage Bone Ring Table Mat pattern
This is the vintage book where I found this pattern:
Vintage Doilies book from 1940
This book was published in 1940 by Spool Cotton Co. It’s book #147 and sold for only 10 cents back then. What a deal!
Anyway, back to my updated version of this table mat. I used 3/4″ bone rings and Aunt Lydia’s Classic, size 10 cotton crochet thread. In the inspiration design, they didn’t cover all of the rings, but left some white showing at the center of the rings where they joined them together by simply wrapping crochet thread around the adjacent rings. I covered all of the 49 bone rings with crochet stitches and added points around the rings that create 6-pointed stars in the empty space between the groups of 7 rings. And I decided to use 3 colors of thread instead of one in each of the 7 groups of 7 rings: the center ring is covered in yellow, while the 6 rings surrounding the center ring are covered in orange and red. I like the way these 3 colors create more visual interest in the table mat. Of course, you can use 3 different colors for your table mat, if you prefer. Color selection is a very personal choice and anyone can change the colors they use in a crochet pattern to suit their own needs, décor or personal preferences.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at 3 new crochet patterns. There are new crochet patterns coming out all the time by many very talented crochet designers. I’m sure you have your favorite crochet designers, just like I do!
Have you ever made a crochet project in the round and couldn’t tighten the center hole to make it smaller or disappear completely? Last week, when I was teaching my mother-in-law how to read a crochet pattern and to work in the round, I realized that she was making her slip knot incorrectly. Her center hole wouldn’t close up after working her first round! So I watched her make a slip knot and it was backwards. I thought there may be many other crocheters who make their slip knot backwards, too. So I’ve made a tutorial on how to make your slip knot the “right” way!!! Please check out my new “Tutorials” page to read more and find out how to make a slip knot correctly.
After you’ve checked out the tutorial, you can practice making the slip knot and working a simple granny square with the “3-Round Granny Square” pattern on our “Free Patterns” page.
Welcome to The Crochet Architect website. I’m thrilled to be taking part in the National Crochet Month blog tour through Crochetville today! You can read all about the blog tour and see the list of scheduled bloggers here. There’s a lot of crochet talent and knowledge between all of these bloggers, so why not visit each and every blogger this month. The other blog tour participant today is Michele Maks, a very talented crochet designer and the previous editor of Crochet World magazine. You can read her blog post here. Please consider supporting our charity for this blog tour, Project Night Night, either with a financial donation or by donating crocheted blankets. Project Night Night provides security to homeless children. You can read all about Project Night Night here and on the Crochetville blog tour post.
If you’ve never been to my blog and website before, welcome! I hope you’ll take a few minutes and look around. There are 3 free crochet patterns here: one for baby booties and 2 for coasters (one worked in rows and the other worked in rounds to practice increases and decreases). I also have patterns for sale here on my website. I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Susan Lowman. I am a crochet designer, technical editor and teacher. I am a proud member of CGOA (the Crochet Guild of America). If you haven’t heard of CGOA before, please visit the CGOA website to learn more. I am the secretary on the CGOA Board of Directors, as well as one of the 2 Co-Chairs and a portfolio reviewer on the Masters Committee. As you can see, I’m very involved in CGOA! It’s a fabulous organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the art of crochet. We have a conference or two every year. This year I’ll be teaching 6 classes at the conference in Indianapolis. I’d love to meet you at the conference and/or in one of my classes!
When I was asked to take part in this blog tour, I wondered what I would blog about. But then it came to me a few weeks ago: blog about what you love doing! Of course, in general, I love to crochet. But more specifically, I love to crochet with thread! I’m not sure when I started to crochet with thread. I think it was in the 80’s, but I’m not positive. I love to design and crochet with thread. I’m not particular whether I’m going to design something of my own with thread or crochet a thread project from someone else’s design. It makes no difference to me! As long as it’s made with crochet thread, I’m game!!! I love thread crochet so much, that when Annie’s asked me last year to put together an online class on Crocheting with Thread, I said “yes”! You can read all about that class and all the other online classes at Annie’s by clicking on the banner on the right-hand side of my website.
As part of National Crochet Month, I wanted to include something to give away, so please keep reading for the giveaway information a little further down.
I don’t know how many of you reading this now are threadies, like me! If you’re already a threadie, what is your favorite thing to crochet with thread? Do you love making doilies, jewelry or something else with crochet thread? Do you have a favorite crochet technique with thread (filet crochet, Bruges Lace, Wiggly crochet, etc)? Do you always use white thread for your thread crochet projects or do you like using certain colors of crochet thread in your thread projects? What is your favorite brand of crochet thread?
If you’re not a threadie (a person who loves to crochet with thread), what is holding you back from learning to crochet with thread? Do the small crochet hooks intimidate you? You don’t have to crochet with size 10, 20 or 30 thread for your first thread crochet project. You can start out with size 3 or 5 thread for your first thread crochet project (and use a size D or E crochet hook with these sizes of thread). Yes, I suppose it does take a little time to adjust your tension when using smaller thread and hooks. But it’s so worth it! Here are some of the projects I’ve crocheted with thread in the last few years:
My Crocheted Tablecloth
This is my favorite project (and one that took a lot of time, too!). It is the Pineapple Ovals Tablecloth from the book, Crochet Lace, by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. Here’s a photo of the front cover of that book:
Crochet Lace book
In 2005, I was extremely blessed to be asked to write all of the patterns in this book (except for the green tablecloth). Rita sent me all of the stitched models for the book from Jean’s collection. I had them in my possession for several years while I wrote the patterns for them. I also made some filet charts and stitched small pieces for the book. It was a true “labor of love”, since they’re all made with crochet thread! The tablecloths and bedspreads in this book are works of art!!! In 2010, I spent 11 months crocheting my tablecloth from the pattern in this book. I always use a clear plastic cover over it to protect it from spills! I think it turned out really nice and it’s the perfect size for my table, too. You can see more photos of this tablecloth in progress on my Ravelry projects page. You’ll be able to distinguish the different motifs of the tablecloth in these Ravelry photos. If you’d like to purchase a copy of this book, it’s still available through sellers at Amazon.com and other websites, as well.
Here’s a small part of the tablecloth pattern that I crocheted and turned into a framed piece of art:
Framed Piece of Tablecloth pattern
I made 2 of these and gave them as Christmas gifts in 2010, after I finished my tablecloth. This piece has 4 of the marquise shaped motifs around the edges and 1 fill-in motif in the center of them. These framed pieces were a lot of fun to make, too!
Another one of my favorite thread crochet projects is this Crinoline Lady:
Crinoline Bride framedCrinoline Ladies leaflet
I crocheted her from a Maggie Weldon leaflet called “Crinoline Ladies”. Here’s a photo of the cover of that leaflet:
The Crinoline Lady that I made is called the Bride Doily. It was designed by Soledad Davis. I framed this Crinoline Lady and have her hanging above my bed. If you’re interested in making this Crinoline Lady, the leaflet is available on Maggie’s website.
Here’s a doily I crocheted last year from one of Kathryn White’s patterns:
project from Kathryn White’s doily pattern
Kathryn is an extremely talented thread crochet designer and a very good friend of mine. We met at the CGOA Conference in Greensboro, NC in 2011. I love her thread crochet designs! They’re fabulous! Don’t you agree? If you’d like to make this doily, the pattern is available on Kathy’s website.
I could go on and on with photos of beautiful thread crochet designs, but this blog post would get way too long! So I won’t.
Okay, as promised, I’m going to give away something to a lucky blog reader in honor of National Crochet Month. I’ve chosen one of my thread crochet necklaces to give away. Here’s a photo of the necklace that you have a chance to win:
Faux Tatted Necklace prize
It’s my Faux Tatted Necklace. No, it’s not tatted, it’s crocheted to look like tatting! The pattern for this necklace is available in 2 ways: as just the necklace itself or as part of a set of jewelry (the necklace, bracelet and earrings). I love making these necklaces and I hope the winner will love her necklace, as well. If you don’t win this necklace and would like to make one of your own, the pattern is available here on my website.
To enter for a chance to win this necklace, simply leave a comment on this blog post with the answer to one (or more) of these questions:
1. What is your favorite project to crochet with thread?
2. What is your favorite brand of crochet thread to use?
3. If you’re not a threadie, what is holding you back from learning to crochet with thread?
I’ll draw the lucky winner at random on April 1st, so you have 6 days to enter. The winner’s name will be posted on my blog on April 1st, as well. Good luck!!! (Note: Because of high shipping costs, this giveaway is limited to US residents only.)
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at thread crochet and are ready to give it a try! Please check back often to read new updates on my blog and to see my new crochet patterns. Or simply subscribe to my blog for automatic updates!
There are still more stops on the National Crochet Month Blog Tour, so keep reading the blog posts through the end of this month. I’m sure you’ll learn more! And there are sure to be more giveaways, free patterns, etc from the other blog participants!
Our 3rd stop on this blog tour is with the very talented Ellen Gormley of Go Crochet. Ellen has been blogging for many years and always has something wonderful to share with her readers! She’s a very talented designer and one of the experts on the Knit and Crochet Now show.
Ellen Gormley (right) and Susan Lowman (left)
In 2010, Ellen took my Beginning Bruges Lace class at the CGOA Conference in Manchester, NH. She really took to Bruges Lace and started designing in it almost immediately. Last year, she had a booklet published by Annie’s called “Learn Bruges Lace”! Here’s a photo of Ellen and me in that class:
And here’s a photo of Ellen’s Bruges Lace booklet:
Learn Bruges Lace front cover
If you missed my blog post about Ellen’s booklet, you can read it here. Bruges Lace is a lot of fun. I’m not sure which I like better: Bruges Lace or Wiggly Crochet!!! They’re both wonderful crochet techniques!
Last year at the CGOA Conference in Reno, I had some of my wiggly crochet projects on display in the Designer Showcase that the extremely talented Doris Chan spent many hours organizing! Thanks so much, Doris!!! Many crochet designers participated in the Designer Showcase and it was a huge success!!! Here’s a photo of my Wiggly Fish Rug on display there:
Wiggly Crochet Fish Rug
I self-published this pattern last year. It’s available as a PDF download right here on my website (under “Patterns”), on Ravelry, and on Craftsy.
If you’ve never tried wiggly crochet, please download my “FREE” May Flowers Hot Pad & Coaster pattern on the Coats & Clark website. That way, you can give this crochet technique a try before purchasing any wiggly crochet patterns to see if you like it. After giving it a try, you might be “hooked” on wiggly crochet (pun intended!) like I am! And if you’d like to make some Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths, you can purchase my Wiggly Crochet Dishcloths booklet on the Annie’s website as a hard copy in the mail or as an instant PDF download for $8.95.
So head on over to Ellen’s blog today to read what she has to say about wiggly crochet and crochet in general!
Do you love crocheting with FREE patterns? Everybody loves a bargain and I’m no exception! When the pattern is FREE, that leaves more money in our budgets to purchase the yarn or crochet thread for the projects we’re going to make! I’ve designed some FREE crochet patterns over the past few years and I thought I’d share photos, as well as links, to my FREE patterns that are available on the internet. It’s my Christmas/Holiday gift to YOU! I hope you enjoy these FREE patterns!!!
Available from Coats & Clark:
Star Table Runner
Star Table Runner
This table runner is made with 4 balls of Aunt Lydia’s Fashion Crochet Thread, size 3 in #926 Bridal White, or in any color of your choice. It is made with a total of 28 stars (join-as-you-go) and measures 15” x 50”, but can be made longer or shorter, if desired. The pattern includes written instructions, symbol crochet charts and an assembly diagram. If you are new to thread crochet, size 3 crochet thread isn’t as “intimidating” as size 10 (or smaller) crochet thread! For free Star Table Runner pattern, click here.
Mosaic Basketweave Placemat
Mosaic Basketweave Placemat
This placemat is made with Red Heart Super Saver yarn in #885 Delft and #320 Cornmeal, or any colors of your choice. Each placemat measures 13” x 19” (including the fringe) and 1 skein of each color will yield many placemats! These placemats are made in the mosaic crochet technique of working into previous rows to make the vertical lines of the basketweave design. The rows alternate back and forth between the light and dark colors. There are no ends to weave in because the ends form the fringe on the 2 side edges. Who doesn’t love a project with no ends to weave in? What a time-saver!!! For free Mosaic Basketweave Placemat pattern, click here.
May Flowers Hot Pad & Coaster
May Flowers Hot Pad & Coaster
This hot pad and coaster set is made with 7 colors of Aunt Lydia’s Classic Crochet Thread, size 10. The hot pad measures 6” x 5.5” and the coaster measures 4” x 3.75”. They are made in the Wiggly Crochet technique of making a foundation mesh for the base of the piece, then adding the wiggly crochet stitches on one side of the base to make the design on top (the flowers, leaves, edging and white background). The pattern includes written instructions and 2 wiggly crochet charts. Wiggly Crochet projects have thickness, making them ideal for hot pads, rugs and more! For free May Flowers Hot Pad & Coaster pattern, click here.
Celtic Placemat
Celtic Placemat
This placemat is made with 1 ball of Aunt Lydia’s Classic Crochet Thread, size 10 in #226 Natural. It measures 11.5” x 19.5” and is made in the filet crochet technique with open and closed mesh. The pattern includes written instructions and a filet crochet chart. For free Celtic Placemat pattern, click here.
Available from Caron:
Starlight Baby Blanket
Starlight Baby Blanket
This blanket is made with 6 colors of Caron Simply Soft Light yarn. It measures 36” x 47.5” and is made in the filet crochet technique. The pattern includes written instructions, a filet crochet chart and an assembly diagram. If you’re not a fan of using crochet thread, you’ll love making this blanket in the filet crochet technique with yarn instead! For free Starlight Baby Blanket pattern, click here.
Sorrel River Sweater/Tunic
Sorrel River Sweater/Tunic
This sweater/tunic is made with Naturally Caron Spa yarn. The pattern comes in 3 sizes: S/M, L/1X and 2X/3X and is made with motifs set on point, joining as you go for no seaming! The pattern includes written instructions, as well as symbol crochet charts and schematics for each size. This is one of the few garments I’ve designed!!! For an extra chart showing how to join 4 motifs, visit the Ravelry page for this design here. For free Sorrel River Sweater pattern, click here.
Europa Scarf
Europa Scarf
This scarf is made with Naturally Caron Spa yarn. It measures 12” x 54” and is made in the filet crochet technique. The pattern includes written instructions and a filet crochet chart. This is another filet crochet project made with yarn instead of crochet thread! For free Europa Scarf pattern, click here.
Vail Mountain Wrap
Vail Mountain Wrap
This wrap is made with Naturally Caron Spa yarn in #0008 Misty Taupe and #0007 Naturally for exceptional drape. It measures 66” x 18” and is made in the Bruges Lace technique with 33 join-as-you-go motifs. The pattern includes written instructions and an assembly diagram. If you love Bruges Lace, or simply want to try Bruges Lace, give this free pattern a try! For free Vail Mountain Wrap pattern, click here.
Available from the Crochet Architect (me!):
Baby Booties
Baby Booties
These baby booties work up quickly with sport weight yarn. They measure approx. 3” long and are worked from the sole up to the top edge. There is an optional drawstring added near the top to help keep the booties on the baby’s foot! These are smaller than many baby booties, making them perfect for preemies and hospitals!
Heart Coaster
Heart Coaster
This coaster is made with worsted weight cotton yarn. It measures 4.75” x 5” and is worked in rows of red, then edged with white. It is a great pattern for learning to make increases and decreases.
Smiling Face Coaster
Smiling Face Coaster
This coaster is made with worsted weight cotton yarn. It measures 4.75” diameter and is worked in rounds from the center to the outer edge. The face is embroidered on after the coaster is crocheted. It is a great pattern for learning to work in the round.
To download the PDF files for these free patterns (from The Crochet Architect), just visit the “Free Patterns” page here.
I hope you enjoy all of these FREE patterns, courtesy of The Crochet Architect, Coats & Clark and Caron!!! I’d love to see photos of your finished projects made with these FREE patterns linked to my designer page on Ravelry. If you’re not already a member of Ravelry, check it out. It’s a FREE website for knitters and crocheters to share their projects, look for new projects, communicate with other knitters/crocheters and get inspired by each other!
I hope you’ll give some of these crochet techniques a try (Filet Crochet, Mosaic Crochet, Wiggly Crochet and Bruges Lace). They’re a lot of fun to learn and to make!
May you have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, etc.
