The Crochet Architect

March 7, 2015

FREE Crochet Wrap Pattern

Here is today’s FREE crochet pattern. It’s my Purple Haze Wrap that is available for FREE from Crochet World magazine. The pattern may not be free forever, but it is currently. So if you like it, I’d suggest downloading and saving it for later use!

Purple Haze Wrap 3 smaller — Purple Haze Wrap

This pattern was originally published in the December, 2013 issue of Crochet World magazine. It is made with Lion Brand LB Collection Silk Mohair yarn, which is light as a feather, but surprisingly warm! You can see the colors that this yarn comes in on the Lion Brand website here. I couldn’t believe how small and lightweight the box of yarn was when it arrived in the mail a few years ago to make this wrap! I LOVED working with this yarn! It’s fabulous! Of course, like any mohair yarn, you have to be careful when you’re crocheting with it because it’s not that easy to rip out stitches when you make a mistake. If you’re not comfortable working with mohair yarn, you could always use a different yarn that isn’t mohair to make your wrap.

Here’s the link to this FREE crochet pattern. I hope you enjoy it and will share a photo of your completed Purple Haze Wrap with me!

Happy crocheting,

Susan

March 6, 2015March 6, 2015

My FREE Baby Booties Crochet Pattern

For those of you who are new to The Crochet Architect website, I’d like to share my FREE Baby Booties pattern with you today.

These booties are on the small side at 3” long, perfect for preemies and newborns. They’re made with sport weight yarn and a size G (4 mm) crochet hook. Or use worsted weight yarn and a larger hook to make them bigger. It’s your choice. The added drawstring, which can be made from a length of ribbon or crocheted with a coordinating color of yarn, helps keep the booties on little baby’s feet. The chain loops at the top of the booties give them a little flair! You can find the FREE pattern here.

I hope you enjoy this FREE baby booties pattern and visit The Crochet Architect website often! And I hope you’re enjoying National Crochet Month, too!

Happy crocheting,

Susan

March 5, 2015

Better Late Than Never!

Because of internet problems today, this post is a little late! But if the internet stays up while I’m typing this post (fingers crossed), you’ll be able to see the 5th of the FREE crochet patterns I have for you this month, in honor of National Crochet Month.

Here’s another Easter pattern; this time for the basket to put the eggs in that you’ll be crocheting from yesterday’s free pattern! This pattern is from Lion Brand Yarn. You can download the FREE crochet pattern here. This basket is made holding 3 strands of yarn together and using an N-13 (9 mm) crochet hook. I think these baskets would be great for children’s or grandchildren’s Easter Egg Hunts! And since they’re made with a larger hook, they shouldn’t take long to make at all!

I hope you enjoy this pattern and all the FREE crochet patterns I’m sharing with you this month.

Happy crocheting,

Susan

March 4, 2015

FREE Easter Egg crochet pattern

Easter is right around the corner (1 month from tomorrow on April 5). To help celebrate Easter, why not crochet some Easters eggs during March? Here’s a great FREE pattern for basic crocheted Easter eggs from Red Heart yarns:

The FREE pattern can be found here. Since this pattern is from the Red Heart UK website, they’ve used a yarn that is available in the UK. But basically any DK weight 100% acrylic yarn, such as Anne Geddes Baby or Red Heart Baby TLC, could be substituted (or use a worsted weight yarn for larger Easter eggs). You could decorate these eggs however you like, with embroidery or stripes (or even puff paint!). You could even use a color-changing or multi-colored yarn for more visual appeal! Use pastel colors or bright colors, it’s your choice! The sky’s the limit when it comes to decorating Easter eggs!

Happy crocheting,

Susan

March 3, 2015

Free Necklace Pattern

If you’re like me and love to crochet jewelry, here is a FREE crochet pattern, compliments of Annie’s and the “Knit and Crochet Now!” TV show. I designed this necklace a few years ago in the “Intermeshing Crochet” technique, in which 2 layers of crochet mesh are crocheted/woven together to make one layer of “intermeshed/interlocked” fabric! To do this technique, you crochet one row at a time, switching back and forth between the rows to make them intermeshed together. It’s a great technique and this necklace is a nice, small project to give the technique a try. You can find the download for this FREE crochet pattern here.

The pattern includes instructions for the pendant, the chain and the hanging loop. You supply 2 colors of size 10 crochet thread, a size 7 (1.65 mm) steel crochet hook, a needle, stitch markers and a jewelry clasp.

You can read more about this technique, see photos of both sides of the pendant (they are not the same!) and read the corrections to the pattern that I posted in this blog post. Note: If you’re going to make this necklace, please don’t forget to read and/or print out the corrections in this linked blog post. When the pattern was tech edited, the turning chains were moved incorrectly to the wrong rows. Most of the black turning chains should be “ch 4” and most of the blue turning chains should be “ch 2”.

I hope you enjoy this quick project and will share photos of your finished “Double Take Pendant Necklace” with me.

Happy crocheting,

Susan

March 2, 2015March 2, 2015

Another FREE crochet pattern!

In keeping with yesterday’s “baby” theme, here is a quick and easy FREE Ripple Baby Blanket pattern from Red Heart:

You can find the FREE pattern here.

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!

Happy crocheting,

Susan

March 1, 2015

It’s National Crochet Month!

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!

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.

Happy crocheting,

Susan

February 27, 2015

Perfect versus Good Enough

Have you ever been working on a crochet project and run into a mistake you made? All of us have (maybe not on every project we make, but on some of them). If the mistake is just a few stitches back, it’s an easy fix. But what if the mistake is many rows, rounds or inches back in your work? Now that’s more difficult and time-consuming to fix! Do you want to take the time to go back and fix that mistake, making the project take longer to finish or do you just want to finish up the project and ignore the mistake? I’ve been in this position many times and I don’t always make the same decision on what to do. I ask myself, “Does this project need to be perfect or is good enough sufficient?”

In my mind, the answer to this question lies in the time-frame that I (or you) have for the project and the intended use/recipient of the project. If this project is made for a family member or friend, I probably want it to be just about perfect. If the project is going to be photographed for a publication (such as in a crochet book or magazine), then I don’t want to have ANY mistakes in it. There is an unwritten Murphy’s Law that says, “If there is a mistake in a crochet project for photography, then that’s the exact spot where the photograph will be taken!” I’ve seen it happen before and it’s not a pretty picture (plus it can be confusing for those who are making that particular project because the project in the picture doesn’t look like what they’re making)!

What if the project is given to a charity and the person who will receive it won’t know who it came from? I guess it’s a matter of personal pride in your work or the ever-present “time constraint” that says “You don’t have the time to go back and fix that mistake; it’ll be good enough”. In my mind, the mistake isn’t as important in this situation and I can live with a mistake a lot easier than I can if the project is going to be photographed for publication. But it’s not always easy for me to leave the mistake alone because I’m a perfectionist (and a recovering perfectionist when it comes to housework, but that’s another story!).

How about errors in crochet patterns? Some designers come up with lots of patterns and quickly self-publish them or sell lots of designs to publishers for their books and/or magazines. They type up the pattern quickly and never proof-read their patterns. Then they move on to the next design and work on it at lightning speed! Well, I can’t work that way and I think that’s wrong (unless you’re the sole bread-winner in your household and need all that income). I think there should be more pride in what we do as designers and/or crocheters (or ask ourselves “Why am I a designer and/or a crocheter”?).

Being a perfectionist, as I am, has its good points and bad points. I don’t design as many projects as some other designers, but I design what I like and I hope others enjoy making my designs. I don’t want to have errors in my patterns, which often confuse those who purchase and make those designs, so I give my patterns my utmost attention to make sure they’re correct before I sell them.

Note: If you find a mistake in one of my patterns, please let me know so I can correct it and forward the corrected copy to everyone who has purchased that pattern. I strive for “perfect” patterns, but I’m only human and an error can creep in from time to time.

If you have a question about one of my patterns, please e-mail me and ask me your question(s). I love to help others understand crochet patterns and I learn a lot about how patterns can be interpreted differently. This, in turn, helps me write my patterns better! If you’ve purchased one or more of my crochet patterns and you like the way it’s written, please let me know (or write a review on this website). I like to know both the good and the bad!

So what do you do when you find a mistake in your crochet project? Do you go back and fix it? Do you leave it alone and say to yourself, “The Amish intentionally make a mistake in their handwork because only God is perfect”? Do you make the same mistake over and over to create a “design element” in the project? Do you hide the mistake by crocheting a flower and sewing it right onto the mistake?

How about when you find an error in a crochet pattern? Do you give up, ask a friend for help, or try to figure it out on your own? With the plethora of free crochet patterns available these days, there are lots of errors in crochet patterns, making it difficult and often frustrating to finish the project with enjoyment. It’s truly enjoyable to find and work with error-free patterns!

We’re all human and mistakes/errors happen. So how many mistakes/errors are “acceptable”? I think that answer is going to be different for different people.

I’d love to hear from you about how you deal with mistakes in your crochet projects and errors in crochet patterns! Let’s all learn and grow together!

Happy crocheting,

Susan

P.S. Voting is now open for The Crochet Awards! You can cast your votes here.

And Crochetville is holding their annual National Crochet Month Blog Tour again during the whole month of March (that’s just 2 days away now!). You can read all about the designers who are participating and the daily prizes here.

February 13, 2015

The Crochet Awards for 2015

Have you heard of “The Crochet Awards”? They used to be called the “Flamies” or the “Flaming Hook of Justice Awards”. They were started by Laurie Wheeler, the founder and fearless leader of The Crochet Liberation Front. Each year, many crochet designers, bloggers, yarn companies and more are nominated for these awards. Anyone can vote for their favorites in each category, starting on Feb. 23rd. You can even nominate your “wildcard” favorite starting on Feb. 16th. For more information about The Crochet Awards, check out this page.

To see who won in last year’s awards, check out this page. Here is one of my favorites from last year’s awards:

It is the Happypotamus, designed by Heidi Bears! Isn’t it pretty with all those vibrant colors? This design won in the category of Best Pillows or Cushions. If you’d like to make one of these, you can find the pattern for sale in Heidi’s Ravelry shop here.

Now back to this year’s awards. The Crochet Awards are being split up into quarterly awards in order to feature more great crochet stuff! All of the nominees for the first quarter of 2015 are listed on this website. This quarter’s awards are all about apparel, from jackets to scarves and everything in between! To see all of the categories for each quarter of the year, check out this page.

I’d like to share a few of my favorite designs that are nominated for the first quarter of 2015.

This is the Fun in the Sun Cover-up by Marly Bird that is nominated in the category of Best Beachwear (swimwear, coverup). It was published in the Summer 2013 issue of Love of Crochet magazine. I like this design because of the nice motifs that Marly used and the possibility to wear it as an everyday top (with the addition of a solid top underneath, of course). It looks very comfortable and easy to make, too.

This is the Jordan Sleeveless Pineapple Top by Vicky Chan that is nominated in the category of Best Tank/Tunic Top. I like the relaxed look of this top and the crochet pineapple is one of my favorite designs! I think this top would look great on many different sizes and figures! You can find this pattern for sale on Ravelry here.

This is the Fall Leaves Wrap by Jessie Rayot that is nominated in the category of Best Shawl/Wrap. I LOVE the colors in this wrap and the way it wraps around the neckline. You can see this pattern and purchase it from Jessie’s Ravelry shop here. This is the same wrap that Jessie entered in the 2014 CGOA Design Competition (and won first place in the accessories category), but in different colors:

I was one of the 3 judges in the CGOA Design Competition last year at the CGOA Conference in Manchester, NH. It was a blast! This year, I’m one of the 2 co-chairs who are putting the design competition together. The other co-chair is Bobbie Matela from Coats & Clark (also a CGOA Board member). We’ll have all of the details for this year’s design competition very soon, so stay tuned for that!

I’m getting sidetracked again! Oh well. Such is my life! Here’s another of my favorite designs that is nominated in the category of Best Cowl:

This is the ZigZag Blues Cowl by Yuliya Tkacheva (I believe she’s Russian and is living in the UK). I love this cowl because of the zigzag design done in all front post and back post stitches! It’s brilliant and has lots of texture! You can purchase this pattern here.

The last of my favorites that I’m going to share is the Summer Sprigs Lace Scarf by Esther Chandler. This scarf is nominated in the category of Best Scarf. I love the lacyness of this scarf and the pattern is free on Esther’s website here. If you scroll to the bottom of her blog post, you’ll see the pdf downloads of the pattern and charts. I haven’t made this scarf yet, but 166 people on Ravelry have made it! If you’re not a Ravelry member, you really should join! It’s free and has links to more patterns that you can imagine! Here’s the Ravelry website.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at The Crochet Awards. And I hope you’ll take a few minutes and vote for your favorites when the voting goes live in 10 days. There are so many talented crochet designers all around the world and it’s nice to give credit to those whose designs are the best in their classes! Until next time…

Happy crocheting!

Susan

January 30, 2015

10 Fun Valentine’s Day Crochet Patterns!

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?

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.

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.

3. Heart Swag (published in the Feb. 2010 issue of Crochet World magazine). This swag was made with size 10 cotton crochet thread.

4. Filet Heart Coaster (available for purchase on my website here). This coaster is made with size 10 cotton crochet thread.

5. Heart Coaster (FREE pattern download on my website here). This coaster is made with worsted weight cotton yarn.

6. Valentine Earrings (published in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Crochet Today! magazine). These earrings were made with size 10 cotton crochet thread.

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).

8. Wiggly Valentine Hot Pad & Coaster Set (available for purchase on my website here). This set is made with size 10 cotton crochet thread.

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.

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!

Happy crocheting,

Susan