crochet pattern – The Crochet Architect

February 1, 2023February 1, 2023

New Mosaic Crochet Scarf Pattern and YouTube Video

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a blog post, a new pattern or a new YouTube video. I’ve been quite busy with everyday life, including my oldest son’s wedding in August, my mother-in-law’s funeral, also in August (she was 93, so she lived a long, full life) and the birth of 2 grandsons in November. We were there for both births, in Indiana and California, from our middle and youngest sons (and their wonderful wives, of course!). Whew! I feel like I’m finally getting caught up from lots of travel and lots of fun with the grandkids (we now have 4 of them)!!!

My husband and I have been working on a new YouTube video to teach the Spike SC Mosaic Crochet technique. We’ve had all kinds of hiccups with the camera and microphones! It’s been quite “challenging” to say the least! But we persevered and have a video that demonstrates how to work this Mosaic Crochet technique, using “less yarn” than the Overlay Mosaic Crochet technique and making your project “reversible” (because the Spike SC is worked “around” the stitches, not “in front” of them).

To learn the Spike SC Mosaic Crochet technique, watch the YouTube video here.

To help you practice the Spike SC Mosaic Crochet technique, you can download the free swatch chart here and follow along with me in the video, practicing this Mosaic Crochet technique. Once you’ve mastered this fabulous technique, check out my new “Hearts in Love Mosaic Scarf” pattern, which uses the Spike SC Mosaic Crochet technique. This scarf is completely reversible, using 2 contrasting colors of DK or worsted weight yarn. This scarf is nice and dense, making it great for keeping your neck warm outside in the wintertime! And with all the hearts in the scarf, it’s a great project to make for Valentine’s Day for yourself or anyone you love!

If you have any questions about this Spike SC Mosaic Crochet video or this Spike SC Mosaic Crochet pattern, please don’t hesitate to ask. And if you have any comments about this crochet technique, I’d love to hear them.

Happy Mosaic Crocheting to you,

Susan

July 16, 2021July 16, 2021

Microwave Bowl Cozy Pattern Release

Do you ever burn your fingers when you remove a hot bowl from your microwave? I often struggle with this! But I’ll struggle with it NO LONGER, thanks to the crocheted Microwave Bowl Cozy that I designed and made last month. Now you can keep your fingers from getting burnt, too, with my new Microwave Bowl Cozy pattern!

Last year on a trip to visit family and friends, I saw my husband’s best friend’s (Dan) fabric microwave bowl cozy and thought it was a fabulous invention! I was intrigued with it, but thought it might be more than I wanted to undertake on my sewing machine. So I decided to design a crocheted version of this bowl cozy and last month, on another trip to visit family and friends, I took the plunge and designed it while visiting that same friend (and his wife, Janine). I worked and reworked the cozy, getting it to fit a Corelle soup bowl perfectly! And I tried the cozy on several other bowl sizes that Janine had there to make sure it would fit other bowl sizes, as well.

Announcing my crocheted Microwave Bowl Cozy pattern!

As you can see, the cozy conforms to the shape of the bowl really well. It’s a reversible project, so you can use either side facing in/out. It works great, using 2 of the 4 corners to grab your hot bowl out of the microwave. I use my bowl cozy in the microwave with my bowl of food/soup that I warm up and it works just fine. The bowl cozy gets a little warm in the microwave, but nowhere near as hot as the heat of the bowl!!! Some people don’t use their bowl cozy directly in the microwave. They simply transfer the hot bowl into the cozy while taking it out. You can use your bowl cozy either way. And it folds flat for storage, too.

Oh, and it works great to keep your fingers from getting too cold if you’re holding a bowl of ice cream!

This is a great pattern for any level of crocheters, from beginners to advanced. The entire cozy is made with single crochet stitches (except for the center), with increases strategically places to form the shape. There are 2 options for the top edging: reverse single crochet stitches or slip stitches.

These cozies make great gifts for birthdays, Christmas or any occasion! And they’re great items to sell at craft fairs, too!

This bowl cozy is made with 100% cotton worsted weight yarn. I cannot stress enough the importance of using 100% cotton yarn for this bowl cozy. Cotton yarn doesn’t melt, like acrylic yarn, when it comes in contact with heat, so it’s perfect for this project. I used a size I/9 5.5 mm crochet hook for my first bowl cozy and it came out great! However, I used a size H/8 5.0 mm crochet hook for the other 2 cozies and I think it works a little better for a more dense cozy with less stretch to it.

I also decided to film a YouTube video demonstrating each round of this cozy pattern for those of you who are visual learners, like me.

Also, for a limited time (until July 31, 2021), you can get a 20% discount on this pattern with the code “MBC2021”. Here’s the link to purchase this pattern: https://thecrochetarchitect.com/downloads/microwave-bowl-cozy/.

I hope you enjoy my Microwave Bowl Cozy pattern, the YouTube video and the limited time discount!

Happy crocheting,

Susan

December 28, 2020January 6, 2021

Easy Rainbow Hat Pattern

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve published a new crochet hat pattern. My Easy Rainbow Hat coordinates perfectly with my very popular Easy Rainbow Scarf pattern! The hat pattern comes in 2 styles and 3 sizes. You’ll find it easy to make and fun to wear. Easy because my video tutorial will step you through the stitches. Fun because you’ll look so good in it, especially with the matching Easy Rainbow Scarf.

If you’d like to save 20% on the hat pattern or the scarf pattern (or both), watch the video to find a special discount code that’s valid on my website only until Jan. 31, 2021.

Several months ago, someone on Etsy asked me if I had a coordinating hat pattern for my Easy Rainbow Scarf pattern. I said I didn’t, but then I asked myself why I didn’t. So I got to work designing the hat soon afterward, using the same yarn that I used for my Easy Rainbow Scarf pattern: Caron Simply Soft, which is a worsted weight yarn. I designed and made the largest size first, then I thought it would be great to have 3 sizes: child, woman/teen and man.

I love the fact that you can make coordinating sets of hats and scarves now! If you love rainbow colors, like me, you’ll have some very colorful accessories, made with the 6 colors of the rainbow plus black! If you want to keep things simple, use only a dark color and a light color. Either way, the hat looks great! And if you’d like to make a messy bun hat, simply omit the final 3 decrease rounds at the top of the hat!

The pattern comes with complete written instructions, along with step-by-step photos for working in the back bump of the foundation chain, making a Long double crochet (Ldc) and starting a row (joining) with a dc.

The pattern comes with two PDF downloads. One download includes the step-by-step photos and the other download has less photos for ease of printing. Also, the written instructions and stitch counts for each hat size are color-coded to help you follow the instructions for the hat size you’re making.

Since I started a YouTube crochet channel earlier this year, I made a video tutorial teaching how to make the Long dc, working in the back bump of the foundation chain, making the sc ribbing, along with all the decreases used in this hat pattern. So if you haven’t done some of these stitches or techniques before, check out that video here.

You can find my new Easy Rainbow Hat pattern to purchase here.

I wish you all a Healthy, Happy New Year with lots of time to crochet!

Susan