Do you enjoy decorating your home? I definitely do! This pattern has been several years in the making. Two years ago, 2 of our 3 grown sons bought their first house (and we bought our new/used house that year, as well). Then last year, our third son bought his first house, too! So there have been lots of houses purchased in our family lately! What a blessing!
What’s a mom to do when she sees a need and gets an idea? Fill that need, of course! So I set off to design and crochet a “Home Sweet Home” piece for each of my sons. Filet Crochet is one of my favorite crochet techniques, so that’s what I used. Now I’m releasing this pattern so you can crochet your own “Home Sweet Home” for you, your family or friends, too.
The first son/daughter-in-law I made this for didn’t want to frame it. She chose to mount it on canvas. She’s very creative and she painted the canvas before we mounted it (with the help of spray adhesive). Here’s their finished “Home Sweet Home”:
Isn’t that beautiful? I think so!
The second son who bought a house has a Japanese wife, so she chose washi paper and some strips of wood (with magnets) to mount her “Home Sweet Home” piece. This is where she purchased the magnetic strips to hang their piece. This is their finished “Home Sweet Home”:
I love her choice of mounting, too!
My husband and I bought a home in 2021, as well. So I set out to crochet one for our new/used home. I’m more traditional than my daughters-in-law, so I decided to frame mine. I used a 16″ x 20″ frame that I painted to match the blue matboard. Here’s our “Home Sweet Home”:
I gave a “Home Sweet Home” to my oldest son and daughter-in-law at the end of last year, after they purchased their first home. They haven’t framed theirs yet (I don’t think). I know whatever they choose will be just right for their first home!
If you love Filet Crochet as much as me (and you don’t mind using size 30 crochet thread), check out my new Filet “Home Sweet Home” pattern here. If you’re not a fan of size 30 crochet thread, you could always use a larger crochet thread to create a larger “Home Sweet Home” piece of your own! And don’t forget to block your piece for professional results!
I LOVE to teach crochet! And I LOVE to learn new crochet techniques! Don’t you?
I’m happy to announce that I’ll be teaching 5 classes at the CGOA Conference this July in Manchester, NH. Not all of my classes are crochet, though. I’ll be teaching shuttle tatting again this year, too!
First, I’ll tell you a little about the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) Conference. This takes place every year (sometimes twice a year) in various cities across the US. It is open to CGOA members and non-members. There are dozens of classes taught by many talented teachers, some very well-known! We have a marketplace with vendors who sell everything from luscious yarn/thread to hooks, books and supplies. We also have a banquet and fashion show, as well as some fun events in the evenings. And I can’t forget about Professional Development Day (PDD) where established crochet professionals share what they know about running a successful crochet business. PDD takes place the day before classes begin, on Wednesday, July 10 from 9 am – 4 pm.
For all the scoop about the conference, visit the CGOA conference pages. Here is a list of the events going on at this year’s conference. Read this page to find out about all the classes being offered. And one last thing, CGOA has a design competition each year for CGOA members only. There are prizes in 6 categories ranging from $100 – $300, with a grand prize of $1,000! There have been some fabulous entries each year! It’s so much fun to see the entries at the conference and find it who wins in each category!
Okay. Now to list the classes I’m teaching and when each one is offered.
Thursday, July 11 from 9 am – 5 pm (with lunch from noon – 2 pm)
Tatting the Old-Fashioned Way
Tatting the Old-Fashioned Way class
Tatting is such a fascinating and delicate craft. I taught myself to tat over 20 years ago. I’ve learned more since then and I really enjoy teaching others so they’ll be successful in their tatting projects. In this class, my students will learn the basics of tatting and start tatting this beautiful necklace with buttons, beads or charms. This is the only 6 hour class I’m teaching at the conference this year. Yes, it takes that long to learn to tat and get your head wrapped around how to do it! But I’ll be there to teach my students and answer all their questions. If you’ve always admired tatting and want to learn to tat, sign up for this class early. I’ve limited this class size to only 20 students.
Friday, July 12 from 9 am – 12 pm (noon)
Invisible Repairs
Invisible Repairs class
I’ve taught my Invisible Repairs class at the conference for the past 2 years. This has been a popular class and I’m thrilled to be teaching it again this year! In this class, I teach my students how to repair their damaged crochet projects, no matter where the damage is located. There is homework for this class so we can all do the repairs to the same swatches in class. And I’ll be demonstrating how to do the repairs in class, as well. This technique also works great to invisibly seam the last row to the first row on crochet cowls!
Last year, I filmed a crochet video class for Annie’s on this same topic called “Crochet ER: Fixing Damage and Mistakes”! If you can’t make it to the conference and would like to learn to repair your crochet projects (or someone else’s crochet projects), check out my Annie’s video class.
Friday, July 12 from 2 pm – 5 pm
Intro to Irish Crochet
Intro to Irish Crochet class
I LOVE Irish Crochet and I really enjoy teaching this class to other Irish Crochet enthusiasts (who don’t know where to begin). In this class, I’ll be teaching how to make the Irish Crochet rose and leaf motifs. I’ll also teach how to make the background and the edging that you see in this photo. This is an introduction class, so we won’t get into more advanced Irish Crochet techniques. But once you know the basics of Irish Crochet, you can always learn more on your own or with books.
Saturday, July 13 from 9 am – 12 pm (noon)
Intermediate Filet Crochet
Intermediate Filet Crochet class
This is my Filet Crochet class for those who already know the basics of Filet Crochet (open mesh, closed mesh and lacets). In this intermediate class, you’ll learn to do increases, decreases, diagonals and a whole lot more! Once you learn these intermediate Filet Crochet skills, you’ll be ready to tackle that more complex Filet Crochet pattern you’ve had your eye on for so long!
If you don’t know the basics of Filet Crochet yet, and you’ve been wanting to learn to do Filet Crochet, check out my Annie’s class called “Learn Filet Crochet Using Thread and Yarn”. Then if you want to take your Filet Crochet to the next level, why not sign up for my intermediate class at the CGOA Conference (or before for the best rates)!
Saturday, July 13 from 2 pm – 5 pm
Simplifying Symbol Crochet
Simplifying Symbol Crochet class
This class is always a lot of fun to teach! I learned to read symbol crochet charts several decades ago through Magic Crochet and Decorative Crochet magazines. I love to make doilies and the patterns in these magazines were mostly written in crochet symbol charts. As a visual learner, I find these charts so much easier to follow than a lengthy written crochet pattern! And they look so similar to the finished project, too!
If you haven’t learned to read symbol crochet charts yet, this is your chance! You’ll learn all the basic crochet symbols and lots of more complex symbols, too. You’ll learn to follow a symbol crochet chart, both in rows and in rounds. And you’ll practice what you’ve learned making 2 small projects/swatches in class. Once you learn to read and follow symbol crochet charts, a whole new world of crochet patterns will open up to you! You’ll even be able to follow symbol crochet patterns in other languages including Japanese, Chinese, Russian and Ukranian!
If you’ve taken any of my classes in the past, you know how much I like to have nice, precise class handouts. I print them in color and bind them like a book to they’re a great keepsake to refer to later on after the conference. I charge $5-$8 for these handouts (depending on the quantity of photos/pages), which is what it costs me to print them at home, with the price of toner cartridges, nice paper, card stock and binding combs (to use with my binding machine). Here’s a look at my class handouts:
My Class Handouts
If you’re going to the CGOA Conference, class registration begins next Wednesday, March 13 at 12:00 pm (noon) Central time. Once again, here’s the CGOA website to find out more about the conference and CGOA in general. And if you have any questions about the conference, I’d be happy to answer them for you.
I have another announcement for you this month! It’s my newest Annie’s crochet video class: “Learn Filet Crochet Using Thread and Yarn!”.
Filet Crochet is such a great crochet technique! I’ve been doing Filet Crochet for several decades now! I’ve designed a bunch of Filet Crochet patterns and taught this technique at the CGOA Conference many times, as well as at the 2018 Interweave Yarn Fest. I LOVE Filet Crochet! You can crochet so many different kinds of things with it! You can combine it with other crochet techniques, as well.
Here are a few of the designs I’ve done over the years, some simple and others more complex:
Filet Heart Coaster, published on TheCrochetArchitect website
Give Thanks Placemat Set, published in Oct. 2008 Crochet World magazine
Europa Scarf, published by Caron Yarns
Filet Coaster from my Annie’s class, “Learn to Crochet With Thread”
Lovely Decor in Filet Crochet book, published by Leisure Arts in 2010
If you’d like to see all of my published Filet Crochet designs in the past 20+ years, check out this Ravelry search. Most of these designs are done with crochet thread, but a few of them are done with yarn. If you’re interested in the Europa Scarf, which I designed in 2010 with Naturally Caron Spa yarn (a now discontinued yarn), you can download the free pattern here. You can also download several free Filet Crochet patterns on the Red Heart website.
No matter what you use for filet crochet, the technique is the same! It’s just the size of the yarn/thread and hook that makes the difference (and, of course, the pattern)!
This Filet Crochet video was filmed at the same time as my other new video, “Crochet ER: Fixing Damage & Mistakes”, which came out last month. You can read all about that video in my previous blog post here.
Here are a few photos from filming this new Filet Crochet video:
Filet Crochet set and swatch
Learn Filet Crochet set with projects
And here are the 2 class projects from my new Filet Crochet class that you’ll be able to make when you sign up for this class:
Filet Elephant Baby Blanket
Filet Name Banner
In this class, I teach how to work the closed mesh, open mesh and lacets that comprise Filet Crochet patterns. I also teach how to read and follow Filet Crochet charts, as well as how to calculate the number of chains in the starting chain for a Filet Crochet pattern that is only charted (not written). And I teach 2 ways to make your Filet Crochet mesh more square.
The first thing we work on in the class is a practice swatch. With this swatch, you will learn to work the open and closed Filet mesh, as well as lacets. You’ll also get practice following a Filet Crochet chart. Once you’ve mastered the swatch, you can move on to make either or both of the class projects: the Filet Elephant Baby Blanket and the Filet Name Banner.
The Filet Elephant Baby Blanket pattern includes written instructions and a Filet Crochet chart. In the video, I demonstrate how to make the elephant blocks, as well as how to join the blocks to create the blanket. There are 2 edging options, which are both demonstrated in the video, along with the special stitches used in each edging. Because this blanket is made with yarn, it’s a great way to learn to do Filet Crochet (without any intimidation that using crochet thread and small steel hooks might present!).
Seaming/joining blocks for Filet Elephant Baby Blanket
The Filet Name Banner pattern includes a chart for the whole alphabet, as well as the edging, so you can make any name or word you’d like for your Filet Banner. In the video, I demonstrate how to make your customized chart for the name or word you choose to crochet. Then I demonstrate how to crochet several of the rows, following your custom chart.
Making Filet chart for Filet Name Banner project
You can get creative with how you’ll use your Filet Name Banner. You may want to use it as is or mount it in some way. To give you an idea of how you may want to mount your banner, here’s a photo of another Filet Name Banner that I crocheted many years ago showing how I mounted the filet piece on some fabric and hung it on the wall with a painted wooden dowel:
Filet “Lowman” Banner
If you’re not comfortable using crochet thread and you’d like to learn to crochet with thread, you may want to check out my other crochet video class with Annie’s called “Learn to Crochet With Thread”. In this thread crochet class, my goal is to help you feel comfortable using crochet thread for your crochet projects. Who knows? You may come to love thread crochet as much as I do!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at my new Filet Crochet class for Annie’s! If you’d like to take a look at this video class, as well as watch the free class overview and introduction segments, check it out HERE (Note: This is an affiliate link, so if you click on this link and purchase the video through the link, I’ll receive a small commission to help compensate me for my hard work! It won’t cost you any extra to purchase the video through this link and I would appreciate your support!).
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at my new Annie’s video class!
I’ve been back from the CGOA Conference in Chicago for 3 weeks now and I thought I’d share some of the highlights of the conference this year for me!
I taught 6 crochet classes this year: Beginning and Intermediate Filet Crochet, Beginning and Intermediate Bruges Lace Crochet and 2 classes of Invisible Repairs. For more information about any of these classes, check out my previous blog post here. My smallest class had 11 students and my largest class was sold out at 25 students! I had the best students in each of my classes this year! I met so many nice, encouraging, friendly crocheters in every class and at every event!!! My dog had run into my left foot the Saturday before the conference, giving me a huge bruise and a very tender foot, so I was hobbling around a lot before and during the conference. My students were very understanding and let me sit down a lot, bringing their crochet pieces and questions to me most of the time! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting each student and sharing my crochet knowledge with them!!!
Here are some photos of my happy students from each class:
Left Side of Beginning Bruges Lace class on Wed night
Right Side of Beginning Bruges Lace class on Wed night
Left Side of Beginning Filet Crochet class on Thur AM
Right Side of Beginning Filet Crochet class on Thur AM
Some students in Invisible Repairs class on Fri AM
All students in Invisible Repairs class on Fri PM
Left Side of Intermediate Filet Crochet class on Sat AM
Right Side of Intermediate Filet Crochet class on Sat AM
Left Side of Intermediate Bruges Lace class on Sat PM
Right Side of Intermediate Bruges Lace class on Sat PM
You probably can’t notice from the small size of these photos that one of my students took all 5 of my classes this year! Her name is Robin and she’s a wonderful crocheter and student! Here we both are in the last class:
Robin and me
Here’s another student, Gwen, from that same class wearing her amazing crochet lace top that she made:
Gwen with her amazing lace crochet top
And here is Corina from my afternoon Invisible Repairs class:
Corina and me
Corina is from Romania. She had contacted me through Ravelry a week before the conference asking a question about one of my designs. I noticed that she lived locally to Chicago and told her about the conference. I had no idea that she would actually attend the conference, let alone take one of my classes! And it was her birthday, too! Happy belated birthday, Corina!
I hope to see all of my students at next year’s CGOA Conference to be held in Portland, Oregon from July 25-28, 2018.
Another fun event at the conference, besides classes, is the Design Competition. I entered a shawl that I designed this year and I won an Honorable Mention! Here’s the shawl, which I’ve named Blazing Embers Lace Shawl. I designed it based upon a really pretty doily that I crocheted a number of years ago. Obviously this isn’t a doily! I’m pleased with how it turned out and will self-publish the pattern one of these days/weeks/months/years, when I get the chance!!!
Blazing Embers Lace Shawl
Here’s a photo of the Design Competition display at the conference:
2017 CGOA Design Competition display
The Design Competition display was set up in the same room as the crochet lounge, which was sponsored by Red Heart Yarn. Red Heart set up an amazing display, designed and crocheted by Gina Rose Gallina called Queen Bee. Here’s that amazing display, along with Gina herself:
Queen Bee display with Gina Rose Gallina
At the end of the conference, on Saturday night, we had our banquet and fashion show, which is always so much fun! We also had the induction ceremony for this year’s CGOA Jean Leinhauser Crochet Hall of Fame award. This year, the award went to Carol Alexander, who was a crochet designer for many years before becoming the editor of Crochet! magazine (a magazine published by Annie’s). Here’s Carol giving her acceptance speech:
2017 CGOA Hall of Fame winner, Carol Alexander
And here’s the loot from the goody bag that I came home with this year! What a haul!!!
2017 CGOA Conference goody bag loot
If you’ve never been to a CGOA Conference, I hope you’ll take the plunge and attend one (or more)! You’ll learn so much, meet awesome crocheters and make life-long friends!
Are you familiar with CALs (crochet-a-longs)? CALs are organized groups of crocheters who often crochet the same project at the same time, kind of like a group of people crocheting together in person! However, many CALs are held through cyber-space instead of in person! Some CALs are held for a specified length of time and some are ongoing. But one thing that is common to all CALs is encouraging each other and helping each other with our projects. Questions are very common about what yarn/thread to use, the pattern and more. There’s lots of sharing going on in CALs, too. KALs are much like CALs, except KALs pertain to knit patterns, not crochet patterns.
If you read last week’s blog post, you’ll know that I started a Ravelry group as one of my New Year’s resolutions. In that new group, I’m holding my very first CAL (in time for Valentine’s Day!). Around 10 Ravelry group members will be crocheting my Filet Heart Coaster pattern, starting next week and running until Feb. 14. And I’ll be there to answer any questions that may arise while these participants are crocheting their coaster(s). This coaster is crocheted in the filet crochet technique and has 2 layers for added absorbency. If you would like to learn to do filet crochet, this is your chance! I’m discounting the cost of this pattern by 50% for CAL participants, too. So for less than $2, YOU can learn to do filet crochet!
Filet Heart Coaster
I’ll be crocheting along with the other group members. I decided to make my coaster larger with some Omega Sinfonia yarn instead of using size 10 crochet thread. It’ll be interesting to see what size it turns out! I think it’ll be potholder/hot pad size, which will be nice!
If you’d like to join my Ravelry group and participate in this CAL, I’d love to have you join us! You can find the group on Ravelry here. Why not take the first step and learn your first crochet technique this year?
You may ask: What is a doily? And how do you pronounce it? Well, it’s pronounced “doy lee” or “doi´lē” (definitely NOT dolly!). Think of it this way: “doy” rhymes with “toy” and “Lee” is a man’s name. According to Webster’s dictionary, a doily is “any small, ornamental mat, especially one of embroidery or lace”. Of course, many forms of crochet are lacy, so it stands to reason that many doilies are made in crochet! Doilies are used most often to protect wooden surfaces from scratches and moisture.
I LOVE doilies! I have hundreds, if not thousands, of doily patterns and I still enjoy purchasing new doily patterns to add to my collection. I love to crochet doilies and they make wonderful gifts, too! I have a box of finished, blocked doilies that I can turn to when I need a gift for someone, especially if they love doilies, too. I’ve learned a lot about crocheting and designing through making crochet doilies. I’m a “threadie” at heart, so I love crocheting almost anything with crochet thread (especially cotton crochet thread because it blocks so nicely).
I love the different shapes and stitches that are in doilies. Each one is unique, almost like snowflakes. Doilies come in circles, squares, rectangles, ovals, hexagons, triangles, octagons, or just about any shape. Some doilies are done in Filet crochet, while others are done in Bruges Lace, Irish crochet or regular crochet. Some doilies have lots of textural stitches or aremade in multiple layers. Some are one solid color, while others are made with many colors (and I definitely LOVE colors!). I love anything crocheted that has pineapples in it, too! Two of my favorite doily designers are Patricia Kristoffersen, who designs doilies with textural stitches, and Kathryn White, who designs doilies in Irish crochet. You can see a lot of Patricia’s work on her Ravelry page. Kathryn White has a Raverly page and a website where you can see her designs. I won several books from each of these talented designers!
A few weeks ago, I got a new doily book. It’s called “A Baker’s Dozen Easy Crochet Doilies”. As everyone knows, a Baker’s Dozen is 13. This book has 13 different doilies in it (and one of them is mine; from the October 2013 issue of Crochet World magazine). There are round, octagonal and rectangular doilies in this book. Four of them are filet doilies, one is Irish crochet, one has an added layer in the center, 6 are regular crochet (3 with pineapples) and mine is worked over bone rings (it’s actually a table mat, but it’s in the shape of a doily!). All of these designs are beginner or easy skill levels, so there’s nothing too difficult to make in this book. Here’s the front cover and a few of my favorite doilies in the book:
A Baker’s Dozen Easy Crochet Doilies book cover
Blue Skies Doily
Duck Pond Doily
Pineapple Fan Doily
Autumn Blaze Table Mat (my design)
Aren’t these doilies pretty? To see all the doilies in this book, visit Annie’s website. This book retails for $9.95 in both print and digital formats. With 13 doilies in the book, that makes each doily pattern less than a dollar!
Last month, at the CGOA Chain Link Conference in Charlotte, NC, there was a design contest, open to all CGOA members. We have the design contest each year and I always enjoy seeing the fabulous designs that are entered. This year was no exception! There were some fantastic entries and the winning entries were spectacular!!! Here are some photos from the design contest:
2nd Prize Afghan by Jessie Rayot
1st Prize Afghan by Julia Bryant
3rd Prize Artistic Expression by Deborah Bagley
1st Prize Artistic Expression by Sachiko Adams
Grand Prize Winner by Dot Drake
Winner’s Circle
To see a full list of the winners in the design contest, please visit the CGOA blog here.
We also had a fashion show at the conference. Some of the garments in the fashion show were in the design contest and others weren’t. The fashion show has lots of “eye candy” and is part of the dinner at the conference! It’s a lot of fun! If you’d like to see lots of photos from the fashion show and the design contest, visit the CGOA Flicker page here.
I entered 3 designs in the Design Contest this year. I didn’t win a prize, but that’s okay. At least I tried my best! I LOVE the designs that won, so that’s what counts! Here are the 3 designs I entered:
Brandyce modeling my Kauni Poncho
This is Brandyce from Lion Brand Yarn Company modeling my Kauni Poncho in the fashion show. I love the looks of this poncho because the yarn does all the work (well, most of the work!). If you’d like to make a Kauni Poncho of your own, the pattern is available for purchase here on my website, as well as on Ravelry, Craftsy and Etsy. It takes 140 grams (612 yards) of Kauni Effektgarn yarn to make this poncho. This yarn is 100% wool fingering weight and I LOVE the colors it comes in. To see all of the colors of this yarn, please visit the Kauni website here.
Vashti modeling my Alexandria Shawl
This is my Alexandria Shawl, modeled by Vashti Braha. This shawl is made with 100% cotton yarn. The large triangular section of motifs and the inset of motifs are made in the Continuous Crochet Motifs method, with less ends to weave in because the motifs are made continuously, not separately. If all goes well, I’ll have this pattern available for purchase on my website within the next year.
Triple Delight Pillow
This is my Triple Delight Pillow. It’s made with 3 shades of size 10 DMC Cebelia. I made it in 3 techniques: Irish Crochet motifs (the flowers and leaves), Filet Crochet (in the large center section) and Bruges Lace around the edges (hence the word “triple” in the name!). I also added small beads in the center of many of the flowers. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this design, yet.
If you’re a CGOA member, you’ve tried your hand at designing crochet projects and you haven’t entered them in the CGOA Design Contest, you should consider entering your designs next year. Who knows! You might win! And you don’t have to write the patterns to enter your designs (of course, if they’re going to be published, you’ll need to write the patterns eventually!). The prizes are $100 for 3rd place, $200 for 2nd place and $300 for first place in each of the 6 divisions, plus $1,000 for the grand prize winner! That’s nothing to sneeze at!!! And the designs remain yours to do with as you please after the contest.
Keep watching the CGOA website for more information on the design contest as the 2014 conference gets closer. Next year’s CGOA conference will be July 23-27, 2014 in Manchester, NH. It’ll be the 20th Anniversary of CGOA next year! Yahoo!!! There will be lots of celebrating going on, I’m sure!
Good luck! I hope to see your designs in next year’s CGOA Design Contest.
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.
Are you a crochet lover like me? Do you enjoy being around others who love to crochet, also? Then you won’t want to miss the CGOA Conference in Reno next month. It will be held at the Grand Sierra Resort from Sept. 12-16. There are many wonderful crochet (and knit) classes being offered. Go to http://www.knitandcrochetshow.com/fall-special-events.asp?i2s3 to see the schedule and description of all of the classes being offered and the special events at the conference, too. There will also be a shopping floor at the conference to buy new yarn, hooks, patterns, etc! Attending the conference is like being in “crochet heaven”!!! All the conference attendees speak the same crochet and/or knitting “language”! We all help each other and encourage each other in our crochet projects and classes! It is a wonderful experience!
The classes I will be teaching in Reno are:
Beginning Filet Crochet
BEGINNING FILET CROCHET (Thursday morning)
Intermediate Filet Crochet
INTERMEDIATE FILET CROCHET (Thursday afternoon)
If you’ve never learned to do filet crochet, you’re really missing something wonderful! You don’t need to use crochet thread and a steel hook for filet crochet, either. If you prefer working with yarn, you can make filet crochet afghans. The technique remains the same whether you use crochet thread or yarn! I love filet crochet because I can see the picture forming before my very eyes (and I love working with crochet thread)! It’s easy to design in filet crochet, too. All you need is a pencil, eraser and graph paper to draw your design. That’s how I started designing in filet crochet. I now have a computer program that makes nice filet charts for publication, but that’s not needed if your project will be for yourself or given as a gift. There are many beautiful filet crochet patterns, also, that are fun to make. Filet crochet can be used for pillows, coasters, placemats, afghans, garments and much more. You can even use a filet pattern that was designed with thread and use yarn instead! Of course, the project will be much larger, but you may desire a larger project than the original size anyway!
Playful Polish Stars
PLAYFUL POLISH STARS (Friday morning)
I think the Polish Stars technique is fascinating! I blogged about this technique on July 25th. If you read that blog post, you’ll see the before and after pictures of my Polish Stars swatch. The stars are formed when you weave the chain loops in the specified way. It’s really fun to see the stars take shape before your eyes when you weave them! Polish Stars can be used for many projects, as well. I’ll have a Polish Stars poncho on display at the conference in a special booth on the shopping floor from Thursday evening until Sunday afternoon. Please come by the booth and see a sample of this wonderful technique!
Simplifying Symbol Crochet
SIMPLIFYING SYMBOL CROCHET (Saturday morning)
I’ve taught many students to read crochet symbols in my classes at past CGOA Conferences. They all love the versatility of crochet symbols and they now have the knowledge to make any project from just a symbol chart (even foreign patterns like Japanese and Russian). Since I love thread crochet, I have many Decorative Crochet and Magic Crochet magazines. All of these patterns are written with very little words, but with a fantastic symbol chart that is easy to follow, once you know how! I’m so glad that I learned to read crochet symbol charts years ago. It really opens up a whole new world of crochet once you learn! And I’ve learned to make crochet symbol charts with Adobe Illustrator, too! Since I’m “electronically challenged”, it’s sometimes a challenge for me, but with the help of my good friend, KJ Hay, I’m learning more about Illustrator all the time! Thank you very much, KJ!
Intermeshing 101
INTERMESHING 101 (Saturday afternoon)
If you’ve never seen Intermeshing (aka: Interlocking) Crochet before, you’re missing something really cool! You can create reversible crochet fabric with different looks on each side! The photo shown here is actually 2 sides of the same piece! I’m a real “geometric” person, so Intermeshing appeals to me a lot! I love anything that isn’t “ordinary” crochet and gives me a challenge! You won’t find me with mindless crochet projects very often!!! If you’d like to read more about Intermeshing, please read my blog post on May 25! You’ll find a link to a wonderful Intermeshing/Interlocking book there, too.
I don’t know how anyone progresses in crochet without knowing how to read a crochet pattern! I’ve learned a lot about reading, writing and editing crochet patterns over the last 3 decades and I’d love to share that knowledge with you in this class. If you’ve ever struggled with reading or understanding a crochet pattern, this class will give you the knowledge and confidence to push yourself further in your crochet projects. Once you learn to read a pattern with ease, you’ll find yourself crocheting projects you never thought you could make before!
If you’ve signed up for one of my classes, thank you very much! I look forward to meeting you in my class and/or at Professional Development Day in Reno. For those of you who are on the fence about what classes to take, I would like to “encourage” you to sign up for one of my classes. For whatever reason, I have low enrollment in my classes for the Reno conference, which puts some of them at jeopardy of being cancelled. I love teaching crochet and would be thrilled to have more of you in my classes. I’m very friendly and encouraging to all of my students. I strive to have fun, enjoyable classes for everyone!
Thank you for your consideration of my classes and the Reno Conference. For anyone who hasn’t decided about attending the Reno Conference, please make the decision to attend the conference. It is so enjoyable to be around like-minded people who love to crochet and learn new crochet techniques for almost a week!!! I’ve heard that if the Reno (west coast) conference isn’t well attended, the conference probably won’t return to the west coast for a while. It would be a shame for those of us who live on/near the west coast to lose having the conference close to us. My classes at the Manchester conference in June of this year were very well attended, as was the whole conference. Please, let’s rally together and make the west coast conference as well attended as the east coast conference!
I’ve done Filet Crochet for many years and along the way, I’ve learned some important things. If you are having trouble with your filet crochet, please take a few minutes to read these hints and tips!
1. If your dc stitches are too short and you have trouble getting the proper row gauge, try using an extended dc instead of a dc to make taller stitches. To make an extended dc (edc), YO, insert hook in specified st or sp and draw up a lp, YO and draw through 1 lp on hook, [YO and draw through 2 lps on hook] 2 times.
2. Turn work counterclockwise at end of each row for best results (the opposite direction as turning a page in a book).
3. For last stitch of each row, work into back loop and back bar of turning ch at end of row to get edges to lay flatter.
4. To help keep your place on the filet chart, use a magnetic board, ruler, pencil, etc. Make an extra copy of the chart, if desired. If using a magnetic board, put a magnetic strip above the current row so you can see the row below to help keep stitches lined up and mistakes to a minimum. If you don’t have a magnetic board, you may want to mark through the rows on the extra copy of the chart as you complete them.
5. Always wash and block filet pieces when finished for best results. I like to wash/soak my filet in the kitchen sink with a small amount of liquid laundry detergent. This removes any dirt and grease that may have accumulated while crocheting. Then I rinse the filet piece, squeeze out the excess water (DO NOT WRING) and put it on a clean kitchen towel to absorb more moisture. For more on blocking, read my “blocking” post here.
