Learn to Crochet - Single Crochet Shells in Tiramisu Baby Blanket

Merry, of crocheted ABC Blanket fame, recently shared with me a pattern she had found for the Tiramisu Baby Blanket because she was having a bit of trouble with keeping the edges straight.

Here is a picture of the sample I crocheted using 3 colors. This shows off the single crochet shells very nicely, and in the video below, it also makes seeing the individual rows much easier.



Hopefully this video will help Merry and others in crocheting this very pretty blanket. See what you think...



I think this stitch would also make a very cozy and colorful scarf, stitched either long ways or across the short way. I can also imagine that this stitch crocheted using bulky weight yarn and a very large hook would work up quickly into a full size afghan.

Either solid or multi-color, the stitch used in the Tiramisu Baby Blanket is easy to do and very versatile. It reminds me a little bit of the Ripple Stitch and the Woven Stitch, both of which I have used for full size afghans, baby blankets, and crocheted scarves.

Happy Stitching!

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Learn to Crochet - Changing Colors on Solid Granny Square Video Tutorial

Here's another video tutorial to help you expand your horizons when it comes to the very versatile Crocheted Granny Square. We've already covered the Traditional One-color Granny Square, the Traditional Multi-color Granny Square, and the Solid Granny Square. In this video I'll show you how to change yarn color on the solid granny square so that you can make each round a different color, or use more than one color on a round.



Spend some time browsing through FiddLeSticks and see the clever and creative ways that Dawn uses color changes in her granny squares. Don't miss this post and her other granny square posts if you want to see some truly gorgeous and inspiring work. I am not sure if Dawn uses the same method to change colors as I showed in the video, because I am sure there are many ways to accomplish the same thing, but her results are stunning. Check them out and let me know if you agree.

Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted Basketweave Afghan Finished

Early in the spring, I started crocheting an afghan which I had hoped to finish before the warm weather arrived. That was not to be though, and it sat there all through the warm summer months, only getting a few minutes attention now and then when the evening temperatures dropped enough to make it tolerable to have all that coziness sitting on my lap. Finally the cool weather returned here to beautiful New England and just the other night I finished the afghan. Hip hip hooray!

This afghan is crocheted entirely in Basketweave Stitch with a simple single crochet border around the edge to finish it off.

Here are a few pictures of it before I wrapped it up to send off to my old friend out in Kansas City, Missouri:

Here you can see what an interesting design and texture the Basketweave stitch gives to the afghan. It is entirely double crochet, stitched around the post from the front three times and then from the back three times, which gives it the Basketweave effect, so it was easy to crochet. I like projects where, once I have the pattern established, I don't have to look at the instructions. This is that type of pattern.

I also insist on using a stitch for an afghan that is the same on the front and the back. The Basketweave Stitch in crochet is reversible so the front and back are the same.


Here you can see the very simple Single Crochet border that I put around this afghan. This gives the border a nicely finished look and also provides an easy way to catch in all those loose ends on the edge from where the new skeins were added on. The process of adding a new skein is described in my article on how to change colors, but adding a new skein of the same color uses the same method. By doing this border and crocheting over the loose ends at the same time, I only had the final tail of yarn to weave in when I was finished. That's my kind of finish work!


And here it is, crocheted with love and ready to be wrapped up and mailed to an old friend.

In making this afghan, I used eight 7-ounce skeins of Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Ranch Red.

I have already started working on an afghan, using Red Heart Easy Tweed in Pistachio green, which will be a wedding gift to my niece who is getting married in November. I have chosen a new stitch called Close Scallops that I really like and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you in a video tutorial very soon.

Don't forget to enter my fall giveaway by October 14th for a chance to win a very nice pincushion bag and other fall goodies. Good luck!

Happy Stitching!

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How to Join Blocks Using Single Crochet -- Video Tutorial

Not too long ago I posted a Crocheted Square Block Pattern which I had used for a pastel baby blanket. Now I am going to show you how I joined the blocks to each other using single crochet. This is a joining method that I prefer for blankets such as this which will be well used and washed frequently as it makes a very sturdy seam, besides making a decorative grid pattern on the back side of the blanket.

After crocheting the block in the color of choice, change yarn color to whatever color you will be using for the border of each block and also for the border of the blanket. Using this method for changing yarn color makes a very neat transition.

The above picture shows the point at which you would draw in the border color of yarn. The hook is in place here ready to complete the joining slip stitch for the last round of color.



Work 1 round of single crochet in the border color following the pattern and increasing at the corners just as you did for the previous rounds. Join with a slip stitch, cut yarn and pull through the loop to secure. Weave in ends.



Continue making all your blocks in this manner and then lay them out in whatever pattern you choose. This is the fun part where you can get really creative.

Now you can begin to join the blocks together using single crochet. Here's a little video showing the method I used on the pastel block baby blanket...





The blocks shown in this post and in the video are just samples made from yarn leftover from another afghan. Can you guess which one from the pictures in this post?

In the next post, I will show you a few detail pictures of the pastel block baby blanket so you can see how the crocheted seam looks on the back and the nice border each block has on the front from crocheting the seam through just the back loops of the stitches. Of course if you don't want that kind of detail on the front of your blanket, you can always crochet through both loops and you won't have the ridge detail.

Stay tuned!

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Changing yarn color in Crochet

Have you ever needed to change yarn color in a crochet piece, but weren't sure just how to do it so that it would blend well and look nice? Here's the best way I have found to do just that.

If you are changing colors at the end of a row, for example on a striped afghan, you would work your way all the way to the last stitch. Work that last stitch until there are two loops left on your hook...


Drop the old color of yarn and pick up the new color, drawing it through the last two loops to finish the stitch.



See how this completes the last stitch with the old color, but brings in the new color to begin the next row?



Now you can tie the tail of the new yarn to the old yarn with a knot right on the side of your work and those ends can be woven into a few stitches of the same color later.

If you are simply adding a new skein of yarn to a piece, such as when working a solid color afghan or an afghan with all the same variegated yarn, you would use the same procedure, adding on the new yarn at the end of a row. This allows you to stitch over your loose ends when you work the border, and does not leave knots or loose ends in the middle of your piece.

My Auntie, who is 90 years old and has crocheted pieces probably numbering in the thousands over her lifetime, told me once how she NEVER NEVER adds a new skein of yarn in the middle of a row. I thought that was a little extravagant and maybe even more than a little wasteful considering that sometimes you have to rip out almost an entire row if you run out of yarn not quite at the end of the row. But recently, I have adopted her very practical method and have come to realize that it does indeed make for a much neater piece, having loose ends only at the edges to weave in at the end or stitch over when working the border. See, it pays to listen to those knowledgeable old folks! Thanks Auntie!

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