Tangled Heart Mittens

February 15, 2020February 15, 2020 ~ Nicole ~ Leave a comment

With Valentine’s Day approaching, I was in the mood last week to make something heart-themed. I did a Google search for “crochet heart stitch” and got a bunch of results that looked like this:

https://www.lanasyovillos.com/en/stitch/heart-stitch

I ended up making a mitten with that heart stitch (I’ll write about it in my next post), and then got the idea to make a tapestry mitten as well, using the same basic mitten pattern I had come up with for the heart stitch mitten.

The main colour yarn is Off White from Loops & Thread Charisma, a fairly heavy bulky yarn that usually requires an 8mm hook. For the red and pink cuff and heart, I held together a strand each of Cherry Red and Perfect Pink from Red Heart Super Saver, which created a tangled and slightly frenzied look that, I must admit, is not unlike the drama of love. 😉

The whole mitten is crocheted with a 6mm hook, for warmth and stitch definition. It is made from bottom to top, starting with the ribbed cuff, and then crocheted in continuous rounds until the bottom point of the heart. The rows of the tapestry are crocheted back and forth, but are conveniently joined along the way. You can see that there is a subtle seam on the palm side of the mitten (below).

The last six rows are crocheted in continuous rounds. You’ll find the mitten pattern below, and a chart for the heart at the end.

Tangled Heart Mittens

Materials
Bulky yarn in Cream
Worsted-weight yarn in Red and Pink
6.0mm (J) crochet hook
Stitch marker
Darning needle (to weave in ends)

Abbreviations
ch – chain
SC – Single Crochet
st(s) – stitch(es)
BLO – Back Loops Only
sk – skip
SC2tog/SC3tog – Single Crochet 2 Together/Single Crochet 3 Together

Notes
– Mitten is crocheted in continuous rounds before and after tapestry section. Tapestry section is crocheted back and forth, joining the rows as you go.
– Beginning chain(s) do not count as the first stitch in each round. The first stitch is crocheted into the same stitch as the chain.
– Numbers before stitches indicate how many of those stitches go into one stitch (Example: For 2SC, crochet two SCs into one stitch). Numbers after the ‘x’ indicate how many stitches to repeat. (Example: For SC x 3, crochet one SC into each of the next three stitches.)
– Washing and machine drying the mittens will soften them, and steaming them after that really relaxes the stitches for even more softness.

Instructions
Right Hand Mitten
Making the cuff: make a slip knot with a long tail holding a strand of Red and a strand of Pink together, ch8.
Row 1: SC in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, ch1, turn. (7 sts).
Rows 2 – 15: SC in BLO of each st across, ch1, turn. (7 sts)
Row 16: SC in BLO of each st across, ch1, remove hook and do not join or fasten off. Join short edges with wrong side out and, with tail, sew starting chain and both loops of last row sts together. Turn cuff right side out.
Join Cream (Cr) yarn into loop at end of Row 16, ch1. Row 17 will be crocheted along the top of the cuff (into the end stitches).
Round 17: SC x 3, 2SC, repeat [SC x 3, 2SC] pattern 3 more times, join with sl st, ch 1. (20 sts)
Round 18: SC x 20, do not join; crochet in continuous rounds from here. (20 sts)
Round 19: SC x 4, 2SC, repeat [SC x 4, 2SC] pattern 3 more times. (24 sts)
Round 20 – 23: SC x 24. (24 sts)
Round 24: SC x 18, ch4, sk4, SC x 2. (20 sts, 4 chs)
Row 25: SC x 12, join Red/Pink (R/P), SC, go back to Cr, SC x 4, SC2tog, SC x 2, SC2tog, SC, sl st into first st of round, ch1, turn. (22 sts)
Row 26: SC, 2SC, SC x 2, 2SC, SC x 3, switch to R/P, SC x 3, switch to Cr, SC x 11, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Row 27: SC x 10, switch to R/P, SC x 5, switch to Cr, SC x 9, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts.)
Row 28: SC x 8, switch to R/P, SC x 7, switch to Cr, SC x 9, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts.)
Row 29: SC x 8, switch to R/P, SC x 9, switch to Cr, SC x 7, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts.)
Row 30: SC x 6, switch to R/P, SC x 11, switch to Cr, SC x 7, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts.)
Row 31: SC x 7, switch to R/P, SC x 11, switch to Cr, SC x 6, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts.)
Row 32: SC x 6, switch to R/P, SC x 11, switch to Cr, SC x 7, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts.)
Row 33: SC x 8, switch to R/P, SC x 4, switch to Cr, SC, switch to R/P, SC x 4, switch to Cr, SC x 7, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts.)
Row 34: SC x 8, switch to R/P, SC x 2, switch to Cr, SC x 3, switch to R/P, SC x 2, switch to Cr, SC x 9, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts.)
Round 35: SC x 24, crochet in continuous rounds from here. (24 sts)
Round 36 – 38: SC x 24. (24 sts)
Round 39: SC2tog x 12. (12 sts)
Round 40: SC3tog x 4. (4 sts)
Fasten off. Slip tail through darning needle and weave through last 4 sts, pull tight to cinch closed.

Left Hand Mitten
Follow instructions for Right Hand Mitten up to and including Round 23.
Round 24: SC x 4, ch4, sk4, SC x 16. (24 sts)
Row 25: SC x 3, SC2tog, SC x 2, SC2tog, SC x 4, join Red/Pink (R/P), SC, go back to Cr, SC x 10, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (22 sts)
Row 26: SC x 10, switch to R/P, SC x 3, switch to Cr, SC x 3, 2SC, SC x 2, 2SC, SC x 2, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Row 27: SC x 11, switch to R/P, SC x 5, switch to Cr, SC x 8, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Row 28: SC x 8, switch to R/P, SC x 7, switch to Cr, SC x 9, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Row 29: SC x 9, switch to R/P, SC x 9, switch to Cr, SC x 6, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Row 30: SC x 6, switch to R/P, SC x 11, switch to Cr, SC x 7, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Row 31: SC x 8, switch to R/P, SC x 11, switch to Cr, SC x 5, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Row 32: SC x 6, switch to R/P, SC x 11, switch to Cr, SC x 7, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Row 33: SC x 9, switch to R/P, SC x 4, switch to Cr, SC, switch to R/P, SC x 4, switch to Cr, SC x 6, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Row 34: SC x 8, switch to R/P, SC x 2, switch to Cr, SC x 3, switch to R/P, SC x 2, switch to Cr, SC x 9, sl st to first SC of row, ch1, turn. (24 sts)
Round 35: SC x 24, crochet in continuous rounds from here. (24 sts)
Round 36 – 38: SC x 24. (24 sts)
Round 39: SC2tog x 12. (12 sts)
Round 40: SC3tog x 4. (4 sts)
Fasten off. Slip tail through darning needle and weave through last 4 sts, pull tight to cinch closed.

Thumbs (Left & Right)
Round 1: Join Cream yarn to stitch near palm of mitten, and picking up stitches around the thumb hole, SC x 10. Crochet in continuous rounds from here. (10 sts)
Rounds 2 – 7: SC x 10. (10 sts)
Round 8: SC2tog x 5. (5 sts)
Fasten off. Slip tail through darning needle and weave through last 5 sts, pull tight to cinch closed.

Weave in all ends.

❤️
Nicole

The Dilectio Sparkling Wine Gift Bag

January 28, 2020January 29, 2020 ~ Nicole ~ Leave a comment

The word “dilectio” means pleasure, goodwill, and love in Latin. 🥂

I had so much fun putting together two patterns (here and here) for wine gift bags, that I wanted to design something that suits bottles of champagne and sparkling wine. So I came up with the pretty and romantic Dilectio Sparkling Wine Gift Bag.

The pattern works best with a shinier yarn. I used Caron Simply Soft in both samples, but I think a mercerized cotton, though a bit more expensive, would make this pattern even more elegant.

I didn’t know there was such thing as a rosé sparkling wine until I found this one from Australia. The pink ribbon looks really sweet against the black yarn.

If you like this pattern as much as I do, you can purchase it on Ravelry here. Cheers! 🍾

Love,
Nicole

The Basketweave Wine Gift Bag

January 11, 2020January 11, 2020 ~ Nicole ~ Leave a comment

After creating the Celtic Weave Wine Gift Bag, I liked the idea of having a more traditional Basketweave option as well. This one seemed to crochet up more quickly given the pretty straight-forward pattern, as well as the fact that it’s made up of double crochets and not treble crochets. I’m not sure which one I prefer (my husband and kids like the look of this one better), but I enjoyed making it!

Just like the Celtic Weave bag, this Basketweave gift bag can be made to suit any occasion by changing up the colours of the yarn and/or the tie, or by using a fancier (perhaps glittery?) yarn.

Basketweave Wine Gift Bag

Materials
Worsted-weight yarn in Tan and Cream
5.0mm (H) crochet hook
Stitch marker
Darning needle (to weave in ends)
Ribbon/tie of choice

Abbreviations
SC – Single Crochet
ch – chain
st(s) – stitch(es)
BLO – Back Loops Only
DC – Double Crochet
FPDC – Front Post Double Crochet
BPDC – Back Post Double Crochet

Notes
– Beginning chain(s) do not count as the first stitch in each round. The first stitch is crocheted into the same stitch as the chain.
– The last stitch of the round is joined with a slip stitch into the first stitch of the round, unless otherwise noted.
– Numbers before stitches indicate how many of those stitches go into one stitch (Example: For 2SC, crochet two SC into one stitch). Numbers after the ‘x’ indicate how many stitches to repeat. (Example: For SC x 3, crochet one SC into each of the next three stitches.)

Instructions
Begin with Tan yarn.
Round 1: SC x 6 in magic ring, join, ch1. (6 sts)
Round 2: 2SC in each st around, join, ch1. (12 sts)
Round 3: SC, 2SC, repeat [SC, 2SC] pattern all the way around, join, ch1. (18 sts)
Round 4: 2SC, SC x 2, repeat [2SC, SC x 2] pattern all the way around, join, ch1. (24 sts)
Round 5: SC x 3, 2SC, repeat [SC x 3, 2SC] pattern all the way around, join, ch1. (30 sts)
Round 6: 2SC, SC x 4, repeat [2SC, SC x 4] pattern all the way around, join, ch2. (36 sts)
Round 7: DC in BLO of each st all the way around, join, ch2. (36 sts)
Rounds 8 – 10: Beginning of Basketweave stitch. FPDC x 3, BPDC x 3, repeat [FPDC x 3, BPDC x 3] pattern all the way around, join, ch2. (36 sts)
Rounds 11 – 13: BPDC x 3, FPDC x 3, repeat [BPDC x 3, FPDC x 3] pattern all the way around, join, ch2. (36 sts)
Rounds 14 – 16: FPDC x 3, BPDC x 3, repeat [FPDC x 3, BPDC x 3] pattern all the way around, join, ch2. (36 sts)
Rounds 17 – 19: BPDC x 3, FPDC x 3, repeat [BPDC x 3, FPDC x 3] pattern all the way around, join, ch2. (36 sts)
Rounds 20 – 22: FPDC x 3, BPDC x 3, repeat [FPDC x 3, BPDC x 3] pattern all the way around, join, ch2. (36 sts)
Rounds 23 – 25: BPDC x 3, FPDC x 3, repeat [BPDC x 3, FPDC x 3] pattern all the way around, join, ch2. (36 sts)
Rounds 26 – 28: FPDC x 3, BPDC x 3, repeat [FPDC x 3, BPDC x 3] pattern all the way around, join, ch2. (36 sts)
Round 29: FPDC around every st, join, fasten off. (36 sts)
Round 30: This round will be crocheted into the top of the sts of Round 28, which you will find behind and just below the FPDC stitches of Round 29. Join Cream yarn with SC, SC into every stitch around, do not join. (36 sts)
Rounds 31 – 47: SC into first st of round, place marker in this st, then SC in continuous rounds, placing marker in the first st of each round. Join and fasten off. Weave in ends.

Love,
Nicole

The Celtic Weave Wine Gift Bag

December 28, 2019January 11, 2020 ~ Nicole ~ Leave a comment

My husband and I started our own web design and marketing business earlier this year (backpackwebdesign.com), and wanted to give a good bottle of wine to our biggest client for Christmas. I felt it wasn’t quite enough to simply hand over a paper-wrapped bottle to the lovely couple we worked with, and so came up with a design for a crocheted gift bag. This project ended up making me very excited, first because I got to learn a new stitch, and second because this was the first time I had designed something from scratch!

There are many things I like about this gift bag, one of which is its versatility with regard to gift occasion. The bag itself is both intricate and neutral in appearance, and is easily personalized with the ribbon tied around the bottle’s neck. You could match the tie to the label of the wine, for example. For an extra festive effect, the basket section could be crocheted in another colour (so, too, could the upper section, for that matter), and a yarn with a metallic thread would make it that much more sophisticated.

Celtic Weave Wine Gift Bag

Materials
Worsted-weight yarn in Tan and Cream
5.0mm (H) crochet hook
Stitch marker
Darning needle (to weave in ends)
YouTube (For Celtic Weave instructional video – https://youtu.be/FGAhOcPMiKY)
Ribbon/tie of choice

Abbreviations
SC – Single Crochet
ch – chain
st(s) – stitch(es)
BLO – Back Loops Only
DC – Double Crochet
FPDC – Front Post Double Crochet

Notes
– The Celtic Weave stitch is difficult to write easily-understood instructions for, and so I have decided against doing so, recommending instead a YouTube video from Pattern Paradise to watch that clearly shows the steps.
– Beginning chain(s) do not count as the first stitch in each round. The first stitch is crocheted into the same stitch as the chain.
– Depending on the stiffness of your yarn and the looseness of your stitches, you may want to increase or decrease the number of rounds of the Celtic Weave and/or of the single crochet rounds above it. Your best bet is to test your gift bag on a wine bottle as you go, keeping in mind that the tie around the neck of the bottle might pull the basket part up or the upper fabric part down.

Instructions
Begin with Tan yarn.
Round 1: SC x 8 in magic ring, join, ch1. (8 sts)
Round 2: 2SC in each st around, join, ch1. (16 sts)
Round 3: SC in first st, 2SC in next, repeat [SC, 2SC] pattern all the way around, join, ch1. (24 sts)
Round 4: 2SC in first st, SC in next, SC in next, continue [2SC, SC, SC] pattern all the way around, join, ch1. (32 sts)
Round 5: SC in first st, SC in next, SC in next, 2SC in next, continue [SC, SC, SC, 2SC] pattern all the way around, join, ch2. (40 sts)
Round 6: DC in BLO of each st all the way around, join, ch3. (40 sts)
Rounds 7 – 20: Celtic Weave stitch pattern begins. Please go to https://youtu.be/FGAhOcPMiKY to learn more. At the end of Round 20, join, ch2. (40 sts)
Round 21: FPDC around every st, join, fasten off. (40 sts)
Round 22: This round will be crocheted into the top of the sts of Round 19, which you will find behind and just below the FPDC stitches of Round 20. Join Cream yarn with SC, SC into every stitch around, do not join.
Rounds 23 – 40: SC into first st of round, place marker in this st, then SC in continuous rounds, placing marker in the first st of each round. Join and fasten off. Weave in ends.

Love,
Nicole

Changing Out Some Christmas Lights

December 27, 2019December 28, 2019 ~ Nicole ~ Leave a comment

Happy Third Day of Christmas!

After I finished the Retro Ornament throw (see previous post), I started playing around with the Christmas Light Granny Squares again, and ended up coming up with a new design of the square that is less rectangular, more symmetrical, and looks a little more like a Christmas light. Check out the comparison below.

The square on the left is from the original pattern, and the one on the right is my re-design. The yarn colour is meant to be purple, but is more like magenta.

I crocheted the original square with a 5mm hook and Bernat Premium yarn, and it came out smaller than the dimensions provided, as it seems I am quite a tight crocheter. My variation, on the right, was crocheted with the same yarn and a 6mm hook, which increases its size while giving it a slightly better drape.

The original pattern can be found here, and here you’ll find the pattern for the wonderful Christmas Lights blanket.

I’m planning to complete the same blanket, including that pretty candy cane border, with my version of the Christmas Lights Granny Square, with 7 squares across and 9 squares down (you’ll find the pattern for my squares at the end of this post).

So far I’ve crocheted the first 7 squares across, and tested the Christmas Light layout (keeping in mind that I will be surface stitching a “cord” connecting the lights, as per the blanket pattern) using Stitch Fiddle‘s cross stitch chart maker.

The difference is subtle, but worth testing out.

For the chart on the left, I arranged the lights so that the colour pattern (R, O, Y, G, B, P) repeats, going left to right in the top row, then down and right to left in the second row, then down and right to left in the third row, and so on. For the chart on the right, the difference is the colour pattern; it begins the same way, but then goes in reverse order (P, B, G, Y, O, R), and then in forward order, and so on. Note that red and purple are anchor colours, and so don’t repeat as often as on the chart on the left.

I prefer the chart on the left, and will be following that one when constructing my Christmas Lights blanket. Below you’ll find the pattern for my version of the Christmas Lights Granny Square.

Christmas Lights Granny Square (Re-Design)

Materials
Worsted-weight yarn in six lightbulb colours of choice, as well as white, light grey, and black
6.0mm (J) crochet hook
Darning needle (for weaving in ends)

Abbreviations
SC – Single Crochet
st – stitch(es)
ch – Chain(s)
HDC – Half Double Crochet
DC – Double Crochet
TrC – Treble Crochet
sp. – space

Pattern Notes
– Beginning chain 1s (in lightbulb) do not count as the first stitch in each round. The first stitch is crocheted into the same stitch as the chain.
– Numbers before stitches indicate how many of those stitches go into the next stitch. Numbers after the ‘x’ indicate how many stitches to repeat. (Example: For 2SC x 3, crochet 2 SC stitches in each of the next 3 stitches.)
– Stitches between brackets are crocheted into the same stitch.

Instructions
Begin with one lightbulb colour of choice.
Round 1 – 8 SC in magic ring, join, ch1. (8 st)
Round 2 – 2SC x 3, (HDC, DC), (DC, HDC), 2SC x 3, join, ch1. (16 st)
Round 3 – 2SC x 2, SC x 4, (SC, HDC), (HDC, DC), (DC, HDC), (HDC, SC), SC x 4, 2SC x 2, join, ch1. (24 st)
Round 4 – 2SC x 3, SC x 8, (HDC, DC), (DC, HDC), SC x 8, 2SC x 3, join, fasten off. (32 st)
Round 5 – Join white yarn to 5^th stitch from join, (DC, ch1, 2DC), HDC x 6, DC x 2, (2TrC, ch1, DC), (DC, HDC), 2SC x 2, (HDC, DC), (DC, ch1, 2TrC), DC x 2, HDC x 6, (2DC, ch1, DC), DC, join black and carry white, DC x 6, switch back to white, DC, join, ch3 (counts as first DC in next round). (44 st + 4 ch)
Round 6 – (DC, ch2, DC) in ch1 sp., DC x 12, (DC, ch2, DC) in ch1 sp., DC x 10, (DC, ch2, DC) in ch1 sp., DC x 12, (DC, ch2, DC) in ch1 sp., DC x 2, HDC x 6, DC, join, ch3. (52 st + 8 ch)
Round 7 – DC, (DC, ch2, DC) in ch2 sp., DC x 14, (DC, ch2, DC) in ch2 sp, DC x 12, (DC, ch. 2, DC) in ch2 sp, DC x 14, (DC, ch2, DC) in ch2 sp, DC x 10, join, fasten off. (60 st + 8 ch)
Round 9 – Join light grey in top left corner, (SC, ch2, SC) in ch2 sp, SC x 16, (SC, ch2, SC) in ch2 sp, SC x 14, (SC, ch2, SC) in ch2 sp, SC x 16, (SC, ch2, SC) in ch2 sp, SC x 14, join, fasten off. (68 st + 8 ch) Weave in ends.

I’ll post my version of the Christmas Lights Granny Square blanket once I’ve completed it.

In the meantime, best wishes for the holidays!

Love,
Nicole

Just In The St. Nick of Time

December 22, 2019December 29, 2019 ~ Nicole ~ Leave a comment

Christmas is in three days, and I’m happy to say that I got the Retro Ornament throw finished and mailed off to my parents in time. I got a large part of it done when I first wrote about it in May (see my previous post), but I soon after set the throw aside for several months, and then pushed myself to complete it at the end of November. It turned out really pretty, and the colours seemed to pop even more after I washed it. (I also steamed it to create a bit more softness and drape.) Below are some photos of the finished throw.

I can’t believe I completed such a large project!

My nine-year-old son doesn’t understand why I bunched the throw like this for the photo. I’m not exactly sure, either, but maybe because it looks more “thrown”. ;).

The tassels each look a little different, adding to the afghan’s complexity, and handmade character.

I didn’t end up finishing the Christmas Light Granny Square throw I had intended to make for my sister and her husband, partly because I left it too late. I’ll write more about that in my next post…

Love,
Nicole

April Showers bring… Christmas flowers?

May 20, 2019May 20, 2019 ~ Nicole ~ Leave a comment

I’m not exactly sure what has come over me (though I have a list of ideas, which I won’t share so that you don’t get acquainted with me TOO quickly ;)), but I’ve gotten into the Christmas spirit. And it’s only May.

I felt the urge to look up crochet patterns for Christmas throws a couple of weeks ago, one for my sister and her husband, and one for my parents. I’ve gotten into the habit of giving them gift cards over the last several years, and that’s been especially convenient now that I no longer live in Toronto. But gift cards are not really as meaningful as something handmade (especially when they can afford all the things they want anyway), so I thought I’d take advantage of my motivation and attempt to make them Christmas throws this year.

The pattern for the Christmas Lights Blanket by Repeat Crafter Me, which I chose for my sister, is fairly simple, but really colourful and festive. I loved it as soon as I saw it, and was really excited to pick up the yarn I needed (I chose to work with Bernat Premium yarn, which I had been squishing in Walmart every so often over the last while, instead of Bernat Super Value). As you can see from the picture, I have already made several squares, and plan to make a six-by-seven-square blanket (42 squares total) with a wide border (maybe in moss stitch) to increase its size, and definitely the candy cane edging from the pattern.

For my parents I chose the Retro Ornament Throw from Red Heart, the pattern for which is a little more complex than the Christmas Lights Blanket, but is so beautiful and I think will be to my parents’ tastes. I was only able to buy a couple of the colours for this throw at Michaels, and ended up ordering the rest of the required yarn from yarncanada.ca, which happens to ship from New Westminster, BC, just a little sail to where I live on Vancouver Island. I received my shipment quickly and, after watching the very helpful YouTube videos, I got started right away. It’s been almost a week and I have finished almost a quarter of the throw (the third “strip” of ornaments hasn’t been joined yet).

I have to admit I’m a little amazed that I’m so eagerly tackling not just one but two larger projects. I tend to lose interest pretty quickly, and usually stick to smaller projects (I’ve been enjoying making amigurumi plushies for my kids lately), but I won’t be talking myself out of it! I sincerely hope that my motivation continues so that the work doesn’t become too much of a chore.

Also coincidentally, my Christmas cactus bloomed a few days ago! I don’t know WHAT’S going on, but it seems the spirit of creating is going strong at my house!

Looking forward to posting photos of the finished pieces…

Love, Nicole