Video Tutorial - Invisible Join

There is nothing worse than finishing an adorable baby hat and tieing it off with a knot. It's ugly and ruins the look of the hat. I made a video tutorial showing how to join the last round of your hat (or anything else really) with an invisible join. Hope you enjoy it and learn something useful!

Magic Loop Video

Hi Everyone!
This Tuesdays Tutorial is a video on crocheting into a magic loop! Some call it a magic circle or adjustable loop. I start all my hats this way! So here it is.




Hope you enjoy it. I'd love feedback on this videos.  Are there other topics, techniques that you'd like to see in video form for Tutorial Tuesdays?

Spring Chick Applique Pattern

Aren't the little chicks cute! Here is how you can make one!

So Cute on a Little Hat!!!

You can use any yarn with appropriate size hook for this.  The yarn type & hook size will determine the finished size of the chick. The yellow one is made with worsted weight yarn & a 5mm hook. The finished size is 2.75 inches beak to tail & 2.5 inches top to bottom.

Here is the basic technique.
ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
hdc = half double crochet
trc = triple crochet
quadc = quadruple crochet, yo 3 times, insert hook into st, pull up loop, yo pull through 2 loop 4 times
pentc = penta crochet, yo 4 times, insert hook into st, pull up loop, yo pull through 2 loops 5 times

Sorry for the weird names of quadc & pentc, but I don't know the names of these stitches, so I called them what made sense to me. Does anyone know their official name? Couldn't find it on google.

R1 - 10 sc in a magic loop. If you don't know how to crochet in a magic loop you can watch a video here.  Tighten your magic loop but do not join with a slip stitch as you may be accustomed to doing. Instead just make the first stitch on the second round in the first sc of the first round.

R2 - 2sc in the first st (you may want to mark the first sc with a stitch marker), sc in 2nd, hdc then dc in 3rd, 2dc in 4th and 5th, 2sc in 6th, sc then dc in 7th,  2 trc in 8th, 2 quadc in 9th,  2 quadc in 10th. Again do not join.

R3 - Now your next stitch should be the first sc of the second round. In this stitch do 2 quadc & 1 pentac. Ch1, sl st in the same space (this will give a tiny point to the tail feathers). Now sl st down the side of the pentc going right to left. Join when you meet up with the next stitch.  It will look like this.

Now you should see the shape of the chick, but the tail part has such long stitches that it doesn't hold together.  So, tie off leaving a long tail to sew with. Flip the chick over and sew up and down the backs of all those stitches.  You will see little loops going up the back of each stitch.

Sew up and down under these little loops in rows to secure your stitches together.

For the eye sew a french knot between the 7th & 8th stitch of the second round. I first sewed a small straight stitch between the two catching a few threads from each and then sewed the french knot into the straight stitch to give it something to hold on to.

For the beak - join beak yarn in the 10th stitch of the second row. sc in the same stitch. fasten off and weave ends.

Hope you enjoy making these chickies! If you do please let me know! I'd love to see pic's! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask in comments or email me at mail.oodles4noodles@gmail.com

 © 2011 Carrie A. Piper
****You may do anything you like with items you make using my patterns.  If you sell them on-line I only ask that you link back to the post. You may also link back to this post on any blog or website. Please do not copy any part of this pattern and claim it as your own or copy and re-post it elsewhere. Thank You ****

Long Tailed Baby Elf Hat - Tutorial & Pattern

Thanks for this pic Room 118!

http://www.room118photography.com/


Materials - A size I crochet hook, 1 skein of each color. I used Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton in strawberry & almond. This yarn is marked as level 4 worsted weight. It had a bumpy texture and seemed closer to a level 5 in bulkiness to me.

YOU MAY DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THIS PATTERN ON Craftsy or Ravelry

This hat is 37 inches from end of tail to bottom of the ribbed brim and about 12 inches in circumference.

Directions are given for making the hat larger.

Luck O' The Irish - Shamrock Tutorial

My Etsy shop is up & so is my Facebook Fan Page. What better way to get things started than with a tutorial on how to crochet a shamrock & 4-leaf clover. So in honor of St. Patrick, March & my Irish ancestors - here it goes!

L- 4-Leaf Clover in Worsted Weight,   R- Shamrock with Bulky yarn

Materials - Any weight yarn with hook to match it's weight. You will need a very small amount of yarn.

To start you have 2 options - work in a magic ring or chain 3 and join with a slip stitch.

For Leaves - work the following into the center of the magic or chain ring you just made - ch3, tr, dc, tr, ch3, sl st - do this 3 times for a shamrock & 4 times for a 4-leaf clover.

Stem - after last sl st chain 5 to 7 (depending on how long you want your stem, I did 5). Sc in second chain from the hook. Sl st in each ch up the stem. fasten off & weave in ends.

Note - if you used a magic ring you should tighten it up before crocheting the stem.

Now you can make it into a pin, a magnet, put it on a hair clip or head band!
Hopefully some Irish luck will rub off on both you & me!

Until next time - Erin Go Bragh!