Welcome to day 10 of the Advent CAL 2023 – the 10 Gift Bags of Christmas!
This is the last pattern in the CAL and is my first ever beaded crochet gift bag – published 9 years ago! It is another little beauty and I have made it several times. It is called the Beaded Crochet Pouch, not a very original name!
The pattern is available here and is free provided you use the code BEADS on purchase. All the patterns in the CAL will be available free for the duration of the CAL, until midnight GMT tomorrow 13th December 2023.
Welcome to day 9 of the Advent CAL 2023 – the 10 Gift Bags of Christmas!
This is the ninth pattern in the CAL and is another new design. This is made using the spike stitch to create a blocked pattern. It is made mostly in dc (sc for US terms) so takes a little longer than some gift bags. It is called the Spike Gift Bag.
The pattern is available here and is free provided you use the code SPIKE on purchase. All the patterns in the CAL will be available free for the duration of the CAL, until midnight GMT 13th December 2023.
Welcome to day 7 of the Advent CAL 2023 – the 10 Gift Bags of Christmas!
The seventh bag is one I published quite some time ago. It includes 2 rounds of tulip flowers. I think it is cute and colourful, and I would love to see some more colour variations. This is the St Davids Flower Bag.
The pattern is available here and is free provided you use the code TULIP on purchase. All the patterns in the CAL will be available free for the duration of the CAL, until midnight GMT 13th December 2023.
Welcome to day 2 of the Advent CAL 2023 – the 10 Gift Bags of Christmas!
The second bag is my go to style for a quick bag. I call it the V Simple Gift Bag
I’ve been making variations of this for some time.
It is also perfect for using leftover yarn and that’s exactly what I used for one of the samples I made for the CAL. And it’s easy to vary this by making a larger base or higher sides. This sample was slightly smaller and used 6 different colours of leftover silk yarn, perfect for wrapping a candle
The pattern is available here and is free provided you use the code VSTITCH on purchase. All the patterns in the CAL will be available free for the duration of the CAL, until midnight GMT 13th December 2023.
Welcome to the Advent CAL 2023 – the 10 Gift Bags of Christmas!
I have indulged myself far too much over the years by crafting presents and do not wish to repeat them. But I can still indulge myself by crafting gift bags. This has many benefits including helping reduce my stash of leftover yarn and ensuring my gift bags fit the gifts by tailoring them to size. The bags are all pretty enough to be kept or re-used for another recipient, so I get plenty of satisfaction when making them. This CAL gives me the opportunity to share the gift bags I’ve designed over the years.
Each day for the next 10 days I will present to you a crocheted gift bag. I’m starting the CAL with a gift bag that I think is easy. I originally designed this to use up some of my extensive stock of afghan square samples from my designs over the years. I never like to waste them and using them in a gift bag is a perfect use for them. However to show you how to make one I designed a straightforward Granny Square Gift Bag.
I made this one in silk so it has a lovely sheen. The pattern is available here and is free. All the patterns in the CAL will be available free for the duration of the CAL, until midnight GMT 13th December 2023.
The concept of making this bag is the same for any pair of afghan squares. I made a lovely small project bag (not a gift bag!) using my Highland Sunburst and Thistle squares designed for Friends Around the World.
And a tip – you can add a touch of sparkle by holding your yarn together with a strand of metallic sewing thread. Just look at this:
I hope you enjoy making this gift bag, Please share progress on Ravelry, Facebook or even instagram (I confess I locked myself out of my original account so I have a newer one here).
I’m so sorry that I have been quiet for the last 10 months, I’m still here but I haven’t had much to say!
Like many people, I’ve had plenty of time for reflection in the last few years. I’ve analysed my design work and realised that, even though I love it, I had become a slave to it. I spent too many hours making items I designed, writing patterns, drawing charts, organising testers and tech editors, and then publishing, promoting and, the most time-consuming, running CALs. I decided the best thing I could do for me is to slow right down and that is exactly what I have done. I confess I like it!
So designs have been minimal and I haven’t even got round to publishing them yet. But I have spent time decluttering and organising. I’ve also used my making time to make things for me, in particular socks which have become one of my easy makes. These are mainly knitted but I have spent time trying to find a great crochet sock – my favourite so far is Riley and Saunders by Joanne Scrace, written for both DK and 4ply yarn in a wide range of sizes.
Over the years, I’ve built a lot of personal stash and, as you will know from previous posts, I have tried to reduce this and did a good job for a while but I need to be more rigorous. So I’ve sorted some stash to sell (this was a hard decision!) and started to advertise it (slowly). So far I’ve advertised only on a facebook group but I may spread further. I’ve also realised that my WIPs have got out of hand so they are having some well deserved love. I’ve pulled out a Cloud Line Wrap that I started last May using some luxury stash yarn and I’m halfway through.
I’m using 4ply yarn in 4 colours and a 4mm hook. I haven’t decided how much of a fringe I want so I’m leaving some lengthy ends. I will do 19 or 20 repeats of the 4 colours using up virtually all the yarn.
I’m keeping some of my precious stash for my own use. I have 6 skeins allocated for more socks and 9 skeins in blues and greens which I may turn into an easy and, hopefully, quick blanket. This may turn into a CAL so watch this space.
Something that will be a CAL is a bag. This will be in blues and greys and will be very similar to the Spring Lifter. This may well emerge later this month 🙂
So I’ve just committed myself to a CAL and there’ll be another blog post soon.
Have you made all your circles yet? Don’t worry if you haven’t, just go at a pace that is right for you. But if you have finished you can now start joining.
The pattern here is written in UK crochet terms and these are the abbreviations used
st(s) stitch(es)
ch ch
dc double crochet
tr treble
htr half treble
dtr double treble
ss slip stitch
ch-sp chain space
The motifs are joined as you go, with a final round in your joining colour. I used a mid grey sock yarn.
Make all the circle motifs first, then lay them out in your blanket shape, moving them around until you have a colour scheme you like. Then photograph them to remind you of your layout. You may also wish to thread them onto a knitting needle in the reverse order you will join them. Either one long circular needle or one needle per row of blanket.
The final round is the same for all motifs and you will end with 24 2ch-sps and 4 3ch-sps. The motifs are joined at all these ch-sps.
First Motif Final Round: join yarn into any st (for Circle 7 it is best to join into a dtr), 1ch (does not count as st), *1dc, 2ch, miss 2 sts, 1htr, 2ch, miss 2 sts, 1tr, 2ch, miss 1 st, (1dtr, 3ch, 1dtr, 2ch) in next st, miss 1 st, 1tr, 2ch, miss 2 sts, 1htr, 2ch, miss 2 sts; rep from * to end of round, ss to 1st dc to join, break yarn and fasten off.
Start by joining the first row of motifs along the top of your blanket.
As with many join as you go methods, for each ss join insert the hook from the right side (front) through to the wrong side (back) of the motif you are joining to.
Complete your first motif with the final joining round. Then work the final round of the second motif, joining on one side of the first at 8 points as follows:
Final Round: join yarn colour into any st, 1ch (does not count as st), *1dc, 2ch, miss 2 sts, 1htr, 2ch, miss 2 sts, 1tr, 2ch, miss 1 st, (1dtr, 3ch, 1dtr, 2ch) in next st, miss 1 st, 1tr, 2ch, miss 2 sts, 1htr, 2ch, miss 2 sts; rep from * once, 1dc, 2ch, miss 2 sts, 1htr, 2ch, miss 2 sts, 1tr, 2ch, miss 1 st, (1dtr, 1ch, ss into 3ch-sp on first motif, 1ch, 1dtr) in next st, 1ch, ss to next 2ch-sp on first motif, miss 1 st, 1tr, 1ch, ss in next 2ch-sp on first motif, miss 2 sts, 1htr, 1ch, ss in next 2ch-sp on first motif, miss 2 sts, 1dc, ss in next 2ch-sp on first motif, 1ch, miss 2 sts, 1htr, ss in next 2ch-sp on first motif, 1ch, miss 2 sts, 1tr, ss in next 2ch-sp on first motif, 1ch, miss 1 st, (1dtr, 1ch, ss in 3ch-sp on first motif, 1ch, 1dtr, 2ch) in next st, miss 1 st, 1tr, 2ch, miss 2 sts, 1htr, 2ch, miss 2 sts, ss to 1st dc to join, break yarn and fasten off.
Continue in this way, joining the motifs across rows and then adding new rows on the bottom. For motifs from the second row onwards most will have to be joined along 2 sides, just follow the same techniques as you join. When joining into previously joined corners I prefer to place the ss into the space between the motifs that are already joined and over the previous ss join to secure it.
Don’t forget there is a paid for pattern on Ravelry which is also being released in parts and has a US crochet terms available too. It also includes some charts for the joining round.
I would love to see photos of your little circles, please share them on Facebook and Ravelry. Next week is the border.
How did you like the ruffles last week? They are surprisingly easy to make and add some lovely texture. This week for our last circles we are adding a little lace, but I love the ruffles so much that I decided I should combine them into other circles as well!
The pattern here is written in UK crochet terms and these are the abbreviations used
st(s) stitch(es)
ch ch
dc double crochet
tr treble
htr half treble
dtr double treble
ss slip stitch
ch-sp chain space
PART 4
Circles 7 and 8 are lacy, again useful for single colour yarns. They use roughly the same amount of yarn as Circle 1.
Circle 7 – lace
Foundation: 4ch, join into a ring with a ss.
Round 1: 1ch (does not count as st), (1dc in ring, 4ch) 7 times, 1dc, 2ch, 1htr in 1st dc to join (the 2ch, 1htr forms the last 4ch-sp). [8dc, 8 4ch-sps]
Round 2: 1ch (does not count as st), (1dc in 4ch-sp at base of ch, 2ch, (1dc in next 4ch-sp, 2ch) 7 times, ss in 1st dc to join. [8dc, 8 2ch-sps]
Round 3: ss in 1st 2ch-sp, 3ch (counts as 1tr), 3tr in same 2ch-sp, 4tr in each remaining 2ch-sp around, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [32tr]
Round 4: 1ch (does not count as st), 1dc in sp before 1st tr, 5ch, (1dc in next sp between 2 groups of 4tr, 5ch) 6 times, 1dc in next sp between groups of 4tr, 2ch, 1tr in 1st dc to join (the 2ch, 1tr forms the last 5ch-sp). [8dc, 8 5ch-sps]
Round 5: 1ch (does not count as st), (1dc in 5ch-sp at base of ch, 5ch, (1dc in next 5ch-sp, 5ch) 7 times, ss in 1st dc to join. [8dc, 8 5ch-sps]
Round 6: 4ch (counts as 1dtr), 7tr in next 5ch-sp, *1dtr in next dc, 7tr in next 5ch-sp; rep from * to end of round, ss in 4th ch from start to join, break yarn and fasten off. [56tr, 8dtr]
I made 14 of Circle 7 for my blanket.
Circle 8 – just a little lace
Foundation: 4ch, join into a ring with a ss.
Round 1: 1ch (does not count as st), (1dc in ring, 4ch) 7 times, 1dc, 2ch, 1htr in 1st dc to join (the 2ch, 1htr forms the last 4ch-sp). [8dc, 8 4ch-sps]
Round 2: 1ch (does not count as st), (1dc in 4ch-sp at base of ch, 2ch, (1dc in next 4ch-sp, 2ch) 7 times, ss in 1st dc to join. [8dc, 8 2ch-sps]
Round 3: ss in 1st 2ch-sp, 3ch (counts as 1tr), 3tr in same 2ch-sp, 4tr in each remaining 2ch-sp around, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [32tr]
Round 4: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 2tr in next st, *1tr in next st, 2tr in next st; rep from * to end of round, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [48tr]
Round 5: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 1tr in next st, 2tr in next st, *1tr in each of next 2 sts, 2tr in next st; rep from * to end of round, ss in 3rd ch from start to join, break yarn and fasten off. [64tr]
I made 14 of Circle 8 for my blanket.
Now you have completed 8 different circles you could try combining elements from each circle to give more variation. For example, the following circle is a combination of Circle 7 and Circle 4.
Circle 9 – a little lace with a small ruffle
As shown in the motif at the bottom of the photo below.
Foundation: 4ch, join into a ring with a ss.
Round 1: 1ch (does not count as st), (1dc in ring, 4ch) 7times, 1dc, 2ch, 1htr in 1st dc to join (the 2ch, 1htr forms the last 4ch-sp). [8dc, 8 4ch-sps]
Round 2: 1ch (does not count as st), (1dc in 4ch-sp at base of ch, 2ch, (1dc in next 4ch-sp, 2ch) 7 times, ss in 1st dc to join. [8dc, 8 2ch-sps]
Round 3: ss in 1st 2ch-sp, 3ch (counts as 1tr), 3tr in same 2ch-sp, 4tr in each remaining 2ch-sp around, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [32tr]
Round 4: 5ch (counts as 1dc, 4ch), miss 1 st, *1dc in next st, 4ch, miss 1 st; rep from * to end of round, ss in 1st ch from start to join. [16dc, 16 4ch-sps]
Round 5: work this round behind the 4ch-sps from Round 3, 1ch does not count as st, ss in 1st missed st in Round 2, 3ch (counts as 1tr), 2tr in st at base of ch, 3tr in each following missed st, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [48tr]
Round 6: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 1tr in next st, 2tr in next st, *1tr in each of next 2 sts, 2tr in next st; rep from * to end of round, ss in 3rd ch from start to join, break yarn and fasten off. [64tr]
I made 9 different combined circles for my blanket.
Don’t forget there is a paid for pattern on Ravelry which is also being released in parts and has US crochet terms available too.
I would love to see photos of your little circles, please share them on Facebook and Ravelry. Next week it is joining!
March is National Crochet Month in the US and has, over several years, expanded to become International Crochet Month. I love to do something special for this crochet month and this year I decided I would look to one of my designs from 2014 – March Crochet Scarf. 2014 was the year I challenged myself to design one scarf a month, and March was the one I designed in March!
So what better way to celebrate than to offer March Crochet Scarf at a sale price for the whole month. So from midnight GMT tonight until midnight GMT on 31st March, you can get 25% off the price of the March Crochet Scarf pattern on Ravelry. No coupon code required, the sale is automatic.
Now this is a pattern I love – it uses just one skein (100g) of 4 ply yarn but can be adapted to any yarn weight. So I am going for a rummage in my stash and plan to make another March Crochet Scarf this month. Check back here for updates! Meanwhile here is a photo of this lovely scarf
I hope you have made lots of little circles from Part 1. I’ve been blown away by the many lovely circles I’ve seen! This week we make a simple variation of the first circle in Circles 2 and 3 which use slightly less yarn, great if you have a few scraps that weren’t quite enough for Circle 1.
Keep those scales out as it really is useful to weigh them as you make them. I found each used just a little less than 3g/12m. And keep that ruler/tape handy as I know many of you have found variations in size and needed to adjust.
These are a selection of Circles 2 and 3, they have ‘spokes’ in them so that’s why I chose their names.
The patterns are written in UK crochet terms and use the same stitches as last week, with just one addition: ch-sp which means chain space. The other abbreviations can be found in that post. Don’t forget there is a paid for pattern on Ravelry which is also being released in parts and has a US crochet terms available too.
Circle 2 – centre spoke
Foundation: 4ch, join into a ring with a ss.
Round 1: 4ch (counts as 1tr, 1ch), (1tr in ring, 1ch) 7 times, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [8tr, 8 1ch-sps]
Round 2: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 1tr in st at base of ch, 2tr in each st and in each 1ch-sp around, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [32tr]
Round 3: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 2tr in next st, *1tr in next st, 2tr in next st; rep from * to end of round, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [48tr]
Round 4: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 1tr in next st, 2tr in next st, *1tr in each of next 2 sts, 2tr in next st; rep from * to end of round, ss in 3rd ch from start to join, break yarn and fasten off. [64tr]
Circle 3 – mid spoke
Foundation: 4ch, join into a ring with a ss.
Round 1: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 15tr in ring, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [16tr]
Round 2: 4ch (counts as 1tr, 1ch), (1tr, 1ch) in each st around, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [16tr, 16 1ch-sps]
Round 3: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 2tr in next 1ch-sp, *1tr in next st, 2tr in next 1ch-sp; rep from * to end of round, ss in 3rd ch from start to join. [48tr]
Round 4: 3ch (counts as 1tr), 1tr in next st, 2tr in next st, *1tr in each of next 2 sts, 2tr in next st; rep from * to end of round, ss in 3rd ch from start to join, break yarn and fasten off. [64tr]
I made 24 each of Circles 2 and 3 for my blanket.
I would love to see photos of your little circles, please share them on Facebook and Ravelry.
Next week the circle has a bit more texture.
Until then, happy crocheting xxx
The patterns and photographs in this post are copyright
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