♥  Baubles and Angels ♥

I have to admit I LOVE crocheting for Christmas !
Give me some sparkly yarn, some polystyrene spheres, ribbons and bells
and I could happily crochet decorations for the full 12 months of the year.

A couple of years ago I designed some Christmas pieces for lovecraftcrochet and I
still get lots of requests for the patterns, so today's post is all about
Baubles and Angels as the patterns for both are written out below.

I hope you enjoy making them as much as I did.

♥ Baubles ♥

   

My design is worked for two different sized baubles,
with each crochet bauble having a Polystyrene sphere inside of either 3.5cm or 6cm.
The baubles are worked in two halves which are then stitched together
 around the centre of the bauble.
The larger pattern is for a bobbly bauble and the smaller pattern
 is for a stripy bauble.
The finished baubles have a plastic hook added at the top to attach the hanging ribbon to.

For my Baubles I used Cascade Sunseeker in:

 Light Green 33 and Crimson 06. I also used Wendy Supreme in White 1820.

To add extra sparkle, the bobbles for the large baubles and the stripes

 on the small baubles are worked in:

 Twilleys Goldfingering in Red 038 and Gold 002.

I worked both sized baubles with a 3 mm hook.

You will also need some 3.5cm and 6cm Polystyrene Spheres. 

For my hanging loops I purchased some plastic hooks specifically 

designed to be used with Polystyrene spheres.

For the hanging loops you will need some small amounts of co-ordinating ribbon.

   

The Baubles are worked in a continuous round so you

 may find it helps to use a stitch marker.

    

To make the large Bobbly Bauble.

Round 1: Begin by making a Magic Ring and work 8 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from Round 1, 16sts.

Round 3: *Work 1 DC in to the next stitch and then 2 DC in to the following stitch.

*Work from * to * all the way around, 24sts

Round 4: This is going to be your first bobble round, and you will also continue to increase your stitches. Whilst this sounds complicated if you follow the stitch pattern below it’ll all work out beautifully !

Work a bobble in to the first stitch as follows: Yarn over in your bobble colour and work 5 HTR, leaving the final loop of each HTR on the hook. You will end up with 6 loops on your hook, one in your main colour and 5 in your bobble colour. Yarn over in your main colour and pull through all the loops on your hook.
*Now work 1 DC in the next stitch, 2 DC in the following stitch, 1 DC, 1 DC, and 2 DC in the following stitch. Into the next stitch work another bobble.*

Repeat from * to * a further 3 times. On the third repeat finish with a DC rather than another bobble.

    

At the end of Round 4 you should have 4 bobbles and 32 sts.

Round 5:   *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 3 stitches, then work 2 DC in to the following stitch. * Repeat from * to * all the way around, 40sts.

   

Round 6: Work a round of DC, 40 sts.

Round 7: Work 5 DC, then *make a bobble in to the next stitch and then DC 9*. Repeat from * to * all the way around. At the end of Round 7 you should have 4 bobbles and 40sts.

    

Round 8 and 9: Work a round of DC, 40sts.

Round 10: *Work a bobble in to the first stitch, followed by 9 DC*. Repeat from * to * all the way around. At the end of Round 10 you will have 4 bobbles and 40 sts.

   

Round 11: Work a round of DC, 40sts. Finish off and sew in the ends.

This completes the first half of the bauble. Make a second half in exactly the same way.

 

When both halves are complete fit them on to the Polystyrene sphere and using a
length of yarn and a needle carefully stitch the two halves together.
Finish off and sew in the ends.

Push the pastic hook in to the top of the bauble ,
add a hanging loop and to finish add a small bow.

 

To make the small Stripy Bauble.

                      For the sparkly stripes I used 2 x strands of the Twilleys Goldfingering.

Round 1: Working in your main colour begin by making a Magic Ring and work 4 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from the first round, 8 sts. On the final stitch of this round work your ‘yarn over’ with 2 x strands of the Twilleys Goldfingering.
Round 3: Working with the 2 x strands of the Twilleys Goldfingering *work 1 DC in to the next stitch followed by 2 DC in to the next stitch*. Repeat from * to * all the way around, 12 sts. On the final stitch of this round work your ‘yarn over’ with the main colour.
Round 4: Working in your main colour *work 1 DC in to each of the next 2 stitches, followed by 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat  from * to * all the way around, 16 sts. On the final stitch of this round work your ‘yarn over’ with 2 x strands of the Twilleys Goldfingering.

Round 5: Working with the 2 x strands of the Twilleys Goldfingering * work 1 DC in to each of the next 3 stitches, followed by 2 DC in to the next stitch.* repeat from * to * all the way around, 20sts.

Rounds 6 to 9: Work a round of DC, 20sts, remembering to change colours at the end of each round as above. Your last round will be one in the Twilleys Goldfingering. Finish off and sew in the ends.

This completes your first half. Now make a second half in exactly the same way, but on this half finish after Round 8. This will mean your final round will be in your main colour.

Once both halves are complete fit them on to the Polystyrene sphere and using 1 x strand of the twilleys Goldfingring, sew the two halves together. Finish off and sew in the ends.

 

To finish, push the plastic hook in to the top of the bauble and add a hanging loop and a small bow.

   

 ♥

 ♥ Christmas Angel  ♥

For my Angel I used a variety of different textured yarns 

and when completed she measures approximately 13cm high.

I used the following yarn : 1 x Paintbox Cotton in 453 for the head, hands and base,  

1 x Sirdar Ophelia in 0107 for the dress, arms and wings 

1 x Bergere de France, Abakan in Ecru for the hair.

 I also used a small amount of Gold Twilleys Fingering to edge the wings.

I worked with a 2.5 mm hook for the main part of the angel and a 4.5mm 

and 2.5 mm hook for the wings.

You will also need 2 x small black safety eyes and some toy stuffing.

The Angel is worked from the top of the head down, in continuous rounds. 

You may find it helps to work with a stitch marker.

To make the body:

Round 1: Begin by making a Magic Circle and work 6 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from the first round, 12 sts.

Round 3: *Work 1 DC in to the first stitch and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 18sts.

Round 4: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 2 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 24 sts.

Round 5: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 3 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 30 sts.  

Rounds 6 to 13: Work a round of DC, 30 sts.

Round 14: *DC in to each of the next 3 stitches then decrease 2 by DC the next 2 stitches together.* Repeat from * to * all the way around, 24 sts.

Round 15: Decrease by DC  2 stitches together all the way around, 12 sts.

Round 16: * DC in to the next stitch and then decrease by DC the next 2 stitches together.* Repeat from * to * all the way around, 8 sts.

Round 17: For this round you are now going to increase to start the shaping of the neck and body. Dc2 in to each stitch all the way around, 16 sts.

Round 18: Work a round of DC, 16 sts.

Round 19: *Work 1 DC in to the first stitch and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 24sts.

Rounds 20 and 21: Change to the white yarn and work a round of DC, 24 sts.

Round 22: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 2 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 32 sts.

Rounds 23 and 24: Work a Round of DC, 32 sts.

After completing Round 24 fix the safety eyes in place and stuff the head

Round 25: Work a Round of DC, 32 sts.

Round 26: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 3 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 40 sts.

Rounds 27 to 29: Work a Round of DC, 40 sts.

Round 30: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 4 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 48 sts.

Rounds 31 to 33: Work a Round of DC, 48 sts.

Round 34: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 5 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 56 sts.

Rounds 35 to 37: Work a Round of DC, 56 sts.

Round 38: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 6 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 64 sts.

Round 39: Work a Round of DC, 64 sts. Finish off and sew in the ends.

The next stage is to make the additional parts for the angel. 

She will need two arms, a ruffle to go around the top neck 

edge of the dress and some wings.

To make the arms:

Round 1: Using the pink yarn make a Magic Ring and work 6 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: *Work 1 DC in to the first stitch and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 9 sts.

Rounds 3 and 4: Work a round of DC, 9 sts. At the end of Round 4 change to the white yarn.

Now continue working rounds of 9 DC until the arm measaures approximately 5.5 cm . Finish off leaving a long tail. Make a second arm.

To make the Neck Ruffle:

Chain 25.

Row 1: Starting in the 2^nd chain from the hook work 2 HTR in to each stitch all the way along the chain. At the end of the row Chain 1 and turn.

Row 2: Work 1 HTR in to each stitch, all the way along the row. Finish off, leaving a long tail.

Using the long yarn tails on both of the arms and the neck ruffle sew the additional pieces on to the angel.

   

To make the wings:

The wings are made from a circle of crochet that’s folded in half and joined together around the edge.

Round 1: Make a Magic Ring and work 8 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from the first round, 16 sts.

Round 3: *Work 1 DC in to the next  stitch and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 24 sts.

Round 4: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 2 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 32 sts.

Round 5: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 3 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 40 sts.

Round 6: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 4 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 48 sts.

Round 7: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 5 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 56 sts.

Round 8: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 6 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 64 sts. Finish off and sew in the ends.

Round 9: Work a round of DC, 64 sts.

Round 10: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 7 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 72 sts. Finish off and sew in the ends.

Round 11: Work a round of DC, 72 sts.

Round 12: Work 2 DC in to each stitch all the way around. Finish off and sew in the ends.

   

To finish the wings fold the circle in half and using a 2.5mm hook and the Gold Twilleys Fingering join the two halves together by working 2 DC in to each stitch all the way around. Work this same edging along the straight edge too. Finish off and sew in the ends.

  

Attach the wings to the angels back by sewing them to the main body using a needle and some of the yarn.

To make the angels hair:

Using the Bergere de France yarn cut some lengths of yarn that are long enough to go from one side of the head across to the other. Lay them out on a flat surface to position them correctly, and then using a needle and some yarn sew them in to place on to the angels head. I stitched mine so it had a side parting and then attached a small bow and sewed some further stitches on the other side of the head too.

   

To finish your angel:

You are now going to stuff the angels body, and sew on the base. The base is made in the Pink yarn as follows:

Round 1: Make a Magic Ring and work 8 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from the first round, 16 sts.

Round 3: *Work 1 DC in to the next  stitch and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 24 sts.

Round 4: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 2 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 32 sts.

Round 5: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 3 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 40 sts.

Round 6: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 4 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 48 sts.

Round 7: Work a round of DC, 48 sts.

Round 8: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 5 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 56 sts.

Round 9: Work a round of DC, 56 sts.

Round 10: *Work 1 DC in to each of the next 6 stitches and then 2 DC in to the next stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way round, 64 sts. Finish off and sew in the ends.

Once your base is complete, use some soft toy stuffing to stuff the angels body.  Now take the base and with the right side facing outwards, place the base over the bottom of the body, rejoin your white yarn and join the base and the bottom edge of the dress together by working a round of DC.

   

To complete my angel I then worked a scalloped border on to the bottom of the dress by working the following pattern all the way around the bottom edge:

Working in to the front loop only, work  a *Sl St in to the first stitch, a DC into the next stitch , and then work a HTR, TR, HTR and DC all in to the following stitch.* Repeat from * to * all the way around, finish off and sew in the ends.

October  

 ♥

    I am an Autumn Adorer !

 I love absolutely everything about about this season, 

right from the very start where the trees just start to take on differing shades of gold, 

to digging around in piles of leaves for conkers, 

to the smell of bonfire night 

and then that first frosty crunch of the year 

when the fallen leaves become crisp and delicate in the cold.

I don't think I will ever get fed up of this beautiful season.

Whether the days are bright and sunny 

or cold and wet 

they each bring with them the sense of the year drawing to a close 

and the time for a little bit of home hibernating.

 

And of course, it goes without saying,

 that with said home hibernating comes all things crochet !

 ♥

BIG HAPPY SIGH

 ♥

Over the past few years my Autumn crochet makes seems to have increased somewhat

 and so I thought I'd put together a post sharing a few of my favourites.

Firstly - Pumpkins !

I just love everything about them, 

from their shape to the huge array of colours 

to the fun you can have crocheting them, the list is endless.

 

These little yarny pumpkins are perfect as table or mantle piece decorations

 - but be warned - 

they are seriously addictive 

and once you've made one

 you'll suddenly find yourself surrounded by a little pumpkin patch !

These ones are some that I designed for www.lovecraftscrochet.com last year 

and you can find the free patterns here

And if you fancy a bit of teeny crochet you could have a go at hooking up some of these mini pumpkin keyrings. ( Pattern in the link above)

 

And then of course, you could go to the complete other extreme and go LARGE !

The same pattern can be used for pumpkins of all different sizes, 

from thin cotton yarn to big and chunky, 

just choose the hook size accordingly and off you go.

 ♥

Then, when you're all pumpkinned out, 

 there's another whole world awaiting of crocheted Autumn leaves.

From the simplest of garlands made of bunches of oak leaves and acorns, 

(pattern here )

 to ones abundant with golden leaves and pine cones 

(pattern here)

the only limit is your imagination.

 

(pattern here)

This Autumn Garland (below) is one that I designed for Simply Crochet's 2019 Calendar, 

the idea behind it being an Autumn walk in the woods 

where your feet are landing on a soft carpet of leaves 

and when you look hard enough,

hidden in amongst the leaves, are lots of tiny bright toadstools, 

poking through to the see the daylight.

The pattern for this wreath is available here

Lastly, if you still have some orange yarn left over, 

how about a little Pumpkin Mouse to keep an eye on all those crochet pumpkins !

He is such a quick thing to make, as like the other pumpkin patterns, his body is simply a rectangle of crochet, gathered top and bottom and stuffed with toy stuffing. His head and ears are worked from a Magic Ring and his arms and tail are simply crochet chains.

If you fancy having a go the pattern is here.

And so, I wish you a very Happy October 

that will hopefully be full to the brim with lots of Autumn crochet!

 ♥

                                                                                                                     ♥

Circles in squares baby blanket.

 

With a homemade blanket being the perfect gift for any new born baby I have designed a blanket that is not only bright and colourful but will have them learning their shapes before they know it !

With a bobbly border and pompoms added at the corners there’s also lots of lovely texture for those little fingers to explore.

I made my blanket in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino as it gives the softest of finishes and there is a wonderful array of colours to choose from.

For my blanket I used 6 x balls of White 340100, and 1 x ball each of Duck Egg 340026, Slate 340009 and Acid Yellow 340091.

I worked with a 3mm hook.

Each square is made up of a central circle in one of the three colours, with the white yarn being used to make a square around the circle and then to join all the squares together.

 

In total I made 21 squares in each of the three different colourways.

 

Once all the squares were joined together I added a bobble border all the way around the blanket and finished it off by adding three small pompoms , one in each colour, at each corner of the blanket.

The finished blanket measures approx. 60cm x 50cm.

To make the circle:

Round 1: Make a Magic Ring and work 8 DC in to the ring.

Round 2: Work 2 DC in to each stitch from Round 1, 16 sts.

Round 3: *Work 1 DC in to the next stitch and then work 2DC in to the following stitch*. Repeat from * to * all the way around, 24sts.

Round 4: * Work 1 DC in to each of the next 2 stitches and then work 2DC in to the next stitch*. Repeat from * to * all the way around, 32 sts.

Round 5: Work a round of DC, 32 sts. Slip stitch to join, finish off and sew in the ends.

Making the circle in to a square:

Round 1: Working in to the back loops only, join in your white yarn with a Sl St. Work 1 DC in to the same stitch and then work 2 further DC. You are now going to make your first corner:* work  1 HTR,  and then in to the next stitch work  1HTR, 1TR and 1HTR . Work 1 HTR in to the next stitch.*

   

Now work 5 DC to make the next side and repeat from * to * to make your second corner.

Continue working around the circle so that each side has 5DC and each corner is worked as for * to *.  After your 4^th corner work 2 DC. This will bring you back to the beginning of the round, Sl St to join and chain 1.

              

Round 2:

Now working in to both loops as usual, work a DC in to the same stitch as the chain at the end of your last round and then work a further 3DC. *Work 1 HTR in the next stitch, followed by 3 HTR all in to the next stitch. Work 1 HTR.*

Now work along the next side with 7 DC, and repeat from * to * to make your second corner. Continue on around the square in this way working 7 DC along each side and repeating the corner 4 times.

After your fourth corner, work 3 DC, Sl St to join and chain 1.

   

Round 3:  Work a DC in to the same stitch as the chain at the end of your last round and then work a further 4DC. *Work 1 HTR in the next stitch, followed by 3 HTR all in to the next stitch. Work 1 HTR.*

Now work along the next side with 9 DC, and repeat from * to * to make your second corner. Continue on around the square in this way working 9 DC along each side and repeating the corner 4 times.

After your fourth corner, work 4 DC, Sl St to join and chain 1.

   

Round 4:

Work a DC in to the same stitch as the chain at the end of your last round and then work a further 7DC. *Work 3 HTR all in to the next stitch.*

Now work along the next side with 13 DC, and repeat from * to * to make your second corner. Continue on around the square in this way working 13 DC along each side and repeating the corner 4 times.

After your fourth corner, work 6 DC, Sl St to join and finsih off. Sew in the ends.

   

Joining the blanket together:

Once you have completed all 63 squares lay them out onto a flat surface in the pattern that you want the finished blanket to be in. I find the best thing for pinning the squares together is safety pins as you can easily pick up the blanket and work with it without all the squares moving about.

 

   

To get a neat finish to your blanket work all of your joining seams in the same direction. I started by joining all the long seams first and I joined the squares together by working in Sl St all the way along.

To add a little bit of extra texture I used DC to join the shorter seams.

 

Adding the border:

Round 1: Work a round of DC all the way around the edge of the blanket, working 2 stitches in to two of the corner stitches as you go round, to stop the blanket losing its shape.

Round 2: This round is the bobble edging. With the wrong side of the blanket facing you, *yarn over and pull through to approx. TR height. Repeat the yarn over and pull up 5 more times. Yarn over and pull through all the loops on your hook.

   

Work a Sl St to hold the bobble together *and Sl St in to the next stitch. Sl St in to the next stitch and then repeat from * to * in the next stitch. Work 2 Sl St after each bobble. Continue this pattern all the way around the edge of the blanket and Sl St to join at the end of the round. Finish off and sew in the ends.

  

To finish off my blanket I made a small pompom in each of the three colours and secured them firmly to each corner.

♥