Get ready for the cooler days of fall with my newest design for Universal Yarn: the Crimson Cowl. The cowl is shaped to drape gently around the neck and to sit lovingly over the shoulders.
The Yarn
Fibra Natura’s Cashmere Lusso from Universal Yarn is a luxurious blend of virgin cashmere and recycled cashmere. You can feel good about using yarn with recycled fiber, and the yarn feels great against the skin.
Cashmere yarn is lightweight but warm, and is lovely to crochet with.
You’ll need just a single skein in either this beautiful Anthurium color or one of the other on-trend colors available.
The Pattern
There are no tricky stitches here. Just chains, single and double crochets worked in the round and fanning out to create a lovely drape from the neck down. Use a size H-8 (5 mm) hook or whatever size you need to get gauge.
The pattern for the Crimson Cowl is free at Universal Yarn’s website. The pattern is both written and charted.
Other Projects
For other small crochet projects to keep your neck and shoulders warm, check out these patterns. Hint: They all have text AND charted instructions.
This year the Eckman family started a new family holiday tradition: crafting together. Over Christmas week, both my 20-something children were home for a visit at the same time.
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Daughter Meg had brought a variety of left-over yarns to crochet flowers for a Spring Wreath. Charles, visiting from far-away California, had in mind that he wanted to crochet a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) dice bag. He asked if I’d teach him to crochet. How could I possibly refuse?
A Crochet Lesson
I grabbed a ball of Meg’s green yarn (conveniently sitting on the coffee table in front of us), a 5 mm crochet hook (conveniently within reach on my rolling cart), and demonstrated holding the hook and yarn.
A bag is a great first project. We covered the skills of slip knot, chain, slip stitch, chain-1 build-up chains, working into a ring, and single crochet in the first five minutes. Charles was a quick study, understanding the concepts right away. It was just a matter of his becoming comfortable manipulating the yarn and hook.
Meg’s wreath with crocheted flowers
With the basic skills in place, we went back to our respective projects. I worked on my Crochet Skill-Builder Afghan (Crochet Along coming very soon!), Meg grew an entire garden of blooming flowers, and Charles worked out his own way of holding yarn and hook. And husband Bill? He joined in by helping untangle and re-wind a mess of yarn. It really was a family affair!
After a while, I demonstrated double crochet, so the bag-in-progress got a round of taller stitches here and there. When the bag was the right size, he added a drawstring chain in a contrasting color. By the end of the day, the bag was complete, and it was a rousing success!
Outfitting the Newbie
Of course, our next step was to go shopping in the Yarn Room (AKA “the attic”) for yarn for the next bag. Mountain Colors Weaver’s Wool Quarters in color Glacier Teal was the winner, with a bit of odd-ball teal of unknown origin for accent. This bag is a bit larger. It’s designated as a project bag, to hold not only a WIP (Work in Progress), but also the small collection of stitch markers, scissors, and other necessities that every crocheter needs.
Over several days, we worked on various projects. Instead of staring at our individual device screens, we worked with nice yarn, created beautiful things and (gasp!) talked to one another.
He’s Hooked
We now have a Crochet Convert. Between stitching sessions, Charles polled members of his D&D campaign to ask what two colors would best represent their characters. He headed back to California with enough yarn to make custom dice bags for all the players in the campaign, along with hooks in varying sizes, and a copy of The Crochet Answer Book. (I’m assuming that none of them read this blog, so a spoiler alert wasn’t necessary there.)
Planning for Next Year
Crocheting together was a lovely way to spend time together as a family. I think we’ve crafted a new holiday tradition! This year it was crochet. I wonder what we’ll do next year?
Next week, I’ll share the pattern for the Crochet Bag for Beginners (AKA D&D Dice Bag).
For a bit of perspective, check out Teach a Young Child to Knit. These same two “children” appear with yarn there, too.
Show your love this Valentine’s Day! The Hearts All Around Hat provides rounds and rounds of hearts to keep heads toasty warm. You can knit one up in a couple of days, so you have plenty of time before Valentine’s Day to make one (or more!) for your nearest and dearest.
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Hearts All Around Pattern Details
The pattern is sized for children through adults. It’s written for worsted weight yarn knit in the round on 16” [40 cm] circular and double-pointed needles, but using either the Magic Loop or two-circular method is always an option. Choose which color is the main color and which is the contrasting color. One ball of each color will make at least two hats.
I used Brown Sheep NatureSpun Worsted, but just about any worsted weight yarn will work. I’d love to see it in the brand new Chic Sheep by Marly Bird,
Get into the holiday spirit with these classic Santa hats. I designed them for Red Heart several years ago, and they are a perennial favorite. There’s a knit version and a crochet version, both topped with a generous pompom. Continue reading “Free Pattern: Santa Hat”
Looking for a gift with a sheepy theme? Love wool but don’t think you need more yarn? Check out these sheep-themed gifts good for holiday or year-round giving.
Decorate your home or add a special touch to your holiday gift-giving by crocheting or knitting your own holiday decor. The following patterns are all reasonably fast to make as we head into the busy season.
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