pattern Archives | Edie Eckman

August 15, 2019August 15, 2019

Join-As-You-Go Crochet with Flat Join

Two granny squares joined with flat join using join-as-you-go

Using a join-as-you-go method to join crochet motifs is a great way to save time and effort.

With join-as-you-go, you don’t have any seaming to do at the end of the project, because you have joined all your individual pieces as your work. The flat join method of join-as-you-go gives a particularly beautiful and smooth connection.

Flat joins can be worked into chain spaces or into the top of stitches. With granny squares, the joins are usually worked into the chain-spaces.

Follow these step-by-step instructions, or scroll down to the bottom of the post for a video explanation.

This post contains affiliate links which don’t cost you anything but may provide a small income to me. The yarn pictured is Red Heart Chic Sheep by Marly Bird.

Join-As-You-Go Granny Square

We’ll be joining a classic granny square that has chain-2 corners and chain-1 side spaces. My sample square has three rounds.

Begin by working the entire first square. Weave in the ends.

Crochet the second square, stopping before you work the last round.

Two granny squares: one complete and one incomplete

Begin working the last round of the second square, stopping when you get to the half-way point of a corner. In other words, stop after “3 dc in corner space, ch 1”.

Flat Join Join-As-You-Go

To work a flat join, draw up the loop on the hook until it is a bit longer than usual, then take the hook out of the loop. This is known as “dropping the loop”.

flat join, step 1: Insert hook from RS to WS into first square

Pick up the first square with the right side facing. Insert the hook from right side to wrong side (from front to back) through a corner chain-2 space.

flat join, step 2: Pick up dropped loop and pull it through

Pick up the dropped loop with your hook and draw it through to the right side of the first square.

Flat join, step 3: Continue on current square

Continue working on current square: ch 1, 3 dc in same space.

Continue working flat joins in the chain-1 spaces along this side, while working (3 dc, ch 1) in each ch-1 space of the current square. The last flat join will be in the chain-2 corner space.

Completing the Square

Once the squares are joined all along their sides, keep working along the remaining sides of the current square to complete the round.

Learn More About Join-As-You-Go

Join-as-you-go is such a time- and effort-saving technique! There’s a lot more to learn about this topic. If you want to make your crocheting life happier, check out my books and pattern page, as well as these resources:

Join As You Go Seamless Crochet Techniques

August 5, 2019August 5, 2019

Crochet Pattern: Crimson Cowl

Crimson Cowl Universal Yarn designed by Edie Eckman

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

Crimson Cowl designed by Edie Eckman for Universal Yarn

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.

Bobble Fringe Scarf

Cascade of Color Scarf

Easy-to-Wear Cowl

July 31, 2019August 5, 2019

Free Knitting Pattern: Quick & Easy Summer Placemats

Easy Summer Placemats Free Knitting Pattern by Edie Eckman

Easy Summer Placemats Free Knitting Pattern designed by Edie Eckman

Brighten up your summer with these quick and easy summer placemats. They are a perfect first project for beginning knitters, and they make a great house-warming gift for new neighbors.

This post may contain affiliate links, which help support me but don’t cost you anything extra.

The Yarn

Bulky-weight yarn makes the knitting go fast! Lion Brand Rewind Tape Yarn is fun to work with. Because of its construction, it’s less bulky than you would think, and it imparts a great texture to the fabric.

I love the exuberant colors that I used, but you can also choose from more muted shades to suit your taste. The instructions below are for two placemats in different main colors. If you want to make four placemats, two of each color shown, with a yellow stripe on each, you’ll need two balls each of the blue and pink, and one ball of the yellow.

The Pattern

Garter stitch is about as basic as a knitting stitch can be, and that’s all you need to know to knit these placemats! Minimal pattern-reading is required, and gauge doesn’t even matter all that much.

Quick & Easy Summer Placemats

One size: 16″ x 13″/40.6 x 33 cm

Materials
Lion Brand Rewind Tape Yarn (70% polyester/30% viscose, 3.5 oz / 100 g, 242 yd / 221 m), 1 ball each color 148 Fish Bowl (A), color 195 Think Pink (B), and color 157 Make Lemonade (C) [See note above about yarn amounts for multiple placemats.]

US Size 10.5 / 6.5 mm knitting needles

Stitch marker or piece of waste yarn

Gauge
13 sts and 22 rows = 4″ / 10 cm in garter stitch (knit every row)
Gauge is not crucial in this project.
Watch How to Measure Gauge in Knitted Garter Stitch for more information.

Pattern Notes
Leave a 6″ / 15 cm tail for weaving in each time you begin and end a yarn.

Beginning knitters will want to knit the pattern exactly as written. More experienced knitters may create a slip-stitch selvedge by slipping the last stitch of each row knitwise with yarn in front.

Abbreviations
k: knit
RS: right side
st(s): stitch(es)
WS: wrong side

Instructions
With A, long-tail cast-on 42 sts. Knit 1 WS row. Turn work, and place a marker or piece of waste yarn on this side to indicate that the side is the right side.

Knit every row until piece measures 13″ / 33 cm from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row. Cut A, leaving a 6″ / 15 cm tail for weaving in.

With C, knit 10 rows (5 garter stitch ridges). Cut C.

With B, knit 2 rows (1 garter stitch ridge). Cut B.

With A, knit 6 rows (3 garter stitch ridges). Bind off.

Weave in ends.

Make a second placemat, substituting B for A and A for B in the instructions above.

Other Projects

Check out these other easy knitting patterns:

Blue Springs Double Cowl

Easy Quick-Knit One-Skein Tea Cozy

Molly Hat

Stoneybrook Shawlette

Zig Zag Eyelet Scarf

April 23, 2019June 17, 2019

Easy Lacy Rib Knitting Stitch Pattern

This Easy Lacy Rib knitting stitch pattern is perfect for warm-weather knitting. With only a 3-stitch and 4-row repeat, you’ll soon get into the rhythm of the pattern without having to think too much.

Can’t you see this as a cotton summer wrap, or perhaps as a tunic to wear over your tank top or swimsuit? Or use a lightweight yarn to create a simple shawl for cooler weather.

The yarn I’m using is Chic Sheep by Marly Bird from Red Heart. I’m using US 8 [5 mm] Clover Takumi bamboo knitting needles. The grey yarn pictured below is Nifty Cotton from Cascade Yarns.

Easy Lacy Rib

Cast on a multiple of 3 sts + 1.

Row 1 (WS): K1, *p2, k1; rep from *.
Row 2: P1, *yo, ssk, p1; rep from *.
Row 3: Rep Row 1.
Row 4: P1, *k2tog, yo, p1; rep from *.

Repeat Rows 1-4 for pattern.

That’s it! Watch the video for tips on how to read your knitting so that you can go “off pattern” and pick up wherever you left off.

Abbreviations
k: knit
k2tog: knit 2 sts together
p: purl
rep: repeat
ssk (slip, slip, knit): slip the next 2 sts one at a time knitwise, insert left needle into the fronts of these two sts, then knit them together through the back loops
st(s): stitch(es)
WS: wrong side
yo: yarn over

For more knitting stitch patterns, check out the list of stitch pattern dictionaries

April 2, 2019April 1, 2019

Linked Treble Crochet Stitch Pattern

Crocheters, expand your stitch pattern knowledge with linked treble crochet! While regular treble crochet stitches are quite tall, with space between the posts, linked treble stitches are connected post-to-post, creating a solid fabric.

Linked stitches are sort of a cross between regular treble crochet and Tunisian crochet, worked with a regular crochet hook. Note that I’m using American crochet terminology here. UK crocheters will know this as linked double treble crochet.

This post contains affiliate links which may provide a small income to me but don’t cost you anything extra.

Grab some yarn and an appropriately-sized hook, and practice along with me. I’m using Marly Bird’s Chic Sheep yarn from Red Heart, with a Clover Amour crochet hook, size 5.5 mm.

Be sure to watch the video, where I demonstrate two different ways to work into the chain on the first stitch of the row. Choose your favorite.

Linked Treble Crochet

Beginning Linked Treble in progress — Beginning Linked Treble

Special Stitches
Beginning Linked Treble (Beg Ltr): Ch 4 (does not count as a st), insert hook into 2nd ch from hook, yarn over and pull up a loop, insert hook into next ch, yarn over and pull up a loop, insert hook into st at base of ch-4, yarn over and pull up a loop (4 loops are on hook) [(yarn over, pull through 2 loops] 3 times.

Arrows showing path of hook — Arrows show the three places to put your hook in linked treble crochet

Linked Treble: Insert hook into upper horizontal bar of previous st, yarn over and pull up a loop, insert hook into lower horizontal bar of previous st, yarn over and pull up a loop, insert hook into next st, yarn over and pull up a loop (4 loops are on hook) [(yarn over, pull through 2 loops] 3 times.

Instructions

Chain any multiple.

Set-Up Row: Ch 1, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn.

Row 1: Beginning Ltr, Ltr in each st across, turn.

Rep Row 1 for pattern.

Abbreviations
Beg Ltr: beginning linked treble crochet (see Special Stitches)
ch: chain
Ltr: linked treble crochet (see Special Stitches)
sc: single crochet

January 28, 2019January 28, 2019

Free Pattern: Thread Crochet Heart Necklace

Show your love with this thread crochet heart necklace. It takes just a few yards of crochet thread and can be stitched up in less than an hour.

This post contains affiliate links.

Red Thread Crochet Heart Necklace crochet pattern by Edie Eckman — This necklace used Aunt Lydia Classic 10, color Victory Red.

The heart necklace pictured measures about 16″ [40.5 cm] long. Each heart measures about 1″ [2.5 cm] wide x 1″ [2.5 cm] high. However, you can easily adjust the size by adding or subtracting hearts or chains at the beginning and end of the heart sequence. The pattern uses American crochet terminology. Check out Crochet: Basics & Beyond if you need help.

Materials

Cotton Crochet Thread size 10. Samples used:
(A) Red Heart Classic 10, color Victory Red
(B) Aunt Lydia Classic 10, color 332 Hot Pink
(C) Nazli Gelin Garden 10

Size B-1 [2.25 mm] crochet hook

One small button for necklace closure

Pink Thread Crochet Heart Necklace crochet pattern by Edie Eckman — This necklace used Aunt Lydia Classic 10, color Hot Pink.

Abbreviations and Special Stitches

ch: chain
dc: double crochet
2-dc cluster: (Yarn over, insert hook into back bump of ch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops) twice in same chain, yarn over, pull through 3 loops.
2-tr cluster: [Yarn over twice, insert hook into back bump of ch, yarn over, pull up a loop, (yarn over, pull through 2 loops) 2 times] twice in same chain, yarn over, pull through 3 loops.
picot:Ch 3, slip st in 3rd ch from hook and in top of stitch at base of chain.
sc: single crochet
slip st: slip stitch
tr: treble crochet

Gauge

About 15 sc = 2″. Gauge is not crucial in this pattern.

Pink and White Thread Crochet Heart Braid pattern by Edie Eckman — Leave off the chains at the beginning and ends and add beads at the picot points to make a decorative braid. This sample was made with Nazli Gelin Garden.

Necklace Instructions

For a decorate braid, omit the instructions in red.

Thread Crochet Heart Necklace crochet pattern chart by Edie Eckman

thread Crochet Heart Necklace stitch key by Edie Eckman

Row 1: Ch 15, [ch 6, 2-dc cluster in 5^th ch from hook] 22 times, ch 20—22 clusters, 57 chains. [Note: There is 1 ch between each ch/2dc cluster.]
Row 2: Turn, sc in 6th ch from hook to form button loop, sc in next 13 ch, *slip st in next ch, ch 2, skip 1 cluster (2-dc cluster, ch 1, 2-tr cluster, picot, tr, ch 1, 2-dc cluster) in next ch, ch 2, slip st in base of next cluster; rep from * 10 more times, slip st in next ch, sc in each ch to end.

Fasten off, leaving a long tail.

Try on necklace. Using tail, sew button on end opposite button loop, adjusting to fit.

What would happen if you used a bigger yarn and the same pattern to make a scarf? If you try it, please let us know!

More Ideas

Get more ideas for thread crochet necklaces and braids by browsing Around the Corner Crochet Borders and Every Which Way Crochet Borders. You’ll find hundreds of crochet borders than can easily turn into necklaces, scarves and more!