Crochet a Christmas Tree!

Hi there! I hope you're having a great day wherever you are! 

So December is nearly here, and that means Christmas is just around the corner!! Eek!  Where has the year gone? I feel like I have been going backwards this year, always chasing my tail!  Hopefully I'll be more organised next year and get my act together!! :) 

Anyway, I have been doing a bit of crochet and I thought I'd share a little Christmas decoration that I've been making this week, I like to try and come up with a new decoration each year and this is what I've made for this year! 

I hope you like it!  It has a bit of a rustic, folky feel which I like.  

These cute crochet Christmas Trees are made in 2 flat pieces, a front and back, that are then crocheted together. They can be left flat or can be stuffed for a more 3D effect, They are very simple to make, I have done a spotty bobble version and a striped version, so you can make a whole forest of dangley trees if you like!  There are lots of ways you could decorate these trees you could add a little sparkly star to the top and a loop and hang them, you could sew on beads or buttons, or make little stands from slices of branches and stand them up like a forest. or you could make a few and turn them into a Christmas bunting!  ( I think I might do this with mine!)

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Crochet Christmas Trees!

Materials and hook: They can be made from any yarn you like, different yarns will give you different looks, use the crochet hook 1 size smaller than recommended for the yarn you use.

I used MoYa cotton Caresse which is a rustic 10ply yarn and a 4.5mm hook.

Stitches used:

Chain (ch): Yarn over and draw through loop on hook.


Treble (tr): Yarn over, insert hook in stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, (3 loops on hook),

yarn over and draw through 2 loops, yarn over and draw through remaining 2 loops.


Treble two together (2trtog): [Yarn over, insert hook in stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops] 2 times, yarn over , draw through all loops on hook.

Double Treble Bobble (dtr bobble) : [Yarn over twice, insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over draw through 2 loops, yarn over draw through 2 loops] 3 times, yarn over draw through all loops on hook.

(To make a bobble in a contrast colour; in the stitch before the bobble, use the bobble colour for the last yarn over so that it is ready to be used to make the bobble. Change back to the background colour in the last yarn over drawing through all loops on hook.)

Turn work after each row.

Staring chains in each row do not count as stitches. 

Australian/English terms.

Bobble Tree Front:

Row 1: Ch3, 2tr in 1st chain. (2sts)

Row 2: Ch2, 2trtog in first stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (3sts)

Row 3: Ch2, 2trtog in first stitch, dtr bobble in next stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch (4sts) 

Row 4: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (5sts)

Row 5: Ch2, (2trtog in first stitch, dtr bobble in next stitch) repeat to last stitch,

2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (6sts)

Row 6: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (7sts) 

Row 7: Ch2, (2trtog in first stitch, dtr bobble in next stitch) repeat to last stitch,

2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (8sts)

Row 8: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch (9sts) 

Row 9: Ch2, (2trtog in first stitch, dtr bobble in next stitch) repeat to last stitch,

2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (10sts)

Row 10: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. Bind off (11sts)

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Tree Back:

Row 1: Ch3, 2tr in first chain. (2sts)

Row 2: Ch2, 2trtog in first stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (3sts)

Rows 3 to 10: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (increasing 1 stitch in each row) Bind off.

Place the front and back together with right sides outside, join edge colour to bottom right corner and dc through both layers. Dc around the tree making a picot (4 chain, slip stitch into 1st chain) ever 3 stitch or so. when you get back to the bottom edge, dc half way along then pop a small stick for a tree trunk and crochet around it and continue to where you started , join with a slip stitch to the first stitch and bind off.

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For a striped tree:

Make as for the tree back, but use 2 colours alternating each row and crocheting over the unused colour across the row, so it is in the right place to start the next row. 

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Well that's it for now, I'm off to make a few more trees for my shop window! 

Talk soon! xxxxxxx

Retro Solid Granny Square Blanket - Tadah!

Hi there! 

I hope everyone is having a great day, I have a colourful post for you today! 

I have been hooking steadily away through January and I've actually finished my first project for 2017! Yay! :) That's pretty good going for me! 

This blanket was quite the speedy make, I seemed to have enough squares made in no time and then it was just a matter of sewing them all together and hooking a border up.  

I have to say that I loved working with the MoYa Caresse Aran Cotton, it was nice and textural and worked up fast with a 5mm hook.  The colours were all so beautiful and worked so well together all the combinations look great (well I think so anyway!) . I love that slightly washed out look of the MoYa palette, and the hand dyeing process leaves some nice subtle variations in the colours which I really like. (You can see this most in the border where there are a few rows of the same colour).

This has ended up about cot size, nice for a baby or lap blanket. 

So here's the nitty gritty: 

Pattern: My version of a Solid Granny Square (108 squares)

Yarn: MoYa Caresse Aran Cotton in 10 different colours

Hook: 5mm

Size: cot size (9 x12 squares) 

........this was when I was blocking the blanket after joining all the squares together, I thought about blocking each individual square, then decided to wait till they were all joined, it seems to have worked out ok.  It is quite a thick textured blanket, and i like the slightly puffy look to the squares....

 .....tadah!  All finished! 

....you can see how big it is all laid out on my table, not giant........

Onto the next thing now, it feels great to have something completely finished in under 6 weeks, I wonder if I can keep the momentum going and get the next one finished as quickly!  Not likely! :) 

Have a great day/night everyone, happy hooking!! 

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Solid Granny Square Pattern ( my version:) )

Hello!  How has your day been?  

Mine has been great, it's warm and sunny here, hard to have a bad day in weather like this.  :)

Today I thought I'd share the pattern I've been making recently, it's my version of a solid little granny square.  I'm sure there are heaps of patterns out there for a traditional square like this, but I want to keep a record of what I've done just in case I happen to get side tracked by some other shiny project and leave these sitting unfinished for ages. I tend to be a bit of a fickle crafter!

Ok here we go! 

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Little Woollie Solid Granny Square

(This pattern is written in US terminology.)

Material: MoYa Caresse Cotton (Aran weight)

5mm hook

Special stitch:

2dctog : Yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops, yarn over and insert hook into same stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through all loops on hook. 

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Chain 4, slip stitch join to create a circle.

Round 1: Ch2, 4dc into circle, ch1, 4dc into circle, ch1, 4dc into circle, ch1, 4dc into circle, ch1, join with slip stitch to 1st dc.  Bind off.

Round 2: join new colour to any corner chain space, ch2, 3dc in same space, *1dc in next stitch, 2dctog in next stitch, 2dctog in next stitch, 1dc in next stitch, (3dc, ch1, 3dc) in corner chain space,* repeat from *to * along each side of the square, ending with 3dc, ch1 in 1st chain space. Join with a slip stitch to 1st dc.  Bind off.

Round 3: Join new colour to any stitch, ch1, sc in each stitch around, making (1sc, ch1, 1sc)  in each corner,. Join with a slip stitch to 1st sc. Bind off. 

Weave in ends.  All finished.

As you can see from the photo above, the squares benefit from some blocking to get their square shape in order. ( the one on the left hasn't been blocked yet, the one on the right was lightly blocked)

This is quite a chunky little square, I think it will make a nice sturdy blanket when I sew a heap of them all together

Anyway that's it for now, I'm off to make a few squares! 

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new blanket beginnings

Hello there!

It's been a beautiful day here, and I've been making some little granny squares for a new baby blanket.  It's been lots of fun! :)

What do you think of these gorgeous soft colours?

I'm enjoying playing with all the colour combinations, I am going for a bit of a vintage/retro vibe with the colours in this blanket, I think the slightly washed out, faded pastels are very pretty.

Hopefully I will get lots of squares made over the next few lazy week of Summer, this kind of feels like a Summer blanket. :)

I'm using  MoYa Caresse cotton, this is an Aran weight cotton, really great to crochet with, and is working up quite quickly with a 5mm hook, the texture is beautiful!  They are going to need a bit of blocking as I am trying to get a nice solid granny square, so have crammed in the stitches. 

I'm planning on making about 80 squares, so nothing too big, and it should actually get finished!! 

I'll post a few progress updates as this grows, I had forgotten how fun mini squares can be! 

Have a great day/night wherever you are! 

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Dotty Flower Hexies

Hi there! 

I hope your having a great day. :) 

Today I thought I'd share a pattern that I've had tucked away for a few months, it is an extension of my Dotty Flower pattern, by adding a couple of rounds I have turned them into hexagons that can be joined and made into blankets, cushion covers or whatever you like! 

It is quick and easy and I really like how they turn out!

I'm using US terminlogy, so for Australian/UK terms, 

sc = dc, 

dc = tr, 

tr = dtr, 

dtr = trtr

(I'll pop the original flower pattern here too, to make things a bit easier.  If you want to check out the whole tutorial with photos you can find them in the original post over here.)

Dotty Flower

4 mm hook, small quantities of 8ply/DK yarn in 3 colours

Special instructions:  

2dc Cluster: Yo, insert hook in stitch, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops ( 2 loops left on hook) , yo, insert hook in same stitch, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops (3 loops left on hook) , yo and pull through all loops on hook. 

Petal Cluster: Step 1- *Yo twice, insert hook into 2 ch space, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops, yo and pull through 2 loops, leave last loop on hook ( 2 loops on hook) * .  

Repeat * to *  (3 loops on hook) 

Step 2 - Yo 3 times, insert hook in skipped stitch of round 1, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops, yo and pull through 2 loops, yo and pull through 2 loops, leave last loop on hook  ( 4 loops on hook) 

Repeat Step 1 into the same 2 ch space ( 6 loops on hook) .

Step 3- Yo and pull through all loops on hook. 

Pattern: 

Chain 4, slip stitch into 1st chain to form a ring.

Round 1: ch2 (does not count as a stitch), 12 dc into ring, slip stitch join to 1st dc, fasten off. 

Round 2:  Join next colour to any stitch, ch2, make a 2dc cluster into same stitch, *ch2, skip 1 stitch, make a 2dc cluster in next stitch, * .  Repeat * to * 4 more times, to make 6 cluster, ending with 2ch and slip stitch join to 1st cluster. Fasten off.

Round 3: Join next colour to any 2ch space.  *Ch 4, make a petal cluster, ch 4, slip stitch into same 2 ch space, slip stitch into next 2ch space. *  Repeat * to * making 6 petals around the flower in the 2 ch spaces of previous round. Slip stitch into 1st space to join, fasten off and weave in all threads. 

All finished! :) 

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.....and here are the extra 2 rows: 

Dotty Flower Hexagon:

Background Rd 1: Join background colour to top of any petal, Ch1,  *3sc in same stitch in top of petal,  5tr in stitch on top of  Round 2 dots*,    Repeat * to * 5 times,  slip stitch to 1st sc. 

Background Round 2:  Ch1,  Make 1 sc in each stitch of previous round, except in the corners of the hexagon where you make 3 sc in the same stitch, ( this will be the middle stitch of 3sc in top of each petal) 

Join with slip stitch to first sc. Bind off. 

.........In this photo you can see the 5 trebles in between each petal and how it should look after the 2 rounds.

.......and here you can see the 3sc in the top of each petal in the first round.   In the final round, the corner are made by making  3sc  into the middle stitch of these 3 stitches of the first round.

So that is the Dotty Flower Hexie, I am thinking of making a couple of pillow cases for our bed with these hexies, I think it would be lovely and colourful. 

Happy days to you! 

Talk soon!

Chunky Sunburst Granny Blanket

Hello there. 

I hope you're having a lovely day! 

This is a blanket that I finished a while ago and while I have shared it on Instagram, I don't think I ever got around to showing it on here. So if you've already seen this on Instagram I apologise, but I like to share things over here too, it's kind of like a diary of my crochet that I can check back on when I need to make something again. :) 

Anyway, this is the fabulous Sunburst Granny Square pattern by Priscilla Hewitt, 

The yarn I have used is MoYa Bulky Plush Organic Cotton, it's a chunky weight so you use a 10mm hook.  I loved how quickly these squares worked up in the Bulky Plush.  I only needed 12 squares and I had a decent sized baby blanket! I used around 1 ball each of the colours in the centres, and 6 balls of cream for the background colour, plus 1 ball of the border colour.  That is quite a lot of yarn, so this is a rather special blanket, but I am really happy with how it's turned out! 

I'm thinking of making a pillow in the same pattern and yarn, with 6 squares, so rectangular, and maybe with a vintage blanket for the back side......., I think they'd look great on a bed!  Or even a square cushion made from 4 of these squares on the front would look awesome. :) 

So many ideas, not enough hours! :) 

Have a great day, talk soon! 

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Mini things

Hello there! 

Just a quick post from me today to say hi and show you some mini things I've been crocheting recently.  I've been having fun playing with the beautiful colours in the MoYa organic cotton that I'm stocking in my shop, I just loved the slightly washed out colours and the pastel shades. And it's really nice to crochet with. 

I found this very cute Little Hearts pattern by the very clever Sarah-Jane from Flo and Dot,  I think I'm going to make a heap of them and thread them onto strings and dangle them in a doorway so they catch the breeze. Nice. 

Also, I've been playing around with flowers again, I do love a hooky flower!  This time I'm making them up as I go along, which is a lot of fun.  I'm going to choose my favourites and write the patterns up for a little workshop I've got planned for later in the year.  

There is something very gratifying about making mini things, they work up so quickly, you can really play with colour and it doesn't take long to get your ideas out of your head and into reality! 

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Thanks so much to all the fabulous crafty peeps who have signed up for my Autumn Yarny Love Club already, I have some cute things planned that I hope you'll enjoy, I'm really looking forward to sharing some great yarns with you all!  There are still some places left if you'd like to join up, all the info is in this post over here. :)   xxxxx

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I'm off to do some shop work and finish off some makes for the Emu Plains Market this Saturday, if your in the area (Mornington Peninsula) come and say hi! :) 

Have a lovely day! 

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