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Cactus Christmas Ornament – Free Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

by yarnfullyyours 0 Comments

Cactus Christmas Ornament

July 25, 2018

Merry Christmas in July!

In my family, the Christmas season is a favorite time of year. Whether it’s because of all the decorations and festivities, the fact that my dad was a Christmas baby (and my mom a Christmas Eve baby), or simply the miracles of long ago remembered on this day, we celebrate this cherished holiday from Black Friday through the New Year!

Since this day is such a big deal in my family, we naturally have several Christmas traditions that we enjoy honoring each year. I started a new tradition in my family a while ago in which I gift a new Christmas tree ornament on Black Friday to my parents and siblings. Over the last several years, it morphed into me gifting an ornament I personally created. And what fun that has been! This past Christmas, I designed my own ornament…

…a mini-cactus for my brother’s annual ornament. And I’m here to share it with you today!

You can add this pattern to your Ravelry queue here or Pin It for later here.

Finished size: approximately 3” x 4”

My Materials:

  • worsted weight yarn, brown (Color A) and green (Color B) – Red Heart Super Saver used in sample
  • accent colored worsted weight yarn (scrap red yarn was used in the sample)
  • fiber fill
  • Hook F (3.75 mm)
  • tapestry needle
  • pipe cleaner (optional)

Abbreviations:

  • BLO – back loop only
  • ch – chain
  • sl st – slip stitch
  • sc – single crochet
  • hdc – half double crochet
  • dec – (decrease) single crochet the next 2 stitches together
  • inc – (increase) work 2 single crochets into the next stitch
  • * – work directions between the 2 * on repeat, as stated for that round

Notes:

  • This project is worked in continuous rounds.
  • When stuffing and attaching the cactus’ arms, a small length of pipe cleaner was used for added shaping and durability.

The Pattern

Pot:

Round 1: Using Color A, in a magic circle, sc 6 (6 sc)

Round 2: Inc around (12 sc)

Round 3: Sc, inc around (18 sc)

Round 4: In BLO, sc around (18 sc)

Round 5: Sc around (18 sc)

Round 6: *Sc in next 5 stitches, inc* around (21 sc)

Round 7: *Sc in next 6 stitches, inc* around (24 sc)

Round 8: Sc around (24 sc)

Round 9: Sc around (24 sc)

Round 10: In BLO, *sc, dec* around (16 sc)

Round 11: Dec around (8 sc)

Finish off, close stitches, and sew in the end.

Cactus:

Main Stalk:

Round 1: Using Color B, in a magic circle, sc 8 (8 sc)

Round 2: *Inc, sc in the next 3 stitches* twice (10 sc)

Rounds 3-12: Sc around (10 sc)

Fasten off with a long tail for attaching. Stuff and sew to the center of the top of the pot.

Bottom Arm:

Round 1: Using Color B, in a magic circle, sc 5 (5 sc)

Rounds 2-7: Sc around (5 sc)

Round 8: 1 hdc, 4 sc

Round 9: 2 hdc (partial round)

Sl st in the next stitch and fasten off with a long tail for attaching.

Insert pipe cleaner piece and connect to rounds 8-10 of main stalk.

Top Arm:

Round 1: Using Color B, in a magic circle, sc 5 (5 sc)

Rounds 2-4: Sc around (5 sc)

Round 5: 4 sc, inc (6 sc)

Round 6: 4  sc, 2 hdc

Sl st in the next stitch and fasten off with a long tail for attaching.

Insert pipe cleaner piece and connect to rounds 6-8 of main stalk.

Accessorize:

Using a length of scrap red yarn, I wrapped the pot and tied a bow in the front. Using a scrap length of glittery gold yarn, I attached a hanger.

Feel free to accessorize as you feel inspired. This ornament would look cute with a star affixed to the top of the cactus, or perhaps adding plastic mini Christmas lights to the stalk, or whatever strikes your fancy!

 

Yarnfully Yours,

The Bubbly Bobble Baby Blanket – Free Crochet Pattern

by yarnfullyyours 0 Comments

The Bubbly Bobble Baby Blanket

July 18, 2018

As a school teacher, I find that the summer months are a wonderful opportunity to catch up on aspects of life that don’t revolve around classroom activities and responsibilities. And, as such, I decided to take this summer to get ahead on things in my crochet world. That included stocking up on some baby shower gifts so that I would be prepared if the need would arise during the school year.

I started by stocking up on Lion Brand’s Mandala yarn in preparation for some baby blanket creations. When I got my hands on some of the Wood Nymph colorway, I couldn’t wait to get to work! The colors in this yarn are gorgeous, and I love the way they blend with each other as the colors change!

I decided to stay simple with the stitching and let the yarn work its magic. By adding some bobbles along the way, this sweet blanket worked up quickly and beautifully with a little texture to travel along with the color changes.

You can add this pattern to your Ravelry queue here or Pin It for later here.

Finished size: approximately 30” x 39”

My Materials:

  • weight 3 yarn: Mandala (Wood Nymph), 2 cakes – Color A
  • DIYarn (Cream), 1 skein – Color B (optional)
  • Hook H (5.00 mm), for blanket
  • Hook I (5.5 mm), for edging
  • tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

  • ch – chain
  • sc – single crochet
  • hdc – half double crochet
  • * – work directions between the 2 * on repeat, as stated for that round

Notes:

  • Here is the Bobble Stitch used in this pattern: *Yarn over, insert hook into the next stitch, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops on hook*, repeat 2 more times until there are 4 loops on hook, yarn over and pull through all 4 loops
  • When creating this blanket, I used 2 cakes of the same colorway of Lion Brand’s Mandala yarn. When purchasing the cakes, I bought 2 that were very similar in color changes, checking to make sure they began and ended with the same colors. I used the first cake as I usually do. However, when starting to use the second cake, I began it from the opposite end so that the coloring resulted in a mirrored effect rather than a repeated effect.

 

The Pattern

Blanket:

Using color A, ch 116

Row 1: Hdc in second chain and each remaining chain (115 hdc)

Row 2: ch 1, turn, hdc in the first stitch, *bobble stitch in the next stitch, hdc in the next 3 stitches*, repeat to the last 2 stitches, bobble stitch, hdc (86 hdc, 29 puffs)

Row 3: ch 1, turn, hdc across (115 hdc)

Row 4: ch 1, turn, hdc across (115 hdc)

Row 5: ch 1, turn, hdc in the first stitch, bobble stitch in the next, hdc across until 2 stitches remained, bobble stitch in the next, hdc in the last (113 hdc, 2 puffs)

Rows 6-119: Repeat rows 3-5

Row 120-121: Repeat rows 3-4

Row 122: Repeat row 2

Row 123: Repeat row 3

Finish off and tie in any ends.

Edging:

Using an I hook, attach color B (optional – you can use any remaining yarn from color A to work up the edging if you so desire) to any stitch in the middle of the last row worked. Single crochet in each stitch around, working 3 sc in each corner. Finish off and tie in ends.

 

Yarnfully Yours,

A Pocketful of Sunshine – Free Crochet Emoji Amigurumi Pattern

by yarnfullyyours 0 Comments

A Pocketful of Sunshine

July 10, 2018

About a month ago, the end of the school year was swiftly approaching, and I was busy collecting items for and packing summer goody bags for my students. And as I like to incorporate a handmade touch to my student gifts, I was also busy working up these little smiles.

These little friends are easy and quick to work up (in fact, they are very similar to my Classic Scrubby pattern). This was a perfect solution to the time crunch I faced as my to do list grew longer and the countdown grew shorter!

Adding the faces was a lot of fun and a great way to personalize the project for each student. I have a nice selection of eyes (and noses – notice the heart noses I re-purposed as eyes here) in my supplies, and by adding some black yarn and a red sharpie, I was able to create a slew of different expressions. I hope you have as much fun with this project as I did!

You can add this pattern to your Ravelry queue here or Pin It for later here.

Finished size: approximately 3” in diameter

My Materials:

  • Hook G (4.00 mm)
  • DIYarn in yellow (I was able to get 5 of these little friends from one skein)
  • small amount of black yarn or embroidery thread
  • safety eyes (optional)
  • red sharpie (optional)
  • blunt tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

  • ch – chain
  • sl st – slip stitch
  • sc – single crochet
  • sc2tog – single crochet the next 2 stitches together
  • inc – work 2 single crochets into the next stitch
  • * – work directions between the 2 * on repeat, as stated for that round

The Pattern:

Round 1: working in a magic circle, sc 6 (6 sc)

Round 2: inc around (12 sc)

Round 3: *sc, inc* around (18 sc)

Round 4: *sc, sc, inc* around (24 sc)

Round 5: *sc, sc, sc, inc* around (30 sc)

Rounds 6-7: sc around (30 sc)

Round 8: *sc, sc, sc, sc2tog* around (24 sc)

Round 9: *sc, sc, sc2tog* around (18 sc)

Add face and stuffing.

Round 10: *sc, sc2tog* around (12 sc)

Round 11: *sc2tog* around (6 sc)

Fasten off. Close stitches and weave in end.

 

Yarnfully Yours,

Introducing Pocket Pals – A DIYarn Review

by yarnfullyyours 0 Comments

Introducing Pocket Pals

July 3, 2018

I recently came across these incredibly adorable skeins of yarn…

Aren’t they sweet? I have to say, I instantly fell in love with them! I picked up every color they had in store (I was at Hobby Lobby at the time). I then tracked them down on-line and ordered several more colors.

Now, I know these are small skeins, but they are reasonably priced. And I just seem to be attracted to things that come in small packages!

Let me tell you a little more about this recently discovered treasure of mine…

  • This is a fairly new yarn put out by Lion Brand.
  • There are quite a few colors available (24, according to Lion Brand’s website), including brights, pastels, and neutrals.
  • This is a weight 4 category yarn.
  • Each skein is 1.05 ounces (30 g) and contains 65 yards (60 m).
  • The yarn is 100% acrylic and is therefore machine washable and dryable.

I was inspired by this yarn! I began to envision mini-projects coming from these mini-skeins. I got right to work and began creating. So, stay tuned for my first design inspiration in what I hope will grow to be a new line of patterns…

Yarnfully Yours,

 

DISCLAIMER: This is an honest review of my personal findings and opinions of this product. I was in no way compensated by Lion Brand for this review.