Recently I’ve gotten quite a few request for some pictures of how to roll up the crocheted rose. The rose that I will be rolling up is from my original crochet rose pattern. If you are new to reading crochet patterns, you may find the detailed explanation of the crochet rose pattern useful, since it explains the rose pattern without the abbreviations.

There isn’t an absolute right or wrong way to roll up a rose. Here is the way that I did it.

First I leave some extra yarn at the end of the rose for sewing later.

I start with the end that doesn’t have the extra yarn and roll the first petal to make the center.

I wrap the next 2 petals around it.

Then the next 3 petals around that. Each time I wrap around I try to hold the center tight and make each round looser and looser. (don’t mind my thumb, I was trying to hold the rose from unraveling)

Then the next 4 petals around that. Try to stagger your petals so that petals from each around don’t line up with petals from previous rounds.

Then lay the rest of the petals underneath the other rose petals.

Lastly, use the extra yarn and sew the flower together. Weave the yarn needle through the bottom of the rose and also into the different rounds of petals made. Remember there isn’t an exact science for rolling up a rose, so just play around with it and find what works best for you.

If you still need help with rolling up a crocheted rose, let me know by leaving a comment and I would be glad to help!

Snyder County Prison in PA has a new program where inmates can crochet blankets for charity! I’ve never been to a prison before, but I was so glad to read an article about it today. The prisoners crocheted about 18 blankets so far and donated them to local hospitals. This rehab program has become a huge success as it “shows them there are good things that can be done for other people that doesn’t take a whole lot of time or money. There are learning to cooperate, take directions and learn responsibility.”

According to staff in the prison, there has been a positive change in the inmates. They are becoming more relaxed and respectful. One inmate even said that they often think about the families that they will be touching with the blankets they make.

I’m so glad that the inmates have a chance to do something great even if they are in prison. I hope that other prisons have this program as well!

Here is a fun stitch pattern that is used to make this simple elegant wrap. The wrap is shaped as a long rectangle that you drape over you’re shoulders to keep you warm. This wrap is made by combining single and double crochet stitches. You can make this wrap as long or as short as you desire, just follow the instructions within this beginner level pattern.

Skill Level:

Finished Size: as wide and long as you want it! Just follow the directions within the pattern to make the size you desire.

Materials: Medium Weight Yarn (approximately 600 yards) Crochet Hook (5.5 mm)

Crochet Pattern: Wrap
Row 1: ch 36 or a chain that is as tall as you want your wrap, (sc, dc) in second ch from hook, *skip 1 ch, (sc, dc) in next ch* repeat from star across: 36 sts
Row 2: ch 1, turn, skip first 2 sts, (sc, dc) in each dc across: 36 sts

Repeat row 2 until your wrap is as wide as you desire.

If you need help with this pattern, let me know and I’ll be glad to help!

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Project. Here is a video with Margaret Wertheim, one of the creators of the project.

This video is awesome (in my opinion)! It’s about science, mathematics and crochet working together! How awesome is that? There is a bunch of geeky talk in the video, so if you’re into that you’ll love it as much as I did. Margaret Wertheim is such a great speaker. See for yourself!

Here is a scrubbie that is soft enough to shower and wash your face with and still tough enough to clean dirty pots and pans. I wouldn’t recommend using it for all of these at one time, so be sure to make enough to go around. No matter if you are a beginner or an advanced crocheter here is a pattern you can enjoy. It doesn’t take much yarn and can be whipped up fairly quickly. For extra scrubbing power, add some nylon netting.

Skill Level:

Finished Size: 3” (8 cm) diameter

Materials: Medium Weight Yarn (approximately 30 yards) Crochet Hook H (5.00 mm)

Crochet Pattern: Scrubbie (make 2)
Round 1: ch 2, 6 sc in second ch from hook, place marker: 6 sc
Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around: 12 sc
Round 3: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc) around: 18 sc
Round 4: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 2 sc) around: 24 sc
Round 5: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 3 sc) around: 30 sc
Round 6: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 4 sc) around, sl st in next sc, finish off: 36 sc

With a yarn needle, sew two circles together.

Strap
Row 1: ch 19, sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across: 18 sc
Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across, finish off: 18 sc

Using photo as a guide, sew strap to scrubbie with a yarn needle.

If you needle help with this pattern, let me know by leaving a comment!

This weekend I found a 50% off coupon online, so of course I had to make a quick trip to Jo-Ann to buy some yarn. My plan was to buy one skein of yarn for 50% off, silly right? Of course my plan didn’t work. When I got there just about everything was on sale!!! I ended up with 2 huge skeins of yarn and a whole lot of Lion Brand Chenille, which is normally $6.99 and I only paid $1.99 for each skein!

It turns out that I couldn’t use the 50% off coupon on items that were on sale. So I used it on a new N (10.00 mm) hook for bulky yarn, and saved 65 cents, woohoo! I’m so excited to have more yarn to play with. I wonder how quickly I’ll go through it all.

Welp, I hope some of you went to your Jo-Ann this weekend because all the yarn seemed marked down!

With beginner crocheters in mind, here is a shrug that is simple yet sassy. If you can crochet a rectangle then you can easily crochet this. The basic idea is to first crochet a rectangle and then sew up the two ends to form the sleeves. It is just as simple as that! Anyone can fit into this shrug since it can be easily adjusted. Just follow the instructions within the pattern to adjust the sleeves and the length as needed. Skill Level: Finished Size: 30” (76 cm) width from end of arm to arm, 10” (25.5 cm) tall from neck to bottom Note: to alter the size of this shrug, follow the directions within the pattern Materials: Medium Weight Yarn (approximately 200 yards) Crochet Hook J (6.00 mm) Yarn Needle Scissors

Crochet Pattern: Shrug
Start by chaining 28 or a chain that fits around the largest part of your arm
Row 1: ch 2, dc in third ch from hook and in each ch across: 28 dc
Row 2 – 42: ch 2, turn, dc in each dc across: 28 dc
Finish off.

Note: If the shrug is not the width that you desire (from the end of one sleeve to the other), continue to repeat the last row in the pattern.

To create sleeves, fold your work in half such that each row is folded in half. Starting at one end, sew piece together until you have sewed the length of 12 rows. Sew together the same length on the other side for the second sleeve. If you chose to alter the size of this shrug you may also want to alter the length of each sleeve.

If you need help crocheting this shrug, just leave a comment and I would be glad to help!

This week (May 2 – May 10) Michaels is having FREE workshops for kids to make their mother presents. I thought this was a neat idea, even thought there wasn’t any crochet. I’m not sure if these workshops are at every Micheals store, so you may want to check with the one closest to you. Here are the different workshops that was on the flyer I found.

Saturday, May 2: Create a personalized keepsake plate
Sunday, May 3: Make a one of a kind t-shirt for Mom to wear
Monday, May 4: Create a corsage
Tuesday May 5: Using colorful papers you can create a unique bouquet of flowers
Wednesday, May 6: Make a personalized coupon book that Mom can redeem for chores, nights out, a massage, etc.
Thursday, May 7: Card making using a template to color
Friday, May 8: Decorate a wooden picture frame
Saturday, May 9:Make beaded jewelry and learn the latest trends and techniques
Sunday, May 10: Decorate cookies with Mom

These events sound like fun! Anyone going?

Yes, you read the title right! Yours truly is making a store. I’m so excited I can’t put my hook down! I’ll be filling the store with my very own patterns. I still plan to have my free patterns, if you’re worrying about that. The store will give me the chance to earn some extra bucks so I can make even more patterns and tutorials to share. Feel free to visit the Crochet Spot Store tab to learn more about what’s going on!

I’m no expert, so I figured I’ll do some experimenting of my own to see what’s so great about cotton yarn and what’s not. I started my adventure off with some simple kitchen and bath accessories.

First off, the dishcloth!
Using Lily Sugar n’ Cream cotton yarn (which I’ve witnessed people raving about) I crocheted the simplest dishcloth I could think of (I even wrote a crochet pattern for it). It turns out that I love my dishcloth, other than the part where I haven’t worked up the nerve to use it yet. So much for an experiment huh? I’ll let you know how well it works when I use it!

Second, the super fluffy bath puff!
I always use nylon bath buffs that you can buy at the store for about $1, so I thought I’ll make my very own just for fun. Of course I made a crochet pattern for that too! This time I couldn’t wait to use it. I was so excited, I hopped into the tub, soaked it up and started cleaning. To my dismay, cotton bath puffs don’t lather like nylon!!! I’ll have to use a different type of yarn next time, maybe nylon yarn? Also cotton is super absorbent making the puff so heavy I thought it was going to break, lol. Better luck next time!

Whelp, there isn’t a definite conclusion to draw just yet. I still have more exploring to do. I can tell you that cotton yarn is really soft and fun to use. It might not be the best material to use for cleaning accessories (even though lots of people use cotton to make them), atleast for bath puffs, but I bet I will find something great to make with it. For now, the adventure is to be continued!

Do you use cotton yarn? What do you like to make with it? Do you have any tips?