Finished Sizes: Baby, Toddler, Child (exact measurements and instructions for measuring are included within pattern)

Skill Level:

Materials: Medium Weight Yarn (approximately 100 yards of orange and small amount of green) Crochet Hook I (5.50 mm) Yarn Needle

Download:

1. Go to the Crochet Spot Store
2. Login or create a new account
3. Add item to shopping cart and check out. (Premium Pattern Members may download pattern for free without checking out)

All purchases help to support Crochet Spot and are greatly appreciated!

Need help while crocheting your pumpkin hat? Just let me know and I’ll help!

In my teens, I joined 4-H and my mother became the crochet teacher of our small group. My first project was a washcloth. At first I couldn’t figure out how Mom made it look so easy. My washcloth was a sorry representation compared to her’s! Yet, because of her patient encouragement I finally was able to create something I could be proud of. It took me several years to put it to use. I grew so attached to my first project dirty dishwater seemed to be an injustice!

What was your first crochet project?

A lot of crocheter’s (and knitters) I have met over the years each have their own way of starting a center pull ball, but it’s essentially the same regardless of what ‘apparatus’ you use at the very start.
The method described below are fine for starting from either a ball, skein, cone or hank.

1: Wrap yarn around between two pencils (or two fingers, two markers, or any cylindrical objects will also be fine), leaving long tail wrapped between the two and trailing away.

2: Wrap the yarn around both pencils 8-15 times, not to tightly, but not too loosely either.

3: Slide the wrapped yarn off of the pencils and hold the yarn with your forefinger and thumb. Begin to wrap yarn around in a clockwise motion around the held between your forefinger and thumb, all the while leaving the long tail alone to hang out the middle of the yarn

4: Continue wrapping while rotating the ball in a way that leaves the long beginning tail somewhat exposed. So wrap the yarn around 12-20 times, rotate, wrap again, rotate, wrap again. Try to keep the shape round and the center pull exposed.
See how easy?

Have any questions or tips about rolling a center pull skein? Comment here!

Photo courtesy of Gwen Kranz

With only 2 years of crochet experience, Morgan Kranz is a great example that you can make a difference at any age and skill level (and turn a profit at craft fairs).

The pattern shows two colors, but this type of pattern is great to experiment with many colors. It’s also a great way to use up scrap yarn. Thinner cotton is suggested for this pattern because it makes the hacky sack much lighter. Dried lentils are used to stuff this particular hacky sack, but you could use any small dried bean or mix of beans instead of lentils.

Skill Level:

Finished Size: hacky sack in photo is 3″ (7.62 cm) X 3″(7.62 cm)

Materials: Sport Weight Yarn (preferably cotton) approx. 12 yards of Color A and 10 of Color B Crochet Hook E (3.50 mm) lentils or any other small dried beans for stuffing sack

Gauge: isn’t important to this pattern.

Need help understanding the abbreviations and symbols? Check out the crochet abbreviation chart!

Crochet Pattern: Hacky Sack
Note: This pattern does not use joins at the end of each round. Use stitch markers (see All About Stitch Markers for more info) at the beginning of each round if needed.

Round 1: With Color A, ch 2, 8 sc in 2nd ch from hook, place marker: 8 sc
Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around: 16 sc
Round 3: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc) around: 24 sc
Round 4: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 2 sc) around: 32 sc
Round 5: change to Color B, (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 3 sc) around: 40 sc
Round 6: change to Color A, sc in in each sc around: 40 sc
Round 7: sc in each sc around: 40 sc
Round 8: change to Color B, sc in each sc around: 40 sc
Round 9: change to Color A, sc in each sc around: 40 sc
Round 10: sc in each sc around: 40 sc
Round 11: change to Color B, (sc2tog, sc in the next 3 sc) around: 32 sc
Round 12: change to Color A, (sc2tog, sc in next 2 sc) around: 24 sc
Round 13: (sc2tog, sc in next sc) around: 16 sc
Fill hacky sack with dried beans until firm, but still pliable (it will help to use a funnel, if one is available to you).
Round 14: sc2tog in each sc around: 8 sc
Round 15: sc2tog in each sc around, finish off: 4 sc

If there is a hole big enough for lentils to escape from at the top of your hacky sack, add a few whip stitches (See How To Whip Stitch in Crochet) across the hole in order to prevent the lentils from leaking out.

Have any questions or comments about this pattern? Fill up our comment section! We love to hear from you!

Finished Sizes: Toddler, child, and adult.
Exact measurements are included within the pattern. Sizes may be adjusted and customized using the instructions within the pattern to create any width or length desired regardless of sizes mentioned above.

Skill Level:

Materials: Medium Weight Yarn (approximately 600 yards) Crochet Hook I (5.50 mm) Yarn Needle

Download:

1. Go to the Crochet Spot Store
2. Login or create a new account
3. Add item to shopping cart and check out. (Premium Pattern Members may download pattern for free without checking out)

All purchases help to support Crochet Spot and are greatly appreciated!

Need help while crocheting your hooded scarf? Just let me know and I’ll help!

Every since I was quite young I have always taken embroidery projects with me in the car to pass the long hours on the road. However, after getting married and taking the front seat I had to change. After all, needles for embroidery getting lost in car seats and coming at my beloved driver was not a good mix. Rather distracting to the driver, not to mention occasionally painful! So, much to my husband’s relief, I decided crochet was the solution to my road trip craft cravings. I learned something else new, skeins of yarn can double as a neck pillows!

How about you? Do you crochet while on road trips?

Never fear, Crochet Spot (and Erin) are here to the rescue!

Here is a step by step guide to gently hand washing your favorite delicate crocheted items.

Step 1: Be prepared. Put thought into what you are washing before buying detergent. Some yarns that are bulkier and sturdier like a DK weight yarn and heavier can handle a regular laundry detergent, in very small amounts. Oversudsing any item can make it fray and fade. Other items (or if you want to play it safe, any item) will fair better if gentle detergents like Dreft or Woolite are used.

Have a large area like a sink, tub or basin clean and ready to be filled. Have detergent ready and if not in a sink or tub with running water, enough clean water ready to properly rinse item. It is recommended to sometimes wear gloves for hand washing items, but I’ve never found the need to.

Step 2: Fill your chosen basin with cold water. Add a small amount of your chosen detergent to the water. There is no way to properly convey the water/detergent ratio other than giving you some examples. I hand wash my daughter’s favorite hand-knitted sweater in my bathroom sink with less then one teaspoon of dreft. I use even less for my favorite crocheted shrug which is made out of a very delicate cotton/silk sock yarn.

Step 3: In handwashing, you’re actually working the water and soap through the fabric in a way that a washing machine can’t: with your hands. In this manner you can be more gentle, more thorough and able to pay more attention to properly washing the item. Mix the soap into the water with your hands or any implement. Place the item in the cold water and begin gently kneading it with your fingers, like you would dough, but much gentler! Usually this is enough to clean and freshen most items. If a item is stained or especially dirty, let it soak for a short time in the soapy water, come back to it and knead it again. Repeat as necessary until the item is clean.

Step 4: I empty and fill the sink again with more cold water and gently knead the item again to get out any excess soap. You could run the item under running water to rinse, just have the water running gently and do not ring or squeeze the item too much.

Step 5: Lay a thick towel out (or a thin towel folded) and lay the item out on the towel. Roll the towel up around the items firmly but not too rough, like rolling a burrito. I will leave the item out to dry in front of a fan or an open register, or if the weather is nice the best option is to hang your item out to dry! If hanging the item outside take care to not to stretch it. Pinning it with clothespins while the item is folded in half, instead of hanging it by the shoulders or edges will usually prevent this from happening.

Have anything to add about hand washing crocheted items? Have any questions? Please comment here!

Craft Shows and Festivals: More than likely there are several fun community events in your area that would let you set up a table of your wares. If you have a friend who likes to crochet or does other craft projects, split the booth costs and bring her along too. Why not try this as a girl’s day out and make a little money on the side.

Craft Boutiques and Flea Markets: Perhaps in your local area you might have a store that offers crafters an outlet to sell their products. These fun specialty shops are a great place to sell your crocheted goodies, especially since their clientele is in the market for something handcrafted. If the booth price seems a little steep, try splitting it up between your friends to lower the cost. It’s a great way for everyone to benefit!

Etsy.com: Why not dive in and open your own Etsy storefront online? It is super easy and there is very little expense. You also have a worldwide audience who are seeking out unique, handmade items. However, let me underline the word unique. You want to market your products as something no one else has. Make them extra special and spruce them up with your own creative touches. If you want to start selling crocheted washcloths, take them to a new level. For instance, make your washcloths like granny squares, crafted from organic cotton, include a crocheted scrubbie and package them in an irresistable way. You could also start selling patterns you’ve created.

Remember, a worldwide audience is wonderful, but it also means you have stiff competition from your fellow crafters. Try to brand your products with a sweet little name that is catchy and easy for your customer to remember. You want them to come back for more. It is also important to be timely when shipping your products so you can rack up that positive feedback, which might just mean more sales for you.

A Friendly Reminder:
Starting a business around your love of crochet is an excellent way to support your hobby and provide you with a little extra spending money on the side. It does take some time and dedication, but most of us die-hard crochet enthusiasts have been learning those skills while we work on projects stitch-by-stitch to completion. Home business are created in exactly the same way.

Do you have tips on making money off your crochet projects?

Recently, I came across a blog post that really got my insides stirring. It discussed how crochet and knit patterns should be free, or should be sold at an extremely low price. What disgusted me the most was the disrespect and ignorance the writer had for designers and their work. Being a designer myself it was hard not to take it personally. Designers aren’t trying to take advantage of people. We aren’t trying to “get rich quick” by selling over priced patterns. In fact, most if not all crochet pattern designers I know spend lots of time creating their work and helping customers with questions. In my opinion, they deserve what they charge. If you would like to read the blog post that I discuss, click here.

If you’ve been visiting Crochet Spot for a while, you’ll notice there are both free crochet patterns and for sale crochet patterns. Trust me, I like freebies as much as the next person, but should someone be expected to work for free all the time?

What do you think? Should all crochet patterns be free?