Shaping is a very important concept in crochet, especially when it comes to wearables. Knowing how to manipulate shape comes in handy for designing and altering patterns to get the best fit. This guide is a handy reference for anyone who needs to add a little extra or take anything away.

Increasing and decreasing are common ways of adding shape to projects. Patterns such as chevrons and ripple afghans take advantage of the properties of these techniques to create points and undulating curves. Decreases make downward points, while increases create upward points.

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I love vintage pattern magazines from the 1940s and 1950s. Each one has several cute and relevant patterns that I can adjust for my lifestyle. Then, there are sometimes some that make me scratch my head and wonder what the designer was thinking! I remember as a child my mom telling me about the bleach bottle crocheted baby beds that were a popular project when she was young. I didn’t have a bleach bottle but I made this little sleep sack for my daughter’s dolly. It cradles her 5 1/2″ (14 cm) doll perfectly!

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I was at out local Lincraft store (sells fabric, curtains, notions, yarns, etc.) to purchase some piping cord. Simple, one would think. I walked swiftly past the plethora of yarns that were on sale, I really wanted to stop but I was such a good girl. I picked up my box of piping cord and headed to the counter for my 3m (10 feet) to be cut off. Behind the counter there was one staff member with a HUGE tangle of yarn. Seems that when people rummage through the tables of clearance yarns they unwind some and the balls, get into a tangled mess, and the problem escalates from there.

Part of the mess

There’s a new pattern in the Crochet Spot Store! This shrug pattern is filled with simple and elegant V-stitches. The smaller V-stitches make up the main body of the shrug while the larger stitches make a lacier edging. This pattern is like a tutorial that will show you how to customize the shrug to you body’s shape and size. This adjustable pattern lets you determine the length of the sleeves, width of the shrug, and the overall fit. You can crochet this shrug for children and adults.

All purchases help to support Crochet Spot and are greatly appreciated! Please log in or create a new account at the Crochet Spot Store to purchase this pattern. Premium Pattern Members may log into the store and download the pattern for free.

I am already missing spring. I can’t wait to see all my fall bulbs start to come alive with spring flowers and bring back a rainbow of color to our rather gray yard. This week I decided to try something different and use ribbon instead of yarn. I had so much fun with this project. I think this flower would look sweet on a headband, dress, coat, or as a stylish bow on a handmade gift. One thing I learned while making this project was to be sure the ribbon you use is similar on both the right and wrong sides.

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Sometimes you just don’t want to use regular joining methods to add another ball of yarn to your project. That’s where the Russian Join comes in. It is practically invisible and there’s no worrying about how to work the stitches in transition from one ball to another.

Thread a yarn needle with your current color. Weave the needle through the yarn.

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While I’m a huge fan of the big tote bag that holds my yarn, patterns, notebooks, wallet, and everything else I can cram in there, sometimes the occasion calls for something smaller. This little evening bag has cables that snake their way up the front and a small flap that just covers the top without covering the cables.

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As we all know, crochet is a wonderful way to relax, make new friends, and create all kinds of practical items. As I started thinking about this, I thought about traditions. While we live in a world that is rapidly changing and we’re all learning how to embrace new ways of thinking and doing things there are still a few things we can honor along the way…through the art of crocheting.
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There’s a new set of patterns in the Crochet Spot Store! Crochet these 3 plant hangers to use them inside your house or outside when the weather’s nice. Each hanger has a fun and different stitch pattern, but they all have a light netted design so that it doesn’t interfere with your pot’s drainage on the bottom. The hangers can be adjusted to fit any sized pot using the instructions within the pattern. Be sure to have your pot handy when you’re crocheting to ensure it’ll fit properly.

All purchases help to support Crochet Spot and are greatly appreciated! Please log in or create a new account at the Crochet Spot Store to purchase this pattern. Premium Pattern Members may log into the store and download the pattern for free.

In the spirit of the new year I am going to make the best out of a situation that we haven’t really got any control over – hubby is as well.

My now 14 year old daughter has normal intelligence but what amounts to a processing problem (Severe Mixed Orthophonological Literacy Disability). This means that we have spent many years with assessments and help. All of these have been away from home and given our location always 1 – 2 hours from home, and we’ve been doing it 1 to 3 times a week for years.

What has this got to do with crochet? Well as it turns out it has lots to do with it this year. She has progressed and needs a new type of help and the help will be coming to us. That’s right, coming to our home, NO traveling any more. This will make it so much easier on everybody including my daughter who wont have to be extra stressed and tired from traveling. Back to crochet. The nice new specialist will be here Sunday’s for 3.5 hours. This means her and my daughter will need quiet for that time. This in turns means that my eldest, my hubby and I all need to be out of the way.
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