These crocheted Starry Dream Ornaments by Tatsiana Kupryianchyk (Lilla Björn Crochet) have been on my to-make list for a good few years now, so I finally decided to give them a try this Christmas! I think they’re so pretty (plus, a fun opportunity to revisit some of the crochet techniques I don’t get to use so often!).

I made 3 ornaments, using the same colour palette in different variations for 2 of them, and then using a single, solid colour for the final ornament, to see how that affected the finished product. Today, I’ll be chatting about which colour arrangement I liked best, how I adapted the pattern to use more/fewer colours and how I found the process overall!

In this post, as always with my 'Making a...' series, I'll be chatting about my experience making this pattern, as well as detailing any changes/adaptations I made. The pattern I have used belongs to Tatsiana Kupryianchyk (Lilla Björn Crochet). If you want to make your own Starry Dream Ornament, you can purchase the pattern from the designer here!

Table of Contents

• The Yarn
• Adapting the Pattern to Include Different Colours
• Making the Ornaments (My Experience Following this Pattern)
• Round-By-Round Colour List for My Ornaments
• Final Thoughts

The Yarn

For my ornaments, I chose a colour palette that I already had to hand, because I used it for a different, festive, yarn-y project (more on that later on this month, or you can check out my Ravelry page for a sneak peak!).

The palette is made up of the following colours:

• Dark blue (I used DROPS Fabel in the shade Blue 107).
• Dark red (I used DROPS Fabel in the shade Ruby Red 113).
• Cream (I used DROPS Fabel in the shade Off White 100).
• Gold (I used some unidentifiable (sorry!) scrap fingering weight yarn).

I really love this colour palette: it’s very rich and festive, but also not your typical Christmas colour scheme! It’s a little bit different, which I think makes it extra special.

For the Star #1, I used all 4 colours.

For Star #2, I used the blue, red and gold shades.

For Star #3, I used the cream shade on its own.

My cream yarn was slightly thicker than the other two Fabel shades, which I guess is why my all-cream star is a little larger than the other two ornaments. The gold yarn is also slightly thinner than the Fabel in general, so that could also be the reason!

Adapting the Pattern to Include Different Colours

The pattern is originally designed for 3 colours of yarn (as I’ve done with Star #2). It can easily be adapted to use 2 or 4 shades (you could even use more, if you wanted!), because you can just join a new colour at the start of the round. If you do use more colours, I would recommend planning out the colours, round-by-round, before you begin and making a note of them on the pattern itself, otherwise it can get a little confusing!

Surprisingly, it’s actually harder to use a single, block colour (like Star #3) for this design than it is to add more colours. I thought that using a single colour would be great, because I wouldn’t need to cut the yarn at all and, as a result, would be left with fewer ends to sew in. Alas, I was wrong. The position of the beginning of the round changes after most of the rows, so, honestly, I found it was still easiest to cut the yarn and reattach it in the right place. There’s probably a way around this (slip stitches, maybe?), but I didn’t want to risk confusing myself!

All in all, the solid colour star was not the revelation I thought it would be and, honestly, I don’t think it highlights the texture and features of the crochet like the multi-coloured stars do. A fun experiment (and completely possible, if it is the look you’re going for!), but I’ll stick to my stripes!

Making the Ornaments (My Experience Following this Pattern)

I made all of my stars exactly according to the pattern (except for the placement of the colours). For each ornament, I made two identical stars and joined them using the crochet method given in the pattern, stuffing them lightly as I went. I did not add a hanging loop at this stage, because I am toying with the idea of making many stars and stringing them together into a garland? Who knows! They’re just so pretty! If I want to hang the ornaments up individually, though, I figure I can always thread a piece of ribbon through the top?

My finished stars are slightly smaller than those in the pattern: the multicoloured ones are about 8cm from point to point, while the cream one is about 8.5cm. I used the same hook size listed (2.5mm), but the pattern samples are knitted in Scheepjes Catona. It could be the yarn, or it could be my tension!

I’ve made a quick list of pros and cons for you, detailing my overall impressions of this pattern, in case your considering making your own Starry Dream Ornament!

Pros!

• Quick project.
• LOADS of colour possibilities.
• Simple way to practise slightly more complicated techniques (there are lots of photo tutorials in the pattern!).
• Easy to join the stars together.
• SO PRETTY.

Cons!

• LOTS of ends to sew in.
• A little hard on the fingers (is this because of my tension? Possibly…).
• Not overly suitable for solid colour designs.

Round-By-Round Colour List for My Ornaments

Just in case you wanted to make your own stars and replicate my colour layouts, I thought I’d include the round-by-round breakdown below.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed making these Starry Dream Ornaments! In particular, I’m super happy with how the multicoloured ones turned out (the solid colour version was a fun experiment, but I just don’t like it quite as much as the other two!). I think my favourite is probably the 4-colour version, but the original, 3-colour version is also lovely.

I think this pattern is super clever in the way it forms the star shape while also creating the surface texture with the stitches: it looks super complicated, but, once you get down to it, it’s nothing too crazy! This project is complex enough to be fun and interesting to make, without being so complex that your brain feels tired afterwards (never fun, not the vibe).

I made some knitted stars last year (these Stjärna ornaments!), but I actually prefer these crocheted ones: I found them a lot less fiddly to make and I really love the extra detail on the design.

If you're interested...

You can find the Starry Dream Ornament pattern by Lilla Björn Crochet here.

You can find my Starry Dream Ornaments project page on Ravelry here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post (and the first yarn-y post of Blogmas 2025)!

Gemma

xxx

It’s been a while since I’ve released a crochet pattern but, in today’s post, that’s exactly what’s happening! This pattern is for a super quick & easy, festive project that can be whipped up using scraps of cotton yarn (that you probably already have!). These are my…

❄️☕️ SNOWFLAKE COASTERS ☕️❄️

You can find this pattern on Ravelry here, if you want to save it for later!

Table of Contents

• Materials & Tools
• Pattern Notes
• Abbreviations
• Written Pattern
• Photo Tutorial
• Blocking the Coasters
• Final Thoughts

Materials & Tools

To make these coasters, you will need the following:

• Stylecraft Naturals Organic Cotton, in the shade Gypsum (7168), (50g = 104 m [114 yds]) (or other, DK weight yarn). You will need about 5g of yarn per coaster.
• 3.00mm crochet hook.
• Darning needle.
• Scissors.

Pattern Notes

• This pattern uses UK crochet terminology (please check the Abbreviations section below for stitch explanations if you’re unsure!)
• Gauge is not important for this project. I would recommend using a size down from whatever hook size you would usually use for a DK weight yarn- for me, this is a 4.00mm hook, so I’ve used a 3.00mm hook for this project.

Abbreviations

• ch = chain: yarn over and pull through.
• ss = slip stitch: insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through stitch and loop on hook.
• dc = UK double crochet: insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through. You will now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through both loops.
• tr = UK treble crochet: Yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over again and pull through. You will now have three loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through two of the loops, then yarn over again and pull through the remaining two loops.

Written Pattern

Round 1: 11 dc in a magic ring. Ss to join.

Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as first tr), then tr in the same stitch (at the base of the ch 3). *Ch 4, skip 1 stitch, 2 tr in next stitch* until there is 1 stitch remaining. Ch 4, then ss to top of the ch 3 to finish round.

Round 3: **Start by working a ‘long arm’: (*Ch 5, skip first ch, then ss in next 2 ch* twice. Ch 4, skip first ch then ss in next 3 ch. *Ch 3, skip first ch, then ss in next 2 ch AND first 2 ch from second ch 5* twice. Ss to the 2nd tr from Round 2). 2 dc over the ch 4 from Round 2, then work a ‘short arm’: (Ch 6, skip first ch, then ss into next 2 ch. Ch 4, skip first ch, then ss in next 3 ch. Ch 3, skip first ch, then ss into next 2 ch AND first 3 ch from previous ch 6). 2 dc over the same ch 4 from Round 2, then ss to top of the next tr from Round 2.*** Repeat from ** to *** around.

Cut yarn and fasten off. Darn in the ends, then block before using (see instructions at end of post).

Photo Tutorial

I’ve also created a photo tutorial for this pattern, just to help make everything super clear and easy to follow! If you find the above pattern a little hard to follow (I’m looking at your Round 3…), hopefully this will help you.

Start by working 11 dc in a magic ring.

After you’ve worked the stitches, pull the tail to tighten the loop.

Then, to finish off Round 1, slip stitch to the top of the first double crochet stitch. Andddd there you have it! 11 dc in a magic ring.

To begin Round 2, work 3 chains. This ch 3 counts as the first treble crochet of the round.

Next, you need to work a treble crochet in the same space (i.e. where you worked the slip stitch to finish off Round 1). I’ve used a needle here to indicate the stitch you need to work into.

Like this! As I mentioned, the ch 3 from the start of the round counts as one treble crochet, so you now have a cluster of 2 treble crochets.

Work 4 chains.

Then skip the next dc and work 2 treble crochets into the dc after that (again, indicated here by a needle).

Like so!

Keep repeating this process (ch 4, skip one dc, then work 2 tr into the next dc), until there is one dc remaining on the round below (you will have just worked 2 tr into the previous dc, as pictured).

Work 4 more chains.

Then, to finish off Round 2, slip stitch to the top of the ch 3 from the beginning of the round (indicated by the needle again).

Like so! Now you’ve finished Round 2.

Round 3 is where things get a little more complicated, but it’s also the final round of the coaster, so you’re nearly there! Start by working 5 chains.

Now you’re going to start by working into the 2nd chain from the hook (indicated by the needle). You’ll be doing this throughout the rest of this process (after any chaining), so try to remember that rule of thumb— it will make things a lot easier!

Slip stitch into the 2nd chain from the hook.

Then slip stitch into the next chain as well, so you have a little row of two slip stitches at the top of your chain. This forms the first ‘branch’ on the arm of the snowflake.

Next, you need to make another branch, so chain 5 again.

And, again, you’ll be working into the 2nd chain from the hook (indicated by the needle).

Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work a slip stitch into each of the next two stitches to make the 2nd ‘branch’.

Now, it’s time to make the top of the snowflake arm. Start by chaining 4.

Then, starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next 3 stitches.

Now you’re going to come back down the other side of the arm, to make the branch symmetrical. Chain 3.

Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next two stitches to make the next branch.

Now you need to anchor this branch to the other side of the arm. To do this, you want to slip stitch into the two remaining, intact chains from the 2nd chain 5 (the first of which is indicated by the needle here). These two chains are the first 2 chains of that chain 5, that you didn’t make into a branch.

Slip stitch into those two stitches, and you’ll see that the branch you just made has lined itself up alongside the 2nd branch. Success!

Now, it’s time to make the final branch on this arm, in exactly the same way as the previous branch. Chain 3.

Starting with the 2nd chain from the hook, work 1 slip stitch in each of the next two chains, then work 1 slip stitch into each of the two remaining chains from the first ch 5 of the arm (the first of which is indicated by the needle).

Like so!

To finish off this first arm, you need to anchor it back onto the top of the 2 tr cluster from Round 2. To do this, slip stitch into the top of the 2nd tr, indicated here with the needle.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll have finished your first arm! I call this one a ‘long arm’, because it is the larger of the two arm styles used in this pattern. You’ll work a ‘long arm’ over every 2 tr cluster, and a ‘short arm’ in every ch 4 gap. Next up, then, it’s time to work a ‘short arm’.

To set up the short arm, you need to work 2 dc under the next ch 4 from Round 2. To do this, insert your crochet hook from front to back through the gap made by the ch 4, as pictured.

Pick up a loop of your working yarn with the hook and bring it back through to the front.

Then, pick up another loop of the working yarn (over the top of the ch 4, this time) and draw it through both of the loops on your hook to make a double crochet.

Work another double crochet in the same way, so that you have 2 dc around the ch 4.

Now it’s time to make the ‘short branch’. Start by working 6 chains. This slightly longer chain length helps to offset the ‘short arm’ with the ‘long arms’ on either side of it, so your snowflake coaster will lie flat more easily and look nice and even.

Just like with the ‘long arm’, you’ll always start by working into the 2nd chain from the hook.

Starting with the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next two chains to make the first ‘branch’.

Then, chain 4 to begin the top of the ‘short arm’.

Starting with the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next 3 chains. This makes the top of the ‘short arm’.

To make the final branch, chain 3.

Starting with the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into each of the next two chains. This makes the final branch, which will sit opposite the first branch on this arm. To anchor it to the other side of the arm, just like with the ‘long arm’, you need to slip stitch into the remaining chains from the initial ch 6 (i.e. the first 3 chains from that ch 6). The first of these stitches is indicated here by the needle.

Slip stitch into the three remaining chains from the initial chain 6 to finish off the ‘short arm’.

To finish off this section, work 2 more dc over the ch 4, so that your ‘short arm’ sits in the middle of 4 dc in total, which, in turn, sit over the ch 4 from Round 2.

Then, slip stitch into the top of the next treble crochet.

This sets you up for the next ‘long arm’, which you can work in exactly the same way as the first.

Like so!

After the 2nd ‘long arm’, work a second ‘short arm’, making sure to work 2 dc over the ch 4 from Round 2 before and after working the arm.

Like so!

Keep repeating that process, alternating between ‘long arms’ (on top of the 2 tr clusters) and ‘short arms’ (on top of the ch 4s), until you’ve worked right around the snowflake and come back to your first ‘long arm’.

Finish off by slip stitching to the top of the ch 3 from Round 2 (i.e. where you started that first ‘long arm’, indicated here by the needle), then cut the yarn and fasten off.

And that’s it! Your snowflake coaster is done. All you need to do now is weave in both ends and block the coasters to help them lie flat (the instructions for that are below).

Blocking the Coasters

Blocking the coasters helps them to lie flat and look more even. You can block them in whatever way you usually block projects made with cotton yarn, but I’ve used steam to block these ones!

To steam block your coasters, do the following:

Using a steam iron/clothes steamer, briefly steam the coaster.

Pin the steamed coaster onto a blocking mat. Place one pin at the top of each ‘long arm’, making sure they are nice and straight.

Give the pinned coaster another brief blast of steam, then leave in the pinned position overnight to set.

After that, you can unpin the coaster and start using it! The finished, blocked coasters are about 10cm in diameter.

Final Thoughts

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Snowflake Coaster pattern: it’s such a quick, easy project to whip up, especially once you get the hang of the repeating pattern. I’ve actually made 7 of these coasters for our Christmas table this year, which I just know is going to look so lovely and festive!

As I mentioned earlier, you can find this pattern on Ravelry, so you can easily add it to your festive queue/favourites for next year, if you don’t have time to whip some up this year!

Gemma

xxx

Last year, just before Christmas, I saw this amazing crochet garland on Instagram by @deliacreates. It was designed to look like a string of popcorn and cranberries, which is a festive tradition in the US that I have always been fascinated by! I could never bring myself to sacrifice so much delicious popcorn in the pursuit of pretty, Christmassy decor (I love popcorn), so a crocheted version felt like the perfect, fun alternative. As an added bonus, the (free!) pattern looked super simple and straightforward, so I knew this would be a quick and easy project for the festive season. Unfortunately, I saw the post a little too late to make a garland in time for Christmas last year, so I carried it over and made it this year, instead!

Table of Contents

• Materials
  • Cygnet Seriously Chunky: Mini Review
• Making the Garland
• Final Thoughts

Materials

To make this garland, I used the following materials:

• 1 skein of Cygnet Seriously Chunky yarn, in the shade Cream (0288).
• 87 x 12mm dark red wooden beads (I bought this pack of 100 on Etsy).*
• 6.50mm crochet hook.
• 3.00mm crochet hook.**

That’s it! Because I already had the crochet hooks, I only had to buy the yarn and the beads (which worked out at just under £6), so this was a super budget-friendly project!

* The original pattern used bright red beads, but I wanted a more realistic-looking, muted garland, so I opted to use these dark red beads, which I felt had more of a cranberry vibe!

** The original pattern calls for a 3.25mm hook, but I found a 3.00mm hook was easier to insert through the beads and worked just as well.

Cygnet Seriously Chunky: Mini Review

Cygnet Seriously Chunky is a 100% acrylic, super chunky weight yarn that is sold in 100g skeins. Each 100g skein contains about 48 metres of yarn and (at time of posting), costs £2.99 on Wool Warehouse (my go-to for yarn-y purchases!). The yarn comes in a variety of colours (though it’s not the most extensive shade range I’ve seen), and I chose the shade Cream (0288) for this project, which was a nice, neutral, popcorn-esque colour.

I have to say, I truly forgot that this was an acrylic yarn as I was working with it- it has a real, wooly ‘fuzz’ to it that really tricked me into thinking it was made of natural fibres. While the ‘fuzzy’ look probably wasn’t quite the right vibe for making popcorn kernels, I do think this would be a great, budget alternative to a natural fibre yarn for other projects. Even though my kernels are a little on the fuzzy side, I still really love the way this yarn worked up for this project- I think it gives the garland a really homespun, felted look that feels very festive.

Making the Garland

When making this project, I followed the original pattern to the letter. It’s such a simple process, but it’s so effective (and so quick to work up- I made this whole garland in a single sitting!). The popcorn kernels are made from a simple puff stitch, worked in the super chunky yarn, and the cranberries are just wooden beads, added in between each kernel. I kept going until I ran out of yarn, then fastened off, and before I knew it, I had the perfect popcorn & cranberry garland, ready for Christmas. My finished garland, using a full skein of yarn and 87 cranberries, ended up being about 375cm long.

I did pick up a few little tricks and techniques when making this project, so I thought I’d share those with you here:

• Keep the beads at the front of the work.

When I first started working up my garland, I didn’t pay much attention to how I reinserted the 6.50mm hook into the working loop of yarn after I added each bead. After a little while, I found that this did have an effect on the garland- in some places, the beads were fully visible, while in others they were obscured by the yarn that runs along them. After a little bit of trial and error, I found that making sure the working loop wasn’t twisted when you reinsert the hook and making a conscious effort to keep the beads to the front of the work helped to minimise this problem. While the garland still twists a little, it’s much less noticeable than before!

• When adding the beads, keep the working loop of yarn as taut as possible.

Adding the beads is the fiddliest part of this project, because you have to pull a doubled piece of super chunky yarn through a pretty small hole! Honestly, this was easier than I expected- it took a couple of attempts sometimes, but, as the pattern says, if you split the yarn, you can just remove the hook, bring the yarn back together and try again! One thing that I found that really helped here was to hold the yarn as tightly as I could around the hook as I pulled it through the bead.

• Keep the beads in a bowl beside you.

This is such a small thing, it barely even warrants a bullet point of its own, but it made a big difference to my speed and efficiency! My beads came in a little, grip seal bag, which is great for storage, but not so great for quickly picking one up every time you need to add a ‘cranberry’ to the garland. I transferred my beads to a bowl and put the bowl on a flat surface beside me (a flat surface is important, if you would like to avoid beads rolling all over the place). This meant that I could just grab a bead super easily whenever I needed one, which really sped up the whole process for me.

Final Thoughts

I am so thrilled with how this garland turned out- it gives me such festive, homespun, felty vibes and I just love it! I particularly like how quickly it came together, how easy it was to work up and how effective the pattern was- I do really think it looks like a popcorn and cranberry garland!

I’m really glad that I opted to use the darker red beads- I think it not only makes this garland look more realistic, but it also looks a little more understated and classic. While the yarn I chose is a bit on the ‘fuzzy’ side, and so makes for slightly fuzzy popcorn kernels, I actually also really like that effect- this is, after all, a crocheted garland, and I don’t mind that being evident!

Overall, I loved working on this project almost as much as I love the finished product! It was the perfect, quick and easy festive project and I know I’ll be using it in my Christmas decorating for many years to come. Plus, no popcorn was harmed in the making of this garland, so that’s an extra little win.

If you're interested...

You can find the "Popcorn & Cranberry" Crochet Garland pattern here.

You can check out the Delia Creates website here.

You can find my Popcorn & Cranberry Garland project page on Ravelry here.

Gemma

xxx

Last year, I became obsessed with making my own version of the fluffy, festive-themed pillows that were all over Pinterest and Instagram. If you haven’t seen them before, they’re this assortment of cushions, made with a soft, teddy fleece, in a variety of festive shapes and patterns like candy canes, gingerbread men, Christmas trees— all sorts! My favourite one, though, was a cushion that looked like one of those swirly, round, peppermint candies. Because the prices were pretty steep (and I’m pretty sure lots of the ones I saw were from slightly suspicious sources), I did what any crafter would do: I said to myself, “I can make that!”. So I did! However, I was a little too late to get it done in time for the festive season last year, so I decided to make it ready for this year, instead.

To make this Peppermint Swirl Cushion, I adapted this free pattern from the Red Heart Design Team. You can also find this pattern on Ravelry. 

Table of Contents

• Materials
  • Sirdar Happy Chenille: Mini Review
• Adaptations
• Final Thoughts

Materials

To make this cushion, I used the following materials:

• 3.00mm hook.
• Sirdar Happy Chenille yarn, in the shades Lollypop (0031) and Soda Pop (0021).
• Darning needle.
• Scissors.
• 16″ round cushion form (I bought mine from Wool Warehouse).

The original pattern calls for a non-chenille, worsted weight yarn, but the yarn I used is DK weight (and fluffy, obviously!). Therefore, I used a smaller hook than the one suggested (3.00mm, instead of 5.50mm). I actually went quite a lot smaller with my hook, to get a tighter gauge, in an attempt to make my work less gappy, but, honestly, if I made this again, I think I’d go even smaller.

Sirdar Happy Chenille: Mini Review

I hate to say it but… I was not a fan of this yarn. Admittedly, this was my first time working with chenille yarn, so maybe I just don’t enjoy working with this style of yarn in general, but my goodness was it frustrating to work with!

Chenille yarn is basically made up of a central piece of thread with a layer of fluff attached all around it. The central yarn in the Happy Chenille is very… string-like (which, again, could be normal!) and breaks really easily. Also, the fluffy layer isn’t attached very securely, so my yarn kept shedding, leaving me with sad patches of plain string… Weirdly, the red shade seemed to shed much more than the white, so the white parts of the project, me and the sofa I was sat on while making this ended up covered in red fluff.

Overall, I don’t think I’d use this yarn again if I could avoid it! I’d love to try some other chenille yarns, just to have something to compare it to, but, honestly, I’m not sure I can face it just yet…

Adaptations

I did make a few changes to the original pattern for this project, just to make my cushion cover more similar to my inspiration photos. Some of these changes were more successful than others…

• Instead of crocheting over the colour not in use, I opted to carry it loosely along the back of the work.

I did this because I didn’t want the colours peeking through, which you can see has happened in the original patterns photos! At first, I thought this had worked well, but, because the work is quite open, I have had some trouble with bits of yarn poking through to the front of the work, which is a shame! I do think that using a tighter gauge could fix this, though?

• I started one side with white yarn, the other with red.

Look, the perfectionist in me wanted both sides of this cushion to be identical, but I was worried about the amount of yarn I had left. You use significantly more of the colour you start with (which I can’t quite figure out because surely it’s just the extra from the first round?), so I did start running a little low on white yarn after the first side. Instead of buying more yarn (which would have been a shame, seeing as I was so mad at it by this point), I opted to just even out my yarn usage by starting the back with red, and, honestly, you barely even notice it.

• I left the border off (and sewed the cushion together around the form).

I wanted a really clean, modern look for this cushion, so I opted to leave the candy cane-esque border from the original pattern off. Instead, I just stitched the two sides of the cushion together, right over the cushion form, making sure to stitch red section to red section with the red yarn, and white section to white section with the white yarn, for a seamless look. This does mean the cushion cover can’t be removed, but, honestly, I don’t think you could wash this yarn (even by hand) without it all falling apart anyway, so it’s no loss.

One note here: for the white shade, I was able to use long lengths of the yarn to sew up the cushion and carry them underneath the red sections to get to the next white one. Because the red yarn was so sheddy, I found it got messy pretty quickly if I tried to use a longer length, so I opted to use shorter lengths and sew in more ends (except, as you’ll soon read about, I didn’t sew in any ends, so I felt very smug… until they all started poking out… Sigh). Also, I may be complaining about using the chenille yarn, but sewing up the cushion with it was SO MAGICAL because you can be as messy as you want and it will still look absolutely perfect! 1 point for chenille.

• I increased the number of rounds to ensure good fit/account for my smaller gauge.

Because I was using a lighter weight yarn and a smaller hook, I needed to increase the number of rounds I worked so that my cushion cover would fit the 16″ cushion pad I had purchased. This was super easy to do, because the pattern is so simple and repeats every round, so I just had to keep working until it was the right size. To measure that, I just placed the work over the pad and stretched it slightly (but not too much!), so that the cover would be nice and snug, but not distorted. When two opposite points on the circumference reached the seam of the cushion form, I fastened off (leaving a long end for sewing up) and made the second side the same size.

• I didn’t darn in my ends— just tied them off and left them loose.

This is very much a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ kind of situation: this did not work. The reason why I opted to do this is not because I hate sewing in ends (although I absolutely do), but because I was worried about the darned-in ends being visible from the front of the work (again, another problem caused by the loose gauge). I figured that tying them off tightly and leaving them pretty long, so they wouldn’t come undone, was a good plan, but it was not. Any time I move this cushion, a new, unfinished end (often a sad, stringy little one) seems to pop out of nowhere, so I spend most of my time these days poking them back in to the back of the fabric. Sigh. If it isn’t the consequences of my own actions…

Final Thoughts

Okay, so I’m not thrilled with how this cushion turned out, but I still like it. I guess I just think that I could do better if I gave it another go (and as I am writing this I am having to physically restrain myself from ordering a different, fluffy yarn and trying again). Maybe if I consider this a prototype, I’ll feel better about it?

It’s not all negative though— this cushion is super soft, fluffy and festive. It’s very huggable, perhaps because it is so soft and fluffy? It was also so quick and easy to make— the pattern is so simple, but it’s also really effective! I whipped this up in no time at all (so I could make another one in no time at all too… right?).

If I did make this again, I’d definitely try and scope out a different yarn— I love the fluff of this one, but, let me tell you, I was not loving it when I was lint-rolling myself for the fifth time in a single day to remove the rather spooky-looking red fluff balls from my whole body. I also really just didn’t enjoy working with it and I think I may have developed a fear of chenille now (chenillophobia?).

Also… I’d love to see if this pattern would work with double crochets, instead of trebles? I think part of the reason the fabric is so open is because of the use of trebles, so even if I made my gauge super tight by using a really small hook, I’d still run into problems. If the pattern worked with double crochets, I could probably get away with keeping the yarn floats at the back, so I’d get the clean look I wanted, plus I’d be able to darn in the ends more easily (or, at least, there’d be fewer holes for them to poke through!). Admittedly, it would make the project much less speedy to whip up, but I’d still be interested to try it! (Oh no, I think I’ve basically convinced myself now…).

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! Posting about projects I’m not 100% happy with is something I still struggle with, but I do think it’s important to share all of the aspects of the crafty life, not just the highlights!

If you're interested...

You can find the Peppermint Swirl Pillow pattern by the Red Heart Design Team here.

You can find the Peppermint Swirl Pillow pattern on Ravelry here.

You can find my Peppermint Swirl Cushion project page on Ravelry here.

Gemma

xxx

Today’s post is a SUPER exciting one- it’s my first ever original crochet pattern here on the blog! I have been crocheting since I was very young and I have always loved creating patterns of my very own. I’ve never properly written any down before, though, and I’ve definitely never published any online, but Christmas is a time for being brave so, today, I bring you my…

✨🎄SANTA BABY BLANKET🎄✨

The Santa Baby Blanket is a red blanket with a fluffy white edging- a nod to Father Christmas’ iconic suit. The main blanket is worked in suzette stitch, which gives the (otherwise pretty simple) blanket a really lovely, interesting texture. I’ve used Stylecraft Special DK in the shade Claret for the blanket pictured, but you could use any DK weight yarn. The edging is worked around the blanket, using rows of double crochet and a fleece-style, cream-coloured yarn, which makes the blanket extra soft and special. I used Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in the shade Cream for this blanket, but I think it’s actually been discontinued now- I’m heartbroken! Any DK weight, fleece-style yarn will work fine here- you could, of course, use a non-fleece yarn (though I am partial to the fluffy effect the fleece yarn gives).

In terms of difficulty, this blanket is actually very straightforward to make- as long as you know some basic techniques (starting chain, double crochet, treble crochet), you’ll be fine! If you’re a beginner, do be aware that fluffy yarns like the Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake can be a little trickier to work with than plain yarns, because you cannot see the individual stitches and must rely largely on ‘feeling’ where the hook needs to go. It’s worth the learning curve though- I really do think that the fluffy yarn makes the blanket so much cuter.

To go to the Ravelry pattern page for this design, click here. 

As I mentioned, this is my first time writing a pattern, so please do let me know if there are any ambiguities/instructions that do not quite make sense! I’m always happy to answer any questions you might have.

Table of Contents

• Concept
• Materials and Tools
• Pattern Notes
• Abbreviations
• Pattern
  • For the blanket:
  • For the edging:
• Final Thoughts

Concept

I’d been dreaming of this blanket for a good while before I actually sat down and tried to find a pattern. There are a couple of similar ones out there, but I just wasn’t crazy about the stitch texture of them- I think I had a very specific picture in my mind, so I decided to just bite the bullet and work it out myself.

In the end, I opted to use suzette stitch. This is one of my favourite stitches- I love the appearance and texture of it, but I also really enjoy the process of working it up. Suzette stitch is just a combination of double and treble crochets- it’s such a straightforward, repetitive stitch that it really makes the whole project such a mindless and stress-free experience.

Materials and Tools

• 370g (1,093 m [1,191 yds]) Stylecraft Special DK in Claret (100g = 295 m [322 yds]).
• 40g (136 metres [147 yards]) Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in Cream (25g = 85 m [92 yds]).
• 4mm crochet hook
• Darning needle
• Scissors

Pattern Notes

• This pattern uses UK crochet terminology.
• Gauge: 19 sts x 17 rows = 10cm

Working at this gauge is not essential for this project- if your gauge is different, your blanket will just be a slightly different size. Do be aware, though, that you may need to purchase more wool if your gauge is significantly looser than mine.

• Worked at the above gauge, the finished blanket will measure approximately 68x90cm. If you wish to make a different size, you can change the number of stitches (to any multiple of 2), and/or the number of rows to achieve your desired size. Please be aware that you will need to purchase more wool if you increase the size of the blanket significantly.
• The main blanket is worked back and forth, in suzette stitch.
• The edging is worked in the round, using only double crochet.

Abbreviations

• MC = Main colour: Stylecraft Special DK in Claret.
• CC = Contrast colour: Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in Cream.
• ch = Chain: yarn over and pull through.
• dc = UK double crochet: insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through. You will now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through both loops.
• tr = UK treble crochet: Yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over again and pull through. You will now have three loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through two of the loops, then yarn over again and pull through the remaining two loops.

Pattern

For the blanket:

Using MC, ch 120.

Row 1: Dc in 2nd chain from hook, tr in same stitch. *Skip next ch, then (dc, tr) in next stitch* to last 2 stitches. Skip next stitch, then dc in last stitch.

Row 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch) and turn work. *(dc, tr) into first stitch, then skip next stitch* until one stitch remains. Dc in last stitch.

Rows 3-143: Repeat Row 2.

Fasten off yarn and weave in all ends.

For the edging:

Using CC, join yarn about 10cm before a corner. Work in continuous rounds.

Round 1: Dc around the whole blanket (work 1 dc into the end of each row on the sides, and 1 dc into each ch/stitch on the top/bottom), working (dc, ch 1, dc) into each corner.

Rounds 2-6: Repeat Round 1.

Fasten off yarn and weave in all ends.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it- my Santa Baby Blanket! Honestly, I loved the process of making this blanket almost as much as I love the finished product- it is so comfortingly repetitive. As much as I love making intricate toys and super detailed things, I really don’t think you can beat a mindless crochet project like this one- especially this time of year, when life can be so hectic!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my first ever crochet pattern! As I mentioned earlier, you can also find this pattern on Ravelry. I’d love to hear if you give it a try- let me know in the comments below!

Gemma

xxx

Some notes before we get into the project:

• The stitch used in the original pattern is called ‘moss stitch’. It is also known as ‘linen stitch’ (what I am used to calling it). This is just a case of there being multiple names for one stitch- if you have done linen stitch before, you have done moss stitch and vice versa!
• When I have used linen stitch before, I have frequently run into problems with my tension. Because of the chain 1 in between every double crochet, the overall tension within the blanket can vary massively. I’ve yet to find a solution to this when using linen stitch for larger projects (e.g. baby blankets that are worked straight, as opposed to c2c). However, I did not run into this problem when using linen stitch in a c2c format (much to my relief!). If, like me, you love the stitch but struggle with your tension when working it straight, I would definitely recommend giving it a try with c2c. Having said that, if you have any tips for maintaining a consistent tension with linen stitch normally, please let me know!
• Finally, just a heads up that the original pattern uses American crochet terms. Keep this in mind if you use British terms (like me) and want to try this pattern out for yourself.

Now we have covered that, let’s get into the materials I used for this project:

• 4mm crochet hook
• 2x100g balls of Stylecraft Special DK in Claret (1123)*
• 2X100g balls of Stylecraft Special DK in Cream (1005)*
• Darning needle

*I did not use the full amount of yarn- my finished blanket was 61cm square and weighed about 240g, including the border. I used about 120g of each colour.

Right! Into the action!

I used the instructions provided in the original pattern to make a square blanket, as opposed to a rectangular one. I did also extend my blanket slightly, completing 14 stripes while increasing and another 14 while decreasing (the original pattern calls for 11 for each). This was just to make my blanket a little bigger, because I felt it was a little too small as it was. Other than this, I followed the original pattern to the letter, alternating between claret and cream for my stripes.

For the edging, I opted for a very simple double crochet border. I achieved this by placing 1dc at the end of each row along the sides and (dc, ch1, dc) in each of the corners. This provided a simple edging that gave the blanket a neat finish, but did not detract from the striking impact of the modern stripes.

Overall, I really love this baby blanket. I think it looks beautifully festive, without being too overtly Christmassy or (dare I say it?!) tacky. Plus, it was a real joy to make! Let me know if you try it out for yourself!

Gemma

xxx

First up is the Panda Bauble:

Isn’t he just adorable?! I made him as a present for my friend. I used this pattern, by Stephanie Lau from All About Ami (who, by the way, is my go-to for all things amigurumi! Stephanie’s patterns are clear, easy to follow and SO cute!). The pattern includes variations for a teddy bear and a koala, so it is very versatile. Overall, it took me about two days to completely finish the bauble, but it could just have easily have been one day, had I not procrastinated the sewing-up process (as always…). If you want to check out my panda bauble on Ravelry, you can click here. If you want to see some other baubles made using Stephanie’s pattern, click here to go to the Ravelry page for the original pattern.

To make my panda bauble, I used:

• Black, white and red yarn from my stash (knowing me, all of these were most likely Stylecraft Special DK – probably 1001 White, 1002 Black and 1246 Lipstick)
• 2.0mm crochet hook
• 7.5mm safety eyes
• Darning needle
• Polyester stuffing

Also, please note that I am British, so I use British crochet terms:

• dc = double crochet = insert hook into stitch, pull yarn through, yarn over and pull through both loops on hook (US equivalent = sc)
• htc = half treble crochet = yarn over, insert hook into stitch, pull yarn through, yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook (US equivalent = half double crochet)
• tc = treble crochet = yarn over, insert hook into stitch, pull yarn through, yarn over and pull through first 2 loops on hook, yarn over and pull through remaining 2 loops on hook (US equivalent = double crochet)
• ss = slip stitch = insert hook into stitch, pull yarn through stitch and loop on hook (the same as in the US, thank goodness!)

I did deviate from Stephanie’s pattern in a couple of places: instead of making the eye patches with felt (I didn’t have any!), I made them with yarn and I made the scarf slightly longer (I think I may have been a bit too generous with my stuffing!). I ended up using 70 ch (instead of the original 62) for my scarf. For the fringing, I split short lengths of my red and white yarn into 3 individual strands. I then used 1 red and 1 white strand together to make each fringe and placed 5 of these fringes on each end of the scarf.

The pattern I used for the eyes was as follows:

R1: 5ch, join to first ch with a slip stitch.*

R2: ss into the loop made in R1. Continuing to work into the loop: htc, 3tc, htc, ss, then ss to the first stitch and fasten off.

Sew eye patches onto bauble in place of felt patches. Attach safety eyes through centre loop of patch.

* I usually prefer to use a magic loop for amigurumi. However, here I found the magic loop did not work as well as a chain loop, because it was too neat! I needed something that I could easily crochet into, but that would remain open enough for me to poke a safety eye through. For once, the chain loop was my best friend!

Anyway, 2 days of intermittent crochet later and I had myself an incredibly cute panda bauble to give to my friend:

I was very pleased with how it turned out! What do you think? Have you made an amigurumi Christmas ornament before? I’ve seen a lot of adorable versions that I would love to have a go at. Let me know!

Gemma

xxx