crochet Archives - Charles Voth Designs

Reversible crocheted blanket

Made with fingering or sport weight yarn and a size 5mm or 5.5mm hook, this crocheted reversible shell stitch creates an amazingly soft and cushiony fabric that’s perfect for an easy and warm baby blanket. You could combine any two yarn colors from these 32 choices of Bernat Softee Baby.

An experienced beginner could crochet this easily. It’s just a matter of keeping track of two balls of yarn. Locking stitch markers or split ring stitch markers are pretty important to getting this right, too.

If you wanted a reversible placement or even better a doormat, you could use some nylon cord (here are 86 colors to choose from) to crochet a durable item to make a lovely welcome mat. (neither of these is an affiliate link, just so you know)

Pattern instructions for reversible shell stitch pattern

Stitches Used (US terms): Ch (chain st), sc (single crochet), hdc (half-double crochet), dc (double crochet), tr (treble crochet), fptr (front post treble crochet), sl st (slip stitch).

Reversible 2-color crochet shells — Reversible crochet shells

Yarn A = your first color choice; Yarn B = your second color choice (or a ball of the same color as A, just labelled B, to keep things straight)

Row 1: With yarn A, ch a multiple of 4 sts plus 2. Sc in 2nd ch from hk (hook) and in each ch across, turn.

Row 2: Ch 2 (referred to as lower t-ch, aka turning chain), *sc in next st, dc in next st, sc in next st**, ch 1, sk (skip) next st; rep from * across, ending final rep (repeat) at **, hdc in last st, ch 5, place live lp (loop) on marker, turn.

Row 3: With yarn B, join in last hdc made with sl st, tighten lp, ch 2 (referred to as upper t-ch), sk 1 sc, *3dc in next dc**, sk next (sc, ch sp, sc), rep from * across, ending at **, fptr around lower t-ch, ch 5, place live lp on marker. Do not turn.

Row 4: Return live lp of A to hook, working across sts from Row 2, *sk next 3 sts, sl st in ch-1 sp, ch 5; rep from * across, ending with sl st in top of beginning ch-2 from Row 2, ch 2, sl st in top of last tr from row 3, turn.

Row 5: Still with A, ch 2, *3dc in middle dc of next 3-dc group and at the same time, catching the ch-5 arch from WS (wrong side) under your hook each time you make a dc; rep from 8 across, fptr around lower t-ch tog (together) with tr from row 3, ch 5, place live lp on marker, do not turn.

Row 6: Return live lp of B to hook, working across sts from last row in same color, *insert hook from below up between next two 3-dc groups and work sl st (be sure not to catch any strands of yarn of other color), ch 5; rep from * across, ending with sl st around upper t-ch, ch 2, sl st in top of last tr from prev row, turn.

Row 7: Still with B, ch 2, *3dc in middle dc of next 3-dc group and at the same time, catching the ch-5 arch from WS under your hook each time you make a dc; rep from 8 across, fptr around lower t-ch tog with tr from 2 rows below, ch 5, place live lp on marker, do not turn.

Row 8: Return live lp of A to hook, working across sts from last row in same color, *insert hook from below up between next two 3-dc groups and work sl st, ch 5; rep from * across, ending with sl st around upper t-ch, ch 2, sl st in top of last tr from prev row, turn.

Row 9: Still with A,ch 2, *3dc in middle dc of next 3-dc group and at the same time, catching the ch-5 arch from WS under your hook each time you make a dc; rep from 8 across, fptr around lower t-ch tog with tr from 2 rows below, ch 5, place live lp on marker, do not turn.

Rep Rows 6–9 for desired length ending with an odd-numbered row.

Next Row: Return live lp to hook, working across sts from last row in same color, *insert hook from below up between next two 3-dc groups and work sc, ch 5; rep from * across, ending with sl st around upper t-ch, ch 2, sl st in top of last tr from prev row, turn.

Last Row: Working through both layers as follows, *sc in each of next 3 dc sts, catching ch-5 arch as established, sc between last dc and next dc and through sc on SC; rep from * across, sc in last st. Fasten off.

A lovely crocheted border

Symbol Crochet Instructions for border or edging for many crochet projects

Saw a photo of a border that looked something like this, not sure about all the stitches in the corners, but I like to figure out new and different approaches to solving border stitches when it comes to the corners. Click on the picture for a PDF of the diagram. If you don’t “do” diagrams, consider taking my Craftsy class on reading crochet symbols. 50% off code in top ad banner.

Snail Square Crochet Block Motif

I love crochet motifs that use up all the odds and ends of yarn that seem to get tucked away and eventually tangled in my stash bins.

This block uses a spiral technique where partial rounds are worked and then the hook is moved to a second live loop of an additional colour of yarn and then another partial round is worked in that colour. Then the hook is returned to the first colour and more partial rounds are worked, and back and forth and so on. It’s really a lot of fun.

This free crochet motif is versatile for a baby’s blanket for example. You could get all your odds and ends of baby yarns that are of the same weight, and preferably from the same manufacturer, so that it washes evenly and it’s easier to maintain an even tension. Then you start with two of the colours and keep going until the square is big enough for a crip, for a car seat, or for snuggling and nursing.

If you have a lot of one colour of yarn, you can use that as the one colour for all the squares or the majority of them and then use bits and bobs of other colours in the alternate legs of the spiral. That brings a bit of cohesiveness to the larger project when you sew the squares together.

This crochet pattern can be found for free here in my Craftsy store.

Stitching by the water

Next summer, Welland will welcome the rowers and canoers participating in the Panamerican games (Toronto, 2015). Toronto proper doesn’t have a venue quite like this one. I’m looking forward to knitting and crocheting while I watch a race or two. More about the project in the photo, below.

Here you can see I’m crocheting a summer top for my wife. There’s only about 6 inches done on it so far, bottom-up, more details on it later, when I have more done.

I’m crocheting with Bernat’s Handicrafter #5 Thread. It’s not really a “thread” per se in my mind as I’m crocheting with a 3.5mm hook and not the recommended 2.75mm hook (which still isn’t really a thread hook, imho).

The lighting for this swatch photo is a bit off, but nonetheless, you can see that this yarn has a nice sheen to it. It’s 100% acrylic and it looks like it’s two ply with what I would call a medium twist.

I haven’t blocked this swatch, and as it’s acrylic, I’m not thinking that blocking will do it much good…but I really like the bounce and stretch in this yarn, so I don’t think I’ll steam it or heat it to make the blocking stick. Instead, I’ve designed Pam’s top with some negative ease so it’ll hug her curves which will in turn make the lace open up. Another advantage to this yarn is that it is light and not warm, at least not in this stitch pattern.

This yarn does get a slight halo as it is worked. I’m hoping that it doesn’t pill under the arms or any other friction spots, but I don’t the soft fuzzy look it has so far. I should have washed the swatch before starting the garment, but I was under the spell of startitis.

By the way, Duncan, our English cocker spaniel is 7 years old, but still young at heart. He’s even on the podium taking the gold.

A couple of questions for you:

Where is your favourite place to knit or crochet outside your home?

Do you knit or crochet with acrylic? Why not? Why so? When?

Stitching on the water.

While chatting with my wife the other afternoon, mostly about knitting and crochet and my design career, etc, I said I needed to get my blog going again. She came up with the idea to take pictures of me knitting or crocheting in different places and then to do a write-up about those places, and whatever is on my mind at the time and connect it to knitting and crocheting in some way. “Brilliant!” is what I said, or something along that vein. So for the most part, that’s what this blog will entail for the next little while: “Great Places to Stitch”

Today we went on a canoe ride south along the Welland canal which flows through our city. It’s a short 2-block portage from our back yard. Our 7-year old English Cocker Spaniel, Duncan, came along for the ride…he likes to watch the ducks.

The Welland Canal connects Lakes Erie and Ontario. This branch of the canal is now closed to the lakers that now cross through our city at it’s east-most boundary (ever since 1973).

The lift-bridge in the backgroud is covered in scaffolding and tenting as it’s being sandblasted and painted. It’s an historical structure and is no longer a functional lift bridge.

Crocheting in a canoe is quite nice…when the wind picks up you get tossed lightly around and I had to stop stitching a few times to keep the canoe in the centre of the waterway. I’m holding up a washcloth made out of crochet cotton. It’s either Lion Brand’s Kitchen cotton in Kiwi or it’s Lily Sugar n’ Cream in Hot Green. Lost the band months ago.

I’ve been trying to develop a very open crochet stitch so that the dishcloth can dry quickly. I think I’ve come up with a “new” stitch and I’m calling it a hitched double crochet (or hitched treble for UK stitchers). Once I practice the stitch and test drive the washcloths I’ll get a pattern written up.