Hello everyone! My latest design is a cat sweater, the first ever for me. Let me tell you, this was a pattern of necessity. Or so our cat, Lizzie Beth, would have you believe. (That is the little darling in the picture. Isn’t she precious?) Our summers are humid and sweltering and just up our kitty’s ally. She lays on the porch and soaks up the warmth, but in the winter she’s a blanket hog. And snow is an absolute “No” for her. I couldn’t help but pity her and lend my skill for her comfort. Thus emerged the Retro Striped Cat Sweater.

There are so many designs for pet clothing out there; I had no idea what I really wanted for my design. I decided to style it after a vintage sweater that is kind of a clothing legend in our family since it dates back to the 80’s, at least — simple with bold stripes. The sweater is crocheted top down, where the collar is first worked in ridged rows before joining. The armholes are relatively simple with the striping starting halfway through along the back.

One special stitch I used in this pattern for a brief period is the Foundation Single Crochet. Are you familiar with it? If not, don’t worry, we have a post here that shows you how it’s done. Check out How to Crochet: Foundation Single Crochet (Fsc).

The Retro Striped Cat Sweater should fit your average cat, or even very small dog breeds. The collar provides an opening of 10 inches, unstretched, and slips over the head easily. The armholes are roomy as well and should make the sweater that much easier to put on.

So what do you think of Lizzie’s sweater? Do you have a fur baby in need of some homemade goodness from you? Don’t forget to leave me your thoughts in the comments below!

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I’ve talked about the simple things that inspire me in my designs before. Well this time, believe it or not, it was a simple plastic “trash can” at Walmart that did it. Okay, so maybe it was supposed to be some kind of storage tub, but it could be a trash can. You may have seen it actually. All white with rows of multi-colored hearts. The vibrant colors on the plain white, along with the simple design of the product, just appealed to me and I wondered what it would look like in crochet. I was going to make this another favor bag but as I worked I realized it would make a better basket.
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I love to crochet whimsical things but nothing gratifies me more than being able to make something useful. So after enduring the terrible screech of our chairs and foldout table on our hard floors I decided it was time to meet this need.

Though I have included patterns for two kinds of chair/table legs, this method can be altered to make socks for nearly any style of round legs.

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How do you feel about those long winter days ahead? Whether you like them or are in dread of them, I propose this will be a wall hanging for everyone! Here’s my reasoning: For the lover of winter, this is the perfect way to enjoy it better. However, for the one who dreads it, this is the perfect project to add some color to the dreary days!

Corner to corner crochet is a lot of fun. I love the variety of designs you can make simply by working blocks of color. This project features 3 colors, a tad more involved then 2 color C2C crochet but don’t let that scare you. Follow the graph and don’t forget to check out the links on how to C2C Block Stitch.

If you’ve crocheted corner to corner before you will know that it often presents a lot of ends to weave in later. You can minimize this by following a few suggestions of mine and searching the internet for advice from other, well-experienced C2C crocheters.

I hope you enjoy this project! Don’t forget to let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

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How are you about sweaters? I love them! So I was completely sold on the idea of making simple sweater cozies for your mugs. After all, what could be more perfect than a ribbed sweater pattern or two on your mug of hot drink?

There are two sweater cozies to choose from, (or make them both!), a lovely red with bold ribbing and subtle side ribbing, and a warming green with defined lines and a firm reverse single crochet border. Each cozy is finished off with a rustic button.

Since mugs seem to vary in size I have added instructions for changing the size. It is easy!

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If you normally keep those extra grocery bags stuffed into a cabinet then this pattern is for you! This is a simple pattern that works up quickly — that much closer to an organized cabinet. By making the adjustable ring large to begin with you have a hole in the bottom just big enough to pull out a bag but not so big they fall out themselves. The top is made like a drawstring bag, opening easily to add more bags and closing when it is hung up.

I used some leftover Bernat Home Dec yarn to make this bag saver because it makes such clean and neat stitches, but feel free to choose another bulky weight yarn of your choice.

Have you ever considered making your own bag saver? Give it a try!

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Last year I designed the first favor bag that began a trend when I designed the Carrot Favor Bag for Easter. Since then I have crocheted a total of 6 favor bag designs, 4 revolving around Spring, you might say, and 2 at Christmas. Be sure to check out my other Favor Bag Crochet Patterns. This year I realized I hadn’t designed any for the Autumn season and I set about to remedy that. And wouldn’t you know what I would make?

Are you a pumpkin maker? Every Autumn I get sucked into the fascination of the crocheted pumpkin. Perhaps it is the warm, festive colors that so suit the season, or perhaps it is the unique but easy construction. I don’t know.

In designing the Rustic Pumpkin Favor Bag I had to figure out how I would achieve the ribbed effect. Since this wouldn’t be a sealed project, and I couldn’t cinch in the sides with stitches, I decided to simply create the effect with the fabric by working every 4th round around the front post of each stitch.

First you crochet a panel as you would when beginning a pumpkin. After sewing the ends together, you then gather and sew up the bottom. The stalk is created with rounds of half double crochet that is cinched when the bag is closed.

Top it off with an Autumn-inspired bow and you’re ready to fill it with goodies!

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I designed these coasters out of necessity. With the warm temperatures, icy drinks create watery puddles quickly and I realized it was high time I made a set of coasters to fix this problem. Even though I am partial to round coasters I didn’t have any inspiration where they were concerned and instead fell back on a few stitch patterns that I had previously admired. Thus was born the idea to create these sampler coasters.

Since a coaster is basic in its form the uniqueness had to come from the stitch. These coasters feature some exciting texture, or relief patterns, created with basic crochet stitches. One is a diamond relief pattern created with single crochets and double crochets, some of which are worked in the front post of a stitch a few rows down. Another is worked in a distinct ribbing with the same variety of stitches just in a different form. And the last is created with the surprisingly simple Crunch stitch.

Choose between the three designs, as well as the options of a border or fringe.

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I’ve always loved the traditional granny square pattern and how adaptable it is. I’ve seen some lovely granny square earrings and wanted to do my own take on the pattern. These earrings are super lightweight but add some fun movement to your outfit. I love dangly earrings, but sometimes they’re too heavy and hurt my ears after a while…not the case here! They’re made of two granny squares joined together at one corner, with some extra scallops on the bottom. Super easy and lots of opportunity for color variation. They’re named after the dog who walked past me right when I was looking for naming inspiration.

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After seeing a soccer ball plushie in the store I was like, “I can make that!” Have you ever done that before? To be honest, I do it too much. But anyway, I’m glad to say I was actually able to. When I sat down to begin crocheting it I realized I really needed an original looking soccer ball for reference. I ended up using pictures off the internet (which cannot rotate, as you may know) and simply following the pattern I could see. I have to say, I was not at all certain I was going to get it right. But I did! And have prepared a concise pattern for you so you can too.

You will make two kinds of motifs: a black pentagon and a white hexagon. The pentagon will be one round smaller than the hexagon and only have five sides, while the hexagon will be four rounds and have six sides, (hence the names).

It might seem daunting but it’s not too hard. Simply follow the pattern, using the pictures for reference when necessary, and you can do it too.

I hope you enjoy this latest pattern. I know of some little boys who will be receiving a disaster-proof soccer ball soon!

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