Feb
The Shawl Thing I Made Last Spring
So last spring 2023 I decided to make my mom this triangle shawl because she’s always cold at her office and I figured it would actually get used. I used Lion Brand Mandala yarn in the Sphinx colorway and honestly it worked up pretty fast because the yarn does all the color work for you. You just keep going in rows and it looks like you planned something intricate but you didn’t.
The pattern isn’t really a pattern if that makes sense. You start with like 4 chains, then you just increase at the beginning and end of every row. Some people do it with a center increase too but I find that annoying to keep track of. My dog kept trying to steal the yarn ball while I worked on this which made counting stitches basically impossible.
What annoyed me was that my mom is particular about things touching her neck so I had to rip out my first attempt at the edging because I did this scallop thing that looked cute but she would’ve hated how it felt. Ended up just doing single crochets around the whole edge. Took forever but whatever.
Easy Dishcloths That Actually Work
Okay so dishcloths sound boring but hear me out. I made a set of like 6 for Mother’s Day 2022 and my mom still talks about them. You gotta use cotton yarn though, not acrylic. I used Lily Sugar’n Cream because it’s cheap and you can get it anywhere. The Hot Green color is actually really pretty, not like highlighter green.
The basic pattern is just a square. Chain whatever size you want, maybe 30 or so, then do all double crochets until it’s square shaped. The texture of double crochet is actually perfect for scrubbing dishes without being too rough. Some people do the moss stitch or something but honestly the simple version works just as good.
I made these while binge-watching The Bear and I think that’s why they turned out uneven because I’d get distracted during intense scenes and lose count. But dishcloths are forgiving that way.
Things to Know About Cotton Yarn
- It has zero stretch so your tension needs to be consistent
- It’s gonna hurt your hands more than acrylic if you’re doing a lot at once
- Don’t bother with expensive cotton for dishcloths, the cheap stuff works fine
- It softens up after washing which is nice
The Market Bag I Should’ve Made Bigger
Summer 2024 I made my mom a market bag using that chunky cotton cord stuff. I think it was Bobbiny but I’m not totally sure because I bought it from some Etsy seller. The pattern was just a basic mesh bag situation where you chain spaces and then do clusters of double crochets.
Here’s what I learned: make it way bigger than you think. My first version could barely hold three apples. I had to start completely over and like double the starting chain. The second version actually fits groceries and she uses it all the time now.
The handles were the tricky part because I wanted them sturdy enough that they wouldn’t stretch out when the bag was full. I ended up doing them in rows of half double crochet, making two long strips and then sewing them on really firmly with the same yarn. Weaving in ends on that thick cord was absolutely terrible though, it took forever and my hands hurt.
Blanket Square Situation
I’m currently working on a blanket made of individual granny squares for my mom’s birthday next month and honestly I’m not sure I’ll finish in time. Each square is like 5 inches and I need… a lot. I lost track of how many. The plan is to do them all in different colors using whatever yarn I have lying around, mostly Red Heart Super Saver because that’s what I buy in bulk.
Granny squares are one of those things that seem complicated but once you get the rhythm it’s basically the same thing over and over. You start with a magic circle or just chain 4 and join, then you do clusters of 3 double crochets with chain spaces between them. Each round you put clusters in the chain spaces and do extra clusters in the corners.
The annoying part is joining them all together later. I haven’t decided if I’m gonna crochet them together or sew them. Crocheting makes a raised seam that looks intentional but sewing is flatter and some people prefer… actually I’ll probably just crochet them because sewing takes patience I don’t have.
Granny Square Tips From Someone Who Makes Them Wrong Probably
- Don’t pull your chains too tight in the corners or the square won’t lay flat
- Count your clusters because it’s easy to accidentally add extra ones
- If your squares are coming out different sizes, you’re changing tension between them
- Make like 10% more squares than you think you need because some will be weird
Mug Cozy That Was Pointless But Cute
I made my mom a mug cozy once using some leftover Caron Simply Soft in like a burgundy color. It was literally just a rectangle that I seamed into a tube with a button closure. Took maybe 30 minutes total. She never uses it because she microwaves her coffee and you can’t microwave it with the cozy on but she keeps it on her desk so I guess that counts as success.
If you’re gonna make one just measure around the mug and chain that length, then work in rows of single crochet until it’s tall enough to cover the part where you’d hold it. Add a button and a loop closure. Done.
Headband for Her Weird Hair Situation
My mom has really thick hair and regular headbands give her headaches so in winter 2023 I made her a wide crocheted headband that’s more like an ear warmer. Used Red Heart With Love in Pewter which is a nice gray that goes with everything she wears.
The construction is kind of clever actually – you make it lengthwise instead of in rounds so you can try it on as you go. I did rows of half double crochet which has good stretch but still structure. The width was like 4 inches maybe? Wide enough to cover ears but not so wide it looks like you’re wearing a tube.
To close it I just seamed the ends together after making sure it fit right. Some patterns tell you to add elastic but that seems like unnecessary complexity when you can just make it the right size with a yarn that has some give to it.
Coaster Set Nobody Asked For
Made a set of 6 coasters using that cotton cord stuff again, different colors. Each one was just a flat circle – magic ring, then increase evenly in rounds until it’s the size you want. I think I did like 7 or 8 rounds for each coaster.
The thing with circular coasters is you gotta increase the right amount or they’ll ruffle up. The rule is something like adding 6 stitches per round but honestly I just eyeball it and if it starts ruffling I decrease the increases… that sentence doesn’t make sense but you know what I mean.
These actually get used a lot because my mom has wood furniture and actually cares about water rings. I made them in colors that match her kitchen which was accidental because I just used what I had but it worked out.
Bookmark With Fancy Yarn
Last Christmas I made my mom a bookmark using this weird thin ribbon yarn, I think it was Aunt Lydia’s Fashion Crochet Thread. It’s more like thread than yarn and you need a tiny hook, maybe a 1.5mm or something. My eyes hurt the entire time I was making it.
The pattern was just a long skinny rectangle with a tassel at the bottom. Nothing fancy. But because the thread is so fine it looks delicate and special even though the actual stitches are basic. I did all single crochets and it still looked nice.
She keeps it in whatever book she’s currently reading so I see it whenever I visit which is more satisfying than I expected. Makes me want to make more small things that actually get used instead of big projects that take months and then just sit on a shelf or whatever.
