Apr
Okay So Happy Patty Crochet Patterns
So you’re asking about the Happy Patty crochet stuff and honestly I’ve made like three or four of these patterns now and they’re pretty solid for what they are. I first tried one back in spring 2022 when I was basically just sitting around trying not to think about my job situation and needed something to do with my hands that wasn’t doomscrolling.
The thing with Happy Patty patterns is they’re written for people who already kinda know what they’re doing but not in that annoying way where they assume you have like a degree in fiber arts or whatever. They use standard abbreviations mostly and the stitch counts are usually right which honestly is more than I can say for some free patterns I’ve found online.
What You Actually Need Before Starting
First off you’re gonna need the actual pattern obvs. Most of them are available as PDFs and some are free on their site but the more complex ones you gotta pay for. Not expensive though like $4-7 range usually.
For yarn I’ve used a bunch of different brands depending on what the pattern called for. The baby blanket one I made in summer 2024 I used Lion Brand Feels Like Butta because it was on sale at Michaels and honestly it worked fine even though the pattern suggested some boutique yarn I’d never heard of. The texture came out soft and my sister’s baby seems to like it or at least hasn’t complained yet.
For the amigurumi patterns I did use Red Heart Super Saver because I’m not spending $15 a skein on something that might turn out looking weird. One of them was this little mushroom thing that actually turned out really cute and the cheaper yarn didn’t matter at all for that project.
Reading The Patterns
The patterns themselves are formatted pretty standard. They’ll have a materials list at the top, gauge info that I’ll be honest I usually skip unless I’m making something that needs to fit, and then the actual instructions.
One thing that lowkey annoyed me about the Happy Patty patterns is they sometimes switch between written instructions and charts without much warning? Like you’ll be reading along following the written pattern and then suddenly there’s a chart for a section and you’re like oh okay I guess we’re doing this now. I don’t mind charts but the transition always feels abrupt.
The stitch abbreviations are listed but they use some British terms mixed with American terms sometimes which can get confusing. Like they’ll say “treble” and you gotta remember if they mean US double crochet or US treble. Usually there’s a note but not always and I’ve definitely had to rip out rows before because I used the wrong interpretation.
Actually Making The Things
When you start a Happy Patty pattern just read through the whole thing first. I know that sounds obvious but I’ve jumped in before and then realized halfway through that there was a special technique I needed to know that they mentioned casually in row 47 or something.
The baby blanket I mentioned earlier was actually a pretty good starter project from their collection. It was this chevron pattern thing with color changes and the instructions were clear enough. I used Caron Simply Soft for some of the color blocks when I ran out of the Lion Brand and you honestly couldn’t tell the difference once it was all together.
I worked on that blanket while watching the entire second season of The Bear which was probably not the best choice because some of those episodes are stressful and I definitely made tension mistakes when things got intense on screen. My cat also kept trying to lay on it while I was counting stitches which didn’t help.
The Color Change Situation
A lot of Happy Patty patterns involve color changes and they’re usually pretty good about explaining when to switch but here’s what I figured out: they assume you know how to carry yarn or weave in ends properly. If you don’t know those techniques already you’re gonna wanna look up a video because the patterns just say stuff like “change to Color B” without explaining the actual mechanics.
I use the Russian join method for color changes now mostly because I hate weaving in ends and it’s held up fine in everything I’ve made. The patterns don’t specify a method though so use whatever works for you.
Gauge Is Annoying But Sometimes Matters
Okay so gauge. The patterns list it and for wearable stuff you really should check it even though it’s boring. I made this cardigan pattern from Happy Patty back in fall 2023 and didn’t check my gauge because I was being lazy and it ended up like two sizes too big. Still wore it as an oversized thing but it wasn’t what I was going for.
For amigurumi or blankets or whatever you can honestly fudge the gauge more. Like if your tension is a little tighter or looser it just means your finished object will be slightly smaller or bigger which usually doesn’t matter that much.
I typically use a 5mm hook for worsted weight yarn but some of their patterns call for sizing down to get a tighter fabric which makes sense for amigurumi so stuffing doesn’t show through but feels weird when you’re used to— actually that reminds me I need to order more polyfil.
Specific Patterns I’ve Tried
The mushroom amigurumi one was super straightforward. Took maybe three hours total and used less than one skein of Red Heart. The only tricky part was attaching the stem to the cap cleanly but they had pretty good photos in the pattern showing the placement.
There’s a market bag pattern that’s really popular and I tried it with some cotton yarn I had lying around. I think it was Lily Sugar’n Cream? The pattern worked up fast and the bag is actually functional like I use it for groceries sometimes. The handles were a little confusing because the instructions for how to attach them were kind of vague but I just whipstitched them on and it’s been fine.
The cardigan I mentioned was their “Easy Everyday Cardigan” which is actually not that easy if you’ve never done garment construction before. It’s made in pieces that you seam together and the seaming instructions were basically nonexistent. I had to google how to seam crochet pieces properly and even then my seams are kinda visible. Still wearable but not like professional looking or anything.
What’s Actually Hard About These Patterns
The thing that gets me with Happy Patty patterns is they’re written assuming a certain level of problem-solving ability. Like if something seems off with your stitch count they expect you to figure out where you went wrong rather than holding your hand through it.
This is fine if you’re comfortable with crochet already but if you’re still at the stage where you need really detailed instructions for every little thing these might be frustrating. They’re not beginner patterns even when they say “easy” in the title.
Also the photos in the patterns are helpful but sometimes they show the finished object from only one angle and you’re trying to figure out how a certain section is supposed to look and there’s just no photo of that part. I’ve definitely had to make educated guesses before.
Yarn Substitution
You can basically always substitute yarn as long as you’re matching weight and fiber content roughly. I’ve never used the exact yarns their patterns call for because half the time they’re suggesting fancy indie-dyed stuff that costs more than I wanna spend.
The baby blanket called for some merino blend and I used acrylic and it was totally fine. Acrylic is actually better for baby stuff anyway because you can wash it however without worrying about it felting or shrinking.
For the market bag cotton is actually important because it doesn’t stretch as much as acrylic would under weight. I tried making one with acrylic first and it stretched out weird when I put groceries in it so I frogged it and started over with the Lily Sugar’n Cream.
Time Investment
The patterns usually don’t list how long they take which is annoying when you’re trying to plan a project. The baby blanket took me like two weeks of casual evening crocheting. The amigurumi stuff is way faster, few hours each usually.
The cardigan took forever because it’s big and also because I kept making mistakes and having to redo sections. Probably like 30-40 hours total? I wasn’t tracking closely but it was my main project for over a month.
If you’re a fast crocheter you’ll obviously finish quicker and if you’re slower it’ll take longer which is obvious but like the patterns don’t give you any baseline to work from.
Common Issues I’ve Run Into
Stitch count being off is the main thing. I’ll be following along and then suddenly I’m short two stitches or have extra ones and have to go back and figure out where I messed up. The patterns are usually accurate but sometimes I just can’t crochet and count at the same time apparently.
Tension consistency is another thing especially on projects that take multiple sessions. The beginning of my baby blanket is noticeably tighter than the end because I loosened up as I got into the rhythm of the pattern. It’s not super obvious but I can tell.
Understanding the construction method for garments was hard for me because I’d mostly done blankets and flat projects before. The cardigan pattern assumes you understand how pieces fit together to make a wearable thing and I definitely didn’t at first.
What I Wish The Patterns Included
Video tutorials would be amazing for the more complex techniques but I don’t think Happy Patty does those. You’re working from written patterns and photos only which is fine but sometimes a video would clear things up instantly.
More detailed finishing instructions would help. Like they’ll say “weave in ends” but on something with a lot of color changes that’s actually a significant amount of work and some tips on how to do it efficiently would be nice.
Yarn yardage is listed but it would be cool if they broke it down by color for multicolor projects. I’ve definitely run out of one color before because I didn’t realize how much of it the pattern used.
Is It Worth It
If you’re comfortable with basic crochet stitches and can follow a pattern without tons of hand-holding then yeah Happy Patty patterns are solid. They’re not gonna revolutionize your crochet life or whatever but they’re reliable and the designs are cute without being overly complicated.
The free patterns are worth trying first to see if you like their style before buying any. I started with a free dishcloth pattern that was honestly pretty boring but it let me see how their instructions were formatted.
For the paid patterns the price is reasonable enough that I don’t feel ripped off even when a pattern is harder than expected. You’re paying like $5 for instructions that result in a finished object you’ll actually use which seems fair.
Just don’t expect them to teach you new techniques from scratch. They’re patterns not tutorials really even though the collection says tutorials in the name. You need to already have the skills and maybe look up specific techniques on YouTube if something’s unfamiliar.
