Feb
Coasters Are Where I Started
Okay so coasters. I made like fifteen of them in February 2023 when I was basically living on my friend Sarah’s couch and needed something to do with my hands that wasn’t scrolling through my ex’s Instagram. They’re genuinely the best starter mini project because you can finish one in maybe thirty minutes and if you mess up who cares, it’s a coaster.
You just chain like 4, join it into a ring, and then do rounds of single crochet increasing every other stitch until it’s wide enough. I used Red Heart Super Saver because it was five bucks at Walmart and came in this ugly burgundy color that somehow matched Sarah’s weird vintage couch. The thing that drove me absolutely nuts though was that the edges kept curling up no matter what I did. I tried blocking them with steam, I tried adding a round of slip stitches, but honestly they still curled a bit and I just gave up and gave them to people anyway.
Bookmarks That Actually Work
The rectangle bookmark is stupid simple. Chain like 8 or 10 stitches depending on how wide you want it, then just single crochet back and forth until it’s long enough. Maybe 8-10 inches? I never measure anything which probably shows in the final product but whatever.
What makes it actually good is adding a tassel at the bottom. You cut a bunch of yarn pieces about 6 inches long, fold them in half, pull the loop through the bottom of your bookmark, then pull the ends through that loop. Makes it look intentional instead of like you just made a random strip of fabric.
I made a bunch of these with Lily Sugar’n Cream because I had it around from trying to make dishcloths (which I’ll get to). The cotton is nice for bookmarks because it’s thin and doesn’t add bulk to your book. My cat knocked over my coffee onto one of them while I was watching The Last of Us and it washed fine, so there’s that.
Tassel Instructions Since I Mentioned It
- Cut 8-10 pieces of yarn about 6 inches each
- Hold them together and fold in half
- Push your hook through the bottom center of bookmark
- Grab the folded middle of your yarn bundle
- Pull it through to make a loop
- Pull all the ends through that loop and tighten
Dishcloths Are Weirdly Satisfying
I know dishcloths sound boring but hear me out. You make a square, you use it to clean stuff, and it feels way less wasteful than paper towels. Plus you can actually see your progress which is nice when you’re learning.
Basic dishcloth is just chain 30 or whatever size you want, then single crochet rows until it’s square. That’s it. You can do half double crochet if you want more texture. I switched between both randomly in the same dishcloth once and it looked kinda interesting actually, like intentional stripes but with texture instead of color.
Lily Sugar’n Cream is what everyone uses for these and yeah it works fine. It comes in a million colors and goes on sale constantly. I got a bunch in “Jute” which is like a beige tan situation that hides stains. The Hot Green color is actually really pretty if you’re into that.
The annoying thing about dishcloths is that cotton yarn has like zero stretch so if your tension is inconsistent it shows up immediately as wonky edges. Mine are never perfectly square and I’ve accepted this about myself.
Scrunchies Are Having A Moment I Guess
My niece asked me to make her scrunchies last year and I was like okay sure how hard can it be. Answer: not hard but fiddly.
You need a hair elastic first – just buy a pack of the thin ones at the drugstore. Then you chain enough to go around the elastic loosely, maybe 40-50 chains depending on your yarn weight. Join it into a ring. Then you basically single crochet around and around, but every few stitches you’re supposed to kinda…catch the elastic inside the tube you’re making? It’s hard to explain.
Actually here’s how I did it and it worked fine:
- Put the elastic over something round like a roll of tape to hold it open
- Chain 45 or so and join into a ring
- Single crochet around that ring
- On the next round, hold the elastic behind your work and crochet around it, trapping it inside
- Keep going for like 4-5 rounds total
- Fasten off and weave in ends
I used some random acrylic from Michaels – I think it was their store brand Loops & Threads Impeccable? It came in pastels and my niece wanted this specific shade of purple. The scrunchie worked but was kinda stiff at first until she actually wore it a few times.
Keychains and Little Shapes
You can crochet around a keyring and make little circle tags. Same concept as coasters but smaller – start with a magic ring (which I avoided learning for like two years because it seemed complicated but it’s actually not), then single crochet increases until it covers the metal ring part, then decrease back down on the other side to trap the ring inside.
Or you can make flat shapes like hearts or stars and attach a keyring. Hearts are just two humps on top – you can probably find a diagram somewhere but basically you chain, single crochet partway, increase a bunch to make the first hump, decrease, increase again for the second hump, then decrease to a point at the bottom.
I made a star once that came out looking more like a blob with points but I gave it to my friend’s kid and she loved it so success I guess.
Yarn Weight Matters More Here
For keychains you’re gonna want thinner yarn or it gets too bulky. I used some Aunt Lydia’s crochet thread once and it worked really well – made a tiny little circle keychain that was actually proportional. With chunky yarn it ends up looking cartoonish which might be what you want honestly.
Coffee Cup Sleeves
These are practical if you actually get coffee in those paper cups a lot. You measure around the cup – usually like 10 inches – and chain that length. Then single crochet rows back and forth until it’s as tall as you want, maybe 3 inches. Sew or slip stitch the short ends together and boom, cup sleeve.
You can add a button closure instead of sewing it permanently which lets you wash it easier. Just leave a gap on one end and crochet a button hole (chain 2, skip 2 stitches, continue pattern), then sew a button on the other end.
I made one with Red Heart With Love in grey and it worked fine but acrylic against hot coffee cup gets kinda weird and melty if the coffee is really hot, so maybe cotton is better for this actually? I didn’t think that through.
Tiny Pouches
Make a rectangle, fold it in half, sew up the sides, add a drawstring or button. That’s a pouch.
For drawstring you need to leave holes near the top. On the last few rows, you chain 2 and skip 2 stitches a few times around to make gaps. Then chain a long string and weave it through those gaps. Tie knots on the ends so it doesn’t pull through.
I made one of these for my earbuds with some Bernat Satin yarn I had left over from something else – it was this teal color that I thought was gonna be more blue but whatever. The satin yarn is kind of splitty and annoying to work with but the finished product feels nice and smooth.
These pouches are good for gifts because they’re small enough to finish quickly but look like you put in effort. You can make them in an evening while watching TV or whatever.
The Tension Thing Nobody Talks About Enough
With small projects your tension matters more because there’s less fabric to hide inconsistencies. If you’re gripping the hook too tight or pulling the yarn weird, it shows up immediately in something coaster-sized.
I had to basically retrain my hand position because I was holding everything like I was strangling it. Now I try to keep my shoulders relaxed and not death-grip the hook – it’s supposed to rest in your hand not be held like a weapon. This helped but also my tension is still kinda all over the place and honestly most people can’t tell unless they’re really looking.
Actually Finishing The Thing
Weaving in ends is the worst part of any project but especially small ones where the ends are like 30% of the total item. I use a yarn needle and go back and forth through the stitches a few times then cut close. Some people say to split the yarn plies and go different directions for security but I’ve never had something come undone from just weaving back and forth a few times and calling it done.
If you’re making something that’ll get washed a lot like dishcloths, maybe take the extra thirty seconds to weave more thoroughly. For decorative stuff honestly just tuck it in good enough and move on.
