Crocheted Slippers made with Bernat Sox yarn

Have you ever crocheted slippers? Up until recently, I never had, but then I found this free pattern from Bernat for their new Sox yarn so I had to try it! You may need to sign up for a free account to access this pattern, but it is well worth the effort because the Bernat website always has lots of wonderful free patterns available for knitting and crocheting with their wide variety of yarns.

How do you like my slippers?


I made the largest size for this first pair because I thought my sister had a bigger foot than my daughter. As it turned out, between the BIG BLACK scarf and all the other goodies I gave her, she didn't need a pair of crocheted slippers anyway!


But as you can see, they fit my daughter just fine!


So fine, in fact, that she left them on her feet for the remainder of the day! I guess she has a new pair of crocheted slippers for herself!

I enjoyed working with this Bernat Sox yarn. I found it to be very soft and quite pleasant in my hands. The hook size required for this pattern is a D, which I did not have in my extensive collection of crochet hooks. That was fine with me though because it forced me into purchasing a new crochet hook to add to the collection! I'm always up for a new tool! While I was at it, I also purchased a size C and a size B, just in case! Now my needle roll for my crochet hooks is completely full, with some of the smaller hooks doubling up in the little pockets. But I think I now own every size crochet hook known to man, so it's ok!

This pair of slippers took about 3/4 of one skein of Bernat Sox yarn. With the remainder of the skein, I am sure I will have enough left to knit or crochet at least one baby hat for the hospital, maybe even two.

My next project is a knitted cardigan sweater made on size 17 needles! I'm going from one extreme to the other with my projects! I have already begun the back and have about 8 inches complete. I'll take a few pictures when there is something interesting to show you.

Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted Woven Stitch Extra-wide Scarf

For Christmas this year, my sister the Sister (as my husband affectionately calls her) had asked for an extra wide crocheted scarf in black, of course! As you may recall, she's the nun for whom I made the tote bag last Christmas which was the star of my tote bag tutorial.

Well, this year, I was able to make her gift in the comfort of my cozy chair, working on it in the evenings for about 2 weeks. Here's how it came out...


My husband who is 6 feet 2 inches tall was the only one in the house who could hold it up straight without too much of it puddling on the floor! So you have some idea of just how long this scarf is! It is approximately 19 inches wide and took 4 skeins of Bernat Boucle yarn to complete.


As you can see in this picture, the boucle yarn is not a good choice if you want to show off your stitches. The stitches just disappear into each other and seem to form a solid fabric of soft cozy bumpy yarn. For this reason, working with boucle yarn can be very difficult if you are trying to use a pattern in either knit or crochet where you have to actually work into the stitches.

I chose the woven stitch in crochet to make this scarf because, after working the first row of single crochet and chain stitch, you only have to work into the holes created by the chain stitch instead of into the single crochet stitches themselves. I also used a hook one size larger than what the yarn called for, thus making my stitches a bit looser and the scarf somewhat softer.


For such a large piece, this scarf folded up into a nice little bundle of warmth and coziness.

I'll let you know how she likes it!

Happy Stitching!

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Ma Ingalls Half-Granny Crocheted Shawl finally complete!

The half-granny crocheted shawl that I started recently is finally finished! I do believe Ma Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie would be pleased.

This was the perfect project to use up the leftover Bernat yarn from the Sweet Liberty afghan because it is such cozy yarn and I just love the colors.

Take a peek...


I had to get pictures this morning before the sun hit the back deck and all the ladybugs started swarming again! It's that time of year here in New England!


These dining room chairs are high backed so the length of this shawl is very generous.


I worked a little picot edge with the blue which consists of a single crochet in each double crochet, a single crochet in the next space, 3 chains, another single crochet in the same space. Continue that pattern all along the lower edges of the shawl. I actually ran out of blue about 10 inches from the end, so I ended the border right there. I was determined not to have even a scrap of this yarn leftover! It is still a lovely and cozy shawl without those last few inches of border.


I don't think there is a nicer color combination than red, white and blue!











A fun and easy stash busting project! Anyone want a nice shawl?

(Editor's note: Click HERE for a video tutorial on stitching this shawl!)

Happy Stitching!

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Sweet Liberty Crocheted Blocks Complete!

The golf tournament is just over a month away, and I am making great progress towards my goal! Just less than two weeks ago, I showed you a peek at the blocks for the Sweet Liberty Crocheted Afghan which I am making for a raffle to help raise money for the PFC Jonathan Roberge Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Here is another peek at my progress to date...


What you see here are two stacks of crocheted blocks, and in each stack there are 10 blocks! Yes, that's right! I finally finished all the blocks!


I was able to consistently complete at least one block a day, and on some days as many as 2 1/2. Of course it didn't hurt that the past two weeks have been unusually cold and rainy, so we spent lots of time indoors!


I threw this picture in just because I liked it!


This will be the arrangement of the blocks for the afghan. I will connect them to each other using the red yarn and my favorite method, which is single crochet, in a manner similar to strip quilting. HERE is a little tutorial showing that method.

After all the blocks are crocheted together, I will do several rounds of single crochet using the red and blue yarns, and then finish the afghan with a round of reverse single crochet in blue.

These crocheted star blocks have come together much faster than I had ever expected. This could be due to the fact that I found out the golf tournament was being held about 2 months earlier than I had thought! Nothing like working under pressure! But isn't it amazing how productive we can be when something really matters? I think this really matters.

Happy Stitching!

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Sherbet Knitted Oddball Blanket Complete with Pretty Crocheted Border

Here's one more Knitted Oddball Baby Blanket finished. This one is worsted weight and it was named Sherbet. Doesn't it look good enough to eat?


My knitted section is the pink one at the top of the picture. I used Bernat Satin yarn in a color called Sea Shell. It was so soft and lovely, I just couldn't resist! I worked my section using the Farrow Rib Stitch which is pretty popular for these blankets.


Here you can see the detail of the knit stitch, and the border I crocheted around the edge. For this border, I crocheted only two rounds of single crochet, then for the third round I worked a simple pattern of (2hdc, skip 1) along the edges and 4hdc in the corner stitches. For the final round, I worked 2 single crochet in each of the spaces between the half double crochet pairs of the previous round, and 3 single crochet between the 2nd and 3rd single crochet in each corner.

I think I'm on the list for just one more oddball blanket, and then I must take a break from working on them for a while. I was just contacted by our local library and asked to do a 4 session quilting class for children this summer, so I must prepare for that. I also have a few other things on my to-do list for Hooked On Needles, plus quite a bit of maintenance work I need to do on it. And I found out recently that the memorial golf tournament for which I am making an afghan to be used as a raffle prize is actually the beginning of August, when I thought it was sometime in the fall! Yikes! I better get on my horse here and get busy!

Next up will be the tutorial on beading in crochet, since so many of you have requested that!

Happy Stitching!

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Learn to Knit -- Farrow Rib Stitch

Here's another fun and easy knit stitch to add to your collection. It's called Farrow Rib and I used it recently on another Oddball Baby Blanket named Cotton Candy. When I show you the completed blanket, you'll see how it got that name. But that will have to wait until I give you the crocheted border pattern!


Here's what Farrow Rib looks like. Pretty, isn't it? It forms a very soft fabric that is the same on both sides, which is one reason I like it for a blanket.

I knitted the last section of Cotton Candy in the same Bernat Softee Baby Soft Lilac yarn with which I had crocheted the scallop border of Tutti Frutti. You've all seen purple cotton candy, haven't you?

Here is the pattern for the Farrow Rib Stitch so you can try it yourself in your next knitting project.

Farrow Rib Stitch

Works on multiples of three plus one stitches.

Row 1: (K2, P1) across the row to the last stitch, K1.
Row 2: P1, (K2, P1) across.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 for pattern.

I'll show you the completed Cotton Candy blanket soon along with close-ups of the border pattern I made up for it. Of course I'll share the pattern too so you can use it if you want to. I have begun knitting the last section of another blanket called Citrus Sunshine and I'll share that with you when it is complete. Then I will be taking a break from the oddball blankets for a little while so I can focus on finishing up some of my own projects like the wedding gift afghan and my Pay It Forward gifts. And of course I will be bringing you more Tunisian Crochet stitches shortly and a fun pattern for a dishcloth that you will be whipping up for yourself and for gifts all year long!

Happy Stitching!

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Learn to Knit -- Hurdle Stitch

The Cherry Berry Preemie Oddball blanket is now complete and George the mailman picked it up today to deliver it to the generous lady who will wash, block and deliver all the Preemie Oddball blankets. You may be wondering why I have been spending so much time lately on these oddball blankets. Well, here's how it happened...I read in the charity knitting forum a while back that a few more blankets were being started, so I volunteered myself to be the last knitter and also to crochet the borders on some of the new blankets. Little did I know that they would all be coming my way at just about the same time! Each knitter is given two weeks to work on a blanket before it should be forwarded on to the next knitter, so it actually makes sense that they would all be ready for me at just about the same time as each other. That thought never occurred to me! Brilliant! But that's ok because I rather enjoy working on these blankets and it gives me the opportunity to try out some new stitches and make up some new border designs.

The other day you saw the completed Tutti Frutti blanket along with a video of how to do the scallop border. So now on to Cherry Berry.


Here it is after all the knitting was complete. Don't you just love the variety of pink yarns used in this blanket? Not one yarn is the same as another. The yarn used in the middle section actually has some red in it and you'll see in a future post that the border is also in red. The knitted section that I did is at the top of the picture. I used the same pink yarn for this as for my section on Tutti Frutti which was Bernat Softee Baby in Pink Marls.


The stitch I used is called Hurdle Stitch which I first saw in another oddball blanket. I asked the knitter for the instructions on the stitch and I also found it online. I'll share it with you below. The above picture shows what nice texture the stitch has, and the next picture shows what a pretty design it makes.


I have always had a preference for crocheted blankets over knitted, but this stitch is one that I might consider for a knitted blanket. It is thick and soft, almost like a double layer of stitching. It also seems to be more substantial than other knit stitches, not loose and stretchy. I really enjoyed knitting my section of Cherry Berry with the Hurdle Stitch and I know it will be a stitch I will use often on future blankets.

Here's the stitch pattern if you would like to try it yourself:

Hurdle Stitch

Work over an even number of stitches.
Rows 1 and 2: Knit
Rows 3 and 4: (K1, P1) across
Repeat rows 1 - 4.

I just don't think it could be any easier to get such a pretty design with such nice texture in a knit stitch! Try it and see what you think! I'll show the border I crocheted on this blanket shortly along with a video of how to work it.

Happy Stitching!

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Learn to Crochet - Scallop Border Video Tutorial

When I crochet or knit a baby blanket, I love to finish it off with a nice border. Some patterns have the border sort of built in to the design, such as a knitted blanket with a garter stitch border. But some, such as the oddball baby blanket I recently showed you called Tutti Frutti or the Jersey Devil and Forest Greens blankets I also worked on, have a garter stitch border built in as the foundation for a crocheted border which is added after all the knitting is complete.

After knitting the last section on Tutti Frutti using the Diagonal Seed Stitch in a pink and white Bernat Softee Baby yarn, I chose another Bernat yarn to crochet the border. This blanket already had so many soft yummy colors that I just had to pick a color that would be just as soft and yummy for the special little person who would be getting it. Soft Lilac was my pick for this, and I worked the border in a simple scallop.

What do you think of the finished blanket?



In this picture, you can see the five different sections, all knit by five different people using five different stitches and five different yarns. What a happy and cheerful blanket all these differences make!


Here's a close-up of the scallop border crocheted in purple around the whole blanket. First notice the rows of knitting just before the purple begins. These last rows were worked in garter stitch, which is just knitting every row. The blanket was begun in the same way, several rows of garter stitch. Also the beginning and end of each row throughout the blanket are worked with 3 knit stitches which makes a garter stitch border around the entire piece.

Starting with the purple, I crocheted 3 rows of single crochet around the whole blanket before beginning my scallop border. Then I worked the scallops by skipping one stitch, working 5 double crochets into the next stitch, skipping the next stitch and working a single crochet into the next stitch. That is how easy this pretty border is to crochet.

Here's a little video showing how to do this border:




In this video, you can get a few glimpses of the other sections of the blanket that I did not knit. Some of the stitches the other knitters used were so interesting that I asked for the instructions for the stitches and will be using them myself in future blankets. Right now I have another one in progress called Cherry Berry and I am using the same stitch as in the pink section you see in the Tutti Frutti blanket. I will share that with you soon.

The KnittingHelp.com Charity knitting forum has so many talented and generous knitters from all different parts of the country, but they could always use more willing hands. This is a great way to work on a little project which is not a huge commitment of time or money, but will benefit someone in such a wonderful way. Even if you are a new knitter, what better way to master the skill than to practice it!

Happy Stitching!

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Diagonal Seed Stitch in Knitting

Recently I had the pleasure of being the last knitter on one of the Northeast Region Oddball Preemie Blankets called Tutti Frutti. The stitch I used was Diagonal Seed Stitch on a Stockinette background.

This is what the last section looked like when it was finished and the pattern is included below.


On these oddball blankets, each knitter gets to choose whatever design they want to stitch. The only requirement is the type of yarn for the specific blanket and that the beginning and ending 3 stitches of each row must be knit. This provides a uniform garter stitch border around the blanket for the crocheted border to be worked into.

Tutti Frutti is a preemie blanket so it is worked in sport or DK weight yarn. The yarn I used is Bernat Softee Baby and the color name is Pink Marls.

The Diagonal Seed Stitch is a very simple stitch to work, being basically stockinette stitch with purl stitches spaced evenly on the right side, offset by one on each subsequent row. This is how I worked the diagonal pattern:

Row 1 (right side): K3, K0 (this is simply a placeholder to which the Row 3 instruction will refer), P1, (K10, P1) until there are 13 or fewer stitches left on the needle, K remaining stitches.

Row 2 (wrong side) and all even number rows: K3, Purl across until only 3 stitches remain, K3.

Rows 3 - 21: K3, K one more than on previous right side row (for instance: for row 3 K1, for row 5 K2, for row 7 K3, etc) , P1, (K10, P1) across, K remaining stitches.

Row 23: Begin again with Row 1.

This design could very easily be incorporated into a plain stockinette stitch pattern to add a little texture and interest to the knitted fabric. It would look nice worked into a sweater, hat, scarf or blanket. The distance between the diagonal lines could easily be changed to whatever you like, either closer together or further apart. Experiment a little with scrap yarn to come up with something you like, or an even easier way to work out your own design is to use graph paper to mark where you want your purl stitches. Then knit a sample to see if you like it before working it into a larger piece. Use worsted weight cotton like Peaches 'N Cream for your sample and make up a dishcloth with your design. That way, even if you don't like your design, you will still have something usable.

Happy Stitching!

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Bernat Baby Bubbles Bubblicious and a Birthday

Today is my younger daughter's 4th birthday. In honor of this special occasion, I am going to show you a picture of her very favorite sweater. I knitted this sweater for her long before she was big enough to wear it, and now it is getting almost too small for her. Why does that have to happen so fast?

Anyway, here is Gracie's favorite Bubblicious sweater...

This sweater was made using Bernat Baby Bubbles yarn in the Bubblicious color. Now you know why she calls this her Bubblicious sweater! The pattern can be found in Bernat's pattern booklet called Just For Girls #530148 and this pattern is called Bon-Bon Jacket. I can't seem to find it mentioned on the Bernat website, except for one small pattern correction, so it must have been discontinued. I would imagine you could Google it and find it available online somewhere. I think that any pattern calling for bulky weight yarn would do just fine though.

This yarn was a little worrisome when I first got it because I wasn't too sure about knitting with all those little nubbies attached to the yarn. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to knit with this yarn and how much fun it was to see the color patterns that were made as I knitted along.

Here you can see the difference in the look of the reverse stockinette stitch on the left and the stockinette stitch on the right. Reverse stockinette stitch really brought out the nubbies much better than the other side did. This must be why the main parts of the pattern are worked in reverse stockinette, which means that the side where you purl is considered the right side and the side where you knit is the wrong side.

With the half skein or so of yarn I had leftover from the sweater, I knitted a very simple little garter stitch scarf for Grace and of course she calls that her Bubblicious scarf and loves it just as much. They are both very thick and warm and feel almost like fleece. Even on the coldest days, Grace is a little heat muffin when she wears them.

Have you ever used Bernat Baby Bubbles yarn? I would love to hear what you think of it and what kind of projects you have made with it. Now I must go make a birthday cake.

Happy Stitching!

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Examples of Cable Knit -- Arm Cozies and Owl Sweater

Back to Cable Knit! Now that you know how cables are knit, I thought I would share with you some of the projects I have made, or others have made as gifts, or you could make yourself.

First is a pair of white cable knit arm cozies that I made for my daughter to wear when she is playing with the high school band at football games in the cold fall weather we get around here. The band kids get so cold, but for the field show at half time they can only wear their band uniform, and their fingers must be exposed in order to play their instruments. These arm cozies are fingerless, but do have a separate thumb which is nice. They go all the way up past the elbow by about three inches so they keep her hands and arms nice and...well...cozy.


And here they are! You can see that her fingers are free to move around and play her instrument, but her hands and arms are snug inside the cable knit cozy. These were made with Red Heart worsted weight yarn, even though the pattern called for Lion Brand Lion Cashmere Blend yarn. I decided to try them out with inexpensive yarn to see how she liked them before investing in more expensive yarn. She likes them just fine the way they are, so I didn't get the cashmere to make a new pair.


Here you can see the cable going up the middle of the front, and the separate thumb. Very practical for playing or typing or doing anything where you need the use of your fingers unhindered. There is only one cable row on each arm so it was a pretty easy pattern to knit.

When making a pair of something, like these cozies or sleeves for a sweater or mittens, I always knit them both at the same time on the same needles so that the tension remains the same for each and so I don't have to follow the directions through twice and, most importantly so that they both end up the same size!



Aren't these owls just the cutest little things with their button eyes and sitting on their little garter stitch perches? My husband's aunt made this sweater for our younger daughter and she wore it until she just couldn't squeeze into it one more time. The owls are made by working a right and left twist cable at the ears, neck and feet. It may look complicated, but really that is all there is to it.


This is the back of the sweater -- four wide-eyed owls! The whole sweater is knitted in a very delicate fingering weight pink and always got so many compliments whenever it was worn.

If you are looking for a blanket pattern to practice your cable knitting, here is one from Mary Maxim that would be a fun project. You do need to register with Mary Maxim to access the free patterns, but it is well worth it because of the variety they offer. This pattern is made with Bernat Chunky yarn and size 10 circular needles, so I think it would work up quickly and not be too hard on the hands.

If you decide to give cable knitting a try, I would love to see what you make. Leave a comment and I'll let you know how to send me a picture.

Happy knitting!

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Woven Stitch - Crochet Pictures

In the previous post, you saw how to work the Woven Stitch in crochet. I hope you give it a try and see how easy it is and how quickly it works up into a nice afghan or even more quickly into a baby blanket.

Here are some pictures of just a few of the items I have made using the woven stitch.

This is the full size afghan I made for my son in bright bold manly colors trimmed in black. I love the contrast of the colors with the black. I started out with 26 rows of red then 4 rows of black. I continued working 26 rows of each color separated by 4 rows of black and ending with 26 rows of yellow. Then I worked 4 rounds of black around the entire afghan so there is a 4 row border of black around each block of color. I used Red Heart Super Saver worsted weight yarn for this project and it took just barely more than one skein of each color to complete it. I finished it in about 3 weeks.


This is a close-up of a baby blanket I crocheted for my first child before she was born, using Dazzleaire yarn by Caron which is not even made anymore. Too bad too, because it was very soft and fluffy with a little sparkle to it and it never pilled or lost its shape even after almost 18 years! This picture was taken recently and the blanket still looks as good as it did the day I finished it. I think it shows off the woven stitch very nicely.

I stitched it in sections of baby variegated yarn alternating with sections of solids that matched. It is still one of my all-time favorite baby blankets.



This full-size afghan was stitched in random size sections of soft pastel colors for my younger daughter who is very much into the whole princess thing right now. Pink and purple are definitely the colors for her! I used Berella 4 worsted weight yarn by Bernat. This was the first project on which I used that yarn and I really loved working with it. This afghan has been machine washed and dried many times and the yarn is holding up quite well.



This is a baby blanket I made recently for one of my neices when she had her first baby. The yarn was actually leftover from another baby blanket I had made for a friend but I neglected to get a picture of that one! Anyway, the yarn I used is Lion Brand Baby Soft which is a medium sport weight yarn that is a real pleasure to work with. Some of these colors are no longer available unless you get lucky and find them on ebay or at a yard sale. But Baby Soft still comes in some very nice colors and works up into soft cozy baby items. It is the same yarn I used for my swirl top knit baby hat and crocheted baby hat. I had lots of the yellow leftover!

So what do you think of the woven stitch? Try it and let me know!

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