Craft. Crochet. Create.
DIY Pom-poms create a lovely finishing touch for many knit and crochet projects. Here are 4 different ways to make pom-poms for your handmade hats, baby items, blankets and decor. You will want to put pom-poms on everything! This post contains affiliate links which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
You love crochet plaid, now learn a new variation: Crochet Tartan! With just a few color stitch and count tweaks, you can change the technique to traditional tartan plaid. The pattern is similar to my original crochet buffalo plaid technique with some slight changes. You will love working older buffalo plaid patterns with the new crochet tartan color work! This post contains affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you make a purchase as no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
With Cubbie’s addition to our family, it’s been a pretty crazy year. I was working on fall projects through the spring and summer, and when I started work on Plaid, I knew I wanted to bring something fresh this year. We love traditional buffalo plaid, but I wanted to create something different. This crochet tartan plaid technique came together much easier than I thought and I love the finished result.
One awesome thing as well is that this crochet tartan plaid technique uses the same stitch count as my original buffalo plaid technique (multiples of 6 for turning rows, multiples of 6 minus 1 for joined rows) so you can convert many of my older patterns to this color design easily.
The technique is slightly different so I have included a photo tutorial.
What I’m using:
7 mm hook
City Tweed Heavy Worsted Yarn
What I’m working on: Crochet Tartan Plaid Hat
ROW ONE: Begin with a project that is in multiples of 6 minus 1. Start your crochet tartan project with your red and wine color. Using your red color, ch Dc in same st and dc in next 2 sts. This is only 3 sts, but the chain makes it look like 4 sts, so this makes the seam look much nicer.
Switch to your wine color. Dc in the next 2 sts.
Switch back to your red color. Dc in next 4 sts.
You will repeat this color work all around. Join with the first st, not the ch 2.
ROW TWO: You will repeat row one. The main squares of the crochet tartan will be 4 dc wide and 2 rows tall, with the thinner stripes running through it.
ROW THREE: Pull up your wine color. Ch 2. Dc in same st. Dc in next two sts. This counts as the first 4-st block. Join your dark/black color. Dc in next 2 sts. Switch back to your wine color. Dc in next 4 sts. Repeat the pattern of working 2 dc with your black and 4 with your wine color all around the project. Join with the first st (not the ch 2).
(If you were working in turning rows, you would need to carry your red color through this entire row)
Repeat the three rows respectively until your project is as tall as you would like. That’s it!
The turning rows technique is similar when working turning rows, you just want to make sure that you are carrying your red yarn on row 3 so you have it when you need it the following row. In joined rows, you will just drop the yarn and pick it up at the beginning of the next row.
(turning row photo)
Isn’t crochet tartan fun?! You can change all the designs from the first Plaid Week to tartan, and most of them from the following years. I can’t wait to see what your crochet tartan projects!
VIDEO COMING SOON!
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Looking for a new way to make pom-poms? Try these DIY Sheepskin pom-poms! They are the best of both worlds: round and plush like a yarn pom-pom, but with an extra woodsy texture of fur. They are even washable! This easy tutorial shows you how to make these pom-poms, your soon-to-be new favorite!
Today’s Crochet Tip Tuesday is brought to you by Krista from Rescued Paw Designs. On Tuesdays a share a tip to help your crochet skills! Today, Krista is sharing an easy tip on how to keep your stripes rows nice and neat when you change colors!
Today’s crochet tip comes to you from Make and Do Crew. She teaches you how to dip-dye your finished crochet items for a custom look! Turn your hard work into a one-of-a-kind colored treasure. Choose to either color your crochet project all one color or use her tips to make your piece rainbow, striped or ombre. Read on!
Ever wondered how to make your knit or crochet slippers non-slip? I wondered as well and I decided to put 7 non-slip methods to the test to see which ways were the most effective. Read each item on the list for details about my experiment and see which non-slip method was my favorite!
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Today’s Tip Tuesday shows you have to work a chainless crochet foundation in the three most-common crochet stitches. It’s easy and has a few benefits over the traditional chain foundation method. Today’s post includes a video! Be sure to whitelist Whistle and ivy, so Adblocker doesn’t block the video from loading.
Welcome back to Tip Tuesday! Today I am sharing how to work chainless foundation stitches in crochet. It’s a sweet little tip that comes in handy when working something long, and especially comes in handy when you are winging something long (any other pants-seat fliers out there?)
One way to make a long scarf (or other long item) is to begin with a foundation chain. This method is perfectly fine but it comes with 2 problems:
Problem #1: The foundation chain has almost zero stretch to it. If you are wanting to make a nice stretchy headband with a ch foundation, forget about it. The one edge with the chain foundation will not have the stretch you were hoping for.
Problem #2: You get halfway through your stitch row and realize the piece is too short/long. What to do now? You will now need to FROG your entire piece and adjust the length of your foundation chain, hoping this time it’s correct.
The Fix:
The answer is crochet chainless foundation stitches! This eliminates the need for a foundation chain, as you immediately begin by working the first row of stitches.
The result gives you a much stretchier fabric and eliminated the need to frog way back to adjust the length. Yippee!
The method is simple, and once you master it with one stitch, you can master them all.
Take a look at the vidoe below:
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So easy but so useful!
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A few years ago I was designing this popular Bow Arm Warmers crochet pattern, when I hit a problem. It’s something that happens often, but because my projects were wider, it wasn’t an issue before: the diagonal seam. These arm warmers had a seam wrapping around them like a spiral, and I didn’t like it one bit. But what to do? I wasn’t willing to change the stitch, hdc will always be my favorite, pretty little stitch. I didn’t want to crochet in continuous rounds either. So I experimented. I am pleased to say that I found an easy way to fix the problem: how to crochet a straight seam with hdc stitches.
Read on for this simple crochet tip!
Your quick crochet tip of the week: how to keep your yarn from getting tangled when working with two colors. You will be surprised at how easy this little tip is, and how much frustration and time you will save by using it! Be sure to scroll down and watch the video.
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Last year, when I put out my Buffalo Plaid Slouchy Hat, I wanted to add a fur pom-pom for the perfect finishing touch. I went to every local store I could think of and no one carried them. I decided to publish the pattern with a yarn pom-pom instead and order a fur one online for later. After searching, I finally found a shop on Etsy that sold beautiful ones, only for the shop owner to take a fall/holiday break. Nooo!
I scoured the internet, wondering if there was possibly a way to make DIY Fur Pom-Poms. I couldn’t conceive that it was possible to make them! I found a tutorial and the main technique was much easier than I though! I made a fur pom-pom the way she described, cutting the circle out with scissors. But… it looked like it had a bad haircut on the bottom, and it wasn’t hidden when sewn in place. Plus, it made an incredibly hairy mess.
What to do?
Then my husband suggested using my Precision Knife to cute the fabric back.
Of course!
Learn an easy method for blocking crochet projects. This beautiful hand-crafted blocking mat will help give your finished projects a nice, finished touch. It especially works wonderful for blanket squares but can also be used for other small crochet projects. This post contains affiliate links. Click here for more info. Thank you for supporting Whistle and Ivy!
Don’t you love the look of your yarn stash? I keep my yarn organized by color (mostly), and I love how pretty and bright it is in the corner of my office, stacked (sometimes neatly) on a tall bookshelf. I was thinking about how pretty it would be to have beautiful yarn on my devices too, so I whipped out my camera and snapped a few photos of some of my favorite colors of yarn. They turned out nice, so I wondered if maybe you wanted pretty yarn wallpaper on your devices too? I have a few you can choose from. I also sized them for a phone and a tablet.
Happy Fall! I’m not sure why I never thought about posting this how to make a pom-pom tutorial before. I’ve recently had several readers leave comments wondering how to make a pom-pom, which are the perfect finishing touch for crochet hats and scarves. Although I have a Clover pom-pom maker, and I find it’s a very useful tool, it’s not necessary to make a pretty one! This tutorial will show you how to make a pom pom and almost as important: how to attach a pom-pom to your finished project.
Crocheting will always have my heart, and will always be my favorite things to do with yarn. But, if you are like me, you end up with a bunch of yarn scraps, remnants or small balls that you don’t know what to do with! Throwing it away is definitely off the table, but what? I searched through Pinterest and Google and found some very fun and very clever ideas.Here are 16 yarn ideas to get your creative juices flowing and I am sure you can come up with a bunch more ideas!
