Crochet: Amazing Crochet Patterns To Take You From Beginner to Intermediate (Crafts, Crochet, Knitting, Crafts and Hobbies)
Author: Scott, Emma
Date: 2015-04-18T04:00:00+00:00

Table of Contents

Table of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1 – The Basic Stitches

Introduction

© Copyright 2015 by Emma Scott- All rights reserved.

Chapter 1 – The Basic Stitches

Chapter 2 – Making Granny Squares and Shapes

Chapter 3 - Making Your First Hats

Chapter 4 – Making Novelty Items

Chapter 5 – Making a Handbag

Conclusion

Bonus

My Other Books

Crochet: Amazing Crochet Patterns To Take You From Beginner to Intermediate (Crafts, Crochet, Knitting, Crafts and Hobbies)

Emma Scott

(2015)

Crochet

BY EMMA SCOTT

Amazing Crochet Patterns to Take You From Beginner to Intermediate

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 – The Basic Stitches

Chapter 2 – Making Granny Squares and Shapes

Chapter 3 - Making Your First Hats

Chapter 4 – Making Novelty Items

Chapter 5 – Making a Handbag

Conclusion

Bonus

My Other Books

Introduction

In the wonderful world of crochet, beginners learn how to create the intricate stitches that go into forming patterns and shapes that are well recognized in this traditional craft. The single crochets, double crochets, chains and trebles are all part of the make up of this craft. Beginners will have learned how to hold the hook, how to use the right yarns and how to come to grips with using different types and thickness of yarn. All of these learning processes go into becoming a more experienced craftswoman.

In this book, we take you through those stitches again so that you can refresh your skills and then show you the kind of items your skills allow you to create all on your own. Your choice of colors will be personal to you, though we have tried different threads so that you can see how these help to make your repertoire even more complete. You will be able to design your own projects once you have learned the techniques contained in this book.

Crochet is a craft which dates back centuries to the original tambour craft practiced in China, though we know today that the word“crochet”is derived from the French word for hook or“croche”and that the lace crochet that is familiar today and which uses modern yarns derives from the 16th Century and would have been classed as lace-work which used“un crochet”or a hook, as opposed to the lace making craft which used bobbins.

Let's delve into the world of crochet and see what you can do today by learning the versatility of this craft. With easy to understand instructions, the patterns which are provided for you give you a way forward in the craft and your level of expertise has been borne in mind in providing you with patterns which are relatively easy to follow and which will help you to create some great projects. The projects were also chosen because of the versatile nature of the stitches introduced which will allow you to use them in future projects.

And as my way of saying thank you for downloading my book I’ve included a Limited Time Bonus Video at the end. I hope you get as much value from it as I have and trust you get real value from my book.  I hope you enjoy it

Thank you once again for downloading the book. I hope you find it helpful!

Let us begin.

© Copyright 2015 by Emma Scott- All rights reserved.

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Chapter 1 – The Basic Stitches

Before you can go much further with crochet, you need to establish that you can do the basic stitches. These are important because they help you to create patterns, to shape and to give the patterns the typical texture one associates with crochet. These stitches form the basis of crochet and are useful to practice. As you go from beginner to intermediate, you will be using these more and more and will need to recognize them instantly when you use a crochet pattern.

The Chain

The chain is the basic cast on but it's more than that. The chain can be used to add scallops and shapes to your crocheted items. For example, making a square into a star uses a series of chains to create the basic star shape, which are then worked into the overall pattern to give you such outstanding clarity of shape. To start your crochet, you need to create a loop at the end of a piece of yarn, just as you would with knitting. All that you do to create another chain stitch is put the hook through the loop that you created, place the wool around the hook and pull through. It's as simple as that. If a pattern requires that you make a series of 10 chains, you simply perform this task 9 times, because your original loop will count as one of the chains. You can easily count these by laying the work flat on your knee and simply counting the stitches, similar to how you would do this with knitting.

The single crochet

The single crochet is the smallest of the stitches used to create a solid line of work. However, mixed with double crochet or even trebles, you can create the most amazing scallops. The single crochet is worked by placing the hook through the work in the required place and putting the wool around the hook and pulling the hook through. Then place the wool around the hook one more time and pull through the two stitches on the hook so that you only have one loop on the hook at the end of the stitch, ready to create your next stitch.

Image: Creative Commons Attribution: Pixshark

The double crochet

This is a stitch which is a little longer than the single crochet. What it does is give your work more height. The double crochet is worked by placing the wool around the hook and then taking the hook through the appropriate loop in the previous row. Put the wool around the hook and pull through two threads, then the wool goes around the hook again to be pulled through the two stitches on the hook to create one final loop which remains on the hook ready for the next stitch.

Image: Creative commons attribution: Pixshark.com

The Treble crochet

This is commonly used in clusters to form scallops or used in the creation of granny squares. Follow the diagram below and you will see that creating trebles or triple crochet stitches is easy. Instead of simply placing the hook through the work, you twist the wool around the hook before you enter the appropriate anchor point in the work and again, once you have the hook through that anchor point.

Image: Creative Commons Attribution: Pixshark

Please the hook through the area marked with a red arrow. Wool around hook, pull through two loops, wool around hook, pull through two loops until you only have one loop left on your hook.

These are the basic stitches that you will find in a crochet pattern. They will be abbreviated as follows:

Chain – ch

Double Crochet – dc

Triple Crochet – tr

Single Crochet – sc

Other abbreviations will always be explained in your pattern and are fairly straightforward to follow. These may include:

Yarn over hook – YO or yo

Repeat – rep

Together – tog

Slip stitch – sl st

As you can see by this explanation the abbreviations are very simple to understand.

Chapter 2 – Making Granny Squares and Shapes

If you haven't already experienced making a granny square, then it's time to show you what you can do with a little bit of colored yarn left over from other projects. This is well worth it because even if you don't have an immediate use for the squares, you can keep them for a cold winter's night and make lots of Christmas gifts from them. The square are relatively easy to make and the two versions being dealt with in this book are the standard squares and the hexagons. These are shapes that you can work from and the routine used to produce them can show you what different stitches look like when you mix them together and may even inspire you into going one step further and making a hat for a child or even a basic sweater.

Making a basic granny square

Granny squares use a combination of trebles, chains and single crochet to tie off the colors or to finish the rounds. If you follow the pattern below, you will be creating a standard granny square and  once you see how easy it is, you can experiment with different yarns. Cotton finish yarns give very good results since cotton gives clarity to the stitch formation so the work looks very neat indeed.

Image: Creative Commons Flckr

If you look at the above photograph, it clearly shows what your granny square should look like and it may be an idea to keep this in mind as you start to create your first square. Basically, what you do is build up the square with different colors and how many rows you perform with each color is where you imagination comes in. If you have a lot of loose balls of wool, you can change the color for each row from the center outward, but if you want a really professional looking garment from your squares or want to produce a blanket, then having the same color around the outside edge is useful. This brings the whole quilt or sweater together.

Medium to worsted weight wool is used with a 4.5 mm hook. This gives you good control and also great visibility as you work, since with this thickness, you can produce some pretty outstanding squares.

To create the square make a chain of 4 and join them into a circle. Work two double crochets into the hole in the center. Work three chains for a corner, then (a group of three double crochets into the hole) three times, finishing with 3 chains for the final corner and fastening off. Make sure that you have sufficient wool at the place where you cut it, so that you can work the ends into the next row to avoid stitches coming undone.

The second and subsequent rows

These are worked in groups of three double crochets in each of the holes created around the square, the only exception being the corners where three double crochets, three chains and three double crochets are all worked into the corner hole. Carry on for as many rounds as you wish and change color when you wish to.

Hexagonal Granny squares

Creative commons. Flckr

As you can see by the picture, these are very attractive, but instead of using corners, you work in the following manner, although variations are possible. Begin by making a circle of three chains and then work 12 double crochets into the centre.

Second round. Change color and work two double crochets, two chains all the way around your first row. This will total 12 pairs of double crochets with two chains between each. The next row increases the number of double crochets to three but there is no need to have a chain between the clusters of three double crochets.

Starting the hexagon.

This is where beginners will start to see the benefit of using chains to form shapes. Join your new color and pull the first loop through between two clusters. Make three chains and then a single crochet through the next hole between clusters. Work like this all the way around so that you finish with a chain which works its way around the whole shape.

Shaping the hexagon

In the same color, work three chains and then two double crochets into the first loop that you created with chains, work a cluster of three double crochets into the next loop and in the third loop work three double crochets, three chains and then three double crochets, creating the shape of the hexagon by repeating the process with three double crochets in each loop until three have been worked, followed by three chains and three more double crochets into the same hole. Each group which forms a corner is composed of 3 dc, 3 ch, 3 dc.

You can add more lines if you want to, but it is not necessary as this forms the hexagon shape as shown in the image on the previous page. It does smarten out the edges if you use a single row of single crochets around the edge in your main theme color.

Trying your own variations

It's important that you try your own variations and there are many ideas on websites such as Pinterest which have great illustrations which are clear enough to use as a pattern. Of course, adding your own variations of colors or textiles will really help you to create something unique.  You may even enjoy creating layered squares, which means that once you square is done, you work another layer which is slightly smaller on top of the existing hexagon. This is great in pastel colors for baby blankets since it gives a really soft look, ideal for baby gifts.

Since there are so many different types of granny square, it's really worth looking at what work has been done by fellow craftswomen and if you type the words“granny square”into Google or your preferred search engine, you will find that there are so many to choose from, usually with great instructions, so that you can learn more styles.

Chapter 3 - Making Your First Hats

The ideal craft project for someone who is relatively new at crochet is to make something that is pretty easy to finish. This gives you the impetus to keep on crocheting. You may find that all the kids in your neighborhood end up wanting hats like the one you make for your daughter. Variations on hats are also possible, adding a flower at the side of the hat or adding extra lines from edge to center of the hat by working single crochets to form a rib after the hat has been made.

As you can see from the picture, the hat is very quick to make. It uses two strands of worsted wool worked together to make the yarn even thicker and easier to crochet. Use a K hook because this will show you how speedy a hat can be made.

A quick and easy hat pattern

Make a chain of 3, and then work 11 double crochets into the third chain from your hook. Be careful when using double thread that you pull both thicknesses through. If you manage to miss one thread, pull the stitch back and work it again. This helps keep the hat solidly made.  The second round consists of 2 chains and then two double crochets into each stitch until reaching the end of the row, when you use a slip stitch to tie off that row. The third row is worked in a similar way with pairs of two double crochets all the way around the hat.

The fourth row, I altered the pattern a little because I wanted a variation and the variation that I used was to work 2 chains, two double crochets into next hole, then one single double crochet into the next two holes. What this does is build up the size of the hat.

Rounds 5-8 were very simple. You work one two chains, and then a double crochet in each of the stitches on the line below.

In rounds 9 to 10 you can make a variation in the pattern, perhaps by using a cluster of three double crochets into every third stitch. This gives a little variety to the hat. If you are putting a flower on the side of the hat, it's better to stick to straight pattern, using the same stitches as on rounds 5 to 8.  Round 11 is worked by creating two chains and then working a double crochet in each stitch of the following row. The last row of the hat is worked in single crochet and you should leave enough yarn to fasten off nicely.

For making flowers on your hats.

For the flowers you need to use a contrasting color and thinner wool. Use leftover yarn as this is ideal. To create a flower, simply make a circle of three chains. Then work the petals into the center of the circle as follows:

Work a complete round of double crochet stitches for the center of your flower. Then work the following row. Single crochet, double crochet, double crochet, single crochet, to form each petal. Carry on using these stitches until you reach the other side of your flower.

Then make another three chain circle and this time work the petals into the circle instead of onto a base circle of double crochets, thus work one single crochet, one double crochet, one single crochet and repeat this to form the petals on the upper layer. Sew both together onto the side of the hat. If you use different colors for each layer these will look cute.

Chapter 4 – Making Novelty Items

When you crochet, you tend to learn how to make little things because these make great exhibits of what you can actually make. For example, you can make key fobs, Christmas decorations and even bath scrunchies to go with toiletries in a gift basket. These can be made with really colorful threads and it's worthwhile experimenting because you will also find that you can make great elasticated scrunchies for your hair in the same manner, but adding a little hair elastic band to the mix stitched on behind the finished crochet. With hair decoration, you will only need to take the work as far as the third image below, as this allows you to have a flat enough area to fit against your hairstyle. Looking at this image, you can't fail but be impressed by the color choices used by the crocheter.

Scrunchies

Image: Creative commons attribution: dvortygirl

When you are moving from beginner to intermediate crocheter, an item such as this is great fun to make. You will need as worsted weight 4 ply wool and a number 5 (or H) crochet hook. Choose one with soft colors such as these if you want to make gift items. You will use at least one ball, but if you intend making a few gifts like this, have plenty available because the system of making these is addictive.

To start the work, you simply tie your normal slip knot and create three chains, Then, work a single crochet four times into the chain which appears two chains from your hook. Then move onto your next row but remember the rule is to work two single crochets into the previous stitch each time. That's really all there is to it, keep going until your scrunchie is large enough for a hair ornament or for a bath scrunchie. These are great for putting into a gift basket and if you choose wonderful colors, your friends will delight in the originality of the gift. The more you work, the more your ball forms. Using multi color pastel wool as shown in the picture really does look delightful.

Christmas decorations

Image: Pixgood.com

These tiny ornaments are extremely easy to make and if all the ladies in the house join forces, you can have your tree decorated in no time. Although these are depicted in pastel shades to go with a tree that is imitation, if you really want them to look stunningly beautiful on your tree go for threads in gold, red and green. You can even use silver if you wish. There is also no need for you to stick to rows of one color. By extending a color out to an outside row and working one double crochet between two on the previous row, you can create star patterns.

The kind of wools that you use will also depend on you, though the snow ornaments above use a 2 ply wool and a fine crochet hook. Simply make your center by making a chain of 3 and then joining it. Work double crochets into the central hole using your central color but make these in pairs, so that two double crochets fall into the same stitch on the row beneath. Then for your subsequent row, you simply do the same again. At the end of your round, use a slip stitch to close the round, but don't break off the wool. You need this to make a fine chain, so that the ornament can be hung on the tree. Thus work a chain of about 12 stitches and wind it back on itself, putting the hook through the last stitch you used on the previous row and tying off the end. These can be experimented with and if you use fine cottons, you can also sugar them and dry them so that you have stiffness.

Chapter 5 – Making a Handbag

The first handbag that I made using crochet is something everyone should try. It helps an intermediate crocheter to learn all about shaping and using their granny squares, crocheted together and stitched into a wooden handle. You can get these from craft stores and even if the bag is relegated to being your knitting bag, as mine was, it's worth the exercise. You simply crochet your granny squares together until you have the width and height that you require and the rest is done by sewing, because the bag will need lining. This kind of bag is so open to interpretation that it's best for you to make discoveries of your own.

However, when I came across a page by a Yorkshire woman with an explanation on how I could make a superb handbag, my granny square handbag got put on a back shelf. This lady has an amazing pattern which she has shared with all the world and the result is a lot of satisfied crocheters with modern bags which look stylish and very beautiful.

Rainbow colored Lucy bag

Image: Creative Commons AudreyB

Who wouldn't want a handbag like this? The colors chosen are superb and you can vary these to your own tastes. These are very simple to make but will take a little time. Debbie Bliss yarn was used by the designer of this bag and you need to use Merino Aran rather than other types because it gives you a much better finish. A 4mm hook and lots of colors will be needed to make the bag and the limit of the colors is really down to your imagination. I took the advice of the designer to use the 4mm hook even though the wool manufacturers said to use a larger one. The reason for her insistence becomes clear when you start to work with the wool. You care creating a very tight stitch and if you didn't, the bag wouldn't have the same integrity.

Hand bag Pattern

Create a chain of four and join them into a circle. This forms your central working area. For the first round, work three chains because this forms the first double crochet stitch length. Work ten double crochets into the central hole, giving you a total of 11 stitches. Do not break off the yarn.

As you form your rows, you will work into the stitch top on the row before it. Join your next color and work three chains. Then work two double crochets into each stitch on the previous row, thus increasing the number of stitches so that your circle lies fairly flat. This means that you now have 22 stitches

Third Row–Join in your new color and work three chains, as you did on the previous row. Work *(one double crochet into the next stitch and then two into the next.) Repeat instructions within the brackets until the whole row has been worked. Fasten off your color.

Fourth Row - Join in your next color and work three chains. (Work one double crochet into the next two stitches and then work two double crochets into the next), all the way around your row. Fasten off.

Fifth Row–Join in your next color and work three chains. (Work one double crochet into the next three stitches, then two double crochets into the next stitch) all the way around.

You will see that with each round, you increase the number of stitches that you work before you increase in the next stitch by working two double crochets.  Continuing in this manner, you work until you have 12 double crochets between each increase. Your circle will be large and this will form the base of the bag.

From when you are happy with the size of the base, you then continue in double crochet stitches working round after round, joining in the colors as and when you wish to, to form the bag.

To make a shell edging

This is something that you will find useful as an intermediate crocheter since you can use these scallop edgings on many projects. Introduce your new color and pull the loop through so that you are ready to work. Then work into the stitch which is the third stitch on the work in front of you and create 7 double crochet stitches all into the same stitch. This creates a shell like structure. Miss two of the stitches on the row below and work a slip stitch into the third. Repeat this all the way around the bag. The image below shows you what scallop edging looks like.

Image: Creative Commons

Making the handbag handle

The handle made is your choice. Shoulder bag handles need to be long enough for the bag to sit comfortably and in the picture of the handbag at the beginning of this chapter, you will see that you need to create two handles, one for each side, to balance the look and feel of the bag. These are worked to your own specification for length, but the first thing you will need to do is create a chain the length that you require. Then start to work each row in single crochet stitches as these are tightly meshed and will give the handles more strength. Keep working across the handles in single crochet joining in new colors where you want them until you have the desired thickness. About eight rows will be sufficient, though you can make these wider if you want to.

Attaching the handles to the bag

There are several ways you can make this join really pretty. From a single flower to a double flower or simply a circle of treble stitches with a circle of double crochet stitches sewn on top of it gives the handle a great look. In the image, small flowers were made and added. You can also add a decorative button if you wish to personalize the look. Make sure that your stitching is thorough, since these handles will take a lot of wear.

You have the option, if you want to line the bag with a fabric, though if your work is tight enough, you won't have to.

As a note which may interest the crocheter, you remember how you formed the base of the bag? If you work this in the opposite direction, i.e. decreasing rather than increasing, after you have worked the base, what you end up with is the right shape to create a beret! If you want to have fun with this, use the same pattern for the base, and then decrease every row until you have the head size that you require. Thus, you could end up with a great hat to match your bag.

Conclusion

As you can see from the patterns shown in this book, you can make things very easily and often without proper patterns. When you get beyond the stages of first learning crochet, you begin to realize that making particular shapes is easy and is just a matter of adjusting your stitches to suit the shape that you want to create. You have learned increasing and decreasing. You have also learned to make small shapes to fit together, as well as to use on their own as decoration. The scope of what you produce really is up to you.

There are crochet enthusiasts all over the world, and it’s worthwhile looking at websites such as Pinterest where the amount of images available is unlimited and will give you plenty of ideas. When you become proficient at making your own items, you could even use sites like Etsy to sell off those special creations. Many people do. You can also make smaller items for charities and you may be interested to know that countries far away that have less access to warmth and shelter may be grateful for blanket granny squares to help them to make blankets. Knit a Square.com is always looking for people with time on their hands and the creative juices to make imaginative squares to cheer up children all over the world or to help an AIDS orphan to stay warm this winter.

It's worthwhile joining a local club where you can get together with other enthusiasts, although if you would rather, there are some very good instructional videos on YouTube which will take your crochet a step further. Some of these are very detailed indeed and you may need to refer to them several times, so that you have the right tools and wool available for the project being taken on.

It is hoped that this book has fired your imagination and shown you that patterns don't have to be written in complex formats for you to understand them. You may have been baffled by all the abbreviations that appear on patterns, which is why this book has chosen to show you the patterns in a more practical format. You can imagine that you are taking instructions from a friend and at the same time can learn what those crazy looking abbreviations mean in a real sense when you have a crochet hook in your hand.

By taking your progress step, by step, you are beginning to become a proficient crochet worker who is able to see more than the next stitch. You will be able to design your own sweaters, simply by using an existing favorite sweater as a model and increasing and decreasing to achieve the shape of the body, the arms, etc. It really isn't that hard to do, even if you don't have a suitable pattern. Make small items like key fobs by creating heart shapes, joining them together to create a three dimensional object and attach a key ring. It's really as simple or as complex as you want it to be.

The tool kit that a crocheter of your standing will need is a set of crochet hooks in various sizes to go with the various thickness of yarn used, and a good stock of yarn. Try with fine cotton, now that you are familiar with the stitches and you will see your creations can be unique and very cleverly worked out. Use manufacturer's patterns if you feel that you need more experience at working within the abbreviations before making your own patterns.

You can consider yourself an intermediate crocheter if you have managed to create the projects in this book, and that's a step further than you were at the beginning. It is hoped that the range of projects has also given you food for thought for making items in the future.

Bonus

As my way of saying thank you for downloading this book I’ve included a little bonus to help you on your journey to learning wonderful Crochet Techniques!

The following video link“How to Crochet a Chunky Wavy Cowl Neck Infinity Scarf”is one I found along my journey and I found it so easy to understand and simple to follow. Nothing too ground breaking or phenomenal about the advice, just real easy to follow steps that have helped people immensely! I know it has helped me. So I’d like to share it with you guys also. Please note I don’t receive any financial gain from you clicking on this link, I just want to share these simple tips that have benefited me so much.

>>>Click on the below link to watch now!<<<

How to Crochet a Chunky Wavy Cowl Neck Infinity Scarf

My Other Books

Lastly if you enjoyed this book they you may like to check out some of my other titles:

Yoga: Easy To Learn Yoga Techniques Proven For Stress Relief, Weight Loss And Natural Healing

Chakra Healing for Beginners - Balance, Healing and Meditation Techniques for Lasting Focus, Energy and Inner Peace

Crystals: Crystal Healing - An Introduction To Crystals and How They Can Improve Your Health and Wellness

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