Sublime – PipsRainbow

Baby Comforter

June 19, 2020 No Comments

Hmm, someone seems to have stolen the sun this week!! What weather!! We had a lovely day on Monday and then the rest has really just been a wash out. And some seriously crazy storms too. Not a fan of storms. No idea why. Think it’s the unpredictableness of them. It’s hard not showing the kids your fear, as you really don’t want to pass it onto them. My Dad loves watching them. They are so bizarre aren’t they. Here’s hoping for a warmer weekend.

Well as promised here is the first of one of my patterns for little gifts that you can make. I mentioned in my previous blog that I was hoping to share some little patterns for gifts. I know many of you are still in lockdown or not able to get to the shops that are starting to open. So now is the time for a few little homemade gifts. And dare I say the word Christmas!!! Ekk, it will be here before we know it I am sure.

So my first pattern is a little baby comforter. I made one back in November for our local bakers little baby girl. I used some beautifully soft Sublime yarn.

So when I had my wonderful Ōilsyarns Club bundle from the lovely Abby at Orchidean Luxury Yarns drop on my doorstep, I knew a little comforter had to be made again for a friend of mine’s brand new baby. The colours in Abby’s yarn are so delicate and work perfectly for a baby comforter for a boy or a girl.

So here we go. I hope you enjoy this pattern.

Level – Medium. (Includes some different stitches)

Supplies –

For this little baby comforter I have used double knit yarn from my incredible Ōilsyarns Club from Abby at Orchidean Luxury Yarns.

You will also need a 3mm and 4mm crochet hook, toy stuffing, scissors, a blunt ended tapestry needle, a little bit of black/dark grey yarn for the eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth. And a toy safety rattle, if you want to use one.

Here’s the link to Abby’s incredible website Orchidean Luxury Yarns, where you can find her amazing Ōilsyarns Club and also all her incredible other hand dyed yarn. Trust me, it is worth a peak!

https://luxuryyarns.co.uk/

Stitches –

Slip Stitch (ss) – This is where there is no height to the stitch. It’s usually used to join rounds. So insert the hook into the front of the stitch you are joining to. This is usually the first stitch you made in that round/row. So yarn over hook and pull through that first stitch then also through the loop on your hook.

Chain stitch (ch) – To make a chain, place the yarn over the hook then pull it through the loop on your hook.

Magic Ring – Fold over the yarn to make the loop. Insert your hook through the loop and grab the working yarn (long piece) and pull through the loop. Hold the tail and the working yarn and pull so that the knot tightens, but you still have a loop. This has created a magic ring.

Double Crochet (dc) – Insert the hook through the stitch, front to back, then yarn over hook and pull back through stitch. You will have two loops on your hook. Then yarn over your hook and pull through both loops.

Double Crochet Decrease (2dctog) – This is where you crochet two stitches together to decrease the amount of stitches in the round. So insert the hook through the front of the first stitch only (the front V) and then insert again through the front of the second stitch (the front V). Now yarn over your hook and pull it back through both stitches, so you will then have 2 loops on your hook. Yarn over your hook again and pull through both loops. And there is your 2dctog. (Basically 2 double crochet stitches crocheted together.)

Double Treble Crochet (dtr) – A double treble is quite a tall stitch. So yarn over hook twice, insert hook through the stitch/space and then yarn over hook again. Now pull the yarn through the stitch. There will now be 4 loops on the hook. Now place the yarn over the hook and pull through the first 2 loops. Then yarn over the hook again and pull through the next two loops. Haha, now place the yarn over the hook again and pull through the last 2 loops. Phew! It’s a bit of a long process, but a lovely stitch with the height that it gives.

Decrease with Double Treble Crochet (2dtrtog) – Ok so basically you need to crochet 2 stitches together, but still keep the height of a dtr. So yarn over your hook and insert into stitch. Then yarn over hook and pull back through. This leaves you with 4 loops on your hook. Now yarn over your hook and pull through first 2 loops. This will leave you with 3 loops on your hook. Now yarn over hook and insert into the next stitch. Then yarn over your hook again and pull yarn back through. This leaves you with 5 loops on your hook. So yarn over your hook and pull through the first 2 loops. So yarn over your hook and pull through the first 2 loops. Then to finish, yarn over your hook and pull through the last 3 loops.

Picot Stitch – Start by working 1dc in the stitch and then ch3. Then insert your hook, front to back, into the top of dc stitch that you have just made. Yarn over your hook and pull back through to make a slip stitch, then chain 1. Finally miss a stitch. This completes your picot stitch.

Video Tutorials – I’ve popped a few links to some of my video tutorials at the bottom of the blog. Hope you find them useful.

PipsTips –

When sewing your ears on, it’s really important to make sure you sew them on securely. As this is a comforter for a baby, is it important that there are no loose ends and loose parts. I tend to go over the stitches a few times and also when fastening off the yarn, sew it through the head a few times before cutting it off.

Ok, so here we go…

Head – use a 3mm hook with your yarn. You are working in the round for the head.

1 – Make a magic ring, chain 1, then work 6dc stitches into the ring. Then pull the tail tight to create the first round. (6)

2 – *2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (12)

3 – *1dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (18)

4 – *2dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (24)

5 – *3dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (30)

6 – *4dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (36)

7 – *5dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (42)

8 – *6dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (48)

9 – 14 (6 rounds) For each round, work 1dc in each stitch. (48)

15 – *6dc, then 2dctog*. Work ** 6 times. (See stitches explanation above if you are unsure of how to work a 2dctog stitch.) (42)

16 – *5dc, then 2dctog*. Work ** 6 times. (36)

17 – *4dc, then 2dctog* Work ** 6 times. (30)

18 – *3dc, then 2dctog* Work ** 6 times. (24)

19 – *2dc, then 2dctog* Work ** 6 times. (18)

This is a good moment to stuff your head and pop in your baby safety rattle. (If you are using one.)

20 – *1dc, then 2dctog* Work ** 6 times. (12)

21 – *2dctog* Work ** 6 times. (6)

Blanket – This continues on from the head, so it is all one piece.

1 – You are now going to work across the round. (This will seal up the head and able you to start the blanket.) So work a chain and then work 1dc in the first and last stitch in the round together. Then 1dc in the next and second to last stitch and finally 1dc in the third and fourth last stitch. This will give you 3dc stitches and the head will be sealed up. (3)

Now for the little blanket part of the comforter. For this, use your 4mm crochet hook.

2 – Turn your work and chain 1, then work 2dc in each stitch.* Repeat ** 3 times (6)

3 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *1dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (9)

4 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *2dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (12)

5 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *3dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (15)

6 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *4dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (18)

7 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *5dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (21)

8 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *6dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (24)

9 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *7dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (27)

10 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *8dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (30)

11 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *9dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (33)

12 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *10dtr, then 2dtr into the next stitch.* Work ** 3 times. (36)

13 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *10dtr, then 2dtrtog.* Work ** 3 times. (33)

14 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *9dtr, then 2dtrtog.* Work ** 3 times. (30)

15 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *8dtr, then 2dtrtog.* Work ** 3 times. (27)

16 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *7dtr, then 2dtrtog.* Work ** 3 times. (24)

17 – Turn your comforter and chain 4. Then work *6dtr, then 2dtrtog.* Work ** 3 times. (21)

Now slip stitch into your last stitch and fasten off your yarn. You can now sew in ends using your blunt ended needle.

Blanket Border – Use your cream yarn for this.

Attach your new colour in the side for the comforter at the top by the head in the first stitch by chaining 1.

Then work 1dc in the same stitch.

Now you are going to work 2dc in the side of each of the dtr stitches.

Once you have turned the corner to the bottom then work 1dc in each stitch. (18)

And then work back up the other side of the blanket, working 2dc in the side of each of the dtr stitches, as before and finish with 1dc in the last stitch. (84 in total)

Now turn your blanket, chain 1 and work 1dc in each stitch again all the way around. (84)

At this stage you can keep the same yarn, as I have done or you could attach a new colour here. It’s up to you.

So we’re now going to work a Picot stitch. So first things first turn your work and Ch1. Right so for the picot stitch – work 1dc in first stitch and then ch3. Then insert your hook, front to back, into the top of dc stitch that you have just made. Yarn over your hook and pull back through to make a slip stitch, then chain 1. This completes your picot stitch. Below are a few photo on how to work a picot stitch.

Now miss a stitch. *So to work your picot stitches, then work 1dc, then ch3. Insert your hook, front to back, into the top of dc stitch. Yarn over your hook and pull back through to make a slip stitch, then ch1 and finally miss a stitch.* Repeat this ** around the whole of the comforter blanket.

Then slip stitch into the base of the last picot stitch you made and fasten off your yarn. Sew in your ends with your blunt ended needle. (42 picot stitches)

Ears – Make 2

1 – Start with your coloured yarn and make a magic ring, ch1, then work 6dc into the ring. Then pull the tail tight. (6)

2 – *2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (12)

3 – *1dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (18)

4 – *2dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (24)

5 – *3dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (30)

6 – Change yarn in the first stitch to your cream yarn and work 1dc in each stitch in the round. (30)

7 – Finally work 1dc in each stitch in the round. (30)

Now slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off your yarn, leaving a tail so that you can sew your ears onto the head with your blunt ended needle. When you sew in your ears onto the head, make sure that you sew them on securely. I tend to go over the stitches quite a few times.

Now that you have your ears on, all there is to do it sew your face on, using your grey yarn. I tend to sew over a few stitches for both the eyes and nose. And then a single stitch for the eyebrows and mouth.

And there you have it, your finished baby comforter.

I really hope you have enjoyed this pattern. Please give me a shout if you have any problems or need any help with anything. I am always happy to help the best I can.

Don’t forget to share your pictures.

Stay safe guys.

Happy Hooking.

🌈Xx

(Free pattern designed and brought to you by PipsRainbow. Thank you for not copying or recreating it. ☺️Xx)

New to crocheting or need a recap – here’s a few videos that may help you.

Tutorials

Crochet Beginner – How to Crochet

March 11, 2019 No Comments

All you need to know, when starting out on your crocheting adventure!

So it’s always a bit daunting when you are starting a new hobby! It’s hard to know what to buy and what to use and what to follow. So here’s a little bit of an introduction into crocheting and how to get started. So first things first, your crochet kit. So this is my kit, which I have built up over time!

As you can see there are a lot of crochet hooks. There are all different sizes ranging from 2.5mm to 12mm. Each one is used for different weights of yarn and projects. Now to get started, I suggest you buy a 4mm hook and a 3mm hook. These are both used for Double Knit yarn which is the most commonly used yarn I would say. Once you get into crocheting, you can add to your collection. I do find this crochet kit pouch is great for keeping mine all safe and tucked up together. And obviously goes most places with me. (Something to put on your birthday list!)

So there are also different types of hooks that you can buy, from wooden, metal, plastic and then ergonomically designed ones with rubbery handles. These are the ones that I find the best, they are from a company called Clover and are so lovely to work with and can be bought from any online shop or local yarn shop. But if you don’t want to spend too much, at the beginning then, you can buy a pack of cheaper, but still comfy in your hands ones. So it’s up to you.

Now the other thing that you will find in my crochet kit are these.

These are fantastic, they are Lite Up crochet hooks. So basically crochet hooks that have a little torch at the end. It means you can crochet in the dark or in the car at night. I found them fantastically handy when you are camping or on car journeys, when you just want to carry on crocheting. They are also great for dark yarn too which is hard to work with. So definitely a great thing to add to your kit later on down the line.

So you will also need some scissors and a blunt ended tapestry needle. I find the metal ones are the best. These needles help you to sew in all those yarny ends when you finish your projects.

Other things that are handy are a little tape measure and some stitch markers, but again, they are something you add to your kit when you need them.

So just to clarify, to start off get yourself a 3mm and 4mm crochet hook, some scissors and a blunt ended tapestry needle! The crochet 4mm hook is used for normal double knit crocheting, but the 3mm hook will be used if you want to make toys with double knit yarn using the Amigurimi method (crocheting in the round.) See my tutorial on magic rings and crocheting in the round, if you are intrigued!!

Now all you need to do is buy some yarn. So there are all sorts of different types of yarn that you can use – cotton, wool, cashmere, silk, sock yarn (which is a wool/nylon mix) and acrylic to name but a few. I tend to stick with wool or wool mixes as they are great to work with and soft to use for your hands. Cotton is a great yarn to work with at the beginning, as it’s cheap and cheerful and easy to work with. King Cole Cotton Soft is a nice one to use.

If you are looking for something a bit more special but great to work with then the Sublime Cashmere/Merino Mix Wool range is fabulous.

It’s a definite go to for me. And then you have all the incredible handdyed yarns that are just out of this world. Luxury Yarns and HeyJayYarn are just a couple of my favourites.

This is from the amazingly talented Abby Parkes at Luxury Yarns, who hand dyes all her own yarn.

And this one is a beautiful sock yarn from the incredible Hannah at HeyJay Yarns.

But there are sooooo many more to choose from!! Oooo the posssiblities!!

There are also loads of magazines and books that you can get your hands on in most shops. Simply crochet is one of my favourites. But there are lots on the market. Most have lovely patterns in abs handy tutorials at the back too. And some of the books that are on the market are just incredible. Some real yarny treats to keep you busy.

Now it’s time to have a go. First things first. Slip Knots, Foundation chains and Double Crocheting. Now to start with just use some simple double knit yarn such as cotton and a 4mm crochet hook.

Once you’ve mastered these 3 elements of crocheting it’s then time to choose what you would like to make first. Something simple I would say. Anyways, hope this all makes sense and I am always here if you need any extra help.

Good luck…

Right so you can either follow the link below to a video tutorial or follow the photograph tutorial.

Video Tutorial –

https://youtu.be/NKfEaIj74Vw

Photograph Tutorial –

Slip Knot

With any crocheting you will always start with a slip knot. Whether you are starting with rows or rounds, a slip knot is required to anchor the yarn to the hook.

Firstly fold over the yarn to make a loop.

Insert your hook through the loop and grab the working yarn (long piece) and pull through the loop.

Hold the tail and the working yarn and pull tight to create a knot.

Now you are ready to start crocheting.

Foundation Chain

A foundation chain is required when you are starting your crocheting project with rows. Now that you have created your slip knot, you can make the chain.

Wrap your yarn over your hook and pull back through the loop.

This will create the first chain. Now pull the yarn over the hook and pull through again to make the second chain.

Repeat this process till you have the amount of chains that you require.

Now you are ready to start your crocheted rows.

Double Crochet

So start by having 10 chains in your foundation chain. You can count them by the top loop. See where the arrow is pointing – that is one chain stitch. I have 10 here. Remember that you don’t count the loop on the hook.

Now it’s time to chain 1, as this will give us the height of a double crochet. Now we are going to work our first double crochet stitch in the second chain from the hook. (This is where the arrow is pointing.)

*Ok so insert the hook, into the stitch and place your yarn over your hook.

Now pull the yarn through the stitch leaving you with 2 loops on your hook.

Now yarn over your hook again and pull through both loops and there you have your first double crochet.*

Now continue working down the row in each of the chain stitches repeating this ** process.

Ok so you now have 10 double crochets in your row. So turn your work and chain 1. Remember to chain you need to put your yarn over your hook and just pull it through the loop on your hook.

*Now insert your hook into the first stitch. Can you see how it goes through the V now, so both little loops.

Yarn over your hook again and pull through the stitch to make 2 loops.

Then yarn over your hook again and pull through both loops on your hook. This completes your first double crochet in the row.*

Now repeat the process ** down the row to give you 10 double crochet stitches.

Once you are here you can now turn your work, chain 1 again and work 10 double crochet stitches.

And you are off!! Please shout if you need any help or any other photos.

Hmmm, now what will you make…

Good luck!!

🌈Xx

Don’t forget, there is also a tutorial on magic rings and crocheting in the round if you are interested in that. And also have a peak at all my patterns, as they are all photograph tutorials, so hopefully you will find these handy too.

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