Way back in February 2016, I was inspired to make a cabled blanket of some sort after the popularity of my “Cabled Slouchy Beanie” and since I was designing my “Cabled Legwarmers” at the same time.  It was around this time that I also began my partnership with Lion Brand Yarn, so I excitedly browsed through their website to determine which yarn I wanted to use for this blanket.  I came across their “Color Clouds” that they had just launched, and it looked very intriguing!  It is classified as a Jumbo level 7 yarn, a brand new weight class that has been added due to the popularity of very thick yarns and arm knitting.  It is 100% acrylic and machine washable.

I decided to go with the “Travelers Tan” colourway as I loved the blend of tan and white, and of course I always gravitate towards neutrals.  I knew cables would look gorgeous in this colourway!

I was inspired to learn new cabling methods when a reader sent me a message through Ravelry and told me to check out these “Cable Crochet Squares” by Elizabeth Ham.  In her free Ravelry download and post HERE, Elizabeth details how to do various crochet cables and has accompanying YouTube videos as well.  I was drawn to the “Single Plaited Square” as it had a braided look to it, and I decided to use this technique to design my blanket!  I would HIGHLY recommend checking out her Youtube tutorial HERE to see the braided cables in action as this is how I learned how to do it (be sure to check out all three videos as Elizabeth has divided the tutorial into three parts)!  I started off by doing a series of foundation single crochets (see how to do this stitch HERE) with my Clover Amour 15 mm hook.

I drew up my design, determining how many stitches I would need to have three braided cables, front post stitches framing these cables, and three stitches in between each cable and frame.  I was done the first row of my blanket after doing 50 foundation single crochets.

Next, I worked single crochets across for Row 2.  It is important to note that ALL EVEN ROWS are worked the same, by working single crochets across.

Row 2 is complete!

Row 3 is when the cabling begins!  

To begin Row 3, I did three single crochets in the first three stitches.  Next, I worked two Front post double crochets (Fpdc) in the next two stitches 2 rows below (of Row 1, where the arrow is pointing).

The Front post double crochets have been worked.  See how they bump out?

After the two Fpdc’s, I then single crocheted three stitches.  Next, I did six Fpdc’s across the next six stitches 2 rows below.

The six Fpdc’s have been worked!

I then did three single crochets across the next three stitches.  I then repeated the pattern again until the end (i.e. two Fpdc’s, three sc’s, six Fpdc’s across).

Row 3 is complete!

I then flipped my work and began Row 4.  Remember that all even rows are worked the same: by working single crochets across.

The even rows work up quickly since you’re just single crocheting along!

Row 4 is complete!

I then turned my work and began working Row 5.

I started Row 5 by once again doing three single crochets.  Then, I worked 2 Fpdc’s across the next two post stitches from two rows below (the previous Fpdc’s from Row 3) as indicated by the arrows. 

These Fpdc’s really help frame the braided cables as you’ll see later on.  Working around the posts from two rows below helps to build the framing upwards!

Next, I skipped two post stitches (1 and 2 in photo below) and worked two Front post triple crochets (Fptc) in the next two post stitches (3 and 4 in photo below).

Below you can see I’ve worked Fptc’s across the third and fourth posts.  Next, I need to work BEHIND the post stitches I just made and work 2 Fptc’s in the two skipped post stitches (1 and 2 in the photo above).

I’ve placed my fingers behind the post stitches to show where you need to insert your crochet hook.

Thus, your crochet hook goes behind the posts and works Fptc’s around those initial skipped posts.

Now four Fptc’s have been worked.  You then work 2 Fpdc’s across the next two post stitches.

Your initial set of cabling is complete!  Now you repeat the same process across!

For Row 6, you once again single crochet across.  Now we will begin Round 7!

The beginning of Row 7 is worked the same as the beginning of Row 5 where you do three single crochets, two front post double crochets, and three single crochets.  Now we will approach the cabling!  You work two Front post double crochets in the next two post stitches as indicated below.

You then skip 2 post stitches and work two Front post triple crochets in the next two post stitches as indicated below.

Now it gets a little tricky.  You need to work IN FRONT of the post stitches you just made and work two Front post triple crochets around the two skipped posts.  These two skipped posts are hard to see in the picture below!

In the picture below, I am showing you where those “hidden” stitches are that we skipped.  It is around these stitches that you need to work your two Front post triple crochets (note that the orientation of my finger is NOT how you would insert your hook- I’m just demonstrating where the stitches are).

Thus, you swing your crochet hook in front of the stitches you just made, and work your front post triple crochets in the indicated stitches.

You keep repeating this pattern across for Row 7.  Below I’ve indicated the order of the stitches so you can see where all six stitches of the cabling are located for subsequent rows as you build up the cabling!

You keep repeating rows 4-7 until Row 77!  It’s amazing watching your beautiful braided cables build up!

Don’t these braided cables look gorgeous?  The texture is stunning, and the light colours really help show off the intricacy of the design!

I had so much fun working up my blanket as it kept me warm as I was crocheting it.  Repeating rows of these gorgeous braided cables was very relaxing!

I started a couple of afghan projects as a pre-teen when I was first learning how to crochet, but I never ended up finishing any of them.  Thankfully, this blanket works up very quickly since it uses jumbo yarn and such a large crochet hook!

For the edging of my blanket, I joined my working yarn at any point and began single crocheting around.  

I worked three single crochets in each of the four corners.

Single crocheting around helps finish off the edges!

I then slip stitched to close my round and began working back post single crochets around to really help define the border and give it beautiful edging!

You work back post single crochets by inserting your crochet hook in front of the post of the stitch!

Doesn’t this border edging look beautiful?  It has an almost braided look to it too!

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Here is the free pattern for the “Chunky Braided Cabled Blanket”!  

***You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Etsy HERE and on Craftsy HERE!  This beautifully formatted PDF includes the cabling tutorial, step-by-step pictures and pattern, and is a total of 7 pages including the cover page! 

Materials:

• 15 mm Clover Amour hook
• Jumbo Yarn (I used Lion Brand Yarn’s “Color Clouds” in “Travelers Tan”, 20 balls.  Each skein of Color Clouds is 55 yd/50 m for reference.)  In total, I used 1100 yards of Color Clouds for my blanket.

Special stitches:

• Front Post Treble Crochet (Fptc): Yarn Over (YO) twice, insert hook behind post of stitch (insert hook from front to back). YO and pull up a loop, [YO and draw through 2 loops on hook] 3 times.
• Front Post Double Crochet (Fpdc): YO, insert hook behind post of stitch (insert hook from front to back of stitch), YO, pull up a loop, YO, (pull through 2 loops) twice.
• Back Post Single Crochet (Bpsc):  Insert hook in front of post of stitch (insert hook from back to front of stitch), YO and pull up loop, YO and draw through two loops on hook.

Notes: 

• All even rows are single crochet rows.  
  
• All Fptc’s and Fpdc’s are worked in indicated stitches 2 rows below.
  
• To increase the width of this blanket with more cable cycles, add multiples of 14 stitches.
  
• Try holding two strands of super bulky yarn (level 6) together as a substitute for the Jumbo level 7 yarn.
• To see videos of the Braided cables, see Elizabeth Ham’s very helpful 3-part YouTube tutorial HERE!
  

Row 1: Foundation single crochet 50. (50 sts)

Row 2 & all even rows: Ch 1, turn.  Starting in second st from hook, sc in each st across.  

R3: Ch 1, turn.  Sc 3, Fpdc in next 2 sts 2 rows below, sc 3. *Fpdc in next 6 sts 2 rows below, sc 3, Fpdc in next 2 sts 2 rows below, sc 3*, rep 3 times. 

R5: Ch 1, turn.  Sc 3, Fpdc in next 2 post sts, sc 3.  *Skip 2 post sts, Fptc in next 2 posts, working BEHIND post sts just made, Fptc in 2 skipped post sts.  Fpdc in next 2 post sts, Sc 3, Fpdc in next 2 post sts, sc 3*, rep 3 times.

R7: Ch 1, turn.  Sc 3, Fpdc in next 2 post sts, sc 3.  *Fpdc in next 2 post sts.  Skip 2 post sts, Fptc in next 2 post sts.  Working IN FRONT of post sts just made, Fptc in 2 skipped post sts.  Sc 3, Fpdc in next 2 post sts, Sc 3*, rep 3 times.

Repeat Rows 4-7 until Row 77.

Border: 

Row 1: With cabled side of blanket facing you, Sc around perimeter, making sure to do 3 sc in each corner.  Sl st to first sc.

Row 2: Chain 1, Back post single crochet around.  Sl st to Chain 1 and fasten off.

Finished Dimensions: 42″/107 cm x 53″/135 cm

*************************************

I love the luxurious look of my Chunky Braided Cabled Blanket!  Even though I finished this project in March, I thought I would wait to post about it in the fall/winter when everyone is picking up their crochet hooks again and getting ready for the dip in temperature.  T’is the season for cuddling up in warm blankets whilst sipping hot chocolate and apple cider!

Note that this blanket is more of a throw blanket with its sizing.   I underestimated how much yarn I would need to complete my blanket as I originally thought I would only need 10 skeins of Color Clouds.  However, as I started working up the pattern, I could quickly tell that I would need much more.  Keep in mind that each skein of Color Clouds is 55 yards/3.5 oz, compared to a skein of Wool-Ease Thick & Quick which is 106 yds/6 oz.  In the end, I needed 20 skeins to complete my project.  Out of all the crochet projects I’ve worked on, this definitely used up the most skeins of yarn.  You can try playing around with the sizing and possibly hold two strands of super bulky (level 6) yarn as a substitute for the jumbo (level 7) yarn.  Always keep an eye out for sales, and jumbo yarn can sometimes be found on clearance too, especially at the end of the season!

While we were out during a family walk enjoying the beautiful fall landscape, I brought my blanket along so we could snap some pictures!  I love snuggling the girls and I make sure I get enough cuddles with them each and every day! Just look at their adorable expressions!

Here I am wrapped in my blanket!  Wouldn’t the braided cables make a gorgeous sweater or wrap?  I think the girls ran off to play with leaves along the side and I was trying to peek at them and see what they were up to!

I am so glad I learned the technique of braided cables as they are simply stunning!  It was so much fun seeing the braided cables build up, and I am in love with my finished blanket.  If you are a knitter, be sure to check out Jessica of Mama in a Stitch’s “Endless Cables Chunky Knit Throw Pattern” as she also used Color Clouds in the same colourway!  We thought it was so funny when we were working with the exact same yarn…and using it for cabled blankets!  It’s neat seeing the different looks of crochet and knit cables, and I hope to learn the technique of knitting cables one day.  Keep up to date with my work through my Facebook page, Twitter (@AllAboutAmi) and Instagram (@AllAboutAmi)!  I know many of you are looking for a good blanket project to tackle, so I hope this inspires you to try a cabled one!

{This post is sponsored by Lion Brand Yarn!  I’ve loved working with their yarn throughout the years and I’m thrilled that I get to collaborate with them every month!}

This pattern is an original pattern by Stephanie Lau of All About Ami.  Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but please DO NOT sell the pattern or distribute it.

You may sell products made from this pattern but please clearly credit the design to me, Stephanie Lau of All About Ami, and provide a link to my blog www.AllAboutAmi.com.  Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind.  Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!

• Tags
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• cabled
• braided
• braidedcables
• blanket
• braidedcabled
• lionbrandyarn
• lionbrand
• colorclouds
• jumbo
• clover
• cloveramour
• crochet
• handmade
• diy
• freepattern
• craft

When I first saw Lion Brand Yarn’s Bonbons at Michaels, I thought they looked so cute and I was itching to use them for a project!  Each set comes with 8 different colours, and the sets range from acrylic, metallic, or cotton yarn.  The first thought that came to mind was to use them for amigurumi, and I thought it would be so neat to be able to make one ami per bonbon, with the possibility of 8 different amigurumi with one set!  Pictured below are the 100% cotton sets that are a fine (level 2) yarn: Beach (top) and Nature (bottom).  

Since most amigurumi tend to be very round and three-dimensional, I thought it would be cute to make a flat teddy that could be attached to a keychain and toted wherever you go!  Thus, instead of making spherical, ball-like shapes, I used the technique of working around a foundation chain to make ovals (see my full tutorial HERE).  To make my teddy’s head, I chained 11 with my 2 mm hook.

To work around a foundation chain, you start from the second chain from the hook and single crochet in the back loops (the ones further away from you) of the foundation chain.  In this case, you will work ten single crochets in the back loops.  Then, you turn the piece and single crochet in the front loops of the foundation chain.  Another ten single crochets in the back loops will bring you to a total of 20 stitches completed after Round 1.

We have created an oval after Round 1!

As the head continued to build up, this shape began to form!

Before closing up the head, we attached 6 mm safety eyes.  We attached them between Rounds 10 and 11, about 6 stitches apart.

Typically to end off my amigurumi shapes, I close up the hole when there are six stitches left.  In this case, however, I decreased until there were 12 stitches left.  Then, I moved my yarn tail to one side, pinched the head flat, and whip stitched the opening shut.

This was the resulting rectangular head!

Next we created indentations at the corners of the head and where the neck would be at the bottom of the head. I threaded my needle through the bottom of the head to the upper right corner and then back down with a tapestry needle.

I repeated the same process on the left side and then tied the ends into double knots. Tying these knots created an indentation on the bottom of the head, which caused the cheeks to protrude slightly downwards!

This was the head shape we created with indented corners!

To crochet the ears, I simply single crocheted 6 in a Magic Ring (see tutorial HERE) without closing up the circle so a semi-circle was created!  I sewed the ears onto the corners where we made the indentations.

I crocheted a tiny body and stuffed it gently by pushing the stuffing in with the end of my crochet hook.

I then attached the body onto the bottom of the head by fitting it snugly into the indentation we created.

Next it was time for the limbs!  I wanted simple, floppy limbs that could be attached directly onto the body.  To create his left arm, I inserted my crochet hook into a stitch on the top left of his body.  I created a slip knot with the yarn and pulled that slip knot through the stitch on my hook.

Then I chained 6 and began slip stitching back up the chain, ending off where I first inserted my crochet hook.  I was left with a cute little arm that curved downwards.

I worked all the slip stitches into the back bumps of the chain found behind the front and back loops of the chain.

To create his right arm, I flipped him backwards and repeated the process.  This ensured that the right arm also curved downwards.  If you want his arm to curve upwards, you can attach this arm with him facing you!

Both arms are complete- they are so simple and dainty!  If you want, you could stop here and have a legless bear which I think is also very cute!

To create the legs, I repeated the same process as the arms, with only one chain less.  Remember to keep him facing you for his left leg and flip him backwards for his right leg!

Both legs are complete!  Yay for limbs that don’t have to be separately attached!

To create his nose, we cut a triangle out of white felt.  We then embroidered an upside down triangle on the felt with embroidery floss.  

We then created a belly by cutting an oval out of white felt.  We embroidered a little “X” for his belly button using the same embroidery floss.

One Bonbon Bear only requires 6-7 grams of yarn (each Bonbon’s net weight is 10 grams in case you’re curious)!  I decided to make two colourful bears and a panda bear using the black and white yarn in my “Beach” package.  To create the panda bear, I crocheted a white head, a half white/half black body, black ears, and black limbs!  I also made the body one less round compared to the colourful bears.

Isn’t this such a cute face?  To emphasize his features, Ryan cut large eye roundies out of black felt and made them downturned.  He used black felt for the nose too!

If you want to tote these cuties around with you wherever you go, you could attach them to these key rings with snake chains!  I bought these on Etsy HERE (be warned that shipping took a long time though since they ship from Thailand!), but you can search your local craft stores for them too.

********************************

Here is the free pattern for my “Bonbon Bears”:

***You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Etsy HERE and on Craftsy HERE!  This beautifully formatted PDF includes the step-by-step pictures and is a total of 7 pages including the cover page!

Materials:

• Fine or lightweight yarn, level 2 or 3 (I used Lion Brand Bonbons in the colour combo “Beach”); each bear requires about 6-7 grams of yarn!
  
• 2 mm Clover Amour crochet hook
• Yarn needle (bent tip helpful for attaching amigurumi parts- see HERE)
  
• Fiberfill
• 6 mm safety eyes
• Brown embroidery floss (for nose and belly button)
• White felt (for nose and belly), Black felt (for eye roundies and nose of panda)
• Clover lock ring stitch markers
• Glue gun
• Optional: Key ring with Snake Chain

HEAD:

Chain 11 (this is the foundation chain- see tutorial on how to crochet around a foundation chain HERE).

R1: Starting from second chain from hook, Sc 10 in back loops of foundation chain.  Turn and Sc 10 in front loops of the foundation chain [we are making an oval by crocheting around the chain].  (20 sts)

R2: Inc, Sc 8, Inc x 2, Sc 8, Inc (24 sts)

R3: Inc x 2, Sc 9, Inc x 3, Sc 9, Inc (30 sts)

R4-11: Sc 30 (30 sts)

R12: *Sc 3, dec*, rep 6 times (24 sts).

R13: *Sc 2, dec*, rep 6 times (18 sts)

Add safety eyes.  Position them between Rounds 10 and 11, about 6 stitches apart.

R14: *Sc 1, dec*, rep 6 times (12 sts)

Fasten off and leave long end for sewing.  Move yarn end to one side of bottom of head.  Stuff head.  Pinch head flat and whip stitch opening shut. 

Indentations: Create indentations at the corners and bottom of head.   Thread yarn through the bottom of the head to the upper right corner and then back down with a tapestry needle.  Repeat the process for the left corner.  Tie the ends into double knots to create indentation on the bottom of the head, causing the cheeks to protrude slightly downwards.

BODY:

Chain 6 (this is the foundation chain)

R1: Starting from second chain from hook, Sc 5 in back loops of foundation chain.  Turn and Sc 5 in front loops of the foundation chain [we are making an oval by crocheting around the chain]. (10 sts)

R2-7: Sc 10

Fasten off and leave long end for attaching.  Stuff lightly by pushing stuffing with bottom of crochet hook.  Attach onto bottom of head where indentation was created.

EARS (make 2):

R1: 6 sc in Magic Ring but do not join, creating a semi circle.  

Fasten off and leave long end for attaching.  Sew ears onto corners of head where indentations were created.

ARMS (make 2) & LEGS (make 2)

The limbs will be crocheted directly onto the body of the bear.  We want both arms and both legs to curve towards the body.  To achieve this, attach the left arm and left leg with the bear facing you.  To attach the right arm and right leg, flip the bear backwards so that his back is facing you.

Left arm: 

With bear facing you, insert your crochet hook into a stitch on the top left of his body.  Create a slip knot with the yarn and pull that slip knot through the stitch on your hook.  Chain 6.

R1: Starting from second chain from hook, Slip stitch 5 in bumps of chain.  Sl st to where you first joined arm to body.  Fasten off and weave in ends.  

Right arm:

Flip bear backwards.  With bear’s back facing you, insert your crochet hook into a stitch on the top right of his body.  Create a slip knot with the yarn and pull that slip knot through the stitch on your hook.  Chain 6.

R1: Starting from second chain from hook, Slip stitch 5 in bumps of chain.  Sl st to where you first joined arm to body.  Fasten off and weave in ends.  

Left leg:

With bear facing you, insert your crochet hook into a stitch on the bottom left of his body.  Create a slip knot with the yarn and pull that slip knot through the stitch on your hook.  Chain 5.

R1: Starting from second chain from hook, Slip stitch 4 in bumps of chain.  Sl st to where you first joined leg to body.  Fasten off and weave in ends.  

Right leg:

Flip bear backwards.  With bear’s back facing you, insert your crochet hook into a stitch on the bottom right of his body.  Create a slip knot with the yarn and pull that slip knot through the stitch on your hook.  Chain 5.

R1: Starting from second chain from hook, Slip stitch 4 in bumps of chain.  Sl st to where you first joined leg to body.  Fasten off and weave in ends.  

NOSE:

Cut triangle out of white felt.  Embroider upside down triangle using brown embroidery floss.  Glue onto head.

BELLY:

Cut oval out of white felt.  Embroider X onto belly using brown embroidery floss.  Glue onto body.

Optional: Attach Bonbon Bear to key ring with snake chain.

Finished Dimensions: 3.5″/8.9 cm tall and 2.5″/6.3 cm wide at head

***PANDA MODIFICATIONS:

HEAD: Using white yarn, work same as above.  Cut large eye roundies out of black felt and insert safety eyes into them.  Cut triangle out of black felt and glue onto face.

EARS: Using black yarn, work same as above.

BODY:

Using white yarn, chain 6 (this is the foundation chain)

R1: Starting from second chain from hook, Sc 5 in back loops of foundation chain.  Turn and Sc 5 in front loops of the foundation chain [we are making an oval by crocheting around the chain].  (10 sts)

R2: Sc 10

R3: Sc 10- when doing final yarn over of last stitch, switch to black yarn.

R4: For clean colour change, Sl st in first st. Sc around rest of stitches (10 sts)

R5-6: Sc 10 [Note that the panda’s body has one less round than the colourful bears.]

Fasten off and leave long end for attaching.  Stuff lightly by pushing stuffing with bottom of crochet hook.  Attach onto bottom of head where indentation was created.

ARMS (make 2) & LEGS (make 2): Using black yarn, work same as above.

********************************

These Bonbon Bears are so sweet and adorable!  I really love how you can make them in a variety of colours, and if you buy the Bonbons set, you can make 8 different bears!  The colours are so vibrant!

I wanted to name these bears after sweet treats and candy since the yarn they use is called bonbons!  Here we have Bluebearie…

…Minty…

….and Oreo!

They are tiny enough to fit in your pocket!  Wouldn’t these be a cute gift tucked away in a mug or small basket?  This certainly would bring a smile to my face if I saw this adorable little teddy peeking out!

Once you’ve attached keyrings to the Bonbon Bears, you can bring them with you wherever you go!  Here is my Panda attached to my favourite new accessory: my backpack!

It’s so convenient being hands-free, and I love how chic and modern it looks too!  I must say that I never thought I’d be wearing a backpack again after I finished school!  

I adore being able to carry around such a kawaii crocheted creation with me all the time!

A year ago I introduced you to The Lambert Collection that I designed with Laura Uy- this collection includes tote bags, mugs, and apparel for yarn lovers!  All profits made from this collection are being used to sponsor a classroom of children in Guatemala!  Here is Bluebearie attached to my tote bag (see HERE)!  Doesn’t he look so tiny?

I am delighted to share that Society6 now offers cute Carry-All Pouches!  They’re such a great way to store your crochet hooks and notions (stitch markers, tapestry needles, etc), and the largest size (pictured here) can store smaller WIP’s as well!  Note that we ordered all three sizes, and the image definitely fits the largest size best (it was a bit cut off with the smaller sizes).

I hope you enjoy making these sweet Bonbon bears for yourself and as gifts for friends and family!  Their tiny limbs and flat, block-like shapes make them very unique and extra cute.  They can accompany you wherever you go when you attach them to your backpacks, purses, or tote bags!  Not only are they a quick project, but they’re also a great way to use up scrap yarn!  I’d love to see your creations, so use the hashtag #BonbonBears on social media and tag me!  You can follow my work on my social media here: Facebook page, Twitter (@AllAboutAmi) and Instagram (@AllAboutAmi)I.  You can also find concise PDF versions of my patterns in my Etsy store HERE (I recently surpassed 300 sales- thank you!) and my Craftsy store HERE!  Read up about these bears in their feature on the Lion Brand blog HERE, and enter to win a pack of Bonbons HERE!  Lion Brand has actually dropped the price of the Bonbons to only $5.99 for two weeks HERE, so now is a great time to check them out!

{This post is sponsored by Lion Brand Yarn!  I’ve loved working with their yarn throughout the years and I’m thrilled that I get to collaborate with them every month!}

This pattern is an original pattern by Stephanie Lau of All About Ami.  Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but please DO NOT sell the pattern or distribute it.

You may sell products made from this pattern but please clearly credit the design to me, Stephanie Lau of All About Ami, and provide a link to my blog www.AllAboutAmi.com.  Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind.  Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!

• Tags
• amigurumi
• bonbonbears
• bonbonbear
• lionbrandyarn
• craft
• handmade
• diy
• crochet
• freepattern
• teddy
• kawaii
• cute

A couple of months ago, my friend bought a gorgeous knitted blanket and I could not believe how luxurious and soft it looked and felt!  I was intrigued by the idea of knitting my own blanket since I had taken up knitting again through We Are Knitters, and I knew the blanket would be simple enough since it used the stockinette stitch.  I went down the rabbit hole of researching merino wool and large knitting needles over the following weeks and found some vendors on Etsy.  However, most were in Europe and shipping seemed astronomical.  I worked on other projects in the meantime and kept the idea of knitting my own blanket tucked away for future reference.

Fast forward a couple of months, and I became connected with the wonderful Sarah of Mama Knows Luxury!  She sells the supplies for extreme knitting and crocheting in her Etsy store and she is actually local to me in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  In her shop you will find ethically sourced, top quality ultra thick merino wool roving that is sourced from Ashland Bay.  I am so thankful that we now have a Canadian supplier of this luxurious wool!  I blogged about my Extreme Knitting and Crochet Haul from her store HERE!  I knew the first project I wanted to tackle was my Extreme Knitted Blanket!

For this blanket, I used 3 kg of undyed cream 100% merino wool!  I actually had no idea how large the resulting throw blanket would be, but I knew 3 kg would make a decent size.  This merino wool is unspun wool roving- it was my first time working with this type of fiber!  Since it has not been spun, it you pull hard enough, it will rip, so it is definitely more delicate than typical yarn and requires more care.

Sarah was kind enough to lend me her 50 mm (US size 200) birch circular knitting needles to make my blanket!  [Update: Sarah now sells Premium Extreme Circular Knitting Needles that she designed and had locally made in her shop HERE!].  Another option would be to use your arms and do arm knitting if you are unsure about investing in these tools!

I was sooo incredibly excited to begin knitting my blanket!  To begin, I casted on 21 stitches using the long tail cast on method (see HERE).  It was tricky knowing how long of a tail to leave as I did not want to waste any of my precious wool.  I probably went through 3-4 trials before I was happy with the cast on.  However, as I was knitting my blanket, I could see that 21 stitches was probably too wide for the amount of wool that I had, so I frogged the entire thing!  I was extremely scared of frogging this unspun wool roving at first but I pulled the wool very delicately with great care and it was actually more resilient than I thought.  This made me feel better knowing that I could frog my work in case something went wrong.  I ended up casting on 16 stitches for my finished blanket!

It was so neat seeing how huge each stitch was!  This wool is definitely the softest and most luxurious I’ve ever worked with!

Working with these jumbo knitting needles was not as hard as I thought it would be, and it greatly helped that they were circular needles since I wasn’t carrying the weight of the blanket throughout the process.  I worked on a couple of rows at a time and had so much fun seeing my gorgeous blanket build up.  I really looked forward to every time I could work on this project and was a little sad when it was done!  In total, the blanket probably only took about a couple of hours to knit since each stitch is so large!   

Some people recommend trying to make your whole blanket in one sitting so that you can better keep your gauge and tension consistent.  I tried to knit very loosely and not pull too hard on the wool.  I worked on this blanket over a couple of days and was able to keep my tension pretty consistent.  When I posted the photo below to social media, some people said that I looked like a little doll who had stolen some yarn and knitting needles!  Haha, the relative proportions and perspectives certainly are interesting when you’re working with such oversized and jumbo materials!

I posted a video of me knitting my blanket to Facebook and Instagram (see HERE), and I was astounded by how popular it became!  I love the sound of the birch knitting needles and you can get a sense of how fluffy the wool is as I work with it.  Even though I did not mean for it to be a knitting tutorial, some mentioned that it was a great how-to video since you can easily see how I’m doing the knit stitch with such large knitting needles and wool!

Another tricky part was knowing how many rows I could complete and how much wool was needed for my cast off as my 3 kg began to dwindle.  After some trial and error and after completing 29 rows, this was how much wool was left!

Weaving in super bulky ends can sometimes be troublesome, and I really was not sure how I was going to weave in my ends when I first started knitting my blanket!  Sarah of Mama Knows Luxury suggests splitting the wool into five strands and weaving them all in separately (see her pic HERE).  Chantal of Knitatude provided a great tip on social media: she suggested felting the ends!

I was completely new to felting but wanted to learn more about the technique and process.  After some research, I found out that felting is the process of shrinking and bonding wool fibers together through heat, agitation and moisture.  This causes the microscopic scales on wool fibers to interlock and tighten together, forming a dense cloth/felt with a soft texture.  Felting needles have barbs/notches on them, and when you repeatedly jab at the wool (agitation), it causes the fibers to interlock together!  After watching some felting videos on YouTube (e.g. see HERE), I went out and bought this Clover felting needle and some dense foam for my felting board!

I was amazed to see the wool melding together as I jabbed at it with my felting needle and was so happy that I had invested in these supplies.  I can also make cute animals with my leftover wool as I do not want to waste a single bit given how pricey it is!

Once the ends had been felted, my blanket was complete!  I couldn’t wait to get cozy in it!

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Here is the simple free pattern for my Extreme Knitted Blanket!

Materials:

• 3 kg of unspun wool roving - mine is from Mama Knows Luxury
• 50 mm knitting needles (US size 200) - See Sarah’s Premium Extreme Circular Knitting Needles HERE
• Optional: Felting needle, felting board/foam

Using long tail cast on method, cast on 16 stitches (I left a tail of 145 inches).

Row 1: Purl 15

Row 2: Knit 15

R3-28: Repeat Row 1 and Row 2

Cast off stitches.

Felt end to body of blanket using felting needle and foam board.  Alternatively, split end into five different strands and weave in each strand separately.  Note that stitch and row counts may vary depending on your tool (e.g. 40 or 50 mm knitting needles or arm knitting) and gauge!

Finished dimensions: 35″/89 cm by 48″/122 cm

********************************

My merino wool blanket is more of a throw blanket or lapghan, and I plan to use it to cuddle on the couch when we’re watching a movie.  If you want a larger size, you would definitely need more kilograms of wool!

It is incredibly soft and warm, and I am so proud of my handmade, luxurious knitted blanket!  The stitches kind of look like hearts, don’t they?

I just love the classic look of stockinette stitches!  My wool blanket paired with my moose fair isle leggings and milk tea brings ultimate coziness and warmth!

Every Christmas we have a tradition of wearing our Bear Cheeks onesies (see HERE).  Lazy One was kind enough to send us some more matching pajamas, and they let me choose which style I wanted!  I went with their Moose Fair Isle set as they have sizes for the whole family!  They are very good quality and incredibly soft, and I love that we can wear them year round.  It sort of feels like Christmas in July!

The girls had fun playing and hiding under the blanket!  With its light colour and delicate nature, I’ll probably be keeping this blanket tucked away for my use only until the girls are less prone to spilling drinks and dropping crumbs everywhere!

We actually haven’t taken a family photo in a while, so I’m glad we got to snap some with our matching pajamas and wool blanket!  Brie is 18 months old and Myla is 3!  How quickly they’ve grown!

It was such a pleasure working with this wool and knitting my very own blanket!  It was definitely not as hard as I was expecting it to be as I was so scared of the wool breaking or that the needles would be very heavy.  The wool didn’t pill as much as I though it would while working with it, but I expect my blanket will pill more as I begin to use it.  I absolutely loved the feel of the wool as I worked with it, and the blanket was so soft and cozy as it draped across my lap.  I would absolutely jump at the chance to knit another one!  Although the wool is definitely pricey, it is an investment and something you would want to save up for, particularly for a special occasion.  Imagine what a unique housewarming, wedding, anniversary, or baby shower gift these wool blankets would be for friends, family, or for yourself!  You could also look into crocheting your own blanket, but keep in mind that crocheting takes up more wool for the equivalent size knitted blanket, so you would need even more kilograms of wool to make a blanket of this size!  ***Sarah has given me the code “AllAboutAmi05″ to share with my readers so you can get get 5% off your orders (until Aug 31) in her Etsy store HERE!  She has many different colours available in this wool and will be happy to set up a custom order for you if needed- she has been an absolute pleasure to work with and has great customer service!

For care instructions, Sarah suggests dry cleaning, but you could also try hand washing cold, wringing and laying flat to dry (keep in mind that this blanket would be VERY heavy when wet though).  Once this blanket has been washed, it will be felted, so it will pill less and be less fragile- I am definitely going to look into this!  Thank you for reading about my adventures in extreme knitting and the making of my fluffy cloud blanket!  It was such a dream being able to work with this luxurious wool and huge knitting needles!  Stay tuned for more extreme knitting and crocheting projects as I have more wool to play with- you can follow me on social media here:  Facebook page, Twitter (@AllAboutAmi) or Instagram (@AllAboutAmi)!

Note: Thank you to Sarah of Mama Knows Luxury for providing me with the wool for this project!.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own!

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• merinowool
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• diy
• freepattern

I’ve loved crocheting baskets over the years and they are so functional as I continue to use them to this day to store yarn balls, toys, and baby hats/socks/mittens.  You may remember the Chunky Crocheted Baskets I made (see HERE and HERE) as well as the Fox Basket I made for a baby shower gift!

I keep a running list of design ideas that I hope to tackle one day, and one such item on this list was a basket with a heart on it!  I thought it would be so cute for a nursery and very pretty to have as storage.  I wanted to use super bulky yarn just like my previous baskets, and I loved the colour options available in Lion Brand Yarn’s Hometown USA as well as its beautiful sheen.  I was aiming for a  beautiful gold heart, and when I saw this “Madison Mustard”, I knew it was the perfect choice!  I opted also for “Houston Cream” for the main colour of my basket!

Hometown USA is a 100% acrylic super bulky (level 6) yarn, and as you can see on the package, a 9 mm hook is recommended.

Since we want this basket to be very stiff and firm so that it will keep its shape, I used an 8 mm Clover Amour hook while holding TWO STRANDS of Hometown USA together!  This is how I crocheted my previous baskets as well.  I started off with a Magic Circle (see tutorial HERE) so that there is no initial hole or gap.

Then I continued increasing to get a flat circle that was expanding outwards.

To get a clean and straight seam, I slip stitched to the first single crochet of each round and NOT the chain 1 to close up the round.

Then I chained 1 and then did my first single crochet in the SAME STITCH as the Chain 1.

Now the plot thickens…from here on in, I went through FOUR FAILED ATTEMPTS before achieving the look I was going for.  I will walk you through my design and thought process so you can see how the final product came to be!

Failed Attempt #1: Once I was done my base, I single crocheted in the back loops only for the next round so that there would be a nice edge/rim on the bottom.  I ended up scrapping this part as you’ll see later on.  I began adding my yellow yarn for the heart and was not happy with how it was looking.  Typically when working basic stitches in rounds, the stitches do not line up as they are slightly staggered round by round.  This is visible in my Fox Basket as the image is slightly skewed, and even below you can see that the very bottom yellow stitch is not lining up nicely under the middle stitch of the next round.  I actually kept going for a while and the heart was looking very misshapen- I should’ve taken a picture of it farther along, but I quickly frogged it as I couldn’t bear the sight of it anymore!

Failed Attempt #2: Ryan and I then had the idea to work the base of the basket separately from the body.  This way, the body could be worked in turned rows which would give the heart a cleaner look since the stitches would line up better.  However, I wasn’t too keen on the fact that I would have to do lots of attaching (sewing the base to the body and the ends of the base together) later on.  I carried the strands along with me during colour changes, and it was actually looking pretty good.  I posted a photo of my progress on social media talking about tapestry crochet, and a Facebook commenter actually attached a beautiful heart cup cozy that she had made!  The stitches were perfectly lined up, and the heart looked gorgeous!  I curiously asked her how she achieved this in rounds, and she mentioned using front post stitches as she had followed a pattern by Lakeside Loops!  With such a brilliant idea, I quickly frogged attempt #2!

Failed Attempt #3: I excitedly began working front post single crochets and was delighted that the stitches were lining up perfectly!  I followed this heart graph I found online HERE from Crochet Kitten but my final heart turned out way too skinny and long, as if the heart had been stretched lengthwise!  I realized this happened because the pixels in the graph were perfect squares whereas my front post single crochet stitches were longer “rectangles” compared to squares!  We realized that we would have to design our own heart graph to accommodate for these stitches that we were using!

Failed Attempt #4: Ryan made a number of different heart graphs, and we tried one that would be wider as I wanted a fuller heart compared to the previous attempt.  I went pretty far with this design and as you can see, the heart was VERY full.  However, I was running out of the white yarn and the heart looked like it was overwhelming the basket- I knew that I would have to make the basket bigger overall if I used this heart design but I didn’t want to run out of yarn!  This project is already a yarn eater as it is since we’re crocheting while holding two strands at the same time!  

Thus, it was back to the drawing board to redesign a smaller but still fuller heart!  Here are a bunch of different heart shapes that we tried!

Successful Attempt: One of these heart graphs ended up being the perfect fit!  Once I was happy with the size of my base, it was time to do my front post single crochets!

To work a front post single crochet, you insert your crochet hook under the post of the next stitch (instead of the front and/or back loops where you would typically insert your hook).  You then work your single crochet as normal.

You’ll notice that in both of the previous attempts (the skinny heart and huge heart), the bottom bulges out compared to the rest of the body.  When working front post single crochets, it causes the piece to shrink inwards a bit.  I did not want this shrinkage to be extremely pronounced, so I decided not to do that rim (made by crocheting in the back loops only for one round).   Aren’t these front post single crochets looking lovely?  They stack so nicely ontop of each other, and it’s such an interesting looking stitch!

In case you’re curious, this is what the inside of the basket looks like when you’re working front post single crochets!

When switching colours, you work up until the point when you are about to finish the last stitch of the first colour.  At this point, you will have two stitches on your hook.  Switch to the new colour for the final yarnover.  Then you pull through the two stitches already on the hook with your new colour, and voila- you are ready to begin working stitches in your new colour!  I let the unworked colour float behind and picked it back up when I needed it!  You can check out this video HERE to see how to change colours and let the unworked yarn float behind (starting at the 4:00 min mark).

This is the final heart graph that Ryan made that ended up being the perfect shape and size!  You’ll notice that it’s a softer heart as the edges are not as sharp (e.g. the bottom tip is comprised of 3 stitches vs. just 1 stitch).

It was fun translating this heart graph onto my basket and seeing the heart develop!  I loved how it was looking- not too big, not too small, and not too skinny!

When the heart was complete, it was time to make the handles and finish up the basket!  I made a Ch 6 space by chaining 6 and skipping 6 stitches.  In the next round, I then single crocheted 8 in that Chain 6 space.  I crocheted in the actual SPACE and not in the stitches themselves.

Here is the completed handle!

This is what the seam of the basket looks like: isn’t it nice and straight?

Here is the inside of the basket and the other side of the heart!  I decided to let the unused colour float across instead of carrying the unworked colour across the round and enclosing it along the back of the work (like when you are working over yarn tails).  This whole time I thought I was doing tapestry crochet, but I just discovered that by letting the unworked colour float across, this is actually called Fair Isle Crochet.  If I had crocheted along with both colours, switching them when needed (with no floats), this would be Tapestry Crochet.  Crochet Ever After has a very informative video that describes the differences in these colour changes HERE!  

By not crocheting over the unworked colour, this gives the front a crisper and cleaner look (vs. the “muddier” look of tapestry crochet since the unworked colour might peek out) and this does not give the heart extra bulk (because then we would be working with 4 strands of yarn instead of two).  This meant that my gauge and tension was consistent throughout the basket.  An alternative would be to hold the yellow and white yarn throughout the whole project to keep even tension, switching when needed, but this would suck up A LOT of yarn and once again give a muddier look.  The Fox Basket I crocheted used the Tapestry Crochet technique, and you can see that it has a muddier look as the image is not as crisp and defined.

I asked my readers on social media what they would do with all the floats behind the heart if they were worried about items catching on them, and they came up with some great solutions:

• Crochet a yellow heart or create a felt or fabric patch to sew over these floats (or also create a pocket).
  
• Make a fabric liner and sew it inside the basket.
• To prevent long floats of unworked yarn strands, you can twist the floats (unworked yarn) around the working yarn every 3-4 stitches to help catch/tack the floats down behind the work.  I learned about this technique after completing this basket, but I would definitely do this if I made the project again.  You can see a video example of this HERE!

********************************

Now without further ado, here is the free pattern for my “Crochet Heart Basket”:

***You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Etsy HERE and on Craftsy HERE!  This beautifully formatted PDF includes the step-by-step pictures and is a total of 6 pages including the cover page!

Materials:

• 8 mm Clover Amour Jumbo Hook
• Super bulky yarn (level 6)- I used 6 skeins of Lion Brand Yarn’s Hometown USA in “Houston Cream” (Main colour) and 1 skein of Lion Brand Yarn’s Hometown USA in “Madison Mustard” (Contrast colour).  Each skein of Hometown USA is 81 yards.  Since you need to hold two strands of yarn together for this project, you could either buy two skeins of your contrast colour (the gold) or purchase one skein and divide it into two separate balls to work with!

Notes:

• This basket is worked in joined rounds.
• Always slip stitch to the first sc or fpsc of the round, not the Chain 1.  
• After doing your chain 1 at the beginning of the round, work your first stitch in the same stitch where you did your slip stitch and Chain 1.  
• The base of the basket is worked in normal single crochets while the body of the basket is worked in front post single crochets.  ***Special thanks to Kimberley of Lakeside Loops as it was through her Linden Coffee Cozies where I first saw the idea of using front post single crochets for nicely stacked stitches in a round!
  
• When switching colours, finish the last stitch with the new colour (in the final yarnover)
• I did not carry the two colours at the same time since I wanted a crisper image and I did not want the heart to be too bulky.  Instead, I let the unworked yarn strands float across and picked them back up when needed.
• When letting the strands float, be careful to not pull too tightly and to leave enough slack otherwise the basket will pucker strangely as there will not be enough give.
• To prevent long floats of unworked yarn strands, you can twist the floats (unworked yarn) around the working yarn every 3-4 stitches to help catch/tack the floats down behind the work.  I learned about this technique after completing this basket, but I would definitely do this if I made the project again.  You can see a video example of this HERE!
  

Special stitches:

• Front post single crochet (Fpsc): Insert hook behind post of stitch (insert hook from front to back of stitch), YO, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 2 loops. 
  

Round 1: 6 sc in Magic Ring.  Sl st to first sc (6 sts).

R2: Ch 1. *Inc*, rep 6 times.  Sl st to first sc (12 sts).

R3: Ch 1. *Sc 1, Inc*, rep 6 times. Sl st to first sc (18 sts).

R4: Ch 1, *Sc 2, Inc*, rep 6 times. Sl st to first sc (24 sts).

R5: Ch 1. *Sc 3, Inc*, rep 6 times.  St st to first sc (30 sts).

R6: Ch 1, *Sc 4, Inc*, rep 6 times.  Sl st to first sc (36 sts).

R7: Ch 1, *Sc 5, Inc*, rep 6 times.  Sl st to first sc (42 sts).

R8: Ch 1. *Sc 6, Inc*, rep 6 times.  Sl st to first sc (48 sts).

R9: Ch 1. *Sc 7, Inc*, rep 6 times.  Sl st to first sc (54 sts).

R10: Ch 1, *Sc 8, Inc*, rep 6 times.  Sl st to first sc (60 sts).

R11: Ch 1. *Sc 9, Inc*, rep 6 times.  Sl st to first sc (66 sts).

R12: Ch 1.  Sc around.  Sl st to first sc (66 sts).

From Rounds 13-28, all stitches will be worked as Front Post Single Crochets (not including slip stitches and Chain 1′s to end and begin the rounds of course). 

R13-14: Ch 1. Fpsc 66. Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

We will now begin the colour changes!  

R15: Ch 1. Work 31 fpsc in White, 3 fpsc in Yellow, 32 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R16: Ch 1. Work 29 fpsc in White, 7 fpsc in Yellow, 30 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R17: Ch 1. Work 28 fpsc in White 9 fpsc in Yellow, 29 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R18: Ch 1. Work 27 fpsc in White, 11 fpsc in Yellow, 28 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R19: Ch 1. Work 26 fpsc in White, 13 fpsc in Yellow, 27 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R20: Ch 1. Work 25 fpsc in White, 15 fpsc in Yellow, 26 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R21: Ch 1. Work 24 fpsc in White, 17 fpsc in Yellow, 25 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R22-24: Ch 1. Work 23 fpsc in White 19 fpsc in Yellow, 24 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R25: Ch 1. Work 23 fpsc in White, 9 fpsc in Yellow, 1 fpsc in White, 9 fpsc in Yellow, 24 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R26:  Ch 1. Work 24 fpsc in White, 7 fpsc in Yellow, 3 fpsc in White, 7 fpsc in Yellow, 25 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

R27:  Ch 1. Work 25 fpsc in White, 5 fpsc in Yellow, 5 fpsc in White, 5 fpsc in Yellow, 26 fpsc in White.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

The yellow heart is now complete.  Tie off the yellow yarn.  From now on, we will only be working with the white yarn.

R28: Ch 1. Fpsc 66.  Sl st to first fpsc (66 sts).

Now we will begin making the handles!

R29: Fpsc 13, Ch 6, Sk 6, Fpsc 27, Ch 6, Sk 6, Fpsc 14 (66 sts).

R30: Fpsc 13, Sc 8 in Chain 6 space, Fpsc 27, Sc 8 in Chain 6 space, Fpsc 14 (68 sts).

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Finished dimensions: 11″/28 cm in height, 11″/28 cm diameter, 31″/79 cm circumference

****************************

I am delighted with how my basket turned out and am glad that I persevered through all the failed attempts to finally achieve the look I was going for!  It was sad every time I had to frog the basket, but I knew we could do it!

My crochet journey has been a constant learning process, and I’m thankful that I discovered this beautiful look of stacked front post single crochets and learned the difference between tapestry, intarsia, and Fair Isle Crochet! 

Baskets are so functional and handy to have around the house as they are great storage options!  They also serve as a form of decor since they give a modern yet rustic touch.  I love having crocheted pieces displayed in my home!  I think this basket would look so cute in a nursery, and you could play around with different heart colours to match the theme!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the making of this Heart Basket!  Please share your photos with me on my blog and social media here: Facebook page, Twitter (@AllAboutAmi) or Instagram (@AllAboutAmi)I!  Don’t forget that I’ve also opened an Etsy store HERE and a Craftsy store HERE to sell concise PDF versions of my patterns!  Enjoy this first week of Summer, and happy crocheting!  

{This post is sponsored by Lion Brand Yarn!  I’ve loved working with their yarn throughout the years and I’m thrilled that I get to collaborate with them every month!}

This pattern is an original pattern by Stephanie Lau of All About Ami.  Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but please DO NOT sell the pattern or distribute it.

You may sell products made from this pattern but please clearly credit the design to me, Stephanie Lau of All About Ami, and provide a link to my blog www.AllAboutAmi.com.  Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind.  Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!

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• lionbrandyarn
• nursery
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• gold

With Spring in full swing, I wanted to design a light and airy triangular scarf that could also serve as a shawl or open cardigan.  When I got my hands on Lion Brand Yarn’s Cotton Bamboo, I knew it would be the perfect choice of yarn for this project!  

This special yarn is from the LB Collection and is exclusively available through Lion Brand via LionBrand.com, the Lion Design catalog, the Lion Brand Yarn Studio in New York City, and the Lion Brand Yarn Outlet in Carlstadt, New Jersey.  Their site states, “Combining the softness and drape of bamboo rayon with the durability of cotton, our beautiful Cotton Bamboo yarn is great for year-round projects, such as clothing and baby items.”  It is available in 8 different shades, and I went with the neutral “Magnolia” colour.  It is a DK (level 3) weight yarn made of 52% cotton, 48% rayon from bamboo and each skein is 3.50 oz./100 g (245 yd/224 m).  This yarn is a great choice for wearable items because rayon is moisture absorbent, breathable, comfortable to wear, and it does not fray or pill easily!  I used four skeins of yarn for this project!

To start off, I chained 4.

Then, I did a double crochet in the first chain to form a ring.

I chained 4…

Then I turned my piece and worked a shell in the ring.  In this project, a shell consists of 1 double crochet, 1 single crochet, and 1 double crochet (1 dc, 1 sc, 1 dc) all worked in the same ring.

The shell has been worked!

Then I chained 2 and worked a double crochet in the 2nd chain of the beginning chain 4 of the previous row.  

Next I chained 4 again and flipped my work.

I worked one shell in the chain 2 space from the row below.

Then I chained 2 and then worked another shell in the next ch-2 space.

It may seem like this row is complete, but it is not!  You need to chain 2 again…

And work a double crochet once again in the 2nd chain of the beginning ch-4 as indicated in the diagram below.  I always worked this dc in the “bump” of the 2nd chain.

Now this row is complete!  See the symmetry?

You always chain 4 to begin the next row and turn your work.

Furthermore, you always work your shells in the chain 2 spaces of the row below with Chain 2′s in between each shell.  Remember, this row is not complete!

Don’t forget to do that last dc at the end of each row!  I forgot it a number of times while working up this project, and I sadly had to frog my work to go all the way back to the end of the previous row once I discovered my mistake.  This was especially frustrating towards the latter rows when there are LOTS of shells within each row!

I continued on with this simple pattern to build this lovely triangle shape.

In the end, I completed 71 rows of these delicate shells!  

Now it was time to add the details to my beautiful wrap!

I decided to do a picot edging across the side edges (the V) of the triangle.  Interesting fact: did you knot that “picot” is a French word so it is pronounced “pee-ko” (like rico)?  I did not know it was a French word, so I was pronouncing it like “picket” (as in white picket fence).  Thank goodness I found out now so I could avoid potentially embarrassing conversations with fellow crocheters and knitters!  When I posted about this on social media, a reader also informed me that “crochet” means “hook” in French!  My mind was blown as I was totally unaware of this fact even though I studied French in school- I suppose the word “crochet” was never one of our vocabulary items!  This also led me to a random fact…”Captain Hook” would be “Capitaine Crochet” in French, haha!

Thus at the end of Row 71, I simply turned my triangle (no need to cut the yarn!) and began working picots along the side.

To work a picot, I chained 3 and then slip stitched to the first chain.  Then I single crocheted 3 in the next 3 stitches.

I kept working this picot edging across the tip of the V and along the other side.

Once I was done the picot edging, I then worked 3 rows of single crochets across the top of the triangle.  This would be the collar of the wrap when it is worn as a cardigan or sweater.

The piece looks so much more polished with these beautiful edgings and details!

Next, we wanted to add fringe to the picot edging to give it more of a boho look!

To form my fringe, I wrapped the yarn around one of Ryan’s video games (measuring 4.13″/10.5 cm across) and snipped across the edge.  This is the best way to get strands of equal length!  Each strand measured approximately 9″/23 cm long.  I then grabbed two of these strands and folded them in half.

To add the fringe, I inserted my crochet hook into the tip of each picot.  I pulled the folded loop of the strands through, and then pulled the tips of the strands through the loop.  I pulled tightly and one piece of fringe was added!

I continued adding fringe to all the picots!

To make the fringe look more full and almost like tassels, we separated the strands of yarn.  We did this by untwisting the yarn, pulling apart the individual strands, and combing the strands with a fine-tooth comb (see Instagram video HERE).  Some readers also suggested using a needle to separate the yarn strands too!

You can see the big difference it makes when you separate the strands of yarn in the picture below!  The unseparated fringe looks weak and scraggly while the separated strands look so much more full and rich!  This process was time-consuming but thankfully this task can be done by non-crocheters too….hehe thanks to Ryan for helping me separate much of the fringe!

I sewed one of my ultraleather labels that I ordered from “Brick Bubble” onto the inner part of my wrap so I could easily see which side was the inside and outside.  You can tell which is the outside because the third row of single crochets (of the collar) will be facing outwards so the V’s will be visible.  Pictured below is the inside!

As an optional step, I decided to add buttons to my wrap so that I could form arm holes and sleeves with the button closure.  I draped the wrap over myself and determined where I wanted my arm holes/sleeves to be.  I marked these spots off with a stitch marker to indicate where to sew the buttons.

I sewed buttons to the inside of my wrap and even made a subtle mark showing where I wanted the button hole to be.  I made this mark by tying gold embroidery floss onto this spot.

Below you can see the gold button going through its hole.

These are the arm holes formed!  The button is not visible from the front- only from behind!

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Here is the free pattern for “The Boho Crochet Wrap”!  

***You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Etsy HERE and on Craftsy HERE!  This beautifully formatted PDF includes the step-by-step pictures and is a total of 5 pages including the cover page!

Stitch abbreviations:

• Dc = double crochet
• Sc = single crochet
• Beg ch-4 = the beginning chain 4 (used to start each row)
• Ch-2 sp = chain 2 space 
• Shell consists of {1 dc, 1 sc, 1 dc}
• Picot = Ch 3, Sl st in 1st ch, Sc 3 in next 3 sts

Materials:

• 4 mm Clover Amour hook (for the edging and ribbing)
• Light worsted weight cotton yarn (I used LB Collection Cotton Bamboo Yarn  in “Magnolia” by Lion Brand Yarn, 4 skeins).  980 yards/896 m needed.
• Scissors
• 2 Buttons, embroidery floss (optional)

TRIANGLE:

Chain 4, dc in first ch to form ring.

Row 1: Chain 4, turn, work shell in ring.  Chain 2, dc in 2nd ch of beg ch-4. (1 shell, 2 ch-2 spaces)

R2: Ch 4, turn.  *Work shell in next ch-2 sp, ch 2*, rep twice.  Dc in 2nd ch of beg ch-4. (2 shells, 3 ch-2 spaces).

R3-71: Ch 4, turn.  *Work shell in next ch-2 sp, ch 2* across.  Dc in 2nd ch of beg ch-4.  (Row 71 will have 71 shells and 72 ch-2 spaces).

Do not cut yarn.  We will begin working down the edges of the triangle (the “V”) to form the picot edging.

PICOT EDGING:

*Ch 3, Sl st in 1st chain, Sc 3 in next 3 sts* rep around V of triangle.  I crocheted 96 picots in total!

After working the picot edging, do not cut the yarn!  We will now work along the top of the triangle to give the collar some edging.

COLLAR:

Row 1: Single crochet across the top of the triangle.  I had 357 sc (If you want to know the math: 71 shells = 71 x 3 = 213 sts,  72 ch-2 spaces = 144 sts.  213 sts + 144 sts = 357 sts).  

R2: Chain 1, turn.  Starting from 2nd chain from hook, sc across (357 sc). 

R3: Repeat Row 2.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

FRINGE:

• Wrap yarn around a sturdy object (e.g. book or video game- mine measured 4.13″/10.5 cm).
  
• Cut yarn on one side of object to make strands of fringe (each of my fringe strands measured about 9″/23 cm long).
• Fold two strands of fringe in half. 
• Insert crochet hook into tip of each picot.
• Pull folded loop of strands through, then pull tips of the strands through the loop.
• Pull tightly.
• Repeat across picot edging.
• To make the fringe look more full and almost like tassels, separate the strands of yarn: untwist the yarn, pull apart the individual strands (can also use a needle too), and comb the strands with a fine-tooth comb (see Instagram video HERE).
  

Button Closure (optional):

Add buttons to the inner edges of the triangle so that you can form arm holes/sleeves.  Drape the wrap over yourself and determine where you want the sides to come together- use a stitch marker to mark off this location.  As a reference, I sewed my button on the 21st shell/15th fringe (starting from the top and counting downwards along the edge).

I also added a mark showing where I wanted my button hole to be.  I wrapped and tied gold embroidery floss between the 42nd and 43rd shell (29th and 30th fringe).

Final measurements:

Width: 80″/203 cm

Height (from tip of V to top): 30.3″/77 cm

Special Notes:

• If you only want to make a scarf, you can use less yarn and do fewer rows.
  
• Adjust the size to your liking: the great part about this design is that it keeps expanding row after row, so you can decide when you would like to stop and measure it against yourself as you go!
  
• When determining your size, remember that it will be larger after adding the picot edging and fringe.
• You can sew a garment tag to the inner top center of the wrap to help indicate the inside and outside.  The outside will have the 3rd row of single crochets of the collar facing outwards (the V’s)!
• Try using worsted, bulky or super bulky acrylic yarn or wool for a completely different look!  It would make a very luxurious and bold triangle scarf for the fall and winter months!
• If your triangle’s edges seem to be curving, try increasing the number of chains at the beginning of each row (e.g. Chain 5 or 6) as your tension might be tighter than mine.

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I am so pleased with how “The Boho Crochet Wrap” turned out as it is so pretty and romantic!  Most of my photoshoots are during the crisp fall or cold winter months, so I seized upon this opportunity to do a lovely Spring shoot!

The back drapes absolutely beautifully and I love the look of the textured fringe!

You can also drape one of the sides over your shoulder so the piece becomes a beautiful shawl!

You can see the gold button I used for closure in this side view of the wrap below!  I love how the buttons give the piece more definition to form optional arm holes!

The Boho Crochet Wrap is so versatile as it can also be worn as a scarf!  The V of the triangle is in the center while the corners drape down beautifully.

I tucked the corners underneath the V of the triangle for this look below!  It is so full and dramatic yet lightweight and airy with its open stitches.  Its breathability and cotton bamboo fabric make it the perfect Spring and Summer scarf!

Once again, here it is worn more as a shawl with it asymmetrically draped over one shoulder!

In the below photo I tied the ends into a knot to shorten them!  You can play around with this scarf to get many different looks depending on how closely you wear it to your neck and where the corners/ends are!  During the fall and winter months, you could try this pattern using worsted, bulky, or super bulky yarn as well for a full and luxurious triangle scarf!  I just might do that in the coming months!

Flower crowns are all the rage this season, and I thought it would be such a lovely accessory for this Spring shoot!  Myla loved trying it on too :)

The Boho Crochet Wrap would be a great piece for those Spring and Summer nights out or on vacation when you need a versatile item.  You could wear it as a chic scarf accessory at the beginning and then drape it over your shoulders and wear it as a cardigan when the temperatures cool down.  Both the cotton and rayon are breathable and moisture absorbent, so you won’t heat up or feel too sweaty in this wrap as it actually helps to wick away moisture!  I could also see this being useful on airplane rides when you want to be hands free in the airport (wear it as a scarf) and then possibly need more layers in case the airplane cabin is cool.  It could also serve as a light blanket!

Wearing fringe just makes you want to spin and let it SWAY!  Haha…Ryan and I had lots of fun doing this shoot enjoying the great outdoors!  [On a sidenote, in case anyone is wondering, I picked up this gorgeous white dress from H&M recently for only $30 (see HERE)!]

I hope this will be your new favourite Spring/Summer wrap and I can’t wait to see you rock the different ways to wear it!  I had such a fun time designing this lightweight wearable piece, and it was a nice change from working with the bulky and super bulky yarns of the winter.  Please share your photos with me on my blog and social media here: Facebook page, Twitter (@AllAboutAmi) or Instagram (@AllAboutAmi)I!  Don’t forget that I’ve also opened an Etsy store HERE and a Craftsy store HERE to sell concise PDF versions of my patterns!  I hope you enjoyed reading about this wrap, and I thank you for your continued support of my work and this blog!  Enjoy the beautiful weather, everyone! 

{This post is sponsored by Lion Brand Yarn!  I’ve loved working with their yarn throughout the years and I’m thrilled that I get to collaborate with them every month!}

This pattern is an original pattern by Stephanie Lau of All About Ami.  Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but please DO NOT sell the pattern or distribute it.

You may sell products made from this pattern but please clearly credit the design to me, Stephanie Lau of All About Ami, and provide a link to my blog www.AllAboutAmi.com.  Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind.  Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!

• Tags
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