Berry Good Berry Bag Crochet Pattern

Fall is here! I love fall. Maybe that makes me "basic," but I don't care! I love pumpkin spice lattes, and pretty leaves, and candles, and crisp air, and all kinds of shenanigans. You know what else is a fall staple, especially in the Pacific Northwest? Berries. Berries grow all over the darn place out here; they happen to be invasive. Invasive or not, it's so fun to pick berries on the side of the road and eat them raw, turn them into pies, or even put them in a cocktail. You can pick your own berry with my new pattern, the Berry Good Berry Bag. It is available on Ravelry and Craftsy.

This sweet bag pattern is highly customizable. The sample is a raspberry, but you can easily create a blackberry, salmon berry, or blue raspberry with a simple color change. You could even make it into a bunch of grapes by using purple! You can also make it bigger or smaller by changing the weight of the yarn, changing the hook size, or adding more repeats.

Unlike many lined bags, this bag is worked in one piece. How convenient!

This pattern is for intermediate crocheters. The techniques used include crocheting in the round, working in front/back loop only, cluster stitches, detailed repeats, and some minor shaping.

Colors! Rainbow Baby Blanket and Hat Set

I am so thrilled with this pattern. I spent a lot of time working on it and the whole thing came out just as I envisioned it. Have you ever had a project just floating around in your brain, driving you nuts until you create it? That's how this felt. The pattern is on sale in my Ravelry pattern store, which you don't need an account to access. The pattern is built around my personally invented modified bobble stitch.

 

Redditgifts Hat and Scarf Exchange

Throughout the past year I have participated in a few redditgifts gift exchanges. Some of them have gone well and some not so much. The best exchange that I participated in was the Hat and Scarf Exchange. I signed up with a mind toward making something instead of buying. My giftee requested a cloche, an item I had never made before. Not to be deterred, I scoured the internet for an appropriate pattern and finally settled on this one. It was well written and the directions were clear and easy to follow. However, I would caution you to use a hat chart to make your initial circle rather than following the pattern as the first time through my circle was much too small and I had to frog it. Here is the final result.

She said she enjoyed the item and it pleases me to know that a random woman in New York is wearing my work! Since I had so much fun making the cloche I also included a scarf that I made using my personally created bobble stitch.

She told me that grey is her favorite color and she began wearing the scarf as soon as she received it. Success!

I also received my own gift from a random internet stranger. Through a great stroke of luck my gift giver was also a crocheter! Here is what I received.

Reddit user Liz4tin sent me a beautiful handwritten note along with a fanciful owl hat and a pineapple motif scarf. How thoughtful and exciting! Sometimes the internet can be a magical place, in this case connecting me with another crochet lover. As an aspiring elementary teacher, I plan to use the hat as a "Hat of Knowledge" since owls are typically used to represent knowledge and wisdom.

It was so much fun the first time that I will definitely consider participating in the redditgifts Hat and Scarf Exchange again in the future.

A Little Blanket for My Little Kitty

Spending the time to make this blanket was a real gamble. After all, everyone knows that cats rarely use items as intended. Sink? That's a bed. Fruit bowl? That's a bed. Your chest? That's a bed. Basket bought specifically for use as a cat bed? That's a waste of money. She was seriously trying to curl up in her toy box rather than use the nice basket that we got for her, bless her heart. I thought she might give it a second chance if I put something soft inside of it and...it actually worked! Call the media! Our cat actually sleeps in her basket now.

Aww, isn't she cute when she's not trying to steal your earbuds or play with a toy mouse on your bed at 2am? All that aside, I love her so very much. I was so happy that she decided to use the blanket and it melts my heart every time she sleeps in her basket.

The pattern of the blanket is a modified bobble stitch that I came up with. I haven't found it anywhere else, so I will continue to proudly believe that I invented it unless someone tells me differently! If you have an idea for what I should name it I'd love to hear about it.

I am currently working on a baby blanket pattern that will utilize this stitch. Stay tuned if you're interested in trying it out yourself!

The work grows at a decent rate while using this stitch. Because you work bobbles for every row instead of every other like a traditional bobble stitch, the bobble portion of the blanket looks the same on both sides. The piece is quite flexible and moves nicely while still being plush. I have already used this stitch for several items and it will probably be a go-to when I need to make something fluffy.