Technical Thursday: Awesome Cat Sack Hat FREE pattern!

Everything is awesome here at Creekside Crochet this week. So I decided to make up a pattern for my daughter's crazy hat day tommorrow and share it with you all. She loves cats and unicorns and all that stuff(she must get it from her father, I prefer skulls and skeletons hehe)

Now this pattern is ranked just between easy and intermediate- it requires some knowledge of working amigurumi in spirals. As well as front post/back post and working in the round.

The AWESOME Cat Sack Hat

You need the following colors in a worsted weight- I used Red Heart Super Saver

White

Petal pink

Shocking pink

Black

Aruba Sea

J(6mm) Hook

Needle for sewing

HAT:

Round 1:With white, do a chainless HDC Foundation of 64 stitches. 

Round 2: Ch 1, HDC in same stitch(counts as first BPHDC). FPHDC in next, alternate around, join in Ch1(32 FPDC/32 BPHDC)

Round 3: Ch 1, BPHDC around both Ch1 and the first BPHDC of the last round. FPHDC around next front post, BPHDC around next back post. Repeat around, join in ch 1(32 FPHDC/32 BPHDC)

Round 4: Repeat round 3, tie off when finished. 

Round 5: With Petal Pink, join in any stitch and ch 1, HDC in same stitch. HDC around, join in ch 1.

Round 6: Ch 1, HDC in same stitch. HDC around. Join in Ch 1.(64 HDC)

Round 7-19: Repeat Round 6

Round 20: Repeat Round 6, tie off and weave in ends(We'll sew with a doubled string of yarn for strength and tension)

Set Hat Aside

Horn: (Make 1)

We are working in spirals, DO NOT JOIN!

With Aruba Sea and the J hook:

Round 1: Magic Circle, 6 SC in circle. (6)

Round 2: 1 SC in next, 2 SC in next. Repeat 3 times(9)

Round 3-4: SC around.  (9)

Round 5: SC in next 2, 2 SC in next. Repeat 3 times(12)

Round 6-7: SC around. (12) 

Round 8: SC in next 3, 2 SC in next. Repeat 3 times(15)

Round 9-14: SC around (15)

Round 15: SC in next 4, 2 SC in next. Repeat 3 times(18)

Round 16-19: SC around (18)

Slip stitch into next stitch, press flat and slip stitch through 2 layers 4 or 5 times before tying off. 

Ears: (Make 2)

DO NOT JOIN! (This section is hard to write out, so bear with me- I'm going to write it as I did it)

With Shocking Pink and J hook:

CH 6. We will be working BOTH SIDES of the chain, one end has no increases, while the other increases to give us the desired shape. 

Round 1: SC in 2nd ch from hook and in the next 4 stitches. Turn your chain and place a SC directly opposite the last one made to work up the other side of the chain, and in the next 4 ch stitches. 4 SC in the last remaining stitch. (9 SC, 4 in one)

Round 2: 1 sc x 14

Round 3: 1 sc x 11, 2 sc in next 2

Round 4: 1 sc x 17

Round 5: 1 sc x 13, 2 HDC in next 2

Round 6: 1 sc x 19

Round 7: 1 sc x 14, 2 HDC in next 3

Round 8: 1 sc x 22

Round 9 and 10: Repeat Round 8. Sl st in next. Flatten the ear and working through both layers, slip stitch the bottom shut for a few stitches.

Eyes: (Make 2)

We WILL be joining, and turning. Pay attention!

With Black
1: Magic Circle, 6 sc(6) Sl st into 1st stitch to join
2: Ch 1, 2 HDC in each stitch around(12) sl st into 1st HDC to join
3: Ch 1, HDC in next, 2 HDC in next stitch. Repeat 6 times, tie off black, weave in end (18)

With ARUBA SEA
4: Pull up a loop in any stitch and slip stitch into the next 2 stitches. 2 sc in next, sc in 2, 2 sc in next, sc in 2, 2 sc in next, 2 slip stitches. Ch 1 and TURN (14)
5: Sk 1st slip stitch, slip stitch in 2nd stitch and next 2 stitches. 2 sc in next, HDC in next 3, 2 sc in next, sc in next 4, working around both of the last 2 rows(black and aruba slip stitches). Tie off, weave end into same color. (14)

With WHITE
6. With the right side facing you, pull up a loop in the same black stitch you started the Aruba Sea. SC in next 4, 2 Sc in next sc in next 4, 2 sc, sc in next 4, slip stitch into the black on the other side. (18 sc, 1 sl st) TURN
7. Ch 1, skip next sl st, sc in next 3, HDC in next 2, 2 HDC in next stitch, hdc in next 5, 2hdc in next stitch, sc in next 3, sl st. Tie Off, weave in ends

With BLACK:
8. Join in any stitch. SC in next 5, 2 sc in next. Repeat around. Join, leave long tail for sewing.

FINISHING

Use a doubled strand of petal pink(Put it on the needle and tie the ends together, it'll be a big loop) and use that to sew the ears and horn in place. Sew the first ear, then count how many stitches you used to do so and count in from the other side, use a marker. Then center your horn in the space between and sew it in, then sew in the other ear. 

Attach the eyes, and when you reach a good spot for some eyelashes for that girly feel, put them on there. 

Stay Happy, Hookers!

Instead of our regularly scheduled program

Please allow me to act all crazy weird. I'm wired. Why?

BECAUSE I DID IT!

I finished this beast of a blanket. 6 weeks and 4857 yards of Homespun. Somewhere around 7 by 9 feet of C2C done in wildfire and pearls

So I'm going to go do a happy dance and allow myself a few days to just wow it. Have a great week! 

Technical Thursday: Hearts on Parade

Good morning hookers!

I'm making the effort to get back on track this week. We are having a crazy week yet again here at Creekside. The IRS paid our tax return to a state that claimed we owed back child support for a child that was adopted by her stepfather last spring, charging us over a thousand dollars a month for each month AFTER the adoption was completed. (No good deed goes unpunished- it was initiated by the child's mother for legal reasons). So my camera is on hold for now :/

And my hot water pipe is frozen, it's only -13 outside.

So anyways, I'm in the mood for a little something cheery and thought I'd do a free heart pattern roundup. I've made some of these, but not all, and just figured I'd put some together to lift my spirits.


1. My favorite doily- The Hearts Desire Doily- pattern available here by Red Heart/Coats and Clark. I went a little insane last year with them, because they're so quick and easy.

2. My favorite stand alone square, pattern by SmoothFox on Ravelry here

I made this quick little apron for a swap I was in last year. 

3. A most adorable heart rose applique is available here, written by Mia's Heartfelt Hands on ravelry. 

4. Need something quick and easy to make for a child? Try this most cute heart coin purse, pattern by I'm hooked 25 and found on their blog here

5. Coffee cozy with a heart applique? Cute and functional- find it here on the This ninja creates blog. 

6. A heart shaped picture frame? Love it! I had a dreamcatcher in a heavily starched one of these as I was growing up, I LOVED it! Pattern is by Helen Free and available here in both UK and US terms ;) 

7. I can't forget about the Danish Heart that keeps appearing in my newsfeed- it's adorable, and available here, written by the talented Alipyper

8. ADORABLE baby legwarmers(and really, what's cuter than a baby wearing legwarmers?) from Dearest Debi's blog here

9. Sachets never go out of style- There's a quick one at Red Heart here

10. A scarf you say? Okay- how fun is this one? Available here , written by Alice Merlino

11. Need a kid sized bag so they can carry their valentines around? Try this one here , written by Andee Graves and published on Red Heart's website. 

12. And last, but not least, we need a small basket of some sort- so give this Petal to Picot's pattern a try here

An even dozen seems like a good number to me, should keep you busy for at least a little while. 

Love, live and laugh my hooker friends, and have a Happy Valentine's Day :) 

Technical Thursday: C2C Color changes

Apologies! I'm late, again :/ My mother was in the hospital this week and was diagnosed with COPD, so I was understandably a bit distracted.

Anyways, here it is- my favorite method of color changing while doing c2c. You know how to size and shape it, and how to do increase and decrease stitches.


First up, we've finished color A. There are 2 different types of color change, for increase and deacrease stitches. Remember, I use liquid stitch to help me here, I find it helps me save on yarn to not have to leave 6 to 8 inches to weave in properly and I've yet to have anything I put liquid stitch on pull apart under normal use.

To INCREASE color change: First, take your hook and work it through the last loop made as well as the top loop of the inside of the last dc(the 2nd pull up a loop motion). Note the I already cut color A and pulled it through.

 Now, I'm going to pull up a loop of color B and CHAIN 6 OVER BOTH MY WORKING YARN AND THE TAIL- I generally try for 2 or 3 chain stitches before I run out of tail. I will go back later and apply a bead of liquid stitch to the ends after I'm finished with the entire project(in case of frogging).

Then I stop and weave in the tail of color A and return to the end of the chain. I turn and do my 3dc in the 1st 3 chains, working of the tail of color B as well. Slip stitch over the tail of color A and continue your row. 

To DECREASE color change. Tie off color A, and insert your hook in the space between the chain and first dc(the space where you slip stitch to. Chaining over BOTH the working yarn and your tail, chain 3 of color B then make the rest of your block. 

It can look quite messy(and homespun frays on the ends, so forgive the fluff.

Remember, I'll be coming back when I'm done and using some fabric glue, then trimming the fluff off when I'm done. I'm working a rectangle with a 6/3 color repeat, so when I get to the side I'm increasing, I'll just do a normal increase on one side, and a decrease on the other. This is what the increase looks like.

I'll come back and clean this up, in a month or two, so leave a comment with any questions and I'll try to include them. 8 days until I order my camera, and a learning curve, and I'll be redoing pictures for most everything, but I wanted to get this out there because I know some people have been waiting for it. 

Happy Hooking!