Crochetville 2014 National Crochet Month Blog Tour

It's National Crochet Month!  It's hard to believe it's already March, and I am participating in Crochetville's blog tour again this year.  Our theme is the "Spring Garden" and if you make it to the bottom of the post, there will be a free themed crochet pattern for you to try out!

But other important matters first.  During this month, we are supporting Halos of Hope, a charity that has a simple mission -- to provide crocheted, knitted, or sewn hats to over 450 cancer centers around the country each month!  I hope you'll check out the website and consider making a hat or monetary donation (100% goes to shipping expenses).  Hats can be sent to:

Crochetville LLC
Attn:  Amy Shelton
103 Scarlet Oak Circle
Harvest AL 35749 

You may send your hats to:

Crochetville LLC

ATTN: Amy Shelton

103 Scarlet Oak Circle

Harvest, AL 35749

- See more at: http://crochetville.com/national-crochet-month-2014-designer-blog-tour/#sthash.sEHToQ8l.dpuf

You may send your hats to:

Crochetville LLC

ATTN: Amy Shelton

103 Scarlet Oak Circle

Harvest, AL 35749

- See more at: http://crochetville.com/national-crochet-month-2014-designer-blog-tour/#sthash.sEHToQ8l.dpuf

You may send your hats to:

Crochetville LLC

ATTN: Amy Shelton

103 Scarlet Oak Circle

Harvest, AL 35749

- See more at: http://crochetville.com/national-crochet-month-2014-designer-blog-tour/#sthash.sEHToQ8l.dpuf

You may send your hats to:

Crochetville LLC

ATTN: Amy Shelton

103 Scarlet Oak Circle

Harvest, AL 35749

- See more at: http://crochetville.com/national-crochet-month-2014-designer-blog-tour/#sthash.sEHToQ8l.dpuf

In honor of Crochet Month and Crochetville's Spring Garden theme, I've been working on a baby-sized version of  Melissa Leapman's Flowers in a Row afghan, available on the Red Heart website at this link.  I decided to make the cuddle blanket in a chunky weight yarn with a J hook:

I'm about to send off the finished project to the mother, but I guess she'll be getting a preview of it here ;-).

Also in celebration, I'm offering 20% off any pattern in my Ravelry store, just use the promotion code NatCro2014 (no minimum purchase required).

Here is a little taste of my style and how I write patterns.  This free square pattern is actually the center part of a larger, more intricate square that I've worked up in a DK weight yarn and that should be available in my Ravelry shop in the next month or two.  For this square, I used the leftover chunky yarn from the baby blanket, and it ended up measuring a healthy 6 inches across.

Materials Needed

• Blue Sky Worsted Cotton:  Hyacinth (Color A) and Pickle (Color B) (150 yd/100 g)

• Crochet hook size I/9/5.50 mm

Abbreviations

beg = beginning

ch = chain

dc = double crochet

hdc = half double crochet

RS = right side

sc = single crochet

sl st = slip stitch

st = stitch

ROUND 1 • (RS): With Color A, ch 8, join; ch 2, 24 dcs in circle, sl st to top of first dc.

ROUND 2 • Ch 1, 1 sc in same st, [ch 5, skip 2 sts, 1 sc in next st] 7 times, ch 5, sl st to top of first sc.

ROUND 3 • [Sl st into next loop, ch 2, 5 dcs into loops, ch 2, sl st into loop] 8 times, sl st to first petal, fasten off.

ROUND 4 • With Color B, join yarn in center st of a petal, ch 1, 1 sc in same st and next st, ch 3, 1 sc in first st of next petal, 1 hdc in next st, 3 dcs in next st, 1 hdc in next st, 1 sc in next st (corner created), ch 3, 1 sc in second st of next petal, 1 sc in next 2 sts (center 3 sts of petal) (side created); continue around, creating 3 more corners and sides, sl st to top of first sc.

ROUND 5 • Ch 2, 1 dc in same st, *1 dc in next st, 3 dcs in ch-3 space below, 1 dc in next 3 sts until corner, (1 dc, ch 2, 1 dc) in next st, (should be center st of corner 3 dcs), 1 dc in next 3 sts, 3 dcs in ch-3 below, repeat from * around, 1 dc in last st, sl st to top of first dc.

ROUND 6 • Ch 2, 1 dc in same st, [ch 1, skip next st, 1 dc in next st] 4 times, (ch1, 1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, ch 1) in corner, 1 dc in next st, [ch 1, skip next st, 1 dc in next st] 8 times, repeat around, sl st to first dc.

ROUND 7 • Ch 1, ch 1, 1 sc in same st, [1 sc in ch-1 below, 1 sc in next st] until corner, [1 sc in ch-1 sp below, 3 scs in corner st, 1 sc in ch-1 space], 1 sc in next st, 1 sc in ch-1 space around, sl st to top of first sc, fasten off.

~~~~~~~

So, I hope you have a wonderful March and get in lots of crochet!  I hope to be back on a more regular blogging schedule soon -- thanks to all the well wishes you've sent regarding my mom's recovery.  She's had a set back or two, but slowly, she is doing better and better :-)