The Violeta Scarf · Free Crochet Tutorial

January 15, 2020January 15, 2020 EmmaknittyLeave a comment

(The yarn used in this pattern was gifted by Rico Design)

What a long winter it’s been – is it just me? It really feels like it’s been colder than a snowman’s boobs for far too long, and even though I love the cooler weather, I am gagging to see those Spring flowers come out and enjoy some evenings in the garden.

Knitters and crocheters have an advantage though, as winter means more reasons to make things with squishy, chunky yarn! Working XXL is a fave of mine, and I was so thrilled when my friends at Rico Design reached out to me once again and asked if I’d like to try some of their yarns! I’m a big fan of Rico Design and their modern creative goods, so it was tough choosing just a few of their perfect yarns, but I decided on their statement yarn Creative XXL in ‘Natur’ and a few balls of their Essentials Big (review coming soon).

My initial idea was to make a rug, but on touching this yarn I knew it was crying out to be used as a cute oversized accessory! Rico Creative XXL is such a soft, dreamy yarn that it’s the ideal choice for scarves, cowls and blankets. I can just see a giant sweater being knitted up in this too – stunning!

Thia fab yarn comes in a huge 1kg ball, which is more than enough to make a chunky scarf, hat, blanket or pouf. In fact, the ball band has a free pattern for a cushion cover which is a bonus. I must admit that I did spend a couple of days displaying this beautiful ball in my craft studio just staring at it!

So, I’m excited to share a free pattern with you for my newest design, The Violeta Scarf, using this incredible yarn! This project is made using only Rico Design yarns, and I used a few balls of their wonderful Creative Ricorumi and Lamé yarn that I had in my stash alongside their Creative XXL.

Tiny embroidered cotton details add a delicate, pretty touch to this chunky scarf.

This scarf is the perfect combination between a modern statement scarf and delicate prettiness! Crocheted using Half Double Moss Stitch on a 25mm hook, you can work up this quick and beautiful project in a few hours. You can leave the scarf plain or embroider onto it to add a really feminine touch. Whichever you choose, you’ll have a warm and snuggly piece ready to keep you cosy through the chilly months!

You will need: One ball Rico Creative XXL in Natur, a small amount each of Rico Design Creative Ricorumi in Lilac, Mint and Rose, a small amount of Ricorumi Neon DK in Fuchsia, and a small amount of Rico Creative Lamé in Gold, a 25mm crochet hook, large-eyed yarn or tapestry needle.

You’ll Need to Know: Half Double Moss Stitch, chain stitch, weaving in ends, basic embroidery skills.

Sizing: The scarf measures 1.88m/188cm/74″ in length and is 16cm/6.5″ wide.

Notes: You can, of course, make the scarf longer or shorter if you wish. The scarf length that I chose uses 3/4 of the ball of Creative XXL which would allow for an even longer scarf! This stitch works on any even number of stitches so you can also change how wide it is.

Method:

· Ch (chain) 10 and work one hdc (half double crochet) into the fourth chain from your hook. Ch one, skip one st (stitch) and work another hdc into the following st. Continue like this until the end of the row, ending on a hdc. Chain two.

· Work one hdc into the first ch sp (chain space) and chain one, skipping the following hdc stitch. Work another hdc into the next ch sp. Continue making hdc into the spaces and chaining, skipping the hdc you made in the previous row to work this pattern. Make sure you are always ending the row by working one hdc into the final ch sp, and always ch two two start the next row.

· Follow the steps above for 52 rows (or until the scarf measures 1.88m/188cm/74″). Break yarn and pull through the final st to secure. Weave in any ends.

You can leave the scarf plain, or you can follow the tutorial below and add some delicate embroidered touches…

Thread your chosen shade through one of the stitches near the edge of your scarf.

Break the yarn and tie a double knot. Trim the ends as short as you can. Repeat as desired using different shades.

Here’s the finished embroidery on my scarf. I chose to only decorate the edge of one end of my scarf but it would look wonderful fully embroidered. The choice is yours!

I really hope that you enjoyed this tutorial! If you did let me know over on Instagram by tagging me @emmaknitty – I’d love to see your gorgeous creations!

Half Double Moss Stitch · Tutorial

January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 Emmaknitty4 Comments

Who loves Moss Stitch? We ALL love Moss Stitch! It’s one of the most beautiful crochet stitches and, best of all, it’s super-easy to work up and gives a gorgeous knitted look to your project. The other day I was making my umpteenth Moss Stitch blanket and decided to experiment a little using Half Double Crochet (US terms) to see if it was any good. Boy oh boy, was it! I wasn’t sure if I’d seen it around before so I gave it a quick Google around and couldn’t find it anywhere. I looked on Pinterest – natch – and still nothing. I asked my knowledgable friends on Instagram and, well, nothing. “OH EM GEE!” I thought, “have I discovered a new stitch?”.

This stitch looks fabulous when worked up using chunky yarn. Here you can see a swatch using The Wool by We Are Knitters (gifted).

Sadly not, friends. What I have done however is named a stitch that before was languishing in obscurity. There are a couple of patterns over on Ravelry that use this stitch but nobody had thought of giving her a name, the poor babe, so I thought I would. Tempting as it was to give it some sort of funky name (or annoyingly egotistical one like ‘The Knitty Stitch’) I’ve simply called it ‘Half Double Moss Stitch’ to keep things simple and practical.

One of the most beautiful things about this stitch is the latticed effect it gives which lends itself well to cowls, scarves, statement blankets and rugs. It look particularly lush used with chunky or super chunky yarn or worked up teeny using cotton yarn. I can just see some dishcloths looking the bizznizz in this stitch!

Keep your eyes peeled for a wonderful project using the Half Double Moss Stitch very soon, but for now, here’s how to work it up.

Lending itself well to giant chunky accessories and statement homeware, this stitch is quick, easy and beautiful.

The Half Double Moss Stitch

(Instructions using US/American terminology and working flat)

NOTE: This stitch is a hdc stitch separated by a chain stitch, so it’s identical to the regular moss stitch but using hdc instead of single crochet.

1. Chain an even number of stitches.

2. Work a hdc into the fourth chain from your hook.

3. Chain one, skip one chain, work a hdc stitch into the next chain.

4. Chain one, skip one chain, work a half double crochet into the next chain. End with a hdc into the last stitch.

5. Turn your work, chain two and work a hdc into the first chain one space. Chain one, skip the next hdc and work a hdc into the following chain one space. Continute like this (chain 1, skip 1 stitch, hdc in the next chain 1 space) until the end.

Repeat step five for the pattern, making hdc stitches into the chain spaces.

That’s it! I would love to see your makes using this stitch, so tag your creations with #halfdoublemosstitch and I’ll take a look!

How To · Tutorial

Crochet Tutorial · Tiny Houses

October 31, 2019November 2, 2019 EmmaknittyLeave a comment

There’s been a lot of use of The “C” Word in our house and on my feed over the last few days. No, I’m not talking the word of the Middle English sweary ladies part variety, but the word that cannot be uttered in company until at least the beginning of November. The word that sends people into fits of rage. The word that Shakin’ Stevens owes his life/millions to…

CHRISTMAS. CRIMBO. CRIMBLE. NAVIDAD. JUHL. CRIMBY BADIMBY (I may have made that one up).

I admit that I used to be one of those DON’T MENTION CHRISTMAS UNTIL DECEMBER YOU T**T folks, but since getting heavily into crafting I have started to enjoy the idea of prepping early for the festive season. I say enjoy, I mean bloody love it. So, without further ado, I’d like to share this tutorial with you, heavily based on Christmas but also adaptable for any time of the year or any time you need a cosy decoration or tag.

These little houses are a lovely way of adding an unusual but cosy accent to your home, tree or even as a gift tag. They’re a wonderful half-hour make, with the added bonus of using up scraps. I recommend using glittery or lamé yarn combined with matte for a really modern look, or even yarns with sequins woven into them, or how about yarn held double with glitter thread? The sky – or rather your tree – is the limit!

Fully customizable, these houses can be crocheted to any height or width you choose and have different roof styles.

Tiny Houses

This is a CONFIDENT BEGINNER level crochet tutorial.

You will need: A 3.5mm crochet hook, yarn needle, scissors, a blocking board or similar, rust-free pins, liquid nylon or starch, a small pot, water. Optional: felt and a hot glue gun.

Yarn: Sport weight cotton yarn (I used Rito Hobby’s Infinity Hearts Lotus 8/4) in your chosen colours for roof and house body, plus combinations of Rico Creative Lamé and Drops Alpaca in Coral, plus scraps of DK/Sport weight yarn for embellishments and embroidery.

Skills (US terminology): Chain stitch, single crochet, double crochet, half double crochet, triple crochet, quadruple crochet, simple embroidery, weaving in ends, wet blocking.

Method:

Chain 9 using the cotton sport weight yarn.

2. Chain one (does not count as first stitch) and work a single crochet into each chain stitch. Chain one, turn. Repeat until you have nine rows of single crochet. If you would prefer a taller house, just carry on working as many rows of single crochet as you’d like.

3. When you reach the final single crochet stitch on the last row (when you have two loops on your hook), pull through the new colour that you are using for the roof. You have now changed colour. Chain one and turn.

4. Now we’ll make the roof! Work one single crochet into the first stitch, a half double crochet into the second, a double into the third, a triple into the forth and a quadruple into the fifth. Then work another triple crochet into the sixth, a double crochet into the seventh, a had double crochet into the eighth and finally a sincgle crochet into the ninth. Break yarn and pull the loop up to finish off. Weave in all ends.

5. Now comes the best part – the details! Feel free to copy my embroidery to create windows and the door, but this is a great chance to use your imagination and create some wonderful detailing and give your little house personality!

6. Make a stiffening mixture by combining two parts liquid nylon to one part water. Soak your house in this for five or ten minutes, gently squeeze out the excess and pin to dry on a blocking board. Take special care to ensure that it’s pinned evenly, and pin the top of the roof up so it is a pointy as possible. To do this I find the tallest stitch (the center quadruple crochet stitch) and pull it up as much as I can before pinning securely.

7. Once dry you can create a felt backing by glueing or sewing on a piece of thin felt that fits the back of your house. This is recommended if you plan to use them as decorations. Thread a small amount of glitter thread through the top of the roof and display as desired.

Did you enjoy this tutorial? If so, feel free to use the hashtag #knittyvillage on Instagram so I can check out your work!

How To · Tutorial

Softly Simple Stars · Crochet Tutorial

April 25, 2019 EmmaknittyLeave a comment

I must admit that I don’t crochet very often, and I’m always very critical of my ability to write crochet patterns. I’m not as confident a crocheter as I am a knitter which is probably why I’m a bit adverse to publishing anything cro-related! However, I’m going to fight against that fear right now and share with you my own pattern for crocheted stars.

There are a gajillion different ways to crochet stars, and a kawillion tutorials out there so here I am throwing my own into the ring like we need just one more. Every little helps!

If you’ve bought anything from my Etsy shop you may have been lucky enough to have found one of these five-pointed stars as a little gift in your parcel – you’re welcome! – and I thought it was only right for me to share how I make them and a few cool tips on how to make sure they stay stiff and durable. We don’t need no floppy stars.

I have followed many tutorials for making stars (there’s a LOAD of them online) and my tutorial mixes up all the different techniques I’ve learnt into a really easy, satisfying and cute pattern. Even if you’re a newbie or slow crocheter you’ll be able to make a whole stack of these babes in an afternoon, and if you’re a speedy crocheter like myself you can even make one in under five minutes – not that I’m challenging you or anything!

Level: Advanced Beginner

This tutorial uses US terminology.

You will need to know:

Chain stitch (ch st), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), double crochet (dc), weaving in ends.

You will need:

Several small amounts (less than 15g) of worsted weight yarn in natural fibers.
I love using cotton, linen and wool. I avoided acrylic for these stars because I wasn’t too keen on the texture;
A 5.00mm crochet hook;
A pair of scissors and yarn/wool needle for weaving in ends;
Starch spray (optional) and/or pva glue and water to stiffen.
Blocking board (or similar) and rust-proof pins.

Method:

To start off, ch five and sl st into the first chain to form a loop. Ch 2 (this does not count as the first stitch) and make 15 hdc into the center of the loop, making sure to crochet around the tail. Sl st into the top of your first hdc to finish the round. Count ’em: you should have 15 hdc stitches.

Ch four, with the final chain being the turning chain. Make a sc into the third chain, a hdc into the second and finally a dc into the first chain. This is your first star point.

Now, carefully sl st into the third chain from your chain four.

Your star should now look like this. Continue in this way around until you have formed five star points, sl st into the third st from your ch each time. sl st into the final third st to finish up. Pull the center tail closed and weave in your ends.

And you’re done! Cute, right? Now ideally we need to make our star look flatter and less curled up. There are two ways of doing this; you can spray your star with starch and pin it onto a blocking board, or you can follow my super-duper technique below to create a firm star that is ideal for a hanging ornament.

How to stiffen your star:

Mix 1/2 cup of white/pva glue with 1/2 cup water and soak your star(s) in the mixture for a minute or two. squeeze out the excess and pin them in shape to dry on a blocking board or another similar surface. When they are dry, attack a piece of twine or cord to the top and hang them as a decoration, as a garland or to gifts as a hanging tag.

Feel free to tag me on Instagram (@emmaknitty) if you make any stars of your own – I’d love to see your creations!

Knitting pattern · Tutorial · Yarn Reviews

The Strand Blanket · Free Knitting Pattern

April 22, 2019August 16, 2019 EmmaknittyLeave a comment

Sometimes you’ve just got to stick a dog in a photo, haven’t you? If you’ve been following my antics over on Instagram you’ll have seen that we recently added two puppers to the family – a Golden Retreiver and a GSD cross – and we couldn’t be happier! Obviously I was happy because dogs = extra photo opportunities (joke) but I couldn’t resist grabbing Bob our Golden for a quick pose! Doesn’t she look lovely?

Designing this blanket alongside the wonderful folks at Marrier Yarns was an absolute joy! They kindly sent me a generous 500g cone of their 4ply acrylic, a couple of balls of their Smooth Touch Cotton Look DK and a colour pack of Midget DK to play about with and design a project with – how cool is that?

I’m a big fan of actylic yarn, but sometimes it’s hard to find decent quality man-made fibres at a good price. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Marriner Yarns are quietly flying the flag of great-value yarn at incredibly small prices. I particularly love the colour selection available, as well as the generous sizes. The 400g cone I used for this blanket is wonderful for large projects and the small 25g balls of Midget are ideal for Amigurimi, granny squares or adding a pop of colour alongisde neutrals – just as I did here with this blanket. I love, love, love these yarns!

Watching the colours change and form stripes as you work is one of those “aahhh”” moments!

The Strand Blanket is a great beginner’s project, ideal for anyone wanting a long-term “pick up, put down” make that is repetitive and calming but also exciting! Watching the colours change as you work is wonderfully satisfying, and the chunkiness means that it’ll work up in no time. You can work as many rows as you like to make any size blanket (my measurements are approximate and my own) so it’s also flexible and versatile. Just cast on more or less stitches as you wish and work for as many rows as you want until you reach your desired size. Easy as pie, no-fuss and pretty, just the way we like it at Emmaknitty. I love the neutral yarn working together with the splashes of bright, punchy shades and of course the squish of garter stitch is always gorgeously cosy. What a dream!

You will need:

A cone of Marriner 4ply in a neutral shade (I chose beige);
A bumper pack of Midget DK;
An 8.00mm circular needle longer than 32″;
A wool/yarn needle for weaving in ends and scissors.

You will need to know:

The Long Tail cast on (or other stretchy cast on technique), the knit stitch, slipping stitches purlwise, binding/casting off, weaving in ends.

Notes:

For this project you will be using a circular needle but knitting as you would on straight needles (i.e. not joining in the round). This is because the blanket will be quite large, and using circulars for big knits puts less strain on your wrists and arms. We want to be comfy when we knit, right?
The blanket is worked fully in garter stitch (knitting evey stitch) using three strands of yarn and we will always slip the first stitch purlwise and knit the last stitch. This leaves a clean edge.

Method:

Firstly we need to separate the cone of yarn into two. Carefully wind two 200g (or as equally sized as you can) balls of yarn from the cone and set aside. Now take your miniature 25g balls of Midget and join them all together, forming one large ball of alternating colours. You can choose how you combine the shades, but sime nice ideas could be attaching all similar colours together, going from bright to more neutral shades or just randomly going in and attaching the different shades randomly as I did.

You should now have three balls (tee hee) and now we’re ready to knit!

Cast on 130 stitches onto your 8.00mm circular needles, holding all three strands together. It’s always a good idea to cast on loosely, especially if you’re a tight knitter.
Slip the first stitch purlwise and knit every stitch to the end of the row.
Follow the above instructions for all of the project, watching those gorgeous shades pop out when you least expect it and stopping when the blanket is at the right length for you. I stopped knitting when my blanket was approximately 64cm (25″) long which made it a great size for a lap or pet blanket.
Cast/bind off loosely, weave in ends and block if desired.

I hope you enjoyed this simple, off-the-cuff pattern! Do check out my other free patterns and turorials and feel free to share your own The Strand Blanket on Instagram by tagging me at @emmaknitty… I’d love to see what you make!

Category: Tutorial

The Violeta Scarf · Free Crochet Tutorial

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