Spin-A-Yarn | Crochet Beanie Tutorial

After posting about my slouchy beanie here, I was so excited to hear that several of you would like to learn to knit and crochet. Well guess what? I can totally deliver! 

I am going to start the Spin-a-Yarn Knitting and Crocheting School, and YOU can be enrolled! All you have to do is check my blog every week on Wednesdays to learn something cool and new about working with yarn. I would love it so much if you were vocal and let me know specific things you're interested in learning. For example, go "Hey, I saw this cool sweater- how do they do this pattern?" or "Holy cow, how do I know if I want to knit a project or crochet it?" Speak your minds, friends! 

This is my final post in the Spin-a-Yarn series. I'm a little sad to finish it, but I'm really excited to share my awesome winter party with you next week! (That's right, I'm giving  you a whole week of party awesomeness!)

To finish off this series right, I'm going to give you a pattern for the slouchy beanie I showed you here. As a disclaimer, I did create the hat with a little trial-and-error and no official patterns, so I hope what I type is actually correct and makes it easy for you to replicate.

I used Red Heart yarn in purple and a crochet hook of size K (10 1/2) for the beginning.

To begin, chain 6 stitches. At this point, you will be completing a circle by crocheting into your first chain (does that make sense?). Single crochet twice in each chain all around the circle (which means you will create 12 stitches from 6 chains). Continue this for 4 more rows. At this point, switch to a treble crochet and diminish how many times you crochet in each pre-existing stitch. Crochet once in an existing stitch, crochet twice in the next existing stitch. Repeat that pattern all around the circle. Keep going around until you have a full circle that measures about 6" from side to side. (It's not important to be super exact here, you just want to create a flat, circle. Don't worry if the circle seems "floppy". That's how mine was and that's what makes it work!)

At this point you will switch to a larger crochet hook. Unfortunately, my hook doesn't have a size labeled on it, but I believe it's in the neighborhood of size P (10mm). Continue to treble crochet, but don't increase stitches anymore. I did about 7 or 8 rows; I basically kept trying on the hat until it was appropriately "floppy" for my liking. 

Using the larger needle, double crochet another 7 or 8 rows until a tighter band has been existed that will hold the hat on your head. Once you've reached the desired length, cut your yarn with a tail of a few inches. Pull the tail through your last stitch, pulling tight to make a knot. Thread the loose tail through some of your hat stitches to hide it. 

If you want to be a little glamorous, attach a brooch or earring to the band of the beanie by sewing it on with a coordinating thread. I know this pattern was a bit sketchy, but I'm not a professional crochet-pattern-creator. I hope it works out for you. Let me know if any of you attempt it!


Hey friends! I've had a lot of comments about this tutorial, and a few people had some issues making the directions work perfectly for them. One very helpful (but anonymous) reader left the following instructions that should help you all out!

"This is one of the best slouchy had patterns out there. It just needs a few adjustments. Here are the changes I made and it came out great. Hope this helps. 

"I am not a pattern writer so excuse the poor flow. 
I used 2 strands together of Caron Simply soft yarn
With J hook
Row 1: Work 12 SC in a magic ring join to beginning of round
Row 2: Work 2 SC in each SC from Row 1, join to beginning of round
Row 3: Work 40 SC's evenly around, join to beginning of round
Row 4: Work 1 SC in each SC around, join to beginning of round
Row 5: Work 1 DC in each SC around, join to beginning of round 
Row 6: work 58 SC evenly around, join to beginning of round

"Switch to K hook:
Rows 7-12: work one DC in each DC around, join to beginning in each round

"Switch to I hook:
Rows 13-17: Work 52 SC evenly around, join to beginning of round
Row 18: work 50 SC's evenly around, join to beginning of round"

Thanks so much for the edits anonymous reader!

Spin-a-Yarn | Crochet Basics

After posting about my slouchy beanie here, I was so excited to hear that several of you would like to learn to knit and crochet. Well guess what? I can totally deliver! 

I am going to start the Spin-a-Yarn Knitting and Crocheting School, and YOU can be enrolled! All you have to do is check my blog every week on Wednesdays to learn something cool and new about working with yarn. I would love it so much if you were vocal and let me know specific things you're interested in learning. For example, go "Hey, I saw this cool sweater- how do they do this pattern?" or "Holy cow, how do I know if I want to knit a project or crochet it?" Speak your minds, friends! 

I need to be honest right now. Me instructing on crocheting may be a case of the "Blind Leading the Blind". I have completed my share of crochet projects, employing a variety of simple projects. However, I'm still not a pro. I'm ten times more comfortable knitting than crocheting. However, I think crochet can be so beautiful and I know the thought of using one hook versus two needles is a lot less intimidating to some of you. I had this post 80% written and ready to go for last week, but I realized I just wasn't comfortable sharing a defecit of knowledge on my end, so instead, I'm going to refer you to the best resources I've found in the blogosphere. Let's dive in!

First, familiarize yourselves with my "Tools of the Trade" post and this About Page. It has some really simple photographs and written instructions that may help you out.

To begin most crochet projects, you will utilize something called a chain stitch.

How to CHAIN STITCH

Then, when you want to create a piece, you'll probably use one of a couple of basic stitches. Of course lots of in-between stitches exist, but I'm attempting to keep things relatively basic here. (These are the only stitches I used to create my slouchy beanie.)

How to SINGLE CROCHET STITCH

How to DOUBLE CROCHET STITCH

How to TREBLE CROCHET STITCH

Like I said before, there are some amazingly talented people out on the web who know far more than I do about crochet. Check out Crocheting the Day Away, where you can get all kinds of cute patterns for free and become a super crochet pro. Yarn Round Hook isn't 100% dedicated to crochet all of the time, but there is a tab full of free patterns that are pretty darn cute.

I apologize again for kind of sneaking out of teaching you how to crochet. I just didn't want to create some false image of all my amazing skills, when there are really so many others who can teach you much better. Let me know if you find any fantastic crochet resources out there and I'll be sure to add them into this post for later readers! Is there still interest in a pattern for my beanie I mentioned here? I made it up as I went, but I can break it down for any adventurous crocheters.

Spin-A-Yarn | Knitting Resources and Free Pattern!

After posting about my slouchy beanie here, I was so excited to hear that several of you would like to learn to knit and crochet. Well guess what? I can totally deliver! 

I am going to start the Spin-a-Yarn Knitting and Crocheting School, and YOU can be enrolled!All you have to do is check my blog every week on Wednesdays to learn something cool and new about working with yarn. I would love it so much if you were vocal and let me know specific things you're interested in learning. For example, go "Hey, I saw this cool sweater- how do they do this pattern?" or "Holy cow, how do I know if I want to knit a project or crochet it?" Speak your minds, friends! 

As we wrap up the knitting portion of Spin-A-Yarn, I wanted to share some of the best resources I've found in my knitting time.

• Lion Brand has a website where you can get lots of cute free patterns. They even have an e-mail list that will send you updates with patterns and sales. You need to sign up for this website, but it's totally free. (Granted, they will always tell you to use their yarn for projects, but you can really use any yarn you want.)
• Bernat also has quite a free patterns, which makes life nice! Again, you have to sign up for their patterns, but its free so don't worry.
• The Daily Knitter is a website that links to you different free patterns and you can sign up for their regular newsletter. They also have a blog that gives you lots of useful tips for your knitting.

There are tons of other resources out there, and if you just do a Google search for "free knitting patterns" you'll get lots of results.

Now I would like to share a really simple blanket pattern with you. I've been working on this for the last week or so and I love how soft and elegant it's looking so far. I'm going to share the pattern in beginner language and pro language (with acronyms and symbols). If you give this pattern a shot send me some pictures so I can show you off!

• Use a size 9 needle and a medium-weight yarn. I used a baby yarn because it is so smooth and soft! This blanket can be made in a couple comfortable sizes. For small (like a baby blanket), cast on 152 stitches. For large (like a couch throw), cast on 296 stitches. 
• Row 1: Knit across the entire row.
• Row 2: Purl across the entire row.
• Row 3: Knit 4 stitches. *Knit two stitches together. Repeat two more times. (Don't freak out, this is super easy and pictures will be attached below.) Knit one stitch and loop your yarn over the needle to create an extra loop. Repeat five more times. (Again, SO EASY and I will include pictures below. You will be so proud of yourself for doing this.) Knit two stitches together. Repeat two more times.* Now notice how there are two asterisks in these instructions? Repeat everything between these asterisks over and over until you only have 4 stitches remaining on your left needle. Knit the last 4 stitches. 
• Row 4: Knit across the entire row. 
• Repeat rows 1-4 over and over until you have reached the desired length for your blanket. 
• If you want to use multiple colors, when you've finished a set of 4 rows knot your new color to the old color and keep knitting away.
• When you've finished, simply bind off, and you, smarty pants, have yourself a beautiful blanket!

So as to avoid freak-outs, here are images for how to knit stitches together:

1. Instead of inserting right needle under one loop, insert under two loops from your left needle.
2. Continue as a regular knit stitch. (Pull a loop of the tail through both loops on your right needle and slip those stitches off of the left needle.)

And how to knit one stitch and loop your yarn over:

1. After completing a regular knit stitch, grab the tail and loop it over the needle, going from front to back.
2. Continue onto the next stitch as normal. (In the third picture, you may notice a gap under the second stitch. That's what this yarn-over should look like. It will create strategically placed "holes" in your work for the lace effect.)

Here is the pattern in knitting lingo (see if you're a pro enough to read the pattern!).

• CO 152 (296) stitches. 
• Row 1: Knit
• Row 2: Purl
• Row 3: k4 *(K2tog) 3 times, (k1, yo) 6 times, (K2tog) 3 times* repeat between * until 4 stitches left, k4
• Row 4: Knit
• Repeat rows 1-4 until desired length

Spin-A-Yarn | Knitting Lingo

After posting about my slouchy beanie here, I was so excited to hear that several of you would like to learn to knit and crochet. Well guess what? I can totally deliver! 

I am going to start the Spin-a-Yarn Knitting and Crocheting School, and YOU can be enrolled!All you have to do is check my blog every week on Wednesdays to learn something cool and new about working with yarn. I would love it so much if you were vocal and let me know specific things you're interested in learning. For example, go "Hey, I saw this cool sweater- how do they do this pattern?" or "Holy cow, how do I know if I want to knit a project or crochet it?" Speak your minds, friends! 

Hey crafty ladies! Now that you know the basics of how to cast-on and knit and how to purl and bind off, it's time to fill you in on the details of knitting patterns. First, there are some common abbreviations, and what they actually mean is usually pretty simple, so here's an awesome website to understand those sneaky knitting codes:

Knitting Abbreviations

Once you have your stitches down, it's time to try one of these simple techniques. Each technique can be repeated as many times as you choose to make a blanket, scarf, pillowcase, etc. as long as you would like; I'm going to show you how to complete one repeat of each technique listed. I have full confidence that you can pull off any of these techniques with just a little work!

GARTER STITCH

Source

Cast on any number of stitches.
All Rows: Knit entire row.
(Did you realize this is what you did when you made your scarf during the first tutorial? Cool for you!)

STOCKINETTE STITCH

Source

Cast on any number of stitches.
Row 1: Knit the entire row.
Row 2: Purl the entire row.
Repeat rows 1-2 until you have reached the desired length of your piece.

RIBBING

(This stitch will tighten the piece up a bit which makes it great for the ends of sleeves or necklines on clothing.)

Source

1x1 Variation
Cast on an even number of stitches.
All Rows: Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch. Repeat until end of row.

2x2 Variation
Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches.
All Rows: Knit 2 stitches, purl 2 stitches. Repeat until end of row.

SEED STITCH/MOSS STITCH

Source

Cast on an even number of stitches.
Row 1: Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch. Repeat until end of row.
Row 2: Purl 1 stitch, knit 1 stitch. Repeat until end of row.
Repeat rows 1-2 until you have the desired length of your piece.

BASKETWEAVE 

Source

Cast on 8 stitches.
Row 1: Knit the entire row
Row 2-6: Knit 4 stitches, then purl 4 stitches. (If you cast on more stitches than 8, continue to repeat this pattern until you reach the end of your row.)
Row 7: Knit the entire row
Row 8-12: Purl 4 stitches, knit 4 stitches. (Again, if you cast on more than 8 stitches, continue the pattern until the end of the row.)
Continue to repeat rows 1-12 until you have reached the desired length of your piece. 

Wow. I'm pretty sure you're a knitting pro by now if you can master all of these techniques. Come back next week for a free knitting pattern that looks like lace for a blanket. (I just learned this technique myself and I'm in love with it!) The next week after that we'll dive head-first into crochet. See you later, friends!

Spin-A-Yarn | Purl Stitch and Bind Off

After posting about my slouchy beanie here, I was so excited to hear that several of you would like to learn to knit and crochet. Well guess what? I can totally deliver! 

I am going to start the Spin-a-Yarn Knitting and Crocheting School, and YOU can be enrolled!All you have to do is check my blog every week on Wednesdays to learn something cool and new about working with yarn. I would love it so much if you were vocal and let me know specific things you're interested in learning. For example, go "Hey, I saw this cool sweater- how do they do this pattern?" or "Holy cow, how do I know if I want to knit a project or crochet it?" Speak your minds, friends! 

If you didn't catch last week, you'll want to check out this post to get caught up. Today, I'm going to teach you the second most basic of all knitting techniques- the purl stitch! This stitch is essentially the inverse of the knit stitch. To create 90% of patterns, you'll need to purl and knit together. So once again, I'm going to show you a quick little video on how to purl. If it's hard to understand, visit this website.

How to create a purl stitch:

When you finish a knitting project, you need to do something to secure all the loops still on your needle. This technique is called binding off. (Again, here is a website for some added assistance.)

How to bind off:

Come back next week, where I'll teach you a couple different basic patterns and maybe even have another free pattern for you!

Spin-A-Yarn | Knit Stitch and a Free Pattern

After posting about my slouchy beanie here, I was so excited to hear that several of you would like to learn to knit and crochet. Well guess what? I can totally deliver! 

I am going to start the Spin-a-Yarn Knitting and Crocheting School, and YOU can be enrolled!All you have to do is check my blog every week on Wednesdays to learn something cool and new about working with yarn. I would love it so much if you were vocal and let me know specific things you're interested in learning. For example, go "Hey, I saw this cool sweater- how do they do this pattern?" or "Holy cow, how do I know if I want to knit a project or crochet it?" Speak your minds, friends! 

Today, I'm going to teach you the most basic of all knitting techniques- the knit stitch! Before you get knitting, though, you need to "cast on". Let me show you how to begin any, any, any project you will ever complete. I'm not quite a pro at creating how-to videos, so please excuse me as I experiment in this medium. For extra help, try visiting this website. 

How to cast on:

Now to create a knit stitch:

In most patterns, you'll need a combination of this stitch and a purl stitch (which I'll teach you about next week), and possibly some other interesting twists. For right now, though, I want to show you how much you can accomplish with this stitch. Since the weather finally decided to be winter-y in Utah (and hopefully in other parts of the country as well), a scarf may be very fitting and fun.  

SIMPLE KNIT SCARF PATTERN

This is the first pattern I ever knitted, and I still wear this scarf on occasion. (I actually learned this stitch from the super-cool aunt of my friend, Ashley, from Sloanbook.) The great thing here is that you can use any yarn you want. Pick your needle size based on the yarn you have chosen. 

• Cast on 15 stitches. 
• Knit across the entire row. 
• Continue to knit across each row until you have reached a desired length. (This could be anywhere from 30" long to 100" long based on your preference.) 
• Bind off and you're done (following this tutorial, I'll give you my version of binding off next week)! 
• You can even add fringe by cutting several sections of 10" long yarn. Gather 5 or 6 pieces of yarn, fold them in half, push the fold through any hole at the end of your scarf, and loop the ends through the loop. 

Now wear your awesome scarf with pride, and send me lots of pictures so I can post them next week!

Spin-a-Yarn | Let's Learn to Knit & Crochet!

After posting about my slouchy beanie here, I was so excited to hear that several of you would like to learn to knit and crochet. Well guess what? I can totally deliver!

I am going to start the Spin-a-Yarn Knit and Crochet School, and YOU can be enrolled!All you have to do is check my blog every week on Wednesdays to learn something cool and new about working with yarn. I would love it so much if you were vocal and let me know specific things you're interested in learning. For example, go "Hey, I saw this cool sweater- how do they do this pattern?" or "Holy cow, how do I know if I want to knit a project or crochet it?" Speak your minds, friends! 

To start off our school on the right foot, I'm going to do a little variation on a "Tools of the Trade" post about yarn, needles, and hooks.

YARN

There are so, so many options available anymore. Synthetic or natural. Wild, fringe-y, poofy, or plain. Thick or thin. Most patterns will only specify the needle/hook sizes for the project, but if you're in-the-know, this also tells you what size of yarn to use. If you check the handy little label on the back of your skein of yarn ("skein" is the official word for a ball of yarn), it gives you all sorts of important information. Here are the main things to check:

1 | DYE LOT: Imagine that every time yarn is made, a huge colorless batch is dumped in this big vat and all dyed together. The next batch is meant to be the exact same color, but perhaps that second batch has one extra drop of dye added. Imagine how devastated  you would be to complete a project with two skeins of yarn that end up being the slightest shade different from each other because they were dyed in different batches. Bum-freakin-tastic. to prevent you from having this problem, yarn labels will show a number know as the "dye lot". As long as all of the skeins you pick share a dye lot, you should be worry-free. 

2 | NEEDLE/HOOK SIZE: Don't worry, in just a moment I'll share with you a few details about how to pick a needle or hook for your project. For right now, just know that the label on a skein of yarn shows the appropriate needle or hook size for your project. The recommended size isn't a rule; in fact, you probably have 2 sizes of wiggle room either direction. Say the label suggests a size 7 needle; you should be able to get away with needle sizes from 5 to 9 and be in good shape. 

3 | GAUGE: I've never really had the opportunity or reason to use a gauge guide on a skein of yarn. It is probably the most helpful if you want to create your own pattern and you need to figure out how many stitches will give you 10" by 14", for instance. (When I create my own patterns I usually just start going and measure as I go.)

4 | CARE INSTRUCTIONS: Let's be honest, I don't think I've ever had occasion to wash one of my projects. (Does that make me a gross bum? Perhaps.) But if you feel like washing or generally "caring" for your projects, keep these labels in a little box in your laundry room so you can do so appropriately.  

NEEDLES AND HOOKS

First off, do you know which tool goes with which yarn technique? Knitting uses two needles and works back and forth (typically). Crocheting uses a single hook and always goes a single direction (the piece may be rotated or flipped backwards, but you'll keep working in the same direction the entire time). Picking a needle or hook is really pretty simple, with two primary factors to keep in mind.

1 | SIZE: Like I said before, the size of needle you will need is always shown in the pattern, so it should be a no-brainer. I also said before, that you usually have 2 sizes of wiggle-room (in case you want to add some flair to your project). Just beware that substituting a different needle size WILL effect the dimensions of your finished product. 

2 | MATERIAL: Your basic options are metal, plastic, and wood. Material choice is 100% based on your preference. Wood is a good eco-friendly choice. Metal is smooth, which makes it quick to move yarn back and forth from needle to needle (which makes a project go quickly). Plastic will stick to yarn a tiny bit, which is nice for beginners so you don't accidentally drop stitches. 

There are also some specialized tools, like circular knitting needles, double-ended knitting needles, or crochet hooks with a flat bottom to hold stitches. Don't worry- I'm only going to show you basics of knitting and crocheting for now that don't require those special tools. 

EXTRAS

I'm a hard-core yarn-user, but of these extras I only use a stitch guide book and yarn needle. However, if you want to stock up, more power to you. 

1 | STITCH GUIDE BOOK: If your local yarn store has a small booklet on knitting or crochet stitches (which should really only cost about $5) then get it! These books have pictures and written instructions, and make a great informational accessory for your yarn bag. I refer to my crochet guide for every single project I do. 

2 | STITCH COUNTER: This is a little clicker that literally allows  you to count your stitches. If you're working a piece with a lot of stitches (like a blanket or large clothing piece) it can be helpful to count your stitches to create different patterns. (I usually just count manually, though.)

3 | STITCH MARKERS: These little rings can loosely loop around a knitting needle and mark where you started or ended a pattern. Again, I just count manually, but perhaps these markers would make life easier. 

4 | YARN NEEDLE: A lot of projects require you to make multiple separate pieces and then join them together, a job which requires a very large needle. Don't loose these suckers. 

I sure hope I didn't overwhelm you with all this information, but it's what you need to know to get this crazy adventure started! I'm so excited to teach you all a few fun things about knitting and crocheting. Let me know what you're particularly hoping to see!