2006 Spring
Shroom
Author
by Rebecca Velasquez
Introduction

What is it that makes fungus so compelling? Mushrooms. They're yummy, they're deadly, they're an adventure at every step on the wet ground. And, darnit, they're cute. This one has a flip-top, which is a nifty added bonus.
Materials List
- Worsted weight scraps of yarn
- Size G/7 (4.50mm) hook to make a 5” Shroom
- Size I/9 (5.50mm) hook to make a 7” Shroom
- 5/8” button
- Buttons of various sizes
- Sewing thread and needle
- Fiberfill/stuffing
- Stitch marker
Finished Size
If worked with a single strand of worsted weight yarn and smaller hook, 5".
If worked with a double strand of worsted weight yarn and larger hook, 7".
Gauge
Gauge is not critical.
Notes
Shroom is worked in continuous rounds. To help keep track of rounds, place a marker in the first stitch of the round. Move the marker to the first stitch of each round as you go.
Ch - chain
Sc - single crochet
St - stitch
Sc2tog - single crochet two stitches together
The Pattern
Amigurumi Dude
Author
by Kim Piper Werker
Introduction

Amigurumi means “knitted or crocheted doll” in Japanese. They're the simplest of simple, worked in the round in single crochet. I don't even join my rounds, preferring to work in a spiral. The thing I love most about amigurumi is that their interest lies entirely in your imagination. There's no clever design detail to woo your keen eye. No lovely stitch pattern to make you go “ah.” Just rounds of single crochet. The fun comes in the shapes you make, the colours you pick, and the embellishments you add on after the fact.
To illustrate, check out the banner photo up there. Each Crochet me designer used the exact same pattern. So, my point has been made, no? We can't wait to see what you'll create. Share photos of your own Amigurumi Dudes on the Flickr group.
Edited to add: Use common sense when making toys for young kids.
Materials List
- Yarn and a complementary hook
- Polyfil for stuffing
- Beans (optional, for weighing down legless dudes)
- Yarn needle for finishing
- Embroidery needle (optional, for fitting through small holes in eyes and/or buttons)
- Embellishments, as desired
Finished Size
Variable. This pattern calls for a pretty enormous head. Mine (the purple dude with the headband) was worked in Lion Brand Chunky yarn with a 5.0mm hook, and the head measures 4" in diameter and a whopping 14" in circumference. (This is the same size as an infant's head.) Adjust yarn weight and hook size according to your whim.
Gauge
Gauge is unimportant. Your stitches should be tight enough that stuffing won't poke through.
Notes
The Pattern
Head
Start with an adjustable loop.
Round 1: Work 6 sc into loop (join or do not join -- it's your call); tighten the loop.
Frolicking
Author
by Janice Stanborough
Introduction

Keep your little piggies as warm as bacon with these cute and cheery Mary-Jane slippers. They will add a bounce to your step, reminiscent of spring lambs, and the flowers will remind you of the happy spring flowers hiding under the snow. Suddenly, it just feels like spring...
Materials List
- Milano Crepe double knit wool, 50g, 1 and a half balls. Yarn scraps for flowers.
- 4.5mm (US G) hook
- Yarn needle
Finished Size
Slipper measures approximately 23cm (9 inches) along bottom from toe to heel (unstretched).
Gauge
Notes
- Slipper is worked from the toe to heel in circular and regular crochet.
- If you want a longer or shorter slipper, adjust the pattern between the rows 14-23 or 26-51.
Sc = single crochet
Sl st = slip stitch
Ch = chain
St(s) = stitch(es)
The Pattern
Shrug Off Winter
Author
by Megan Granholm
Introduction

Early spring in Oregon is a fickle thing. Some days it’s nice out, some days it rains, most days it does both. And of course, as soon as I see a 55- or 60-degree day, I’m unpacking my summery clothes, even if it’s still March. This seasonal wardrobe change requires a safety net for the first few weeks, though, in the form of a shrug. Shrug Off Winter is just the thing – a bit lacy so it can be worn with jeans or with a skirt, but not so lacy that you’ll freeze in your summery top. Crochet it in a springy color and you can wear it all day; crochet a darker one and it can take you all the way through the cooler nights in summer and into early fall.
Materials List
- Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (55% Merino Wool, 33% Microfibre, 12% Cashmere; 137 yds/50g) - 8 (8, 8, 9) balls in color 202
- 3.5mm/Size E hook
- 2 small buttons
- yarn needle
Finished Size
Small (Medium, Large, Extra-Large)
Sleeve Width: 17 (17.5, 18, 18.5) inches
Sleeve length: 11 (11, 11, 12) inches
Bottom back width: 16 (17, 18.5, 19) inches
Back length (from neck to bottom hem): 8.5 (8.5, 9, 9.5) inches
(Shown in size Large in photos)
Gauge
2 motifs and 2 rows = 1"
Notes
Cluster Stitch: Ch 3. Make three dc around post of previous dc worked but leave last loop of dc on hook. Dc in next ch-3 sp and leave last loop on hook. Yo and draw through all five loops.
Inc Cluster: Ch 3. Make three dc around post of previous dc worked but leave last loop of dc on hook. Tr in second turning ch (or through the center of the post of the last tr worked) of previous row and leave last loop on hook. Yo and draw through all five loops.
The Pattern
Sleeves (make 2)
Ch 108 (111, 114, 117).
Swatchies
Author
by Marta Orlowska
Introduction

I like to recycle everything I can, so I’ve been collecting all my swatches, convinced that I would find a use for them. Just as I was reaching my storage limit, I thought up a way to use them all: Swatchies are little creatures made out of swatches, using leftover craft materials and a little imagination.
Materials List
Two swatches of similar size- A handful of Polyfill
- A tapestry needle
- Crochet hook of choice
- Scraps of yarn and felt
- Any other crafty materials you have left over from other projects (ribbons, buttons, beads, Fun Fur, etc.)
Finished Size
Gauge
Notes
There is no set pattern for making a Swatchie; everyone's will be different. Following is the way to make the body of a Swatchie and ideas on how to fancy it up. Be creative, and most importantly, recycle, reuse, and re-purpose!
The Pattern
Rosebud Shrug
Author
by Vashti Braha
Introduction

Shrugs don't get any easier than this: it's a simple rectangle and there's NO seamin', NO sizin', NO shapin'. It's also probably the only 1-skein shrug out there, but if you want to use 2 skeins, you can add an edging or make the sleeves longer or make it plus-sized. It works because the yarn is so stretchy, so it does the shaping and sizing for you. There's no seaming because you lace up the sleeves with ribbon. Remove the ribbon and it becomes a scarf/neckwarmer. As an added bonus, the stitch pattern is eye-catching, so this handy shrug will even turn heads. Now, if it would only balance your checkbook...
Materials List
- Patons Katrina yarn (163yds/150m per 100g/3.5oz.), "Dusk," 1 (2) skeins
- Pattern instructions will include tips for using alternate yarns. (Ed. note: I'm told by Patons that Katrina will be discontinued, but should still be available for purchase at press time.)
- Some stretchy substitutes to experiment with, of roughly similar weight, are:
- Classic Elite's Star, 2+ balls (cotton and lycra)
- Cascade Fixation, 2+ balls (cotton and elastic)
- Sock it to Me Collection's Esprit, 2+ balls (seems similar to Cascade's Fixation; available at www.elann.com)
- Schoeller Stahl's Merino Stretch, 1 ball (44% Merino)
- Schachenmayr Only Stretch, 2 balls (40% superwash wool)
- Size US8-H / 5.0mm crochet hook
- 2 lengths of 1.5-inch-wide ribbon, each 1.5 yds long
- Yarn needle for weaving in ends
Finished Size
Small (Large)
5" X 33", unstretched (6.5" x 43", approximately)
The goal is to end up with a rectangle that measures 5" X 33" unstretched (for small size) because that's what I got out of 1 skein of Katrina. The width (# of stitches across) could be up to 5.5" and still fit average upper arms the same; or 6" to 6.5" for plus-sized upper arms. The length (total # of rows) could go as low as about 30" for comfortably short sleeves, up to maybe 60" for long sleeves, depending on how long your arms are.
Gauge
Gauge is not a big deal. Here's the gauge I got: 4 pattern repeats, plus the stitches that begin and end each row = 5". Four rows = 3.5".
Just follow the pattern, because the shrug is like one long gauge swatch anyway. If you are experimenting with one of the cotton yarns listed above, you'll probably need to go down a hook size and and do 5 pattern repeats instead of 4.
Notes
Ch(s) – chain
Sc – single crochet
Sl st – slip stitch
Picot - ch 4 then sl st in the 4th ch from hook
The Pattern
Instant Perfect-fit Shrug
Amigurumi Inchworm
Author
by Megan Granholm
Introduction
Once upon a time there was a little inchworm named Inga. She was bright green and lived underneath a rhododendron shrub. Like all inchworms, Inga was obsessed with measuring. She meticulously counted every step, every bit of progress. She measured it against previous progress. She forecasted it against future progress. Of course, all of this calculating made her very critical of herself.
One day as Inga was having her breakfast, a beautiful brown moth landed on the leaf next to her. "Hello, moth! How does the world look from way up in the sky?" "It looks wonderful!" replied the moth. "You should go up to the top of the rhododendron and see it!" "Oh, I could never make it all the way up there," Inga sighed. "I'm far too slow, and each step is so small…" "Nonsense!" laughed the moth. "Let go of all those judgments you hold against yourself. Even inchworms can eventually fly!"
Inga thought about what the moth said all night. But she couldn't stop judging, measuring, recording.
The next morning Inga felt wonderful. She stretched and yawned… and when she looked down she realized she'd grown wings! She had finally grown into a moth! Inga zoomed into the air, twice as high as the shrub, and looked down on the entire world. She had let go of her calculations and self-judgments, and was free!
Materials List
- Bright green (or brown) worsted weight yarn
- Size H/5.0mm hook
- Small amount of black yarn
- Yarn needle
- Small amount of Polyfil stuffing
Finished Size
One size.
Gauge
Gauge is unimportant, but stitches should be tight.
Notes
You will be working in a spiral without joining rounds. Place a stitch marker at the beginning of each round to help keep track.
The turning chain in the short rows does not count as a stitch.
Ch – chain
Sl st – slip stitch
Sc – single crochet
St(s) - stitch(es)
Fpsc – front post single crochet
Tr – treble
Sc2tog – single crochet 2 stitches together
The Pattern
Head
Make 6 sc into an adjustable loop.
Round 1. Work 2 sc in each st around (12 sts).
Thirds
Author
by Annette Petavy
Introduction

This is a light scarf for spring that can also be used as a belt, tied at the hip. It is made up of triangular, rather unusal motifs. The beaded fringe adds a little glamour – and it looks great with jeans!
Materials List
- Yarn: Phildar Licorne (100% cotton, 120 m/131 yards per 50 g/1.75 oz ball), 2 balls colour Jacinthe
- Hook: 3.5 mm / US E-4
- Tapestry needle
- Beads for fringe. When purchasing beads, bring a needle threaded with the yarn to check that the hole in the bead is large enough.
Finished Size
Approximately 12 x 157 cm / 4 ¾ x 62 inches, excluding fringe. The scarf pictured is composed of 16 motifs.
Gauge
The side of a triangle measures 10 cm / 4 inches. Please note that gauge is not critical for this project.
Notes
Ch – chain
Sc – single crochet
Sl st – slip stitch
Dc – double crochet
St(s) – stitch(es)
The Pattern
Triangle motif
Start with a magic adjustable ring.
Boho Belt
Author
by Robyn Chachula
Introduction
Do you secretly love old doilies? Well, my secret’s out, I do; but what I am I going to do with a bunch of doilies? I’m not too into tablecloths or jar covers. Then that magic crochet bug hit me, dissect them! What I found is a deep love for the intricate edgings. Go on check them out. They are amazing. Immediately I thought, BELT! The stitch pattern below is an edging that has been around for over a hundred years, but in this setting you take all the fuddy-duddy out and are left with a great belt. Very Bohemian, very hip, very now. So next time grandma wants to give you another doily, say, thanks! And start imagining all that you can re-create with it.
Materials List
- Kroy Socks by Patons, #54013 Hickory, (75% wool, 25% nylon), 150 yards, less then 1 skein
- D/ 3.25mm Hook
- Needle for weaving in ends
- Steam Iron and straight pins for blocking
- (optional) Starch Spray or Liquid Starch
- Silver keychain loop with ball ends (find in jewelry section of local crafts store)
- 9mm metal loop
Finished Size
Gauge
First two rounds = 2 1/4” Diameter
Gauge is not critical. If your stitches are typically loose, I would suggest a hook one size smaller then recommended on label.)
Notes
dc: double crochet
sc: single crochet
sl st: slip stitch
ch: chain
st: stitch
The Pattern
Main Belt Body
Ch 20.


