Kelly makes things

Materials

5mm (H) crochet hook

I love this cotton yarn by Hobby Lobby in Emerald Pine (1 skein)

Fleetwood Bralette by Small Town Coven

Notes

This is one of my favorite crochet patterns! I've made four of them so far! They take about 2 hours, and only use about 85-100g of yarn. I've made two in cotton to wear as more of a top, with high-waisted shorts, and with acrylic to be worn as a swim top.

It is definitely worth taking time on the first row to crochet into the back bump of the chain, rather than through the top loop. The starting chain is clearly visible at the top of the bralette (across your chest), so this helps make the top edge as clean as possible.

Alterations

I made this one in a size large, so I ran out of yarn toward the end. To account for this, I skipped one row at the end of the waist, bringing the last row (with the strap holes) up a row.

In some past versions, I have sewn in cups, and in others, I have crocheted a bit of mesh in the back, to allow for removable cups. I have also experimented with a thicker neck and back straps for the swim versions (2nd and 3rd pics below). It looks less cute, but feels sturdier, more comfortable on the neck, and easier to tie in the back.

Materials

3.75mm (F) crochet hook, 3mm crochet hook

Paintbox yarns Cotton 4-ply in Fuchsia (~11 skeins)

Aviva Dress Pattern by Alanna

Notes

This pattern is from a designer I follow on Instagram. I had seen sneak previews before the pattern was released, so I ordered a few different yarn options in advance, so I was ready to go the day on pattern launch day!

Left: Aviva dress in gold by pattern designer, Alanna. Right: Aviva dress in beige with empire modification by pattern tester, Paulina.

I really prefer patterns like this, where you are given target measurements for each section, rather than a set number of stitches. I tend to crochet pretty tightly, and almost never can get my hands on the exact yarn from the pattern, so I find by-measurement patterns result in a better fit and far less "frogging."

The dress has three stitch motifs: honeycomb, bodice lace, and skirt lace. These were all pretty simple, although I did quite a few test runs of the honeycomb part to make sure my lines looked clean (as it is the most prominent part of the finished dress).

The dress is made in the following steps:

Bodice front (honeycomb section)

Strap 1, continuing into bodice left side

Strap 2, continuing into bodice right side

Waist extension

Bodice back

Skirt

Neckline

Sleeves

I think the dress took me around 30 hours to make. The skirt took at least half of that time, though I did most of it on a ten-hour flight to Tampa. It was the perfect project to travel with, since the yarn is small and the skirt motif is simple and repetitive.

Adjustments

The designer shared quite a few "tester previews", so I got to see a lot of variations that folks had done. I liked this one by Paulina quite a bit (beige dress above), and was worried the fuchsia color would be overwhelming, so I decided to target a low cut with an empire waist (ie. a short honeycomb section).

I have a 4-5 inch difference between my bust and rib cage, so I modified the bodice section slightly. First, I followed the alteration guide to add additional rows after the strap, rather than finishing the front bodice at the strap edges. Then, after joining the bodice back and front, I did a couple extra rows around the waist, with ~4 stitch decreases, and using a smaller, 3mm hook, so the dress would be slightly fitted at the waist.

For the neckline, I followed the alteration guide to help smooth and flatten the neckline via a row of single crochet with decreases. I think I did a 4 stitch decrease here.

Lastly, I felt the pink was quite overwhelming, so I decided to keep the sleeves very short, and didn't do the accent row for the ruffly appearance.

If I were to make this dress again, I would do it with a less bold color, and would aim for a longer waistline, which would be better suited to my figure. (I think empire cut dresses are more suitable for slim / straight figures.)

Materials

5mm (H) crochet hook

Paintbox yarns Simply DK in Washed Teal (1/2 skein)

Lotties Spotty Doggy Jumper Pattern (free!) by Beth Derham

Notes

I chose this pattern because I wanted something warm for Freya, since the weather is still cold, but made it in a cheerful, spring color.

Adjustments

The yarn I used was probably bigger than recommended. I started with the neck ribbing and just made as many rows as I needed to fit my dog (size XS), which turned out to be about 40 rows instead of 50. From there I had to adjust the rest of the pattern, eg I increased to 50 instead of 60 in round 5.

After the first round, I noticed my “picot” stitch was not making a very pronounced bump, so I redid it with a puff stitch. (BTW, this is not the picot stitch you’re probably used to). Next time I think I would split the difference and do a partial puff stitch.

Since Freya is a girl and has no bits to keep uncovered, I did an extra round of the body to keep her warmer before switching to the tail. To account for this in the total length, I did one less repeat for the tail. I also made the tail ribbing 5 stitches instead of 7.

This is a belated Christmas present for my 11-year-old niece!

Materials

4.5mm crochet hook

Ultra Mellowspun DK yarn by Mary Maxim (about 20 various colors)

Rainbow Sampler Pattern by Kirsten Ballering

Adjustments

I started with a slightly smaller starting chain (maybe 20 stitches fewer) and still ended up with a 60" wide blanket!

I didn't have as many colors as the pattern called for, so I reused a few. Towards the end, I picked colors randomly based on what I had left, rather than following the colors in the pattern (though I followed the stitches).

The blanket was nearly square by the end of the pattern, so I added in a handful of extra rows using stitches that were featured earlier in the blanket to get a rectangular shape.

I had to substitute in three other brands of aran weight gray yarn, since it is used throughout and for the border, and I only started with one skein of mellowspun.

Materials

6mm (J) crochet hook, 4.5mm hook (for border)

Patons Canadiana yarn in Cardinal (6 skeins), Black (4) and Burgundy (6)

Red Buffalo Check Crochet Blanket Pattern by Daisy Farm Crafts

Notes

I really like the texture of this blanket -- between the griddle stitch (alternating single and double crochet) and carrying the alternate color through -- the texture is nice and squishy. This was a gift for my nephew, who said it is “epic!” 

Adjustments

I could not find my size I hook, so I used a J hook instead. It turned out well, with good drape, though it would probably be warmer with the smaller hook. 

Materials

4.5mm hook

Simply DK by Paintbox yarns in Pansy Purple (about half a skein)

Cabled Headband Pattern by NeaCreates 

Notes

I made this as a gift for my aunt for Christmas. The headband is crocheted in the round as a tube, and then the short ends are sewn together. It took somewhere in the 4-6 hour range, but definitely sped up as I learned the pattern.

Adjustments

You do not need to not turn your work each row. I assume the cable motif was borrowed from a blanket pattern, where working in rows rather than in the round requires you to turn. However, since this is a round, you get the same result by just continuing in the same direction. 

Next time, I will also crochet in a spiral rather than slip stitching at the end of each row to eliminate the seam at the back.