The Whimsical Witch-Hat

This fast, easy hat is designed with a floppy brim as well as a flopped-over point. Whip one up for yourself, and another for your favorite pumpkin. (Shown with neckwarmer from the Witch Warmers pattern.)

UPDATE:  To make this hat, please use US size L / 8 mm--or the hook that gives you the correct gauge.  I have replaced the downloadable file with a corrected version.

Skill Level   Easy

Yarn
156-206 yds / 143-189m acrylic, wool, or blend worsted weight
in 3 colors

Schematic diagram included.

A free .pdf of this pattern is available as a download.

download now

You can find a tip and a variation for this pattern in the following posts:
Lil' Punkin Hats
Base Chain Circle
Felted Variation by designer, Daile Boulis

More Halloween crochet projects:
Witch Warmers in Crochet
Pumpkin Warmers
Halloween Treatwarmers

Circle Lap-ghan

This little lap-blanket is crocheted as a full circle, using a large hook with 2 strands of yarn held together. It’s fast and easy, and the big stitches give it lots of loft and a relaxed drape. It works well as an around-the-shoulders wrap, too. This makes a great prayer shawl.

U.S. crochet terms

Skill Level   Easy

Yarn
approx. 1600 yds/1463m acrylic, wool, or blend worsted weight in 3 colors

Schematic diagram included.

A free .pdf of this pattern is available as a download from Ravelry.

download now

Check out this one in manly colors: Gray's Afghanatomy.

This pattern is featured on:

Cotton Crocheted Rug

It's FO Friday, and I'm still bustin' my stash. This little rug was another experiment. It's a big crocheted oval, made with a US size N hook and 3 strands of worsted weight cotton yarn held together. It turned out great, although I haven't actually used it as a rug or washed it yet.

UPDATE: It machine-washes and dries like a dream. If any loose ends stick out, just push them through to the underside.

Since this is another prototype that I designed on the fly, there's no pattern for it. If you're interested, I can throw the instructions together for you... just let me know. Like the lap-ghan, it's fast and easy, and a great stash-buster.

For more FO Friday finished objects on other blogs, check here.

A Lap-ghan

It's FO Friday, and I'm back! My last few FOs haven't made it to the blog... not enough hours in the day. But it's high time for some fiber-blogging.

This little lap-blanket was an experiment. It's a big crocheted circle, made with a US size Q hook and 2 strands of worsted weight yarn held together. So it works up real fast. This also gives it lots of loft and a relaxed drape. Love it.

The best part (suggested by my good friend, Alice) is that it can be worn as a wrap.

This is a prototype that I designed on the fly, and I have just put the pattern together as a free download. It's fast and easy, and a great stash-buster.

For more FO Friday finished objects on other blogs, check here.

Elf Warmers

Short and cute, these wristwarmers make a fast crochet project... great for stash-busting too. The instructions for making them are included in the Witch Warmers in Crochet pattern. Just use the short version notes in italics. You can make short anklewarmers, too, and a matching neckwarmer to complete the look.

If you prefer, you can knit these using the original Witch Warmers pattern, designed for knitters.

The yarn for this project was I Love This Yarn Sportweight by Hobby Lobby. It's 100% acrylic, inexpensive, and it has a lovely, soft feel when working with it and wearing it. In order to make this project, I broke down and bought acrylic to save money, and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. Since these wristwarmers were a holiday project, I don't expect to be washing and drying them a lot, so they will probably continue to look good for a long time.

You can find another variation for Witch Warmers in Crochet here:
Evening-Length Winter Warmers

Scrappy Turban

Of the many fortune-teller turbans I have made so far, this is definitely my favorite. It uses the Fortune-Teller Turban in Crochet pattern, and the best part is that it's made from scrap yarn: 2 strands of sportweight held together. One is a continuous color and the other is tied-together scraps. Using a single color along with the scraps gives a pleasing continuity and has the added benefit of disguising the "teeth" that appear when consecutive rows are worked in different colors.

Here's how to modify the Fortune-Teller Turban in Crochet pattern for this variation:

1. Crochet a new flat gauge swatch--it is different. I got 13 st x 12 rows = 4"/10cm x 4"/10cm.

2. The yardage is about the same, but for 2 strands of sportweight yarn held together. I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease sportweight for the turban pictured here, but Plymouth Encore DK is a fine substitute. For the scrap skein, you can use the "Magic Ball" technique, in which you tie varying lengths of scrap yarn together to make a long strand, and crochet or knit it like one continuous ball of yarn. For the knotting, I used a square knot, but I've read about an overhand knot made holding the 2 ends together.

3. With the 2 strands held together, make your beginning chain a bit loose, using the same size hook specified in the pattern. The number of chains should be 6 less than what the pattern lists for the various sizes. The pictures show a size small on a size medium head. It barely fits, and I will make a size medium for myself next time in the scrappy technique.

4. Work according to the pattern, crocheting the ends in as you go.

5. When finished, tie off and work in ends. There will be yarn ends showing throughout the work--to make them less visible, tug and trim each to about 1/4" or .5mm.


For crochet tips and variations on the Fortune-Teller Turban in Crochet, see:
Novelty Yarn-Trimmed Turban
Tying Off After Joining
Slip-Stitch Join
Avoiding Stiff Crochet
Swatch Wars

Short Witch Warmers

Short and sweet, these wristwarmers and anklewarmers are super fast to knit... great for stash-busting too. Basically, you just knit up to the top of the straight stockinette section in the pattern, and finish off with 2 stripes of ribbing.

You can find more variations for Witch Warmers here:
Evening Length: I'd Open a Vein for You Armwarmers
Yule Warmers