1-2-3 Flip-brim Beanie free pattern

Two new free patterns released in two days! Wow!

Like a lot of us, I get busy with day-to-day things as well as just simply spending my time actually WORKING on yarncraft projects rather than blogging about them, so it can sometimes be months between my posts. Sigh. But sorry, there are only so many hours in a day. I'm sure you've been there, too, and can understand.

Today I am releasing this pattern for a 1-2-3 Flip-brim Beanie because in the USA, October has become the single biggest month for cancer-awareness causes in the form of the Pink October breast cancer movement.



Cancer (not specifically breast cancer) has profoundly touched my life and the lives of so many people who are close to me, and because of this, I feel moved to make and donate attractive caps each year to support the patients battling this terrible disease at a nearby cancer treatment center.

I offer this pattern for free, forever, in honor of Pink October and all the men and women who have battled and survived or lost the fight to any form of cancer.

If you download this pattern, please consider making and donating at least one of these hats to the patients at your local cancer center. Thank you so much.

The “1-2-3” portion of the name for this beanie comes from the texture that is achieved by working in repeating rounds of sc, hdc, and dc.

These instructions yield a simple but sophisticated cap with about a 20-22 inch circumference, depending on your yarn and tension, which should comfortably fit the head of an average adult - and particularly adults who have lost their hair to the cruel ravages of chemotherapy. The fit is intentionally a bit oversized (although not slouchy per se) for comfortable ease. The brim flips upward as you work the brim instructions and will remain in place on its own.

If you are making this hat to give to a chemo patient, choose a soft, hypoallergenic fiber by following the guidelines provided by Halos of Hope.

Simple Vertical Stripe Placemat free pattern

Just published on Ravelry: my new free crochet pattern for a Simple Vertical Stripe Placemat.



This super-easy project works up in just a few hours. I hope you will go check it out!

I made this one with Lily Sugar ’n Cream in Country Side Ombre, which gives the fabric almost an argyle plaid effect that I really like.

How crochet hooks and knitting needles are measured for size

This might be something that is blatantly obvious to everyone else but me, but recently I found myself wondering exactly HOW are crochet hooks and knitting needles measured for size?

Hooks and needles are usually presented with their sizes given in millimeters (for example, a 5.5 mm crochet hook or a set of 7 mm knitting needles). But do those millimeters represent the hook's/needle's CIRCUMFERENCE or DIAMETER???

This issue actually came up when I was working the Harmony Shawl free pattern while camping. I didn't pack all my yarncrafting supplies for the trip, but I had a white plastic 6.5 mm K hook on hand. The pattern actually recommends an 8 mm L hook to create a fabric with a relatively large gauge, however, so I improvised by working each stitch way up on the handle of my K hook, at the point where the handle flattens out and gets wider (see photo below).

Working stitch up on the flattened hilt of a K hook to achieve a larger gauge.

But because I was camping without all of my supplies, I had no way to measure just how big of a stitch I was approximating by working them up on the hilt of my K hook. And then I realized that even if I'd had a measuring tape on hand, I actually didn't know whether the hook's size represented its circumference or its diameter. D'oh!

After we returned home, I searched the Internet for information about how crochet hooks and knitting needles are measured. This Wikipedia article had some interesting information, but it didn't fully answer my question because its statement "Hooks come in various sizes (measured in millimetres or fractions of an inch), according to the thickness of the needle" didn't clarify what it meant by "thickness of the needle." One could still interpret that as either the circumference OR the diameter! ARGH!

So, finally, I pulled out my measuring tape and an I hook (5.5 mm size) and tested the measurements out for myself. As best as I could tell, its circumference measured at 19 mm! That's obviously WAY more millimeters than 5.5!

Next I measured the hook's diameter, and as you can see in the photo below, it's fairly close to 5.5 millimeters.

So, at last, I have my answer for how hooks and needles get their size rating, and in the process, I learned something new. Now I won't have to take those size markings for granted anymore!

And if you've ever wondered the same thing about hook and needle sizes, I hope this post helped you as well. Happy yarncrafting!

P.S. And in case you're wondering what crochet hook size I actually was approximating by working up on the hilt of my K hook, according to the diameter sizing rule, as far as I can tell, that spot on the hook measures at about 10 mm, which is the equivalent of a size N hook.

Princess Morgan Frilly Jumper free pattern

After seeing some cute, fun knit dress designs for little girls that utilize ruffled scarf yarn in the skirt, I wanted to knit a jumper for my grand niece, Morgan. However, since none of the dress designs I had seen were quite what I had in mind to make for her, I started working freehand, from the bottom hem of the skirt upward.

The skirt and the bodice part of the jumper were totally straightforward, so I had no trouble improvising them. But I knew I was going to be in trouble when it came to making armholes and a yoke because I had never done anything like that before from the bottom up. So I started scouring through Ravelry patterns in the hope that I would find a bottom-up little girls top pattern with a yoke design that would be close enough in garment size, needle size, and yarn weight that I could use its yoke to finish the jumper I was working on.

The yoke of Kristy Demoe’s gorgeous Arrowhead Lace Topper fit the bill EXACTLY. After finishing my prototype for the Princess Morgan Frilly Jumper pattern, I approached Kristy to ask her permission to use her work as part of this free pattern, and she agreed. Therefore, to complete this dress pattern, you will need to also download a copy of Kristy’s free pattern at the link above.

Princess Morgan Frilly Jumper knits up quickly in aran or worsted weight yarn on circular needles and is easy enough for an advanced beginner. This pattern is free because it is ONLY being released in little girls’ size 4.

The skirt is a simple garter stitch in the round. Ruffles are added on alternating rows by holding the main and scarf yarns together. The bodice is a very stretchy twisted rib. And it is all elegantly topped off by Kristy’s Arrowhead Lace yoke. Instructions for an optional button-on flower are included.

Dress sample shown in the photos is made with Red Heart With Love Candy Pink 100% acrylic yarn and Rozetti Yarns Marina Multi Valentine 100% acrylic ruffle scarf yarn.

Approximate finished dimensions: Dress circumference: 24 inches. Hem to neck length: about 21 inches.

Update: I got some photos today of Princess Morgan wearing her dress, and it just barely fits her but I think she looks beautiful! Mom reports that getting Morgan’s head through the neck opening was pretty tight, so I will definitely have to make the next one larger.

Lunch with friends

Today we had lunch with Tony, Annie, and Rose. It was great to spend some time together!