Where Do I Find All My Patterns?

     Hey Crochet Crew! I have a lot of people who admire my work and also want to know where it is exactly that I get my patterns or how I get them. Well, I do a good amount of research into getting any of my patterns because I want to make sure they're from a reputable source and aren't AI generated. I look up what it is that I'm trying to make into Google, and I go through all the patterns until I find one that I like. I'll most likely end up on Etsy as that's where I get most of my patterns that I've paid for. Then I take a look at the shop owners reviews as well as the pictures they've provided as it's pretty easy to tell what pictures are AI generated and which ones are real. From there I'll do some more looking on YouTube, Instagram, and Ribblr before I buy a pattern that way I can see if there is a free one somewhere, so I'm not wasting any money. If I can't find it for free, then I'll buy the pattern, and I make sure to have the pattern printed out and digitally copied in case something happens to my Etsy page. That's pretty much it as to how I find my patterns, I'll link below some pages I've bought from if anyone is interested in crocheting something cute.

GheeBeansCrafty - Etsy

OlyaSamToys - Etsy

murphycrochets - Etsy

Yarn Ball Winder Review

     Hey Crochet Crew! For Christmas I was gifted a yarn winder which is something I've been needing for a while now. I ended up spending days after Christmas winding up all the yarn, I own which was a very satisfying experience. It clamps onto any desk or table and comes with instructions on how to use it and which direction to wind the yarn in. I got mine in the color pink/purple, but there are plenty of colors to choose from and a lot of different box sets that come with other crochet and knitting accessories. It helped me turn my messy yarn filled bookshelf from chaotically shoving all the yarn in place to neat balls stacked on top of each other to give me more room for more yarn. I highly recommend getting one and will have a link for y'all to check it out!

Before

After

Link for the Yarn Ball Winder:

Amazon.com: Knit Picks Hand Operated Yarn Ball Winder (Purple) : Arts, Crafts & Sewing

It May Become A Problem

     Hey Crochet Crew! I have a confession; I'm addicted to buying yarn and I know that doesn't sound awful, but I have a lot of yarn. Once you get into crocheting or knitting or some kind of craft that involves yarn you start to gain a stash that seems to get bigger and bigger by the month. I started off with two balls of yarn and now it's gotten to the point where I have a whole bookshelf plus more filled with yarn. I try to start projects that use up my yarn, but then I run out and I need more to finish the project, and it becomes a whole ordeal. Then you look at your stash and see you don't have a color you need for something and so you go out and get it. Once you're at the store you see all these pretty colors, ombres, and patterns and as soon as you know it, you're walking out the store with more than you came in for. This isn't to discourage anyone from doing any hobbies that involve yarn, but just know you get to a point where you just need all the yarn.

 

Bernat Blanket Yarn Review

     Hey Crochet Crew! I know the other day I talked about my least favorite yarn brand to work with, but today I wanted to share with y'all what my favorite yarn brand is. I enjoy crocheting stuffed animals and I want them to be soft while also keeping them from shedding everywhere. The brand I think is the best for this is the Bernat Blanket Yarn because pulling on the yarn in order to tighten a magic ring doesn't break as easily as other yarn brands. Though this brand of yarn is more expensive than other brands I choose to use it because every time I use it never fails me, it's strong, it's soft and will always be my favorite yarn to use. This is the yarn that I've slowly started to replace all of my Loops and Threads yarn with. 

How Easy Does It Get: The Single Crochet

     Hey Crochet Crew! Crocheting is my favorite hobby, but it hasn't been one that I've known all my life and did with ease. One of the first and easiest stitches you can learn when crocheting is the single crochet. It's the foundation of just about every single project that I make. A single crochet can make just about anything from clothes, to accessories, to stuffed animals and much more! I'm going to give you a step by step along with an image to show you how simple making a single crochet stitch is!

Step 1: Once you've made your foundation chain, you'll insert your hook two chains away from your hook.

Step 2: Next you're going to yarn over and pull your loop through the chain you inserted your hook into.

Step 3: You should now have two loops on your hook, so now you'll be doing another yarn over and pull that loop through the two loops you have on your hook.

Step 4: That's it! You've just made a single crochet stitch, you can continue down the row to make more single crochets to keep practicing and when you're feeling confident you can even start a pattern!

Loops and Threads Royal Velvet Yarn Review

     Hey Crochet Crew! Recently I tried out a new type of yarn by Michael's yarn brand Loops and Threads. The yarn was from a line called Royal Velvet and I bought some skeins in the color Royal Purple. I was trying to make Chowder's hat from the cartoon Chowder and let's just say it didn't go as planned. While the yarn had a nice plush feeling to it, it was not easy to work with. Once I started to make my foundation chain, I quickly realized that the yarn comes apart easy. The moment you pull a little too hard on the yarn it's like a whole new ball of yarn comes out of it. Then when I finished the hat and let my customer try it on it didn't hold its shape and shed all over her hair. Thankfully I found a different and sturdier brand to use, but I do not recommend this yarn to anyone that hates yarn with unnecessary shedding.