Looped Border Double Crochet Scarf

The Looped Border Double Crochet Scarf is simple to make and easy enough for the beginner crocheter, and the final product looks stunning!  I've made several of these crocheted scarves in a variety of yarns and they can be found at my Knots-n-Knits Online Store.  These two scarves were crocheted using Red Heart's Soft yarn in Plummy and Waterscape.  I absolutely love these color combinations!  The yarn is nice because it is silky soft and the subtle palette of colors blend so nicely. 

This crochet pattern is from Red Heart and I modified it slightly from the original pattern by using only one strand instead of two and making my crocheted scarves 4 inches wide instead of two.  For a scarf that is 4 inches wide and about 45 inches long, you will need 2 balls of Red Heart Soft yarn.  These skeins tend to be smaller than similar soft yarns, so two are needed as opposed to just one if you use Caron's Simply Soft yarn or regular Red Heart yarn.

Cross-Stitch Crochet Scarf

The Cross-Stitch Crochet scarf is a fun and easy scarf to make!  I have made these using Caron's Simply Soft yarn in soft pink and ocean.  The cross-stitch is essentially a double crochet in which you skip a stitch and double crochet in the next stitch and then come back to the skipped stitch and double crochet in it.  This doubling back to the skipped stitch is what creates the "X" or cross-stitch.  

A very simple pattern that adds interest to the generic double crochet!  Both of these crocheted scarves are available at the Knots-n-Knits Online Store.

Hello Kitty Crochet Purse

The Hello Kitty Crochet Purse for girls is a perfect for your little one who loves Hello Kitty!  My sister suggested making Hello Kitty items since they are so popular these days.  Being a mom of two boys, I was leaning more towards Angry Birds, camouflage crochet scarves, and Pokeball hats, so the idea of getting to work with anything pink was exciting to me!

I started looking for existing pattens and found several that I liked different portions of, but I didn't find a pattern that I liked everything.  So, as we all do, I set off to come up with my own pattern!  I combined what I learned about making my cotton crochet tote bags and crochet shopping bags on how to crochet in the round.  Starting with the white yarn, I crocheted several rounds for the bottom of the bag with a basic single crochet.  Next, I did a row of half double crochet - my new favorite stitch!  The remaining rows were the half double crochet in the space below between the stitches - this gives the purse more of a woven look.  Finally, I finished it off with just a slip stitch border.

As for the other elements - strap, ears, eyes, nose, bow, and whiskers, I used the patterns from a couple of different sites, namely Crochet Creative Creations and Crochet in Color.  There are not too many different ways to make these crocheted features, and I believe both of these sites have patterns that are very similar.

I started writing up the tutorial for the crochet purse portion of my Hello Kitty purse, but need to test it one more time before I publish it.  In the meantime, I will be offering crochet Hello Kitty purses for sale in my Knots-n-Knits Online Store in the next few days.