Valentine's Day Crochet Roundup

Valentine's Day is almost upon us, so I figured it was time for a Valentine's Day DIY roundup.  This roundup features 20 cute DIY crochet projects with a Valentine's Day theme.  All links are for free patterns, and I linked to Ravelry where there is either a download or link to the pattern.  Have fun!  :) 



20 Free Valentine's Day Crochet Patterns:

1. Valentine's Day Hearts by Stacey Trock



2. Valentine's Day Heart Yarn Wreath by Allison Hoffman


3. Valentine's Day Coffee Kozie by Becky Ferris


4. Valentine's Day Water Bottle Kozie by Becky Ferris
 

 5. Valentine's Day Stripe Bag by Lion Brand Yarn





6. Easy Valentine's Day Choker by Anitalite


7. Crocheted Valentine's Day Hearts by Country Woman Magazine


8. Amigurumi Cupcake for Valentine's Day by Cristina Batista


9. Happy Valentine's Day Hat by Amy O'Neill Houck
 

10. Sleeping Mask or Not by Maryanka


11. Valentine Bear by Makayla Yager


12. Heart Shaped Table Mat by DROPS Design


13. Pop Heart by MyGurumi


14. Grandma's Heart Square by Carola Wijma


15. "Hearts" Barbie Outfit by Katrinna Fruit


16. Crochet Lips Hair Clip by Nuria Pastor


17. Valentines Lily Doll by Lily/Sugar'n Cream


18. Valentine's Kitty Hat by Teri Mitchell


19. Valentine Envelopes by Lion Brand Yarn


20. Valentine Teddy by Stephanie Jessica Lau

Taffyghan Part 2

So...it finally happened.  I didn't do my weekly blog post.  It was difficult. I missed blogging and participating in the weekly linky parties, but I had nothing to share.  I got busy at work and I took on a loooong craft project.

I finally "finished" my first afghan.  I love how it turned out, but it was not a quick project.  By finish, I really mean that I reached a point where I could crochet no more and decided that the project was complete.

It's not so small as to be a baby afghan, but it's also not a large one.  I'd say it's more of the medium variety.  It should also be noted that "finished" does not include fully threading in the loose ends of yarn.  (I threaded in each strand a little bit as I did a color change to prevent the afghan from unraveling.)

I'm very excited to have completed by first afghan, and I looove how it turned out.  Here are some more views of it.  As you can see, I decided to continue with it as a square, rather than eventually changing to stripes in order to make a rectangle.

Taffyghan Part 1

I have seen a lot of pretty granny patterns and other afghan patterns on Ravelry, and I have been wanting to start trying them out.  I had never done any "granny" crocheting, but I decided to start with stitching that type of afghan.  Eventually, I would like to try some other afghan types like blocks, granny squares, ripples stitch, etc.  If I can get this granny square thing down, then I would really like to make a Mario themed granny square blanket like this one or this one.  For now, I will just start with a very simple expanding granny afghan in fun taffy-like colors.


In order to learn how to do the granny square stitch, I used this easy illustrated how to tutorial.  I used it as a basis for my afghan and have been expanding upon it to make a continuous granny, rather than squares to be stitched together.


I am still trying to decide whether I will make it into a rectangle and do rows on the ends or to make it a square. The plan is to have this afghan finished by the end of this next week.  So whatever I decide, I will share it next week in my Part 2 post.


I picked 4 bright taffy-like colors of yarn:
Red Heart Super Saver Light Raspberry
Red Heart Super Saver Lemon
I Love This Yarn! Super Soft Turquoise
I Love This Yarn! Super Soft Periwinkle

The I Love This Yarn! skeins are a little bit softer, but the Red Heart Super Saver isn't much different feeling.

For the first time through with each color, I went around 2X.  After that, I am doing 1X around with each color.  I am partially weaving in the ends, but waiting until the afghan is finished to complete that task.