Free Crochet Pattern: Cozy Milk Forever

Today I present a re-creation of a free crochet pattern I used to have on another site. It has since been taken down and I had a request for the pattern on Ravelry, so here it is!

Cozy Milk Forever
Free Crochet Pattern for Baby Bottle Cozies
by Jessica Cook of Storied Yarns

Materials:
- Worsted/Aran weight cotton yarn
 (samples used Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton in Walnut, Blueberry and Dusty Blue)
- Crochet hook size US I (5.5mm)

Note: For the samples, 1 skein of the LB cotton (106 yards per skein) was enough for two cozies.

Directions:
Round 1 - Begin with a magic adjustable ring. Make 5 sc stitches in the ring. Do not join; just place a removable stitch marker on the first stitch of the round and move it up as you proceed to subsequent rounds.
Round 2 - 2 sc sts in every st around
Round 3: 2sc in the first st, sc in the next st; repeat around
Round 4: 2sc in the first st, sc in each of the next 2 sts; repeat around
Round 5: 2sc in the first st, sc in each of the next 3 sts; repeat around
NOTE: Continue to increase in this manner until the circle you are making is approximately the same size as the circumference of the bottle. For the Born Free bottles I made mine for, the circumference was 8 inches.

Next Round: Make one sc in the back loops of every st around (this helps to keep the base flat)
Following round: sc in every st around (both loops)
Repeat this last round until the cozy is tall enough to cover the bottle just past the neck (but not interfering with the nipple). If you like, switch to a contrasting color for the top round. Fasten off.

Make the drawstring: Make a chain length that is twice the circumference of the bottle. Fasten off. Use a darning needle or your crochet hook to weave the chain length in and out of the stitches in the second row down from the top of the cozy. Use this to keep the cozy snug around the neck of the bottle.

Enjoy!

Please feel free to use this pattern for yourself, to crochet gifts or to crochet items to sell. All I ask is that you do not try to sell the pattern itself and that you do not copy the pattern somewhere else. If you want to refer to the pattern publicly, please link people back to this page. Thank you!!

Fiber Arts Friday: FREE Baby Ear Flap Hat Crochet Pattern

Happy Fiber Arts Friday, everyone!

The year may be almost over, but I'm still really busy - how did that happen? Oh well, it's a good kind of busy! I've been updating the Storied Yarns Shop with exciting goodies like small and large yarn/fiber surprise packages, new batts and yarns and rovings! The sale section is full of great deals for year-end fiber stocking, too. I've also added listings for an awesome sweater knit/crochet-along. We'd love for you to join us on Ravelry to knit or crochet a sweater in the New Year!

Today for Fiber Arts Friday I thought I'd move another of my previously-published patterns to its new home here on the blog. As with all of my patterns, feel free to use this for your personal use or to make gifts or even make hats to sell. Please just do not sell, distribute or copy the pattern itself. Thank you!

Cover Those Ears: Baby Ear Flap Hat
by Jessica Cook

Materials and Abbreviations
To crochet this hat you will need:

• Crochet hook size US G
• Worsted weight yarn in two colors
• Two safety pins or removeable stitch markers

Abbreviations used in this pattern:

• ch = chain
• sl st = slip stitch
• hdc = half double crochet (US terminology)
• BLO = crochet in the back loops only of these stitches
• sts = stitches
• hdc2tog = half double crochet two stitches together; makes one decrease

Directions for the Hat Body
NOTE: This hat fit my son when he was a newborn. For a larger hat, increase the size of your starting chain and add rounds after round 13.
Using Main Color, Ch 60. Join with a sl st to form a circle, being careful not to twist the chain.
Round 1: Ch 2, hdc in 2^nd ch from hook and every ch around. Join with a sl st.
R2 – R13: Ch 1, hdc in BLO of every st around. Join w/ sl st to beg. Ch-2. Fasten off.
Turn the hat inside out, fold it flat and whipstitch the starting chain edge together to make a flat top. Fold the hat right side out again.

Directions for the Ear Flaps

Hold the hat so that the back seam is in front of you and the open end of the hat is facing up. Fold the hat flat and find the end stitch on either side of the fold. Put a safety pin or removeable stitch marker in each of these stitches.
R1: Open up the hat and count four stitches to the right of one of your safety pinned stitches (to the right as you are looking at the hat with the open end up). Join your Main Color yarn in this stitch, chain one, and make 9 hdc sts across; the 5th stitch you make will be in the stitch holding the marker or safety pin. Remove your marker or safety pin as you go.
R2-R4: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc across.
R5: Ch 1, hdc2tog across 1^st 2 sts, 5 hdc, hdc2tog over last 2 sts.
R6: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc across.
R7: Ch 1, hdc2tog across 1^st 2 sts, 3 hdc, hdc2tog over last 2 sts. Fasten off. Repeat on opposite side of the hat for the 2^nd ear flap.

Finishing

Contrast Edging.
Join contrasting color yarn with a sl st. on the back of the hat. Ch 1 and sc all the way around the edge of the hat, including around each ear flap. When you get to the center st on the bottom edge of the ear flap, ch 36 for a tie closure, then make 35 sc back down the ch sts and continue to sc around the ear flap and the front of the hat. Repeat this for the other ear flap as well and continue around the back of the hat. Join with a sl st. into your first sc.
Toppers.
Join CC yarn with a sl st to one top corner of the hat. Ch 6, then sc in the 2^nd ch from hook and each ch back toward the hat. Sl st to the hat itself. Repeat this until you have made a total of 5 sc toppers. Fasten off and repeat on the opposite corner of the hat.
Weave in all loose ends using a large eye blunt needle.

 I hope you enjoyed the pattern! Now head on over to Andrea's Blog for the rest of Fiber Arts Friday!

FREE Crochet Pattern: Puff Stitch Wristwarmers

Here's another of my patterns that I published on another site in the past, and now it is moving to its permanent home here on the blog.

Enjoy!

Puff Stitch Wristwarmers
by Jessica Cook

Pattern Inspiration

Last year I crocheted a slouchy hat pattern as a gift for my son's teacher. I wanted to round out the gift a little more, so I whipped up a set of wristwarmers to coordinate with the puff stitch pattern in the hat. This pattern is the result of that moment of inspiration.
I should warn you of a few things before you jump right on into crocheting this pattern:

1. I am not a professional crochet designer, though I like to think my patterns are easy to understand. If you have any trouble with this pattern you can PLEASE send me a message here or on Ravelry.com (I'm Jessecreations there).
2. I wrote this pattern based on the single pair of these mitts I have made. I made them to fit my hands, which I think are pretty average, but they may not fit your hands. If you find that you crochet the first few rows and these are too big or too small, you may have to adjust the pattern to suit your needs.
3. This pattern is untested. Crochet at your own risk. 

Materials, Notes and Abbreviations

Here's what I used to make these mitts for myself:

• Worsted weight yarn. It was Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Yarn!" in a solid light grey color. This is close to an Aran weight, really. Feel free to substitute other yarns, just know that it might change the pattern slightly.
• Crochet hook, size US H.
• Large eye blunt needle for weaving in ends.

If you find the pattern doesn't fit you as it is written, consider using a thicker or thinner yarn combined with a larger or smaller hook to make it work. That way you can still follow the pattern without altering it but you don't have to make fingerless mitts that don't fit.

Some notes about the pattern:

• When you get to round 10, you will start working the thumb hole. You leave a few sts unworked and turn your work instead of crocheting in the round. Then you will re-join your work later, creating a small gap for your thumb.

Stitch abbreviations used in the pattern:

• CH = chain
• Sts = stitches
• DC = double crochet (American terminology)
• SC = single crochet (American terminology)
• Sl st = slip stitch
• Puff st = (YO, insert hook in next st, YO, pull up a loop) 4 times, YO, and draw through all loops on hook.

Pattern Instructions for First Mitt

This pattern contains directions for crocheting each mitt separately, so please pay attention to that. You will need to know how to crochet in the round in order to make this pattern work for you.
Using your H hook and your worsted/aran weight yarn:
Ch 26.
Round 1: DC in 4th ch from the hook and each ch across. Join with a slip stitch. (Note: This makes a nice little notched opening in the base of the wrist so it will be easier to get the mitts on and off.)
Round 2: Ch 3, DC in every stitch around. Join with a slip stitch.
Rounds 3 - 5: Ch 3, DC in every stitch around. Join with a slip stitch.
Round 6: Ch 3, 2 DC in next DC, DC in each DC around, 2 DC in last DC. Join with a slip stitch.
Round 7: Ch 3, DC around, join with a slip stitch.
Round 8: CH 3, DC in each of the next 2 sts, *Puff st in next st, DC in following st;* Repeat * to * 6 times. DC in each of the remaining sts. Join with a slip stitch.
Round 9: CH 1, sc in each st around. Join with a slip stitch.
Round 10: Slip stitch in each of the first 3 sts, *Puff st in next st, DC in following st;* Repeat * to * 6 times, Dc in each stitch to the last two stitches. Leave last two sts unworked. DO NOT JOIN.
Round 11: Ch 1, TURN. Sc in each dc and puff st around, ch 5 over the slip stitches and skipped stitches, join to the first sc of the round.
Round 12: Ch 3, turn. DC in each of the next 5 sts, *Puff st in next st, DC in following st;* repeat * to * 6 times. DC in each of the remaining sts, join with a slip stitch.
Round 13: Ch 1, sc in each st around, join with a slip stitch.
Round 14: Ch 3, DC in each st around, join with a slip stitch.
Round 15: Ch 1, [Sl st in the next st, ch 1, sl st in the same st] in each st around, join with a slip stitch. Fasten off and weave in loose ends.

Pattern Instructions for Second Mitt

To crochet the second mitt, follow the instructions for Rounds 1 through 7 of the first mitt.
Round 8: CH 3, Dc in next 13 DC sts, *puff st in next st, DC in following st;* repeat from * to * 6 times. Join with slip stitch.
Round 9: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join with a slip stitch.
Round 10: Slip stitch in the first four sts. DC in each of the next 10 sts. *Puff st in the next st, DC in the following st;* repeat from * to * 6 times. DO NOT JOIN.
Round 11: Ch 1, TURN. Sc in each DC and puff st around, ch 5 over sl sts and skipped sts, join to the first st of the round.
Round 12: CH 3, TURN. DC in each of the 5 ch sts, DC in next 9 DC sts. *Puff st in the next st, DC in the following st;* repeat from * to * 6 times. Attach to top of Ch 3 with a slip st.
Round 13: Ch 1, sc in each st around, join with a slip stitch.
Round 14: CH 3, DC in each st around, join with a slip stitch.
Round 15: Ch 1, [sl st in the next st, ch 1, sl st in the same st] in each st around, join with a slip stitch. Fasten off and weave in loose ends.

As with all of my patterns, please feel free to use this pattern to make any number of items you want. You are more than welcome to sell the finished items; please just do not sell the pattern itself or copy it anywhere else. Thanks!

Free Crochet Pattern: Sock Yarn Goddess

I first created this little goddess some time last year for the Phat Fiber Sampler box recipients. It worked well with our theme of the elements at the time.

I wrote this originally as a pendant or key chain. I also think it would be a nice gift for a woman you know, to thank her for sharing her inner goddess with the world. I'm thinking of making several out of my own sock yarns and using it as a garland to display my colorways!

Now I'm offering her up for free to all of you, my lovely blog readers! Here we go ...

Materials:
- Approx. 15 yds fingering/sock yarn   

- Crochet hook, size US F (3.75 mm)
- Jump ring or plain stitch marker   

- Large eye blunt needle
- Liquid starch

NOTE: All stitches and abbreviations are in US terminology.

Directions:

Start by making a magic circle or whatever method you use to crochet in the round.  

Round 1: Make 8 sc stitches in the circle, and join with a sl st.
Round 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in 1^st stitch and every stitch around. Join with a sl st. (16 sc)
Round 3: Ch 1, TURN, make 1 sc stitch in the next 2 sc stitches. (2 sc)
From here on out you will work back and forth in rows.
Row 4: Ch 1, turn, make 2 sc in each sc across. (4 sc)
Row 5: Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn, 1 dc in 1^st sc, 1 dc in each of next 2 sc, 2 dc in last sc. (6 dc)
Row 6: Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn, 1 dc in each stitch across. (6 dc)
Row 7: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in each of next 2 dc, sc2tog. (4 sc)
Row 8: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc2tog. (2 sc)
Row 9: Ch 1, turn, hdc2tog. (1 hdc)
Row 10: Ch 1, turn, sc around edge of body up toward the head. When you reach the upper portion of the body, approximately row 5, ch 15. Sl st in 2^nd ch from hook and each ch after that and reconnect to the body with a sc. Continue to sc around neck and head, then make 15 ch on the other side of the body to parallel the first arm. Sl st down these sts and join to the body with a sc. Sc around to the bottom of the body. Make 1 dc stitch in the bottom of the body, then sc up this stitch and join with a sl st to a single crochet on the other side where you started the edging. Finish off and weave in your ends.

Finishing:

Bring the goddess’s arms up over her head as if she is clapping. Hold the jump ring between her hands and use needle and spare length of the yarn to stitch the two hands together with the jump ring in between. You will hang a ribbon or chain from this jump ring for wearing. Weave in ends, dip in liquid starch, and block. Let dry and hang her on a ribbon or chain to wear.

Free Crochet Pattern: Vine Garland Accessory

This one's for Miki of Funhouse Fibers, who wants to know how to crochet a vine. ;)

Materials Needed:
- Yarn (I used worsted weight)
- Crochet hook (I used size US J)
- Scissors
- Embroidery needle for weaving in ends.

A note about yarn and hook choices:
I used worsted weight yarn (specifically some leftover "I Love This Cotton" from Hobby Lobby that I had in my stash) and a size US J crochet hook. As a result, my vine is kind of loosey/goosey/drapey. This works for me because I'm planning to use it as the foundation for my pumpkin and leaf garland. If you want your vine to stand on its own a little more, use a hook that gives you a good, tight gauge. If it curls up on itself while you work you can always block it later, depending on the yarn you use.

Abbreviations used:
- CH = chain
- SC = single crochet
- SL ST = slip stitch

Note for Spinners: When I made this, my starting chain weighed 4g and my finished vine weighed about 38g. So basically, if you have art yarn or handspun and you want to use it for this project, keep chaining until you have used up about 1/10th of the yarn you have, then get going on the rest of the instructions. That way you won't run out of yarn that you can't replicate or pick up at your local craft store. :)

Let's get started, shall we?

1. Begin with a starting chain that is a multiple of 7 stitches plus 12. (Note: I have NO idea what my starting chain is - let's go with "longish." I wanted this to be long enough to go over the doorway where my garland currently hangs on a boring old strand of yarn, so I kept on chaining until it looked long enough. That's how I roll. I don't count the multiple of 7, I just count to 7 over and over again until it looks good, then I add 12 more.)
2. SC in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each of the next 4 ch stitches.
3. Ch 12 (this is the start of a branch).
4. SC in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each of the next 4 ch stitches (branch fork side one).
5. Ch 4. SC in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each of the next 2 stitches (branch fork side two).
6. Sl St in the same ch stitch where you started this fork. SC in the next ch and in each ch back down the branch.
7. Sl St in the same ch stitch from the foundation ch where you started this branch.
8. SC in each of the next 14 ch stitches.
9. Repeat steps 3 through 8 all down the length of the starting chain. When you have fewer than 14 stitches left in the chain, just single crochet in each of them.
10. In the last Ch stitch, make a total of 3 SC stitches to turn your work around. You will now be working back up the starting chain on the opposite side.
11. SC in every stitch until you reach the Ch where you started a branch on the opposite side. Keep making SC for 7 more CH stitches.
12. Repeat steps 3 through 8. Keep on repeating steps 3 through 8 until you hit the end of this chain, again finishing with single crochet stitches at the end of the row.
13. Make two extra single crochets in the last chain on this side, then Sl St in the first SC you made. Finish off and weave in your ends.

Uses for this project:
- Use it as garland by itself. Hang it on your wall or wrap it around a wreath or a holiday tree.
- Use it as garland in combination with other things. I'm going to hang pumpkins and leaves (knitted and crocheted out of handspun) from mine. I'm probably going to make another one in gothy colors with bats and witches for Halloween and then maybe make a holiday looking one as well. It'd be fun to crochet it in green and add little red balls for holly berries, wouldn't it?
- Wear it as a scarf, as seen here:

- Dress as Medusa for Halloween and wrap it around your head like a wig.

I hope you enjoy the pattern! Feel free to use it as you like and make or sell as many vines as you want. Please just don't re-publish the pattern anywhere or sell it to other people. Thank you!