In Stitches - Best Free Crochet Link Up Party Week #13

Find free summer crochet patterns in this round up from the In Stitches Link Up Party! This week, we have the best top 5 free crochet patterns from wonderful crochet designers!

Find all the links below for the top 5 best free crochet patterns!

1.  Candy Kiss Triangle Scarf by Nanas Crafty Home
2.  Amigurumi Hedgehogs by Grace and Yarn
3.  Making Lemonade Sun Hat by A Crocheted Simplicity
4.  Summer Day Bag by Winding Road Crochet
5.  Wildflower Romance Hat by Kirsten Holloway Designs

Keep Scrolling for more free patterns! Be sure to click on your favorites at the bottom!

Find more free crochet patterns in past week's link up parties here!

Every other Monday, you will find a round up of the Top 5 Best Free Crochet Patterns! Plus, we (the hosts) will be sharing our own latest free crochet patterns on our blog. Throughout the week, links will be added so be sure to keep an eye on what others have to share as well!

If you are a crochet blogger that has free patterns to share, this is a great party for you to get your work out there! Simply follow the instructions below to 'link up' your free crochet patterns each week. If you are in the top 5 (most clicked patterns), your pattern will be shared and promoted by all of the crochet bloggers hosting this party! You can find more details below.

I am hosting this link up party right here on Maria's Blue Crayon, as well as on, Nicki's Handmade Crafts, Naztazia, Salty Pearl Crochet and The Unraveled Mitten. We are really excited to start this link up party and hope you join along!

Find our most recent free crochet patterns on our blogs!

• Halloween Granny Afghan CAL by Maria's Blue Crayon
  
•  Crochet Bow by Nicki's Homemade Crafts 

• Simple Tunisian Flower by Naztazia

•  Americana Toddler Vest by Salty Pearl Crochet

• Smore Dishcloth by The Unraveled Mitten

Be sure to check out our social media pages and follow us for more crochet patterns and inspiration!

Ready to join In Stitches - The Best Free Crochet Pattern Party?

Want to add your link? Please remember to link to your actual project URL and not your homepage URL, and use the name of your project or post, not your own name. Just click the blue “Add Link” button below!

Please visit at least one other link, you just might find a new favorite project! AND – your clicks are how we determine which projects to feature each week! Feel free to leave a comment at the pattern link to provide feedback and show support.

No Etsy stores, Facebook pages, giveaways, or other link parties. Just blog posts to your actual crochet patterns that are accessible for FREE!

If your project gets featured as a top link, please do not submit that same project to future parties. We want to party fair! :)

Now let's get this party started! Please remember that the links below are shown in random order and are not shown according to when they were submitted or how many votes they received so far.

An InLinkz Link-up

Halloween Granny Square Afghan Crochet Along - Materials List

I know you're just as excited as I am! Today, I have the Halloween Granny Square Afghan Materials List up so you can gather your supplies before we start the Crochet Along!

I know you may also have some questions about the crochet along, so I'll go through some information as well. After reading, if you have additional questions, leave a comment below so I can answer them!

So first thing's first, is this Halloween Crochet Along free or paid?

This crochet along for the Halloween Granny Afghan will be free! However, you will have the option to buy the compiled version of the blanket once the crochet along starts. That way, you will have everything at your finger tips (and technically finish the blanket as fast as you'd like!)

When will the Crochet Along start?

The Crochet Along for the Halloween Afghan will start July 7th, when the first part will be released and run through September 1st, when the last part will be released for a total of 9 weeks.

Can I substitute the yarn? (see materials list below)

Yes! I used Red Heart Super Saver because I had certain color shades in mind before I started this project and that brand happened to have the colors that I wanted.

If you want to use something different, I would suggest using a worsted weighted yarn such as I Love This Yarn! or Vanna's Choice. These yarns seem to be as 'fluffy/thick' as the Red Heart Super Saver. Worsted weight yarns seems to vary and if you get a 'thinner' worsted weight yarn, your blanket may end up smaller. (See question below about using thinner yarn).

Can I use DK yarn?

I know many people asked about using DK yarn last year for the Christmas Granny Square Afghan. My suggestion to you is, if you use DK yarn you will either want to make your granny squares larger by one row (which can easily be done) or add a whole other row to the blanket. (If you used DK weight yarn for the Christmas Afghan, please comment below with how it turned out!)

What are the dimensions of the blanket?

This blanket is meant to be a throw sized blanket measuring roughly 55" x 55".

Halloween Granny Afghan Materials List

Red Heart Super Saver in the follow amounts/colors:

4 skeins Grey Heather

1 skein Spring Green

1 skein Black

1 skein White

1 skein Lavender

1 skein Pumpkin
Small amount of yellow and pink worsted weight yarn (for candy corn and cat nose)

32 6mm safety eyes (I buy this pack from Amazon for a good price.)

J/6.00mm hook

G/4.00mm hook

Tapestry needle

Scissors

More Information

This blanket will consist of granny squares and appliques sewn on. If you are a newbie to joining and sewing on appliques, I have videos that will help you along the way! 

I will also have video tutorials along with the written patterns for each and every applique (as well as the granny square).

If you'd like to get weekly reminders when each part of the crochet along comes out (I know social media doesn't always do a good job of notifying everyone of new posts) you can sign up for my email list! I also send out an email each time I release a new pattern (you can unsubscribe at any time). Sign up here.

I will be releasing each part every Saturday at 12pm (EST).

Lastly, be sure to join the Maria's Yarn Friend Facebook group so you can share your progress, ask questions, and share anything yarn related!

Crochet Stitch Tutorial: Corner to Corner (C2C) with Half Double Crochets

I've been loving the Caron Cotton cakes that came back to Michael's Stores this spring and I'm especially loving the project I'm working on with it!

At first, I wanted to make a rug for one of the doors in my sunroom but I have so much more of this particular color called "Hydrangea" that I want to use them all up to make a small blanket!

I love using the C2C stitch for blankets because I feel they work up fairly quickly. That is, until you are on the decreasing rows and you feel like it will never end! But overall, I love the stitch and that it is worked up diagonally and more importantly - I love that there is no starting chain!

I also feel the C2C stitch is very special to me because I taught my mom this stitch. My mom taught me how to crochet when I was around 8 years old, so it was really special for me to give back and teach her something new.

Ever since I have taught her this stitch, she has used it for so so many scrap blanket projects! She loves taking all of her scraps (and mine!) to make one big blanket for her sofas.

Although I decided to use the C2C stitch, I did make a bit of a change from the usual.  Instead of using double crochets, I decided I would use half double crochets.  I think it gives it a beautiful texture and not as many holes/gaps as the double crochets would!

I've put together a quick tutorial on how to do the C2C stitch with half double crochet. If you are well versed in the corner to corner stitch using double crochet, it's basically the same thing except with half double crochets!

The only minor differences are you chain 5 for the beginning/increases and chain 2 before making the half double crochets into the spaces. You can watch the video for the step by step!

I've included how to make a rectangle OR square with the corner to corner (C2C) stitch.  This way you can make a rectangular blanket or a square dish cloth. You can even make a hat with my Don't Be A Square beanie that uses the C2C stitch!

Don't Be A Square Beanie - Free Crochet Pattern

There are many possibilities with this stitch. I hope you love it as much as I do! Enjoy!

If you don't see the video above, you may need to disable your ad blocker to view it.

How to Sew Appliques onto Crochet

I have sewn on quite a few crochet appliques onto other pieces of crochet (specifically granny squares), so I'm going to show you how I sew them on!

I know, it can be intimidating and you probably aren't the best sewer (I'm not either), but this video will show you how I sew on my appliques!

You can either leave a clean backing (you won't see where you sewed the applique on from the back) or you can do a very simple sewing stitch if you don't mind it showing on the back!

For my blankets, I like to keep the backs of the granny squares clean but if I'm sewing something onto a hat where the inside won't be seen, I will stick to the more simple method!

Now that you've learned how to sew on appliques, check out some of my fun granny square blankets that uses this technique so you can start practicing!

Woodland Granny Square Afghan (free pattern here)

Ocean Granny Square Afghan (free pattern here)

Christmas Granny Square Afghan (free pattern here)

Llama and Cactus Granny Square Afghan (free pattern here)

Psst! I'm currently working on a Halloween themed afghan that will be a fun crochet along starting in July. Sign up for my newsletter so you don't miss out!

In Stitches - Best Free Crochet Patterns Link Up Party - Week #12

Get the top 5 best free crochet patterns in this week's link up party!  There are definitely some fun summer crochet pattern this time around! Be sure to check them out and scroll to the bottom to see what free crochet patterns are being submitted for next time! Be sure to click on your favorites!

Find all the links below for the top 5 best free crochet patterns!

1.  Favorite Summer Top by A Crocheted Simplicitiy
2.  Crochet Hair Clips by Grace and Yarn
3.  Big O Beach Bag by Posh Pooch Designs
4.  Pineapple Jar Cozy by Posh Pooch Designs
5.  Shawligan by Creations by Courtney

Keep Scrolling for more free patterns! Be sure to click on your favorites at the bottom!

Find more free crochet patterns in past week's link up parties here!

Every other Monday, you will find a round up of the Top 5 Best Free Crochet Patterns! Plus, we (the hosts) will be sharing our own latest free crochet patterns on our blog. Throughout the week, links will be added so be sure to keep an eye on what others have to share as well!

If you are a crochet blogger that has free patterns to share, this is a great party for you to get your work out there! Simply follow the instructions below to 'link up' your free crochet patterns each week. If you are in the top 5 (most clicked patterns), your pattern will be shared and promoted by all of the crochet bloggers hosting this party! You can find more details below.

I am hosting this link up party right here on Maria's Blue Crayon, as well as on, Nicki's Handmade Crafts, Naztazia, Salty Pearl Crochet and The Unraveled Mitten. We are really excited to start this link up party and hope you join along!

Find our most recent free crochet patterns on our blogs!

• Llama and Cactus Granny Afghan by Maria's Blue Crayon
  
•  Microwavable Bowl Cozy by Nicki's Homemade Crafts 

• Sweet Simple Handbag by Naztazia

•  Market Bag by Salty Pearl Crochet

• Very Berry Baby Blanket by The Unraveled Mitten

Be sure to check out our social media pages and follow us for more crochet patterns and inspiration!

Ready to join In Stitches - The Best Free Crochet Pattern Party?

Want to add your link? Please remember to link to your actual project URL and not your homepage URL, and use the name of your project or post, not your own name. Just click the blue “Add Link” button below!

Please visit at least one other link, you just might find a new favorite project! AND – your clicks are how we determine which projects to feature each week! Feel free to leave a comment at the pattern link to provide feedback and show support.

No Etsy stores, Facebook pages, giveaways, or other link parties. Just blog posts to your actual crochet patterns that are accessible for FREE!

If your project gets featured as a top link, please do not submit that same project to future parties. We want to party fair! :)

Now let's get this party started! Please remember that the links below are shown in random order and are not shown according to when they were submitted or how many votes they received so far.

An InLinkz Link-up