Little aprons - free crochet pattern

Little Aprons

Materials
8 ply worsted weight 4mm hook makes an apron approx 12cm /5 inches from the top of the bib to the bottom of the skirt.

4ply, size 10 thread and a 2mm hook makes and apron approx 9cm /3 1/2 inches from the top of the bib to the bottom of the skirt.


Why little aprons?

These were designed in response to a request for some Christmas ornaments of a domestic nature. They have been designed with a neck loop so as to hang on a tree. I am not an aprony sort of girl so I had fun thinking about these. They have the grandma look which is kinda cute. I can imagine Granpa coming home to a hot dinner and Grandma slaving in the kitchen in her pretty apron.

I don’t have a Barbie doll, but I did wonder whether she might look good in one? Having made these I think they might have a use for a Kitchen tea. Not sure what you would do with them, but they would look pretty on a table. It also occurred to me they might be nice with a blessing or quote attached.

“The Apron Strings were his Re-entry Vehicle”: Buzz Aldrin's wife: Every woman should control 75 to 90% of her husband's life.

There are two sets of instructions: Australian and American so make sure you use the correct ones.


Pretty Polly : Australian Instructions


Waist tie
Make 62ch out of contrast colour. Start in 3rd ch from hook and work back along ch, make 59htr, 2ch and then 1slst finish in start ch.

Skirt
1. Miss 22st, and join main colour with a slst. Make 3ch, 1tr same sp, 1ch * miss 2, (2tr 1ch 2tr next st) 1ch. Repeat from * across 5 times, miss 2, 2tr next st (you will have 5 full shells and 2tr each end) turn at the end of each row.
2. 3ch, 1tr first st, 1ch (2tr 1ch 2tr) into 1ch at centre of each shell across, 2tr into last st.
3. 3ch, 2tr same st, 1ch * (3tr 1ch 3tr next st) 1ch. Repeat from * across 5 times, miss 2, 3tr next st.
4. 3ch, 2tr first st, 1ch (3tr 1ch 3tr) into 1ch at centre of each shell across, 3tr into last st.
5. Change colour, 3ch 4tr same sp, work 10tr into each shell across, 5tr into top of last st. finish off and weave in ends.

Bib - Turn work so as to make bib. Join main colour in the 22nd stitch from the end of the waist tie. This should correspond with the top of the 2nd shell group of the skirt.

1. 3ch, 1tr in 7st along band. These will centre over the middle 3 shells of the skirt, turn.
2. 3ch, 1tr next 7 across, turn
3. 3ch, 1tr, 1htr, 1dc, 1dc, 1htr, 1tr last 2st, finish off.

Neck tie
Join contrast at waist band at base of bib and work up side of bib - 1dc 1tr in base, 1 dc 1tr at base of next tr, twice, 1dc in top corner then make 15ch, 1dc 1tr in opposite corner of bib, 1dc 1tr at base of next tr twice, slst into the waist band. Finish off and weave in ends.

Flower - 4ch, 1dc into 1st ch made, (3ch, 1dc into first ch) 4 times = 5petals, slst finish off leaving a length of yarn to stitch flower onto bib.


Pretty Polly: American Instructions

Waist tie
Make 62ch out of contrast colour. Start in 3rd ch from hook and work back along ch, make 59hdc, 2ch and then 1slst finish in start ch.

Skirt
1. Miss 22st, and join main colour with a slst. Make 3ch, 1dc same sp, 1ch * miss 2, (2dc 1ch 2dc next st) 1ch. Repeat from * across 5 times, miss 2, 2dc next st (you will have 5 full shells and 2dc each end) turn at the end of each row.
2. 3ch, 1dc first st, 1ch (2dc 1ch 2dc) into 1ch at centre of each shell across, 2dc in last st.
3. 3ch, 2dc same st, 1ch * (3dc 1ch 3dc next st) 1ch. Repeat from * across 5 times, miss 2, 3dc next st.
4. 3ch, 2dc first st, 1ch (3dc 1ch 3dc) into 1ch at centre of each shell across, 3dc in last st.
5. Change colour, 3ch 4dc same sp, work 10dc into each shell across, 5dc into top of last st. finish off and weave in ends.

Bib - Turn work so as to make bib. Join main colour in the 22nd stitch from the end of the waist tie. This should correspond with the top of the 2nd shell group of the skirt.

1. 3ch, 1dc in 7st along band. These will centre over the middle 3 shells of the skirt, turn.
2. 3ch, 1dc next 7 across, turn
3. 3ch, 1dc, 1hdc, 1sc, 1sc, 1hdc, 1dc last 2st, finish off.

Neck tie
Join contrast at waist band at base of bib and work up side of bib – 1sc 1dc in base, 1sc 1dc at base of next dc, twice, 1sc in top corner then make 15ch, 1sc 1dc in opposite corner of bib, 1sc 1dc at base of next dc twice, slst into the waist band. Finish off and weave in ends.

Flower - 4ch, 1sc into 1st ch made, (3ch 1sc into first ch) 4 times = 5petals, slst finish off leaving a length of yarn to stitch flower onto bib.




Plain Jane : Australian Instructions

Make waist band as above.

Skirt
1. starting 22nd st from end of waist band make 3ch 1tr same st, (1tr next st, 2tr next st) 8 times across = 26 st
2. 3ch, 1tr each st across, turn
3. 3ch 1tr same st, (1tr next st, 2tr next st) 12 times across = 38 st
4. 3ch, 1tr each st across, turn
5. 3ch 1tr same st, (2tr together) 4times (1trnext st, 2tr next st) 8times, 2tr tog 5times, turn
6. 3ch, 1tr each st across = 36 finish off and weave in ends.
Join contrast at base of first st of skirt and work 1slst 1ch around edge.

Bib
Turn work so as to make bib. Join main colour in the 22nd stitch from the end of the waist tie. This should correspond with the top of the 6th group of st of the skirt.

1. 3ch, 1tr next 7st along band. These should be centred over the middle 3 shells of the skirt. Turn
2. 3ch, 1tr next 7 across, turn
3. Into 3rd st work 5tr, 1dc between 4th and 5th st, 5tr into next st, slst fin in top of last st.

Neck tie
Join contrast at waist band at base of bib and work up side of bib (1slst 1ch), 5times with final slst into 2nd tr in top corner then make 15ch, 1slst, 1ch 4th tr opposite corner shell of bib; work another (1slst 1ch) 4 times down side of bib. Finish with a slst into the waist band and weave in ends.

Pocket
1. 10ch, start 2nd form hook work 1tr next 7 = 8 turn
2 & 3. 3ch, 1tr next 7 turn. Finish leaving a length of thread to sew pocket to apron.
Join contrast at corner and work 1slst 1ch evenly around edge, weave in ends. Stitch pocket to front of apron.

Plain Jane: American Instructions

Make waist band as above.

Skirt
1. starting 22nd st from end of waist band make 3ch 1dc same st, (1tr next st, 2dc next st) 8 times across = 26st
2. 3ch, 1dc each st across, turn
3. 3ch 1dc same st, (1dc next st, 2dc next st) 12 times across = 38 st
4. 3ch, 1dc each st across, turn
5. 3ch 1dc same st, (2dc together) 4times, (1dc next st, 2dc next st) 8times, 2dc tog 5times, turn
6. 3ch, 1dc each st across = 36 finish off and weave in ends.
Join contrast at base of first st of skirt and work 1slst 1ch around edge.

Bib - Turn work so as to make bib. Join main colour in the 22nd stitch from the end of the waist tie. This should correspond with the top of the 6th group of st of the skirt.

1. 3ch, 1dc next 7st along band. These should be centred over the middle 3 shells of the skirt. Turn
2. 3ch, 1dc next 7 across, turn
3. Into 3rd st work 5dc, 1sc between 4th and 5th st, 5dc into next st, slst fin in top of last st.

Neck tie
Join contrast at waist band at base of bib and work up side of bib (1slst 1ch), 5times with final slst into 2nd tr in top corner then make 15ch, 1slst, 1ch 4th dc opposite corner shell of bib; work another (1slst 1ch) 4 times down side of bib. Finish with a slst into the waist band and weave in ends.

Pocket
1. 10ch, start 2nd form hook work 1dc next 7 = 8 turn
2 & 3. 3ch, 1dc next 7 st, turn. Finish leaving a length of thread to sew pocket to apron.
Join contrast at corner and work 1slst 1ch evenly around edge, weave in ends.
Stitch pocket to front of apron.

I hope you enjoy these.

(c) crochetroo. Pattern not to be reproduced. You can makes as many of these as you want and do whatever you wish with them. Have fun!

If you do come up with some interesting uses please let me know.

Digger Dude Troll Doll

Meet Digger Dude! Digger was emailed to me from Terry in the United States who made him from My Shiela the Aussie Troll Doll pattern in a previous post.

Doesnt Digger look great?

Here are Terrys instructions for the clothes. I havent tested these and they are in American Terminology only so some of it doesnt make sence to me (lol).

Pants: make a chain long enough to fit waist, join. Dc every 4 chain and Triple c every 5th around.
Next row dc even join
Fold in 1/2 dc around join end
Join yarn and then dc around for the other leg
Ch for belt long enough to tie

Vest: chain to fit waist dc in each c turn
row 2 dc turn c 2
row 3 dc turn c 2
fold in 1/2 then 1/2 again
dc on 1/4 dc 2dc each row for 3 rows
repeat on the other side
dc across the remainder dc for back
stitch shoulders

Hair: fold yarn in half and hook through the top or the head trim and the vary carefully comb one piece of yarn at a time

Thanks Terry it gave me a buzz seeing how he turned out. I am sure your grandson will enjoy Digger!

crochetroo buttons

This is a special thankyou to a kind soul out there who made me some cute little buttons.This person was very patient with me as it took me for ever to work out how to get them up on my site.

So I have my signature crochetroo koala button for my blog if you want to use it

This one is my signature crochetroo crocodile from my etsy store banner.

If I had to crochet them it would have been a piece of cake, but code to me is as foreign as Spanish. In fact I think I could learn Spanish quicker!

Now I have no idea how to make them link when you click on them, but I am excited at how cute they are. They are for you to use on your blogs if you please.

Thanks Jeanie, you are a very talented lady!

ps and now they do work! It's Magic!

Koala squares

(c) crochetroo

Well for some time now I have wanted to design a koala square. A koala granny doesn't sound right, but I guess there must be a few old Koala girls who live long enough to be a "granny"

While koalas are intrinsically cute, their colour grey isn't so I had to liven them up a bit with bright surrounds.

So after trying to figure out how to do a koala square I ended up with a few of them that I decided to turn some into pot holders. A few of these have been raoked os to some very special people. I like my koalas to go to good homes.

These I backed with a basic granny pattern that I rather like. The colours of this one are reminiscent of indigenous art and the beautiful colours of the outback.

And once I had the hang of the koala square I decided I would make a Koala Komfort Pram Rug. I have no idea what I will do with this as I cant see grandchildren on the horizon for many years, however I do think it turned out cute.

The colours were all left overs from other projects and have a nice earthy tone. I also like the gender neutrality of this one. I guess I could keep on koala-ing and make it bigger, but I think the koala suits a pram rug rather nicely. I felt a basic granny was all that was needed here to alternate amidst the koala faces. The green has a nice eucalyptus gum tree colour, and the yellow is like wattle.

You can also see Buster my avatar koala sitting quite comfortably in the garden.

Any good ideas for what else I can koala-ise?

Thanks for Looking!

More crochet rugs (afghans)

From the back of the cupboard...

I am gradually photographing them all to share. This one I made a very long time ago - somewhere in the early 80s. It was one of the first full size afghans that I made. I recall I did this over a number of years. Bored with the square granny I took on a 6 sided one. I did this one out of scraps, and then as a true obsessive compulsive had to work a pattern out with the colours.

You can see when I lay it out on the floor how I achieved a rainbow effect. This is very basic but very effective, particularly with the black borders.


This is another one that I recently dragged out of the cupboard. Another oldie but goody. I made this for my daughters bed when she was little. You can see how I grouped the colours in blocks of four and then joined them with a simple white dc join. I made this one after the black one, as I was over black, and felt like something a bit lighter.

The block is a pretty pattern with a flower type centre and a pattern of shells in the corners. These two are now at least 20 years old and still in pretty good nick.

Thanks for looking!

Butterflies, dragonflies and moths

I recently ordered some Monaco threads on line from Jackie in the Philippines. These are the most beautiful threads with fabulous colours.
I have had a lot of enjoyment creating some spring designs. I know butterflies are a bit cliche, but they are so pretty.
These are crochet using a 1.75 hook and size 10 thread.

This is based on the Cairns Birdwing which is the largest butterfly in Australia. In the rainforest they are a bright green and black with a red thorax. I based mine on the shape rather than the colour.

I also designed a simple dragonfly based on the glider dragonfies we get in the garden.
Then I did a moth. Moths are quite interesting as they have thicker bodies and stumpier wings. I used the yellow tiger moth as a model. I do like the way they turned out as they are a bit different from the usual winged insect.
I reworked the Ulysses a little bit to make the body a bit slighter. These ones have the characteristic swallow tail tips on the bottom wings. There is an earlier version of this pattern earlier on in this blog.
My plan wasn't to write another set of patterns for a while as it takes me soooo long to write and proof and translate. I was so enthused by the yarn that I have listed these patterns on etsy. Here is the link:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=44224

The good old gecko sure looks good in this thread. The colours give them that chameleon effect.
I gave the one on the left to a elderly uncle today. He was quite taken. He said that the geckos used to keep him awake at night. I never realised that geckos made a noise. I thought this was only frogs. They apparently they can make quite a racket.
Here is a sample of all the different colours in some of my bookmark designs. You can see turtles, crocodiles, geckos and butterflies. The colours are so pretty I just cant stop making these.
I certainly have a few to pop into cards for birthdays etc over the next while!
Thanks for looking. I am so glad it is spring. Seems strange to think that some of you are now entering your winter.

Hooroo!!

I got the threads here:

http://crochetthreadsandmore.blogspot.com/2006/01/monaco-cotton-threads-and-shipping.html

Crochet Chook Tea Cosy

Cluck Cluck Cluck!!

I posted instructions for the scallop tea cosy in May . I have been overwhelmed by the interest in this one. A keen crocheter and Chicken fanatic has added a few little bits and voila Madame Chook appears. This is so clever and looks very cute. Jamie has sent me her additions to the basic pattern, as well as the photo so you can all go forth and crochet Chicken Cosies.

From this:


I felt this was just the thing to post on my blog as it sits comfortable with the other crazy and fun ideas. Thanks Jamie for sending me your ideas!


To this:

Here is what she did:

"I just chained 7 and slip stitched to first chain and then chained 7 again and slip stitched to the first chain so that I had something resembling a figure 8. Then I put 12 DC in each loop, ended off and lightly stitched it together and shaped it into something resembling dangly chicken bits. Sewed it onto the cozy, added some eyes and a beak that I cut from fleece and it was done! "

I have been working on a Christmas variation which I will post in the future.

Isn't Jamies' chicken cosy fantastic?