The Mother Lode

Crafts and Crochet

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20 Gorgeous Cowl Crochet Patterns

I love to wear cowls in the winter! I used to wear scarves all the time. Oh! When I was a teenager I had an absolutely ENORMOUS black scarf that I wore all the time. It was honestly obnoxious! Now as a busy mom, I prefer a cowl, because they are easier to toss on, and as a crocheter because they (usually) take less time to make! I know you’ll find the perfect cowl crochet pattern to make among these lovely designs!

Follow Your Path Cowl by Made by Gootie

This 3 button cowl pattern is stunning! I love the design of this one, the “arrows” give it a lot of visual interest, perfect for making a cowl with only one yarn color. I don’t use a lot of sport weight yarn, but this pattern sure is tempting me to look for some in my stash!

Watercolor Cowl by Blackstone Designs

This one is a more basic pattern, but it’s still beautiful. Pick an amazing yarn for this one, something with color changes like in the photo. The drape on this cowl crochet pattern is so pretty, and I have some yarn in my stash that would be great for this pattern, actually!

Crochet Button Cowl from Sierra’s Crafty Creations

I love this style of cowl! I have a design sitting here in my basket of a cowl shaped like this with a cute ruffle on it that I should really get to writing, shouldn’t I? Anyway, in the meantime if you also like this style, make this one! I like how it keeps your neck warm without being right up to the face, and you know I love a good super bulky weight yarn project like this Fluff of the Andes from WeCrochet!

Aspen Infinity Scarf by The Loophole Fox

This is one of those projects you see and think OOOOOOO I would make that over and over again! The diagonal ribbing is unique and gives it almost a delicate look. This design is really timeless and could lend itself to lots of styles with the yarn choice you make for it. I really love this tweedy one she has used and coincidentally I bought a similar yarn at Michael’s today!

Hill Neck Warmer from Rich Textures Crochet

This is a new to me crochet designer and WOW! They are not kidding about the texture! I think this is so lovely and interesting! This is a great design to use with whatever worsted yarn is hanging around in your stash. I would make this cowl crochet pattern in a quality worsted wool yarn to really keep it cozy!

The Blustery Cowl

I’m delighted to share one of my own patterns as part of this list! The Blustery Cowl is warm and cozy and has a matching beanie. I made one with multiple colors and one with all one color when I designed it. The Lion Brand yarn Hue+Me is a great yarn for this pattern.

Birds of Feather Cowl by Meladora’s Creations

There is such a fun use of color in this cowl design by Meladora’s Creations! I love the use of the crossed stitches and the contrasting colors are delightful. There is a matching hat AND fingerless gloves for this cowl crochet pattern.

PNW Cowl by Creations by Courtney

This cowl and hat set is so unique! I love the giant X detail. The design on this is special and I think it would be a standout in a single color or using two colors to highlight the texture. I promise I didn’t go looking for matching set patterns, but I sure am finding a lot as I write this!

Forest Trail Cowl by Carol Hladik Designs

This is a sweet lightweight cowl design, made with fingering weight. It would be perfect for those living in a warmer place where you don’t need the bulk of some other accessories. I bet you could use that one skein of fancy hand dyed yarn that’s been hanging around on your shelves for a while to make this one! It would be so satisfying!

Frosted Glass Cowl by Thoresby Cottage

What a cute little cowl this is! I like the way she designed this with the bead stitches. It is meant to be made with only one skein and I think you could likely do that with a cake yarn, maybe you would need two if the worsted skein is on the smaller side.

Let it Snow Cowl by Crochet Highway

I mean. Come on. Such a gorgeous pattern! An intermediate pattern, but not too intimidating as she has tons of photos to help you with the method and a video tutorial as well! I might have to come back to make this one when I have time for a project like this, it’s so striking!

Shifting Posts Cowl by the Loopy Lamb

Love the fun colorwork on this cowl crochet pattern! I think it would be fun to work up with scraps, too. This is one of those patterns that looks intricate and complicated until you start making it and see how simple it is.

Aria Cowl by Madame Stitch

I think this is a really lovely cowl pattern! I like the way she put the granny stitch with some different stitches to give it an elegant look. I would make this one in a single color to let those stitches shine! This pattern uses DK and you can customize the length as you like.

Blooming Trails Cowl by Cute as a Button Crochet

The design on this cowl is so pretty! I love projects like this where there is a texture that repeats so it is easy stitching once you learn the pattern. There is a matching hat to this one that is really great looking as well! This one you can make with worsted weight yarn, and I bet it would be stunning in a marled or variegated yarn.

Glacial Cowl by Left in Knots

I bet this cowl works up so fast because you are using treble stitches in a C2C (corner to corner) pattern and it’s made with a category 5 yarn. Pick a really nice variegated for this pattern, it would be beautiful! Confession: I have never used Lion Brand Scarfie! This well loved yarn is what the designer used for this one and she has a ton of patterns using it as part of her Seven Days of Scarfie, so check it out if you like that!

Diagonal Swirl Cowl by Underground Crafter

This is one of those patterns that is beautiful and has a ton of visual interest, and I’d love to see one made with a single color so you can see the swirl pattern more! You’ll need some buttons for this one as it is made in one piece.

Bella Oversized Cowl by Stitch and Hustle

If you need a huge cowl to really keep cozy, here it is! I like an oversized accessory like this, because it is practical but makes you feel fabulous and stylish. And you know I can’t resist a super bulky weight yarn project that can work up quickly!

Keystone Cowl by Oombawka Designs

Such a pretty cowl made with the mosaic crochet technique. This is probably a great pattern to learn this technique on because it’s a smaller project and made with bulky yarn.

Busy Bee Happy Neck Warmer from Sandra Stitches

I used this almond stitch pattern on a dishcloth for my mother in law and I loved making it! It’s a cool stitch pattern, and it looks lovely on this cowl design.

Spice Cowl

The Spice Cowl is a worsted yarn colorwork cowl that I hope you’ll love to make! The closed texture on this design makes it really cozy even though it is made with category 4 yarn. The puff stitches on it are fun to make and there is a simplicity in the pattern. I hope you love playing with the color with this one. I would love it with the Brava Tweed Yarn from WeCrochet.

Which cowl would you want to make? I think I need to go back through and narrow it down between the Let It Snow and the Aspen Infinity!

20 gorgeous cowl crochet pattern roundup post

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Halloween Crochet Costumes

Let’s use our favorite craft to make amazing Halloween costume pieces! They don’t have to be enormously elaborate to be adorable or clever, and you have plenty of time to whip up some of these items before the end of the month. So dig into your stash and find some forgotten yarn, sit in a well lit spot and make the cutest costume for yourself or someone you love!

I’m going to break this post down into sections on types of items so the ideas have some organization!

Crowns

There are plenty of great patterns out there for crochet crowns. Crochet crowns are much more comfortable than any plastic one you get from the store, and you could even hot glue some sparkle on if that’s your jam.

Let’s start off with one of mine: The Marian Crown! You can use this for an All Saints’ Day Blessed Mother costume, but you could absolutely make it for any princess, prince, queen, king, etc! This is particularly fast, you could make a toddler size in an hour or so.

Here is another one from Crochet365, it’s cute and has sizing from baby to adult!

Creatures

How cute would it be to make this lil frog to carry dressed as a princess for a Princess and the Frog costume? Little Crochet Farm has so many cute, small amigurumi patterns, and this one is very beginner friendly. Think about other critters you could make as an accessory to add detail to a costume.

Put together two amazing crochet patterns to create a dragon costume! Green Fox Farms created this unique dragon tail keyhole scarf that is so cute! Pair it with a dragon hat like this one and you have a cozy costume.

So many animal hats! There are lots of patterns for cute animal hats! Here are some of my favorites:

This Sheep Hat by Daisy Farm Crafts is such a sweet pattern! She actually even has a vest to go with it to make a full costume. She always has beautiful patterns.

Plenty of cat and bear hat patterns, those would whip up in a snap! I like this cat one from Nana’s Crafty Home.

This monkey hat by the Friendly Red Fox is so cute! I love the braided ties that it has. I think if you pair this with a brown sweatsuit, you could easily make a brown tail to add to the pants. This would be such a cute, comfortable monkey costume.

Another one from Daisy Farm Crafts: a cow hat! It’s so adorable and she has sizing information all the way from baby to adult. All these animals, you could have the whole family be a little farm!

Jobs/Character

Police Baby hat from Posh Patterns is a cute one! There is also a really sweet one with a diaper cover and itty bitty handcuffs on ravelry by Jessica Gammon.

There is a great Kim Guzman design for free on the Yarnspirations site for a pirate costume!

Krissy’s Over the Mountain Crochet has a sailor hat sized baby to child that I bet you could easily make an adult version, it looks pretty simple!

The Twisted Hatter has a great catalog of intricate patterns if you wanted to take on a bigger project. Large hooded characters and unique hats for things from aliens to jellyfish to plants!

Halloween Theme Costumes

There are plenty of pumpkin hats out there! When my daughter was a baby, I dressed all in green and twirled silk ivy in my hair, then carried her in a green baby wrap wearing a pumpkin hat for trick or treat at my alma mater high school! It was so sweet and easy. Did I just spend 30 minutes looking for a photo of that and come up empty handed? Yep.

Anyways here are some great pumpkin hats: Hooded Pumpkin Cowl by Briana K Designs is a pretty pattern! I love how realistic the stem looks on this one.

Crochet 365 has their crochet pumpkin hat that is a little more basic but just as sweet and it has all sizes so you could make an entire pumpkin patch of hats!

Crochetverse also has some great costume pieces as well as full costumes. The bride of Frankenstein wig hat is my favorite here!

Witch hats are another great Halloween costume item to make! I like this velvet crochet witch hat pattern from Gleeful Things.

I hope you found something amazing to make with one of these patterns! In the past it was quite easy to run to Joann for fabrics to make a costume, this year I’m sure there are many people mourning that. Maybe crochet is the answer! (as it is for so many things, haha!)

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Quick Heart Patterns for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is one week away, so we need QUICK patterns to make! These patterns are all fast makes that would make sweet little Valentine’s trinkets for your loved ones or additions to larger projects.

Some of these I think would even be pretty cute classroom Valentine gifts, if you have a smaller class. I’m pretty sure a few years ago my mom made little crochet hearts for my niece’s class for Valentine’s Day. I’ve searched around a bit for a little variety, but these are all small items you can definitely accomplish in about an hour or less.

Okay let’s see what I’ve found!

Tapestry Heart Square by Amelia Makes

This little square is so cute and can be many things! A tiny wall hanging, a coaster, or add border rounds to make a dishcloth. You could even make several squares to create a small bag.

Crochet Heart Home Decor Pattern by Amber Bliss This

Amber’s patterns are always great, and this one fits right in with her collection. The smallest size of this heart is a free pattern on her blog, and I think you could use it for so many things!

Heart Crochet Pattern by Nicole Chase

I’m not a big amigurumi person, but this is definitely a cute pattern for a plushie heart! You could make this into a cute keychain with a tassel, too.

Crochet Heart Stitch Ear Warmer by Left in Knots

This ear warmer pattern is so pretty! The puff stitches make little hearts and I bet they keep your ears nice and warm, too.

Crochet Heart Basket by Simply Melanie Jane

I think this little basket is SO adorable. I would make this with a strong cotton yarn and keep it out all year on my dresser. Oh, I also think this would be great to adapt to a chunky yarn or even a t-shirt yarn for a larger basket.

Crochet Heart Keychain Pattern by Made by Gootie

These keychains are sweet! I might be planning on checking through my craft supplies for some keychains tonight!

Valentine’s Heart Bag by Divine Debris

I love Amber’s tapestry crochet patterns. She is so talented and I’ve pattern tested for her a few times and always been impressed by her work. This little bag might take more than an hour but it’s so special I had to put it in this round-up anyway!

Embroidered Crochet Heart by Thoresby Cottage

GORGEOUS! This is such a smart idea to really elevate these little hearts! I’m not skilled in embroidery but I have some basic abilities. These would be a great little practice project!

Puff Flower Heart by Meladora’s Creations

I think this puff flower heart is so creative! This would be a lovely decor piece, even hanging it on the wall would be pretty!

For the Love Earrings by me!

For the Love Earrings

These are one of my favorite earring patterns I’ve ever designed! It’s pretty tricky to get just the right heart shape and I think these turned out with a good one. If you aren’t into thread crochet, you could make these with worsted yarn as a cute keychain or applique. If you want to try thread crochet earrings, these are one of my easiest earring patterns.

I hope you found a pattern or two in this round-up to make this week. Thanks for reading and show me what you made! You can tag me on Instagram or Facebook. Save this Pin on your Pinterest board to come back to whenever you need it!

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10 Stunning Crochet Patterns to make for Fall

The chilly temps have arrived in Pennsylvania and I’m loving it! I want to share some FREE patterns with you today from amazing crochet designers that are stunning for fall! We’ve got shawls, blankets, hats, scarves, all the cozy things that are also beautiful! I’ve joined a lovely facebook group this year full of talented, hard-working designers. It’s been so nice for us to share each other’s work through events like blog hops and roundups such as this.

Lace Sleeve Pullover by Briana K Designs

Truly, Briana is one of the most talented designers! I dare anyone to browse her patterns without finding 10 things you want to make! This Lace Sleeve Pullover is so pretty and stunning for fall!

Tulip Square Scarf by Wilmade

Wilma creates beautiful patterns! I particularly like her granny squares. This Tulip Square Scarf uses granny squares to form this lovely scarf. I love the balance of the oversize plus the lacy squares, it’s magnificent!

Cable Stitch Hat by Banana Moon Studio

This hat is so pretty! I love the texture of the cables, and it looks warm and cozy for fall! The Blair Beanie has 4 sizes, so you could make one for everyone in the family.

Harvest Fields Wrap from Made by Gootie

This wrap is GORGEOUS and it’s unique construction gives is some extra oomph and versatility. The little bit of texture there is pretty and it looks quite cozy. What color would you choose for the Harvest Fields Wrap?

Rainbow Granny Square Blanket by Raffamusa Designs

I mean. Come on. This design is so fun! Stunning in it’s bright colors and unique granny squares. How can you keep from cracking a smile over this pattern!? The Rainbow Granny Square Blanket began as a crochet-a-long, and now you can head to the blog post and make all the pieces!

Aneira Infinity Scarf by Madame Stitch

This is such a lovely infinity scarf pattern! The lacy part is so pretty, I can imagine it being perfect for fall when you might be sweating by the middle of the afternoon! The Aneira Infinity Scarf could even be a hit as a gift this season!

Mosaic in a Month Blanket by Juniper and Oakes

This blanket was a collaborative effort for the design and it is a masterpiece! You’ll have to jump around a bit to each section to make this blanket, but I’m sure it’s worth the effort because it is SO gorgeous. The Mosaic in a Month blanket would be a great challenge to make this “crochet season.”

Bellus Mittens by Joy of Motion Crochet

These are lovely! The texture is pretty, but they still look very warm! These would make a great gift if you don’t need a pair of mittens yourself! I would make the Bellus Mittens in a pretty dark pink.

Luxe Leopard Headband by Crafting for Weeks

I see this every fall and I always think I’m going to make one, and I still have yet to! Maybe this fall is the time! It’s such a beautiful pattern. The Luxe Leopard pattern has all the sizes you could possibly need, go check it out!

Simple Ridges Beanie by me!

This is one of my favorite designs! Use some of that fancy hand dyed fingering weight someday yarn for this light beanie! Hold the fingering yarn double to make this pretty hat. The Simple Ridges Beanie is perfect for fall when you might not need that thick hat yet.

Which one will you make?!!? If only my fingers could fly so I could make them all in my limited mom time! I’ve been eyeing the Luxe Leopard Headband ever since Kelsie published it, though, so I think that’s going to be the one that I make. Ooooo you know what? I’m going to make that my car project for the foreseeable future. Follow me on Instagram, I’ll share about it there! @motherlodecrafts

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