The Importance of Gauge Swatches

Today I want to talk about crochet gauge swatches. What many crocheters don’t know is that gauge swatches are important in a lot of patterns, especially if you are making some type of clothing. If your gauge isn’t correct your finished product could come out all wrong.

So what exactly is a crochet gauge swatch? A gauge is a small swatch sampling either from a small piece of the pattern or one of the stitches used in the pattern. The overall purpose of making these gauge swatches is to make sure that your tension is even. If your tension is too tight or too loose, the sizing of your crochet item may not match the original design. If this happens, you want to try using a bigger or smaller crochet hook to test out first and see which matches better with the gauge swatch.

Depending on what you’re making, the correct gauge can be important. If you’re crocheting clothing for someone, such as a sweater, you’ll want to make sure your gauge is correct so that the finished product will fit the person it’s intended for. I like to think I’m a very neat crocheter as my tension seems to be even throughout my projects, but that’s not always the case. One time I tried making a particular slouchy hat, using the same hook size and yarn as the original pattern, and my gauge was way off! The hat came out super big and not at all what I wanted. This is why it’s important to check your gauge/tension when doing particular projects.

If you have any tips on gauge swatches or would like to share your experience, please leave me a comment.

Are you still looking for that perfect Christmas gift? Look no further than my Etsy Shop where you find cute penguin and snowmen hats as well as cute baby blankets, baby sweaters and newborn hats.

Be sure to check out and subscribe to my blog for all future projects, hauls, and much more. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Snowmen and Penguin Hats Available!

Snowmen and penguin hats are now available in my Etsy shop! Snowmen hats are available in dark purple, royal blue, cherry red, forest green, and berry pink. Each snowman hat features a pom pom on top. Penguin hats come with or without a cute bow. Each hat is big enough to fit over the ears and has a pom pom on each side. All hats listed are in child size. If you would like a bigger size, you can request a customization.

Hurry now and pick up these cute hats, which are perfect for the upcoming holiday season!

My Favorite/Most Used Yarn Brands

Hey everyone,

Today I’m going to share with you some of my favorite/most used yarn brands. I’m sure I will be adding to this list, but for now these are the yarns I tend to gravitate towards. These aren’t in any specific order.  I’ve also included some pictures of some items I have made using these yarns to help you get a better understanding of what it looks like once it’s worked up in a project. I hope you enjoy my list, and let me know what some of your favorite/most used yarns are.

Deborah Norville Everyday Yarn-This is a soft, acrylic yarn that doesn’t pill. I really enjoy working with this yarn as I feel like it glides smoothly on my crochet hook. There are many solid colors available, but some variegated colors as well.

Bernat Softee Baby-This soft, acrylic yarn is probably my most used yarn for baby items. This yarn has many different solid colors as well as some variegated colors. This yarn also has a pretty sheen to it, much like Caron Simply Soft.

Caron Simply Soft-Much like the other yarns, this is a soft acrylic yarn. This is classified as a #4 worsted weight yarn, but it’s more on the thinner side. This has a nice sheen to it and many, many different colors to choose from. I love working with this yarn, especially for scarves as I feel like everything turns out really pretty.

Bernat Blanket Yarn-This yarn is a super plush yarn that is perfect for blankets (hence the name). You can purchase just the Bernat Blanket Yarn, which can be used for home décor or you can purchase Bernat Baby Blanket for baby projects. Of course, you can always mix and match these two together as they are the same. The baby line has more baby colors while the regular blanket yarn has more colors you would find in homes. I love the squishiness of this yarn and have made many blankets.

Loops & Threads Snuggly Wuggly-This is more of a DK weight baby yarn, but I find that it’s comparable to Bernat Softee Baby. This acrylic yarn is available in many different baby colors.

I Love This Yarn-This is a Hobby Lobby exclusive yarn. This yarn comes in TONS of different solid and variegated colors. This is one of the softest acrylic yarns I have ever used. A lot of people have compared it to Red Heart Super Saver in terms of color options, but it is noticeably softer.

There you go! I hope you enjoyed my list of favorite/most used yarns. Have you tried any of these yarn brands? What are some of your favorite yarns to work with?

Be sure to check out and subscribe to my blog for all future projects, hauls, and much more. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Yarn Haul-Impeccable, Big Twist Premium, Bernat Softee Baby, and Caron Cake

Hey everyone!

Today I’m going to be sharing with you a quick yarn haul. I recently picked up this yarn because I wanted to make a few last minute items for an upcoming craft fair.

The first yarn I picked up is Loops and Threads Impeccable yarn. This yarn is sold exclusively at Michaels stores. When I purchased this yarn, they had a sale where you bought 2 and you get the 3^rd skein free. I ended up getting 9 skeins, 3 of them being free. I thought that was an amazing deal that I couldn’t pass up. With these colors, I ended up making some penguin hats as well as some snowmen hats. These hats will be available for purchase in my Etsy Shop within the next couple of weeks.

Next, I went to Joann Fabrics to pick up a little more yarn. I saw someone had made emoji hats, so I was interested in making some of my own. I couldn’t find the perfect bright yellow yarn, which is why I ended up at Joann Fabrics. The yarn I picked up with is Big Twist Premium in the color Tumeric. I thought this was the perfect color for the emoji hats. I also picked up two skeins of white in the same brand. I didn’t really have any idea how to make the emoji faces, so I kind of made it up as I went along.

I also picked up four more Caron Cakes in the colors Blueberry Cheesecake and Faerie Cake. I picked up two cakes of each. I’m not sure what I’m going to make with these yet, but I can’t wait to use them. I recently completed my first crochet pattern using this yarn. The Bernat Softee Baby yarn is going to be part of my upcoming baby collection, which will debut at the end of January.

Overall, I’m glad I was able to pick up some of this yarn and make some new things with them. I’m also happy that I was able to get this yarn when it was on sale. I still have a bunch of this yarn leftover, so I’ll probably save it and use it to make more of these hats in the future when my stock in running low.

Have you ever used these yarn brands before? What are your thoughts?

Be sure to check out and subscribe to my blog for all future projects, hauls, and much more. As always, thanks for stopping by!

New Products in My Etsy Shop

Hey everyone!

Today I’m launching my newest crochet collection on Etsy. This collection features crochet baby blankets, baby sweaters, and newborn pom hats in the colors mint, gray, and white. Feel free to browse this collection and see the different styles I have available. Below are some of the items from this collection:

Be sure to check out and subscribe to my blog for all future projects, hauls, and much more. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Mint, White, Gray Chevron Baby Blanket

Hi everyone!

Here is my finished chevron baby blanket. For this blanket, I used Bernat Softee Baby Yarn in the colors white and mint and Loops & Threads Snuggly Wuggly Yarn in soft gray. The completed blanket measures 47” x 36”. I used a size H-8 crochet hook and a total of one full skein of each color and a little extra of a second skein of each color. This blanket is available on my Etsy Shop if you are interested in purchasing it.

What I love about this blanket is how soft it is. I really enjoyed making this blanket and using these colors. I think they are perfect together and will complement any baby nursery. It is also a gender neutral baby blanket. Again, the blanket is very soft and cuddly and would be perfect for your little bundle of joy.

If you are interested in purchasing this blanket, or another chevron baby blanket in another color, please visit my Etsy Shop.

Be sure to check out and subscribe to my blog for all future projects, hauls, and much more. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Yarn Review-Bernat Softee Baby

Today I will be reviewing Bernat Softee Baby yarn. The first thing I noticed with this yarn is that it is extremely soft. Because of this, it has quickly become my favorite baby yarn. This premium 100% acrylic yarn is considered a 3-light weight yarn.  Each solid skein is 5 oz. while each variegated skein is 4.25 oz. For the crocheters out there, the recommended hook size is a size G-6, while the recommended needle size for knitters is a size US 6. This yarn is machine washable.

This yarn is a delight to work with. The colors are gorgeous and even have a little sheen to them. You can easily find the colors you are looking for to match the colors of baby’s nursery. I have made numerous blankets with this yarn and even some baby hats, too. I highly recommend this yarn for your next baby project as it is super soft and cuddly.

If you are interested in purchasing any of my baby items, please visit my Etsy Shop.

Be sure to check out and subscribe to my blog for all future projects, hauls, and much more. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Announcement

Hi everyone and welcome to my new blog!

My name is Amanda, the crochet-addict behind this blog. With this blog, I will be talking about all things crochet: current projects, reviews on yarn, hooks, and crochet books, and more.

I first learned how to crochet when I was a teenager. I found some yarn and crochet hooks in a bag at the back of my mom’s linen closet. I had no idea what you could do with this yarn, but I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. One day I was asked to join a crochet club that was starting up in my neighborhood. I met like-minded people that wanted to learn how to crochet as well. At first, I was all thumbs as I struggled to hold the crochet hook the right way as well as the yarn. I could feel my hands tensing up as I tempted to make chains and my first few stitches. Eventually I got the hang of it and finished my first scarf. Even though it wasn’t perfect, I was proud that I finished something. I guess you can say I’ve been ‘hooked’ ever since.

FOR MY FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT….

I now have an Etsy Shop!

When you visit my Etsy Shop, you will find handmade, crochet baby items. I have baby blankets, baby sweaters, and newborn hats available. I have different colors to choose from, depending on what you are looking for. I can even custom make an item for you if you don’t see any color combinations you like, so just ask. Be sure to check back on my Etsy Shop for new products and future promotions.

I hope you find what I have to say interesting. I hope you will learn about different yarn brands you might not have tried before or learn something new about crochet in general. Either way, I hope you will visit again soon. Feel free to leave me a comment or fill out the “Contact Me” page listed on the index at the top of the page.

Take care!

~Amanda