Tutorial: Cheap & easy plastic tatting shuttles

Here's a quick tutorial for how to make your own tatting shuttle, if you should ever need one in a hurry :) 

They are not quite like the shuttles you buy in a store, but they do work (I have tested them myself). You might need to get used to using a shuttle like this, because it is just a single "blade" and therefore has no bobbin to hold the thread out of the way while you tat. The thread also tends to get caught in the slits on the sides, but you'll get used to that, too, and soon you learn how to avoid it :) These shuttles can be made in card instead of plastic, but they are probably a lot less durable than the plastic ones.

What you'll need:

A plastic lid or box of some sort (thicker than paper, but thin and soft enough to cut with scissors)

Scrissors

A sharp knife

Hole-punch

Glue (optional - if you want to glue two pieces together to make a thicker shuttle)

The shuttle:

Start with cutting off edges and bends of the plastic you're using - it's easier to cut out the right shapes when you are working with a flat sheet of plastic:

Cut out one or two shapes (or more, depending on how many shuttles you want), in whatever shape or size you prefer :) It's no big deal if the parts are not identical if you intend to glue them together - just hold the pieces together and cut away the edges that stick out. 

When you are happy with your shapes, use the hole-punch to make two holes in the shuttle. Exact placement of the holes is not that important, just make sure you make them far enough from the edge to avoid cracking the plastic.

Next, cut slits in the shuttle from the edge to the holes - these are the grooves needed to wind the thread onto the shuttle, so make sure they are wide enough to fit the thread you plan to use :)

If you think the edges are rough, too pointy or uneven, use the knife to round off the corners and smooth out the edges to prevent the thread from catching and fraying when you use the shuttle.

Finally, glue two (or more) pieces together if you want a sturdier shuttle. I found that a single sheet of plastic was strong enough, but thinner sheets might need to be glued together. Wait for the glue to dry completely, cut/scrape away any edges left by the glue, and the shuttle is ready for use :)

Wind some of your favorite thread onto the shuttle and you're good to go :D

Crocheted strawberry

Great as a summer treat! I have used bulky wool yarn and a 3.75mm crochet hook to make a  fairly large strawberry. Use thinner yarn and a smaller hook for a smaller berry :)

You will need:

* Red & green yarn

* A suitable crochet hook

* A little stuffing

* Needle for sewing

Berry:

With red yarn,

6 sc in ring

*1 sc, inc* three times - 9 sts

Sc around

*2 sc, inc* three times - 12 sts

*3 sc, inc* three times - 15 sts

*4 sc, inc* three times - 18 sts

*5 sc, inc* three times - 21 sts

*6 sc, inc* three times - 24 sts

Sc around

*3 sc, inc* six times - 30 sts

Sc around 2 rounds

*1 sc, dec* ten times - 20 sts

10 dec - 10 sts

Stuff the strawberry

5 dec - 5 sts

Break yarn, weave the yarn end through the last 5 sts and pull tight to close the hole. Weave in end

Leaves on top:

With green yarn,

6 sc in ring, sl st in first sc to close round

*chain 4, trc dec (the same as a trc cluster with 2 trc) in same space, chain 2, sl st in 2nd loop from hook, chain 4, sl st in next sc from first round* repeat five more times to make six leaves

Break yarn, pull the end through to the back and use this to attach the leaves to the top of the strawberry

Make a bunch of these and place them in a pretty bowl to decorate your summer table :)

Crocheted hat

After a few attempts at making the Swedish Olympic hat, I finally gave up and made up a hat pattern of my own. This is the result, hope you like it. I have made both a tight fitting hat and a longer, more floppy beanie style hat. The hat is pretty stretchable and this size will fit most people :)

You will need:

* 8mm crochet hook
* 6.5mm crochet hook (optional, it's for the flower)
* Two or four balls of super bulky yarn, depending on which style you choose to make (I have used DROPS Eskimo)

Hat pattern:

With 8mm hook,

Chain 4, join into a ring

Chain 2, 9 hdc into the ring, sl st in top of chain 2 to close - 10 sts

Chain 2, hdc in same space, hdc inc in each st around, sl st to close - 20 sts

Chain 2, hdc inc in next, *hdc, hdc inc* nine times, sl st to close - 30 sts

Chain 2, hdc in next, hdc inc, *2 hdc, hdc inc* nine times - sl st to close - 40 sts

Chain 2, hdc around, sl st to close - 40 sts

Chain 2, hdc in next 2, hdc inc, *3 hdc, hdc inc* - nine times, sl st to close - 50 - sts

Chain 2, hdc around, sl st to close - 50 sts

Chain 2, hdc in next 8, hdc inc, *9 hdc, hdc inc* four times, sl st to close - 55 sts

Chain 2, hdc around, sl st to close - 55 sts

Repeat the last round seven times for a total of 8 rounds without increase

Chain 1, sc around, sl st to close - 55 sts

Repeat the last round once

Finish off the hat with a round of crab stitch or backwards single crochet. Check out this video tutorial if you're unsure of how to do it.

If you want to make the longer, floppy version of the hat, simply crochet 7 more rounds without increase. Crochet 3 rounds of sc instead of 2 to make the hat more steady. Finish off with a round of crab stitch.

Flower pattern:

With 6.5mm hook,
8 sc in ring, sl st in front loop of 1st sc
Continue working in the front loops only:
*Chain 4, sl st in same st, chain 4, sl st in next st* around - 16 loops
Break yarn, pull the end through to the back

Assembly:

Attach the flower to the hat and weave in all ends. All ready to wear :)

Crocheted & felted Leprechaun hat

This hat will fit a small doll, or you can simply use it as a decoration for St. Patrick's Day :) I used a whole 50g ball of green for this hat, with only a yard to spare, so I suggest you have more than one ball at hand, or you can use a smaller hook. The hat is 13cm tall and the bottom opening is about 5cm across.

You will need:

* 8mm crochet hook

* Green pure wool yarn (bulky)

* Black wool yarn
* A scrap of yellow wool yarn

Pattern:

With 8mm hook and green yarn,

Sc 8 in ring

Inc around - 16 sts

*1 sc, inc* eight times - 24 sts

*2 sc, inc* eight times - 32 sts

*3 sc, inc* eight times - 40 sts

*4 sc, inc* eight times - 48 sts

BLO: *10 sc, dec* four times - 44 sts

*9 sc, dec* four times - 40 sts

*8 sc, dec* four times - 36 sts

*7 sc, dec* four times - 32 sts

*6 sc, dec* four times - 28 sts
Sc around 5 rounds - 28 sts
Change to black yarn
Sc around 3 rounds - 28 sts
Change to green yarn
*5 sc, dec* four times - 24 sts
FLO: *2 sc, inc* eight times - 32 sts
*3 sc, inc* eight times - 40 sts
*3 sc, inc* eight times - 48 sts
*4 sc, inc* eight times - 56 sts
*5 sc, inc* eight times - 64 sts
Sl st in next, fasten off

Finishing:
To make the buckle, slip stitch or embroider chain stitch with a scrap of yellow yarn. Using the picture as guide, make the buckle 5 sts wide and 3 sts high. Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Slip stitch or chain stitch with black yarn around the edges of the hat band. Weave in all ends.

Felting:

To felt the hat, put it in the washing machine on a normal cycle, 40-60 degrees C. If possible, reduce the amount of water to increase agitation. Add a pair of jeans or a towel with similar colors for added agitation. Skip the spinning cycle at the end because this can create creases in the hat and cause some areas to felt less than the rest. Repeat the felting if necessary, it's always better to felt several times than to felt it too much the first time :)

Shape the hat while it's wet and leave it to dry in shape.

Crocheted & felted Easter basket

This can be used for an Easter egg hunt, or as a decoration on the Easter breakfast table. Change the colors, and you have a basket for every occasion :) Note that this basket is fairly deep (to have room for lots and lots of candy, of course!), so if you'd like a lower basket you can simply skip a round or two before the colored band.

You will need:

* 8mm crochet hook

* Brown pure wool yarn (bulky)

* A little green wool yarn (or the color you prefer)

Pattern:

With brown yarn and 8mm hook,

Chain 5, join with sl st to make a ring

Chain 3, 11 dc in the ring, sl st to close round - 12 sts

Chain 3, dc in same space, dc inc in each st around, sl st to close - 24 sts

Chain 3, dc in same space, dc in next, *dc inc, dc* around, sl st to close - 36 sts

Chain 3, dc in next 4 sts, dc inc, *5 dc, dc inc* around, sl st to close - 42 sts

Chain 3, dc around 3 rounds

Change to green yarn

Chain 3, dc around 2 rounds

Change to brown yarn

Chain 2, hdc around, sl st to close

Edge:

This is made with backwards single crochet, or crab stitch. If you don't know how to do it, check out this video tutorial.

Crab stitch all the way around the edge

Fasten off

Handle:

With brown yarn and 8mm hook,

Chain 8, dc in 4th chain from hook, dc to end - 5 sts

Chain 3, turn, dc across - 5 sts

Repeat the last row until the handle is 23 rows long

Fasten off

Assembly:

Sew the ends of the handle to the inside of the basket, leaving 16 stitches on either side of the handle.

Felting:

Put the basket in the washing machine on a normal cycle on 40-60 degrees C. Use a small amount of detergent, and if possible, reduce the amount of water. Add a towel or two to increase agitation, but I recommend that you use similar colors and towels that leave little lent.

Remember that you can always repeat the washing if you want it to felt more. It's better to felt it twice than to ruin it the first time :)

Shape the basket while it's wet and let it dry in shape. If you want a flat bottom, press it lightly against a flat surface and let it dry standing.

If you don't want to felt your basket you can just use a smaller hook to get firmer stitches. For this example (to the right on the picture) I have used a slightly thicker yarn and a 4mm hook, and the handle is also shortened by about five rows.

Red heart

Start with one of the tops:

With 3.5mm hook and red yarn,

6 sc in ring

Inc around - 12 sts

*1 sc, inc* six times - 18 sts

Sc around 2 rounds

Break yarn for first top, make another following the same pattern

After completing the last st on the second top, jump to the first top and sc 15

Skip the last 3 sts of the first top and 3 sts on the second top, sc 15

You should now have a 6 st opening between the tops, use the yarn end from the first top to stitch it up

Sc around both tops - 30 sts

7 sc, dec, 13 sc, dec, 7 sc - 28 sts

6 sc, dec, 12 sc, dec, 6 sc - 26 sts

5 sc, 2 dec, 9 sc, 2 dec, 4 sc - 22 sts

4 sc, 2 dec, 7 sc, 2 dec, 3 sc - 18 sts

3 sc, 2 dec, 5 sc, 2 dec, 2 sc - 14 sts

2 sc, 2 dec, 3 sc, 2 dec, 1 sc - 10 sts

Sc around

Stuff the heart

5 dec - 5 sts

Dec, finish off - 4 sts

Weave in ends, it's done :)

Tutorial: Asymmetrical granny square

For this you need to know how to make a basic granny square. If you don't, a tutorial can be found here.

Start by making a granny square two rounds big (don't break the yarn if you want to use the same color for the last round, just secure the loop with a stitch holder)

Start the next round in a corner space the same way you would start a normal round

Crochet around two sides of the square, finish off after the last block

To begin the next round, attach the yarn in top of the 'ch 3' of previous round, chain 5 (or 4, depending on which version of the tutorial you're following)

Continue the round as normal

When you get to the end, chain 1 (or 2), dc in the last dc from previous round

Repeat the last two rounds as many times as you want :)

When the square is big enough, pick up the loop you left on the stitch holder and crochet around the entire square as normal.

Finish off :)

Small crocheted dice bag

Holds a standard set of 7 RPG dice :)

Pattern:

With 3.5mm hook and yellow yarn,

8 sc in ring, sl st in first sc to join round

2: chain 3, dc in same space, dc inc in each st around, sl st to join - 16 sts

3: chain 1, 2 sc in next, *1 sc, inc* seven times, sl st to join - 24 sts

Change to orange yarn

4: chain 3, dc in same space, dc inc, dc, *2 dc inc, dc* seven times - sl st to join - 40 sts

5-6: chain 1, sc around, sl st to join - 40 sts

Change to red yarn

7: chain 3, dc around, sl st to join - 40 sts

8: chain 3, dc in next, dc dec, *2 dc, dc dec* nine times, sl st to join - 30 sts

9: chain 1, sc around, sl st to join - 30 sts

Change to orange yarn

10: chain 3, dc around, sl st to join - 30 sts

11: chain 3, dc dec, *dc, dc dec* around, sl st to join - 20 sts

Change to yellow yarn

12: chain 2, hdc, chain 1, skip 1 st, hdc in next, *3 hdc, chain 1, skip 1 st* four times, hdc, sl st to join - 20 sts (five holes)

13: chain 3, 2 dc, dc inc, *3 dc, dc inc* four times, sl st to join - 25 sts

Finish off...

Chain a cord with yellow yarn, weave through the holes and fill your bag with dice :)

Granny square bag

If you know how to make a basic granny square you don't really need a pattern to make this bag, but I have written out what I did anyway. If you don't know how to make a granny square, you'll find the directions here.

Pattern:

Make a basic granny square 2 rounds big

On the 3rd round, chain 2 at the corners instead of 3

On the 4th round, make 4 dc in the corner spaces instead of two blocks of 3 dc

On the 5th round, make one 3 dc block in each chain space, chain 2 between all blocks

Repeat the 5th round 8 more times (the "wall" is 9 rows high)

On the 14th round, chain 1 between the blocks instead of 2

On the 15th round, make 2 dc blocks instead of 3 dc, chain 1 between all blocks

On the 16th round, make 3 dc blocks instead of 2 dc, chain 1 between all blocks

On the 17th and last round, chain 2 between all blocks instead of 1

Finish off...

Twist a cord of a single strand of yarn and weave it through the 15th round.

Tutorial: Basic granny square

I warn you, the risk of getting addicted is great! Soon you'll be crocheting away and wondering what to do with all the squares you have made :p

Pattern:

Chain 5, sl st to join into ring

Chain 3, 2 dc in the ring (= 1st block), chain 3 (= corner), *3 dc in the ring, chain 3*, repeat from * to * twice, sl st in top of the first 'chain 3'

You now have a square with 4 blocks:

Pick a new color and start in any one of the corners

Chain 3, 2 dc in chain space, chain 3, 3 dc in same chain space, chain 2, *3 dc, chain 3, 3 dc in same chain space, chain 2*, repeat from * to * twice, sl st in top of the first 'chain 3'

You now have a granny square two rounds big:

To continue the square, pick a new color and start in one of the corners (I do this because I crochet over the yarn ends, and it leaves less sewing)

Repeat the 2nd round, remember to chain 3 between the corner blocks and chain 2 between the blocks on the sides.

Alternatively you can chain 1 between the blocks and chain 2 for the corners. This is a very common method (I learned the first one from my grandma), and it saves you a few stitches :)

If you are making several rounds with the same color and don't want to cut the yarn for every round, there are two ways of starting the next round:

1: chain 5 instead of 3 (this counts as the 3rd dc in the last block, plus the chain space), when you make the last block of the round, dc 2, sl st in the 3rd chain of 'chain 5'. To begin the next round, make a sl st in the chain space, and then continue the round as usual...

2: sl st along the top of the block until you reach the chain space, start the new round as usual...

The square can made as big or small as you want. Experiment with yarn and felting, the possibilities are many :)