National Crochet Month 2015 - Boot Cuffs (sized for teens and adults)

Alright, you patient people!  Finally, a crochet pattern - boot cuffs!

Thanks to K for being my photographer for some shots - she did pretty well for her first try - while waiting for dinner!

Boot cuffs (sometimes called boot toppers) are great gift ideas for fall into early spring.  They've become more and more popular over the last couple of years as calf-high and knee-high boots are in style for everyday wear.  In my office, boots are a staple, and everyone loves something to dress them up!

The pattern I'm sharing with you is designed for worsted weight, inexpensive yarn.  It looks great in solids and variegations, and works up super quickly - 2-3 hours per cuff.  Stitches used: slip stitch, single crochet, front-post and back-post half-double crochet, bobbles, and shells.  These are worked in the round, because you know how I hate seaming!  Sizing is listed based on calf circumference, and is easy to adjust based on your own measurements!  The front- and back-post ribbing allows for some stretch, so adjust down if necessary.

Bobble Edged Boot Cuffs
(c) 2015 Andrea Holme

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
ss = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
hdc = half-double crochet
fphdc = front-post half-double crochet
bphdc = back-post half-double crochet
dc = double crochet
yo = yarn over

Sooooooo soft.  I like to make all the things with this.

Yarn used - Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Cappuccino - I love the variegations, and it's really soft (which is important, because this could be worn directly next to your skin).

Stitch instructions:

To work shell - work 3 (5) dc in designated stitch (for start of round - ch3 for first dc and work 2 (4) dc).  The more stitches you have in your shell, the more ruffled your cuff will be.  If you want a pronounced ruffle, use 5 (or more, always an odd number); 3 will still give you a ruffle, but it will be more subtle.

For bobble - yo, insert hook in next stitch, yo and pull through, yo and pull through 2 loops, 2 loops remain on hook; yo and insert hook in same stitch, yo and pull through, yo and pull through 2 loops, 3 loops remain on hook; yo and insert hook in same stitch, yo and pull through, yo and pull through 2 loops, 4 loops remain on hook; yo and pull through all 4 loops.

Gauge: 3 stitches per inch (I/9 hook - 5.5 mm) - I work tightly, so you may be able to use H.  Check your gauge and your measurements, if possible, for the best fit.  This pattern is designed to work with any even number of stitches, so you can easily make adjustments based on your own stitches, yarn, and calf measurement.

Sizing (circumference around largest part of calf): Small - 15", Medium - 16", Large - 17"

There are great tutorials on YouTube for "no-chain foundation row" - look for one for sc to start this way, and try not to let it twist!

Ch 43 (47, 51), join with slip stitch to work in the round - 42 (46, 50 stitches).  If you prefer, you can start with a no-foundation-chain row in sc.  This would count as row 1.  (Yes, I know the math doesn't quite work with the gauge.  You want to round down a little so the cuffs fit snugly, especially if your boots have a heel.)

Rounds 1-3: ch1, sc around, ss to ch1

Round 4: ch2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next stitch and each stitch around, ss to top of ch 2

Round 5: DO NOT CH2!  yo and work fphdc in ch2 of previous round; *bphdc in next hdc, fphdc in next hdc* repeat from * all the way around, ending with bphdc; ss to top of first fphdc

Round 6: yo and work fphdc in first fphdc of previous round; *bphdc in next bphdc, fphdc in next fphdc* repeat from * all the way around, ending with bphdc; ss to top of first fphdc

Repeat round 6 until cuff is desired height, approximately 3-3.5 inches from edge.

Measuring tapes are our friends.

Embellishment set-up round: ch1, sc around, ss in front loop of ch1

Note - the shells are worked in the back loops, and the bobbles are worked in the front loops.  We'll do the bobbles first.  See my note above on the shells to determine how many stitches you want in each shell.

Front loops!

Bobble round: (worked in front loops) Work bobbles as described above in front loop of previous round; in between bobbles, you may use either ss or sc.  SS will secure the bobbles to the front of the shells like a beaded trim, while sc will create more of a "flap", making it look like the bobbles are folded down in front (this flap can slide onto the top of the boot).    Alternate bobbles and ss or sc all the way around, finishing with sc or ss; ss into back loop behind first bobble to set up for shells.

This image shows the flap created with a sc between bobbles

First shell round (see note above on the shells to determine how many stitches you want):  ch3 (counts as first dc), 2 (4) dc in next stitch, sc in next stitch, *3 (5) dc in next stitch, sc* repeat from * around, ending with sc.  Finish the round with ss in both loops (this is a little fiddly, sorry).

In this image, you see the finished bobble edge, and 2 shell rows.  I made my shells with 3 stitches.

You can fasten off here, or you can do another shell round:  We'll put these shells through both loops  SS to the top of your first shell, then ss in center dc  You have a sc between 2 shells in the previous row - we'll work our shells in those sc's.  *3 (5) dc in sc, ss in center stitch of shell in round before*, repeat from * around, end with final ss; fasten off and weave in ends.

Make one more (I easily get 2+ out of the yarn mentioned).  Wear and enjoy!

I may need some brown boots now!

Copyright notice - this pattern, along with the images used to illustrate it, is my gift to the online stitching community.  You may make as many of these boot cuffs as you like.  Anything you make you can sell.  However, the pattern is my property.  Please do not sell, repost, copy, or otherwise distribute the pattern without my express written permission.  Thanks!
(c) 2015, Andrea Holme

The Kid-Knit Catch Up Post

Both of my kids have outgrown their winter hats, and they both have tried to steal my fingerless gloves.  So I decided to make them each a full set of winter accessories - hat, fingerless gloves, and new scarves.  This whole concept evolved from the moment I started thinking about it.  What really happened is I saw this yarn on sale at Jo-Ann:

Deborah Norville Serenity Garden Yarn in "Gems".  I originally took this picture to prove to my friend Micki that it was in fact Deborah Norville that was working up so soft and amazing.

I happen to have a child (K) who loves everything rainbow, and I thought it would be perfect for a set for her.  Until I knit a test swatch.  The color changes didn't happen the way I expected, and from the first swatch it just didn't seem like her.  But it really looked like her sister.  (Isn't that funny, how a color palette can have personality?)  So I went back to Jo-Ann and found this yarn:

Still Deborah Norville Serenity Garden Yarn, in "Mountain Heather."

And the way it works up is sooooooo K.  But the pattern for the fingerless mitts I chose (Sojourn) was not her at all (but very H).  And this, my friends, is when Pinterest comes in handy.  I searched through my "Yarny Goodness" pinboard until I found this cable pattern on craftcookie.com, which just fits K's personality.  It's called Angel Wings!  I had to adapt the Sojourn pattern a little bit, but not much.

Pattern for this cable is here.  Image belongs to craftcookie.com

The next problem to tackle was that it gets cold in Idaho, and my little darlings can't walk around with exposed fingertips.  So I wanted to add a "hood" to the fingerless mitts - and it worked!  I'll do a tutorial on how I did this, it was kind of fun.

The hood actually comes down far enough that they can tuck their thumbs in if the weather turns cold.  These are great for fall and spring days, I make them wear real gloves when it snows! (Also she didn't do a great job of posing so you can see the cable, but it ended up right where I wanted it, on the outside of her hand/wrist.)

The final step in the evolution of this project was in the creation of the hat - they both said they wanted ear flaps.  H had a hat a couple of years ago that had flaps, and there was a buttonhole in one flap and a long string on the other, so she could secure it under her chin.  It took a bit of pattern adapting to get these right but finally:

The cable in K's hat is in the flaps - that made them a little longer.

There's also a tutorial coming on this.  I've sent my instructions to some brave volunteers to check that my math works for other people's kids!

H's Sojourn scarf in progress - it's ripply.

The scarves were the last thing I did.  H's Sojourn pattern worked so nicely, all I had to do was cast on a multiple of 6 (with a 3 stitch border on each side), and boom I had a scarf.  The Angel Wings made things a little more interesting - I actually had the main cable motif run up the center, and I had half the motif on each side, but offset, so when the cable pattern in the center twisted, the side motifs were ending/starting.  In short, there was more math happening in my house than I really wanted, but I'm so happy with the result:

H's hat actually has to be remade, because somebody (me) didn't measure anything correctly.  It was 1.5" to short, and I tried to guess how long her ear flaps should be.  But her scarf and mitts turned out perfect.  And the best part is, I finished everything before the snow arrived - the second week of November (and then we were in the 60s yesterday, in the second week of December).

I Told You It Would Be Celtic!

Welcome, Pinners!  I'm blown away every time I see someone has pinned this design - I'm glad you like it or are inspired by it.  If you stitch it, will you share a picture with me?  I may feature some in a future post.  Thanks! - drea

It's less of a sampler, I think.  Although it does feature several different kinds of stitches, it's really an embellished Irish blessing.  And here it is in .jpg - I think you can right-click and "save as":

I've left it at symbols so you can choose your own colors.  But if you want to use the colors in my original design, here's a little help - (I can't figure out how to show the symbols with the color numbers):

Blue (upper left corner) - 820
Green (lower left corner) - 701
Red (upper right corner) - 321
Gold (lower right corner) - 167

Hopefully that will help you match up the symbols to the colors I used.  Or you can choose your own!

Edited!  I figured out how to turn it into a pdf AND share it here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Click here to access the pdf file, which includes a real symbol and color key!

Specialty stitches - in the center, the red is a Smyrna Cross (large X with a + over it) and the green is a Double Leviathan (you could also do a large eyelet here).  The blue is Crow's Foot - Montenegrin would be pretty as well.  And the long stitches cover 5 threads.  You should note that the points where the red and green run together is 4 long stitches!  (I'm working my way into Bargello.)  The blue border is blackwork.

Grid is 100x160 - actual design area is 92x154.  If you stitch this, I'd love to see your finished piece.  I hope I'll have time to stitch it myself soon!

Enjoy!