How to Switch Colors and use a Chart *Crochet*

Many people keep asking me the same question. "How do I use your chart?" I keep telling everyone the same thing. "Look it up on Google" But after doing a search myself I haven't found a site that has all you need. Just part of what you would need here and there. I am going to try my best to explain. Ok here goes. This is for right handed people. I am by no means an expert. I learned this online and by trial and error.

Step 1: First you need to learn how to read a graph. Decide if you are doing a hat or a square. Think about how your stitches will lay out. When you make a hat you are making it upside down. Top of the head to the bottom. So it makes sense to flip your chart upside down. (unless you are doing a slouchy hat. Then you will want to keep it right side up.) Also with a hat you don't crochet back and forth, you go around. So that is how you will have to crochet it. Here is a picture of how to read a chart for a hat. Start at the green dot and go around.


If you are doing a square you will be working from the bottom up and going back and forth.


Step 2: Now when you get to where you want to do the first color change stop right before the stitch you want to be a different color. You should have 2 loops on the hook.

take the color you want and pull it through the loops


now insert the hook into the stitch you are changing the color of. Make sure your hook goes behind the original color because you will carry that color behind your work.

now pull your new color up

If you are making the next stitch a different color you would add your other color here. If you are continuing with the same color you would keep going.
Tada! completed stitch :)

Step 3: Ok next is how to deal with the ends. If it is a hat I don't usually care about the ends. I just tie the ends. I will add my colors through the chart then when I get to the end of the chart I will cut all the colors but the main color and tie it in knots, then crochet around until I get to the chart again. If you care about what the back looks like you can get a blunt needle and hide the ends, just like when you carried the colors through, you can run the ends through the same space.

Please let me know if this helped you. I love to get comments :)

Blog Button

Here is a button that links back to my blog. Feel free to put it on your page. I made the background transparent so it would fit anyone's blog scheme :)

Here is what it looks like:


If you want Copy and Paste this code on to your page

<center><a href="http://www.aprildraven.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c128/AprilDraven/AprilDraven%20Designs/Blogbutton001.gif"/></a></center>

My husband made the code :) He is so Awesome!

More Resin Brains and Charms

Ok some of you may notice that at the end of each post there are boxes to check for reactions. I took the dislike button off. Someone or a couple people were going through to all my Twilight related posts and clicking dislike. I understand a lot of people don't like that movie or the books but if you don't like the stuff I create Move Along. If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all. That just made me kinda upset so I felt I needed to address it.

Ok on to the necklaces. If you want a brain necklace I am selling them in my shop

This batch I made a pink glitter one. I'm not into pink but my friends are :)




Then a brain for me hehe




I made this Edward one for a personal swap. I made a Bella hat and necklace for Bella mittens. When you hold this necklace up to the light he sparkles.


of course a NIN necklace


Then I got the idea to make herb charms. I am pagan so herb charms are great.

Star Spiral Slouch Hat

I have wanted to do a spiral for a while now. I was going to do it with the other star slouchy hat I made but I don't really wear those kinds of hats often. This is the style I like best so I made this slouch hat, combined it with the star from my other pattern, and added a spiral :) What do you think? *Note: If you can't see all of the picture right click on it and select view picture.*









this last one is just to show how it can be worn higher on your head and still look cool





*****Update 3-06-10*****
I'm sorry to have to do this but I feel I must. Some people have been making things with my free patterns and selling them without giving me any credit at all. I am taking this pattern down. It will be available for $3.00 in my Etsy shop. (I don't think that is too much to ask) I am leaving some free patterns up for now. If I find out people are selling the finished product without crediting me I will remove the pattern. (I would prefer no one sell anything made from my patterns at all but there isn't much I can do to prevent that.)

Valentine Slouch Hat

I am horrible at coming up with names for things. This hat is a tiny bit lacy but not too much. Red just reminds me of Valentine's day. I was trying to think of something to make with the left over Simply Soft yarn I had from making the Sweet November scarf/shawl and came up with this. I used the same lace stitch on it in a few places. I think it turned out pretty :) What do you think? If you can't see the picture right click on it and select view picture.














*****Update 3-06-10*****
I'm sorry to have to do this but I feel I must. Some people have been making things with my free patterns and selling them without giving me any credit at all. I am taking this pattern down. It will be available for $3.00 in my Etsy shop. (I don't think that is too much to ask) I am leaving some free patterns up for now. If I find out people are selling the finished product without crediting me I will remove the pattern. (I would prefer no one sell anything made from my patterns at all but there isn't much I can do to prevent that.)

Cable Fae Slouch Hat

So I was surfing Google and I kept seeing these really cute fairy looking hats with just a little cone on top. I thought it was cute but not really my style. I wanted to make something I would wear in public haha. Last year I made a bunch of stocking hats but they were really long. They looked cool but I didn't want to redo that. I wanted something that is cute and stylish. I decided to combine the two ideas and this is what I came up with. If you can't see the whole picture right click on it and select view picture.




This is a front view



Here is the tip



The tip slouching a little bit more. I like it better when it slouches a bit :)



If I want it to slouch a bit I wear it back off of my forehead. If I want it to be less slouchy I wear it over my forehead a bit so whatever mood I am in it works :)

What do you think?

Note for those of you who bought the pattern and want to know what the *Cable Cross* is: (Here is a video I found on how to do the cable cross *it isn't really called that I don't think* Cable Cross)

Artist's Cap Free Crochet Pattern

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Here is a picture of my friend's adorable little girl modeling the hat.

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I was playing around with my Queen of Heart's Slouchy Hat and I noticed that it made a cool looking shape if you put it on top of your head.
So I decided to make a hat like that. You can pretty much turn any slouchy hat into one of these :) Just put it on top of your head and fold a flap over in the front, then take it off and sew the band to the inner part of the hat to make it stay together. Tada! This technique should work with my Star Slouchy Hat Pattern too.


Start at the Left and sew until the green mark on the right.

*I named it Artist's Cap because it reminded me of those painters you see in the movies that are painting by a lake in the park LOL*

Artist's Cap
By: AprilDraven
for personal use only

Gauge: 4 inches = 12 stitches and 8 rows
My head size is 22 and a half inches around so adjust your hook size accordingly. Remember yarn stretches a little bit so this hat will fit inches bigger too.

Yarn: regular 4 ply worsted yarn

H hook

Abbreviations:
Rnd: round
Sc: single crochet
Dc: double crochet
Fpdc: Front post double crochet
Bpdc: back post double crochet
Ss: slip stitch
FO: Fasten off


Work in the round
Rnd 1: 8 dc in a ring
Rnd 2: 1 dc in each dc around (16)
Rnd 3: *1 dc, 2 dc in next dc* rep from * to * around (24)
Rnd 4: *2 dc, 2 dc in next dc* rep from * to * around (32)
Rnd 5: *3 dc, 2 dc in next dc* rep from * to * around (40)
Rnd 6: *4 dc, 2 dc in next dc* rep from * to * around (48)
Rnd 7: *5 dc, 2 dc in next dc* rep from * to * around (56)
Rnd 8: *6 dc, 2 dc in next dc* rep from * to * around (64)
Rnd 9: *7 dc, 2 dc in next dc* rep from * to * around (72)
Rnd 10: *8 dc, 2 dc in next dc* rep from * to * around (80)
Rnd 11-15: dc in each dc around (5 rounds)
1 ss to join
Rnd 16: ch 1,*2 sc,sc2tog* rep from * to * around
Rnd 17 & 18: ch 2, *1 fpdc, 1 bpdc* rep from * to * around (2 rounds)

*Note: Remember that this is yarn so you will have to shape it when you are done. I haven't tried starching anything before but that might make it hold it's shape. A piece of plastic canvas on the inside might work too :) Just some ideas.

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This work by April Folts is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.