1. Crochet Hook Set

Crochet hooks come in a million varieties, from aluminum to bamboo, plain and ergonomic. If the crochet lover in your life crochets often, ergonomic crochet hooks are the way to go. I recently switched to an ergonomic crochet hook set I got on Amazon and using them has been life-changing to my productivity. I personally don’t like using bamboo crochet hooks but to each their own. I don’t think they snag the yarn well. Aluminum crochet hooks work just fine, and I use them still, but having switched to the comfort of the cushy padded crochet hooks, I don’t want to go back! Crocheters can never have too many crochet hooks, it’s a thing I swear.

2. Crochet Pattern Books

While there are a lot of crochet patterns on the Internet, free and paid, receiving a book full of crochet patterns is a delight. Crochet pattern books come in a wide variety of formats and can focus on various elements in crochet. Crocheters who want to make amigurumi will love to get a book full of cute stuffies to make.

Whimsical Stitches by Lauren Epsy [Amazon]
This amigurumi pattern book has been a best seller since 2021. Reviews are very positive on Amazon, with most people saying that the patterns are easy to follow and ideal for crochet beginners to intermediate crocheters. I love the crocheted plants in this book. I’d love to add this crochet pattern book to my library for Christmas.

3. Yarn, of course!

The reason yarn isn’t at the top of this list is simple. Unless you are shopping for a present for a brand new crocheter, they are almost guaranteed to have a ton of yarn already.

But, can you ever really have too much yarn? Nah, of course not. Here’s the thing, though. And this is important if you’re thinking about the idea of gifting yarn this holiday season.

I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten one solitary skein of a beautiful yarn that I can only do a limited number of projects with because I only have one skein.

Why is this important?

Dye lots can vary and it can be hard to find specialty yarns so if you want to give a good present, make sure to give an appropriate amount of yarn for the type of projects you see your crocheter doing. Amigurumi don’t need a ton of yarn, but if they are pumping out sweaters you need to gift more than one skein!

Yarn is an obvious gift idea for crocheters. Here are some options below.

4. Yarn Bowl

Next up in our gift ideas for crocheters run-down is a yarn bowl. An invaluable tool for a fiber crafter. Yarn bowls keep the yarn you're using stationary. Otherwise, it has a tendency to travel if you don't have a way to contain it while you're working. My dad used to make amazing yarn bowls but he hasn't lately. Yarn bowls can be wooden, plastic, ceramic, or even fabric.

I found several yarn bowls I think are noteworthy on Amazon and will link them below.

5. Storage Bags or Shelving

This is the most serious need a crafter who has been at it for any length of time is faced with: how to organize all the yarn, supplies, works in progress, and finished objects you have on hand.

I hope these gift ideas for crocheters have inspired you to give the crocheter in your life an inspired Christmas present this year! I post about crocheting techniques, my crochet patterns, and more on my journal. Read more in the Crochet and Knitting category.

The post Top 5 Gift Ideas for Crocheters appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

So I hope this helps!

Leafhopper Stitch

The Leafhopper stitch is made over three stitches, with two clusters of front post double crochet worked into the row below split between the three stitches. It’s a cute stitch with a nice texture, which is why the Unraveled Mitten creator has included it in the CAL for this year, as the focus is on dramatic textures for each square.

Leafhopper Stitch Tutorial

Abbreviations

US Terminology
Ch: chain
St: stitches
Sc: single crochet
Dc: double crochet
Fpcl: front post cluster
LCL: leafhopper cluster (see instructions above)

Instructions

The Leafhopper stitch requires you to chain a multiple 4 +3 to start with. (So just for the example (4*5)+3= 23 st. or (4*6)+3=27

Row 1: Dc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn.
Row 2: Ch 2, 2 dc. * LCL over next st, dc in next 3. Repeat from * across omitting 1 dc from the last repeat.
Row 3: Ch2 turn, dc across.
Row 4: Ch2 turn, 3 dc, *LCL over next stitch, dc in next 3 st. Repeat from * until 4 st remain. Dc in last 4 st. Row 5: Ch 2 turn, dc across.

LCL Leafhopper Cluster

This cluster stitch is a a split cluster that is worked over three stitches. To start, you’ll work around the post of the stitch directly under the stitch you just made in thee previous row. Then you skip 1 stitch. And lastly you’ll finish around the post of the next stitch in the previous row.

Step 1: yo, work a front post dc into the st directly below the dc you just worked, yo, and pull up the loop twice. Keep these loops loose and make sure to pull them up tall. There should be five total loops on your hook.

Step 2: Yo one more time and pull through 4 of your loops. That is the front post cluster stitch (fpcl). There will be two loops that remain on your hook.

Step 3: skip the dc next to the one you were just working in and work into the stitch next to the skipped stitch. Yo, work front post dc around the post of the next stitch from the previous row, yo, and pull up loop twice. Once again, it’s important to keep these loops that you pull up loose. There should be 6 total loops on your hook.

Step 4: yo, pull through 4 loops. There should be 3 stitches remaining

Step 5: yo and pull through the remaining stitches.

There’s a VERY IMPORTANT detail next. So pay attention.

To continue, work your next dc into the stitch BEHIND the last post of the leafhopper cluster. It’s easiest to look at your work from the top so that you can see the stitch you need to work into.

That’s what I kept doing wrong. I was not working into the correct stitches from the previous row and then I was not making the dc into the stitch behind the fpdc and it was driving me round the bend when I wasn’t ending up with the right amount of stitches.

Finally, one YouTube tutorial made it make sense to me. What I was doing wrong is something that I am almost certain other people will do wrong because of the way the pattern is written it doesn’t say anything about working into the stitch behind the last part of the Leafhopper cluster. But that’s what you have to do.

Leafhopper Cluster YouTube Tutorial

I post crochet patterns sometimes, as well as how-to posts for crochet techniques. I suppose this post falls somewhere in both of those categories.

The post Leafhopper Crochet Stitch appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

I am working on two major crochet projects at the moment:

Meringue Shawl

I am working on the Meringue Shawl and have been working on it for a while now. I bought the beautiful yarn from Hobbii and gosh it’s so gorgeous. I haven’t taken a proper picture of the project yet but I do have a picture of the yarn! Woah it’s going to be so pretty worked up into the pattern I can hardly wait to see it.

Square Blanket CAL

Square Blanket CAL: I am doing the Unraveled Mitten’s 2024 CAL for Terrific Textures! I have already fallen really behind though so I need to get off my butt and get crocheting!

The post Crocheting Update appeared first on Fae’s Journal.