Cottonwood Crop Top Pattern by TheYarnFox

Cottonwood Crop Top 

 

Hi! My name is Alliyah, and I’ve created a free crop top pattern just for you!  I call it the “Cottonwood Crop Top,” and now you can call it yours! This crop top is a fun summer project, and you can make it to fit any body! Let’s get started! You’ll need the following items:

 

  • 2 (3 for the two largest sizes) balls of Gazzal Baby Cotton XL in your main color (I used Brown-3434)
  • 1 balls of Gazzal Baby Cotton XL in your contrast color (I used Blue-3426)
  • 3.5mm crochet hook
  • 4.5mm crochet hook
  • Tapestry needle

 

 

*Notes

The sizes are determined by your bra cup size. Included in this pattern are A, (B), (C), (D), (DD) and will be written in that order.

These are general sizes. You know your body best so if you feel you need to work an extra row or two, please feel free to do so!

The Ch 2 at the beginning of every row does not count as a stitch and you will always work into the very first stitch unless specified not to.

Abbreviations:

Ch – chain

DC – double crochet

HDC – half double crochet

Sl St – Slip stitch

Ready to begin??

Cups (make 2)

With your 3.5mm crochet hook and main color yarn, chain 14, (16), (18), (20)

DC in the 3rd ch from hook and across until you reach the last stitch. In the last stitch, *DC2, CH2, DC2*

Now you’ll be working down the other side of your chain. DC in each. Ch 2, turn.

Row 1: Dc in first and across to the ch 1space. In the ch 1 space, *Dc2, Ch1, Dc2*. Dc across to the end of the row. Ch2, turn.

Repeat row one 4, (5), (5), (5), (6) more times for a total of 6, (7), (7), (7), (8) rows

Do not cut your yarn. 

Back ties (worked the same for each cup) 

Ch 90 – 160, depending on how long you want/need your back ties. Sl st in the second and then in each stitch of your chain until you’re back up to your cup. Sl St in the same stitch were your tie began.

Shoulder ties (worked the same for both cups)

As consistently as you can, HDC along the side of the cup until you reach the first stitch of the last row.

Sl St into this stitch. Ch 90-160 depending on how long you want/need your shoulder ties. Sl St in the second and then in each chain until you’re back up to the cup. Sl St in the same stitch where your tie began.

Fasten off.

Line your two cups up and evenly slip stitch 4 stitches from each cup together. You’ve now made the bralette.

Modern Granny Squares 

(make 4, (5), (6), (6) )

Now we’ll begin making the modern granny squares that are sewn along the bottom of the bralette.

With your contrast color yarn and your 4.5mm crochet hook, make a magic ring

(the “ch 2” at the beginning of every round still does not count as a stitch.)

Round 1: Ch2, DC 10 into the ring. Join to the first dc. (12sts)

Round 2:  Ch 2, work 2DC into each stitch (24sts)

Round 3: Ch2, *2DC, DC in next* (36sts)

Round 4: Ch2, *2DC, DC in next 2* (48sts)

Join your main color yarn. 

(To join my main color, I simply cut the contrast color, leaving about an inch long tail, and tied the main color to the tail of the contrast color)

Round 4: Ch2, and in the first stitch, ( *DC2, Ch1, DC2*, then DC in the next 11 stitches. ) Repeat the instructions within the parentheses 3 more times. The “DC2, Ch1, DC2” creates the corners for your granny square, so after completing round 4 you should have 4 corners.

Round 5: Ch2, DC in first 2, 4DC in Ch-1 gap. (DC in each across to the next Ch-1 gap. Work 4DC in the Ch-1 gap) Work the instructions within the parentheses 2 more times. The “4DC” in the ch-1 spaces serve to create a cleaner corner for your granny square.

 

Cut your yarn, leaving a 12 inch tail for each square. You will use these tails to sew a side of one square to the side of it’s neighbor.

After you made 4, (5), (6), (6)  squares, you’re ready to begin assembling your crop top!

I like to weave in all the tails of the bralette (not the squares!) before I attach the squares so no extra tails interfere.

Turn you bralette and squares so the wrong side is facing out on all of them.

Cut a 4 foot-long string from of your main color yarn. You’ll use this string to sew the tops of the squares to the bottom of the bralette.

With the wrong side facing out, line up the squares however you’d like and sew them along the bottom of the bralette with your tapestry needle using the whipstitch method

Use each of the 12 inch-long tails you left on the squares to sew their sides together. Weave in all your ends and celebrate!! You just created a garment out of Gazzal Baby Cotton XL!!!

 

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Tips on Storing Your Yarn Stash

Hey everyone! It’s Lori here again and today I’m here to share some tips on how to store your yarn and all your hand made goodies. It’s so easy to buy all the yarn your heart desires when it’s on sale without thinking about where you’re going to put it! I’m guilty of it myself, who could pass up a sale?! I’m sure we all have a bag of yarn or two sitting in the corner of the room as we speak and it’s almost impossible to know what yarn you actually have so you just end up buying more. It’s a never ending cycle.

After being embarrassed of my yarn mess for far too long, I decided it was finally time to turn my mess into something I was proud of! So follow these steps and maybe you too will want to show off your stash of yummy fiber!

The first step is to gather all your yarn. I like to dump my yarn on my bed because if I want a place to sleep that night, I have to clean it up! For me this is the perfect motivation. Once you finished gathering your yarn from all over the house, it’s time to sort.

Before I start sorting, I like to grab a couple of bags (I usually already have some in my room full of yarn!) or boxes to help out. I designate one of these bags for any trash I may have (yarn labels and bits of yarn from ends I weaved in and shipped off!) and one for donations. Now it’s time for the fun. I like to sort my yarn by yarn weight so I can easily find the yarn I want for projects. I also like to sort it by color within the weight category. This not only is appealing but it again allows you to easily see what you have.

The thing that always makes my yarn stash look messy, is all the little skeins of cotton and left over half skeins. Those little suckers almost always wind up on the floor and I swear they tangle themselves! So after detangling and winding those little suckers into balls it’s time to contain them in a basket that will fit nicely on your yarn shelf! This will help hide the mess and make it easy to tote around when you decide to work on your latest scrap blanket!

I also go ahead and sort my handmade items and inventory. I keep a basket full of ‘prototype items’, items I use to base a product I sell off of, a basket of work in progress pieces, a pile for inventory pieces, and a pile of personal finished projects.

After you sorted your yarn and stock, it’s time to put it on the shelves. I like to use cubed shelves for my yarn because it allows me to sort my yarn even more! I prefer to use a regular book shelf for my stock because it allows me to clearly see what I have and what I need to make more of. Plus it looks nice to see all your work in one area!

It’s not only a good idea to display your yarn and stock and not contain it because containing it in storage bins does not allow them to breathe. They can make your fibers take on a bit of an odor. Yeah, they’re convenient and easy to put away, but you can’t truly see what you actually have. You’ll spend more time searching through them than enjoying your craft. So by displaying your items on shelves and embracing them as a piece of art, you can spend more time creating.

So those are my tips. I hope they help you to clean up that messy stash and spend more time dong what you love! Cleaning and organizing isn’t always the most fun , but, I promise you will have a more creative mind and you’ll actually enjoy showing off your collection!

 

LORI is the maker and owner of Lunar Knits. She enjoys making fun and colorful pieces of yarn art and sells them in her etsy shop! You can find more fun things on her Instagram @lunarknitsbylori

Lightweight Fringe Scarf / Headwrap / Belt Pattern by BrennaAnnHandmade

Happy summer! I’m excited to share this 3-in-1 fringed scarf + headwrap + belt pattern with you all this month! Best of all it’s made with super soft, lightweight cotton yarn – perfect for summer! Ready to get started?! 😀

Materials:
2-3 balls of La Mia Cottony yarn (depending on how tight or loose you crochet. I crochet on the tighter side this pattern used just at 2 balls)
Kartopu 6mm crochet hook
Scissors
Ruler
Large Eye Tapestry Needle (for sewing top & weaving in ends)

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
dc = double crochet
trc = triple crochet (or treble crochet)

Directions:
Ch 26


Row 1: Make an trc by:
Step 1: Yarn over twice
Step 2: Insert hook into 4th ch from hook


Step 3: Yarn over
Step 4: Pull through


Step 5: Yarn over again
Step 6: Pull through 2 loops


Step 7: Yarn over again
Step 8: Pull through 2 loops


Step 9: Yarn over 1 more time
Step 10: Pull through the last 2 loops


*Repeat by putting 1 trc in each ch across.


Row 2: Ch 3, turn work. Put 1 trc in the 2nd stitch from the previous row below, and in each stitch across. Don’t forget that last trc of the row!


Rows 3 & 4: Repeat row 2.


Row 5: Ch 3, turn work. *Skip 1, trc in next stitch. Repeat from * across row.


Rows 6-9: Repeat Row 2.
Row 10: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 11-14: Repeat Row 2.
Row 15: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 16-19: Repeat Row 2.
Row 20: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 21-24: Repeat Row 2.
Row 25: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 26-29: Repeat Row 2.
Row 30: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 31-34: Repeat Row 2.
Row 35: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 36-39: Repeat Row 2.
Row 40: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 41-44: Repeat Row 2.
Row 45: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 46-49: Repeat Row 2.
Row 50: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 51-54: Repeat Row 2.
Row 55: Repeat Row 5.
Rows 56-59: Repeat Row 2.


Cut yarn, & finish off.

To add Fringe: Cut 10″ strands of yarn, fold 2 strands in half, and attach to one corner of the scarf as follows: (using the crochet hook to help you) insert crochet hook from back to front, wrap the middle (half point) of your yarn bundle around, & pull the loop through (not all the way). Then, take the “tails” of the yarn & pull them through the loop you just created, tightening to create tassel. Repeat in every other stitch across the width of the scarf.
Then, just trim all the tassels to make them all even. Weave in all ends.

You are all finished! 🙂

Brenna Ann is the designer and maker behind BrennaAnnHandmade. She crochets & knits cozy pieces of knitwear and accessories at her handmade shop on Etsy. She also has a blog, YouTube channel, and shares daily behind-the-scenes photos at her handmade life on Instagram @BrennaAnnHandmade.