Warm Up America! WS Rectangle

At the beginning of 2025,  I was thinking about putting together another crochet project that I could work on throughout the year. Making squares for my Granny Scrapghan was so much fun and gave me something to do on long drives, long flights, or waiting at doctor appointments. After organizing my yarn stash, I decided to organize my craft drawers and I came across a flier that I had picked up at the DFW Fiber Fest last September. (By the way if you ever get a chance to go to the DFW Fiber Fest it is a lot of fun!) The flier is for a charity called Warm Up America. Warm Up America is a nonprofit organization that donates crochet and knitted Afghans and clothing to people in need. You can learn more about Warm Up America Here. They collect crochet and knitted 7" by 9" squares and make them into blankets. The great thing is they have patterns you can follow and give you all the information for crochet hook size and what type of yarn to use. You can find that information in the Patterns and Yarns Section. 

Even though they have some great crochet rectangle patterns, I wanted to create a square that was quick and easy to make and uses basic crochet stitches to make a nice texture, so the WS Rectangle was born. This rectangle gets its name from the stitch used to create it, the Wattle Stitch.

Here we go a skein, fresh off the hook:

                                        WS Rectangle

I have started making these 7" x 9" squares and plan to make 10-15 a month during 2025. And if time permits maybe a baby blanket or a few beanies as well. But you never know what the coming year will bring.

Besides finding out information about Warn Up America from the link above, you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram to get updates about their current needs, see pictures of donated blankets, and blankets made from the donated 7" x 9" squares. 

I hope you join me in spreading the crochet love around!

Have a hooky day! Lynne

*All images are copyright by Lynne Samaan and D60 Crochet, please do not use without permission, Thank you!  

Pinwheel Throw Rug

I remember when rag rugs were really popular in the 70's and 80's. I would spend hours ripping fabric, sewing it in strips and them crocheting them into an oval or heart shaped rug. Even though it took many hours of prep work, I just love how a handmade rug adds warmth to your home and seeing it gives you a sense of pride knowing you made it yourself! We are lucky today as many yarn companies have bulky yarns that are great for making rugs and baskets too (so we don't have to spend endless hours ripping fabric!) Crochet rugs can be made from all different types of yarns, such as wool, cotton, recycled yarn or yarn blends. Just make sure the yarn you use is durable and washable.

Here we go a skein, fresh off the hook:

                                                          Pinwheel Throw Rug

This hexagon shaped rug was worked in the round using the basic single crochet stitch. Working the stitches in the round creates a continuous spiral pattern that looks like a pinwheel.

Next week, I will share with you my new long term project for 2025!

I hope you enjoy this pattern.

Have a hooky day! Lynne

*All images are copyright by Lynne Samaan and D60 Crochet, please do not use without permission, Thank you!  

Easy Crochet Baskets

Last week I talked about cleaning out my kitchen drawers, to get them organized and this week I decided to continue doing some organization by going through my yarn stash. While going through my yarn stash, I found some recycled ribbon yarn and wooden basket bottoms that I purchased over six months ago and were pushed to the back of the closet. So I decided to make a few baskets to help organize my yarn stash. 

Here we go a skein fresh off the hook:

                                      Easy Crochet Baskets

Whether you are a experienced crocheter or a beginning crocheter ready to try something different, this single crochet basket is quick and easy to make. The pattern uses three different single crochet stitches. It begins with two rows of basic single crochet stitches to attach the wooden base, moves on to the waistcoat stitch, and finishes with a reverse single crochet stitch.

Note: The waistcoat stitch (also known as the knit st) is used for these baskets, since it makes a dense fabric that helps the baskets to hold their structure.

The larger of the two baskets 7 ¾” (19.685 cm) across the bottom, 8” (20.32 cm) across the top, and 5”(12.7 cm) high. It holds 4- 3.5 oz/100g skeins of yarn.                  

The smaller basket is 5 ¾” (14.6 cm) across the bottom, 6” (15.24 cm) across the top, and 4” (10.16) high, and works great for holding left over yarn!

These baskets are not just for yarn storage, they can be used to store other items, used as decorations, to hold plants, or giving as a gift, the possibilities are endless!

For information on the yarn and tools used to make these baskets check out the pattern here

Have a hooky day! Lynne

*All images are copyright by Lynne Samaan and D60 Crochet, please do not use without permission, Thank you!  

Potholder fun!

The beginning of the year seems to be a time when people like to clean out closets and drawers and get organized! I decided to clean out and organize out my kitchen drawers and noticed that my potholders were stained and even had a burn mark or two on them. Since potholders are a useful kitchen item that can protect your hands from hot surfaces and can be used to protect countertops and tables from hot pots, pans, or baking dishes, they are something I needed to replace. So instead of buying some new ones I decided to start my 2025 crochet journey by making new potholders. 

Here we go a skein, fresh off the hook:

                                                 Wattle Stitch Pot Holders

These potholders are a quick to make since they have a repeating pattern done with basic crochet stitches. In fact you could probably crochet one up in an hour or two! It is best to make potholders with cotton yarn since it can be heat resistant, can absorbed water, and can stand up to repeated washings.

Not only are potholders a handy item to have around, they are also considered decorative, since they can add color to your kitchen and can be incorporated into any decor. Crochet potholders make great gifts and there are no limits to what colors can be used.

Grab your hook and lets start our 2025 creative crochet journey together!

Have a hooky day! Lynne

*Always use caution when handling hot items*

*All images are copyright by Lynne Samaan and D60 Crochet, please do not use without permission, Thank you!  

Granny Scrapghan Complete!

Happy New Year to all! Let this be the beginning of great things to come! 

In 2024 I posted 48 free patterns which includes granny squares, scarves, beanies, gloves, mandalas, and much more. (you can access all of those free patterns on the right hand side of this blog page or on Ravelry. I look forward to a 2025 full of more free patterns!

The first pattern for the year is the pattern for the Granny Scrapghan that I have been working on since 2023.

Here we go a skein, finally off the hook, the completed:

                                      Granny Scrapghan

If you would like to read about the progress of this project, check out the following blog posts: "Scrapghan-Travel Project" posted on September 28, 2023, read about my progress in "Scrapghan Update" posted on December 29,2023, "Scrapghan Update #2" posted on march 29, 2024, Scrapghan Update #3 posted on August 30, 2024

I used a basic border for Scrapghan as to not take away from the bright colorful granny squares. This border complements the granny squares since it is done with the same three dc cluster that granny squares are created with.

The granny squares for the Scrapghan have been my travel project in 2023 and 2024 (it is easy to take small amounts of yarn on the plane or in the car!). Some of the squares were made on trips to Texas, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Greece. 

This has been a fun project and I look forward to a new one in 2025! Any ideas? let me know!

Have a hooky day! Lynne

*All images are copyright by Lynne Samaan and D60 Crochet, please do not use without permission, Thank you!