windspinners and vines

Been trying out some windspinners as practice for my window decoration (more.on that later) and found the original patterns, ending and readding at the start are far too time consuming for sewing in ends, so I've made up a pattern to use with colour changing yarn that works really well, and has waaaay less sewing in of ends, always a bonus!

Any yarn, with an appropriate hook for the yarn stated on the band.

I used a 4ply mandala with a 3mm hook for the images

(US terms used)

Foundation single crochet as long as you want you spinner to be.

Ch3, DC in first stitch and then 2dc in each stitch along.

At end ch3, 2dc in first stitch then 3dc in each stitch to end.

Ch1, sc in next stitch and along to end.

Organise spinner so it curls properly.

Add a tassel to the bottom if wanted, or a pompom if you fancy it, anything weighty will work, even a few pony beads threaded onto a chain, so the spinner hangs well.

Mindless shawl

I love to crochet whole chilling on the sofa of an evening, but I hate following patterns while trying to watch a film, so I always have a WIP that can be just mindless, repetitive stitches, bit still holds my interest. I'm not talking mindful, I literally mean mindless, no need to count or think, just crochet away. 

I found this adorable yarn in hobby craft, 2 matching small cakes for socks, so I grabbed them and then had to decide what to do!

It's not a triangle as they frustrate me to wear, it's more of a U shape so it sits more nicely around the neck, if you would rather a triangle, always start and end with 3dc, rather than the optional 4dc

Mindless shawl

US terms

Fingering weight yarn with a 4mm hook to make it a softer looser drape 

Make a magic circle, ch3, then 3dc, ch2, 3dc into the circle and pull it tight.

Row 2 - ch3 (does not count as a stitch throughout) 3dc into first dc, dc into rest until ch2 space *dc, ch2, dc* in the space then dc in rest to last stitch, 3dc in last.

Row 3, 4 + 5 - repeat row 2

Row 6 - ch3, 4dc in first dc, *dc2tog into next 2 dc, ch2* along until ch2 space *dc, ch2, dc* in the space then repeat ** to last stitch, 4dc in last

Row 7 - ch3, 4dc in first dc 2dc in each ch1 space to ch2 space *dc, ch2, dc* in the space, 2dc in each ch1 space, 4dc in last

Now repeat rows 4 to 7 x 3 times. 

Now you need to decide, at this point I replaced all the dc with tc stitches so that it would be warmer at my neck but more lacy and loose further down, you don't need to, but it is an option! 

Whether you change the stitches or not just keep repeating those 4 rows until you have the size you want