Sooz In The Shed...: Broomstick Crochet Wristwarmers

Friday 9 October 2015

Broomstick Crochet Wristwarmers - free tutorial.

Broomstick crochet looks very impressive, but it may seem a little scary. It's not! There are only two rows to learn, and one of them you will already know if you crochet.

Instructions are given in two sizes, regular adult and teen size in brackets.

Stitches explained:

Chain Stitch (CH) - Yarn around hook (from the back) and pull the new yarn through the loop on your hook. This is ONE chain. Repeat as needed.

Double Crochet (DC) - Put hook through work, draw yarn back through (2 loops on hook) yarn around hook (from the back) draw yarn through the 2 loops on the hook.

Slip Stitch (SS) - Put hook through work, draw yarn back through work and the stitch on your hook.

I used James C Brett Monsoon yarn, which is an Aran Weight, and a 4.5mm hook.

Lets start. Chain 41 (36) stitches.

Row 1. DC (Double Crochet) into the 2nd chain from the hook and all the chains following. (40 (35) stitches)

Row 2. The loop you have on your crochet hook, pull it large and pop it over the dowel rod.

You may wish to wrap the elastic band around the end of the dowel to prevent lost stitches.

Now working in a manner that will be odd to the regular crocheter, you will be working back across the chain stitch, from left to right.

*** Put your hook through the next stitch, bring the yarn through, pull the loop large and slide it onto the dowel.

You now have two stitches on the dowel.

Repeat from *** until you have 40 (35) loops on your dowel.

Row 3. Slide your crochet hook into the first FIVE loops, making sure it is at the TOP of the dowel, opposite the DC row.

Pull your yarn through these five stitches and make a chain stitch (this is your turning chain and is used at the beginning of every row, just like this.)

Now for the really scary bit!

Slide all of your stitches off the dowel, don't worry, they won't go anywhere as you have knotted your first one in place.

With your fingers, fiddle with those first FIVE loops that you made a stitch into, until you can see the hole running through them all.

Then make 5 DC's into that hole.

Now pick up the next five loops and make 5 DC's into them as you have just done, but no chain stitch this time, that is only ever in the first one.

Work across, working 5 DC's into each set of 5 loops.

Row 4. The last loop you have on your crochet hook - pull it up and place it on your dowel.

For each DC you will pull through a new loop as in Row 2. . You should count 5 loops for each set of 5 DC's.

And basically, that is the pattern!

Repeat Rows 3 & 4 for 10 repeats, (11 repeats in total) then break of the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing up.

Assembly.

Fold the piece in half lengthways, then sew together 4 pattern repeats down from the top. Skip the next 3 pattern repeats and just weave your yarn through so it cannot be seen, then sew up the final 4 pattern repeats to the bottom. Use the marks on the photo as a guide.