Dada's Place

Crochet wonderland

Fenya Blanket pattern

by Filed Under: Crochet baby blanket patterns, Crochet blankets 33 Comments

Fenya crochet blanket

Do you remember my Vintage style blanket? I noticed that it’s very popular on Pinterest, and the blog post about it with a free pattern is one of the most visited posts on my site. I don’t know how many of you tried the pattern, but I received several emails from inexperienced crocheters who asked me to make a step-by-step tutorial. Since I really love that pattern and think that every beginner could make it with a detailed pattern, I decided to make a step-by-step picture tutorial. I made some minor changes to the pattern during the process, added one round, so it is not exactly the same pattern as my Vintage style crochet blanket.

Fenya Vintage crochet blanket pattern

I named it Fenya blanket. Fenya was my first dog. My first big victory. My sister and I have always loved animals, and since we were little we wanted to have a dog. Our working parents didn’t want any additional obligations, like walking a dog when their daughters get bored with an active puppy full of energy. They always categorically rejected us when we asked to get a dog. But we were persistent. We went to dog shows, read dog magazines, and we asked and begged. Again and again. My older cousin told me once that when you want something so badly you have to think, pray and to draw it. So I thought about my future dog, and I drew it. And one day our parents relented: “Yes, you can have a dog” Just like that! I was 16 at the time, and I couldn’t believe that after so many years of asking and begging our prayers were answered! So, we bought an Airedale terrier. Our first dog. Her name was Fenya.

She was my first big victory. Something I had to fight for. For years. And let me tel you, our parents didn’t have to walk or feed her, or to do anything for her. Never. We didn’t get bored with her.

Crochet popcorn blanket Fenya

Fenya blanket measures approximately 105 cm x 105 cm (41” x 41”) and it consists of 16 squares. You can make the blanket bigger simply by adding more squares. The squares are quite big, 22 x 22 cm (8,7” x 8,7”). The whole blanket weighs 940g.

I made it with 100% cotton yarn “Cotton Classic” by St. George – 120m/50g but you can use whatever yarn you like. I chose this yarn primarily because of that pale powder pink color which I seriously adore.

I used Alize “Cotton gold” yarn for my previous blanket. It is a mix of cotton and acrylic, very soft and fluffy. And it looks great in this blanket.

Fenya vintage crochet blanket tutorial

I made a pdf pattern and step-by-step tutorial with more than 90 photographs. The pattern includes detailed explanation on how to make the squares, join the squares and make a border. I also made a crochet chart for the square.

The printable pdf pattern is now available for only $3.97 in Dada’s place shop (payment options: PayPal and credit cards). You can also buy it in my Ravelry shop and my Etsy shop (payment option: PayPal).

*

I would really, really like to see your finished blankets, to see your own versions, so if you post it anywhere on the Internet please tag me and use hash tag #fenyablanket

*

Fenya blanket pattern in German

Update: Fenya blanket pattern is now available in German.

*

Click here to get Fenya blanket pattern for only $3.97!

*

New Boho-chic Crochet Bag

by Filed Under: Crochet bags 2 Comments

Crochet boho bag

Do you remember my boho-chic bags? I really love that pattern, and decided to make one for myself. Although I love the colors from the pattern, I must admit that when it comes to my dressing style I’m not a very adventurous person. I prefer neutral colors and maybe some shades of pink in the summer. That’s all! So, I decided to make a boho-chic bag in a neutral color, and found the perfect yarn for that project. It is Eco-cotton by Yarn Art, color 768, 220m/100g, 85% cotton, 15% polyester. Made in Turkey. I really like that shade of dark beige. It looks like nature! if you know what I mean… I spent 2 skeins of 100g.

flower popcorn granny square

The great thing about making a bag, is that you need to make only 8 granny squares (at least in this case), which is quite easy and fast to do. So it might be an ideal project for a crafty weekend. I finished all crocheted parts very quickly, but I procrastinated with lining the bag, because sewing isn’t something I’m eager to do. But, after some time, maybe a week, I really wanted my bag finished and ready to wear, so I sat down and did quite a simple job of lining the bag. It took me maybe an hour. Actually, it took me one week and an hour. The lesson – learned! Procrastination does not pay off! “Life is short, don’t be lazy” to quote Sophia Amoruso from #girlboss. (by the way, the book is great!)

Boho-chic Crochet Bag

The bag is a bit larger than my previous bags, it’s 30 cm (11,8″) x 32 cm (12,6″), and the strap is 112 cm (44″) long.

I used a plain cotton fabric for the lining, and that’s all!

Crochet popcorn stitch bag

You can check out my Boho-chic bag pattern (and many others…) in Dada’s place shop, here (Payment options: credit cards and PayPal).

*

You can also find it in my Ravelry shop and  in my Etsy shop.(Payment option: PayPal)

*

Have a nice week!

Crochet Teddy Bear Cushion

by Filed Under: Crochet pillows 4 Comments

Crochet Teddy bear cushion

Today is a gorgeous sunny day, and I would really like to go outside and enjoy the gentle autumn sunrays on my face, and maybe to take my dog to a park, but. I promised myself that I will write this post first. So, here I am, sitting at my computer, mulling over how to start this post. I think this won’t be a long one.

Teddy bear cushion

I’ve been working on the new, improved version of my existing teddy bear baby blanket pattern, and was experimenting with different squares. Made lots of them, and wanted to use them in some crochet project. Since crochet cushions are my second favorite crochet things, (right after crochet blankets) I decided to make one. This is my second animal cushion. A few years ago I made a little owl cushion, and you can find more about it (including the link to the free pattern) in this blog post.

Crochet Teddy bear pillow

I used 100% cotton yarn “Tango” from St. George – 125m/50g. I made 12 granny squares and joined them together with single crochet. As with all of my previous crochet cushions, I didn’t crochet the back side. I made it with a plain cotton fabric. I also added a zipper for easier washing. Nice and clean. I love how the fabric prevents the cushion from stretching.

Teddy bear crochet cushion

One of my followers on Instagram asked me if I make the bears at the end and then sew them on the blanket. The answer is of course not, because it would be too complicated for me. I always try to find the simplest solution. Maybe this teddy bear square doesn’t look as if it’s simple to make, but it really is.

Handmade Teddy bear cushion

Although I adore bright, happy colors, this time I wanted to reduce my color palette. I chose only three colors. The beige, and two shades of blue for this project. And I like it! From time to time I just want things to be as simple as that! If only we could apply this in all areas of our lives. To make it (our life I mean) as simple as it can be. I would really like that!

Crochet Teddy bear baby cushion

The border is very simple. It’s a shell stitch border. Just make 5 dc in the same stitch, skip the next st, sc in the next st. Repeat that around the cushion, or blanket, or anything actually.

Crochet Teddy bear baby blanket

The pattern for the Teddy Bear baby blanket pattern is available in Dada’s place shop, here. (Payment options: credit cards and PayPal)

*

You can also find it in my Ravelry shop, and in my Etsy shop. (Payment option: PayPal)

Vintage crochet teddy bear blanket

Vintage style teddy bear baby blanket pattern is available for purchase in Dada’s place shop, here. (Payment options: credit cards and PayPal)

*

You can also buy it in my Ravelry shop and in my Etsy shop. (Payment option: PayPal)