At Kathi's Request

Kathi over at Beautiful Mini Blessings  http://beautifulminiblessings.blogspot.com/
Put in a request on the comments yesterday, so I decided to give away a couple of secrets.

One is I dislike following patterns for crochet when I don't have to.

I do like to cheat and use regular size patterns to convert to minis.

I do both regularly.

The little dishcloth, hanging from the faucet handle is the last of the thread from two balls of Peaches and Cream, worsted weight cotton that I bought at Walmart a while ago, just because I liked the rainbows...

It made the two mats that I showed you yesterday, two potholders and the dish cloth(I could have made that bigger, but I got tired of crocheting).

I didn't have a pattern for either of the mats, but they are based on a granny square, so there are many patterns that you could use.

I will give you the pattern for the potholders.  It is one that I made up, probably more that 20 years ago.  I imagine that there are similar patterns everywhere in the universe.  I kind of like it made from this yarn.  If you look at it from one direction It is almost illusional.  Give it a quarter turn and it looks like solid diagonal bands.

The Potholder pattern is so simple. 

Chain 26.  turn and single crochet in the second chain from the hook.....Always crochet into the back of each stitch.  In other words the side furthest away from you. 

When you get to the end of a row(25 stitches) chain one and turn.

Crochet in the second stitch from the hook and continue across.  Do this for 25 rows and draw the thread through the last loop and fasten off.  That's it.

I did put a loop in the last corner with and eight stitch chain, but it isn't necessary.

You are probably asking, "So, where are the minis?".

Here you go.

When I do mini crochet I usually go to my favorite crochet site.  It is Crochet Pattern Central  http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory.php  This is a most amazing site!  Some of you already know about it, but if you don't and you want to crochet anything at all, go take a look!

I led you right to the free pattern directory.  From there, you can get to THOUSANDS of patterns for anything you can think of to crochet.  There are over 400 patterns in the Baby Afghan section alone!  And that's inside the baby section that contains other baby patterns broken down by category as well...

The reason that I say it is good for minis is I use a lot of regular patterns and do them in fine thread for minis.

I prefer the baby afghan patterns for minis.  The three in the photo are all from there.  I simply used old mercerized cotton sewing thread on the pink and blue ones and silk sewing thread on the brown one. Don't use thread with poly or other synthetics in it!  It is very hard to work with. You have to get used to using a #14 or smaller crochet hook and in my case, a lighted magnifier to see what I am doing. 

If you knit, tat, or do embroidery, see the side bar...There are also "Pattern Central" sites for these.  I have had these bookmarked for years and I don't think that I have ever gotten through all of them.  They keep adding new things all of the time.  There are also some pretty neat vintage patterns too.

Kathi, you will be happy to know that there is a separate "coaster" section that would choke a horse.  Although I don't know what a horse would be doing in that section....

Anyway, I did my good deed for the day.  I have given all of the crocheters, knitters, tatters and embroiderers something to keep them busy.  Have Fun!!!!

See you tomorrow.