Cute & Easy Crochet by Nicki Trench

Hello dear yarn buddies,

We had a great time this Monday. It was a great idea to share our projects from the book we all gushed about for a while. I am talking about “The Cute & Easy Crochet from Nicki Trench."

As we all agreed, this book is filled with some cute and quite easy projects that will make novices to crocheting want to make all of the projects happen. Most of us did just that at one time or another. Not many books can claim that they inspire people to go from page to page and put the ideas from the pages into their own reality.

Third of our group admitted that they made Round Stripy Pillow Cover from pg. 32.

Such a classic simple showcase project!

What a nice way to show off all your colorful yarn and enjoy all the shades at the same time.

I made mine using bright crayon colors and now I am in the process of toning it down to mellow tans and browns with a touch of gold shimmer.

Emily made one in blue and orange for her Bronco man (surprise!), and sweet shades of pink for little princess.

However, we noticed the mistake in Round 3. Round 3 should end with two dc in the previous dcs, and total number of stitches is 36. Small mistake that an experienced person can fix or overlook, but mistake big enough to stop a beginner from trying just after hitting round 3.

Good news! Don’t give up! We have the good pattern and if you come and sit with us, we will happily share with you. All we ask from you to share with us the finished project.

Ohhh, the white shawl, or as Nicki calls it “Swishy Scarf” from page 76 made me want to run for the nearest hook. What an exotic, sweet looking thing. My 16 years old daughter loves the one I made for her and she thinks it is cool enough to wear to school. Teenagers are hard to please.

        Well, it took me half a Sunday to crack the pattern. And as many of us mentioned, I was not the only one. You see, if you follow Nicki’s description, you will get something nice and ‘swishy’. The only problem is, it is not the one from the picture. Go ahead and see for yourself.

You will end up with some extra big loops that are not found on her scarf.

Problem is the Round 3 and 4 that asks you to chain 5.

Long story short: if you like what you get following her pattern, great. If you see that it is different and want to make the one from the picture, come to our meeting, I have the proper version of this pattern together with additional options and advice on how many chains to start with. Nicki says start with 258ch, but you might need to change this if your yarn is thicker.

Dana is brave enough to work on the teddy bears at the end of the book (pg.120)

 I can’t wait for her to show us the result. And she picked soft chenille yarn too. That should make teddy real soft and fluffy.

Nicki's book is very practical and inspiring. Check it out!