Felicity Fiber Crafts

Pattern Review: Crochet Dreamz Sandals

I recently discovered the joys of wearing slippers during the day. I never understood why my partner would always wear socks and slippers— but now I get it. The floors can be cold… They can be hard, and rough, and have bumpy bits of cat litter on them! Covering my feet with something soft and cozy allows me to walk on fuzzy warm floors everywhere I go. Ahhhh 😌

Now that my current slippers are getting worn out, I figured I should find a pattern and make myself some new ones! Plus, with summer around the corner, traditional slippers can be a bit too warm. I wanted to find a pattern that was open and breathable so I could wear the slippers all day. Finally, I found the perfect pattern: Crochet Dreamz Sandals. Not only are the sandals open toed, but they’ve also got a lacy stitch pattern which is super breathable. Now, onto the review!

The finished sandals in a coral pink color

To begin, I’d like to review the pattern by itself. The pattern is well written, and has detailed instructions for a variety of sizes. Only the basic stitches (sc, hdc, dc, ch) are used, which means it’s very beginner friendly. It calls for worsted weight cotton yarn, a 3.75mm hook, 1/2″ quilt batting, and some optional plastic canvas. It can be a little expensive to acquire the materials if you’re only making one pair of slippers, since the quilt batting comes in a pretty big roll. But, the actual cost-per-slipper is pretty low. 🙂

All in all, the pattern was very clear and easy to follow. The main trouble I had was keeping count of my stitches, and that is no fault of the pattern! The only negative I would give the pattern is the lack of detailed instructions for sewing the toe tops to the sole. This may not be a problem for most, but I am not very versed in hand-sewing, so I would have benefited from some more specific sewing instructions. (I just ended up doing a pseudo-back stitch 🙂 )

Now I’d like to review the actual slippers themselves. The slippers are comfy and cute, and I’m surprised at how well the sole fits my foot! I did have some minor issues with the finished slippers, however. The first issue is that they are very “floppy” when I walk in them. I did add the optional plastic canvas, but I now think that having two or more layers of plastic canvas is ideal. The second issue is the fit of the toe band. When I first tried the finished slippers on, I thought the band was a little tight. After wearing the slippers for a few minutes, the band relaxed considerably. Now, it is much too loose! I’m not sure if this is just the nature of a crocheted slipper made from cotton yarn, or maybe my gauge was off, or maybe I didn’t sew them correctly! I’m not going to fault the pattern for this issue, but I will at least make a note about it. Some possible solutions are to just make the band smaller, or to fold the edges in a bit when you sew it. (Or maybe even to crochet around a small elastic ribbon?)

The minor issues I faced are definitely fixable, and I really did like the pattern and finished product overall! To summarize my review:

The materials can be a little expensive to buy up front, but not a bad price per slipper
The pattern was very well written and easy to follow
I had some issues with the finished slippers “flopping” too much while I walked
I also has issues with the toe band fitting properly

For these reasons, I’d like to give the pattern 3.5/5 stars. This pattern has a lot of potential, and I’ll try and work out the kinks, and post an update sometime!

Have you made this pattern before? Let me know how you liked it!

Pattern Review: Sirin’s Crochet – World’s Easiest Blanket

A coworker of mine is having a baby soon! I wanted to make a blanket for them— something that would be quick and easy. In my search, I found the World’s Easiest Blanket from Sirin’s Crochet. What drew me to this pattern was the simple stitches used, the use of one color, and the cute scalloped border. In this post, I’ll talk about my experience with making the blanket, and any tips and tricks I learned along the way!

The finished blanket (this is actually the smaller blanket I made for my cat!)

The pattern only calls for two stitches, single crochet and double crochet. By alternating these two stitches, you get a finished fabric that is thick and squishy— perfect for a little blanket! The pattern is easy to remember, but still interesting enough to not get boring.

One issue I had with the pattern: it calls for a 7mm hook. These hooks are (for some reason) pretty difficult to find in the US where I am! I ended up ordering a set of ergonomic hooks off Amazon that had a 7mm hook in it. (I only wished I would’ve checked my local Daiso first! They actually have a lot of hooks there 🙂)

This pattern could probably be worked fine with a 6.5mm hook, but the 7mm hook was really nice to work with. Spacing out the stitches with a larger hook made for a softer, airier fabric in the end!

I only have one more note about the pattern. The beginning chain is meant to be 81 chains long. Now, I could’ve made a mistake along the way, but I think the pattern works better with an even number for your foundation chain.

So, I recommend chaining 80, then sc in the second chain from your hook. Alternate sc and dc and you should end on a dc! Then you can ch 1 and turn, and alternate sc and dc again, also ending on a dc.

Personally, I struggled when it came time to make the border. I had trouble with making sure the corners lined up, but I’m doing some research and will make a post with my findings soon— so be on the lookout for it!

To summarize my review:

The pattern is easy to follow and satisfying to complete
The finished fabric is soft and squishy
The pattern requires a 7mm hook, which isn’t super common where I am
I recommend an even number of foundation chains instead of an odd number

Overall, I give this pattern a 4.5/5 stars! It really is a super easy blanket pattern, and the finished product is lovely and useful!

Have you made this pattern before? Let me know what you think! 🙂

Yarn Review: Red Heart Soft Baby Steps

I’ve recently learned why there are so many baby blanket patterns in the crochet world: baby yarn is so soft and delightful to work with! Well, I’m sure there are other reasons for all the baby projects…

Luckily for me, a coworker of mine is having a baby soon! I figured now would be a perfect time for me to get some baby yarn and make my first baby blanket. I’ll talk more about the pattern I used in a different post.

Now, onto the yarn review!

The yarn I chose to work with is Red Heart’s Soft Baby Steps yarn in the Baby Green color.

Looking online, I can see 10 different colors, some pastel and some bright. My local Joann’s only had green, blue, and gray, however. If you’d like to use this yarn, I would check which colors are in stock at your local yarn store first! One good thing— this yarn doesn’t have a dye lot to worry about. It’s okay if you buy some yarn from your local craft store, and some online! It will all match fine. 🙂

This yarn is super soft to work with. It might just be the most pleasant yarn I’ve worked with yet! It creates a buttery soft and squishy fabric, and gets even softer after washing.

I did notice a negative after washing— the yarn got very fuzzy. The care instructions on the label recommend “machine wash warm gentle cycle. Tumble dry low.” If you don’t want the yarn to get fuzzy, then I would recommend drying flat, or line drying.

Personally, I believe a baby yarn should be able to withstand being machine washed and dried. When I consider a blanket I would like to use for a baby, I want to be able to wash it as often and as easily as I can! This yarn failed to meet the mark on that.

To summarize this yarn review:

Comes in a variety of colors, but not all may be available in your local yarn store
No dye lot to worry about
Super soft and feels buttery smooth on the hands
Gets pretty fuzzy after machine washing and drying. Line drying or air drying flat may resolve this!

Overall, I give this yarn 4/5 stars! The no dye lot is super convenient, and the yarn is so wonderfully soft. The only drawback is the fuzziness, but that’s honestly not a huge problem to me!

Have you worked with this yarn before? Please, feel free to tell me about your experience with it! 🙂