Crochet Podcast Ep 4: Discover Latest Yarn Hauls & Finished Projects

Crochet Vlog Episode 4: My Granny Square Bag, Elf Hats, a Yarn Haul, and Market Prep

Some crochet days feel like I got nothing done, even if I worked for hours. Then there are the other days, the ones where projects seem to finish themselves and suddenly I have a pile of finished makes beside me.

This episode is one of those: I wrapped up a giant granny square bag, made two elf hats after a late-night YouTube scroll, whipped up practical house things (including a tissue box cover), and kept moving on my plans for training the ladies who help me crochet. I also got a fresh shipment of yarn from Turkey, and yes, I touched every skein like it was a pet.

If you like crochet that fits real life, this one's for you.

Finished objects from my crochet marathon day

I tried to be organized this time, finished objects first, then acquisitions, then the usual rambling that happens when I'm surrounded by yarn. The headline finished object is my bag, but honestly, yesterday turned into one of those "how did I make all that?" days.

A good crochet day, for me, has two parts. First, I make something fun (because I want to). Then I make something useful (because it has to earn its keep). Yesterday had both, and that's why it felt so satisfying.

The star of the show: my giant granny square bag

My granny squares measure 14 inches, so the bag comes out big right from the start. It's square, roomy, and actually comfortable on my shoulder, which is the whole point. The handles are the kind I love most: they have a cord inside, so they don't stretch out over time. I sewed them on with a cute circle at the bottom, which gives them a finished look and helps them sit nicely.

For the handles, I used an eyelash chamois chenille in blue and navy, plus a multicolored wool and alpaca blend. The feel is next-level soft. It's softer than terry cloth and it makes the bag feel like something I want to carry, not just something I made to prove I could.

I took it out as my purse yesterday while shopping, and two strangers complimented it. I said thank you and resisted blurting out, "I made it!" (Barely.) Then my husband, who usually doesn't comment on my crochet at all, walked out of the room and quietly said, "Nice bag." That was a big deal because he's normally a "shoes and purses should be proper" kind of guy.

If you want to make the same style, I put the full tutorial here: Granny Square Project Bag Tutorial

Now I want to make another version, but not square. I'm picturing two big squares (same size or a bit bigger) and then a strip along three sides, sort of like a rectangular granny strip. I want it to be cute and practical without being bulky under my arm.

The best compliment is when I actually use what I crochet, and it works like a real bag.

Late-night elf hats (because Santa hats get boring)

In the middle of the night, I woke up and did the usual thing: checked YouTube and got an idea. I wanted festive hats, but Santa hats are a lot of red and white, and I wasn't in the mood. Elf hats felt more fun because the colors can be anything.

I found a tutorial by Bobwilson123 and followed the basic idea, but I changed the shape. Her version has a long skinny tube at the top, and I wanted mine thicker and more wearable.

Here's what I made:

• Elf Hat #1 (half double crochet body): I followed the pattern up to a point, then adjusted the top to keep it thicker. For the brim, I used worsted weight chenille and made a ribbed edge with front post and back post stitches. I also did a couple rows of single crochet with decreases because the brim was too big for my head.
• Elf Hat #2 (double crochet spiral): I used double crochet this time because it's faster and I like the drape. I worked in a spiral (no joining). I increased every 4th row until I hit the crown size, then crocheted straight down. For the last single crochet row, I decreased regularly (joining stitches together) to make it snug.

The color combo for one hat came straight from a slipper I was working on, and now my oldest son wants one in a dark combo (he mentioned black with red and blue). I love that because elf hats don't have to be traditional to be cute.

If you want another elf hat option to compare sizing and shaping, this crochet elf hat pattern in three sizes is a helpful reference.

Quick makes that made my house and my plans easier

Yesterday also included a slipper, a tissue box cover, and a tea cozy, which sounds random until you realize I'm also making samples for the ladies I'm training.

The slipper was my "I need to do a slipper tutorial" reminder. I made one slipper so I can film the second one as a tutorial later. The colors also ended up inspiring the elf hat palette, so it all tied together.

Then I went grocery shopping and found square tissue boxes (which I don't always see here). Since they were square, I went straight into crochet mode.

For the square tissue box cover, I made granny squares for the sides. For the center ring, I tested two options:

• Chain 12 for the ring felt too tight.
• Chain 14 looked better, so I used that.

I worked 24 double crochets around the ring, arranged into granny shells. I tried a gray join-as-you-go round, and I'm still deciding if I love it. Next time, I might leave long tails and sew, or even single crochet the seams. I also did one row of single crochet along the bottom edge to finish it and snug it up.

If you want to see how other designers handle sizing for tissue box covers, this free checkered tissue box cover pattern shows a clean approach to fit and structure.

Finally, I made a tea cozy for a classic Kenyan metal teapot (heavy, stamped "Made in Kenya" on the bottom). I started with the idea of rectangles for hats, then remembered seeing a tea cozy on Instagram made from a similar stitch. So I switched gears and made one. I topped it with a big popcorn flower in worsted weight chenille, and after my first leaf attempt looked silly, I adjusted the leaves on a later round and liked it much better.

Training my crochet ladies by breaking projects into pieces

Tomorrow is training day, and I'm trying hard not to do the thing where I teach everyone a little bit of everything, then nobody feels confident enough to finish a saleable item. Instead, I want each lady to do one repeatable piece, get good at it, and build speed and consistency.

That's also kinder on the yarn budget. If something comes out too big, too small, or just "off," it's easier to frog one rectangle than to scrap a whole finished hat.

Here's how I'm thinking about the work split. This table is the simplest way to keep it clear.

I also like this setup because I can keep quality consistent while everyone learns. If someone makes a hat body that's too tall, I can adjust it before it becomes a full hat. If a rectangle is a bit wide, I can still use it for a tea cozy instead of a hat.

I'm also planning to make sample rectangles in small, medium, and large, so the ladies can match size. I even considered tracing the shape on paper, because it's hard to eyeball dimensions when you're still learning.

Choosing display colors to match my market setup

I ordered big paper pom-poms for the ceiling (faster than crocheting giant pom-poms, and a lot cheaper). Since I'm hanging them for a market tent display, I started thinking about color coordination.

The plan in my head is a white base with two accent colors, pulled from the pom-pom palette. I have eight main colors plus neutrals, and I'm debating how matchy-matchy I want to get. A little coordination looks intentional, but too much can feel forced.

I also keep picturing mandalas for stools in those same colors, mixed and not identical, for that modern country kitchen look. It's the kind of cozy that still feels fresh.

Yarn haul from Turkey: bamboo, cotton, and sparkle

My yarn shipment from Turkey arrived Saturday, and I started with the bamboo because bamboo always wins the softness contest in my house.

Bamboo yarns (soft, shiny, and hard to resist)

I picked up a few types of bamboo, including some that surprised me once I saw them in real life.

• Silver bamboo: 100% bamboo, 50 g is 200 m, suggested 3 mm. Online it looked silver-ish, but you never really know until it arrives. In person, it's definitely silver and has a soft sheen.
• Ivory (pearl) bamboo: also 100% bamboo, with that same shine that makes it look polished.
• Natural bamboo: 50 g is 125 m, suggested 3 mm. I bought everything left because it was on sale, and it feels dreamy.

Then I grabbed more of a yarn I already know I like, a cotton-bamboo blend (60% bamboo, 40% cotton). Those skeins are 100 g and 140 m, and they're great for clothing. I've already made a tunic with one of the colors before, so I trust how it wears.

I also picked up a lavender shade and a steely blue-gray. They might not be the colors that make me look my best, but I still love them for projects.

Cotton that won't split, plus metallic sparkle

Next up was a 100% natural cotton called Natural Cotton Air. These are 100 g balls and 300 m, and they suggest 3 mm to 4 mm needles (I use hooks, and I'll use what works for the fabric I want). The big win is that this cotton is woven like a cord, so it doesn't split while crocheting. That alone makes it feel calmer to work with, especially when I'm moving fast.

I also bought some sparkly yarn that screams "ornament season" even if the colors aren't strictly Christmas. It's a metallic lurex and polyester blend, 50 g is 175 m, and it suggests a 4 mm hook. The copper is my favorite. I can see it held together with a regular acrylic, just to add sparkle without making the whole project blinding.

And here's my personal milestone: I officially have no yarn orders pending right now. Nothing is "on the way." I feel weirdly proud of that.

What I'm working on next: tutorials, tags, and the market tent problem

I always have a list running in my head, but right now I'm trying to keep it realistic. Some things are fun ideas, other things are urgent because they connect to selling finished pieces.

Tutorials I want to film (and the yarn-choice struggle)

On the tutorial side, I want to record short basics, the kind of clips you can rewatch quickly:

• chain, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, treble crochet
• shells and clusters like dc3tog

Those are useful, but they're not urgent.

The more urgent one is my Hug Rug tutorial. My issue is yarn choice. I don't want to make another one in acrylic because I already have acrylic rugs. I also tried chenille, because I love chenille, but you can't see the stitches well on camera. That's not fair if I'm teaching.

So I'm switching to a cotton tape style yarn, woven like a tube so it doesn't split. It's a gradient from turquoise into blue denim tones. It's wearable, the stitches show, and it's something I'll actually want to use.

Business pieces I need to print (like, now)

I'm reworking my tags and cards again. I want them to be double-sided, more like a little folded booklet than a standard business card.

My goal is simple: a logo on the front, a short blurb inside, and a space on the back for "made by" so the maker can sign their name. Then I can hole-punch it and attach it to items like a gift tag. I can also add a small insert with the price and item name, so if it's a gift, that part can be removed and the tag still looks cute.

This jumped up my priority list because I have items in a shop at a school in Nairobi, and they emailed me about a Tuesday intake. That means I need to be ready.

Also, the Christmas ornament update made me grin. One of the ladies called and said she's finished 900 grams worth of Christmas balls, which is a lot. Now I need to figure out packaging and display so they look as good as they deserve.

If you're looking for general tea cozy construction ideas while I keep playing with my own shapes, this crochet teapot cover tutorial is a good example of how different panels can come together.

The tent size debate (10 by 10, or huge?)

I'm still stuck on the market tent question: do I go with 10 by 10 feet and risk feeling cramped, or do I go big (20 by 22) and end up calling across the tent to someone on the other side like I'm running a tiny yarn supermarket?

My plan is to use chalk and draw it out on the driveway, then physically place what I want to display inside the outline. That should answer it fast.

Conclusion

This week felt busy, but it also felt more organized, and that's the difference. I have finished projects I'm excited about, a yarn haul that's full of good possibilities, and a clearer plan for training the ladies by focusing on repeatable pieces. Next up is samples, packing project kits, and getting ready for whatever the market setup turns into. If you're working on something right now, I'd love to hear what it is, and what colors you can't stop using lately.