crochetguideCrochet star
35 stitches
About 5 minutes
Ten double crochets in a ring, then five points worked down a short chain. Use it as an appliqué, an ornament or on a garland.
Quick crochet projects: patterns to finish in an evening
Every pattern here is small. Each is listed with the number of stitches it takes, counted from the pattern itself; the times assume 12 stitches a minute, and change when you put in your own pace.
12 is only a starting figure. To find yours, crochet single crochet for exactly a minute, then count the stitches. Nothing is stored or sent.
Granny triangle
54 stitches
About 5 minutes
The triangle cousin of the granny square: three corners of (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc), with a 3-dc group added on each side every round.
Crochet hexagon motif
72 stitches
About 5 minutes
Make a double-crochet hexagon with six chain-2 corners and a repeatable round count for joining motifs.
Crochet shamrock
87 stitches
About 5 minutes
A green shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day: three one-round hearts joined at their points and a slip-stitch stem, to sew on as an appliqué or wear as a brooch.
Crochet coaster
90 stitches in each coaster
About 10 minutes
Use marked single-crochet rounds to make matching round coasters, with a count for each round and a check that they lie flat.
Crochet makeup remover pads
96 stitches in each pad
About 10 minutes
Reusable face pads in light cotton: a ring of eight puff stitches, a round of sixteen and a single-crochet edge. Make a set of seven and wash them together.
Crochet Christmas ornaments
108 stitches in the bauble
About 10 minutes
Three small tree ornaments from one ball of cotton: a stuffed bauble, a six-point snowflake and a five-point star, each with a hanging loop.
Crochet bracelet
120 stitches
About 10 minutes
A quick single-crochet band sized to the wrist, with a chain loop and a button to close it. A first project for an evening, or for a child with chunkier yarn.
Crochet half circle
126 stitches
About 10 minutes
Six double crochets in a magic ring, then 6 more every row, worked back and forth so the row ends make a straight edge. For a mat, a sun or a doormat.
Solid granny square
144 stitches
About 10 minutes
Make a solid double-crochet square with chain-2 corners, a complete count for each round and matching edges for joining.
Crochet mandala
168 stitches
About 15 minutes
A flat circle that grows by 12 double crochets a round in a new color each time, finished with a round of picots. Hang it, or use it as a mat.
Crochet pineapple appliqué
171 stitches
About 15 minutes
A small flat pineapple: a single-crochet oval worked around a chain, a crossed pattern stitched on in a darker yarn and five chain leaves. Sew it to a bag, a top or a blanket.
Crochet bookmark
180 stitches
About 15 minutes
A narrow V-stitch strip in light cotton, finished with a single-crochet row and a tassel. Ten stitches wide; one short evening of work.
Crochet keychain
189 stitches in all the pieces
About 15 minutes
A small stuffed strawberry that hangs from a key ring: rounds that widen by three stitches to a rounded point, a five-leaf green cap and embroidered seeds.
Amigurumi ball
216 stitches
About 20 minutes
The first amigurumi shape: a 6-stitch ring, three increase rounds, five even rounds and three decrease rounds make a firm stuffed ball.
Crochet scrunchie
240 stitches
About 20 minutes
A quick scrunchie: single crochets worked over a hair elastic, then a round of double crochets that ruffle. Done in under an evening.
Crochet mug cozy
242 stitches with the tab
About 20 minutes
A half-double-crochet band that wraps a coffee mug and buttons through the handle, sized to the mug. A small, quick gift for someone who is retiring.
Double crochet circle
252 stitches
About 20 minutes
Double-crochet rounds that add 12 stitches each round, with the increases moved every other round so the edge stays round, not 12-sided.
Crochet tulip
263 stitches in the bloom, the stem and the leaf
About 20 minutes
A small single-crochet tulip: a cupped bloom with three pointed petals, lightly stuffed, on a stem worked round a skewer, with one leaf. A spring bouquet.
Granny square mat
288 stitches
About 25 minutes
Make matching three-round granny squares, arrange them in a square and join their edges without gathering the seams.
Crochet plant hanger
300 stitches
About 25 minutes
A small round base for the pot and four single-crochet cords gathered through a ring at the top. Sized by the pot’s base and how low it should hang.
Crochet bee
336 stitches in all the pieces
About 30 minutes
An oval striped body in yellow and black, two small folded wings and chain antennae that you tie in before the body is stuffed and closed.
Crochet doily
336 stitches
About 30 minutes
A small round doily in cotton: a dense center, a ring of spaces, groups, chain loops, 16 shells and a picot edge.
Crochet dreidel
372 stitches in all the pieces
About 30 minutes
A stuffed Hanukkah dreidel: a point that grows by four stitches a round, straight sides, a flat top and a stem, with nun, gimel, hei and shin stitched on.
Crochet soap saver
390 stitches
About 35 minutes
A cotton pouch that holds a bar of soap, or its last slivers, and lathers up as a scrubber: an oval base, eight rounds of open mesh and a chain drawstring.
Crochet dreamcatcher
450 stitches
About 40 minutes
A wall hanging: a small double-crochet mandala with a picot edge, laced by sixteen spokes into a ring covered in single crochet, with three chains below.
Crochet fall leaf garland
458 stitches in the leaves, stems and cord
About 40 minutes
Fall decor from small amounts of yarn: leaves worked around a short chain, short stitches at the ends and trebles in the middle, joined on a chain cord.
Crochet Christmas gift card holder
527 stitches
About 45 minutes
A small single-crochet pocket for a bank-card-size gift card, with a fold-over flap, a chain loop and a button. Make it in red and green for Christmas.
Crochet headband
600 stitches
About 50 minutes
Make a back-loop single-crochet band and form the twist at the seam. Choose the circumference from your washed strip.
Crochet basket
600 stitches
About 50 minutes
Crochet a single-crochet spiral base, use a back-loop transition and continue straight sides with a fixed stitch count.
Crochet whale
636 stitches in all the pieces
About 55 minutes
An egg-shaped body that narrows into a tail, with two flat flukes sewn at the end. Worked in one piece apart from the flukes.
Crochet octopus
720 stitches in all the pieces
About 1 hour
A stuffed sphere head with safety eyes and eight legs that curl on their own as you work two single crochets into every chain.
Crochet dog hat
722 stitches
About 1 hour
A single-crochet hat for a dog, worked in rounds from the top, with two holes for the ears and a tie at each side. Sized from your dog’s own head.
Crochet turkey
724 stitches in all the pieces
About 1 hour
A round stuffed turkey that stands on a flat base, with a half-circle fan tail of six feathers in three colors, a beak, a red wattle and two feet.
Crochet cow
768 stitches in all the pieces
About 1 hour
A round head with a pink muzzle, ears, small horns and black spots on a short body. Each part is a small round piece sewn on.
Crochet penguin
771 stitches in all the pieces
About 1 hour
One egg-shaped body with a flat base so it stands, a white oval belly, two flat wings, a small beak and two feet, sewn on after stuffing.
Crochet snowman
777 stitches in all the pieces
About 1 hour
Two stuffed white pieces, a flat base so it stands, a cone carrot nose and a single-crochet scarf, with embroidered eyes, mouth and buttons.
Crochet pumpkin
830 stitches
About 1 hour
An autumn pumpkin from one ribbed rectangle: seamed into a tube, gathered at both ends, stuffed and wrapped with yarn into segments, with a little stem.
Crochet collar
844 stitches with the edging and the ties
About 1 hour
A detachable Peter Pan collar in half-double-crochet rows, worked from the neckline out with 8 more stitches a row so it lies flat, edged and tied at the front.
Crochet cat
902 stitches in all the pieces
About 1.5 hours
A round head on a short body, two triangle ears and a long thin tail, with safety eyes and an embroidered nose. Each part is a small round piece.
Crochet gnome
924 stitches in all the pieces
About 1.5 hours
A flat-based body, a tall cone hat sewn over the top, a round nose and a fringe beard knotted in with the hook. No face to embroider.
Crochet graduation cap
932 stitches in all the pieces
About 1.5 hours
A small graduation cap to hang up or tie to a gift: a stuffed single-crochet cap, a square board stiffened with card, a button and a gold tassel.
Crochet baby booties
972 stitches in the pair
About 1.5 hours
Easy baby shoes on an oval single-crochet sole: the sides turn up on a back-loop round, three decrease rounds close the toe and a ribbed cuff hugs the ankle.
Crochet plant pot cover
1,062 stitches
About 1.5 hours
A single-crochet cover for a flower pot: a flat base, a back-loop turn and sides that widen with the pot from the base to the rim. Sized from your pot.
Crochet sunglasses case
1,074 stitches
About 1.5 hours
A firm single-crochet pouch for a pair of glasses, worked in rounds around a chain so it has no side seams, with a tapered flap and a button loop.
Crochet cowl
1,080 stitches
About 1.5 hours
Make an open-neck loop from a double-crochet rectangle, check the opening against your own measurements and join matching row ends.
Crochet American flag
1,144 stitches
About 1.5 hours
A small US flag in single-crochet rows: 13 stripes of 2 rows, a blue canton worked in from its own bobbin and 50 stitched stars, in the official proportions.
Fingerless crochet mitts
1,152 stitches
About 1.5 hours
Crochet matching rectangles, check the circumference on your own hand and leave measured openings while sewing the side seams.
Crochet bunny
1,218 stitches in all the pieces
About 1.5 hours
A round-headed bunny that sits on a flat base, with long folded ears, small arms and feet and a round tail. Every part is worked in single-crochet rounds.
Crochet Christmas tree
1,220 stitches in all the pieces
About 1.5 hours
A stuffed amigurumi cone that stands on a flat base, with three ruffled tiers worked into front loops left free, and a small star on top.
Crochet bow tie
1,226 stitches
About 1.5 hours
A single-crochet loop pinched in the middle by a wrapped band, on a strap sized to the collar with a buttonhole. Quick enough to make the week before Father’s Day.
Crochet butterfly top
1,348 stitches in the four wings and the body
About 2 hours
Two triangle wings over the bust and two smaller ones below, joined at a crochet body and tied at the neck and back. Sized X-Small to 5X.
Granny square pillow cover
1,368 stitches for two 9-round squares
About 2 hours
Two solid granny squares worked to the size of your cushion, joined on three sides, filled and closed. Each round adds 16 double crochets.
How the counts are made
Rows patterns: stitches in a row times the number of rows, for every piece the pattern makes. Rounds and motifs: the stitch totals of every round added up. A set counts one piece, as its card says. Toys count every piece, from the body to the ears, legs and wings. A chain that is part of a piece, such as a leg or a cord, counts as a stitch; turning chains, joins, sewing, weaving in and blocking take extra time.
Pace is personal and changes with practice. Time yourself again after a few projects.