I am so excited to have teamed up with a bunch of my Designer Besties to bring you all a whole bunch of FREE crochet patterns that will be great for Valentine’s Day but really any time of the year!

So how does this work?

Just keep coming back to check THIS POST where I will link to all of the patterns and tell you a bit about each designer! I’ll be adding new pattern links ever few days!

BUT here is my pattern for the blog hop!

The Salt Water Taffy Pillow

Free Crochet Pattern!

I had so much making this pillow! I have been on an organizing and purging kick lately so that means I am trying really hard to not bring more into the house and use things I have! So when I started working on this pillow idea, I did not have a pillow that needed to be covered and I didn’t want to go buy one for the sake of covering a pillow! So what did I do????

T-SHIRTS! Everyone has old t-shirts. I have donated a ton recently and made some into t-shirt yarn, but there were a few that were just too old and ratty and stained. I was too embarrassed to give them away! So they’ve been sitting…..until now!

Materials

4.50 mm Crochet Hook
Yarn Needle
Scissors
#4 Worsted Weight Yarn
Mary Maxim Starlette
MC – White – 450 yards
CC – Hot Pink – 45 yards
3 Old XL T-shirts (optional, get creative with filling!)

Gauge/Size

16 sts x 12 rows is 4”x 4″ in HDC
NOTE : Gauge is not super important if you will be creating your own filling!

Finished Pillow

16” across x 14” around

Stitch Descriptions and Abbreviations

• Chain Stitch – CH – yarn over, pull yarn through stitch on hook.
• Slip Stitch – Sl St – Insert hook into stitch or space, yarn over, pull yarn through both loops on hook.
• Surface Slip Stitch – Sl St – Worked as a Sl St, but done after the fabric has been created.
• Double Crochet – DC – Yarn over, insert hook into stitch or space, pull up a loop, (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through remaining loops.
• Half Double Crochet 2 Together – HDC 2 TOG – work two HDC stitches together for a decrease stitch.
• Foundation Half Double Crochet – FHDC – Chain 3, yarn over, insert hook into 3rd chain from hook, yarn over and pull up loop (3 loops on hook) Yarn over and pull through 1 loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all loops, (1 foundation double crochet with chain at bottom) *Yarn over, insert hook to bottom of the stitch you just made. It will look like the top of a “V” on a stitch. Yarn over and pull up loop (3 loops on hook) Yarn over and pull through 1 loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over and pull though all loops*.    *   * repeat.
• * * – Designates a repeat.

Main Pillow Panel – Using MC

Row 1

FHDC 65

Row 2

Chain 2 and turn, HDC BLO across. [65 total stitches]

Row 3

Chain 2 and turn, HDC across. [65 total stitches]

Row 4 – 39

Repeat Rows 2 & 3, finish off.

Your piece will look slanted, this is correct. It is caused by the BLO stitch on every other row. I will straighten out when you seam it up OR you can let it kind of twist so your pillow looks more like a candy cane!

Embellishing with Surface Sl St using CC

With the ridges created from the HDC BLO facing you, place one row of Surface Sl St in every other row. Proper placement is shown in more detail in the photos below. You will be working the Surface Sl St in the space created by working in the top of the “V” of the HDC. When your Surface Sl St rows are complete it should have the same effect that was created by the HDC BLO.

Photos

1.  2. 

3.  4.

5.  6.

7.  8.

Assembly using MC

Fold you pillow panel right side facing with the detailing horizontally and Sl St the long edges together. DO NOT FINISH OFF.

Turn right side out and Chain 2.

Round 1

HDC evenly around, Sl St together. [45 total stitches]

*NOTE, your stitch count might be different depending on your interpretation of evenly, that is ok!*

Rounds 2 & 3

Chain 2 and turn, HDC in each stitch around, Sl St together. [45 total stitches]

Round 4

Chain 2 and turn, *HDC in first stitch, HDC 2 TOG* to end, Sl St together. [30 total stitches]

Rounds 5 -15

Chain 2 and turn, HDC in each stitch around, Sl St together. [30 total stitches]

Finish off and weave in ends.

Attach your yarn to the other side and repeat.

To stuff your pillow with T-Shirts, lay the t-shirts flat, fold them to the right width and roll it up. Then take another T-Shirt and repeat. Keep rolling your T-shirts together adding one around the next until you have a “pillow” that fits inside of your cover. Pinch your ends in evenly and tight to create a candy wrapper look. Then take your MC and wrap the yarn tightly around until you create the look of a knot. Tie together and finish off!

THAT’S IT! How simple and fun was that!

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