Darn Good Yarn has provided me with some Variegated Thick and Thin Wool yarn to try out and that's when I created the pattern for my Through Thick and Thin scoodie.

After finishing the scoodie, I had some extra yarn left. I love the bear scoodies I found on Pinterest, but most of them are for children. Us, mama bears need some love too! So I present to you, my "Through Thick and Thin... I'll Be Your Mama Bear" Scoodie!

The bear ears are a cute and quick add-on to your scoodie! Check me out!

What You Need / Materials

• Darn Good Yarn's Variegated Thick and Thin Wool
• Get 15% off your Darn Good Yarn purchase by using the coupon code: ONCEUPONACHEERIO15
• 10.0 mm Crochet Hook
• Scissors
• Yarn Needle

Stitches & Abbreviations

• ch - chain
• sc - single crochet
• sc inc - single crochet increase

Pattern

• Ears (x 2)

Row 1: Magic ring with a base of 4 sc (4 sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn, sc inc in each st around (8 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, [sc, sc inc] x 4 times (12 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st around (12 sts)
Fasten off and leave a tail to sew onto your Through Thick and Thin Scoodie.

About a month ago, Darn Good Yarn contacted me through Instagram asking if I was interested in doing a collaboration. I was thrilled as I've never collaborated with a yarn company before!

After looking through their website, I found that they have many novelty yarns. There are so many that I would love to try but obviously, I can't be so greedy! I end up picking Darn Good Yarn's Variegated Thick and Thin Wool. The thickness of this yarn ranges from worsted to chunky weighted yarn. I love the texture that it creates using basic stitches.


Some call them "scoodies". Some call them "hooded scarves". And then there's this word "snoodie" that comes up every now and then. I assume they're all the same thing? Whatever you wanna call them, these wearable pieces are great at keeping you warm!

The texture of the yarn is a little scratchy as it is with most wool, I believe. Through the thick and thin texture of this yarn, this hooded scarf worked up really quick with a 10 mm crochet hook and can keep you warm all winter!

And boy oh boy, can this scoodie can keep you warm all winter! I couldn't wear it for too long when I was photographing it because it was just too hot. I had to take it off a few times because I thought I might overheat. Of course, it doesn't help that I was photographing it indoors at the end of September. But now I know that this will be my go-to piece if I am going to be outdoors for a period of time in the winter (e.g. waiting for the bus).

Keep scrolling to get the FREE pattern!

What You Need/Materials

• 5 hanks of Darn Good Yarn's Variegated Thick and Thin Wool
• Get 15% off Darn Good Yarn products by using the coupon code: ONCEUPONACHEERIO15
• 10.0 mm Crochet Hook
• Scissors
• Yarn Needle

Stitches & Abbreviations

• ch - chain
• st/sts - stitch/stitches
• slst - slip stitch
• hdc - half double crochet
• dc - double crochet
• fpdc - front post double crochet
• bpdc - back post double crochet

Pattern

Ch 27
Row 1: Hdc into the third loop from the hook, hdc in the next 24 sts and turn. Now working on the other side of the chain, hdc in the next 25 sts (50 sts)
Row 2-14: Ch 2, turn, 50 hdc (50 sts)
Row 15-16: Ch 2 (this one counts as a st), turn, fpdc into the next st, [1 bpdc, 1 fpdc] x 24 times (50 sts)


You should now have a rectangle that is closed on two of the sides to form a hood. Without cutting the yarn, you are now going to start working in rounds from here on.

Ch 3, slst join to the last st of the row to shape the hood
Round 1: Ch 2, dc in the 3 chains, 3 dc along the edge of the fpdc sts, 41 along the edge of the hdc sts, 3 dc along the edge of the fpdc sts, slst join (50 sts)
Round 2-6: Ch 2, 50 dc, slst join (50 sts)
Fasten off and weave in the ends. 



Thank you Darn Good Yarn for providing me with this Variegated Thick and Thin Wool for me to try. I am in love with it and hope you will give it a try too!

Did you make your own Through Thick and Thin Scoodie? I'd love to see it! Please share it with me on Instagram and/or use the #onceuponacheerio hashtag.






This is an original pattern written by Juli Anne of Once Upon a Cheerio. Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this blog post but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but please DO NOT sell the pattern or distribute it. 

You may sell products made from this pattern, but please clearly credit the design to me, Juli Anne of Once Upon a Cheerio and provide a link to my blog www.OnceUponaCheerio.com. Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind. Thank you for understanding!
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BB was born with a head full of hair! I don't think I've ever seen so much hair on a newborn before. It was funny because she was born with a little patch of blonde/light brown right on the top of her head. For the longest time, I didn't want to cut her hair because of that. Then as her hair grew, the older hair must have fallen out because the patch of blond/light brown hair was no longer to be seen.

She didn't seem to care for her long hair for the most part. I find her brushing it away from her face all the time. It seemed more like a nuisance to her than anything. It also became somewhat of a hazard when Mui Mui came around because she would pull on BB's hair and make her cry.

Hanson and I have been talking for months about getting BB a haircut. When we ask her whether she would like a haircut, she would often agree and say yes. Then Hanson and I would look at each other wondering whether she actually understood if she understood what a haircut was.


About a month ago, while watching TV, I saw that GlobalBC was doing a hair donation drive for the Canadian Cancer Society and Wigs for Kids. I thought that it would be such a memorable first haircut for BB if she could donate her hair and appear on TV! So I proceeded to email them and luckily got accepted!

When the date crept closer, I started to worry that BB might freak out on live TV when she realizes that she can't reattach her hair after it's been cut. Luckily, she was more cooperative than I thought (with some candy as bribery to sit still).


She was really shy when the cameras came around and they did short interviews with everyone, so they allowed her some privacy. Once the cameras were gone, she warmed up to Sonia Sunger (who is the host of the morning news) and even shared her loveys/security blankets with her. By the way, Sonia Sunger is just as beautiful in person as she is on Camera!


This year, they had 120 participants for the GlobalBC hair donation drive and BB was their youngest participant. Because there were so many people, it's obvious that they couldn't cut and style everyone's hair. Her hair was a bit uneven, so I trimmed it a bit more when we got back home. It's my first time cutting someone's hair (besides shaving the hair off the back of Hanson's neck). I thought I did a pretty good job!



BB looks super cute and when I compliment her on her new look, she would often respond by saying that her hair looks like mine! It's so heartwarming to see how much she loves her new haircut because she thinks she looks like me. 💕


I have made hair donations in the past as well and am so pleased that BB was able to do the same for her first haircut. This whole experience made a very memorable and special first haircut. I hope she will look back one day and feel as proud of herself of this moment as I did!

A few years ago, I tackled one of my largest projects. I learned how to do the crocodile stitch and then created my very own mermaid blanket from scratch without a pattern. I guess you can say that was my first time designing my own piece!

I love the texture of the crocodile stitch and it worked perfectly well with mermaid tail blankets as it gives it a fish scale look. However, even though I loved this stitch, I could not think what else I could do with it other than mermaid blankets. And because my mermaid blanket was so humongous, I did not think I would ever make another one again.

A few weeks ago, while I was watching Black Swan (starring Natalie Portman) and I had this crazy idea that I wanted to become a ballerina. I love how graceful they move across the stage. I particularly loved the outfits. One thing from the movie that really caught my eye was Natalie Portman's Odette headpiece. I loved the angelic look of the feathers. I thought to myself, "I can make that". And that's when went exploring with the crocodile stitch again.

I present to you, Odette (Swan Lake) Ear Warmers!


I love turning these movie-inspired pieces into everyday wear, just like when I made my Rapunzel Braided Scarf. And now you can also connect with your inner ballerina and wear this throughout winter.

The crocodile stitch can be a little tricky and intimidating at first. Sp please forgive me as the instructions might be a bit wordy because I was trying to be as clear as possible. To help you understand the pattern a bit better, I have included photos as well as a crochet chart of the crocodile stitch after the written instructions.

OK, let's begin!

What You Need / Materials

• Worsted Weight Yarn in White
• 5.0mm Crochet Hook
• Yarn Needle
• Scissors

Stitches & Abbreviation

• ch - chain
• slst - slip stitch
• dc - double crochet
• v-stitch (v-st) - [dc, ch2, dc] into the same st
• scale-stitch (scale-st) - 5 dc down the first dc post of the v-st made from the previous row, ch 1, 5 dc up the second dc post of the v-st made from the previous row

Pattern

• Part 1

Row 1: Ch 4, dc into the first ch (this is your first v-st) [pic 1]
Row 2: Ch 3, 4 dc into the ring, ch 1, 5 dc into the ring (this is your first scale) [pic 2-4]
Row 3: Ch 4 (counts as dc and ch), turn, dc into the same st as the beginning chain (this is your first v-st), v-st into the center of the scale, v-st in the last st (3 v-sts) [pic 5-7]
Row 4: Ch 3, turn, 4 dc down the first post of the v-st,  ch 1, 5 dc up the second post of the v-st, skip the next v-st, work a scale-st in the next v-st (2 scale-sts) [pic 8-10]
Row 5: Ch 4, turn, dc into the same st, v-st into the center space of the scale, v-st between the two scales (making sure that you catch the yarn that connects the two scales [pic 11]), v-st into the center space of the scale, v-st into the last st (5 v-sts) [pic 11-13]
Row 6: Ch 3, turn, 4 dc down the first post of the v-st, ch 1, 5 dc up the second post of the first v-st, [skip the next v-st, work a scale-st in the next v-st] x 2 (3 scale-sts) [pic 14]
Row 7: Ch 1, turn, slst into the the center space of the scale, ch 3, v-st between the two scales, v-st into the center space of the next scale, v-st between the two scales, dc into the center space of the next scale, leave the rest of the stitches unworked (3 v-sts) [pic 15-17]
Row 8: Turn, scale stitch in the first v-st, skip the next v-st, work a scale-st in the next v-st, slst into the chain space (2 scale-sts) [pic 18]
Row 9-20: Repeat rows 5-8 until you have 10 rows of scales.
Fasten off and weave in the ends.

• Part 2

Row 22: Ch 2, turn, [dc between the two sts] x 4
Row 23-32: repeat Row 22
Row 33: Ch 2, turn, slst to join to first wing, [dc between the two sts of the band, slst to join to first wing] x 4
Fasten off and weave in the ends.

• Part 3

Now you have two beautiful wings joined together, you just need to join the top of the wings to finish it off.

Row 1: Sc join to the back of the first scale (at the v-st) of one of the wings, ch 12-15 (depending on your head size), sc join to the back of the first scale of the second wing [Refer to the last photo below]
Row 2: Slst in all the ch sts and join at the beginning of the ch to the wing.
Fasten off and weave in the ends.






Did you make your own Odette Ear Warmers? I'd love to see it! Please share it with me on Instagram and/or use the #onceuponacheerio hashtag.






This is an original pattern written by Juli Anne of Once Upon a Cheerio. Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this blog post but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but please DO NOT sell the pattern or distribute it. 

You may sell products made from this pattern, but please clearly credit the design to me, Juli Anne of Once Upon a Cheerio and provide a link to my blog www.OnceUponaCheerio.com. Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind. Thank you for understanding!

The temperature is dropping and the leaves are falling. It's that time of the year again where we just want to bundle up and stay inside with a cup of hot cocoa. Last year, I shared a post of 12 Weeks of  Christmas Crochet Projects to make in the 12 weeks leading up to Christmas! This year, I thought I'd round up another collection of 12 projects to make for Christmas! Although, keep in mind that some of these projects might take you more than a week to complete.

A year or two ago, I learned how to crochet cables! I love the look of the cables as it adds an extra level of sophistication to a piece. I have yet to design my own cabled project but I love gawking at all the different cabled projects out there on Pinterest. So I thought I might round up a few of my favourites and share them with you today!

1. Cabled Beanie, version 2 by All About Ami

2. Cabled Headband Hat with Big Button by 365 Crochet

I love how stylish this beanie looks! I have actually made one myself in shiny yellow yarn that I had leftover from my Rapunzel-Inspired Braided Scarf. BB has since hi-jacked my beanie, calling it her Rapunzel hat. I have to say, I was very impressed with the construction and how the hat was made. I love how you always get to learn something new from working off other designer's patterns!

4. Cable Wrist Warmers by JR Crochet Designs

5. Women's Cable Ear Warmer by Jenni Designs

6. Catrina Cabled Wrap by Bonnie Bay

7. Braids & Cables Beanie & Cowl Set by MNE Crafts

8. Crochet Heirloom Cabled Sweater by Sewrella

9. Matilda Tote by Megmade with Love

10. Woven Cable Mug Cozy by 1 Dog Woof

11. Farmhouse Pillow by Megmade with Love

If you have a cable crochet pattern that you love, share it with me! In the meantime, don't forget to pin this collection to your Pinterest!