Innovative Designs for Yarnivores
Instantly download our most popular patterns on Etsy at:
www.YarnovationsShop.Etsy.com
Li’l Slugger Newborn Crochet Photo Prop
Ball Cap, Baseball Mitt, Catcher’s Mitt, and Bib
Birds of a Feather: 9 Birds from Granny Squares
Cardinal, Sunflower Chicken, Turkey, Robin and more
Basket Collection: 6 Styles, Sewing Pattern
Chevron, Strips, Quadrants and more
I am excited to share that my Diamond Handbag is not only in I Like Crochet magazine August 2026 issue…it is the cover project!
This is such a fun project to crochet. I purposely set out to create something that can be made in panels. Why? I wanted something that would be relaxing enough to watch tv, and something that had lots of texture. There are so many wonderful crochet stitches and techniques in this bag, you’ll love it.
One of my favorite features of this bag is the folded over front corner adorned with big chunky tassels and a large flower button. The dip in the front panel makes it so much easier to reach into the bag for your belongings. I added a few silver beads where panels are joined, too.
As you can see from the cover text, this is a really fun issue with rugs galore, gorgeous geometric designs and sizzling southwestern ideas. I’ve taken a peek at a few of the projects and they are scrumptious.
I Like Crochet is a digital magazine, so you can access your pattern right away. Learn more about the August Issue of I Like Crochet and get your copy, today!
I love it when a great yarn is available in different yarn weights. I’ve crocheted with Everyday Worsted for years and years. This was my first project with Everday DK. And it was fabulous. This thinner yarn allows for more opportunity to make intricate designs. The diamond motif takes center stage…and the side panel still has room to wrap around the front.
As of this writing, Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday DK is available in 74 colors! I’m confident you can find just the right one for your Diamond Handbag.
Love Jimothy the raccoon? Sew him with us. This trio sewing pattern is fun, easy and great for new sewists. Make a coaster, a keychain or an Christmas ornament … or applique a towel or shirt. This Jimothy sewing pattern has step-by-step instructions for 3 projects but once you learn how to make the applique, you can put Jimothy on a whole host of things.
Jimothy Sewing Pattern Includes
Sewists love to capture moments in time in fabric and thread. Commemorate and sew a fun Jimothy raccoon, bison / American buffalo, or tourist for your bag. Or tie ribbon on them and make Christmas ornaments. The bison reminds us of our brother who attended CU Boulder. CU Buffs have an American Buffalo as their mascot. If you’re a fan of professional football like us, then you probably know someone that’s a fan of Buffalo Bills. Whatever your reason, this pattern makes it easy to sew fun projects.
The easy step-by-step sewing pattern for Jimothy, Bison / American Buffalo, Boy and Girl is now available in our Etsy shop. It includes tracing templates for Fimothy and Friends and 3 different step-by-step instructions for making a towel, keycahins and coaster.
When we saw Jimothy online, the first thing on our To-Sew List was the keychain. And we fell in love with it. The keychain is light weight and melts our hearts.
Second on our To-Sew List was the towel. We fell even more in love with Jimothy upon appliqueing him to a towel. It looks soo good next to the sink. Guests will get a real kick out of it.
Third and finally, we had to “quilt” a coaster. For this project we decided to go old school and sewed Jimothy with simple straight lines. Top stitching can be done with any technique like swirls or jagged “fur” scruff. But we opted for a geometric look.
Sew with us. Get your copy of Jimothy and Friends Sewing Pattern in our Etsy shop.
Make Jimothy as a coaster, keychain or applique for a towel or shirt – the pattern includes tracing templates for all three. But it also includes tracing templates to make a bison / American buffalo and a guy and gal tourist as a keychain or applique. Customize them with different fabrics to your hearts content.
Why Do You Need a Jimothy and Friends?
If you want quick and easy projects to make with your stash, this is it! We upcycled and stash busted for all of these projects. The fabrics were all remnants and bed linens picked up at a second hand store. The cork on the back of the coasters is an old roll we inherited from our dad when he retired from woodworking. We used snippets of stabilizer and batting we had in a remnants pile. This is the ultimate upcycling and sewing project to make practical and whimsical gifts.
Get your copy of Jimothy and Friends Sewing Pattern, today.
My love of bison (and an incident at Yellowstone) inspired me to create a pin loom bison stuffed animal. These impressively powerful mammals possess a quiet strength as they feed across the prairie. They are social creatures that seem unbothered by all the things around them.
For others in my family, the bison makes them recall their time at the University of Colorado. I imagine a blue bison could rile up a Buffalo’s fan or two!
I didn’t have any dark brown fur, so I decided to make the front of the bison with a textured stitch. The smocking stitch became especially prominent by warping the pin looms in a single strand of yarn, and weaving it double stranded. These two brown colors of Caron Simply Soft yarn really contrast nicely.
For me, determining the size of the head kind of dictates the size of the rest of the body. First, I imagined the different parts of the body in shapes, squares, rectangles, triangles, and cylinders. Then I determined the size of looms that would accomplish those the best.
I ended up using 6 different pin looms: 1″ and 2″ right triangle looms, 2″ and 4″ square looms, and 1″ x 4″ and 2″ x 4″ rectangle looms.
With a little folding, rolling, and tucking, this little bison quickly took shape. His finished size is 11″ long x 4″ wide x 7″ tall. For complete instructions, you can find the pattern in our Etsy shop. It includes step-by-step written instructions, charts, and photos.
Unlike those found in the wild, this one likes to cuddle!
Happy Weaving,
Deborah
Love pin loom weaving or Bison? Share one of our photos on social media.
Want to make one? The bison – American buffalo pin loom weaving pattern is available now in our Etsy shop.
Attention Card Sharks! The hottest game in town is Samba. And card holders and card mats are all the rage. I’ve made several for my mom’s card groups and now you can too with this fun and easy sewing pattern. They aren’t just for Samba. My mom uses her card mat for Ponytail Canasta and Hand, Foot & Toe, too.
I created several proto-types and included my top favs in the sewing pattern. Choose between a rollable style card playing mat or a foldable style. Both styles are beginner friendly sewing patterns with step-by-step instructions and lots of photos.
Card Playing Mat Sewing Pattern includes:
The fun and easy Card Playing Mat Sewing Pattern is available now in our Etsy Shop.
Choose the card playing mat that’s best suited for your card game of choice.
18 Pocket Foldable Mat – Samba
You really only need 16 pockets for Samba but the foldable card playing mat has 18 which is 3 sections with 6 pockets in each. I love this option because the 7’s can either be collected with the low cards or it can be collected with the Sambas.
How I Organize My 18 Pocket Samba Card Playing Mat
How My Mom Organizes Her 18 Pocket Samba Card Playing Mat
Card playing mats are practically essential at my mom’s club house. They play Samba on small card tables and people are (or were, rather) always elbowing each other for more table space. Cards would often drop on the floor because they were collecting books right to the very edge of the table.
The Samba card playing mats keep things nice and tidy…but most importantly, condensed. After repeated requests, I finally made my mom not just 1 card playing mat…but 2 (a foldable and a rollable mat).
You can make your own card playing mats, too. Sew some for your team, and if you’re feeling generous, make some for your opponents as well.
This Samba Card Playing Mat Sewing Pattern includes 5 mat sizes total (some foldable, some rollable). It’s available now in our Etsy Shop.
Get your card playing mat sewing pattern now on Etsy.
Love to pin loom weave? Love to see how other people have woven the same pattern? Join us for a pin loom weave along February 16 – March 8, 2026 as we make The Raven. It’s completely free. Here’s how to participate in The Raven weave along:
The Raven pin loom bird is surprisingly simple to make. Even so, we decided an assembly video would make it even easier to visualize the process. View the Pin Loom Raven Assembly on YouTube or below:
The Raven requires very few supplies. You’ll need a few looms, some yarn, stuffing and safety eyes. The weaving pattern includes this list…but if you want to see if you have them off hand, here’s what you’ll need to make your own raven:
The Raven pin loom weave along is open for all the birds in our pin loom collection. We have an ebook with 9 adorable birds called The Pin Loom Flock on Etsy. Learn more about that in our Etsy shop: YarnovationsShop.
Weave the raven or bird of your choice, post it online with hashtag #PinLoomBird, and email us a photo per instructions in the pattern to be included in the compilation photo in the Facebook group.
We look forward to seeing everyone’s pin loom birds!
Mushroom Pin Cushion with Basket is an easy crochet pattern you can make in a weekend. It’s darling to display but even more fun to use. It’s the perfect size for collecting yarn snips (or candy wrapper). If you like to sew or embroider, it’s great for tossing thread snips as well. Or, you could store notions it it for crochet, knitting, weaving, sewing and quilting.
I, Dana, woke up one day with a vision for mushrooms on a grassy knoll. I wasn’t sure if I could recreate my vision…but it came out pretty much as I’d envisioned it. I love that it can be decorated with straight pins. I love that it’s cute…and practical at the same time.
The crochet pattern includes everything you need to recreate a mushroom pin cushion with basket of your own. It includes:
The size is great for putting on a side table, arm of a chair or at your work table. My mushroom and basket has a permanant home on my desk which doubles as my sewing table. The measurements are approximately:
The crochet pattern is rated easy because there aren’t lots of stitch patterns. It is made with stitches as small as a slip stitch and as large as a double treble. Pieces are worked in the round and in rows. It’s interesting to note that the same stitch pattern is used on the bean bag (base of pin cushion) and on the basket. But they look different because one is crocheted in rows and the other in the round.
The Mushroom Pin Cushion and Basket first appeared in Crochet World Summer 2024. We have the rights back to sell direct to you. Find it now in our Etsy Shop.
One of the things I love most about this Mushroom Pin Cushion with Basket is that it’s useful for lots of different hobbies. It has a little tab sewn to the lining with 3 sections to hold small things like pencils, mini scissors and crochet hooks. Here are my favorite ways to use the mushroom pin cushion and basket…and yes, I’ve used it for each of these things:
The yarn used to make the Mushroom Pin Cushion and Basket is Cascade 220 Superwash Sport. It’s a light weight (size 3) superwash merino wool yarn. As of today, it comes in 83 colors! We chose this yarn specifically for color options and yarn weight. It is thin enough to create beautiful stitch definition and sturdy enough to hold the 3D shape of the mushrooms (with fiber-fill stuffing inside).
Get your copy of the Mushroom Pin Cushion and Basket now.
Vibrant, colorful, and floral, this crochet pillow is lovely not only around Valentine’s Day, but all year long. The rainbow of colors make it a great addition for spring and fall decorating…and summer, too! And placing the flowers in a heart shape captures how we all feel about them…we love them.
This Floral Heart Pillow Crochet Pattern includes lots of helpful photos to make everything you see. The pattern includes:
Make the pillow exactly as we did, or mix things up a bit. You can create pillow with a wreath by placing the flowers in a ring. Or, make the flowers individually, glue them to a chop stick and make floral picks. Make the pillow without the flowers for a nice textured accent pillow. Make the flowers for wedding bouquets or home coming corsages. Make flower accent pins, headbands, barrettes and more.
What will you make with your crochet flowers and pillow?
The Heartfelt Floral Pillow Crochet Pattern is now available in our Etsy Shop.
Available now on Etsy.
The crochet shell stitch kicks off our journey to crochet a dishcloth each month using a different crochet stitch. This set, named January Snow, includes a lacy dishcloth and gorgeous table runner both using the crochet shell stitch. We especially love how the shell stitch pop next to solid sections of double crochet on the table runner. And this stitch creates a nice frilly edging, as well.
This crochet shell stitch creates a dishcloth that is simple, elegant and lacy. This open work design is very drapey and flexible. It’s especially well suited for washing cups and glasses and strong enough to handle pots and pans, too.
We’ve rated this pattern easy. It’s very approachable for those who know how to single crochet and double crochet. It’s worked primarily in rows with edging worked in the round.
Dishcloth: 10 ¼” x 10 ¼”; Table Runner: 33 ½” x 11 ½”
Materials used in this crochet dishcloth and table runner include:
This shell stitch dishcloth is the 1st in our Dishcloth + series. We’ve consolidated them into a single ebook called Dishcloth+ ebook: 12 Dishcloths & 12 Accessories Crochet Pattern PDF which is available in our Etsy shop: YarnovationsShop.
You’ll learn lots of fun crochet stitches including:
It’s full of fun and practical items for the kitchen and home including:
January Snow and entire Dishcloth+ ebook are available now in our Etsy shop: YarnovationsShop.
If you love making dishcloths, we also have a pattern pack of 7 dishcloths made with the single crochet stitch!
Learn more about each dishcloth pattern set in Etsy shop.
Available now:
I, Dana, am teaching 2 classes in February 2026. Must be a member of Sew-n-Sews to take the classes. It’s a fun guild that offers sewing, quilting and other craft classes, presentations, and meet-ups.
No experience necessary to take this crochet chevron class. Students will learn how to chain, single crochet and make a chevron stitch sampler. We will talk about how to read a pattern and students will go home with the pattern for the clutch.
Class is February 18 from 1-5 pm. Message me in Facebook for more information.
Bring your own fabric and learn how to make a no sew notebook cover. Bring a bit more fabric and make a pen holder bookmark for the notebook. We’ll be covering composition notebooks with gorgeous fabrics to make one-of-a-kind notebooks. This is a beginner friendly class. I can’t wait to see what everyone makes!
Class is February 13 from 1-5 pm. Message me in Facebook for more information.
Customize and make your own notebook cover (no sew) and pen holder bookmark (sewing) with this fun and easy – beginner friendly – pattern. Find some cute fabric and a composition notebook…and Bam, inspirational notebook.
Create a notebook for guys and gals of all ages. Heck, make a bunch for yourself! Make a journal, or a to-do list, or score pad. Make notebooks for kids for school. Make a notebook for work….and find a possible new side hustle!
Never lose your pen with this elastic bookmark pen holder. Make with or without stabilizer. Fits around a composition notebook from the dollar store or grocery store. Notebooks are 9.75″ x 7.5″ (24.76 cm x 19 cm).
This pattern is quick and easy. It’s a great beginner no sew and sewing pattern.
The Notebook Cover and Pen Holder pattern is available in our Etsy Shop.
Available now on Etsy.
This is a fun pattern because you can customize the notebook for hobbies and interests. You can find some specialty fabrics at craft stores and online. This is also a great stash buster. Have a long skinny strip of fabric? Make a notebook or pen holder!
The no sew Notebook Cover and Pen Holder sewing pattern includes:
Get the Notebook Cover and Pen Holder Bookmark pattern on Etsy.
All patterns are written in US terms.
*****9/15/23 Great news! We are moving our store to Etsy. Some of our links will redirect you there for your convenience.
Dana (left) with Deborah (right) and her two boys. 
