Crowns for a princess
As a surprise gift for a particular toddler’s quarantine birthday, I decided to make not one but three crowns for this adorable little princess called Mia.
Her mum, Natasha, had asked me a while back to crochet Mia a crown, but since Mia’s mum is one of my close friends, I basically refused to take it on as an official commission, and decided to make one as a gift. This of course gave me the option to make the crown whenever I wanted to (another plus to gift-giving rather than taking a commission *wink*), and also allowed me to make more than what was asked of me. Not that I wouldn’t do that for a commission anyway, but essentially I felt like it gave me a little more freedom. Plus, it’s nice to be able to give a gift that’s definitely wanted, rather than crocheting something for someone that they might not actually be that keen on.
Originally, I was only planning on crocheting one of these beauties, but the pattern turned out to be so much fun, and so quick and easy, that I decided to make three in the end. I thought this would also allow Mia to have a choice between different colours, and play dress up with friends when she wanted.
Details for Crocheters
This was such a fun pattern to work from, and I would highly recommend it! Everything you need to know to make this gorgeous crown (or crowns!) for yourself, are detailed below. Of course, if you do make it, and this post has helped you out along the way, I’d absolutely love to hear from you about your experience.
Pattern
This was a free pattern I discovered from searching through Ravelry. It was designed by Crochet 365 Knit Too (aka Cheryl Bennet), and can be found on Ravelry here. You can also purchase a PDF version of this pattern, but I just used the free version available from Cheryl’s blog - click here to find the free pattern on the Crochet 365 Knit Too blog. I should also mention there are seven different size variations available for this pattern, from 0 - 3 months old all the way through to a version for adults. It’s also a really well written pattern that’s very easy to follow.
Yarn
Since I decided to make three of these beauties, I also made each from a different coloured yarn. I used Scheepjes Cahlista in Scarlet (no. 192) and Ultra Violet (no. 282) that I purchased online from Wool Warehouse, as well as Rico Creative Cotton Aran in Banana (no. 68) that I bought from my local yarn store in Edinburgh called Be Inspired Fibres.
Hook
As suggested in the pattern, I went ahead and used a 4mm soft grip hook. Just click here if you need to buy one of these. I find the soft grip makes it so much more comfortable allowing you to crochet for hours on end.
Resource: Crossed Double Crochet Stitch
The Crossed Double Crochet Stitch (aka X Stitch Double Crochet) round was new for me, but was super easy to pick up and looked great! This video below really helped show me how it was done, and I hope it helps you too. It’s by Lovely Knit&Crochet by Yanina, and Yanina does a great job of demonstrating how this stitch is done. It’s clear to see, and easy to follow. Just make sure you’ve got your Double Crochet Stitch (aka Treble Crochet Stitch in UK terms) down pat before giving it a try.
Lesson Learned: Making peaks using double crochet
One of the big things using this pattern thought me, was how to make the triangles that made up the top of the crown. At first I thought it would be quite complicated, but after actually doing it, it was so simplistic yet a great way to make a triangle! All you do is use multiple double crochet stitches in one stitch, and stretch them out leaving gaps and sc’s between your work. Ingenious, and so simple, but for a new crocheter like me, this was mind blowing. Loved it!
Final Thoughts
This was an extremely easy and quick pattern to work up. I would not call myself a fast crocheter by any means, but I managed to make three of these in less than two days. It’s also a great pattern to learn some new techniques if you’re new to crochet. In the end, it also looks like Mia loved her crowns - so it was a success all round!
If you do end up giving this pattern a try, I’d love to know how you got on! Feel free to comment below, or get in touch with me here.
