Hi friends!
First, my apologies for the lack of blog posts and crochet patterns this year. I’m battling some health issues and unfortunately, crocheting at times can be a real challenge. But I have a fun quick pattern to share with you today, another pattern that is just itching to be released to the world, and a project on my hook right now. So while my pattern releases may be less frequent, maybe they will all be worth the wait?
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Okay, so story time:
Last summer, I started to feel middle age beginning to really set in. I have always been cold. I wear sweatshirts and earmuffs year-round. In the summer, the air conditioning gets to be just too cold and I will go sit outside to warm up. I rarely perspire or complain about a high temperature.
Until last summer came along.
My normally perpetually hot spouse complained that the air conditioner was too cold and kept turning the target temperature UP. I never cooled down, not one time all summer long until the first snow in October. I had other strange things beginning to happen inside my body as well over the summer, so I decided that it might be time to visit a doctor after avoiding them for over a decade.
I’ll skip over the parts with all of the tests and what my diagnosis came to be because I have 2 things going on- my “big huge diagnosis” and good old fashioned Perimenopause, and the “every gal is gonna experience this at some point in their life” part is far more relatable, wouldn’t you say?
So as part of getting this old gal its 40-something-year checkup, I went to the eye dr. I had been wearing the same pair of “throw these away after one month of use” contacts for 2 years and sleeping in them most nights, so I was expecting the eye dr to lecture me and/or tell me I’m not allowed to wear contacts anymore. She did neither of these things, and told me that my eyes are super healthy and look great! My eyes had aged a bit and my prescription strength went up a little bit, but I didn’t need bifocals which was “great news”. So I ordered a new pair of spectacles and paid extra for the 2 year warranty (because clearly I neglect visiting drs so I figured I bought myself an extra year).
The day I was supposed to pick up my 2 year spectacles, something funny happened. I went to look at my watch and it was blurry. I had to move my arm closer and farther from my face until my eyes could see it. I asked the eye dr why that would happen all of a sudden after I JUST spent extra to not need to buy glasses again in a year, and she said, “oh, yeah, that’s just normal aging. You should probably get a pair of readers!”
For real? I gotta wear reading glasses now? No thanks. I’ll just sit here playing vision trombone for a few months and pretend I don’t need them.
That worked out for less time than I had hoped. I was at the Walmart buying vitamins that my dr had recommended I try and I couldn’t read the dosage. Right behind me happened to be a display of reading glasses, so I tried on a pair and looked at the vitamins. Oh, look at that- I can read again. Dangit. So I bought them but they have a dark frame and I keep losing them in the abyss that is my purse.
So I decided to make a brightly colored sleeve to keep them in, and the project was fun and fast so I wanted to share it with you as well!
The Shooting Star Readers Sleeve is a Forever Free pattern here at Straight Hooked and as part of the Global Crochet Collaboration. What is that? A group of crochet designers from around the world has come together to bring you a new Forever Free crochet pattern the first 3 Sundays of each month in 2025. You can find out more about each designer and find links to all past and future free crochet patterns when you follow the Crochet Designer Community on facebook
What’s a Forever Free pattern?
Forever Free patterns are full-length crochet patterns that are available to view here on the Straight Hooked blog. I am able to provide these patterns at no cost to you by allowing ads to appear on your screen. I generate a very small amount of revenue for each ad (I’m talking fractions of a cent), but the more my guests see, stay and navigate around my site, the more those few cents per visitor add up. Of course I would make a much better wage if folks purchased the PDF, but I would rather share this design with you for very little money than for you not to have the opportunity to try this pattern. If you prefer an ad-free experience, you can purchase the PDF below:
Shooting Star Readers Sleeve FREE Crochet Pattern
Materials:
5mm crochet hook
Worsted weight yarn in 2 colors. I used Mainstays Cotton in Rich Black and Lime Green
Color A: 6 yards (black)
Color B: 15 yards (green)
Scissors
Finishing Needle
Abbreviations:
ch- chain
hdc- half double crochet
hdc3l- half double crochet in the 3rd loop
star- star stitch
slst- slip stitch
rev slst- reverse slip stitch
Gauge:
10 hdc x 6 rows = 2” square
Finished Size:
2 ½” wide x 5 ½” long
Notes:
This pattern is written in US terminology.
A ch at the beginning of a round is not counted as a stitch.
Visit my Rumble channel for stitch tutorial videos.
Pattern Instructions:
Color A
Rnd1. ch13, hdc 12 across outer loop of ch, turn ch and work 12 hdc across opposite outer loop, slst to 1st hdc, change to Color B (24)
Color B
Rnd2. ch1, hdc, ch1, begin star in ch1 loop, star 12, slst to hdc, turn. (24)
Rnd3. ch1, sk first st, *2hdc in ch1 loop, sk next st*, repeat from *to* 11 more times, rev slst to 1st hdc, change to Color A, turn. (24)
Color A
Rnd4. ch1, hdc3l 24, slst to 1st hdc, change to Color B (24)
Rnds 5-16 repeat Rnds 2-4, finish off and weave in ends.
As I mentioned, I have another brand new pattern ready to make its public debut soon, so be sure to subscribe to the Straight Awesome newsletter to be among the first to know of this upcoming pattern release, plus get exclusive freebies and discounts!
Until next time,
Happy Hooking!
~Malena
