Patons USA Crochet Patterns

What is in this collection

These are the designs Patons publishes for its North American yarn range, which is a different line-up from the UK one. The practical value is that each pattern names the exact yarn it was written for, so the tension, hook size and ball quantities are already resolved. The subject matter skews towards accessories and homeware: cowls, hats, shawls, cushion covers, bags, blankets, ornaments and toys, with a smaller number of garments such as children's cardigans and mesh tops.

The Patons yarns behind the patterns

• Classic Wool Worsted — a plain, honest wool that felts beautifully. It is the yarn behind the felted patchwork bag, the crochet sock monkey and the tree skirt.
• Classic Wool DK Superwash — the machine-washable, lighter-weight sibling, used for hats, children's cardigans and small motif pieces.
• Canadiana — an easy-care worsted acrylic blend for kids' hats and cowls.
• Astra — a light, smooth yarn used here for stockings, edgings and gingham colourwork hats.
• Beehive Baby Sport — the baby weight, used for ripple blankets and pram pieces.
• Kroy Socks — 4 ply sock yarn, used for shawls as well as socks.
• Big Boucle, Bohemian, Moxie and Colorwul — the chunky and textured yarns behind the quick cowls and woven bags.
• Metallic and Metallic Variegates — sparkle yarns for evening tops and ornaments.

Reading US crochet terms

This is the single thing to check before you start. US and UK crochet use the same words for different stitches. A US single crochet is a UK double crochet; a US double crochet is a UK treble; a US half double is a UK half treble. If a pattern's smallest stitch is called "sc", you are reading US terms — mentally shift every stitch name up one and the fabric will come out as intended. Hook sizes may also be given in US letters, so keep a millimetre conversion to hand, and note that yarn weights are described as worsted and sport rather than aran and DK.

Choosing by project length

The cowls are the quickest wins here — a Quick and Cozy Cowl in Big Boucle or a triple cowl in Moxie is an afternoon, because the yarn is thick and the shape is a rectangle joined into a ring. Hats and small ornaments follow. Baby blankets with pompoms and ripples are a week or two of evenings. Bags, especially felted ones, add a finishing stage: you crochet them deliberately oversized in wool, then felt them in a hot machine wash until the stitches disappear and the fabric becomes firm. Garments and mesh tops are the longest projects and need a proper tension square.

Seasonal makes and finishing

There is a notably strong Christmas run — open-work stockings, lace stocking edgings, tree skirts, ornaments and gift-scale toys — which makes this a useful collection to work through from autumn. For finishing, block wool pieces wet and pin them to shape; acrylic and metallic yarns should only be pinned damp, never pressed with heat. Weave ends into the wrong side over several centimetres, and for anything worked in worsted wool that will be washed, check whether the pattern intends it to felt before you put it near a hot cycle.

Patons USA crochet questions

Are these patterns in US crochet terms? Generally yes, so a "single crochet" is a UK double crochet. Check the stitch key before starting.

Are they instant downloads? Most are downloadable PDFs you can print straight away.

Can I use UK Patons yarns instead? Yes, if you match the tension and total metreage; the fibre content differs between ranges.

Which yarn should I choose for a felted bag? Classic Wool Worsted — it is untreated wool, so it felts. Superwash versions will not.

What weight is worsted? Roughly equivalent to UK aran, though slightly lighter.