How to Crochet an Amazing Illusion Santa Hat Washcloth
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This free crochet pattern is for a Santa Hat washcloth using Shadow Crochet aka Illusion Crochet and made easily using a graph and a video tutorial to help you understand this special unique technique to create a shadow or illusion effect.
About a month ago, I stumbled upon an idea I had never heard about before. I was intrigued and surprised that something like that even existed. I’m talking about Shadow aka Illusion Crochet. It is a technique that has been around for a while, more well known in knitting, but not many crochet people know about it. Shadow Crochet allows you to crochet an image that can only be seen from an angle. Otherwise, one has no way to see it.
As it is Christmas time, I had the desire to create something with my white and red cotton yarn that I picked up from my local yarn store that was holiday themed. As many crocheters create gifts for their loved ones, I thought a special Santa Hat Washcloth using the Shadow aka Illusion Crochet technique might be a great gift to make.
You Should Know This
As most of my followers love easy and quick projects, as well as video tutorials, you should first learn the basic technique of Shadow Crochet before you attempt the below pattern. I created a video tutorial that will help you learn the technique step by step. Once you have mastered the swatch shown in that tutorial, you should try the washcloth pattern below.
Of course, if you are familiar with graphs and changing colors, you should have no problem with the Santa Hat Washcloth.
I also use the crab stitch for the border as it was the perfect way to give the washcloth some dimension and extra texture that isn’t too overwhelming. The crab stitch is also known as the reverse single crochet and seems to be the fastest way to create a beautiful border.
Now, before I show you the materials and the actual free crochet pattern, please also be sure to add this pattern to your Ravelry Favorites by clicking the button below as that allows my pattern being shown to more people who might want to see it and also want to make it.
If you add this pattern to you Ravelry Favorites and share it on social media as a link, I will be able to share a lot more free crochet patterns for everyone.
In addition, I created a downloadable PDF for you all, that has all the pictures separated from the pattern. So you can choose whether you want to print them or not. That can save you a lot of ink in the long run.
You can get the crochet pattern for the Santa Hat Shadow Crochet Washcloth on Ravelry, Etsy, LoveCrafts, or my new membership, The Crochet Club. The Crochet Club has so much more to offer than just PDF patterns! You get tutorials, references and the complete VIP treatment as well.
If you pay just twice the amount as this pattern costs and you have a month’s worth of The Crochet Club Membership with a lot more patterns! It’s well worth it.
If you do not want to join The Crochet Club, you can also purchase the ad-free, printer-friendly PDF pattern at the links below. But IF you join the All-Access Membership you will automatically get this pattern.
In addition, I created a downloadable PDF that has all of the pictures separated from the pattern, so you can choose whether you want to print them or not. This can save you a lot of ink in the long run. You can buy the ad-free, printer-friendly PDF on Ravelry, Etsy, LoveCrafts, and my VIP crochet membership, The Crochet Club.
So let me now get started and tell you what you will need in order to crochet this amazing pattern.
How to crochet the Santa Hat Washcloth using Illusion Crochet
Materials:
- Cotton Yarn in red and white (light DK #3)
- I used Cascade Arns Ultra Pima in red
- And I used Berroco Pima 100 in white
- 4.0mm hook
- scissors
- tapestry needle
Stitches used (US terms):
Click HERE to learn these basic stitches
- ch = chain
- sc = single crochet
- hdc = half double crochet
- flo = front loop only
- leftover loop from the previous row = back loop you left behind
- crab stitch aka reverse single crochet
Gauge:
4 rows x 4 sts = 1 square inch
Final Size:
7 1/4 (length) x 9 1/4 (width) inches
Instructions:
Read my detailed and surprising crochet tip, why I do not like turning chains and do not use them at all for sc and hdc.
Here is the graph for this pattern. A bigger version is included in the ad-free, pdf pattern you can purchase above.
A graph is usually read from the bottom up and the arrows show in which direction you will crochet per row. Each square equals one stitch. For, shadow crochet or illusion crochet, all the white squares are single crochet stitches and the colorful squares (or pixels) are half double crochet stitches.
Furthermore, the purple pixels represent hdc’s in the front loop only and the pink ones are hdc’s in the leftover loop (that was the back loop from the previous row). There is one more thing you need to know and that is that the letters “a” and “b” represent different colors. For this example, I used white yarn for the letter “a” and red yarn for the letter “b”. For more details and a VIDEO TUTORIAL can be found here!
Written Pattern of the above graph:
Ch 41 with white
R 1: starting from the 2nd ch from the hook, 1 sc in each ch, turn
R 2: 1 sc in each st, turn
Change to red
R 3: 1 sc in each st, turn
R 4: 1 sc in the next 4 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 32 sts,1 sc in the next 4 sts, turn
Change to white
R 5: 1 sc in the next 4 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 32 sts,1 sc in the next 4 sts, turn
R 6: 1 sc in each st, turn
Change to red
R 7: 1 sc in each st, turn
R 8: 1 sc in the next 4 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 32 sts, 1 sc in the next 4 sts, turn
Change to white
R 9: 1 sc in the next 4 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 32 sts, 1 sc in the next 4 sts, turn
R 10: 1 sc in each st, turn
Change to red
R 11: 1 sc in each st, turn
R 12: 1 sc in the next 8 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 24 sts, 1 sc in the next 8 sts, turn
Change to white
R 13: 1 sc in the next 8 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 24 sts, 1 sc in the next 8 sts, turn
R 14: 1 sc in each st, turn
Change to red
R 15: 1 sc in each st, turn
R 16: 1 sc in the next 10 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 20 sts, 1 sc in the next 10 sts, turn
Change to white
R 17: 1 sc in the next 10 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 20 sts, 1 sc in the next 10 sts, turn
R 18: 1 sc in each st, turn
Change to red
R 19: 1 sc in each st, turn
R 20: 1 sc in the next 10 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 20 sts, 1 sc in the next 10 sts, turn
Change to white
R 21: 1 sc in the next 10 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 20 sts, 1 sc in the next 10 sts, turn
R 22: 1 sc in each st, turn
Change to red
R 23: 1 sc in each st, turn
R 24: 1 sc in the next 6 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 3 sts, 1 sc in the next 4 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 16 sts, 1 sc in the next 11 sts, turn
Change to white
R 25: 1 sc in the next 11 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 16 sts, 1 sc in the next 4 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 3 sts, 1 sc in the next 6 sts, turn
R 26: 1 sc in each st, turn
Change to red
R 27: 1 sc in each st, turn
R 28: 1 sc in the next 4 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 7 sts, 1 sc in the next 2 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 14 sts, 1 sc in the next 13 sts, turn
Change to white
R 29: 1 sc in the next 13 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 14 sts, 1 sc in the next 2 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 7 sts, 1 sc in the next 4 sts, turn
R 30: 1 sc in each st, turn
Change to red
R 31: 1 sc in each st, turn
R 32: 1 sc in the next 3 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 22 sts, 1 sc in the next 15 sts, turn
Change to white
R 33: 1 sc in the next 15 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 22 sts, 1 sc in the next 3 sts, turn
R 34: 1 sc in each st, turn
Change to red
R 35: 1 sc in each st, turn
R 36: 1 sc in the next 5 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 4 sts, 1 sc in the next 2 sts, 1 hdc in the flo in the next 10 sts, 1 sc in the next 19 sts, turn
Change to white
R 37: 1 sc in the next 19 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 10 sts, 1 sc in the next 2 sts, 1 hdc in the leftover loop from the previous row in the next 4 sts, 1 sc in the next 5 sts, turn
R 38: 1 sc in each st, turn
Now, cut the white yarn.
Crochet one round of just single crochet all around the washcloth, making sure to add an extra stitch into the corners (I show this technique at the end of the video HERE).
Finally, crochet 1 round of crab stitch all the way around (also shown at the end of the video HERE).
Fasten off and weave in your ends.
I hope you like the Santa Hat Washcloth using Shadow aka Illusion Crochet as much as I do. I also, have many more free crochet patterns and tutorials coming out every week. So be sure to subscribe to my Newsletter below to always stay up to date (subscribe below). You will even get a free crochet pattern ebook just for subscribing.
If you love the pattern as much as I do, please use the social media share buttons above or below and share this pattern link with the world and your friends. Thank you.
Awesome! What a great new skill to bring to us. I’ve seen this type of crochet before and wondered how it was accomplished,thanks!
I would like to make your santa hat washcloth, but can’t afford $10.00 for the thread you used. What kind of thread can I use instead?
Any #3 yarn will do. If you use it as a washcloth, I would suggest 100% cotton.