............Beatrice Ryan Designs............

22 February 2025

Beatrice Ryan Designs 2025 Crochet Along

February 22, 2025 By Beatrice Ryan Designs Leave a Comment

Beatrice Ryan Designs 2025 Crochet Along, Yes!!! It’s that time… Are you ready to start the 2025 Crochet Along, a fun and simple 9 week(8 weeks of crocheting) CAL?? This year we are going to make my VERY popular crochet blanket... My Favorite Cat Blanket! Easy, Free Crochet Pattern (Also a paid PDF is available through Ravelry) AND there will be a GRAND PRIZE DRAWING at the end of the CAL(details and rules below)

Surprisingly so easy with a 3 row repeat (actually 2 rows, one you repeat twice!). Once you get the first few rows complete, it is a great tv watching project!

2025 Crochet Along Week 1(today) is the information post with all the details and fun! So let’s get too it!!!

First, you can join anytime by just following along here each Saturday or by signing up for all my posts to be delivered to your email… Just click on the Stay Connected tab on the righthand side of the website to receive emails or at the top of the website Crochet with Me tab will have links to past weekly posts.

Secondly, you can join my Beatrice Ryan Designs CAL Facebook Group for more fun and a 50% discount on the Full PDF version of the pattern(the discount code will be available in the group only). Click Here to head to Ravelry if you want the Full PDF version either full price or using the discount code. No discounts will be available after purchase.

Thirdly, the pattern is free here on the website by Clicking Here for the full version!

Next, Each week I will post the instructions for the CAL and any other fun details for the week! The 8 weeks of crocheting will be so much fun and easy to accomplish! If you join the Beatrice Ryan Designs CAL Facebook Group, you will be able to post your progress pics there and be eligible for the PDF Discount and Prizes that are happening throughout this CAL. At the end of the CAL there is also a GRAND PRIZE DRAWING for 1 lucky fan, available to everyone(see the rules below)!

AND, one more fun thing… You can use a specific color scheme(three colors are recommended) or use your stash for a scrapghan!!!!

Here is this weeks details for the 2025 Crochet Along:

Decide how you want to use the pattern, 1. Go to the original post on the website each week for the full version, 2. Come to the website each Sunday for the weekly instruction post, 3. Sign up for email delivery of all my posts (Find the Stay Connected tab on the righthand side of the website), 4. Purchase the Full PDF Version for $4.99 or receive the 50% off ($2.49)discount code in my Beatrice Ryan Designs CAL Facebook Group!
Choose Your Yarn and Hook: Here is what I used in the original pattern ~Yarn: Lion Brand Pound of Love – 3 skeins (1020 yds each): Color A – Cinnabar Color B – Quartz Color C – White and an H Hook and Scissors *I will be using scrap yarn this time!
Come back next week for the first week of crochet instructions!

Grand Prize Details:

There will be a $50 Amazon Gift Card given away on May 3rd 2025 to 1 lucky person who has completed this CAL. To be eligible for the $50 Gift Card, you will email me a picture of your completed afghan to [email protected] by the 2nd of May 2025 and permission to use your photo! I will reply with a number to verify I have received your entry, then use a random number generator on May 3rd to choose the winner and publish a post with all fan pics and the name of the winner!!!

I am so excited to get started on this 2025 Crochet Along! Please share with your friends too… The more the merrier!!!

Also, recently I have found a way to help make my berries last for weeks in my fridge! I place them unwashed in mason jars and use this vacuum sealer… So far so good! They have lasted 3 weeks without any problems… Click here to head to Amazon for the Mason jar sealer!

Also, Don’t forget to follow me on my social media sites for more fun!

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, My CAL Facebook Group, and Pinterest

I hope you love this project!! Finally, make sure to share your finished projects on my Beatrice Ryan Designs Facebook Page and make sure to share around social media too! Why share?? Because it shares our Love of Crochet!!

Happy Crocheting!!

Elena

©Copyright 2025 Elena Hunt/Beatrice Ryan Designs. All of my patterns and posts are my own work. Do not copy them in any way. If you want to share this information with someone, share the link to this post. Additionally, If you want to share on your own blog, website or social media, then you may use the first photo in this post and link back to this post. You may not give away printed copies of this post. Thank you. This post may contain affiliate link

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 2025 CAL, 2025 Crochet Along, Afghan, Beatrice Ryan Designs, Blanket, CAL, Crochet, Crochet Along, Crochet Cat Afghan, Crochet with Me, Free Crochet Pattern, Free Pattern, My Favorite Cat Blanket

14 January 2025

My Favorite Waffle Stitch Blanket Free Crochet Pattern!

January 14, 2025 By Beatrice Ryan Designs Leave a Comment

New* My Favorite Waffle Stitch Blanket** is a super easy, free crochet pattern that is surprisingly a 2 row repeat and can be made in multiple colors or solid… Additionally this blanket would also be beautiful using self striping yarn too!!! Best of all… In addition this is another Free Crochet Pattern!!!!

If you have been with me for long, you probably have noticed that I haven’t posted a new pattern in almost 2 years… YIKES! Well, with good reason and a good outcome! Both my lower thumb joints(3rd joint down closest to the wrist)had become so painful and full of arthritis I couldn’t hold anything in my hands, much less crochet. So, to begin with in November 2023 I finally was able to have a joint replacement in my right hand… On the negative side, 1 year recovery is the norm…

In April 2024 I had my left thumb joint replaced, but unfortunately that surgery failed due the tendons falling out of the new repair… Eventually in the end of August 2024 I had my 2nd surgery on my left hand that was extensive, But it worked!!! Consequently building back movement and strength has been slow but both hands are significantly better! Now I can crochet a bit a a time and I am totally excited to start publishing patterns again!!!

Post Surgery in August 2024

I am more than excited to present a new pattern to you all! Upcoming patterns are in the works as soon as possible . So with much anticipation and a bit of nerves… here is the my latest free crochet pattern… My Favorite Waffle Stitch Blanket!

*Also available for $3.99 in PDF… Click Here!

Don’t forget to add My Favorite Waffle Stitch Blanket to your Ravelry favorites for easy access… Click Here!!!

In addition, make sure to check out my Free Crochet Pattern Page at the top of this site!!!

Size

58″ Length x 41″ Width

Materials

I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby, but you can use any worsted weight yarn you like. All things considered, the Waffle Stitch is a yarn eater!

You can get this yarn on Amazon $4.99… Linen Click Here!!! Prima Ballerina Click Here!!! More colors available too!!!!

Hooks available on Amazon too, I love this set of my most common sizes for $13.20 Click Here!!!

Yarn

A – 1512 Yards – Prima Ballarina
B – 1260 Yards – Linen

Hook & Supplies

H – Hook

Scissors

Stitches

Ch – Chain
St – Stitch
Sp – Space
Sk – Skip
Sl St – Slip Stitch
Sc – Single Crochet
Hdc – Half Double Crochet
Dc – Double Crochet
Fpdc – Front Post Double Crochet
Flsc – Front Loop Single Crochet
FO – Finish Off

Instructions

You will be starting with the base of the blanket and doing the edging after the base is completed.

Row 1: With color A, Ch 146

Row 2: Dc in 3rd ch and each across. = 144 dc

Row 3: Ch 3(counts as dc now and throughout), turn, fpdc in next st, * dc in next 2 sts, fpdc in next st*, repeat *to* across, dc in last st. = 96 dc & 48 fpdc

Row 4: Ch 3, turn, dc in next st, * fpdc in next 2 sts, dc in next st*, repeat *to* across, dc in last st. = 50 dc & 94 fpdc

Rows 5-80: Repeat rows 3 & 4 ending with a row 3 repeat. FO. (If using a solid color no need to finish off, continue with 132 rows).

Join Color B

Rows 81-132: Repeat rows 4 & 3

Your base is now complete, do not finish off

Edging

Round 1: Continuing you will be working down the side of the rows. Ch 1, sc 220 sts evenly down the side of the rows until you reach the 1st st of row 1, 3 sc in next st(1st st of row 1) to make the 1st corner, sc 142 sts across, 3 sc in next st(last st of row 1) to make 2nd corner, sc 220 sts evenly up side of the rows, 3 sc in 1st st of row 132 to make the 3rd corner, sc 142 sts across, 3 sc in last st to make 4th corner, join to 1st sc with sl st. = 736 sc

Round 2: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st around and 3 scs in each corner st, join with sl st to first st. =744 sc

Round 3: Ch 2, turn, hdc in each st around and 3 hdc in each corner st, join with sl st to first st. =752 hdc

Round 4: Ch 1, turn, flsc in each st around and 3 flsc in each corner st, join with sl st to first st. =760 flsc

Round 5: Ch 1, turn, sl st loosely in each st around and (sc, ch 1, sc) in each corner sp, join with sl st to first st. = 764 sl st & 4 ch 1 sp

Finish Off

You now have My Favorite Waffle Stitch Blanked completed, Enjoy!!!!

If you have enjoyed My Favorite Waffle Stitch Blanket, Make sure to check out my Waffle Stitch Dishcloth Free Crochet Pattern and My Favorite Yarn Tote using the waffle stitch!!!

Lastly, Don’t forget to follow me on my social media sites for more fun!

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, My CAL Facebook Group, and Pinterest

Finally, I hope you love this project!! Make sure to share your finished projects on my Beatrice Ryan Designs Facebook Page and make sure to share around social media too! Why share?? Because it shares our Love of Crochet!! And, thank you for following me!

Happy Crocheting!!

Elena

©Copyright 2025 Elena Hunt/Beatrice Ryan Designs. All of my patterns and posts are my own work. Do not copy them in any way. If you want to share this information with someone, share the link to this post. If you want to share on your own blog, website or social media, then you may use the first photo in this post and link back to this post. You may not give away printed copies of this post. Thank you. This post may contain affiliate link

Filed Under: Uncategorized

5 November 2023

Life and Times of EJ

November 5, 2023 By Beatrice Ryan Designs 2 Comments

Welcome to my first post on Beatrice Ryan Designs for my new page – Life and Times of EJ!

I am happy to devote this page to you full of my regular life stories and adventures…. It will be full of home ideas, recipes, aging and mature women tips for health and beauty and much more!

Join me in my fun new adventure on this page! You can always just click on the Life and Times of EJ at the top of the website to see all of the posts dedicated to this part of my blog.

Now that I am 60, I have been really focusing on my health and well being. I still love to crochet, but in recent months I have developed arthritis in my thumb joints and will be having replacement surgery in the upcoming weeks. I will keep you all posted on that, it will be a long recovery back to crocheting.

Ok… So a short story about the last few months with some fun photos, then on to a great muffin recipe to finish off the post!

Pear Pecan Muffins — Pear Pecan Muffin Recipe Below

As many of you who follow me know, besides running this website and designing crochet patterns… I worked full time as a Purchasing Agent for a forest products company. Last October my dad passed away after a 9 month stay in a care facility. So, in Feb. of 2023 I decided to retire… YAY! No real big plans, just focus on health and wellbeing and see where life took me!

Since Retiring I have traveled to the Northern CA coast, headed to Santa Cruz to see my youngest daughter, and later in the spring to Washington to see my oldest daughter and grandson. I had been toying with the idea to sell my condo and by a small house with a yard, but prices were high so that was on the back burner… Then I came down with a case of shingles… UGH… By May I decided since a new house looked to be later in my future, I would by my dream car… So I did!

However, the day I signed my papers my realtor called and said she had the perfect house… So I put an offer in and in 28 days the house was mine. My condo sold right away so moving was all in a rush. If you are around 60 and single… You know how this went! Fun, but exhausting!!!

The rest of the summer was settling in my new home and lots of yard work too. The back yard has a older pear tree and produced thousands of pears… So, it was canning time. Since I was canning, I decided to go all out! I canned so many cans of pears, beef stew, pork and beans, chicken soup, chipotle beef and beans, jams and jellies and more… And I had continued my sourdough bread journey.

Freshly baked Sourdough — Sourdough Bread using regular flour

As Fall arrived I was researching food and health. I found a ton of info that led me down the next rabbit hole… Grinding my own wheat to make fresh flour. Yes, it may seem hard or huge equipment… But no, to my surprise it is so easy and yummy…

If you want to learn more about the benefits of fresh ground wheat, I followed Bread Beckers on YouTube. Click here for one of my favorite learning videos.

Sourdough Bread using freshly ground wheat

Sourdough Sandwich loaf using freshly ground flour.. Turned out great

That all being said, This week I started playing around with using freshly ground wheat in my sourdough breads and muffins. I still have some adjusting to do on the bread, but the Pear/Pecan Muffins turned out great today. I will post the recipe below…

If you try it, let me know what you think. I used my home grown canned pears, but you can by store bought fresh or canned if you don’t grow your own!

Pear Pecan Muffin Recipe

Pear Pecan Muffins using freshly ground wheat… Cooling off

1 C. Honey Granules (regular sugar can be used)
1/2 C. Oil
2 Eggs
1/4 C. Sour Cream
1 Tsp Vanilla
1-3/4 C.Freshly ground soft white wheat flour (All purpose can be used but 2 C.)
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cardamom
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1-1/2 C. Diced Pears- Fresh or well drained canned
2/3 C. Chopped Pecans

Mix honey granules and oil until well blended. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla and mixed well. Add spices, salt and baking soda until just blended. Add flour until slightly blended. Stir in pears and pecans.

I love my USA Muffin Pan…. Totally Nonstick

Preheat oven to 350, grease muffin pan or use muffin papers (if using the USA muffin pans no grease or muffin papers are needed, they are perfectly nonstick). Add batter 2/3 full to each muffin section. Sprinkle with honey granules and cinnamon lightly and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until done. Cool in pan on cooling rack then enjoy!

Just sprinkle honey granules and cinnamon on top and bake

That’s it… I hope you try these. The health benefits of the freshly ground flour is something I hope will continue to allow me to stay healthy as I age. Honey Granules are somewhat better for your body than white sugar… I have almost completely switched over in all of my items I added sugar too(including my daily coffee!

On a last note, I have an Amazon Storefront now with my favorite items I use. Many of the things in this post/pictures are available there, plus a lot more of my favs! For my November recommendations, Click here! or just to head to my full list of grouped products I use and LOVE… Click Here! *I may earn commission for any purchases made in my Amazon Storefront.

Below is my current groupings, I hope you check it out and follow me there too!

Stay tuned for more fun posts!

Elena

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Aging Gracefully, Health and Beauty, Muffin Recipe, Nutirmill, Pear Pecan Muffin, Sourdough, USA Pan