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Crochet Mask Lanyard, A Hook-Only Free Pattern

Crocheted fasteners before and after attaching to mask

This reversible crochet mask lanyard attaches to each ear loop of a face mask with 100% crocheted fasteners. No sewing on buttons or metal hardware!

Wear the lanyard around your neck. If you remove your mask, there it hangs, already found, like wearing reading glasses on a chain.

The chain loop end attaches with a lark’s head knot, explained below. The other end has a crocheted peg-like “shank” button. It loops around the other ear loop and buttons into a stitch space of the lanyard. This makes the length easy to adjust. The mask loops can be any thickness.

Three Favorite Things

My favorite thing about this pattern is that it’s “hook-only”: 100% crochet, even the fasteners.

My second-favorite thing is it’s a chance to use my new rosebud button idea for a project. It’s reminiscent of a Chinese frog closure, but like I say, no sewing! Also, unlike some button knots, zero chance of it coming unknotted.

Crochet mask lanyard button in two thread sizes
Free crochet mask lanyard pattern below is for the blue one in sport weight cotton yarn.
The pink one in size 10 thread uses parts of the same pattern.

And, third, this pattern doubles as a versatile template. I’m already borrowing individual elements from it. The lacy pink love knot lanyard has the same chain-loop end, rosebud button end, and even a few repeats of the blue cord to serve as buttonholes (near the button end). If you have a cord pattern you like, add a few elements from this pattern to keep it hook-only.


Crochet Mask Lanyard Pattern

A PDF version of this pattern was emailed to members of the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA) as a part of a Holiday Shopping Guide, December 1, 2020.

Materials 

  • About ten yards of a sport weight (CYC Size #2 Fine Weight) yarn. Shown (in blue): Lang Fiorina (100% cotton, 135 yds / 125 m per 1.75 oz/50 g)
  • Size E / 3.5 mm hook
  • A stitch marker is recommended for the first few rows
  • Yarn needle

Abbreviations used

Pattern uses US terms. UK/AUS terms are in { }

  • ch = chain
  • dc = double crochet {UK: treble}
  • hdc = half double crochet {UK: half treble}
  • sc = single crochet {UK: double crochet}
  • sl st = slip stitch
  • st = stitch
  • yo = yarn over {UK: yarn over hook}

Gauge 

8 pattern repeats (row pairs) = 4″ {10 cm}. Exact gauge is not necessary for this pattern to work.

Size

21 inches {53.34 cm} long. Length is determined by the number of pattern repeats so it’s easy to choose a different finished length.

Pattern Notes

  • Pattern begins at the fastening loop and ends at the other end with the button. The strap between these two ends has a two-row repeat: it’s a long narrow column of just one stitch per row.
  • To begin each new row, turn your work clockwise. (If you’re crocheting left handed, turn the other way.) The yarn will end up in back of the hook and turning chains instead of in front of them.

Instructions

Time needed: approximately 30 minutes


Chain 12. Hdc in 12th ch from crochet hook to form a ring.
This is the fastening loop.

  1. Ch 3, dc in the same ch as the hdc.

    Simple chain loop lanyard fastener close up

  2. Ch 1, turn, place marker in bump of ch and in a top loop of dc, sc in space between dc and ch-3.

  3. Ch 3, turn. Dc in bump of turning ch-1 and back loop of dc (the marked loops). 

  4. Ch 1, turn, move marker (until you can identify the loops to crochet into), sc in space between dc and ch-3.

  5. Repeat steps 3 & 4: 38 times or until it’s the length you prefer.

    Do not fasten off.

  6. Rosebud Button

    Crochet all stitches tightly. Ch 13, sl st in the front loop of the 2nd ch from crochet hook, sl st in the front loop of each of next 10 chs. Leave last ch unworked to form the “shank” at the button’s base. Remove crochet hook from loop for the next step. Place marker in loop to secure.
    Tie the strip of 11 sl sts into a simple overhand knot so that the tip of the sl st strip peeks out. Ignore how it looks for the moment. Replace hook in loop and in two or three strands of the sl st tip, and tightly sl st around the unworked ch-1 of shank. (Knot will bend over.) Sl st in same ch, sl st in nearest next stitch, fasten off, and weave in ends.
    Tug on sections of the button knot to even it out; plump it up to make it cute. The goal is to center the shank under a mushroom cap shape. Spritz with water to set it.Crochet Rosebud Button steps 1 & 2 of 4 © Vashti Braha 2020

  7. Attach to face mask

    Slide loop end under an ear loop of the mask. Feed the button end through the loop end and pull the full length of the lanyard through so that the loop wraps around the ear loop tightly with a lark’s head knot.
    Slide the button under the other ear loop of mask. Fold button over and press it through one of the nearby spaces of a dc row. (Reverse these steps to release lanyard from mask.)
    If the length you made doesn’t fit over your head, attach the button end after you’ve placed it around your neck.How to attach crochet loop to mask ear loop

  8. Variation I

    Wrap the fastening loop with the starting yarn end, and wrap the shank of the button with the other yarn end when you’re about to weave in the ends. It’s a nice look. I did this for the button shank of this prototype.Crochet mask lanyard prototype shows a wrapped fastening loop and button shank.

  9. Variation II

    Use your own favorite crochet cord pattern and incorporate sections from this pattern. Here’s how the complete pink love knot example looks:Crochet mask chain of lacy pink love knots and crocheted fasteners.


FAQ About Crochet Mask Lanyards

Why crochet a face mask lanyard? Is it better to crochet one?

Crocheting a lanyard is easy and fast, especially when you can also crochet the fasteners. Crochet makes a strong and durable lanyard with very little yarn (about ten yards).

Are crocheted lanyards washable and comfortable to wear?

Yes: use a soft, washable yarn. It’s comfortable and almost weightless. I forget that I’m wearing it sometimes.

How much yarn do I need to crochet a mask lanyard?

The pretty blue one shown here required only ten yards of a sport weight cotton yarn, and a size E (3.5 mm) crochet hook. Even the lanyard clips are crocheted!

What’s the difference between a mask holder, mask extender, mask chain, and mask lanyard?

“Mask holder” and “mask extender” usually refer to a small strip that has a button at each end. Wear it to eliminate pressure or irritation behind the ears. It shows at the back of the head where the ear loops of the mask hook around the buttons instead of the ears. Another term is “ear saver”.
“Mask chains” and “mask lanyards” drape around the neck like necklaces. It’s the same idea as wearing a badge holder, or a chain for reading glasses.

How long does it take to crochet mask lanyards?

The simplest one of all—just crochet chain stitches—would take 5-10 minutes. The fancier one shown here took 30 minutes.

Do I have to sew buttons or metal clips onto a crocheted mask lanyard?

No. It’s possible to crochet the whole lanyard, even the fasteners! That’s what it means when a crochet project is “hook-only”.

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Delicate Crochet Book Giveaway

Update: I’m so inspired by your comments! Your comment may take a few hours to show because they go into a moderation queue. 

I’m giving away a copy of the new Delicate Crochet book by Sharon Silverman to a randomly chosen commenter on this post. You’re welcome to enter even if you live outside of the USA. If you win and you have a non-USA shipping address, you’ll receive a free downloadable crochet pattern of your choice instead. Scroll down for the book giveaway details.

 

Pattern Riffing

Over the holidays I “riffed” on the patterns I wrote for Delicate Crochet. I’ll explain how, in case you have (OR WIN!!) this book and want to riff too.

Meet Zegue

Tunisian ripple stitch Ziggy Vest with its variation Zegue
Zegue (left) with Delicate Crochet’s Ziggy Vest on the right.

Zegue is a simple wrap version of the Ziggy Vest. I used up scraps of fancy yarns in my stash. In Ziggy’s case the armholes are cut into the self-healing stitch pattern. I omitted that step for Zegue. (I could still add a hole later, such as for a one-sleeve wrap, or for a keyhole scarf style like I did for the pink Mesmer. Or go with my original idea: add a seam at each end of the long sides to create tubes (sleeves) for a shrug.)

Yarn: I had one small ball each of the four Stacy Charles Fine fashion yarns I used. (See Zegue’s project page in Ravelry for the yarn facts.) One of them has sequins so I had to use it. Using a mix of yarns for the Ziggy stitch pattern was really fun! I’ve always wanted to do a stripy scrappy ripple, especially in Tunisian stitches.

Crochet Hook: I used the 7.0 mm Addi Tunisian crochet hook from my shop; the Ziggy Vest calls for a 6.0 mm size. A 6.5 mm for Zegue would probably be just as lacy though you might need a few more rows and additional stitch repeat or two.

Finished Dimensions: 14″ x 57″ (35.6 x 144.8 cm), measured flat and blocked. I like wearing it as a wrap. For a shrug option I might add buttons. It weighs 71 g. and I had about a quarter of the Luna mohair and Crystal left over.

I chose the length of each row to match the length from my wrist over the shoulders and across the back to the other wrist while my arms hang at my sides—an easy measurement (57″/144.8 cm). This is because I thought I was going to turn it into a shrug. I just kept adding rows until my forearm would fit through the sleeve tube if I seamed part of the first and last row together; I’d need a minimum of about 9″ (22.9 cm). I figured the yarn amount would get me at least this far.

Foundation and Row Repeats: You’ll need the Delicate Crochet book for the actual Ziggy pattern (starts on page 140). Here are my changes for Zegue:

  • I chained 178 with Color A (Stella).
  • Row 1 forward pass (FP) is also Stella, and then I changed to Color B (Luna) for the return pass (RP) and the Row 2 FP. Fasten off every time you change yarns.
  • Row 2 RP and Row 3 FP: Change to Color C (Céline).
  • Row 3 RP and Row 4 FP: Change to Color B (Luna).
  • Row 4 RP and Row 5 FP: Change to Colors C+D (Céline & Crystal held together).
  • Repeat the color sequence of B, C, B, C+D for a total of 16 rows; for Row 16 RP change to Stella. Complete Row 17 FP and RP with Stella and then fasten off.
  • Edge Row 17 with a strand of Luna and Crystal held together: Single crochet (sc) in first FP stitch, chain 1, slip stitch (ss) in same sc, sc in same stitch, *chain (ch) 1, sc in next FP stitch, ch 1, sc in next stitch group, ch 1, sc in next FP stitch, [sc, ch 1, ss in same sc, sc] in next FP stitch, repeat from * in each remaining FP stitch of row. Fasten off.
  • Attach Stella to first foundation ch. Working along the other side of the foundation, sc in first ch, ch 1 and skip next ch that was not used by a FP stitch, sc in available loop of next used foundation ch, repeat from * in each remaining stitch of row. Fasten off.
  • Attach Luna and Crystal to first sc of Stella. Edge this row the same way you edged Row 17.

Yvelino the Paneled Ring Scarf

Icelandic wool ring scarf vs DesigningVashti Lotus wrap of Bias-crocheted Tunisian net, surface-crocheted with love knots.
Yvelino Ring (left) with Delicate Crochet‘s Yveline Wrap on the right.

 

For this version of the Yveline Wrap I used four colors of lace weight Icelandic wool, one ball per color. See its project page for the yarn deets. I loved this yarn; it’s very “sticky” and almost bristly or wiry in a way that works great with this airy bias-worked net.

Crochet Hooks: 5.0 mm (H) Tunisian hook; for the surface-crochet I used a regular 3.5 mm (E) crochet hook.

Finished Dimensions: 13″ wide with a 58″ circumference (33 x 147.3 cm). It weighs 100 g. so I used only half of each ball. (I thought I might want to add a lot of surface crochet, so I reserved yarn for that.) Instead, I like the texture contrast zones.

Foundation and Row Repeats: You’ll need the Delicate Crochet book (starting on page 133) for the actual Yveline pattern. Here are my changes for Yvelino:

  • Chain 58 in Color A. Complete 33 rows. Edge the last row with sc.
  • Slip stitch Color B to the bottom right corner foundation chain of the previous panel. Chain 58. At the end of the Row 1 FP, slip stitch in the first FP stitch of Row 1 of the previous panel and then complete the RP as usual.
  • Repeat this join-as-you-go process at the end of every FP until you’ve completed 33 rows. Edge it with sc like the previous panel.
  • Repeat the above with two more panels. For the last panel, also join-as-you-go the first FP stitch of each row to the last FP stitch of the first panel you completed to create a ring. (Or you could seam the first and last panel sides together to for the ring as a separate step.)

Adding the Frills: The only thing different from the book is that I used a 3.5 mm (E) crochet hook, and surface crocheted a column on each side of the joins.

Oh the Resources Buried in Crochet Patterns

I hold onto lots of crochet pattern books and “mine” them for interesting stitch patterns (love those stitch symbols!), shapes (love those schematics!), and construction methods (love the rare assembly diagram!).

The stitch texture combinationscolor contrasts, or styling ideas in pattern books are also inspiring.

Ravelry takes this into account so I know I’m not the only one who uses books this way. (When creating a new project page, there used to be a box you checked if you improvised from an existing pattern. Now you can choose additional patterns if you’ve incorporated elements from them.)

Delicate Crochet offers hours and hours of riffing on its interesting stitch patterns, shapes, and styles, thanks to the range of designers represented—and thanks to all the stitch diagrams and schematics.

Book Giveaway Details!

You could win this! Delicate Crochet by Sharon Silverman with 23 patterns by 10 designers.
  • I’ll use a random number generator no earlier than February 18 (Monday, President’s Day) to choose from among the commenters to this post.
  • There may be two winners: one with a shipping address outside of the USA as well as within it. If the first winner has a non-USA shipping address, the prize will be a free downloadable crochet pattern (winner’s choice). I will then draw a new number randomly until the new winner has a USA address to which I can ship the book.
  • To contact the winner(s) I will do these three things: comment on your comment with the news, and announce the winner’s name (as it appears on your comment) in my Ravelry group, and at my Facebook page. I suggest you opt-in to receive alerts of responses to your comment in case you’re a winner.
  • Your comment may respond to my question, “What crochet book would you like me to write?” (as explained in my newsletter #97), or at least be crochet-related. I reserve the right to remove spammy comments as always.
  • Commenting more than once does not improve your chance of winning.
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Crochet for the Easter Weekend (Check-in)

The matching yarns are shown against the skirt colors for comparison.
The yarn colors match up with the colors in the skirt. Another view: https://flic.kr/p/TkJm53

Happy Crochet Easter! Today I’m taking a break from lots of behind the scenes crochet work to post a quick update. Below is a long silk skirt I’ve worn every spring for years. It’s one of my all-time favorites. This weekend I mused on its colors.

This “Vashti’s Silk Skirt” color combo would make a striking crochet Easter/springtime project, wouldn’t it? Perhaps a wrap, shrug, or bolero to go with the skirt?

Full length silk skirt with a floral print. Lavender and cream colored background with rich gem colors in the foreground of the print.
My favorite long skirt. I look for reasons to wear it at Easter time.

I can picture multicolored motifs. Or, a cream and lavender thing, with the darker colors as a contrasting border–little flowers, maybe.

In fact I’m going to create a project page for this in Ravelry after I finish this post.

I’ll be able to send out a newsletter issue after I meet a big design deadline this week. So close! I’ll also be able to keep moving forward on new blogging and crochet video plans I’m excited to share.

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2016 Crochet Stitch Games: Class Resources Page

The original announcement for the 2016 "Stitch Games" class; a ring of stacked rainbow colors!
This page has been updated for the upcoming 2018 “Creative Planned Color Pooling” class scheduled for Saturday, July 28 in Portland, Oregon.

 

Clickable resources for my 2016 Crochet Stitch Games with Colorful Yarns class. Includes patterns for designs shown, and inspiration for new games. Also articles & books recommended in class.

Crochet Patterns & Crochet Alongs

Vashti’s Newsletter Issues

2016 Crochet Stitch Games, Blogged

Inspiration

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Color Pooling Crochet Stitch Games-Class

Planned vs. Accidental Color “Pooling”

 

2016 collage for "Stitch Games" CGOA class
This is the 2016 class web-poster at the CGOA event headquarters.

Last summer’s Get Your Geek On CGOA event inspired my new three-hour crochet class in Charleston SC (July 13, 2016); some new booklets and patterns too. Many of us have sought insight into using hand-painted yarns. These yarns are often boldly variegated with short color changes and other indie dyeing methods. Color pooling is exciting!

You’re looking at stitch game projects I designed from 2009 to a month ago. (There are more but they don’t all fit in this image.) Pattern for the vivid blue striped scarf (Jempool) releases this week.

Use crochet stitches to turn the color volume up or down (or both, selectively!). Exaggerate the element of chance: accidental pooling. Or, eliminate it: planned pooling.

What’s Color Pooling?

Variegated (multi-colored) yarns seem to have randomly and evenly mixed colors in one skein. It’s like a party in a ball…unless the colors stop looking well-blended when crocheted or knitted. A color might repeat too often, or pile (pool) up on itself row after row in a blotchy way. That’s pooling in a bad way.

Texture pooling is a variation of color pooling. Ever use a yarn with dramatic thick and thin areas, and find that these texture contrasts clump together awkwardly? The texture changes are pooling. That also happened with the intermittent tinsel sections of an expensive mohair yarn. I thought it would look magical! Instead, the tinsel just looked lumpy and stiff when I crocheted it.

Sprinkling Love Knots among simple double crochets {UK: tr} retained the otherworldly look of the yarn by giving the tinsel more room. The result was Marisa Artwalk, an exhilarating discovery.

“Stitch Pooling” Makes Color Pooling a Game

Lcustrine Cowl, Tea Lights, and Bare Bones scarves.
The three patterns in the Crochet to the Colors Playbook. This is simple stitch pooling that alters color pooling.

A simple stitch game I like, especially with crochet, is what I call stitch pooling. I switch to a contrasting crochet stitch when a certain color comes up as I crochet. Knitters do this when they switch from stockinette to garter whenever a certain color comes up, for example. Crochet gives us so many texture choices for creating a simple game, or a wildly challenging one! You can heighten or de-emphasize colors too. This is accidental color pooling that’s fresh, interesting, and each result is unique. Just use familiar crochet stitches.

Pictured at right are three examples of beginner-level stitch games in a pattern booklet.

Color Pooling According to Plan

Eliminate chance and you get regular coordinated patterns of color. The game here is to identify the unique color code of a variegated yarn. You decide where they show up in your project. (See my newsletter issue #77, Find the Color Code of Short Striping Yarns.) Then, choose the crochet stitch, gauge, and number of stitches to get the color patterning you want.

To see when this class is offered next, check the Upcoming Classes & Events page. It’s updated regularly.