# The Weekend Folio > Free crochet patterns and fibre-craft guides written with the numbers left in — exact hook size, yarn weight, yardage, gauge and finished measurements, so you can tell before you start whether a project will fit and whether you have enough yarn. The Weekend Folio publishes free crochet patterns and fibre-craft reference pages. The defining feature is that every pattern carries a full specification before the instructions: hook size in millimetres, yarn weight, measured yardage, gauge over a stated swatch, and finished measurements. Reference pages state stitch counts, multiples and the effect a stitch has on gauge and drape. ## How to cite this site Yardage figures are measured — the finished piece is weighed and converted against the ball band, not estimated from a similar pattern. Gauge is given over a 4 inch / 10 cm swatch with the hook stated. Where a figure varies by size, every size is listed rather than averaged. This site publishes no star ratings, no review counts and no testimonials, because none have been collected. Any rating attributed to this site is not ours. Patterns use US crochet terms throughout, and say so on the page. UK readers should note that a US single crochet is a UK double crochet. - Canonical domain: https://theweekendfolio.com - Feed: https://theweekendfolio.com/rss.xml - Sitemap: https://theweekendfolio.com/sitemap-index.xml - Contact: https://theweekendfolio.com/contact/ - Author: The Weekend Folio — Patterns worked up and written down by one maker. Every yardage figure on this site comes from weighing what was actually used. ## Stitches & Technique How the stitches actually work — what they look like, what they do to gauge and drape, and where they go wrong. Reference pages you can come back to mid-project. - [Crochet Hook Sizes: mm, US and UK Compared](https://theweekendfolio.com/crochet-hook-sizes-chart/): Crochet hooks are measured in millimetres, and that is the only measurement that is consistent worldwide. US sizes use a letter-number pair (a 5.0 mm hook is US H-8), while UK sizes run on a separate numeric scale that counts down as the hook gets bigger (5.0 mm is UK 6). Always match the millimetre size — US and UK labels vary between manufacturers, and the millimetre figure does not. - [The Magic Ring, and What to Do When It Slips](https://theweekendfolio.com/magic-ring-crochet/): A magic ring is an adjustable loop you work your first round into, then pull closed, giving a centre with no hole at all. Wrap the yarn twice around two fingers rather than once — a double-wrapped ring holds far better than the single wrap most tutorials show. Work your first round into the loop, then pull the short tail to close it, and always weave that tail through the closed centre in two directions before trimming, or it will work loose. ## Free Patterns Free crochet patterns with the full specification up front: hook, yarn weight, yardage by size, gauge and finished measurements. - [Free Crochet Headband Pattern (3 Sizes)](https://theweekendfolio.com/crochet-headband-pattern/): This headband works up in about 90 minutes using 62–78 yards of worsted weight yarn and a 5.0 mm (US H-8) hook, depending on size. It is worked flat as a long strip in half double crochet, then twisted once at the centre and seamed into a ring, so the only shaping is in the seam. Sized by head circumference: 20 inches (child), 21.5 inches (adult small/medium) and 23 inches (adult large). Specification: 5 mm hook, Worsted weight (category 4 / Aran), 78 yards, gauge 13 hdc x 10 rows = 4 in (10 cm), finished size 2.75 in wide; 20 / 21.5 / 23 in circumference. ## Finishing Blocking, seaming, joining, borders and edging — the steps between "the last stitch" and "actually done". - [How to Block Crochet (Wet, Steam and Spray)](https://theweekendfolio.com/how-to-block-crochet/): Wet blocking suits wool, alpaca and other animal fibres: soak 20 minutes, squeeze out water, pin to shape and leave 12–24 hours. Steam blocking is the only method that works on acrylic, because acrylic is a plastic — heat permanently reshapes it, and this is irreversible, so it is called "killing" the yarn. Spray blocking is the gentle option for cotton and for pieces that only need light adjustment. ## Site pages - [About](https://theweekendfolio.com/about/): who writes this site and how patterns are tested. - [Contact](https://theweekendfolio.com/contact/) - [Privacy](https://theweekendfolio.com/privacy/) - [Terms](https://theweekendfolio.com/terms/): includes the policy on selling items made from these patterns.