What are y'alls favorite neato crochet patterns?

Hey y'all! I have officially decided that I love the fiber arts forum on here. I meant to ask- anyone who crochets and is into permaculture, I'm sure yall have come up with some awesome patterns/ideas/tricks. So does anyone have ingenious crochet patterns (or rough instructions) they'd like to share?

I don't know if it's super ingenious, but I have a long wide stip of crotchet lace I made with heavy weight cotton yarn usually marketed for dishclothes. The pattern is intended for crocheting fine lace with thread and I found it as a youtube video. I was thinking of making many strips to combine as a really fancy afghan. With the larger materials it's an ornate pattern several inches wide instead of a thin ribbon. I haven't completely given up on the idea but I will have to track the tutorial down again.  

That heavy weight dishcloth cotton actually makes great afghans for Texas.  It's heavy enough to give a solid blanket weight while most patterns are airy enough to keep it from getting too hot.  I'm not afraid to machine wash it and the material can be reduced if it fades, stains, or you just grow to hate the color.

That's the upper limits of my crochet skills and knowledge. I seldom have the time and attention to spend on this kind of project, so it spends most of the time in a box.  Thankfully I did purchase enough yarn that I won't be worrying about dye lots 40 years from now when I'll probably finish.  I attaching an additional picture of a complete throw in the same material.   This is the blanket that taught me the heavy cotton was an all season blanket.

Editing to add link https://youtu.be/gm_6XS-PIS0 I hope my stip will look closer to this after blocking but I think these are the correct tutorials.

I've only dabbled and not recently, but at one time I played around with some Japanese crochet patterns. They have some really interesting lacey stuff.

I haven't read all the links, but this will probably get you started if you want.

https://urbangypz.com/how-to-read-japanese-crochet-patterns/

I have to admit, I rarely use a formal pattern. I will have an idea for a project (inspiration comes from anything), and just start crocheting, until I get whatever it is made. My youngest daughter's all time favorite item was a newsboy-style cap I made for her, when she was a toddler. She's almost 26 now, and still occasionally asks if I'll make her another one - usually as she's trying to fit the first one on, again, lol.  The tricks to doing it this way are 1 - just knowing how to do the stitches you like for a project, which is easy enough to learn and something you kinda have to do with any project; 2 - having a means for figuring out sizes; 3 - being willing to experiment and frog, if necessary; and 4 - trusting yourself.

I tend to be a crochet pragmatist. Kind of an oxymoron, but I make it work.
I had a friend whose mini donkey foaled on the Full moon, Shabbat and Epiphany day all in one, the other night. This is one special little Jenny. Since it has been unseasonably cold and I am a sucker for a cute face, I dusted off the crochet hook and did a white and black strands held together for more bulk and my favorite stitch for quick volume, the HDC. It isn't fancy, but it is expandable for a growing donkey, and will get her through until Spring.

Similar to Carla, the only thing I was taught to crochet was lace.

Mine though was only about 1 1/2 inches wide.  My aunt taught me the pattern.

She probably used it to trim pillowcases.

That was a long time ago and I probably have forgotten how to make lace now.

https://mypicot.com has some interesting and pretty stitch patterns.  Some of them are free, some not.  I don't crochet a lot these days (more of a knitter), but I have used a couple of their free patterns.

Anne Miller wrote:Similar to Carla, the only thing I was taught to crochet was lace.

Mine though was only about 1 1/2 inches wide.  My aunt taught me the pattern.

She probably used it to trim pillowcases.

That was a long time ago and I probably have forgotten how to make lace now.

Except that no one taught me how to make lace? I was only taught 'practical' and very basic stuff - slip stitch, single crochet, half double, and double. No one taught me anything beyond those stitches - except me. Everything else, I found in books, but I still stuck at making written patterns work. I think (if I ever actually sit down and make the effort to learn them), it might be easier for me, with the diagram patterns.

This week, I'm making slippers for John & me; his will be from simple squares (appropriately sized to his feet) of single crochet, worked only in the back loop. What presents the fun, challenge of it, is making them big enough to still fit comfortably, after they've been fulled. First, I made 10cm swatches of both our fibers - John's yarn is single ply 85% mystery wool (just says wool, not the breed), and 15% alpaca, in a dark heather gray. I'm going to make mine from a deep rose plum roving, in 100% highland wool, but haven't decided whether I'll crochet or nålbind mine. There's a stretchy nålbinding stitch r introduced me to, that I want to learn and practice, so I can make socks, and the slippers present a good opportunity - but it means it could take a bit longer for my slippers to get onto my feet. Both swatches shrunk in fulling - his showed about 30% shrinkage, mine was about 35%. Both created a wonderfully thick, soft felt, while retaining a fair amount of stretchiness.