Oof! A long Hiatus (Plus a Baby Blanket)

Well, as much as I claimed that I would be updating regularly, it seems I have once again fallen off of the update wagon. The thrill of the holidays combined with health stuff and life in general left me feeling too distracted to do much writing of any kind.

But, I am back! And hoping to this time keep it up and post regularly.

So what is new in the world of crafting? Well, for Christmas I made a number of my nail polish glass ornaments (Forgive the image quality, my hands were shaking)

Crochet-wise, I haven't tried anything really new in a while. I made a few more ponchos for people, and now am on a baby blanket blitz. I've been using the Tiramisu baby blanket pattern by Alison Paulson, which can be found here and am so far quite happy with how they are turning out. Here is a picture of the first one:

I will post the other colour combos as I finish them, and I will end this post here so that I leave myself something to talk about next time ;)

An Ode To The Poncho

The scarf is the classic go-to project for people who feel like crocheting (or knitting) something, but don’t really feel like paying attention. However, I think there is a lot to be said for the poncho in this role.

The poncho, which dates back to 500 B.C and the pre-Incan Andes, is basically just a big rectangle with a hole in it. I made the poncho pictured above (Pattern by Patti Gonsalves, available for free here) as one long rectangle and then simply folded in half and sewed it together part way.

I made this poncho (Pattern by Denise Black, available for free here) by crocheting 2 rectangles and then sewing them together. This was due to the nature of the stitches; had I just crocheted one long piece, they wouldn’t have lined up correctly.

Both were extremely easy to make and, like a simple scarf, just involved crocheting rectangles in the same stitch over and over. What I prefer about the poncho however is that when you are finished you have a piece of clothing rather than just an accessory. Because it is so simple, it is also really easy to design your own; switch up the stitches used, change the length, or add decorative buttons, fringe, or even a hood!

So for your next lazy TV watching project, consider the humble poncho instead of your usual scarf; you won’t regret it!

Trip Report: Mint Chip Hat

While procrastinating about working on my knitted socks (I decided 5 inches of ankle ribbing is enough, and am working on the heel now!) I decided to start working on another hat. I didn’t really know what kind of hat I wanted to make, so I just looked around for a simple pattern I could play with and try out my new yarns.

The Pattern: 

For the basic shape of the hat I followed the Anarchy Irony Hat by Tera Avila, which I found in Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. I omitted the anarchy symbol, and added the stripes and a pom-pom. The pattern is really basic and simple, and ultimately I probably didn't need to use it at all. The top for this hat is crocheted open, and then sewed closed afterwards; I think I would have preferred just crocheting it in the round the whole way. 

The Yarn: 

For this I used Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes Superwash in Fjord Heather and Bittersweet Heather. The colours are amazing, especially the fjord, and I am thrilled that it is a superwash. It is however a touch scratchier than I was hoping, so hopefully it doesn't make my head itchy after wearing it a while. I did find it very easy and pleasant to work with though.

The Experience:

I enjoyed making the hat, and it took me no time at all to complete. This was the first time I make a pom-pom and I am totally in love with this one. It is hard to keep from squeezing it!

The Product:

I LOVE this hat. This is something I am definitely going to keep for myself, and I expect to get a lot of wear out of it this coming winter. It is already 0 degrees Celsius here this morning!

Trip Report: Cupcake Hat

I finally got a usable picture of my cupcake hat taken, so at long last, I present to you, the Cupcake Hat Trip Report

 The Pattern: Chocolate Cupcake Hat with Blue Frosting from Twinkie Chan's Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies: 20 Yummy Treats to Wear 
 This pattern was a lot of fun and very easy to read. Very beginner friendly.

The Yarn: I used Phentex Merit Solid in Burgundy and Pale Plum, and some random red yarn for the cherry. The yarn was very cheap (Dollarama!) and I got what I paid for. It was very squeaky to work with, and looks cheap, ultimately. However, I just wanted to mess around with a fun pattern, and it did the trick. In the future though, I would only use this yarn for amigurumi bits.

The Experience: I really liked doing all the ribbing, which while still very simple, added variety to the project. It did however involve a lot of attaching things together, which I hate. I prefer to do work in the round and avoid piecing things together when I can. That may not have been possible with the ribbing and the swirling on the cupcake top, but if I were to do this pattern again, I would at least attempt to do the “cake” portion in the round. I think I was done all the crocheting for this hat in like a day, but it took me weeks to get around to doing all the finishing, which really wasn’t all that excessive but like I said, I hate this part. Initially I was waiting to go get some little pom poms to make the sprinkles, but then remembered I had beads and used those instead.

The Product: Meh. It is a fun looking hat, but it isn’t something I would wear. 1. Because the pattern in general isn’t my style 2. Because I chose really cheap materials, and 3. I could have measured it better, but I was fed up and just wanted it over, given that I had no plans to wear it anyway. 

So basically, what I am saying is that if I don't like the product, it is my own fault and not the pattern's. I do think that if I used nicer wool it could be a super adorable gift for someone who is a touch more whimsical than I. Definitely something I would recommend to someone starting out with crochet who is bored of scarves and other standard beginner projects.

General Update and Yarn Haul

You may have assumed that I haven’t posted recently because I had nothing to report, but it is quite the opposite. I have been crafting like a fiend, and simply haven’t had the time to write about it. I have also been to waiting to get some good photos of my finished items and the new yarn I got in. In any case, I will break up my news into multiple posts for easier digestion :) 

I am still hard at work on the sock (4 inches now!) but was distracted by a couple of hats, and am now working on a poncho for a friend. I have since received another order of yarn from Knit Picks though, and I thought I would share that here. 

 Read on for a bunch of yarn pictures!

Sock Continues (Slowly) and Book Buying

 From the simple, single-hook brisk pace of crocheting to...

So it turns out that knitting a pair of socks takes roughly 4oo years. I know this because after hours and hours, I have about 3 inches of sock cuff under my belt. I am having fun doing it, but it is largely for the challenge at this point.

What I like about crochet is that if I screw up, I can just quickly undo it and easily fix my mistakes and I don't lose all that much time. Hell, I crocheted an entire poncho, realized it was too big, undid it completely and redid it in like 3 days. This means that
a) I'm not super stressed about making mistakes;
b) It goes faster, as I am not being crazy cautious;
c) Since fixing thins is not such a big deal, I am more willing to experiment and go outside the box, because I know I haven't ruined anything.

However with the knitting mistakes are such a slow thing to fix that I am terrified of making any, and when I DO make some, fixing them is too big an undertaking, so I just have to deal with them (Other than dropped stitches; those give me a heart attack every time it happens even for a Milli-second). For example with this sock:

While doing the K2 P2 ribbing, I got confused and switched their order around, causing all the ribbing to shift over. Were this crocheting I would never let such a mistake stand, especially one so early in the project, but I am not prepared to spend hours undoing the work, and more hours re-doing it.
I think maybe this just means that the lessons I take away from crocheting and knitting are different from one another: from crocheting I learn to focus and aim for perfection, whereas from knitting I learn that it is OK to make mistakes..

When I bought the sock yarn I had visions of me making everyone cozy handmade socks for Christmas. HA! HA! HA! I think deciding whether or not to make socks for someone is probably a commitment to be considered as seriously as a marriage proposal.

Anyway, I thought I would go check out some sock knitting books for the next time around (which will be on circular needles, that's for sure.) I saw one about doing 2 at a time with circular needles regular style, and another by the same author about doing 2 at a time with circular needles toe-up. I was totally paralyzed with indecision, so I bought a crochet book instead. It'll be months before I am ready for another pair of socks, right? I picked up Fashion Crochet: 30 crochet projects inspired by the catwalk by Claire Montgomerie which looks like it has a lot of really cool patterns in it. I also grabbed the Fall issue of Interweave Crochet which seems beautiful as well.

Trip Report: Sweet Pea Shawl

The shawl is all dry!

I am very pleased with how it looks post-blocking, it really does make all the difference in the world.

Final Sweet Pea Shawl Verdict:

I had a lot of fun doing this pattern. it was simple enough to memorize quickly, but varied enough to keep it from getting routine. Despite not really being a shawl person, I really want to make another one now, as I love how the rows keep getting shorter, which is really encouraging. I do feel like I would prefer something with a little more variety next time.

I think my stitching was even and it looks consistent. I think I would have liked it better in a different yarn, though.  Something thinner, and maybe in a lighter colour. I think for my next one, I will do something in a light grey/silver tone and in fingering weight or lighter.

I am also very thankful that no cats went to sleep on it while it was drying.

 Sage stayed on the couch

And Oreo slept in progressively smaller boxes.