Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Little updates

So,I've made a bit of progress on the ripple afghan. Aiming to do at least a couple rows per day, hopefully I
can keep up with that. I'd lose my mind if I had to work on only that though, so of course I have a few other WIPs currently, but dont have pictures of them all. One is a bobble stitch pillow, another is a crochet scarf, and the other is a knitted hat, this one with ribbing! My first successful try at it. Some errors in the beginning, but much better than I expected.

Also got these yarns today. From what I've read on the Ravelry forums, they're mostly mill ends from bigger companies with a generic label slapped on them, but they were only a dollar and most of them are reasonable quality and will definitely make 
 somethng nice, so I'm 100% happy with my purchase!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Crochet Flower Motif Pattern

So, I made up this cute little motif today:


Originally I was going to use them for a pair of barefoot sandals, but then I had an idea to make tons of them, in various shades of blues and white, then joining them to make a pretty tablecloth or tree skirt for Christmas. So that's what I'm doing. :)
This is my first time writing a pattern, so bear with me and feel free to tell me if there are any parts that are unclear or difficult to understand.

Abbreviations:
Sc = Single Crochet
DC = Double Crochet
HDC = Half Double crochet
TC = Triple/Treble Crochet

Round 1: Chain 4, slip stitch to first chain to make a loop
Round 2: Chain 3, 1 DC, *chain 2, 2 DC. Repeat from * until you have 6 sets of 2 DC (chain 3 counts as first DC) Slip stitch to the top of the chain 3 to join.
Round 3: Slip stitch in next DC, slip stitch in chain 2 space, *1 SC, 1 HDC, 2 DC, 1 HDC, 1 sc. Repeat from * in each chain 2 space around. Slip stitch to the first SC to join.
Round 4: Slip stitch in each ST until you reach the nearest DC. Slip stitch into it, and SC in the next DC (there should be two DCs in a row here, since you should be at the tip of the petal) *Chain 7, SC in next DC, SC in next DC, repeat from * around. SC in the slip stitch made above the first DC before the first CH 7 to join.
Round 5: Sl st in next SC, and in the chain 7 space, *2 SC, 2 HDC, 2 DC,  2 TC, 2 DC, 2 HDC, 2 SC. Rep from * in each chain 7 space around, slip stitch to the slip stitch before the first SC to join. Finish off and carefully weave in the ends.



Some Ideas I thought of were tablecloths, placemats, put them on headbands or earrings, add them to hats or scarves, use a softer thread (or regular yarn of your choice) and make a scarf out of them, throws (using regular yarn) The list could go on forever.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Scarf, Hat, Hooks, and more

So, I've finished a few things since the last time I posted.
First of all, a "petite scarf". The pattern can be found on the Lion Brand website, though I used a different flower because I wasn't too fond of the one included in the pattern. Information and links can be found on the project page for this scarf on my ravelry account. It was pretty quick, maybe an hour and a half of work total, though my tension was a bit loose since I don't normally work with hooks bigger than 6mm. All things considered, it came out well for a first try, and I'll definitely be making more to give out as christmas gifts.
I also finished an apple shaped potholder, which is a gift for somebody that my brother knows. I'm currently working on another normally shaped potholder, and may add a few dishcloths to the mix.





Also aquired some new supplies, the Bernat yarn was only $1.29 and the giant skein of Red Heart was $1.99 :) I love cheap things










Finished a stool cover, its basically just a granny circle, with some decreases and then plain DC around the sides so that it could be tied on.








 Knitted my first hat. Some errors, but not too bad.










And, last but not least, the beautiful new crochet hook that my sister got me. It works beautifully, and its so much higher quality than I expected. Its rosewood, made by Boye, normally $12.99 but it was on sale for $4.99. I'm super obsessed with it, because I just love the way it feels in my hands. It doesn't snag or fit the yarn at all, and I hope to buy more of these in different sizes.

Soo happy. :)