Successful Crochet Day

As promised, here’s my post about all the things I did on International Crochet Day

First thing I did (after showering and eating breakfast obviously) was finish another Christmas gift! This one for my brother. I used Lion Brand’s pattern last year but it turned out too big. This year I just kind of winged it and it’s perfect size this time around. I used Lion Brand’s principle but I’m still calling it Brother’s Beanie.

Then I moved onto my next project to finish, a baby hat. I had made the base part of the hat the night before and had to make the bow and attach it that morning. Turned out lovely if I say so myself. I used Charmed by Ewe’s Wrapped with Love Hat pattern. I couldn’t meet her gauge so I just came up with my own hdc basic beanie pattern. I would have made one at some point anyways so why not now? I did use her bow pattern which was simple and turned out adorable! This one is going to my cousin D and his wife S. I believe they’re the ones due in January and they’re definitely having a girl. I plan to make a third and final hat for them soon.

I decided to start on another baby hat next. This one for another cousin. C. He and his girlfriend are having their first baby next month and I totally forgot!! Thankfully I already have a Minnie Mouse hat on hand (haven’t shown you guys that yet because it was a test for Leah that I started during the dreaded month of July and never finished til weeks later). I plan on making them a hat but this one was commissioned by my Aunt M (my most loving and faithful customer) for her second granddaughter. Yep, they’re having a girl too. I won’t tell you what the hat will look like but I’ll post this little teaser here. I used Thu Nguyen’s pattern. It worked up rather nicely I think.

I then spent the rest of the day working on one project. Can you guess? ….. Eden’s granny square blanket. FINALLY I can say that ALL 20 squares are sewn together!! ::happy dance:: That thing was a pain in my butt (literally) and I am NOT looking forward to sewing all mine together. I might look into another way to join them all. I also then started on the border. I’m about 1.5 rounds into that. This page HERE shows all the blog posts with all different square patterns. You can also find it by searching for LW4132 on their website. There should be a giant pdf that has all the patterns put together. Oh yea, the border will be blue

And then today when I got the mail, I had a package. Cool I thought. Opened it up and it was the fabulous yarn I won thanks to The Philosopher’s Wife. The yarn is from Never Enough Thyme. The color is called Apple Picking and it is a 75% SW Merino 25% Nylon fingering yarn. I’ve never worked with Merino or a fingering weight yarn so I’m pretty excited. Something else to make for myself when I have enough time to. Because do you remember that awesome Yarn Baby yarn I won a while back? Still haven’t used it yet. Maybe after Christmas. Hopefully.

On The Hook:

• Test for CTbL
• Eden’s Blanket
• Christmas gifts (Mom first)
• Baby things

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CROCHET DAY!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CROCHET DAY for 2014!! ::insert mini dance celebration::

Today I’m going to celebrate by ……. crocheting!! Oh c’mon Jess you crochet daily, why is today any special? I’m really not too sure to be honest.

I woke up this morning thinking it was any other day. Boy was I wrong. All my yarn friends informed me of the special day. But when I look it up, I get no info other than it’s always September 12th. I guess it’s just a cool way to rub it into non-yarn people’s faces that we crochet and it’s cool. So I’m saying it loud and proud.

I’m also saying it by finishing crochet projects! I’ve already finished two today and started on a piece of another. Even though I’ve posted pictures on Facebook already, I’m going to wait until tomorrow to post them here. It’s just easier to upload as I go on Facebook rather than here. So there you have it. I’ve finished two hats and started another. Ponder over what they are until tomorrow. Or cheat and look on Facebook.

First Christmas Gift

There’s been some time between posts. Reasons. I haven’t finished items that I could blog about and nothing new has happened. Finished items I can’t blog about?! How could that be? That’s because I test for Creative Threads by Leah and don’t want to post photos/info about upcoming patterns for sale without her permission. With that being said, there have been a few finished tests. All Who-ish. I was really excited to work and keep working on those. They’re making great presents for some little Who fans that I know.

But I do have a finished item I can share! It’s my first complete Christmas present!! I actually finished it the other day but it’s been raining almost nonstop since Sunday and I haven’t been able to get a good picture. I made it using some of that fabulous yarn I picked up on clearance a few weeks back. I’m calling it the Hunter’s Chunky Cap. It’s made with chunky yarn, it’s going to a hunter, and I like the alliteration of the two C’s.

Look how cool it looks! Why did I do it two toned like that and not striped? Because silly me only bought one skein of Dad’s Scarf and when I went back for more a few days later there wasn’t any more. Thankfully at the bottom of the bin there was one Black in the same type of yarn so I was able to finish it with ease. Even though I made a rookie mistake in not buying enough yarn, it totally worked out and looks totally planned and awesome! At least I think so anyways. And don’t worry if it looks huge. The head is only 21 inches (already smaller than an average male head) but Pap’s head is also 24 inches. So it’s supposed to look big.

I currently have 6 projects on my hook. Crazy right. Well one’s technically not on the hook because I’m in the middle of sewing all the squares together for Eden’s blanket! First I sewed them in rows and now I’m working on sewing the rows together. I have two of them together and three more to go. I’m really not enjoying this because to keep the rows flat I have to sit awkwardly at my table. Going to look into other ways to join squares together for my blanket. I have three tests for Leah. One I ran out of requested yarn, second and third are coming along nicely. Then I have the nativity for Monica (slow going because of sewing all the parts together). Last night I started the hat for my brother Joe. The one I made his last year turned out really big so I’m making him a replacement.

Non Crochet news!! I planned to take a visit home in October for my mom’s and sister’s birthdays (they’re back to back). I’m pushing up my visit by a month and going down in a few weeks instead. Why would you do that if you had your whole trip planned? Good question! Because my grandparents are coming in from Arizona!!!!! I haven’t seen them since my cousin got married in October 2011! They plan to only be in a week but since I have other family to see I’m going to be there for two. I’m super super hoping to have all if not most of my Christmas presents finished to take with me so I won’t have to mail them. I’m literally working my fingers to the bone trying to get everything done. I also don’t know how I’m going to fit a blanket with all the gifts AND two weeks worth of clothes in one suitcase because I’m taking the train. I’ll figure it out. Maybe.