Christmas Gifts

Well Christmas has come and gone, I hope you had a merry one.  Now back to work!  Only 364 days til the next one!  It seems like we spend so much time making everything perfect, and then it's over so quickly.  Hopefully memories were made that will endure.

I thought I'd share what I crafted for Christmas this year.  (I couldn't earlier because my family wouldn't be surprised if I did!)  I gave up crafting for the men in my family a while ago because they don't wear scarves, or hats (at least crocheted ones), and they don't need warm socks or other such things where they live.,  So just my mom and my sister were the recipients of the results of my craftiness.

My mom had seen my shawls and liked the idea of a shawl, but not of a triangular one.  So, I made a rectangular one for her.  It came out great, and now I want to make one for myself too.

Here's the shawl pattern:
Chain 182, then work stitch 10.  Do 7 repeats of the stitch pattern ending with round 4.
Border:
Round 1: sc around, 3 sc in corner
Round 2: (sc, ch 3, sk 1) around, (sc, ch 3, sc) in corner

Final dimensions: 68"x 20"
I made this using Simply Soft yarn in Black and a J hook.  (This took just over 2 skeins.) 

My sister learned how to crochet a couple of months after I did (I taught her).  It didn't grab her like it did me, and she put it aside.  When I came home on vacation this summer, she asked me to teach her again because she wanted to crochet some more.  So, one evening of showing her the stitches again, and she was good to go.  Refreshers are so much easier than actual learning sessions.  Anyway, this time the crochet bug got her, and she's made dozens of scarves and is even working on her first blanket.

So for Christmas this year, I decided that she needed a tote bag for her crochet.  So I made a Fat Bag for her just like the one I use to cart my projects around.  Of course, I did modify the pattern a bit, mainly just making the handles shorter; my notes for this project are here.  These are particularly nice because it is fairly simple to sew fabric in as a lining, which keeps your hooks from falling through the bag.

I made this using Red Heart yarn in Cornmeal and a J hook.  (This pattern uses ~1.5 skeins.)

Poof Ball Hat

I was recently asked if I could make a poof ball hat.  Though I had never made one, I responded that I could, after all, ravelry has patterns for everything.  So I went home, looked, and found the Two Ball Crochet Hat pattern.  I liked the band of this hat.  Anyway, I started working on it, basically ignoring the gauge, just making sure that it would fit my head.  This resulted in the band being 56 rows, not 80 rows, but the hat fits.  After I finished the band I continued on with the pattern and discovered that the top of the hat is a lot looser and full of holes than it looks in the pictures.  I didn't like this, so I pulled that part out and completely redid it.  Essentially the only parts of the original pattern that I kept were the band and the poof ball.

Anyway, here's the pattern:
Entire Hat is in brown except for rows 9 and 11 and the poof ball which are in cream.

ldc= linked double crochet 


Band:
Ch 10
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, (9 sc)
Rows 2-56: ch 1, turn, sc across in back loops only (9 sc)

To join: ch 1, align edges, sl st through both edges across

Hat:
Round 1: ch 1, turn, (sc, ch 1, sk 1) around, join
Round 2: ch 1, turn, (sc in sc, sc in ch 1 sp) around, join
Round 3: ch 3, turn, ldc around, join
Round 4: ch 1, turn, sc around, join
Round 5: ch 3, turn, ldc around, join
Round 6: ch 1, turn, sc around, join
Round 7: ch 3, turn, ldc around, join
Round 8: ch 1, turn, sc around, joinRound 9: ch 1, turn, sc around, join (cream)
Round 10: ch 1, turn, sc around, join (brown)
Round 11: ch 1, turn, sc around, join (cream)
Round 12: ch 1, turn, sc around   (from this point on, do not join, or turn)
Rounds 13-17: (sc in next 5 sc, decrease) around
Rounds 18-22: (sc in next 3 sc, decrease) around

There should be 9 stitches at the end.  Fasten off, leaving a long end.  Thread this end through the stitches on the last row and pull tight.

Poof Ball:
Following the instructions on your pom pom maker, make a 2" poof ball.  I used the green on in the Susan Bates pom pom maker.  Attach poof ball to hat by threading the long end of the hat through the knots holding the poof ball together then going through the hat, then back through the knot.  Repeat this until poof ball is securely attached.  Weave in the end.

I made this using I Love this Yarn in Brown and Cream and a J hook.

Dog Mats

It's been getting chilly around here, and I know my pup is a little cold too.  So, I've wanted her to have a bed to lie on while I crochet, without having to move hers all over the apartment every day.  I've been looking to buy her another one, but in the meantime I decided to crochet one up, and just see how it would turn out.

My first attempt, I chained 31, which looked to be the right width to fit in her crate, and then I crocheted a rectangle.  After several rows, I compared it to the crate again and realized that I had made it too large, so I simply decided to turn it and make it the length instead of the width.  It ended up being 12"x18", just big enough for her to lie down on if she was curled up in a little ball exactly in the middle. 

Further work was needed; this attempt was relegated to her crate because it's better than nothing for my pup.  This would also be good as a doormat.

My next attempt, I decided to make circular.  This one was not designed to fit in her crate at all.  She was curled up at my feet as I was working on it, so I would periodically lay it over her to determine if it was big enough yet or not.  This one ended up being 18" in diameter, so it's nice and big for her.

Here are the patterns:
First attempt:
Working with 3 strands together throughout.
Chain 31
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc across (30 sc)
Rows 2-18: ch 1, turn, sc across (30 sc)
Border:
Work 2 rounds of sc with 3 sc in each corner

Made with Red Heart yarn in Country Rose, Coffee, and Claret and an M hook. 

Second attempt:
Working with 3 strands together throughout:
Chain 2
Round 1: 6 sc in 2 2nd ch from hook
Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around (12 sc)
Round 3: (2 sc in sc, sc in next sc) around (18 sc)
Round 4: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 2 sc) around (24 sc)
Round 5: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 3 sc) around (30 sc)
Round 6: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 4 sc) around (36 sc)
Round 7: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 5 sc) around (42 sc)
Round 8: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 6 sc) around (48 sc)
Round 9: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 7 sc) around (54 sc)
Round 10: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 8 sc) around (60 sc)
Round 11: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 9 sc) around (66 sc)
Round 12: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 10 sc) around (72 sc)
Round 13: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 11 sc) around (78 sc)
Round 14: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 12 sc) around (84 sc)
Round 15: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 13 sc) around (90 sc)
Round 16: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 14 sc) around (96 sc)
Round 17: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 15 sc) around (102 sc)
Round 18: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 16 sc) around (108 sc)
Lip:
Round 19: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 16 sc) around (108 sc)
Round 20: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 16 sc) around (108 sc)
Round 21: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 16 sc) around (108 sc)
Round 22: (2 sc in sc, sc in next 16 sc) around (108 sc)

Made with Bernat Handicrafters Cotton yarn in Lotus Twists with an M hook.

Quick Baby Hat

So a friend of mine is having a baby girl soon, and her baby shower was this weekend.  I had already decided to give her a baby blanket, and let her pick it out.  About an hour before the shower, I decided to try to make a baby hat.  Because of the time constraint I decided to just design it on the fly and see if I liked it.  My first attempt started at the bottom of the hat, the largest point, and narrowed.  Midway, I looked at what I had made and it looked like it could be a skirt for a Barbie doll.  So, I simply cut the yarn and started over.  My next attempt, I started at the top and went down which worked much better.


This project came out very small, but then, babies are very small.  This was a first attempt at really designing  a baby hat, so some modification and optimization is needed.  However, my friend loved it and said that if it's too small, or once it's too small, it'll be great as a doll hat.  So in any case, it was appreciated and will be used. 

Here's how I made it:
Chain 4,
Round 1: 15 dc in 4th ch from hook, slip st to join
Round 2: ch 3, dc, (2 dc in next dc, dc in next 2 dc) around, slip st to join
Round 3-6: ch 3, dc around, slip st to join
Fasten off, weave in ends.

Fold up the last row to finish.


I made this using Baby Bee Too Sweet yarn and an E hook.

Boot Socks!

If you're like me, you've wondered why people would bother to make their own socks.  I mean, comfy socks are actually inexpensive, so what's the appeal?  At the same time, I've been curious about them, intrigued actually.  So I was on pinterest and saw some really cute boot socks, that you would wear with your really cute boots.  I followed the pin and saw that they were $32!  I'm not going to pay that much for a pair of socks, but I had some sock yarn in my stash and I did a ravelry search to find a pattern.  Here's what I found: Knee Socks in Crochet. 

It's actually pretty easy to follow, though I did modify it a bit.  The pattern calls for a J hook, but I wanted to use my sock yarn and on the package it said to use a D hook so I used an E hook.  Also, because I was using thinner yarn, I had to do more rows to make them fit my feet (I have size 10 feet).  Anyway, I had to add 2 extra rows to the bottom of the sock, so round 21 is really round 23. 

Also, I did not cut the yarn after chaining 12 and attaching it for the heel.  I simply continued on with the barrel of the sock.  When I had a complete round of gray at the top of each sock, I cut the yarn, wove in ends, and went to work on the heel.  For the heel, I basically followed the instructions, but honestly, from making so many stuffed animals, I know almost instinctively how to close up a hole to my satisfaction, which is really all the heel is. 

So now I have a pair of socks to wear with my boots, and it only cost me two skeins from my stash.  I do not recommend these for selling, because they take way too long to make.  To make the pair I spent at least 6 hours.  However, they would make fairly inexpensive gifts and with good color selection, could be for both guys and gals.  It would be difficult for the recipient of a pair of lovingly crocheted socks to properly appreciate the work that goes in (and it's a lot), so be careful who you bestow your masterpiece on.

I made these with Patons Kroy Socks Stripes yarn in Mulberry Stripes with an E hook.

Manly Scarf

Making anything for a guy is generally a challenge.  The art of crochet does not lend itself to masculinity, in general.  I think I've managed to make a scarf a guy would like and would actually wear.  It's a very simple pattern and would look good in a variety of color combinations.  If you look closely, you can see the long stitches running the length of the scarf.  This particular scarf is for a Cleveland Browns fan.

Color Pattern:
7 rows orange, (7 rows brown, 7 rows orange) repeated.  With 17 total blocks, the scarf measured 77" long.

Here's the pattern:
Chain 19, then work stitch 21.


I made this with I Love this Yarn in Brown and Orange with a J hook.

Bumpy Bath Mats

Crocheted bath mats are especially nice because they not only are washable, but they improve when washed.  Cotton shrinks when washed, so it tightens up and actually feels softer after the first washing.  The stitch used to make the Bumpy Dishcloths is great for bathmats because the bumpiness feels good on your feet. I like variegated yarn for bathmats because it makes interesting patterns and the border looks neat.

These make great gifts.  I've given a set of them to both of my brothers as Christmas gifts when they resided in dorms.  Guys, especially dorm dwellers, are difficult to shop for, let alone make something for, but these work well in dorms.  With two, you can put one in front of the sink and one in front of the tub. 

Here's the pattern:
Ch 54

Row 1: sc in 2^nd ch from hook, sc across, ch 1, turn

Row 2: sc, (tc, sc) x 13, ch 1, turn

Row 3: sc across, ch 1, turn

Row 4: sc, sc, (tc, sc) x 12, sc, ch 1 turn

Row 5: sc across, ch 1, turn

Repeat Rows 2-5 eight times, so that there are 18 rows of bumps. 

Border:

Round 1: sc around with 3 sc in each corner

Round 2: sc around with 3 sc in each corner

Slip stitch and fasten off.

This is the pattern for the bath mat I made for myself.  I made a larger size for my brothers by simply repeating the pattern more times.  Another modification that I have done is to make it with two strands at once.  It makes it thicker, so you don't need as long of a chain initially or do as many repeats.   Essentially, repeat the pattern until you are happy with the size. 

I made this using Sugar and Cream cotton yarn in Crown Jewel Ombre with a J hook.

Thin Mint Blanket

I don't know about you, but I don't like shopping for gifts off of registries.  The concept is good, getting people what they want and not duplicating it, but in application it never works out quite like that.  People forget to use the registry and you end up with four crock pots.  Also, the gifts don't really show much thought or originality, not to mention that the stuff tends to be overpriced.  So, for baby showers I like to give baby blankets and for weddings full sized blankets.  When it is handmade, it will not be duplicated!

So, if there is a wedding of a close friend coming up, start crocheting, and you'll have a unique gift they will hopefully keep forever that will be memorable.  When I decide to make someone a blanket for their wedding, I first inquire as to their wedding colors.  If they picked them for the wedding they obviously like the colors.  Then I get creative and come up with something using those colors.  If you don't know where to start, look through some pattern books and see what you like: try to visualize the pattern in the color scheme.  Then get crocheting!

My buddy is getting married soon, so I made a blanket for them.  When I bothered him about the colors for the wedding he told me to 'think Thin Mints' as a description of the green and brown colors they had chosen.  So, I've thought of this blanket as my 'Thin Mint Blanket' even before I began it.

This blanket is an application of the Half and Half striping pattern.  The diamond portion of the blanket changes colors every two rows, so this color pattern applies so yarn cutting is not required.  I do however cut the brown yarn when each set of diamonds is complete.  It would be a little ridiculous to carry the brown color up through 13 rows of green.

Here's how to make it:
Chain 164
Row 1: sc in 2nd chain from hook, (ch 3, sk 2, dc, ch 3, sk 2, sc) across (green)
Row 2: ch 4, turn, dc in sc (sc in dc, [dc, ch 1, dc, ch1, dc] in sc) across, (dc, ch 1, dc) in last sc (brown)
Row 3: ch 6, turn, sc in sc (ch 3, dc in middle dc, ch 3, sc in sc) across, ch 3, dc in last dc (brown)
Row 4: ch 1, turn, (sc in dc, [dc, ch 1, dc, ch1, dc] in sc) across, sc in last dc (green)
Row 5: ch 1, turn, sc in sc (ch 3, dc in middle dc, ch 3, sc in sc) across (green)
Rows 6-13: repeat rows 2-5 twice
Row 14: repeat row 2
Row 15: repeat row 3
Row 16:  ch 1, turn, (sc in dc, [dc, ch 1, hdc, ch1, dc] in sc) across, sc in last dc (green)
Row 17: ch 3, turn, dc in every ch 1 space, hdc, dc, and sc across  (green)
Rows 18-27: ch 3, turn, dc across (green)
Row 28: ch 1, turn, sc, (ch 3, sk 2, dc, ch 3, sk 2, sc) across

Repeat Rows 2-28 5 times, ending with Row 16 (There will be six sets of diamonds)

Border: (brown)
Round 1: sc around, 3 sc in corner
Round 2: dc around, 5 dc in corner
Round 3: sc around, 3 sc in corner
Round 4: (dc, ch 1, sk 1) around, (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc) in corner
Round 5: sc around, 3 sc in corner
Round 6: dc around, 5 dc in corner
Round 7: sc around, 3 sc in corner

The final dimensions were 75" x 110", weighs 4.4 lbs, and took about 10 skeins to complete.

I made this using I Love this Yarn, Mid Green and Coffee with a J hook.

Bumpy Dishcloths

 If you're wanting to make a quick, inexpensive gift, dishcloths are an option.  Patterns for dishcloths abound.  I designed this one using triple crochet (tc) stitches to give it texture, which can help with scrubbing. The corner loop allows you to hang them.

These were made using Sugar and Cream twists cotton yarn with a J hook.  When finished they measure 11" x 11".  After
washing they shrink to being
10" x 10". 


Here's the pattern:

Ch 28

Row 1: sc in 2^nd ch from hook, sc across, ch 1, turn

Row 2: sc, (tc, sc) x 13, ch 1, turn

Row 3: sc across, ch 1, turn

Row 4: sc, sc, (tc, sc) x 12, sc, ch 1 turn

Row 5: sc across, ch 1, turn

Repeat Rows 2-5  six times, so that there are 12 rows of bumps. 

Border:

Round 1: sc around with 3 sc in each corner

Round 2: sc around with 3 sc in each corner

Loop: at final corner, sc, ch 18 tightly, sc in same corner, slip stitch and fasten off.

Scallop Edged Placemats

One of the first things I designed were placemats.  I've found them useful in protecting my furniture and in making the table look nicer.  They also can be nice gifts, but the time commitment can be considerable.  It takes me roughly two hours to make a single placemat.  Therefore, it will take roughtly sixteen hours to make a set of eight.


Also, before you devote the time to make them for someone, or even for yourself, it is important to determine if the color will go with the plates.  I recommend taking a piece of china with you to the yarn store to select the color.  You might be surprised at what looks good with your plates.  For Christmas last year I made a set of these placemats for my mom.  It wasn't a surprise on Christmas morning because I had sent her to the yarn store to pick out the color beforehand.  She took a plate and told me she wanted Frosty Green.  I then went to the yarn store and found the yarn.  When I saw it, I did not like it, nor did I like the resulting placemats that I made from it.  Then we used them with her china for Christmas dinner.  The color was perfect for her china and made everything look nicer.  The point is, take a plate with you when you pick your yarn. The placemats shown here are from sage green yarn, with a close up of the stitches in the bottom picture.

So, here's the pattern:

Use Red Heart Super Saver Yarn with a  J hook.

Ch 45

Row 1: tc in 5^th ch from hook.  ltc across ch 5 turn

Row 2-10: ch 5, turn, tc, ltc across
Border: ch1, turn, sc, (sk 2, 5 dc, sk 2, sc) repeat around.  sc should be in corners and in the ch 5 voids on the sides.  

ltc= linked triple crochet
For a tutorial on linked stitches, see my friend Nettie's blog at: http://loveinthestitches.blogspot.com/