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.)

Half Lace Shawl

So, I've designed yet another shawl and this one is my favorite so far.  I've thought of this as a half and half shawl: half lace, half solid.  It is just like the Lacy Shawl except that half of the rows are filled in with dc.  It is not as warm as the Cozy Shawl, nor is it as open as the Lacy Shawl.  It is comfortably in between. 

Here's the pattern:
Chain 2
Row 1: 3 sc in 2nd chain from the hook (3 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first sc, sc, 2 sc in last sc (5 sc)

Edging:
Row 1: ch 1, do not turn, 2 sc in corner, sc, 3 sc in point, sc, 2 sc in corner (9 sc)
Row 2: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, ch 3, sk 3, (dc, ch 3, dc) in point, ch 3, sk 3, 3 dc in corner
Row 3: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, (dc in dc, 3 dc in ch 3 space) to point, 7 dc in point, (dc in dc, 3 dc in ch 3 space) to corner, 3 dc in corner
Row 4: ch 3 turn, 2 dc in corner, (ch 3, sk 3, dc) to point (dc, ch 3, dc) in point, (ch 3, sk 3, dc) to corner, 3 dc in corner

Rows 5-26: repeat rows 3 and 4 (11 times)

Row 27: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, dc, 4 dc in next dc, sc in dc, (7 dc in dc, sc in dc) to point, 7 dc in point,  sc in dc, (7 dc in dc, sc in dc) to last 3 dc, 4 dc in next dc, dc, 3 dc in corner

Finishing: ch 1, turn, sc across the top, slip stitch, fasten off, weave in ends.

I made this using Simply Soft Dark Pine and a J hook.

Modified Lacy Shawl

So, I have come up with another version of the Lacy Shawl pattern.  The only thing that changes is how you do the points.  Instead of doing (ch 3, dc, ch 3) in the points of even rows, now you do 7 dc.  The effect is that shells go down the center of the shawl.  I think this is actually easier than the original pattern because there is a defined place to do every stitch: you never have to do a stitch into a ch 3 space. 

Here's the full pattern with the modification: 
Chain 2
Row 1: 3 sc in 2nd chain from the hook (3 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first sc, sc 2 sc in last sc (5 sc)

Edging:
Row 1: ch 1, do not turn, 2 sc in corner, sc, 3 sc in point, sc, 2 sc in corner
Row 2: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, ch 3, sk 3, 7 dc in point, ch 3, sk 3, 3 dc in corner
Row 3: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, dc in next 2 dc, ch 3, dc in dc, (dc, ch 3, dc) in point, dc in dc, ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, 3 dc in corner
Row 4: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, ch 3, sk 3, dc, ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, 7 dc in point, ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, dc, ch 3, sk 3, 3 dc in corner
Row 5: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, dc in next 2 dc, ch 3, (dc in dc, ch 3) to point, (dc, ch 3, dc) in point, ch 3, (dc in dc, ch 3) to last 3 dc, dc in next 2 dc, 3 dc in corner
Row 6: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, sk 3, (ch 3, dc in dc) to point, 7 dc in point, dc in dc, (ch 3, dc in dc) to corner, 3 dc in corner

Rows 7-26: repeat rows 5-6 10 times

Row 27: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, dc, 4 dc in next dc, sc in dc, (7 dc in dc, sc in dc) to point, 7 dc in point,  sc in dc, (7 dc in dc, sc in dc) to last 3 dc, 4 dc in next dc, dc, 3 dc in corner

Finishing: ch 1, turn, sc across the top, slip stitch, fasten off, weave in ends.



Essentially, you dc in each of the posts across with either a (dc, ch 3, dc) or a (ch 3, dc, ch 3) in the point.  You will always have 3 dc in the corners (ch 3 counts as a dc).

I made this with Simply Soft Ocean yarn and a J hook.

Lacy Shawl

In the Cozy Shawl pattern, there was a solid inner section with a wide lacy edging.  With the coming of spring, the shawl became a little warm to wear, so I designed an all lace shawl.  It is actually a simple pattern, especially if you've used the Cozy Shawl pattern.  The shawl is entirely composed of the lace edging.


In any case, here's the pattern:

Chain 2
Row 1: 3 sc in 2nd chain from the hook (3 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first sc, sc 2 sc in last sc (5 sc)

Edging:
Row 1: ch 1, do not turn, 2 sc in corner, sc, 3 sc in point, sc, 2 sc in corner
Row 2: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, ch 3, sk 3, (dc, ch 3, dc) in point, ch 3, sk 3, 3 dc in corner
Row 3: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, dc in next 2 dc, ch 3, dc in dc, (ch 3, dc, ch 3) in point, dc in dc, ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, 3 dc in corner
Row 4: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, ch 3, sk 3, dc, ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, (dc, ch 3, dc) in point, ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, dc, ch 3, sk 3, 3 dc in corner
Row 5: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, dc in next 2 dc, ch 3, (dc in dc, ch 3) to point, (ch 3, dc, ch 3) in point, ch 3, (dc in dc, ch 3) to last 3 dc, dc in next 2 dc, 3 dc in corner
Row 6: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, sk 3, (ch 3, dc in dc) to point, (dc, ch 3, dc) in point, dc in dc, (ch 3, dc in dc) to corner, 3 dc in corner

Rows 7-26: repeat rows 5-6 10 times

Row 27: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in corner, dc, 4 dc in next dc, sc in dc, (7 dc in dc, sc in dc) to point, 7 dc in point,  sc in dc, (7 dc in dc, sc in dc) to last 3 dc, 4 dc in next dc, dc, 3 dc in corner

Finishing: ch 1, turn, sc across the top, slip stitch, fasten off, weave in ends.

Essentially, you dc in each of the posts across with either a (dc, ch 3, dc) or a (ch 3, dc, ch 3) in the point.  You will always have 3 dc in the corners (ch 3 counts as a dc).

I made this with Baby Bee Sweet Delights Sidewalk yarn with a J hook.

Cozy Shawl

I was intrigued when I saw the pattern for the 'Magnificent Mantle' on ravelry.  I followed the links and got the pattern.  Here's the link: http://crochetkitten.blogspot.com/2010/02/magnificent-mantle.html.  Before starting this project I was trying to decide what yarn to use, so I looked at the completed projects other people had made on ravelry.  Many people ran into problems making this project when they got to the edging.  I decided to try it as written, and ran into issues as well.  It would not lay flat, and there were some mistakes in the pattern.  I therefore decided to just make the lacy edge my own way, and wrote down what I did.  The overall look is similar to the original pattern, and the solid inner portion is identical.  The edging is entirely my own.  The final measurements were 67" x 28".  The instructions look more complicated than they actually are.

Here's how to make it:
Solid Portion (exactly as magnificent mantle):
Ch 3.
Row 1. 3 exsc in 3rd ch from hook. 3 exsc.
Row 2. Ch 2; turn. 2 exsc in 1st exsc, exsc in next exsc, 2 exsc in last exsc. 5 exsc.
Row 3. Ch 2; turn. 2 exsc in 1st exsc, exsc in ea rem exsc across to last exsc, 2 exsc in last exsc. 7 exsc.
Rows 4-48. Rep row 2. 97 exsc.

Lacy Edging:
Row 1: ch 1, (do not turn), 2 sc in corner, (sc, 2sc) across to corner, 3 sc in corner, (sc, 2sc) across to corner, 2 sc in corner
Row 2: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sc, (ch 3, sk 3, dc) across to corner (last one before corner, will need to sk 2, not 3)  (dc, ch 3, dc) in corner (ch 3, sk 2, dc) then (ch 3, sk 3, dc) across to corner, 3 dc in corner.  (The dc, should be in the same row, on each side, mirroring each other).
Row 3: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sc, (3 dc in ch3 sp, dc in dc) across to corner, 7 dc in corner ch 3 sp, dc, (3 dc in ch3 sp, dc in dc) across to corner, 3 dc in corner
Row 4: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sc, (ch 3, sk 3, dc) across to corner (dc, ch 3, dc) in corner, (ch 3, sk 3, dc) across to corner, 3 dc in corner.  (The dc, should be in the same row, on each side, mirroring each other).
Row 5: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first dc, dc in next 2 dc,  (ch 3, dc in dc) across to corner (ch 3, dc, ch 3) in corner ch 3 sp, dc in dc, (ch 3, dc in dc) across to corner, dc in 2 dc, 3 dc in corner
Row 6: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sc,  ch 3, sk 3, dc, (ch 3, dc in dc) across to corner, (dc, ch 3, dc) in corner, (ch 3, dc in dc) across to last 5 dc, (ch 3, sk 3), 3 dc in corner
Rows 7-10: Repeat Rows 5 and 6 twice
Row 11: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sc, dc, 4 dc in next dc, sc in dc, (7 dc in dc, sc in dc) across to corner, (7 dc in corner ch 3 sp), sc in dc, (7 dc in dc, sc in dc) across to last 3 dc, 4 dc in dc, dc, 3 dc in corner

Finishing: ch 1, turn, sc across top of triangle, to edge, slip stitch, fasten off, weave in ends.

I made this using Simply Soft Ocean yarn with a J hook.  It took 1 full skein and about a third of another.
Note: exsc = extended single crochet.  All other abbreviations standard US crochet terms.