2 Pairs of Fingerless Gloves

IMG_3878

Over the summer I admit I have not been inspired to try any new patterns for very warm things like scarves or hats. In May I started to make a pair of gloves for a friend because I knew she would love this yarn and I wanted to try this pattern I found. It is August and I am finally done with the set!

Link to Ravelry Pattern
Yarn Used: Great Adirondack – Sirino Yarn in Peacock Continue Reading →

Some Quick Updates – Triton Midsummer Fair / Rickshaw Contest & More!

Ok, so it has been some time since I have posted anything, apologies. However! I have returned with a few quick updates for you on some cool upcoming events and projects that are happening right now.

First up, next Saturday 28th I will be vending at the Triton Museum Midsummer Art Festival! So come by to enjoy some food, art, kids activities, music and of course local artists!

Midsummer-individual

 

 

Second, local SF company Rickshaw Bagworks held a contest to design custom bags with the SFEtsy team this past month. It was a lot of fun going to the shop and seeing where they make the bags and design them. They do everything in house and were super fun to talk with.

IMG_3478

IMG_3479

IMG_3481

Below is a mock up of my design, it is 3 crocheted floral squares set against some upholstery fabric I found at FabMo. While I did not win, I am super excited to have my flap turned into a custom bag!

Screen Shot 2014-05-20 at 6.45.45 PM

IMG_3551

More to come on my bag once it is completed!

I have also been working on some finger gloves for a friend for an overdue birthday present (I see in in July so it is still ok to be late), which I will post photos of once they are complete and on the hands of the lucky recipient!

I am also working on a mystery project so all I am sharing is the colors I am using right now, more to come when I am close to revealing the the project.

IMG_3658

That is all for now, thanks for stopping by!

 

#Mashup – Crescent Moon

IMG_0670

The Yarn

Company/Store: Malabrigo Rios
Colorway: Label says UNK 5007 currently not listed on the site so I am unsure if this is a commonly available dye lot
Weight/Length: 100 grams/210 yards per skein, worsted weight
Material: 100% merino wool
Hook size used: 5.0 H

Admittedly its been awhile since I have been able to crochet a lot recently. New Job has been taking up much time every week so I am trying to get better and squeezing in crochet time when I can. Fortunately! I am finished with this fun crescent moon shape wrap that I made with some Malabrigo yarn I picked up at Stitches West back in February. I  wanted to try something a bit different than a standard scarf but since I didn’t have enough yarn to do something like a shawl or cardigan, I opted to look for a wrap in an interesting shape.

The Pattern

Name: Mezzaluna (Crescent Moon) Wrap (Ravelry Link)
Author:  Nancy P

IMG_0664

To clarify, since this pattern has a few iterations and versions, I used 2 of the included instructions. For the body of the scarf I follows the pattern titled Mezzaluna_Wrap_simplified_terms_by_Judy_OC. For the edging I followed the pattern titled Mezzaluna_Wrap_UK_English_Terms_by_dsweeney (Edging #2).

Once you figure out the repeat its pretty easy going for the body, and I like the look of the bobbles, not too many so it is not too heavy. The trim is a fun scalloped and picot trim. I added a row of sc around the entire piece prior to starting the trim on the outside edge.

I like how it turned out, the colors are so wonderful, reminds me of a watercolor painting of a flower garden. I have not blocked it yet, I am not sure if I think it needs it, it is soft and sturdy enough already.

Check out the finished item photos below, final measurements are around 56 inches in length from tip to tip, and at its thickest it is about 10 inches wide. I had 3 skeins of this yarn and have about a half a skein left so I am guessing around 500 yards total used.

IMG_0669

IMG_0668

IMG_0667

IMG_0666

IMG_0663

IMG_0662

Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions about this item or how I used the pattern, please leave a comment below!

My Chevron Lace Cardigan

IMG_3233

I had 3 skeins of this wonderfully colorful DK yarn I got at Stitches West from Zen Yarn Garden (color way OOAK in Serenity DK) and thought to make an attempt at a basic short sleeve cardigan. I hunted around for awhile and after reading reviews from makers, wanting something that was a basic repeat and could be customized fairy easily in case I needed to adjust the sizing. After a bit of debate I settled on this Chevron Lace Cardigan by milobo for  a few reasons. 1 – it is worked from top down with (after a slight mod) no cutting/joining any panels, 2 – it’s a basic chevron repeat which can be easily modified from the start to the size that you want and 3 – it was not too lace-y or thick with the yarn I wanted to use.

Admittedly I am not one to like doing gauge swatches, but for this I thought I would do one, so I did, and after 30 rows, realized it was too short on the front panels and the arm holes were off, so I had to frog it back to the very beginning to add a few more rows, but such is life and learning, but at least doing that shows me that while it is good to do a swatch, sometimes you just won’t know exactly until you are half way done and that’s just the way it is!

I did a fair amount of editing to the pattern once I got past making the arm holes (using the FSC edit some of the makers suggested so you did not have to cut/join your yarn). I have copied below what I wrote for my Ravelry notes here:

“I followed the pattern to a degree, I started with 56 chains using a 5.5 hook with DK yarn on the thin side. I started the arms at row 13 and used the FSC option noted by a few makers of this pattern instead of breaking and rejoining, this worked out very well.

As I went I needed the front sides to be a little wider so for the first/last 20 sts on each side I did 1 increase and kept it for the remainder of the body. So 5 DC then ch 2 instead of 4 like the normal repeat.

After I got the length good I went around with a row of HDC around the bottom and switched to DC’s up the middle and then back to HDC around the collar to give it some width for buttons and an edge. I did this 2 times around.

The sleeves I did 4 rounds of DC then 3 rounds of HDC, then 2 rounds of shells. I also did 2 rounds of shells on the bottom edge as a finishing. Then added the black buttons about 2 inches apart. I didn’t block it prior to taking the photos so the front edge curls a bit, not sure if I will (too much work for something I don’t feel I really need)”

IMG_3223

Preferably I wish I could have made it about 2-3 inches longer on the body, but it still fits just fine and is not too tight or loose, which I am super happy about. The buttons are 1 inch black plastic buttons that I put on about 2 inches apart because I noticed after I finished my edging it wasn’t laying exactly flat and was flaring out a bit at the bottom, so the buttons fix all of that which I am fine with. Overall I am super happy with the final result, it fits well and I will certainly wear it!

Here are a bunch of pictures I took of the completed cardigan with some closeups of sections.

IMG_3244

IMG_3245

IMG_3243

IMG_3240

IMG_3239

IMG_3238

IMG_3237

IMG_3235

IMG_3234

IMG_3231

IMG_3228

IMG_3227

IMG_3226

My German Scalloped Triangle Shawl

Yay I am finally back!

Moving recently has put a wrench in my ability to keep up with my normal activities, since all of my yarn and camera gear was packed up for awhile. It is amazing how much work moving 4 miles away is after moving across the country 2 years ago and thinking that was tough! But we are finally moved in and although still putting things in their new places I finally got to my yarn stash yesterday! I had been working on a shawl project off and on for about a month in and around the move (luckily it was in my project bag so it was the only thing I could work on for awhile) and since it is finished I wanted to finally update my blog and post some new photos. IMG_6138 I had a few skeins of Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable yarn in this ocean-y aqua blue green color called (conveniently) Tidal and thought it would work great for a shawl pattern I found called Schultertuch / Dreieckstuch (which after translating I believe means Scarf / Shawl) and while originally written in German, I found and English translation written by Michelle Iseman here (Link to Ravelry post).

Update 8/23/2015 – Another English version of this pattern can also be found here.

It is really fast to learn the pattern and quick to work up once you get going. I actually ended up buying 2 more skeins because the 2 that I had were not enough to make it as large as I wanted. I ended up having about a 1/2 a skein left once I got to a length that I liked. What is nice about this pattern is that you can use a variety of weights of yarn from lace to even aran and it would look nice. Although you could use larger, but I would probably stick to sport or worsted normally if I were to make another.

I made an additional row along the base line after I was done with the number of pattern repeats I wanted to give that side a bit more of a finished look. After I finished my last Row 7 I did the following across the base: (using Row 4 – 7 as the regular repeat) ch 1, *sc in dc from previous row (a Row 7), chain 3, sc in next dc (a Row 6), chain 3, sc in next dc (a Row 5) 10 dc in chains from a Row 4* repeat * until all the way across (see photo below for visual) IMG_6142 Here are the final stats and photos, glad to be back!

Final Stats

Size: 72 inches long (measuring along base line) x 36 inches wide (from center of base line to point)
Yarn Used: 3.5 skeins Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable Yarn in Tidal (so approx 975 yards)
Size Hook: H 5.0

IMG_6151 IMG_6148 IMG_6145 IMG_6143   IMG_6140

UPDATE: 1/15/2015 – Check out another shawl I have made using this same pattern and edging technique here!

IMG_4458

Thanks for stopping by!

#Mashup – Rainier Scarf

The Yarn

Company/Store: Cascade Yarns Pure Alpaca
Colorway: 3014 – Rainier Heather
Weight/Length: Worsted Weight/220 yards x 2 skeins
Material: 100% Baby Alpaca

IMG_6084

I got this yarn awhile back and could not get over how much I loved the color. It is mainly a medium heather purple color but it has specks of blue, yellow, red and orange in it. So soft too, the only yarn condition I hold higher than how much I like the color.  Although it is listed as a medium weight 4, I feel its on the thinner side of that compared to others I have that list it as a 4. I wanted to find a pattern that was not too heavy so it could be worn more of the year.

After making a bunch of things for friends lately I opted to make something with this yarn for myself, as a pat on the back for starting my shop, selling at fairs and doing much better than I ever thought possible in sales. I hope I continue to grow in this craft on and upwards as I gain more experience. So this is where I say, Go Me!

The Pattern

Name: Richelieu Scarf (Ravelry Link)
Author: Wolf Crochet (link to blog and written pattern)

IMG_6088

I like the pattern because its very basic, but looks intricate. It also works up really quickly, I have already finished 1 skein and have balled up and started the 2nd already so it should be done soon. I want to make it extra long and include the fringe the pattern has too. This will also be my first attempt at blocking my crochet pieces. I have yet to try this (I didn’t have an iron) but got a tiny iron that does steam and an ironing pad from Amazon recently so I will post some details about that process once I give it a go as well. Yay for more learning!

IMG_6085

IMG_6079

Thanks for stopping by!

Projects For Friends & Family

I decided to take some time this month to work on some project requests from friends and family that I have gotten over the last few weeks. So here is a collection of what I have made for them!

First up, my friend Rebecca (back in Sept!) asked for a cotton scarf for her and a hat/scarf combo for her cute 2yr old boy. They live in Atlanta so it does not get cold there much (except lately) and she does not like wool so we decided on the Lion Brand Cotton-Ease as the yarn of choice for the things I would make. She also asked for her scarf to be a striped chevron pattern. Not using any particular pattern for her scarf, I finally got the yarn in and this is my striped chevron scarf for her.

IMG_2871

It’s your standard 3 dc, dc3tog,  3dc, 3dc in 1 dc, repeat pattern and 2 rows of each color ending with purple on both sides. I really like the grape and the gray together. I used a 5.5 hook for all of the items I made from this yarn, so that made things easy too.

Onto her little kiddo, I wanted to keep a stripe theme for him too so I made a cute toddler size hat and scarf combo.

IMG_2867

The scarf was just a simple row of hdc’s and I alternated from using the back loop and front loop. Again, no special pattern used for this one either. The hat I followed the toddler size version of Sweet Stripes hat from over at moogly. So many great tutorials over there btw. I added a pom-pom to the hat cause it felt like it needed it. I followed a short and easy video on how to make them.

Since toddler size items are not as big as adult size items, I had extra yarn so I wanted to make another scarf for Rebecca using all 3 colors. I kept with the stripe theme once again and did a basic ruffle pattern like this one from Lion Brand (homespun is challenging to use for me so anyone that can make anything with it deserves a gold star from me!)

IMG_2875

They all go in the mail tomorrow so I do hope she likes them and sends me a photo of her and J in their new accessories!

Next was my Aunt who came out to see me at a recent craft fair and wanted a scarf since she and my Uncle are moving to South Korea soon! Crazy awesome adventure for them I am excited to hear about their time there and hope they fly back to visit as often as possible.

She wanted a scarf similar to this one but not a circle scarf. So since that exact yarn wasn’t available at the moment, I did have on hand that same Red Heard Boutique but in their Mosaic greens and blues color.

IMG_2878

I also used a pattern tested with this yarn by fellow blogger yarnaway  but made mine 2 clusters shorter since I only had 2 skeins and I did not want it to be that wide. The pattern and yarn go very well together and I love these colors so much I may end up doing one for myself sometime soon. I’ll be giving this to her soon before they leave.

My last current request came from my sister Val who needed a red and tan scarf to go with a new red peacoat she got recently.

I have had this scallop pattern in my favs on Ravelry for awhile so I thought I would try it for her. I used a larger hook than noted because I wanted it to be a bit more loose and slouchy. Luckily I already had the colors she wanted in stock from making a 49ers hat so I used some of my Caron Simply Soft to crochet this up quicker than I thought. I already sent it to her and she really liked it!

IMG_2831

Those are all my recent projects to kick off 2014! Now to focus on some more shop items and get ready for a vending event this Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by!

First Garment Project! A Shrug

The Yarn

Company/Store: Malabrigo Finito
Colorway: #870 Candombe
Weight/Length: Sport Weight/200 yards per skein (I have 4 skeins)
Material: 100% Superfine Merino Wool

IMG_5921

IMG_5918

 I saw this yarn at Uncommon Threads during a sale and had to get the last 4 they had, I knew I was going to make something for myself with this yarn so I kept it until I came across a neat pattern. It is soft and colorful, the colors go from soft to deep but not too much. Just lovely!

The Pattern

Name: Nuts and Spice Shrug – Ravelry Link
Author: Kim Driggs

I found this pattern while I was browsing Ravelry one night and thought it would be a perfect project for this yarn. I had enough yarn plus extra so I thought I would give my first garment a try. I had learned the basic Tunisian Simple Stitch awhile back from a YouTube video so I felt  confident I could figure this out. Here is a picture of the first arm I did.

IMG_5926

Once I got the basic pattern down it was easy going for the arms and back sections using a 2 section repeat. I was feeling pretty confident at this point, checking the size as I went to make sure it was going to fit me. It worked up pretty quick and in a few days of off and on work I completed it already! Of course it helped that it was over the holiday so I had some extra time.

Final Stats

Size: Based on the pattern I would call this Medium, I upped the initial size to the next larger size recommended because I wanted it to be a bit wider in the arms, which I am glad I did and would likely go up a size again if I made another one just so it is a bit more roomy. It fits though and will be great to use during warmer months to cover my shoulders.
Yarn Used: I used about 2.5 skeins so about 500 yards total for this shrug.

I only made 1 change to the pattern. Instead of following the instructions for the border I opted to do 4 rows of fpdc, bpdc. I tried the border a few times and it was just not looking right for some reason, the instructions were not hard to understand, I just didn’t like how mine was looking. The pattern is nicely written and easy to follow however I do recommend getting some experience with basic Tunisian crochet first before diving into this pattern, it will be easier to follow if you do.

I will get a photo of me wearing it soon too I just missed the light today to get one in before I posted this.

IMG_5944

IMG_5943

IMG_5942

IMG_5941

IMG_5940

IMG_5939

Thanks for stopping by!

 

#Mashup – Monochrome Scarf

The Yarn

Company/Store: Tess Yarns (bought at the Feb 2013 Stitches West yarn show)
Colorway: Variegated white to light gray to medium grey (the label does not specify a name or #)
Weight/Length: Superwash Merino/570 yds
Material: 100% Wool

 IMG_5809

I wish I had taken a photo of the yarn before I balled it up, it was beautiful, but I forgot so you will have to imagine these whites and grays looking like this prior to me winding it up.

Now I want this color too….

The Pattern

I tried about 6 or 7 different patterns before I opted to try something similar to the pattern I used for a few of my scarves already. I used the Aquatic Blossom pattern as my base and altered a few key elements.

First, instead of the foundation chain being [ch5, then tr in first ch, repeat] I shortened it to [ch3, then dc in first ch, repeat], this created a shorter star pattern that I like better for this yarn. I wanted it to not be too airy or be able to see through the stitches. For the rest of the pattern I followed it like normal but instead of triple crochets I used double crochets. It created this really neat ripple pattern with the stars and the color changing in parts also looks like wide stripes.

IMG_5815

IMG_5812

IMG_5811

So far I am liking this pattern, I have done 3 full rounds, it will be a circle scarf. 570 yards is a lot so I will see how thick I end up making this and maybe I will have some left over for a few bracelets or a headband hopefully. Either way I love this yarn and the monochrome colors, hence its name! More photos once its finished!

Final Stats

Size: 6 inches wide by 57 inches in total length, 8 total rows were made with this 1 row repeat pattern.
Yarn Used: I had a lot of yarn left over from this project so I also made a hat to go with it! So I can estimate that I used approximately 300 yards for the scarf. I love how it started to zig zag the colors as the rows were built. Very happy with how it came out, its light but warm!

This item is For Sale! Link to Etsy Product Listing!

IMG_5909

IMG_5911

IMG_5913

Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Accessories: Tree Skirt

Another memorable holiday traditions at our house growing up was taking a drive out to Hozak Farm (I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA) the weekend after Thanksgiving to hunt and cut down our perfect Christmas Tree. *queue opening scene from Christmas Vacation* ok so it wasn’t totally like that, but at times it was really cold and snowy, others chilly with no snow, just depended on the year. The event included a wagon ride into the tree farm to spend what seemed like forever trying to decide as a family which type of tree we wanted and which one of that type we were going to select.

Eventually we would decide and my dad would saw it down and would get it trucked back, wrapped in twine and put on the top of the car. After that we were pretty hungry so luckily the barn there is set up for great sandwiches and soups along with hot cocoa. We would bring the tree home and put it straight into the tree stand and wrap my moms quilted tree skirt around it. I found a rather old photo but you can see the skirt in it fairly well.

IMG_0097

So again, I knew another fun holiday accessory I wanted to crochet was a new tree skirt for us to use. Since I moved out I have not always been able to have a real tree, most apartments did not allow them and I initially did not approve of fake ones. This year we may end up going the way of artificial but either way our tree will have an authentic homemade tree skirt at the very least!

I browsed a bunch of options and decided on this one called SmoothFox’s Christmas Tree Skirt. I liked it for the versatility of the stripes and the basic shape.

I used a random stripe generator I found thanks to a tip in a comment because I had 4 colors to use and wanted to mix up the colors a bit. Here is what I came up with.

IMG_5415

IMG_5414

I used 4 colors of Red Heart Super Save yarn so it can be easily washed if needed, and since I had a bunch left over from the stockings, it made sense to make them all match a little too.

IMG_5411

IMG_5406

I purposely did not make it super large yet to see how it fits with the tree we get, I can always add a few rows if I need to. Once we have a tree I will get a few pictures of it when the new skirt on. I am very pleased with how it came out, the patter was easy to follow and takes shape nicely.

Post Update: 12/21/13

We finally got our new tree up and decorated last weekend so here is a photo of the tree skirt.

When I get time, likely after the holidays, I need to add about 5 or 6 more rows to it so it is a bit wider, it barely covers the tree base right now. I did add 3 buttons to the closures so it stays closed better. I attached a chain 5 to the edge of 2 rows like a button hole and attached the button on the other side. I will get close up pictures of that once I finish adding some rows later on. I do like how it looks though!

IMG_2670

IMG_2671

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Holidays!