What I've been up to: New Years Edition

The first three weeks of 2013 have gone by mostly uneventfully. I've been listening to, and even reading, a lot of books, and I still have my crochet hooks stuck into many projects. I've been trying to challenge myself, as well as finish things I started awhile back and never managed to finish. Here are a few things I've done since the new year came around.

1. Butterfly Stitch Fingerless Gloves.

I spent literally 9 hours straining my eyes on January 1st making these. Having no real New Years resolutions, I was feeling kind of insecure and all I could think was about how I felt like I should at least greet the new year with a challenge. I had the pattern for these in my Ravelry queue for awhile, but had been too intimidated to make them- so they seemed like the perfect challenge for a new year.

A challenge they were indeed. It certainly took a lot of patience and focus, but I managed to finish both of them before bedtime. They look really awesome, and add a nice antique/vintage touch to my outfits. The "Dusty Blue" was the perfect color for them, too. It almost feels like a faded blue in an old picture.

The butterfly stitch was easy enough, it was just fiddling with things such as the size and the thumbhole that gave me a real challenge. Lots of improvising happened, but they both fit and look nice, and isn't that what really matters?

2. Senorita Skirt

I found this pattern in the May/June 2012 Issue of Crochet Today, and I did in fact start it back in June. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to get bored really easily with repetitive patterns. Despite the fact that the shells in this pattern changed from row to row, I still found myself exhausted by shells 75% of the way through. Long story short, I put this down for nearly six months before deciding to dedicate a day to finishing it up.

After I finished it, I was pretty mad at myself. I LOVE THIS SKIRT. I love how it fits, I love how I managed to make it the perfect size, and I love how it flares out. The day after I finished it, I went out to buy some faux-cabled sweater tights so I wouldn't have to wait until summer to wear this. If only I hadn't put it down for 6 months to do 2 hours worth of work, I could have been wearing this all along! What an awesome (and seasonably versatile) addition to my wardrobe.

3. I KNITTED THIS COWL.

Here's the doozy, guys. I knitted something. I was so proud of myself when I finished this last night at 1 AM, that instead of folding it up and putting it somewhere safe, I squished it against myself like a security blanket to sleep beside.

For months I have been trying to knit, only for my stitches to slide off of my needles and my day to end in a frustrating yell-a-thon. This time, though, instead of trying the same thing I've tried and failed with 100 times, I switched it up a bit. I got some GIGANTIC yarn (To be exact, Lion Brand's Hometown USA in Oklahoma Green), and then I dug out my Size 19 needles and went to town!

With the giant yarn and dangerously big plastic needles, I only had a couple stitches drop off, which I managed to slip back on. The experienced knitter could certainly find my mistakes, but all in all, I'm really happy that I manged to cast on, bind off, and everything in between to make a soft, fluffy, functional cowl. I used a garter stitch, because I liked the texture it gave to an otherwise plain cowl, but hopefully I will find something I want to make with Stockinette stitch next.

I was so happy to not have my stitches fall off, and get an idea for the tension the yarn should be at, that I genuinely can't wait to knit again. I kept thinking about getting glasses. I remember thinking about how hard I thought school used to be, how all school equalled to me was headaches and squinting, then how much glasses improved my experience. I feel like using metal needles made me think that knitting was this impossible thing that only really talented and smart people could accomplish, at least until I got the right tools, and now everything is so much clearer.

What else have I been up to? Mostly just buying stuff I want to show off.

I used to have a "Crochet Dude" crochet hook case, but last week when the pockets for my tapestry needles ripped, and I opened it one day to find ALL OF MY TAPESTRY NEEDLES GONE, I decided I needed to fix this problem. At Michaels' I found a little Avengers Coin Purse that was Tapestry Needle Sized, along with a matching Avengers Pencil Pouch that was Crochet Hook sized. Best solution, or best solution?

As you can see, I also bought some bamboo knitting needles. I'm hoping these will solve the issue of dropping stitches once I graduate from gigantic needles to more normal sized needles.

As you may also be able to see, I bought the (LAST!!) Rosewood crochet hook at Michael's. They were on sale for $6 (as opposed to $13), and while I'm not entirely sure what the benefits of a rosewood hook are, I do know that I like wasting money on nice things, and this seemed right up my alley.

FANCY.

So what's in store? Well, I can tell you that one of my biggest projects is still consistently being picked up everyday, and I still have about 25 hours left on it (I can't waaaaaaaait to show that one off!), and considering how warm and fuzzy I feel when I think about my knitting needles, I can definitely tell you that there will be a lot more of that. Not to mention, my bamboo needles still need to be put to use!

Cabin Fever Crochet

The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler...you just have to love fall. But soon, there will be snow days, there will be days so cold it won't be sane to even think about leaving your house, but the serenity of the snow and the beauty of winter will certainly overwhelm you.

Well, at least that's my experience.

Here are three wintry projects to help you get through the season without going insane, and hopefully being able to focus on the beauty and comfort of winter, as opposed to the chapped lips, snow shovels and icy roads.

1. Snowflake Dishcloth

This was a fun little project that would make a great gift, or a nice decoration (although it's a 'dishcloth' I think it would work better as a doily). I was kind of overwhelmed at the sight of it, but it actually ended up being rather fun, easy, and quick. There were some things about the pattern I had issues with, so I improvised a bit, but it still ended up looking very lovely.

2. Openwork Cowl

This is another somewhat quick project, and I really enjoyed it. This is a pretty small cowl in comparison to other cowls, but that was kind of its charm for me. You can have a nice, fuzzy thing around your neck with only 1/5th the amount of work as a regular sized scarf. I used bulky, soft yarn to make it extra cozy.

3. Snow Day Fingerless Gloves

For this pattern I used Vanna's Choice (I used an entire skein of it, I only had about 2 feet of yarn left when I was done! Miraculous.), and Lion Brand Fun Fur for the bottom edge. These are super chunky, fuzzy, warm, and to be honest; a little addicting. After I made these I thought about putting them up for sale on Etsy, but I absolutely can not take them off (I am wearing them right now, of course). And I think they will be perfect typing gloves for when the house gets a little drafty in winter. I adore these things, and highly recommend making a pair for yourself.



Row 1: Ch 37, sc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in next ch, *(sc in next ch, dc in next ch), repeat from * across, turn.

Row 2: Ch 2, (does not count as 1st st), hdc in each st across, turn.

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in 1st ch from hook, dc in next ch, *(sc in next ch, dc in next ch), repeat from * across, turn.

Rows 4 - 26: Repeat rows 2 - 3, 11 times, then repeat row 2 once more.

Fasten off leaving a long tail.

Fold Glove in half with WS facing outward, sew together the first 22 sts of row 1 and 26 for seam. Fasten off. Starting from other end, sew together the 1st 3 sts of row 1 and 26 for seam. Fasten off, leaving 11 sts not seamed for thumbhole.

Thumbhole

Rnd 1: With glove still inside out, attach yarn with a sl st to st closest to seam, ch 1, hdc in each st around thumbhole, join with sl st to 1st hdc.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, hdc in front loop only of each st around, join with a sl st to front loop of 1st hdc.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, hdcdec in front loop only of 1st 2 sts, repeat with each pair of sts around, join with a sl st to back loop of 1st hdc

Edging

Invert glove to be right side out, and attach fun fur yarn in any stitch at the bottom of the glove with a sl st. sc in each each st around. Working in continuous rounds, make 5 rows of scs. Fasten off.


I hope you guys enjoy these projects, and hopefully they will make the winter a little more bearable, not to mention cozier and warmer.