More Hats

I had made this hat once before for a friend. The yarn is Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK. It is so soft and wonderful to crochet with. I just had to have one for myself! The model is my 8 year old daughter, it actually fits her as well, though a bit loose. The pattern is from Vogue Knitting Winter 2004. The color is truer in the photo on the left.

Gifts and accessories

Been working on some smaller projects these days. Since the weather here in London has been pretty cold I decided I needed a new hat. I've always wanted to work with yarns from Noro. I found this pattern in Modular Knits by Iris Schreier. It was my first project using the multidirectional techniques described in the book. I have to say that at first it a little confusing, and if anything disturbed me (like the telephone), I was totally lost. I really like how it turned out, though it did take me 1.5 balls of Silk Garden even though the book said 1 ball. I had a bit of trouble getting the gauge as well, so it might be a bit bigger than it should have been. I like it though, since I prefer my hats a bit looser. In the end, I was not in love with the Noro. It kept getting twisted up and the colors are a bit of a surprise. There were all of these beautiful purples and plums and suddenly there was deep blue and a very strange yellow.




















This next one is from the Loop-d-Loop book by Teva Durham. I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino bulky. It was so nice to work with, and really soft to wear. This is going to be a gift, but I might have to make another one for myself!


















This last one is one of my favorite things to give as little gifts. I used a bit of another ball of Silk Garden that I completely hated, the colors were so strange. I chose it because on the outside it was pink, purple and blue, but on the inside were all beige and ugly green colors. I used this pink to crochet a rosette. It looks great pinned onto a sweater or coat. I think it took about 20 minutes to make.

Watercolor Curly Whirly

After just finishing a big project. I have decided that the next few will be one or two ball projects. I need some instant gratification. I had ordered a ball of this Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb to see what the color would look like as it was the one Vogue Knitting had used for the Twisted Float Shrug. It was beautiful in the hank, but is a bit too much like the rainbow for me. My 8 year old daughter is in love with it, so I told her that she could wear it. I should have done a gauge, but just went blindly into it, and followed the pattern from Get Knitted. It is a bit long for me. I feel like the pattern that they sent was a bit misleading. Its hard to see how many times the girl in the photo has it wrapped around her neck. I should know better. Anyway, it looks good on, and is very soft. Now I am on to a hat in Noro Silk Garden using a pattern from Modular Knits. I've been wanting to try the techniques in that book for a while. Hope to be done soon.

Twisted Float Shrug

OK, finally finished the Twisted Float Shrug. I am really pleased with the way it came out. The only thing it needs is something to hold it closed. Thinking of either a hook sewn on, or crocheting a flower corsage. This shrug is meant to be able to be worn two ways, either with the long end to the bottom, or with the short end down which results in a larger collar. Will add some photos of the other next time.



































Its hard to see the stitch pattern from this distance, so here are some close ups. I used ArtYarns Supermerino for the main, and Silk Fur for the border.

Here are two of my recently finished crochet projects. The top one is a capelet made of Rowan Wool cotton. I based it on a shawl from one of the summer Rowan Classic books. I thought that the shawl would be too much like a blanket, and capelets seemed more stylish to me, so here is my version.





















The next one is the scarf from the front cover of Hip to Crochet. The pattern called for mohair, but I used Koigu KPPM, it was great to crochet with. I hated changing colors all the time, but I think it was worth it in the end. Can't wait for the cooler weather to wear this one.

Well here it is, my first blog. I actually have been thinking of doing one for a while, and got more motivated once I saw so many great ones out there.

I have finally given in to the Curly Whirly scarf craze. I decided to make one for my daughter, which is good since it came out quite short. Most of the patterns said to cast on 60 stitches, I started with 80. Next time I would cast on quite a bit more. Anyway, she loves it, though wouldn't let me take a photo of her in it.

I used the new Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran for the first bit, then Wendy Frizzante for the last 4 rows. It adds nice texture to the scarf. Here is the close up.



Another great project that was quick, and made a great birthday gift for a friend is this flower from the new Louisa Harding accessories collection book. I didn't use her yarns though. I mixed some Koigu KPPM and a Yaeger merino from my stash, then used Lion Brand Incredible on the last row. I think it came out great. I have to make another one for myself.



Now its back to work on my Twisted Float Shrug from the Fall Vogue Knitting. I have 1.5 sleeves to go then finished!