Crafty Update

I’ve been doing a lot of bitty things craft wise recently. So thought I’d do a post to update my progress on all of them.

First off I’m crocheting a cowl, ostensibly for my mother but honestly I’ve just really wanted to do this stitch for a while. I saw it ages ago but only recently realised its actually a pattern by a blog I follow. You can see the pattern on Not Your Average Crochet’s blog. I’m doing it a lot smaller as I prefer snug cowls to big ones. Or my mum does? I don’t know, they’re quicker to stitch! Haha.

I’m using up the scraps of yarn that I had left over from my mums lap blanket as well as a darker red that I have half a ball left of from my stash. Hopefully that’ll be enough for the cowl, if not then I guess I’ll add even more random colours. I’m really enjoying doing this and it is so ridiculously soft, I have to keep stopping and squishing it.

 

I’ve also been testing out stitches/patterns for my dads scarf. I made him one last year and I told you in my new years post that he’d asked for another one in a Christmassy colour. Dark red or Green. The last scarf was a dark blue in a simple crocheted linen/moss stitch and I wanted to do something different.

I originally had planned to do a Tunisian crochet pattern that I’d found on ravelry but after trying it out I’ve realised that I really don’t like doing the Tunisian purl stitch. And the pattern it made wasn’t as nice as I was expecting either so that one is out.

I’ve seen people I follow do the basket weave stitch and had it recommended to me before so I thought id finally try it out for this scarf. The tester I made was pretty good and my dad approved so that’s what I’ll be going with for his scarf. It’s a lot softer than I was expecting for double crochet. I’m not sure I’m doing the edges right as they’re pretty messy but I’ve been looking it up and it looks like if I do half double crochet for the edges it’ll be neater.

My dad has picked out his yarn, it’s a dark green. And I only got 200g to start with because I’m not sure how much I’ll need and I’d rather not buy another 200g ball if I don’t need it. It’s also Aran yarn (which I worked out after googling because the band is very American) and I was originally planning on using DK but dad seems okay with it being thicker than the tester.

I haven’t started it yet, although its definitely calling to me. So far I’ve been good and am trying to finish the cowl before I start this.

 

Something not crochet related in the middle of this post. I decided to try out sewing something else. I made a couple of tote bags from the same pattern last year and I decided to try something else out (in between trying to quilt). So I’m attempting to make a pencil case/make up bag/thing. These are the fabrics and zip I’m going to be using. The plain is for the lining and the pattern is for the outer.

The pattern is pretty simple but it had a couple of new to me things. I’ve never sewn a zip before and I’ve also never used interfacing before. But I thought this was a good way to add a couple more things to my skills…I use that word loosely!

Sewing the zip meant I got to use my zipper foot out of the box of sewing machine feet that I got for Christmas. I have to admit I took quite a while staring at it and at my sewing machine before I figured out how it worked/how to attach it. But figure it out I did. Eventually. My second attempt at using it went well (on my first attempt I accidentally sewed the zipper on upside down!). Then all I had to do was sew it all together. At which point the instructions told me to sew over the teeth of the zip when I was seaming. Apparently that didn’t include the little metal bit at the end of the zip. I was left with one very broken needle. But I replaced it! Go me.

 

You know what I said about being good and not starting any more crochet projects until I’d finished the cowl? Yeah well I lied. I decided to try to make a hat.

A hat.

I don’t do hats. I didn’t knit them when I used to knit and I don’t crochet them now. But you may remember I made a pointy hat for Christmas? Well, while I was doing that I got an idea in my head for a pattern and I couldn’t dislodge it so I attempted it.

It was of my own design, so no pattern to follow (not that I’m good at doing that anyway) I want to let you know that the hat I made for Christmas I had to make twice because I got the sizing wrong. It was way too big (and that was me following a pattern). So it was rather inevitable that I’d get the sizing wrong on this too.

This time it was way too small, not in the circumference – that was okay, but well, I’m sure if anyone has made hats before they know there’s a bit where it tells you how many inches to keep going to make it the right size? Well as I said I’ve never done hats before, and I started decreasing WAY too early. The hat doesn’t actually make it to my ears!

BUT the pattern idea worked! I used some old Aran yarn for the tester but I think I’d rather it was dk yarn as its Tunisian crochet which makes a pretty thick material. So I’m waiting on buying more dk yarn to try again. And this time I’m definitely waiting until I’ve finished the cowl before buying the yarn.

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Phew. That’s all the projects I’m chipping away at (If you include the table runner I posted about, and the cross stitching I’ll update you on this weekend). I’m really enjoying crochet at the moment, I fell a bit out of love with it for a while there. Anyone else get that? 

I’d love to hear what crafty projects you are all working on.

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