spring themed crochet zig-zag hat

Good morning, all!  Today, I'm sharing with you some photos of a spring-themed hat I crocheted recently for a giveaway.  The recipient requested purples and greens, and this is what I came up with:



The yarn I used was Caron Simply Soft.  I have to admit I wasn't so keen on the color combo I chose at first, but it eventually grew on me.  And with all the spring-like weather we had been having (keywords being "had been" - it is frigid out there today), this really got me in the mood for Easter.

Speaking of Easter, one of the ladies who purchased my pattern had mentioned she'd be using it to make Easter egg hats for her kids.  How cute would those be?  I may have to make one for myself :)

If you'd like to crochet your very own wavy zig-zag beanie, then you can purchase my pattern for it on Ravelry!  Click here.

Thanks for dropping in, and I hope you're all having a great week so far.  It's almost Hump Day - woo!

yarn haul - noro silk garden and plymouth yarn baby alpaca lace

Yay - it's Friday!  Couldn't come soon enough, if you ask me.  Except it also came way too fast at the same time.  Yeesh.

Before I go into my lovely and exciting yarn hall, I just wanted to remind everyone that this is the last weekend to vote for my blog in The Morning Call's "My Choice Voice" - Best Blogs of the Lehigh Valley.  If you enjoy my updates, please go over there and vote today.  I'd really appreciate it :)

Moving on, those of you who follow my page on Facebook will know that Hubby got me a gift card to our LYS - The Knitter's Edge.  They've been around for a couple years, but I hadn't gotten my little tushie over there yet to check them out.  Hubby, being supportive of my hobby and business, finally pushed me out of the house to run an errand for myself.

So, what did I get?



Well, I got four balls of Noro Silk Garden, which I've always wanted to try.  I'd worked with Noro Kureyon and loved it despite its rough texture, so I wanted to try the supposedly smoother textures of Silk Garden.  Plus, I'm not sure if you're a real knitter if you've never touched the stuff (okay, I'm only somewhat joking because it seriously seems like all knitters have a thing for molesting Silk Garden).  I'll be making this really easy but beautiful scarf with it (you can see what I've done so far in the picture above).



I also picked up some Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Lace to make this shawl.  It'll be my first one ever, and I'm not really sure how I feel about making a shawl to begin with.  I'm not sure if I'd ever wear it for its original intent, but I do like the idea of wearing it like a bulky scarf.  I'm also incredibly intimidated by the lace - but when has intimidation ever stopped me?

That's all for today!  I'm really excited to work on these projects in the coming weeks.  My classes will be over and I'm only taking one class next semester, so I'm looking forward to a wee bit of more time to dedicate to things I really enjoy.

Let me know what your weekend plans are in the comments.  I'll be working on three custom orders in between writing my final papers, and they're awesome orders.  Posts on those will follow next week :D  Have a fantastic weekend!  And for all my fellow Hunger Games fans, may the odds be ever in your favor.

finished weekend project - crochet hat

Good morning, everyone!  Today, I wanted to show you a hat I improvised over the weekend.  I'm calling it "The World's Longest Extended Single Crochet Ever":



I'm in the last two weeks of school for this semester, so I've been stressing out over two very large papers, presentations, and you get the drift.  On Sunday, I just wanted to take a break and work on something quick that I could enjoy, but not something mindless enough to get bored of.

I went to my massive pattern library that rarely gets touched and picked up my Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs: 500 Classic and Original Patterns for inspiration.  A specific stitch caught my eye, but it's worked back-and-forth.  I altered it to be worked in the round, then added a super long extended crochet between the shells.  I think it came out sort of interesting.

The next time I make one of these, I'll probably add another pattern row for length and maybe another round or two of the edge.  Otherwise, it's kinda cute and I may write up the pattern for working it in the round and adding the extra design elements.

Hope you're all having a great week!

jack skellington crochet hat

Hi, everyone!  It's time to post some photos of another small project I completed during my unplanned break from the Internet.

Here's a Jack Skellington hat I crocheted for a swap I participated in:




I was worried that she and her daughter wouldn't like it because it's so off-the-wall, but I enjoyed making it.  And I'm happy to report that they love it!

The Jack Skellington hat is just a simple crocheted beanie.  I did the top rounds in white, then outlined it with a round of black in the front loop only.  On the next round, I worked into the back loops of the white round.  The rest of the beanie is worked normally and would look great with or without a face :)

I have to admit that another reason I hadn't posted photos is because my swap partner didn't receive them until recently and I didn't want to spoil the surprise!

Hope you're all having a great week.  I don't know about you, but I'm happy that it's already Hump Day.