FO: Vincent's first baby hat.

The other day, I finished a hat I was making for my son. It's nothing exciting, just a plain, blue, crocheted hat worked in a spiral in single stitch and finished off with a duplicate stitch. I finished with the duplicate stitch because I hate the way that "skip a stitch and then slip stitch" finish looks.

Anyway, it's almost not even worth mentioning because it's such a simple, plain project, but the fact is that as exhausted as I am nowadays, I'm proud that I've accomplished anything at all.

Of course, my son hates anything on his head, so I couldn't get a picture of him in it!

Not Much of an Update.

While I was still pregnant, I started working on another Infinity Scarf for my friend Jan. At my baby shower, I showed the one I made for my mother-in-law to both Jan and Lacey, and they seemed to really like it. So my hope was to make them both one.

I started Jan's before I had my son. Since I've had my son, I think I've only done a few rows. Mind you, this scarf really is quick to work up. So it's not the scarf. It's just me. I've just been that tired and busy. Obviously, winter has come and gone, but maybe I'll get the scarves done to send them by Christmas! (Since my baby shower, we have all since become telecommuters, so we no longer see each other every day at the office. The only drawback to working from home. Boo.)

That being said, I really miss both crocheting and knitting. So I'm looking at projects that are simple and quick, ones that could possibly be done during the whopping 20 minute naps my baby likes to take.

What I'm thinking of so far:

• Arm/wrist warmers
• Mug/cup cozies
• Amigurumi
• Hats
• Dishcloths

I'm leaning towards mug cozies and dishcloths, as they're the smallest projects and would possibly be quick enough to work up during my son's (way too brief) naps.

Truthfully, I used to really hate cozies, but I recently realized the usefulness of them as ways to identify your drink--particularly, when you're at gatherings with a family as large as my husband's.

I still have some variegated yarn that I got for Christmas that I plan on using for such a project. Because of the coloring on this, I'm looking at some of the "plainer" patterns. Not exciting, but I just need to get my hands moving again. I already have a dishcloth pattern I really like. I'm thinking I'll stick with that.

First, though, I must finish this scarf...

FO: Boo the Bee

While I have more technical knowledge than the average person--I have an Associate degree in computer programming--I am unlucky when it comes to getting wireless routers working properly. So last summer, when my husband Jim and I bought our computer, Jim's best friend Phil and I worked out a deal: Phil would set up our wireless network, and I would crochet him an amigurumi bee to give his baby nephew, who was due in September.

Incidentally, one of Phil's hobbies is beekeeping, which is why he wanted to give a bee-related gift to his nephew. I mention this not because it's really relevant; it's just a cool hobby to have. For real, how many beekeepers do you know?

Anyway, I browsed patterns on Ravelry. Jim, Phil, and I decided that the Boo the Bee pattern was definitely the cutest. I modified the eyes to be more baby-friendly, as I was paranoid about the eyes coming off and becoming a choking hazard. Honestly, I was leaning towards not doing the bendable antennae either, but Jim and Phil won that round. I just made sure to tell Phil to let the parents know what was in the antennae--and I stitched those things on all mad-crazy tight.

Did I mention I'm paranoid?

At any rate, I did finish Boo in time. The pattern isn't too bad, but I got all tangled up making those eyes. To be fair, stitching/sewing isn't my thing.

You know what also isn't my thing? That stupid jog when you have stripes and you're trying to crochet in a spiral. I ended up using the invisible join to "level" the stripes out a bit. Check out this video on how to do it:

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It's more time-consuming, but the point is for it to look nice, not be finished in the quickest manner possible. And I have to say, it was worth the extra effort.

 

 

Without further ado, here's some (bad) pictures of the final product:

 

One day, I'll learn to take better pictures with this camera. Oh, well. At least I'm happy with the way the bee came out!



FO: Bellflower Infinity Scarf: AKA Lori's Christmas Scarf!

Okay, it's been a while. There's truthfully not been a whole lot on the crafty front. Now, you'd think there would be because the big news since my last post is that I'm expecting (next month! Yay!), so you'd think I'd be making a lot of cute baby stuff, right?

Wrong. I haven't made a-one.

Since the last post, I did make another cthulhu, an amigurumi bee (requested by my husband's best friend Phil for his baby nephew), and an infinity scarf for my mother-in-law. The last is the only one I have a picture of:

My beautiful and awesome mother-in-law Lori, modeling her infinity scarf. :)

 

 

Unfortunately, as you can see, the picture is tiny, so you can't really see the scarf very well. The pattern can be found on Ravelry; it's the Bellflower Infinity Scarf.

 

If you're looking for something quick to make as a gift, I highly recommend this scarf.

 

The Pros: The scarf is quick to work up (once you've figured out the first couple of rows), and the pattern is easy to memorize with just enough variation to make it interesting.

 

The Cons: The seam is ugly, but it's hidden behind the wearer's neck, so it's really no big deal. The first couple of rows can be a little confusing, too.

 

Tips: It helped me to read it aloud and draw out the stitches to see what it was supposed to look like. After that, because I ALWAYS get my chains confused and start miscounting once I begin working in the base chain, I placed stitch markers where I needed my hook to go. Interestingly enough, this tip has saved me so many headaches and was orginally suggested by my husband, who does not crochet.

 

Also, someone on Ravelry posted these instructions to make the last row "straighter" and therefore easier to join. At the end of doing the 4th row repeat, chain 3 and turn. Then do this: 

sk 1st dc, dc in next dc, ch 1, sk 2 dc, sc in next dc, sk ch-1 sp, sc in next dc, ch 1, sk 2 dc , dc in next dc across, do not fasten off.

Slip stitch as pattern indicated.

I wish I could find the person who suggested this. It worked like a charm. As soon as I find the person whose page I got this from, I'll come back to credit them!