Hand-Me-Down

One of my first crocheted projects was a hat for Jenny. Being new to patterns it turned out a bit smaller than I intended. Luckily she's very sweet-natured and sentimental, so she held onto it anyway.

A few years later her daughter Ellis came across it in her drawer and immediately adopted it as her own. Jenny sent me a sweet message today with this photo saying, "Ellis woke up last night around midnight asking for her hat. She's quite attached."

It makes me happy to know that she is getting good use out of it!

All Set

We have a small 36" round table and finding the right size placemat has been a challenge. I decided to end the hunt by crocheting a set of 14" placemats using the Granny Circle Placemat pattern and Blue Sky Skinny Cotton Yarn. They add a lot of warmth to our table and also help protect it from the inevitable nicks and scratches.

*I made these small bowls in a ceramics course a few years ago. They're perfect for our morning oatmeal.

She Crochets Shells

It's officially Fall when yarn becomes just one of the everyday items rolling around in my purse. Train rides, casual family gatherings and hours in front of the TV are all perfect times to mindlessly stitch away.  It's been a while since I've crocheted and so I decided to start up again with a fast-paced, non-threatening project like a scarf.

It took a few rows to get into the rhythm of the shell-stitch, but once I got going I quickly worked through 4 skeins of cashmere merino yarn. In crocheting as opposed to knitting, it's easy enough to  pull out stitches and begin anew when there are slip-ups (the perfectionist in me loves this!)

I gave the finished scarf to Ron's mom this past weekend for her birthday. It made me happy to see her trying it on, and the sangria color looked great on her (good call on the color, Ron!)

Crochet Heyday

It's been a little while since I picked up a crochet hook or knitting needles. I guess the warmer weather has driven me outdoors and away from my usual indoor projects.

I made for this market bag for Anna Bella two years ago at a time when I was focusing my attention on crocheting. Seeing how well it's held up, I'm feeling inspired to make more. Hers is made from an unbleached cotton, but I've made others using colored hemp twine which is extra sturdy. Because gauge is not really a concern with this pattern, it's easy to experiment with different materials and yarn weights... and since they roll up to nearly nothing, there's always room for one more bag.