Potholders 2011

My potholders arrived in the mail today! They're lovely! Thank you so much to the crocheters (left to right, Becky / I Felt That, Brenda B, Betheany, Betsyknitsy, locteach) and to the organizers of Potholder Swap 2011.

Valentine Swap

Although I've not been blogging for such a long time, I've been in high gear on swaps. They're just so much fun! This time I'm working on Valentines for the Crow and Canary swap I found through the BPS. I won't put the photos of the finished cards here so as not to ruin the surprise for my swap partners but I will post the directions I worked out to crochet hearts for the valentines (just a small hint won't hurt their surprise -- I hope!)

These instructions could be used with any gague of yarn and its corresponding hook although I used a very small hook (I found it in my house -- left by the previous owner, Elsie -- so I'm not sure about what size it is) and white crochet cotton. The fun though is that it doesn't matter what size the heart turns out to be -- it doesn't have to fit anyone!

ch 5

sc in 2nd ch from hook

skip next 2 ch's

3 dc & next ch

without turning, ch 3

2 dc & last dc made

3 dc & same ch as 1st 3 dc made

without turning, ch2

dc 8 evenly across triangle side

turn, 5 dc in top of 2nd dc from hook

sl st in 2nd dc from hook

5 dc in top of 2nd dc from hook

sl st in last dc space

Finished Project!

Now I actually have something to show! The panda is finished and may just make it to Oklahoma in time for the birthday. I'm sure that any crafter has, at some point, "given" and unfinished gift to then take it back and finish it but I'm pretty sure that I'm the worst about this. So to have something finished and ready to go, with 2 weeks left to make it to its destination, is quite an accomplishment.

I think that the tail is the cutest part. It doesn't show up very well in the photos in the magazine.

If you decide to do this pattern, the one adjustment that I made to it was to not sew the limbs shut before attaching them to the body. They look much better when just attached straight on, as the head is to the body. Also, the pattern for the ears seems a bit off but I just went ahead and made the full circles, as the pattern called for, and folded the top part over to make a little ear flap and I think it turned out all right.

Works in Progress (more)

You'd think I'd have a finished work to post at some point but that isn't happening today! And it seems that I've not yet had 2 posts on the same topic. But I'm sure that I'll get to that at some point as well. But, for now, on to another new subject. . .

Knitting AND crocheting, all in one!

I just hope that my friend whose baby's birthday is coming up and my grandmother continue to be unable to use the internet because I am posting about their gifts this time.

This year I am behind on birthday presents (this panda needs to be done and in Oklahoma by June 6th) but WAY ahead on Christmas gifts. This scarf is from the cream of spinach pattern from Stitch Marker and it is both fun and fast to make. I read several times that it is an easily-memorized pattern and, boy, is that an understatement! It only took 2 rows of confusion to get the hang of it and now I'm clipping along (I have about 4 feet after about 2 evenings' worth of work). It's also being done with some great alpaca/merino (blue sky) which was leftover from another project and so I'm happy about that as well as the fact that Christmas is still 7 months away and I've actually got a head start this year.

And as for the panda, don't find the disembodied head too creepy! I certainly do. At least I tried to crop most of the disturbing part out by getting close enough so as not to have the head floating in the frame to frighten small children. I am just so excited about how he is turning out that I had to go ahead and put him up here. I'll try to have a less creepy, bodied panda to post after knitting group on Wednesday. He is from one of the great amigurumi patterns in the new Knit.1 Green Issue.