Beret!

Yesterday, I got a big old US size 15/10.00mm crochet needle, and I was so excited that I set to work right away crocheting a hat. Since I'm not terribly skilled yet, I had some bumps along the way and had to restart at one point, because my hat was curling into a tight little bowl at just four rounds in. Yikes! Once I set about it again, it really worked out. 

As soon as I finished it, I grabbed my boyfriend and we took the photos. Yes, I look tired. Yes, this was taken in my bathroom. Yes, I'm not the best model ever. Yes, I'm in comfortable clothes that don't really suit the hat. But this isn't about fashion! It's about creativity (and a little bit of insanity!)

Now then, I'll tell you how I made it:

Materials:   US size 15/10.00mm crochet hook

                    US size 6/4.25mm crochet hook

                    Yarn needle

                    About 1/2 skein of yarn (I had some leftover from a previous project -- that's how little this uses!)

                    Some contrasting buttons (Yellow in my case)

Abbreviations Glossary: 

sc: single crochet

dc: double crochet

ss: slip stich

dc dec: double crochet decrease

v-stitch: double crochet in stitch, chain one, double crochet in same stitch. This will create a "V" shape (photo below).

Now then. I completed this in about seven to eight hours of crocheting time, over two days, with a ton of distractions. those who are better and faster than me can probably do it in half the time.

One really nice thing about the huge needle is that you can make really nice, big holes without much effort. The key is to crochet loosely, so that it all flows nicely.

To start, chain five, and use a slip stitch to join the round. 

Round 1: Chain 3, dc, v-stitch four times around the ring (You should have five distinct "V's" or holes), ss to join.

Round 2: Chain 3, dc in same hole, v-stitch in each of the remaining four holes of previous round (You should end up with nine "V's"), ss to join round.

Round 3-16: Chain 3, dc in same hole, v-stitch in every other hole (that is, skip the "V's" from the previous round and make a v-stitch in the "spacer" holes), ss to join rounds.

Round 17&18: Use dc dec across entire round, using ss to join rounds.

Round 19-26: Switch to smaller needle, sc across entire round, ss to join rounds. 

Tie off and hide ends.

Sew buttons.

And that's it. It's pretty simple. A few notes:

• I wanted this quite slouchy, so I carried on for a while before I started decreasing. You can adjust your rows up and down according to slouchiness desired. The best method to determine when you're finished with the main part of the hat is just to place it over your head, where you'd like it to sit. Once you're satisfied with the length, start to decrease.
• I only needed two rows of decreasing to get the hat to my size, but you may need more or less. Test the hat after each row to determine if it's reached your ideal size or not.
• Because the dc dec creates rather large stitches with such a big needle, I used multiple sc stitches across the first row, using the smaller needle. You can adjust this to your own preference.
• I wanted a nice wide brim to sit on my head so I could embellish it, but you don't have to use one; in fact, I found it was a suitable length for non-embellishment at about 4-5 rounds of sc.
• Make sure you work loosely! If it starts to really curl up within just a few rows, you may need to start over. That sort of cupping is nice on a beanie, but you want a nice level start for a beret!

This is what your holes should look like. Keep in mind that this photo was taken down the length of the hat, so check your work similarly.

I'm super excited about this hat. It will be really nice to wear with some of the grays and blues in my wardrobe, especially when the warmer weather hits!

If you have any comments or questions about this pattern, feel free to ask me!

Valentine's Day Present: The Knit Friendship Bracelet

Since I've been sitting around the house a bunch, I also have not been making money, so I could not purchase a gift this year for Richard (Last year, I bought the battery to my car that he sometimes drove. Not a gift, I guess, but we spent the day changing it).
He recently asked me to remake a stronger version of a friendship bracelet that I made for him last year. He had suggested a way to make the four strands of little floss stronger, but I had a better idea: I'll knit it. So I cast on enough stitches to get to about seven inches (he needed seven and a half) and used five rows of stockinette stitching, with a knit-based cast-off. The trick here is to make sure you have extra string from both the cast-on and cast-off end, which need to be on opposite sides to tie it off on the wrist. Additionally, one can sew strings on the other corners to allow double tying.
This time, I won't deliver a pattern, since I think this has a ton of room for creativity. I mention this project because I know there are so many people who don't know what to give as a gift, but it's so easy to just make something. It's interesting, it exercises the creative mind, and more importantly, comes from the heart. It's so easy to just find something easy, or something you've just picked up, and turn it into a gift. So if you have a birthday, an anniversary, or some other event coming, here's an idea you can use.

1: Fingerless gloves

Welcome to my craft blog. The first project I will share with you is the result of something I've been trying really hard to master: knitting. I was first taught the very very basics of knitting by a friend of mine from back home, and my mother got me a lessons book so I could learn more. That book, combined with good, old-fashioned, Internet info, has helped me to teach myself the rest of what I need to know. For comfort reasons, I knit the continental way, but I didn't realize it until my purl stitches didn't look like purl stitches at all! After a quick adjustment, I've gotten back to knitting the right way.
So then, onto the first knitting project, the fingerless glove. As a note, I didn't gauge them, as I think these can be easily accomplished with any gauge. In any case, here is the pattern:

Also, excuse the terrible messiness of my room behind the glove

Materials: size 8, 5.0mm needles
                  Red Heart Super Saver worsted yarn, grey
                  Yarn needle
                  Some regular old scissors

Pattern: Cast on 26 stitches
               Garter stitch 8 rows (This will form the lower cuff not pictured in the photograph)
               Knit 1, Purl 1 Ribbing 24 rows (That is, k1, p1, and repeat to the end of the row)
               Garter stitch 3 rows (Top border)
               Bind off, leaving roughly 15-20 inches of yarn to sew the glove with. Make sure you leave a nearly two-inch hole for the thumb. To help, you may do what I did, which is sew the first two or three stitches, put the glove on where you'd like for it to sit, and sew down and around the thumb. For extra strength along the seam, you may wish to sew the seam twice, once down the glove and once back up.
              Weave in loose ends.

Repeat this process twice in order to create two full gloves. If you want to have a longer glove, knit more ribbed rows. If you want to have a wider glove (that is, if your arms are wider than mine), cast on more stitches. Keep in mind a couple of things: 1) Longer gloves may require a wider glove, as the arm widens towards the elbow, and 2) In order for the Knit 1, Purl 1 Ribbing to work properly, you should have an even number of stitches.