Finished: Katniss Cross-Body Cowl

Yarn: Loops & Threads Cozy Wool in Pewter

Pattern: Katniss Cross-Body Cowl by Pamela Grice ($5 USD)

Difficulty: The pattern description says this design is for intermediate level crocheters or advanced beginners. I agree; the stitches are relatively simple and don't include much more than knowing how to hdc and increase. The modified popcorn stitch around the cowl's collar is explained in detail, so you won't have any difficulty mastering it with ease.

Notes: The pattern is written for all sizes, though I wish there were more collar sizes for those of us who are in-between. I have broad shoulders, so it doesn't quite cover the area that it should. It doesn't look bad, but I think it would look better on me if there was more "bulk" across the top (if you know what I mean). That said, if I were to make it again, it would be simple to add a few more rows of hdc increases to the cowl and call it a day - not a big deal.

I've also received a few inquiries regarding the garment's construction. It's often hard to decipher what someone is trying to describe in writing, so I've diagrammed the pieces below with step-by-step visual instructions. I hope it helps those of you who have decided to tackle this project with me:

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Finished: Crochet Nature Spun Fingerless Mitts

Yarn: Brown Sheet Nature Spun Fingering in 720 Ash

Pattern: Flora Mitts by Linda Permann (available on Craftsy).

Difficulty: The pattern claims it's intermediate, but I think it's somewhere in between easy and intermediate. It would be a good transition project for someone who's just learned how to crochet and wants to practice more advanced techniques, like joining and ribbing. The main stitches are chaining, single crochet, and double crochet, and instructions for the special puff stitch are included with the pattern.

Notes: Although I made sure to crochet over almost all my ends, it seemed like there was a lot of joining/weaving in to do throughout the project. It wasn't a big deal, and the result is totally worth it, but it seemed like a lot for a tiny project. Also, the instructions for joining the flower motifs were a bit confusing at first, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. I'm able to pump out a mitt a night (I work full-time and manage two side businesses), so for me, that's pretty phenomenal.

Life Update: The world has been pretty grand to me lately. I've been able to see a lot of my friends, what with parties and camping (it's shockingly fun and I don't hate it), so that's been a good time with lots of laughs. And bacon.

It's currently Musikfest in my neck of the woods, which means lots of bad food that tastes good and decent music. Hubby and I are heading to The Avett Brothers tonight with a couple of our friends; we've seen them before, so we know it'll be a terrific show. Then tomorrow, a group I like (JD McPherson) is playing on South Side, so I'm looking forward to a relaxing Friday evening catching up with some good tunes.

Hope all is well on your end!

Finished: Knit Watchman Cap

Project Information:

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Heathers

Color: Charcoal Heather

Pattern: Ribbed Watchman's Hat (free!)

Difficulty: Super freakin' easy

View this project on my Ravelry page.

Life Updates:

• Fritzy got groomed over the weekend and is now hairless. He kind of looks like a rat and I feel like a bad mom. But his Bark Box shipped yesterday, so that makes it slightly better - because love can be purchased, amirite?
• I'm going to Philly this weekend with my friend Megan to see Camera Obscura, a band I was obsessed with eons ago. It's okay to relive one's youth every now and then... whilst also finding an expensive nearby gastropub in which to gorge ourselves beforehand.
• I think I'm getting back into my blogging groove. Brace yourselves.

Finished: Knit Sorority Letter Hat

So here's how old this photo is: I didn't even have my "new" backdrop yet.

I was approached by a young woman in a sorority to make a knitted slouchy hat displaying her letters. As a former sorority member myself, I jumped at the opportunity. When you're a sister, there's no greater feeling than wearing your letters proudly and feeling like you're part of something. I know the opinions on this vary greatly, and that's fine; I just know how I felt and how I still feel on occasion at the ripe old age of 31. Basically, if it could be lettered, you kind of put letters on it.

Her organization's colors are a navy blue, gold, and white, and she requested this style based off a similar hat she'd found on Etsy. I found some Greek letters online and charted them out, using my standard gauge and hat size to figure out how many blocks each letter should be. I'm glad I no longer hate math as much as I used to because I've been able to use it for tinkering with patterns like this a lot this past year.

I made this back in February. Yes, February. And it's taken me this long to post about it. Which I suppose is okay, since I had a lot of things to take care of at home, though I also feel like my blog updates (or lack thereof) make it look like I haven't done much. I mean, I guess I haven't done much in comparison to previous months, but I'm still chugging along as much as possible.

Overall, I'm proud of the way this project turned out, considering I needed to Fair Isle my way through the lettering. If you're not familiar with Fair Isle, it's a technique where you're working with only two colors per row to create a pattern. This varies from intarsia, where you're working with multiple colors per row.

If you're interested in learning more about Fair Isle knitting, the talented Kristin Nicholas offers a Fair Isle workshop on Creativebug that's FREE with a 14-day trial membership, where you can learn how to make hats with geometric patterns.

What are your experiences with Fair Isle? Have you tried it? Love it/hate it? Let me know in the comments below.

Finished: Cabbage Patch-Inspired Crochet Hat

This past weekend, some friends of mine asked me to take photographs at their upcoming annual fireworks party. Not only is this party one of the more entertaining events of the summer, but it'll also serve as their marriage celebration. I'm looking forward to it, as always!

Anyway, I figured I should remove some of the less important photos from my SD card. It can hold a lot of data, but I don't want to risk anything (like showing up, taking three pictures of a miscellaneous cat, and having to be like, "Oopsie, no shots of the happy couple").

After diving into Adobe Bridge, I came across this hat I crocheted for a Cabbage Patch-Inspired beanie pattern I started writing forever ago - before my life got out of hand.  The pattern itself is actually coming along pretty well, at least from what I saw when I logged into Evernote for the first time in eons; all that's left is a tutorial for the tassels.  I'd say you'll see a pattern for this soon, but we all know what happens when I promise a new pattern: nothing.

That said, I thought I'd post this photo because I think it's cute and Lord only knows the next time it'll see the light of day again.

Until next time...