I Finally Figured What to Make the Red Yarn Into!

I think I've mentioned it before, but I really don't like the color red. I'm a very blue person, and just the perfectly cherry red color of the yarn makes me scowl.

But I need to use it, and I feel it's the tyoe of yarn that would do well being crocheted, so I've decided to make something of a cozy to put my cups of hot and iced coffee, so it doesn't do damage to my desk. Granted, I'll still have some left over, but not much, because I plan on making this ridiculosuly large. I think I will put pictures up when I'm done, even if it is rather plain. I might try some sort of lacy boarder to give it a feel that I appreciate the yarn.

Apparently I've Forgotten How to Yarn Over

I haven't written anything here because I really haven't made anything. I've started some shit, frogged some shit, but haven't made any headway, until today.

I was watching IKnitWithCatFur,and I'd copied down some of her more advanced patterns using YOs, something I knew how to do. Apparently, not doing in in ten thousand years has made the skill a distant memory.

I feel like a n00b all over again; this was something I was so sure was already in my repertoire, until I tried to do it and failed.

On top of regular failing, I tried to follow her video tutorial as to how to do them, but she knits continental, and I knit some corruption of English knitting (pinching with my thumb and index finger, and throwing that way). When watching how she does it, it looks so simple, and when I clumsily attempt to do it Continental, it comes out like hers, but I'm not sure how to replicate said YO with my right hand.

I won't lie, I've been dicking around about relearning how to do it, but now I've set myself to actually want to do it today, or at least study in earnest. I'm going to look for a PDF to download to my kindle. For some reason, when it comes to knitting, I can read learn with no sweat. Crocheting makes me need a video.

Wish me luck, y'all

Kindle Cover

I made a cover for my kindle. It's not really something with a pattern when it comes to crocheting, but it's a Crochet Geek inspired case with a BobWilson123 flower to keep it closed. I just realized that mine and Crochet Geek's are almost the same color, but hers is much sturdier than my mostly decorative one.

Lovely, and the yarn is so silky smooth

And that's the yarn I had left over. I might make some more flowers for the back from it

Oversized Marvin Gaye

This hat is exactly as it sounds. It looks like an oversized version of the hat that Marvin Gaye wore later in his career. I like oversized hats, and basic hats. The only thing that makes this hat really notable is that it is made with the same cotton that I made the slouch hat of, but this hat only took half the amount of yarn as the first one. No real pattern, a basic beanie crown and then half double or double crochet through the bottom. It's basically like this... but with a bigger crown.

Hope you like my model:

His head is considerably smaller than mine.

Such a Busy Hooker I've Been: Cherry Hook Jelly Roll

Alright, since the last post, I have made a crochet hook roll, an oversized Marvin Gaye hat, a cover for my Kindle, and a pouch-purse/phone cover. I'm going to break it down into separate entries for each piece.

My birthday was yesterday, so I'm officially 22, so I should probably update that there profile. But I know you're not here for the personal info, you're here for the handmade stuff:

I'll start with the hook roll. I made this from a BobWilson123 pattern on YouTube. The outside, rather than crocheted, is knitted using the Raspberry Stitch (aka Trinity Stitch), learned from IKnitWithCatFur/ Stitches Weekly Mine isn't perfect, as pictures will show you, but it does its purpose:

Cherry Hook Jelly Roll

This is it as a work in progress, I still haven't sewn the two pieces together.

I know it's not mattress seam or anything, but it looks nice.

I don't know the actual dimensions, but it holds 13 hooks with ease.

My Puff Stitch Slouch Hat

Right before this entry, I wrote a post about the difficulty I was having with my puff stitch hat.

I finished it, it took longer than I expected (which isn't a bad thing), but it came out just as light and breezy as I had hoped.

I'm not even going to try and pretend as if I made the tutorial for this one, because I followed the tutorial that BobWilson123 put up on YouTube.  The only thing I did differently from her hat was put a row of double crochet between every row of puff/double crochet.

I have a few flubs, and there are some places where I was dissatisfied with the yarn (they just tied pieces together, which looks kinda weird), but overall it was a good experience. I used my entire skein of Lion Brand Cotton, and I had to take a few yards from the second one to finish up the decreasing.

It ended up being a really, really big hat. I added an extra round of increases and continued working until it almost looked like a bag (which, technically is only an upside down hat LOL). It's not made for the days where my hair is tamed down in braids or two strand twists, although I will wear it most days. It's made for the times where my hair is big, and bold, or that I have extensions like yarn braids or two strand twists. It can fit a lot of hair underneath it. It would be perfect for someone with loc'd hair. I'm going to post some pictures of the finished product:

This is how the hat looks from the side

The Puff Stitch. Not too shabby at all

I don't really care that this pic is blurry since it's just to show the way the hat falls. And yes, it is over my ears

Annnnnnnd because I recently bought more yarn, and I'm starting a new project, another BobWilson123 inspired piece, although I'm doing mine a little differently. I can't wait to post pictures!

Getting Hot Headed Over a Hat

The yarn that I was waiting for came in early.

Usually a sentence like that would have an exclamation point after it, but it doesn't, because I'm getting aggravated with the hat that I'm making.

I decided months ago that I would make the BobWilson123 Puff Stitch Slouch hat. It looked fun and cute, without being too difficult for a n00b such as myself. It's not as easy as it looks, either that or I'm screwing up.

The latter is probably what's actually going on.

I've made my base, right, and instead of being 60 or 72 (as it should be if I didn't screw up), it's 66. I don't mind 66, it's still an even number. But then, when I start working the puff stitch, it's a very frustrating stitch, and it's supposed to be loose. I'm a very tight crocheter. I'm getting so frustrated with how the pattern is turning out. I don't have my camera right now, so there's no pictures, but I'm only two rows into the body, and a part of me wants to stab use the hook to stab the yarn, rather than work it.

I've never had a pattern that made my blood vessels throb the way this one is. I'm starting to get a headache, and I think the way I was sitting wasn't helping anything, because my lower back is hurting too.

I don't know if I'm going to do the puff stitch row ever other row, or every two rows. I don't even know. It's gotten a bit wavy now; I don't mind that look in my hat, because it seems to just be because of the way I'm holding it/ the progress that I've made.

I want to take a break from it, and look at it in an hour or so, but I can't keep my hands off a work-in-progress. Maybe after coffee, or sleep, I'll feel better.

Do other people get this feeling as well? Am I the only one this ridiculously upset over something I'm making??

I have no idea