Krystal's Afghan Project

Krystal makes afghans which are donated to charity. She has created this pattern and shares it freely. Her only requirement is that you agree to send her a completed square. Above are two of the squares I'm sending her. There are pictures on her blog of squares sent to her from all over the world and of some finished blankets. She has even started a Yahoo group to help people with the pattern. If you crochet, you might want to check it out at http://krochetkrystal.blogspot.com/ .

Row Counter

I saw a row counter similar to this on YouTube and decided to make one for myself. This one has 7 beads on it so I can use it while making mini socks and hat brims. I place the counter on the arm of the couch next to me. The Scottie bead at the top helps it to balance without falling off and the beads slide easily in either direction.

Mini Sock Bookmarks

Here's a good way to use the mini socks. I crocheted a chain 22 inches long, attached the sock to the center of the chain, and threaded the ends of the chain through a pony bead from opposite sides. The chain is long enough to fit around a large book. Pulling the ends of the chain snugs the pony bead up to the book so the bookmark keeps its place. By attaching a small metal ring to the sock and to the chain where the sock is attached, the sock hangs freely.

Mini Set from Mini Loom

Using Isela's Mini Sock Loom, this set was made with Paton's Grace. Leftover sock yarn was recommended but I have to knit some more socks before there is any leftover yarn. If you're not part of the Yahoo Loom Class group, you can find the patterns at http://decoraccentsinc.com/looming_instructions.html .

Fruit Hats

These hats, done from Sara's pattern, have received lots of complimentary comments from my friends. They're a nice change from the traditional style I usually do and work up just as quickly. The patterns for all of Sara's designs are available at http://www.loomknit.com/ .

Felted Bags

After seeing a friend's felted purse, I decided it was time to try the process. The first attempt was needleknit. Turns out my washing machine's very gentle agitation makes it worthless for felting, so I tried doing it myself in the sink. The purse ended up being 10 in wide by 6.5 in high.

Next I made one on the yellow KK. It was made in the round like a hat but I seamed the bottom flat instead of gathering it. This went through the neighbor's washing machine. In my attempt to removed the ridges, it shrank more than was intended. The final size is 7 in wide by 6 in high.

The third attempt was done as a flat panel on the yellow KK. I knit down the front, did 2 inches of garter stitch for the bottom, knit up the back and made the flap. After seaming the sides, it was ready for felting. Now that I knew what to expect, this one came out better. The final size is 9 in wide by 7 in high and the bottom is an inch wide.

Crocheted Cloths

I found a couple of crocheted goodies on people's blogs that I just had to try. The first is a dishcloth. It was an easy project but I haven't wanted to actually get it wet and dirty yet. Shortly after finishing it, I saw that Janice on the Looming Dishcloths group posted the directions for it there. Here is the link to the pattern I used: http://www.jimsyldesign.com/~dishbout/cpatterns/crodress.html .

The other projet is a hot pad that is two thicknesses. It is crocheted in one continuous piece with no shaping. To finish it, just fold it properly and close the seam. This link will take you to the pattern and some nice pictures of the work in progress: http://www.mielkesfarm.com/diagonal_hotpad.htm

A Circular Knit Dishcloth

I spotted this dishcloth on someone's blog. It looked so intriguing I just had to try it. It is shaped into a circle by shortrowing. The first one was done exactly as the pattern said. On the second one, I eliminated the edging.

This is a needleknit pattern and I found the pattern several places, including here (http://www.mielkesfarm.com/dishclth.htm) . Some suggested knitting the two edges together to finish it and others suggested sewing them. One suggested using the kitchener stitch and that's what I did.

Crocheted Mug Cozy version 2

The first cozy I made was done with yarn that was too soft. It loosened up so much it would only fit an extra large mug. This version is made with WoolEase. It has loops and buttons to keep it together, which are less bulky than the ties. Also, I ran a thin piece of elastic around the top to help hold the shape. After constant use for a few weeks, I hear it's doing its job well.

Two-color Hat

I've done many hats with two different colors but usually they are simple patterns in the band above the brim or in the whole top portion of the hat. With this hat, I just played around with different patterns until I liked the design and the hat was long enough. It was a lot of fun but I can see the advantage of planning a design to avoid ripping out ideas that don't work! This is definitely something to try again.

Woven-Top Hat

Another project that was fun to complete is this hat from Learn New Stitches on Circle Looms by Anne Bipes. The weaving was very easy to do even though it looks intricate. What a great pattern!

Strata Yarn

While at WalMart one day, I found some yarn by Red Heart called Strata. First I tried using one strand of the Strata and one of a coordinating color. The hat was pretty. But then I wound the yarn into two balls and matched the colors on the two strands. This is the result with no help from me. It was such fun watching the stripes form on their own. I'm definately going to try some of their other color combinations.