I love Valentines!

OK, so not so much the holiday - it's fun and I love chocolate, but it's too commercial. But there is something about Valentines decorations that I just love. I would never dream of wearing a red and pink combo, but there's something about it that I can't get enough of when I decorate for the holiday! I found this pattern to crochet hearts, and I've been obsessed for the past week with making them. They are so simple! First, I made these strings of hearts to hang in our front window. I sewed crochet hearts back-to-back, and also hand-sewed and stuffed hearts out of felt to make them reversible, so they look good front and back. It was hard to take a picture of them in the window, but I did my best.

I wanted to make a runner for the coffee table, but wanted to do something different. I chose a traditional granny square, but with a twist - mitered! These were a lot of fun to make, but I hate weaving in the ends on something like this! I think it took me as long to weave in all the ends as it did to crochet a couple of the squares. After sewing the squares together, I did a border around the whole thing: one time around with single crochet, around again with half-double crochet, and then last a row of crab stitch. This was a new one for me (you crochet backwards!) but I love the way it turned out.


I thought I was done after that, but I felt like making more hearts, so I whipped up this garland in about an hour or so. I just can't stop making these hearts!

Pink ruffled scarf

I love this new self-ruffling yarn I found the other day! It's less lacy-looking than the kind I've used before, so it makes more solid ruffles. So frilly and girly and pretty! This one is going into my Etsy shop.

Diamond lace baby afghan

I went to the store the other day with plans to buy pink yarn for a baby afghan for someone who just had a girl, but when I saw this light aqua yarn I couldn't tear myself away from it. Isn't it a fun, pretty color? I seem to be drawn to all shades of turquoise/teal/aqua these days. Look at this up-close of the diamond lace pattern - I love it! It looks complicated but is really simple. I've made at least six scarves with this stitch pattern, and this was my first afghan with it - but it's become my go-to stitch when I want to whip up something quick but impressive looking!

Ruffly Lace Scarf

Ever since I saw this self-ruffling yarn on Knitting Daily, I have wanted to get my hands on some to try it out. Turns out so did everyone else! Red Heart keeps selling out of their version within days of putting it on their site. I found some at Hobby Lobby and didn't snatch it up, and when I went back just days later it was all gone, even in the ugly colors. So when I got to a different Hobby Lobby and they had tons in stock, I stocked up! It's kind of a tedious knit, but easy, and the finished product is pretty darn stunning. I also made one for my mom in a red variegated color she picked out, but didn't get any pictures before I gave it to her. I plan on putting these in my Etsy shop in white, gray and black.

Cabled Chunky Cowls

By now I'm sure no one can tell how much I love cowls, right? These look a bit different, but they're the same pattern just crossed opposite directions. They are so soft and warm and chunky and fun! These are both for sale in my Etsy shop, hopefully they'll sell!


An aside: This was my first chance to use my photography tent that my awesome sister- and brother-in-law gave me for Christmas. I love it! I still need to get some lights, and break down and use Photoshop, but I think even without those I'll be able to take better pictures of my projects. I'm so excited!

Harry Potter "Snuggie"

I'm probably not supposed to call this a Snuggie, but that sounds better than "blanket with sleeves" and everyone instantly knows what a Snuggie is! I ran across this free crochet pattern at the store and immediately thought of making one for my daughter in the Gryffindor colors. She's just recently gotten interested in Harry Potter, so I thought this would be a fun Christmas gift for her. It's really easy and crochets up really quickly with a large hook in double crochet.

Chunky braided scarf

I saw a version of this scarf on one of the knitting/crochet shows I watch. It's big and chunky, and I want to make one in a thinner yarn too for everyday wear as an accessory. It's all done in stockinette, so it's pretty easy. Just make sure you cast on in multiples of three, and wider than you want the scarf because it will curl on the edges - I seamed the edges together up the backside of this on the non-braided sections, so it actually was knit twice as wide as it looks. Knit however many rows you'd like the first non-braided section to be in stockinette, then divide the stitches into three equal sections, putting two of them on stitch holders. Knit the first section, remembering that it will be slightly shorter after it's braided. Put it on a stitch holder, then move on to the second and third sections. When they're all knit and on separate stitch holders, braid them, then return the stitches to your needles and continue knitting in stockinette for the next non-braided section. You can repeat this pattern as many times as you'd like, making your scarf as long as you want. Those instructions are probably about as clear as mud, so feel free to contact me if you'd like clarification. If there's any interest, after the holidays I could even do a photo tutorial.