One More Christmas 2016 Craft

Goes really well with my front door, right?

Look at him, crafty-like and all!

I just realized I hadn't posted this wreath I made for our front door. T and I took another floral class together (Ha! He loves me so much he comes to craft classes with me!) This time, we each made a wreath. I made one for us and T made one for his mom. This was her first Christmas without T's dad, and it's only been a few months. We were both worried about her getting very depressed and we wanted to do something to cheer her up a little.

Wreath selfie.

That is T's hairy arm,
not mine.

We had a lot of fun with this class, as you can tell. It was kind of funny that  we both chose the same colors for our wreaths. That was totally unplanned. I was so intently working on my wreath that I barely remembered to take any photos at all.

T became the designated wire cutter for our table, after all the ladies noticed how easily he was able to cut through those thick wire stems.

This was so fun and turned out so well, I'd like to do it again. In fact, I think I'd like to do a wreath for every season, now.

Christmas 2016 Recap #3

Well it wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't have scarves, would it? I knitted a few for this past holiday.

Like a beautiful, delicious jelly roll!

This one was for M. She actually picked this yarn out herself, but she never saw it being knitted.

Sometimes, all you need is garter stitch.

This is just basic garter stitch, but the yarn is Caron Cakes Rainbow Sprinkles. I love this yarn. Did I mention? Now I know it's trendy because it's a limited edition yarn, but that's not the reason I like it. It's soft, like Caron is known for. But it's firmer than most Caron yarns. So it holds it shape really well.

But yeah, the colors. The colors are fantastic. I bought a bunch of this yarn in a bunch of different colorways. I can't wait to use it again!

This model is not T, by the way.

I also tried Lion Brand Scarfie Yarn for the first time. Let me just say, it's super soft. And it looks beautiful on the skein. But knitted up, it is breathtaking! Look at this scarf I knit for T. The color is called Charcoal Aqua.

This pattern is a deep rib and seed stitch from Classic Elite Yarns called Sinful Ribbed Scarf. It was an easy pattern to memorize and a pretty quick knit. I'm so pleased with how it came out. I mean, look at it!

T loved it. He has worn it every cold day since Christmas.

I like the ombre effect of this yarn.

B's scarf is the Gothic Lace Cowl (Scarf) from Tin Can Knits. Love this yarn, too. It was labelless yarn I got from Michael's a while back, so I don't know exactly what it is. (I think it's Red Heart Unforgettable, though.) It's extremely pretty, though. And soft. Are you sensing a theme here? I like soft yarn?

The actual colors are a bit darker and
deeper than this photo shows.

Well, who doesn't? This pattern is very nice, too. It's lacy, but the halo of the yarn keeps it from being holey, if you know what I mean. I actually really liked the way this looked pre-blocking, but I did block it to let the lace open up.

I also knit this scarf for my friend Amanda. This is a garter stitch and moss stitch pattern, using Red Heart Boutique Chic in Ivory. Boutique Chic is a pretty cool yarn, like a thick, soft chenille with random fur pompoms.  This yarn is no longer made, but you can still find it here or there. (Like in my stash. I have it in my stash.)

Usually, I'm okay with the random placement of the pompoms in this yarn. It adds a little whimsy. But this time, I had something specific in mind for them. So the first thing I did was cut off all the pompoms and save them for later. Then I knitted this scarf on Size 15s. This is a super bulky yarn, so I think the 15s give it a bit of a drape.

After knitting it (I used the whole skein) and weaving in the ends, I sewed those pompoms along the ends, instead of fringe. I love the way that looks!

I also crocheted a scoodie (scarf + hoodie) for The Fabulous Miss Allison. When I saw this pattern on Moogly, I had to make it for her. I used Caron Simply Soft in Grey Heather and White. Love the way this turned out. It was soft and thick, and definitely looked like a cat. (Don't you hate when you make something nobody recognizes?)

How cute is this?

Loved these little pockets on the ends of the scarf, too. I  had to kind of guess how long to make this to fit her arms, since she doesn't live close by. But I think I made a good guess, because my SIL tells me it fits just fine.  

I think, if I did it again (and I might, it's just so stinkin' cute) I would probably crochet the scarf longer on both ends and then just fold them over and seam the sides for the pockets. It seemed like an extra step to crochet the pockets separately and then crochet them on.

I love scarves for Christmas presents, don't you? I might have to make myself one this year!

Christmas 2016 Recap #2

As big of a hit the Mertails were, I think some of the smaller gifts went over pretty well, too. Like these hats I made.

I searched everywhere for a Lions patch to
sew on the brim, but apparently you can't
find them outside of Michigan.

This hat is in Detroit Lions colors for my SIL R, who is a Lions fan. The pattern is from Balls to the Walls Knits, Build Your Own DK Weight Hat. That's a great tutorial, by the way, for making even decreases, etc. I would recommend that to beginners who want to try a hat in the round for the first time, as well as folks like me, who just wanted a plain, but customizable hat.

I really like the DK weight of this hat.
It's very tightly knit, but not bulky.

The stripes in this are from the yarn itself. This is Loops & Threads Game Day in Color #7: Navy & Gray. It's 100% acrylic and self-striping. I think the stripes worked out pretty evenly on this hat, too.

I used all 196 yards of the skein. I think I have one more skein somewhere around here. Not sure what to do with that one. Maybe a gaiter or some color accents on a scarf?

I really don't know any other Lions fans, so this yarn is all his!

Stripes are a great way of adding some
interest to a hat, without adding a lot
of extra detail and work.

This hat is for my son R. It's also striped, although I wasn't planning on giving stripes this year exclusively. It just worked out that way.

This is some Caron Simply Soft in Wine and Charcoal Heather left over from another project. I like Caron Simply Soft because it is really... well, soft.  It's a simple 1X1 ribbed hat, with some stripes thrown in. I make a lot of these hats because they are quick and easy, but don't tell R I just whipped this up.

That faraway look...

I had actually planned to do some shark tails for R & R for Christmas, but life just monopolized my time with work, serious family illnesses, and the like. Also, the Mertails took way longer than I expected.

So, yeah, I had to put those tails on hold for the guys and make some hats instead. No matter. They both liked their hats.

I think I will still do the shark tails for the guys. They might just have to wait until next Christmas, though!

Christmas 2016 Recap #1

I thought you might like to see some of the things I crafted for Christmas 2016, since I didn't get around to posting them as I should have back in December.

These are both the same size, B just has
her legs stretched out in front of her.

The crocodile stitch is what makes this
look so great.

By far, the biggest chunk of my time went toward these two Mertails. I used Feline Grammer's Mermaid Lap Blanket (There is also a YouTube pattern for this.) because it used the crocodile stitch. I really think the crocodile stitch is what makes this look so spectacular. It looks like scales.

I'm sure it would have gone so much quicker if I had used a simpler crochet stitch or knitted it. But, I don't think it would have looked as good. And, as we all know, looking good is everything.

I made one for M and one for B. They were both very pleased with them. M squealed like a child when she pulled it out of the package. "Ooooh a Mermaid Tail!" Haha. That was totally worth the work I put into it.

This tail fin uses a Foundation HDC
method that is pure genius!

But, you know, I probably won't be doing anything with crocodile stitch for a while. Ha!

The tail fin uses a great technique for a Foundation Half Double Crochet that makes the foundation edge look really sharp. Then, these rows of HDC make superbly textured tail fin ribs. I just love it.

I would recommend this pattern for a very special gift, just because it is a heckuvalotta crocodile stitch. But, it looks so sharp. It's is just orders of magnitude better than the plain double crochet tails or the fleece tails you get on Groupon.

I'm glad I made the effort to do these right.