A Second Year of Projects: Update 2

Ravelry Group

Apologies in advance for the lighting in some of these pictures. I wanted to finish my Year of Projects update in the evening, so bright and early Monday morning I can focus on getting final photos and posting new items into my Etsy shop.

Ribbed Kitchen Cloth

This is the first item I started this week and the first thing I finished. It's a modified version of a pattern from the Craftsy class Amazing Crochet Textures. It measures approximately 11.75 by 9.25". 

The goal is to make a small afghan out of squares by the end of this free mini-course, but I decided I wanted to break up the "squares" and turn them into something I could put in my Etsy shop.  I'll do a more in-depth review of this in a post about the entire Craftsy course.

Bailey Boot Cuffs

This is another free pattern which I got from Crochet Dreamz, but lacking in cute statement buttons I decided to forgo the button and decorative strap altogether.

They are super cute and I am looking forward to making these in multiple colors! I loved them so much I decided I'll be posting this item as "made to order" instead of made to ship, because I'm keeping the original pair.

The only down side is that I have a tendency to walk with my calves rubbing together, which stresses the wool yarn. I may have to switch to acrylic yarn, but then they will be machine washable and more user-friendly anyhow.

Coffee Cozies

These two coffee cozies are just a simple pattern I whipped up in the moment.

I made a chain based on the height I wanted the cozy to be, did a row of single crochets, and then repeatedly did rows of single crochets in back loops only until it was tall enough to wrap around a commercial coffee cup. I slip stitched the short sides together and did a round of single crochet on the top and bottom to prevent it from stretching too much.

YoP List Updates

Most recent changes are highlighted

Accessories 1/6
Fingerless Gloves 0/1
Miomi Slouch Hat 0/1
Silk & Lace Purse 0/1
Mittens (Pattern One, Pattern Two) 0.5/2
Bailey Boot Cuffs 1/1

Home Decor 3/6
Mustache Mug Cozy 0/1
Reusable Coffee Cozy 2/2
Set of Placemats 0/1
Wine Bottle Wrap 0/1
Kitchen Cloth 1/1

Stats
Objects Started: 4
Objects Finished: 3
Objects on Original List: 14
Objects on Current List: 17

Feature Listing: Turquoise Crochet Scarf with Ruffles

Meet my first listing of all time: a beautiful turquoise scarf with ruffles, designed to fit adults. It's a piece I particularly loved due to the uniqueness of the design that still is in style with modern fashion.

This scarf is made from Patons Classic Wool which is 100% pure new wool. In these cold Canadian winters, fashion meets function as the snug fit keeps out the chill. For best results, hand wash and lay flat to dry. Do not bleach or iron this scarf. 

This scarf has previously appeared on my blog as a Blog-a-Long project.

It's being sold on my Etsy shop for $30.00 CAD.

Finished: Basket for Crochet

Ravelry Project

I made this basket following the Ombre Basket pattern from Crochet in Color. The base of the basket was made of half double crochets and the body was all single crochets, making this basket a very simple pattern. Ideal for beginners who have mastered squares and the basic stitches because you get to practice working in the round, and the only "weird" step is switching from the base to the body when you crochet into the side of the hdcs instead of the normal loops. The picture tutorial explains this step very clearly, however, so it's still something anyone could figure out. Using more than one strand at a time was new for me, but after a couple rounds I was up to speed. I think the biggest hook I own (6.5mm / K) was still a little too small as I kept losing one strand and having to pick it back up again.

The only trouble that could have been attributed to the pattern is that the handles weren't perfectly symmetrical in placement, but I can't say that it's the pattern's fault because I was enjoying a glass of wine while finishing this up! It's not noticeable unless you're looking for it, so I'm not going to waste yarn to fix it.

I can't be the only one, so tell me about a project you messed up while relaxing!

Finished: Workout Beanie

Here it is! My first (soon to be) sale. A casual beanie for one of the boyfriend's workout buddies. Granted, he has no idea I'm about to make a business out of this.

I used a ball of black mystery yarn for this that I've had since I was thirteen years old. It's definitely a cheaper acrylic, probably Red Heart Super Saver, knowing my mother. It should be good for working out since it won't soak up all the sweat and get gross very fast, and it was a bit of a stash-buster project. There's probably enough for one more hat left in the ball now.

I was originally going to follow this pattern using double crochets and ending with a round of half double crochets, as listed on my Ravelry for the project, but I found it to be absurdly large. There was no gauge listed. My boyfriend is 6'4 and it was extremely loose even on him, so I had to unravel it and start over.

I ended up cutting out two rounds, round four and round six, but then added in a new round with four double crochets in a row followed by the two in one stitch method. Basically I made it increase slower and chopped off the vast majority of rounds 8-12 as listed in the original pattern. I don't feel like I really followed the pattern in the end, but I'll leave it up on my Ravelry project to be gracious since I probably would have struggled even more without it. I then finished it off using the invisible fasten off as is ideal for working in the round.

I'm really happy with how it turned out! The picture is a little poor since it's not on a person, it's just sitting on a yoga mat. I promise it's not lumpy. I also hand washed it in cold water with a little detergent because he was worried about the colors bleeding, so I'm adding in a little tag with care instructions just to be safe.

Finished: 3 Dishcloths

Here's what I finished up last week! These are all new stitches for me.

Dishcloth 1: Puff Stitch

Dishcloth 2: Basket Weave

Dishcloth 3: Nubby Scrubby

The basket weave cloth is definitely my favorite, and while the puff stitch is nice, it didn't really "puff" as much as I expected. It's still pretty flat. Let me know what you think! Do you have any tips?