Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Christmas Crochet Extravaganza - Wins and Fails

As noted last year, I try to do Christmas on the cheap. Buying for so many people can add up. Since I'm a novice / intermediate crocheter, I decided to make as many presents as I could.




#1 - 6 Hr Afghan


Win!
A very simple project using bulky/super bulky yarn and a Q hook. Make the blanket as large or small as you like. Using a V stitch makes it a very open blanket, so be aware of pulls and snags. Add tassels if you like. Did NOT take me 6 hrs, more like 2 weeks, but that was with multiple projects on the go and only a few hours in the evening to crochet. If I had 6 hrs of straight free time to do anything, I probably could have finished it in the allotted time. The colour I used was called Peacock (as seen above, it's the blanket at the bottom of the pile), and the blanket when finished covered me from stomach to toes. I'll definitely use this pattern from Ravelry again. 


#2 - Cow Hat


Win!

My dear little nephew loves cows. LOVES COWS. So what did his Auntie make him for Christmas? A cow hat. The pattern from Repeat Crafter Me is really cute and easy to follow. I only had trouble with the cow spots, and no matter how many times I tried they looked weird. So I just made something up - little stitch, big, big, little, big, on and on till it looked like a wonky cow spot. I'll definitely use this hat pattern again, and I used it a lot this year, especially since the poster has adjustments for infant to adult sizes.


#3 - Car seat blanket and matching hat
























Win!
So I'm getting another nephew in January! Excited Auntie right here! So the new addition gets a present too. The blanket was a combination of two patterns/methods. I used the three-strand single-crochet method for the blanket, and left 2 large gaps to accommodate the carseat straps. This way the straps stay right against baby, but baby remains warm. I got the idea for the pattern from here, but I pretty much winged it.
For the hat I used the Cow Hat pattern again, and added a pompom at the end.

#4 - Tiny TARDIS Ornament


Win!



The Hubby is a Whovian. Let's just get that out there. And since I couldn't work on some of the gifts in his presence, I got bored in the evenings and decided to make him a TARDIS. Yes, he knew about it but he loves it. Even though our Christmas stuff is all packed away, the TARDIS still sits on the shelf. 
This was my first 3D project and it turned out ok. Not very square, but I think that is just the pattern. I added on the Snowy Top as well, and used felt and black thread for the windows. It was a bit fiddly making something so small, but for a starter project I think it turned out fine! Pattern from Ravelry

#5  - Jayne Cobb Hat x 2


Win and Fail for this one

My Hubby and I are huge Joss Whedon fans. You know that guy who directed The Avengers movie? Him. But we liked him way before the movie came out. Jayne Cobb is a character from one of his shows Firefly. And this hat is from that show. Look it up. It's awesome.
Years ago I remember my Hubby saying he'd love a Jayne hat one day. So this year I decided to make him one. And just for kicks, make one for my son too. Both hats are pictured above, they are the orange and yellow ones.

For the hat for my son I again used the Cow Hat pattern. See? It's my new fave. It worked great, except I made it too small. But that's my own fault since I underestimated the size of my kid's giant head. Seriously, he's 4 and has the head size of a small adult. 
For my Hubby I used this pattern from Crafting Adventures. Now my husband is the only one in my family with a normal head size. The rest of us are blessed with huge heads. And I will fully admit that since I'm a relatively novice crocheter, one of my huge failings is figuring out gage. But I followed the pattern exactly and the hat is TOO SMALL! How disappointed do you think I was to find that on Christmas morning the hat didn't fit! 
So I have to order more yarn and make both hats bigger. So be cautioned and check measurements before diving into this pattern. Other than the size issue, it turned out great. 


I have a lot more crochet projects on the go. Most patterns I don't have an issue with but if I find a really good one I'll post it here.

Have fun!

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