Week of 1/29 Update

This has been a week of mostly crocheted projects for me.

I have made progress on the crochet beret, finished a pair of crochet arm warmers (and have begun a knit set as well), and I finished a crochet bandana.  Any patterns that I used will be linked below within their respective projects section.  I am very excited to share my project updates.

Crochet Beret    

    I have finished the first section of this crochet beret pattern that is split into three parts.  I am now starting on the second part.  The parts in this pattern, which will be linked below, are listed as A.1, A.2, and A.3.  So, in terms of the pattern I have finished section A.1 and have just begun section A.2.  The sections of this pattern are split into the top section which is the flat part of the beret, also the biggest section and has the most rows in it.  Then, there is the side section where there are no decreased stitches.  Finally, the last section is when there are decreases to get the beret to fit snugly against the head. This beret pattern comes in two sizes: a small/medium (S/M) and medium/large (M/L).  The S/M size is the one that I am using.  I am using a 4mm hook which is the size in the pattern.  The yarn that I am using is Lion Brand Heartland yarn.  It is a 100% acrylic yarn, and it is quite soft, in the shade of black canyon (so it is mostly black with flecks of white or light gray).

    This pattern also comes with a neck warmer in a matching pattern to that of the beret.  I am not going to be making this neck warmer although the option is there.  I am using a different weight yarn that it calls for and I managed to get the right number of stitches for the width of the gauge, but not for the height so I ended part A.1 a few rows early, but by making minor changes I can still follow the pattern.  Something else to keep in mind about this pattern is that it is shown solely in pictures/diagrams.  Some people have an easier time following patterns that are in diagram form instead of written out form.  There is a key to help with the interpretation of the pattern.  I do think that this would be a good pattern to use as a first attempt at following a diagram instead of just a pattern written with words and pictures.  Every crocheter, I think, should try at least one pattern in each style (diagram vs. written out), this will help them to expand their knowledge with greater understanding about patterns.  It would also help in allowing someone to be able to use more patterns instead of having a pattern be ruled out because of the form in which it is written.  Also, a new crocheter could discover that they actually prefer a diagram pattern over a fully written out pattern.  Either way, having the ability to follow both styles of patterns would be extremely useful.

Crochet Beret Pattern

Crochet Arm Warmers

This is how my crochet arm warmers turned out.  I will have a pattern for this super simple pair of arm warmers coming next Wednesday, so check back in for that update.  These only took me about 2 hours in total to make the pair, or about an hour for each individual arm warmer.  I think they are beautiful and am very happy with how they turned out.  Just look at them, they fit me well, I really like their color, and overall and am simply thrilled with the outcome.  It was just a simple rectangle that was then stitched together leaving a hole for my thumb and this was the result.

I am also working on a knit pair, for which I hope to have a bonus pattern coming out next week as well.  I have finished one arm warmer and am just under halfway done with the second arm warmer.  The pattern for the knit version (which will be made out of the same yarn), may not be as simple or as beginner friendly as the crochet version.  Although this is my opinion and it may depend on the crafter.  

Crochet Bandana

    Originally I had planned on making my own pattern up for this crochet bandana.  I tried to start this a couple of times, but then I decided that I would use this free and simple crochet bandana pattern that I found.  Before I started this project I had scrolled through dozens of bandana patterns on Pinterest before I found this one, that I adored and was exactly what I was looking for.  For this pattern I used a different yarn and crochet hook size, but it still turned out gorgeous.  I used a 3mm crochet hook and Truboo yarn made by Lion Brand.  It is yarn that is made out of 100% rayon from bamboo.  It is super soft and I chose a light blue color.  The picture below shows how beautifully the bandana turned out.  This bandana is worked in a granny square pattern, but in rows.  Other bandanas that use a granny square stitch are worked in a triangular pattern, but that was not the look that I wanted.  This is why I was extraordinarily thrilled when I found this crochet bandana pattern.

    I really liked working this pattern, it was quite simple and easy to follow.  The only thing that I changed about this pattern besides the yarn used and hook size was that for the straps I chained 30, and then put a double crochet in each chain, and then double crocheted all along the top most row before chaining another 30 and putting a double crochet back in all the chains.  I made this change because the yarn that I was using was quite thin and I did not think that just putting a slip stitch in each chain would be sufficient, I wanted my straps to be a little bit sturdier.

Crochet Bandana Pattern