Posting, Beanies, and Posies

I admit it - I got so caught up in the wonders of Ravelry that I almost forgot all about this blog. Oops! So here is an actual post!

I finished a couple of things yesterday. These are from the Boy Beanie pattern in SnB's HH book. I think they turned out good.

And if I don't forget about them, I'll give them to my nephew for Christmas next year. Both were made using Plymouth Galway worsted yarn. And, of course, the black and gold is for USM (University of Southern Mississippi). Go Eagles!!

My next major crochet project will be this from the latest issue of Interweave Crochet, The Ring Around the Posie top...

The yarn is a cotton blend in a lovely lilac color for a cute little spring-time top. I'm going to try to keep posting updates of my progress on this. (I'm going to try to start posting my regularly again.)

Finished WIP - Socks!!

Two of my goals for this year include 1) actually finish my unfinished knitting and crocheting and 2) get a grip on organizing my collection of pattern books, leaflets, and magazines. So with that goal in mind, I have finished the knitting on a pair of socks. I don't even remember when I started these. But I had finished one sock and got past the heel of the second sock when I put them in the bottom of a bookcase and left them there.
Finished project number 1 for 2008 is a pair of Rock 'n' Ribbed socks. Pattern is in the book Knit Socks. They are made from Regia Nation Color sock yarn. Nice socks that fit well but I could have made them just a tad bit longer. It struck me as I started to blog this that the phrase "Nation Color" just might represent some country's flag. Through the magic that is Goggle, I now know that the Nation is Germany. So if I ever go to Germany, I can wear these socks and be very patriotic! (Honestly, I have moments of "blondness" and if I had realized that this yarn was in flag colors I would have purchased the red, white, and blue version to wear on the 4th of July.)
Works in progress include the reindeer tree skirt I started last month. I'm about half-way finished, but we used the half-skirt under the tree anyway. It is going to be nice as you can see in the pic. Miss B there was more concerned with the old toy stash in the corner, then looking cute for my picture.

Dishcloth - X-Stitch

A new crocheted dishcloth! This pattern is found here and is part of a kitchen set, although I only made the dishcloth. The yarn is cotton Sugar & Cream in the color Creamsicle.

You might notice the slight curve at the bottom of the cloth. My gauge was too tight for the first few rows. That's because I used two different hooks. And the different hooks, both size G, worked up at differently. And why did I use two different hooks?

Well, I thought it would be a good idea to purchase a crochet hook to use just for dishcloths and I could keep it in the bag with my cotton yarn. So I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased this:

It's a Susan Bates Bamboo Handle crochet hook. And it just doesn't work for me - I can't figure out how to hold it properly. The handle just kept getting in my way. I gave up on the hook after a couple of rows and switched to my regular all metal Bates hook. Really, I should have frogged the whole thing and started over, but I kept it as-is as a learning example.

And that's the story of dishcloth number 2!