Strap cover

I have this great little Baggallini cross-body bag that I got before our trip to Germany several years ago because it is big enough to hold a passport, plus a few cards (ID and/or payment), my phone, a key fob, and a bit of cash. And it's RFID shielded. It makes a great alternative to carrying a full-size purse, and I have worn it many, many times.

My only complaint about it has been that the 1/2-inch wide grosgrain ribbon they used for the long (almost 56-inch) strap would start feeling uncomfortable against my neck when I had the bag loaded down with the weight of all my stuff.

The solution I came up with was to knit a cover for the strap. I wanted the cover to fit closely around the underlying strap and also be the same color (black) to draw as little attention to the cover as possible. 

I also knew that the cover needed to be knitted, because although I could have made it faster if I had crocheted it, I knew that the lumpier nature of crochet stitches would be a tactile issue for me while wearing it. Sometimes you just can't beat the smoothness of knitted stockinette.

The smoothness factor is also why I opted to knit this in the round on DPNs instead of knitting a long strip and then seaming it around the strap. Knitting it flat would have been easier, but knitting it in the round meant that it was evenly smooth all the way around (no seam), and knitting it around the strap meant that once the knitting was long enough, the project would only need a bit of finishing on each end to secure the ends to the strap, and then it would be done.

Yes, it absolutely was super awkward and fiddly to knit this around the strap with DPNs. But I think I saved myself a different sort of difficulty by not knitting the tube separately and then trying to thread the strap through it afterward.

Using Red Heart Super Saver in Black, I cast on 9 stitches, then divided those across 3 DPNs (5 mm size) with 3 stitches per needle. Then I joined to knit in the round and just kept going until the cover was long enough. I left a long tail at both the beginning and at the end to sew the ends of the cover together around the ends of the strap. Then I hid the tails inside the tube, and it was all done. It took me three days of knitting (with several hours of knitting each day) to complete the project.

But I am very pleased with how this turned out, and I know it's going to make wearing my little bag much more comfortable for years to come.

 

Little Crochet Skull

This adorable three-dimensional skull was designed by Kylie Slee of Complicated Knots. It is a quick, easy, and fun project. Kylie's video tutorial is very clear and easy to follow. 

I wanted to add a skull to my Halloween display, and I'm so glad that I found Kylie's tutorial, because I absolutely love the way this turned out. 💜💀👻🎃 Happy Halloween! 

 

Frost Guard Balaclava for Linda

I crocheted this Frost Guard Balaclava for my sister, Linda, who lives in snow country. Hopefully she will find it useful and cozy. It is the Adult S size. The pattern is a paid pattern by Marly Bird, and it's fun to make. 

Mint green is one of Linda's favorite colors, so I was glad to find Lion Brand Scarfie yarn in this Mint Silver colorway. Scarfie is a fiber blend that contains some real wool, which makes it a good choice for winter wear.

I knitted the 4-stitch i-cord drawstring on 5.5 mm double-pointed needles. I used 4 stitches because that's how many pins are on my French knitter, and typically I would use that tool for making the i-cord, but one of the pins has come loose, and I have yet to get it re-glued. So I knitted the cord with regular needles this time. It probably would have been better if I had used 3 stitches instead of 4, because this 4-stitch cord really fills up the space inside the casing and doesn't slide easily. A 3-stitch cord would probably have fit better (note to self for future reference!).

Marly shared a few quick videos demonstrating some of the fun ways to wear it: here, here, and here. This one below is my favorite.

 

Jack-O-Lantern Donut Buddy

My collection of Donut Buddy toys needed a jack-o-lantern for some autumn vibes, so I made this little guy. The doughnut base is from Rachel Zain's Donut Buddies pattern collection. She doesn't currently have a jack-o-lantern design, so I improvised the other features for the face and the stem/vine. 

I crocheted the orange doughnut base and the black triangle eyes using a 5 mm hook. I switched to a 4 mm hook for the stem and the vine. Originally, I tried to crochet a mouth, but that didn't turn out well, so then I tried to embroider a simple mouth on. I didn't like the way that looked, either. Ultimately, I cut the mouth out of a piece of black felt and stitched it on as an applique. 

Face, take 1

To crochet the oval stem, start with a magic ring. Chain 2 and work 1 DC, 1 HDC, 2 SC, 1 HDC, 2 DC, 1 HDC, 2 SC, 1 HDC, and 1 DC in the ring. Join to the first DC with a slip stitch. Chain 1 and work 1 round of SC-blo. Continue working 2 more rounds of regular SC. Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing the stem onto the pumpkin. 

Stem & vine

For the curly vine, chain 13. Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work 2 SC in each chain. Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing the vine onto the pumpkin at the base of the stem. 

 

At the fair

We went to the fair today to see how my entries did. I was surprised and excited to see that all four of my entries received a ribbon, so I wanted to make this post to update all y'all. 😊

My Boho Crochet Hexi Cardigan received an honorable mention ribbon. 

Montie's True Blues XL Blanket also received an honorable mention ribbon.

My Ginkgo Night Moves scarf received an honorable mention ribbon, too.

 

And Renee's Stitch Sampler Blanket received a third place ribbon! (The white ribbon is difficult to see against the light background of the shelf, and it's also kind of obscured from view in the angle of this shot. I'll add some better shots after I've brought my entries home.)