Going Gray Swingy Shawlivest

I wanted to try making another Swingy Shawlivest, but this time with pockets. 

 

The pockets are lined with fabric and are about 6 inches wide by 7 inches tall. I worked the pockets in an edc post stitch faux rib to sort of resemble the pattern of the vest fabric beneath but with a solid fabric to conceal the pocket lining.

It's nice to have pockets, but I decided if I make another Swingy Shawlivest with pockets, I'll make the pockets bigger next time. Maybe 8 inches by 9 inches or so. Here's a link to my Ravelry project page.

Big Mug Hug - free pattern

I've been wanting to make a mug cozy that was big enough to fit our oversized, square-bottomed mugs. The cozy needed to be made with cotton yarn so it would be microwave-safe. After all, it's so much easier to put the cozy on the mug when it's empty, and THEN filling the mug with water, and THEN zapping it in the microwave for tea. 

 

Who wants to pick up a mug filled with scalding-hot water and then try to slip on a cozy without sloshing the water and burning yourself? Not me.

This cozy is quick to make and extra-thick thanks to the post stitches used on the cozy sides, and because the cozy covers the base of the mug it also protects your tabletop. It's easy to put on and remove thanks to the handy button loop.

Big Mug Hug

U.S. crochet terms

Materials: Worsted weight 100% cotton yarn, 5.5mm crochet hook, yarn needle, scissors. (My sample uses Peaches n Creme Ombre in the Blue Moon Ombre colorway.)

Start off working in the round:

Setup/row 1: In a magic circle, ch 2, DC 10. Join with sl at top of first DC. (10) [ch 2 doesn't count as a stitch in this pattern]

Row 2: Ch 2, 2 DC in each st around. Join with sl at top of first DC. (20)

Row 3: Ch 2, [2 DC in first st, 1 DC in next st.] Repeat around. Join with sl at top of first DC. (30)

Row 4: Ch 2, 2 DC in first st, 1 DC in each of next 15 sts. 2 DC in next st, 1 DC in each st to end. Join with sl at top of first DC. (32)

Now continue working back and forth in rows (do not join at end of rows for the rest of the pattern):

Row 5: Ch 2, FPDC in each st across. Turn. (32)

Row 6: Ch 2, BPDC in each st across. Turn. (32)

Repeat rows 5 and 6 until the cozy sides are a total of 10 rows tall. 

Row 15: Ch 1. Turn. HDC in each st across. (32 HDC)

Finishing: Sew a button in a top corner of the cozy as shown in photos. Slip cozy over your mug, hold the sides snugly around your mug the way you want it to fit, and then measure how long of a chain you need to reach from the other top corner of the cozy (the corner without the button) to the button and back to the other corner. Add a crochet chain of that length to the top corner without the button. Tie ends of chain to cozy to secure. Weave in ends, slip the cozy onto your mug, and enjoy.

Swingy Shawlivest with pineapple hem for LadyU

For her birthday, my daughter LadyU was hoping for a loose-fitting crocheted sleeveless poncho type of garment of about hip length, preferably from a pattern that incorporated pineapples and an asymmetrical hem. She said her favorite colors are pale teal, purples, and blues, or greens on the blue side of their color scale. She texted me a couple of photos showing some similar pieces that she liked, but I was having trouble finding a pattern designed to be anything close to what she was describing.

So I texted her a photo of my Swingy Shawlivest and asked if it would be something she might wear. I mean, I totally live in mine all winter long -- it's like my own personal blankie to keep me toasty all day and night. She said she liked the look of the vest and if I could add a row of pineapples along the hem that would make it perfect for her. That is how this project came about.

Based on her color preferences I knew the Caron Simply Soft Paints yarn in the Oceana colorway, which I've worked with many times before, would be ideal.

I worked her Swingy Shawlivest following the pattern through row 40 then started working the pineapple border starting at row 19 of the chart from the Cute Halter Top pattern.

I had looked around for some time trying to find a pineapple border that looked the way I wanted it to -- with a bottom edge that let the pineapples hang with individual "teeth" along the bottom edge (as in LadyU's second concept photo) rather than a totally straight bottom edge. The bottom edge of the halter top pattern fit the bill.

I worked on most of this project while I was on vacation, so when I ran out of yarn on the very last pineapple (UGH! yarn chicken fail) I had to set it aside for a few days until I got home and could order another skein (of which I only used a few inches).

And so, naturally, since I had to buy another skein of the Oceana yarn but only used a tiny bit of it to finish the Shawlivest, it just seemed logical to use part of the rest of that extra skein to machine knit a coordinating turban twist headband for LadyU. (80 rows on the Sentro 40, gauge of about 4 sts/4 rows to the inch on medium tension.) This gives her two pieces that she can wear either together or separately. 😊