Montie's True Blues XL blanket

This is just a simple XL corner-to-corner moss stitch crochet blanket worked with two complementary colorways of yarn. 

Recently I saw a reel where crocheters were basically losing their minds in the comments at how beautiful this simple, monochrome C2C moss stitch baby blanket was by Laura of Hook and Fiber Made. It reminded me of how versatile crochet moss stitch is, because it works really well in solid colorways but also just as well in variegated colorways and also in other configurations, such as stripes, and I was fairly certain that it would look nice being worked up in stripes of the two colorways of yarn that I had in mind for this project.

Close up

Hooked by Robin has a good video tutorial on YouTube for how to make a C2C moss stitch blanket. I basically used the same process for this blanket; the only difference was that I used two colorways of yarn, alternating colors every two rows so I could carry the unused color up without ever having to cut it.

The somewhat unorthodox method I used to change colors is very much like what Play Hooky with Me shows in this video tutorial. The differences for me are that I'm working in moss stitch (so, SC and chains) and I'm only changing color at the end of every-other row. After changing colors, chaining and turning the work, I pulled the dropped color strand so it was crossing over the edge where I was working from back to front, where I would crochet over it without catching it in a stitch. (The strand would then be caught by and lie between my turning chains and the first SC of the new row.) That kept the dropped color close enough to pick up again the next time I changed colors, where I would repeat the process, and with marled look of the multicolored yarns I was working with, the "floats" are barely noticeable at all along the edge. If you were concerned about the floats being visible, all you would have to do is to crochet a border on your blanket as a finishing step; the first round of the border would fully conceal the floats.

Edge with floats vs. edge w/o floats

Using that method meant that the only tails I had to weave in at the end were the ones at the start and at the end of the project.

The yarn I used is Red Heart Bitty Stripes in the Horizon (blue) and Seaweed (green) colorways. Those are the same colors that I used to make my new grandnephew Waylon's blanket.

When I first started working on Waylon's blanket, my husband looked at what I was doing and said that he would actually like to have a similar-looking blanket for himself. That was a jaw-dropping moment for me, because if you know my husband the way I do, he NEVER wants me to crochet or knit ANYTHING for him, and he directly said so to me many times over the years. 😂 (Not because he doesn't support me in what I want to do, but because he is very particular about what he will and will not wear, and he doesn't want to hurt my feelings by not wearing something I've made for him if he doesn't choose to wear it.) So for him to tell me that he would actually LIKE for me to make him a blanket constitutes a jaw-dropping moment in my book.

My only concern was that this is not a tunisian entrelac pattern, as Waylon's blanket was. I did admittedly find tunisian crochet a bit challenging, so it wasn't as enjoyable for me, and I didn't want to attempt another tunisian blanket again this soon if I could avoid it. So I worked up a good start on the C2C moss stitch design so that I could give my husband a realistic preview of what the finished blanket would look like. I figured the worst that could happen would be that he said he didn't care for it, and if that happened, I could just finish off the blanket anyway, figure out what to do with it later, and then start on another tunisian one for him.

Another feature of the C2C moss stitch that I like better than tunisian entrelac is that moss stitch produces a fabric that is entirely reversible and looks equally good on either side. And another nice thing about moss stitch is that it grows surprisingly quickly, even though it isn't a tall crochet stitch.

I reached 60 inches wide on the short side of the rectangle after working 41 stripes each of both color A and color B. (Each stripe is two rows.) So the width for the short side of the rectangle was achieved after working 82 stripes, which equals 164 rows. 

60 inches wide

With the target width achieved, now I could stop increasing at one end of the row while continuing to increase at the other end of the row to continue to increase the length of the blanket until the target length of 84 inches was reached. (Details for how to work the "straight" rows are in the video by Hooked by Robin linked above.)

Turning the corner

If I've counted correctly, the straight rows are 167 single crochet stitches wide. Plus the chains in between, for however many total stitches long that is on the diagonal. 😅

Gauge view

Slogging through the middle section took months, because those are the longest rows, and they just seemed to go on and on and on and onnnn...

Fair time is coming. CROCHET FASTER!

But, finally, the long side reached its target length, and then I was able to start decreasing at both ends of the rows, heading toward the final corner. Changing colors on the decrease edges works about the same as on the increase edges, in that I would still pull the dropped color across, from back to front, and then crochet over it as I worked the next row, to secure the float where it needed to be to be picked up again. The only difference was making a decrease there instead of an increase.

Turning toward home!

Thankfully, I finished the blanket in time to enter it into our local fair. There's nothing flashy or fancy about the blanket; it's just the biggest single thing that I've ever made, so I wanted to enter it in the fair because of that. 😀

Peek-a-boo! (He's standing on the hearth.)

 

Sweet Sweater and Bonnet for Princess Rosalee

To go with the ruffle dress for Princess Rosalee, I wanted to include a sweet little cardigan and bonnet, which both utilize the same V-stitch of the Baby Dress Raspberry pattern.

This is the thinnest yarn I have ever worked with, but it is not thread; it's a very thin but soft 3-ply spun yarn. The labelless skein was in a bag of yarn that was gifted to me years ago, so I don't know what brand it is or any other information about it, but it makes 20 wpi. After making both the cardigan and bonnet, I had just a small amount of the yarn left over.

The cardigan is finished with 6 white buttons (3/8-inch diameter), which I found on Amazon. The bonnet is trimmed with white grosgrain ribbon (3/8-inch wide), which I also found on Amazon, plus another one of the buttons applied decoratively on each side to cover and also reinforce the stitching that attaches the ribbon to the bonnet.

 

Wild-n-crazy Catnip Balls

This super-quick and easy project makes a fairly large cat toy with a diameter of about 3.5 inches. 

This is a great way to use up small yarn scraps. Grab all the wild colors you have on hand and let your creativity flow! Your kitties will thank you. My samples used about 25 yards each. 

Toy is not washable due to the embedded catnip sachet. Store catnip balls in an airtight plastic bag when not in use to help prolong the catnip scent. Gently squeeze toy periodically to help release fresh scent from the catnip. 

Knit 44 rows on a 22-needle circular knitting machine, such as the Addi Pro. 

Cinch each end and fold as to make a double layer beanie. Tie ends together at top of "hat" to secure. 

Make a sachet with a heaping teaspoon of dried catnip knotted inside the toe of a knee-high nylon stocking. Encase the catnip sachet inside a bunch of fiberfill and stuff it into the open end of the knitted ball. 

Pick up stitches around the open end of the knitted ball and pull to cinch the end closed. Knot to secure, then hide any loose yarn ends in center of ball. Now it's playtime for the kittehz! My grandkitties Marshmallow, Sushi, and Princess are gonna love these. Here's a short video of Princess playing with her new ball. 😍

Mosu Japanese Knot Bag

This was my covid isolation project. It is the Mosu Bag by Sweet Softies. They offer a free version of the pattern on their website. I made mine with the Taupe colorway of Big Twist Value yarn and a 5mm crochet hook, and I finished it with a vegan leather Chicago tag by Angie + Britt that says "Bee kind."

Actually, I worked most of the bag all in the first two days, because after that I felt way too sick to have the energy for doing anything at all during the next 10 days or so. Some time after that I started feeling better enough to finish crocheting the straps.

The pattern is very easy and quick to make and would lend itself to lots of creative interpretation. It makes a nice size handbag. 

Taking the cake

I wanted a crocheted carrier for transporting cakes inside my cake-taker, so I whipped this up using some cotton yarn scraps. 

Didn't use a pattern, but the stitch I used for the base resembles the boho stitch used in the It's Shawl Good Cardigan paid pattern by Ashlea Konecny. The sides/handles are made with a traditional chain-loop/SC mesh.

Cozy candles

I used SlipStitchery's Halloween Witch Jar Covers pattern as initial inspiration for these quick and easy flameless (battery operated) candle cozies. I worked each cozy in a different stitch and different colorway for some variety in them as a grouping.

I still intend to make some of the actual Halloween Witch Jar Covers sometime, too! 😊

A winter vest pour homme

Based on the Improv pattern by Karen Templer, my plan for this is to be a seamless, top-down, cardigan-style vest worked mostly in simple, classic stockinette with K1P1 edging at armholes and button placket/front (worked with the smaller-size needles) and some traditional tortoiseshell buttons. I'm making this for my husband, who needs a replacement for the old aran vest that he reaches for during the chilliest weeks of winter to give him an extra bit of warmth. 

My initial plan was to make this without pockets, but then I realized his original vest has pockets, so I should probably try to add pockets to the new vest by following Marly Bird's tutorial for inset pockets. Another technique that is new to me for this project is picking up stitches along a knitted edge (to add ribbing).

The biggest challenge/question for me, since I'm very slow at hand knitting (and I often have days where I simply cannot knit at all due to chronic pain issues), is whether I'll manage to finish this in time to give it to my husband for Christmas. I cast on for this project on Sept. 21, which gave me about three months to work to meet that goal. Fingers crossed it gets done in time!!! (Spoiler alert: I finished it on Dec. 11! Yay!)

My husband is a person who, even though he supports my enjoyment of knitting/crochet/etc., he has firmly stated right from the beginning his preference that I NOT ever make anything for him because he will refuse to wear it. 

Over time, his declaration has proved to be not entirely true (he has occasionally worn a hat or mitts or a cowl that I've made, sometimes explicitly for him and sometimes not, and he has loved to tatters the blue scarf I knitted for him), but I've always known to generally avoid directing any of my crafting energies toward making items for him.

But when it comes to this vest, I feel like this is a different situation: He has worn the same store-bought knitted vest during winter for decades, and now that THAT vest is wearing out, he's going to need a replacement. I know he prefers neutral, classic design and lines and fit for stuff like this, so I'm attempting to incorporate those values here. I think the trickiest part for me will be achieving the correct fit. As I've worked I've been constantly measuring, checking and rechecking gauge, and comparing size to other items in his wardrobe. Because if this doesn't fit right, I know he won't wear it.

That being said, I've worked out most of this project without using a pattern (other than getting started at the shoulders with Improv), so although I'm familiar with the general principles of garment construction (after decades of sewing/knitting/crochet experience), I'm still nervous to see how the final product for this turns out.

After following the guidelines from Improv for how to begin working a top-down cardigan, I split off stitches to work each of the front panels and the back panel separately, gradually increasing the widths as the lengths grew, then rejoined all the panels below the armhole openings and knit until the bottom of the vest was the right length. I made the armholes slightly oversized, because I knew he wouldn't like to have his arm movement constricted by too-tight armholes.

After rejoining the panels below the armholes, I decided to work the 18 stitches that I cast on below the armholes on each side in garter stitch to give the side panels below the arms a bit of textural differentiation in the torso.

I finished knitting the ribbing at the bottom of the vest the day after Thanksgiving. Two days later, I picked up and knitted the front edging, which extends from side to side behind the neck and includes the buttonholes on the left front. To me it's almost magical the way you can have a curled, gnarled mess of stockinette, but then when you add the edging/ribbing, suddenly the stockinette fabric uncurls and looks gorgeous. I know that's just the way stockinette is (it curls if there's no edge treatment), but it's still fascinating to see it all come together.

Here's the store-bought ye olde aran vest that has served Montie well for many years:

Cookie Monster costume hat

Cookie Monster is my all-time favorite Muppet, so I wanted to make a messy-bun-style hat of this character. I started mine too late to wear it for Halloween this year, but I'll totally be ready next year!

I used a variation of the Loopy Chemo Cap pattern from my free Chemo Cap Bundle. Instead of starting at the very top of the hat, I started with 40 foundation HDCs (the equivalent of round 4) and then continued to work the pattern as written from there.

I used the Addi Pro 22-needle knitting machine to make the white part of Cookie Monster's eyeballs. My first attempt turned out looking super lumpy and squished, which led me to conclude that the eyes needed a bit of polyfil stuffing to help them hold their round shape.

To make the eyeballs: Cast on with white yarn and knit for 19 rows. Cut a long tail and use a bent-tip needle to cast the stitches off the machine. Gently stretch the knitted piece, and then gently cinch the ends. Fold one end inside the other (same as when you're making a beanie). Pull the yarn tails through the "top" of the cinched ends and knot securely. (This cinched end will be the front of the eyeball; you will later cover this cinched end with a crocheted black pupil.) Thread one tail onto a yarn needle. Grab one handful of polyfil and poke the needle through the center of the polyfil, then slide the polyfil down the yarn tail until it's sitting inside the "cup" of the eyeball. Using the tail on the yarn needle, pick up the bar in the middle of every third stitch along the top of the folded edge (these stitches will be used to cinch closed what is currently the folded end of the eyeball). Gently pull on the yarn tail to cinch the folded end closed, then stitch across the cinched opening to secure. Thread the other yarn tail onto the needle and poke it through the center of the eyeball and out the other side that you just cinched closed. Being careful not to pull too hard and squish/flatten the eyeball, knot the yarn tails together again several times to secure. Leave the long white tails for now so you can use them later to sew the eyeball onto the hat.

Using black yarn, crochet a small "pupil" for each eyeball by working 6 SC into a magic circle. Use the invisible joining technique to finish the outer edge. Tightly cinch the center of each pupil and knot to secure. Leave a long tail to sew each pupil onto the front of each eyeball, centered over the front cinched end. Knot to secure and hide black yarn tails inside the center of the eyeball.

Using the long white yarn tails, attach the eyeballs to the hat and knot several times to secure. Weave in ends and wear your Cookie Monster hat with pride!

Another Big Mug Hug free pattern

I live in a humid climate, and I like to drink iced coffee every morning in my big mug. But my cold drinks always end up "sweating" with condensation, so I like to use cotton cozies to keep the drippiness to a minimum and water rings off my tables.

This is a quick and easy pattern I worked up to fit my large, square-bottomed morning coffee mug.

Another Big Mug Hug

U.S. crochet terms

Materials: Worsted weight 100% cotton yarn, 5.5mm crochet hook, yarn needle, scissors. (My sample uses Lily Sugar n Cream in the Light Blue colorway.)

Base is worked in continuous spiral (don't join at end of rounds).

Round 1: In magic circle, HDC 8. (8 HDC)

Round 2: 2 HDC in each st. (16 HDC)

Round 3: 2 HDC in next st, 1 HDC in next st. Repeat around. (24 HDC)

Round 4: 2 HDC in next st, 1 HDC in each of next 2 sts. Repeat around. (32 HDC)

Round 5: 2 HDC in next st, 1 HDC in each of next 8 sts. Repeat around. (36 HDC)

SC in next st, then sl into back loop only of next st to join.

Base of cozy is complete. Work next round in back loops only to turn the corner and start working the sides. Sides are worked in joined rounds.

Round 6: Ch 2. DC in BLO of each st around. Join with sl to top of 1st DC. (36 DC)

Round 7: Ch 2. DC in each st around. Join with sl to top of 1st DC. (36 DC)

Round 8: Ch 2. DC in all but the last st. Leave last st unworked and do not join to 1st st. Turn work. This is leaving an opening for the bottom of your mug handle to pass through. (35 DC)

Round 9: Ch 2. DC in each st back to beginning of row. Turn work. (35 DC)

Round 10: Ch 2. DC in each st to end of row. (35 DC) Now we are going to add stitches to make the tab for the button closure. Continue row by FDC 6 times. (Row is now 41 sts long)

Round 11: Ch 2. DC in each st to end of row. (41 DC)

Round 12: Ch 2. DC in each st to end of row. (41 DC)

Finish off. Weave in ends. Slip cozy over your mug, placing the long tab through the mug handle. Because DC stitches are so tall, you will use the space between the DC stitch in the center row at the end of the tab and the next stitch in as the buttonhole. Mark where that space sits over the body of the cozy and sew a button in that spot. (My button is about 3/4-inch diameter or about 18mm.) Refer to photos if you need guidance for button placement. Your cozy is now ready to use. Enjoy!