hip to be backed

.

Talk about sturdy.

,

Using my J afghan hook, I finished my 'hip to be square' potholder. And wow. The sturdiness of this Sugar 'n Cream cotton & layering 2 layers of tunisian -- well, this will be more than heat-resistant for taking warm things out of our oven.

.

,

And I love the look and feel of using this loooooooong hook. A hook big enough for the *BFG.

.

*(Our kids get such a kick out of this

literary favorite -- and whenever we

come across something super huge,

their response is always ---

"Wow, that's big enough for the BFG.")

.

At first, I was intimidated by tunisian. I mean! That hook! That wonky way of keeping stitches on the hook. Forward Pass. Forward Return Pass. ??? (Yes. You can count on me for looking at something and figuring it is way too hard -- so why even try it.)

.

.

But thank goodness, the intrigue of of so many beautifully made things is motivation enough for me to stay-on-task. And the absolute satisfaction of being able to do something I deemed way too difficult.....

.

.
....well, that is always a huge hurdle for me.

.

One I'm glad I can finally get over. Because feeling those stitches emerge -- that is a definite sort of tactile satisfaction. And of course -- just the simple beauty of doing.

.

THIS describes it perfectly.

.

it's hip to be square potholder

.
I can't get my mind off of this tunisian entrelac crochet.
.
And because of that -- all other projects have come to a stand-still and I am putting together combinations of colors. And more colors. Aaaaaand more colors.
.

.

My yarn stash is in our basement & I do most of my crocheting upstairs, so after about 14 trips up and down the steps of decision making....

.

Do I like these 3 colors?

No.

How 'bout these 3 colors.

No again.

.

I finally came upon a combination of three colors from my Sugar 'n Cream bits & pieces of cotton thread.

.

.

And what better thing than for this entrelac patchwork block to become a potholder?

.

.

I think I'll finish the back with one-colored square of entrelac and single crochet a border around the edge.

.

Wow. I can finally fill my kitchen drawer with cheery, bright & simply made potholders. Something our drawer is in desperate need of.

.

beginnings of a doily on my lap

.

I am paging through my stack of books that I received for Christmas and I found something extra-special in this book:

.

.

Using my 7 steel hook and Lydia's Bamboo crochet thread & Mary Werst's EXCEPTIONAL pattern -- and phew! this doily is rated EXPERIENCED -- I. am. stunned. that I am able to decipher this words-only pattern.
..
.

It is already so gorgeous and I have about 27 more rounds to go.

.

.

.

So with pets & patchwork on the couch, I have the perfect project for this cold, gray month of January.

entrelac checkerboards & books

My entrelac checkerboard scarf is finished! Wow. I am amazed -- yes, completely amazed -- that this came from my crochet hook! It is unlike anything I have ever done with hook & yarn and I simply love the whole tunisian entrelac technique.

.

.

Ordering this booklet was key in trying to get the whole triangular edge, but once I was able to visualize this in my head and then get that message to my hands -- oh! the combinations and blocks I am going to make........
.

.

And I must have a one track mind. Or maybe crochet is the only thing I talk about.

.

Here is a pile of books I received from my family at Christmas time. Unbelievable is the only way I can describe how I felt (and yes, I even leaned over and kissed my 22 yr. old nephew -- not once, but twice -- for buying some of these for me.)

.

Oh, my family gets me.

.

And that just makes me giddy when I see aaaaallllll of these beautiful pages to page through.

.

Thank you, thank you family!

toboggan hat

.

As a kid I remember the thrill of riding a toboggan down a snowy, slippery hill. The frigid wind would whip right through me. Oh, the warmth of the hat that was pulled way down over my little head.

.

Fun, fun memories of when I was younger. And now with our middle child -- altho, can you call a 14 yr. girl a child?! -- asks for a warm hat, I wonder when she puts this hat on to slide down a snowy hill, will she too will look upon these moments as fun, fun memories?

.

So, I run through the crochet patterns that are filed in my head & I immediately picture the Toboggan Hat found here:

.

.

Crochet That Fits -- Mary Jane Hall

.

I dig out scraps of yarn from my stash and pull a vibrant blue that matches her winter coat exactly. And she loves this skein of multi-colored cotton yarn I still have and waaaaaay on the bottom of my gray yarns I find this tiny bit of bulky gray & white yarn for the border. The pattern calls for only one color yarn, but she was very specific about wanting stripes.

.

..

.

So we improvise with multi-weighted/multi-colored yarns.

.

Perfect.

.

And her smile said it all.
.
And when your kid smiles at something you have done -- well that's the making of a very good day.

.

.

crimson & snow

.
Crimson & snow. How appropriate.
.

.
The colors of this Bernat Satin yarn that I am using for this crocheted entrelac scarf are called:

Crimson & Snow.

.

.
And looking around outside I see examples of crimson & snow everywhere.
.
.
.
These entrelac blocks are crocheted with an H hook (and next time I will use a larger hook -- maybe a J or even K so these edges don't curl so fiercely....)
.

Now to crochet the rest of these cascading blocks into a wearable scarf and think of some nifty way to finish off the edges. Read ---> no curl!