Over-ambitious

I decided today, December 19, to crochet socks for my coworker. I was going to buy her something crochet-related, as she's joined the company of the crocheters, but then thought it would be more fun to make her something. However, at 12:20am with (most of) one sock finished, I'm both laughing at my ambitious ambition and determined to get them done in time. I'll at least give her the one sock before we close on Thursday.

I do hope this is a future of making lots of socks, but I think I'll switch to knitting. The Knit Picks sock yarns (this is their Simple Stripes) are just too lovely not to work up!

Knit + Crochet = Pretty

This is a pattern out of the recent Family Circle Easy Crochet magazine. The feature was called "DreamWeavers" -- a few projects that weave in both knitting and crochet. Perfect for this girl, I thought.

This poncho will be a gift for a friend. I'm loving making it because it incorporated the things I like best about yarn craft just the way I like them:

(1) Challenge and learning new things, in the knitting. (My first decreases! And my first time sewing knitted fabric together.
(2) Total comfort & relaxation. The crochet part is detailed, but I find even complicated crochet restful at this point.

And it was perfect that I could first work through figuring out the knitting and then relax into the crochet.

And, it's cute. I'm thinking I might make one for myself in black.. but I'll probably make it a short capelet, as seen here, rather than finishing for a full length poncho (as I'm working toward).

P.S. I just always have to laugh at the mirror pictures. When I see them on other people's blogs, I laugh knowingly. But I actually laugh while I'm taking them. So silly. Ah, the lengths we go to to share our crochet...

"Quick Holiday Gifts!!!"

I'm amused by the yarn companies' e-mails this week pushing easy-to-complete projects. The cheaper yarns' designs tend not to be my style, but I had to give this one special attention because of its caption:

Hip "New York" knit purse in Patons® Pebbles for your
jet-setting cousin.

*I'm* that New York jet-setting cousin. Too bad none of my cousins knit. :)

(I'm having trouble posting the link out of the e-mail, but if you are interested in the bag, I'm sure you can find it on Paton's website!)