FO Friday - Hair Tie Headband & Mug Rug/Cozy Projects

Happy Friday everyone!! I hope your week went great and your weekend is even better!!

This week I worked on a cute mug rug and cozy. I had found the pattern and idea on Pinterest. The tutorial is by Wink @ Tutsplus.com. It is a very simple pattern. The only thing I would recommend is that you have the mug nearby when you begin the cozy portion. By having the mug on hand you can adjust the cozy to match up with your mug as you crochet. I didn't do this and my cozy is a little wonky. I am still happy with it and how it turned out, but the next one I make I will keep the mug at arms length away to make sure it fits perfectly.

The cozy did a great job keeping my Chamomile Tea nice and warm!!

I also worked up a cute Hair Tie Headband! I have recently cut all my hair off and have an abundance of hair ties!! I thought about what I could do with them and came across a wonderful tutorial for a headband using hair ties! The tutorial is written by Kinga of My Hobby is Crochet. The tutorial and pattern is the Thread Headband. Kinga used crochet thread and so the look and texture is completely different than mine. I used Martha Stewart Cotton Hemp yarn which is much thicker. I was so glad that she included measurements for each section so I could adjust how many rows to fit the thicker yarn I was using.

I am still debating about adding a flower to the headband, but since I made it for my DD she gets to decide on the size and what kind. If she decides on a flower, I will make it with the ombre and teal colors shown in the left top corner. This headband is such a quick and easy pattern!! Kinga did a wonderful job with this tutorial and shared many pictures to help in each step. I am thinking the next one I make will be with a less dense yarn. There is no give in the cotton hemp which is why the hair tie is really necessary when making a headband out of this yarn. It gives that added stretch and give you need.

I am now thinking about another large project. I am considering another blanket and came across a beautiful project with a tutorial!! It is called the Primavera Flowers Granny. The tutorial is found on Dada's Place blog and written by Dragana Savkov-Bajic. The tutorial is very well written and includes terrific photos for each step. I love the color pallet she chose. I am in the process of searching for the best colors and yarn. I think that is my favorite step in deciding on a new project....the yarn search!!

Picture courtesy of Dada's Place Blog by Dragana Savkov-Bajic

Take a moment and hop over to Tami's Amis blog and check out better  other FOs!! Everyone have a great day and weekend!!

Randomness and Ramblings

Hello all. I didn't complete any projects during my stay-cation last week. I started off strong on Monday, but just didn't have the patience to count and read a pattern the rest of the week. I also injured my knee during skiing on Thursday. So the rest of my week was pretty much icing and elevating my knee.

I did take a couple of pics while skiing and enjoyed the days I could get out and play.

Gorgeous Pine run at the Canyons.

Skiing through the Pines and enjoying the freshly falling snow!

Gorgeous view in the Pines, but with some large bumps to maneuver around.

Enjoyed a quick break taking in the fresh air and beautiful view.

The run that took out my knee!! This picture was day before. The day of my injury the bumps were double in size and icy.

I'm hoping for just a strained knee and not a torn ACL, but I did hear a pop. Which really stinks since my DD is scheduled for a meniscus repair next month. Definitely not good timing to get an injury myself!!

On a cooler note, my DS had his swearing in ceremony for the Air Force this past Saturday!! They had a really great ceremony at the Maverick Center during the Grizzlies' hockey game. I am so very proud of my son for choosing to serve his country. He will be the fourth generation on my husband's side of the family to serve in the Air Force and the second generation on my side. They prep their recruits now prior to shipping off to basic training. My DS meets with his recruiter once a month and they do physical drills, tour the base, and even give them a day with a TI. I think that is great way of weeding out recruits that are just not ready for such a huge commitment. I remember so many fellow airmen that washed out within the first week of basic.

I did start on a cute mug rug. I am using the pattern by Wink on Tutsplus.com. I will finish the mug rug today and begin the cute mug cozy. The following pic is from Tutsplus.com and what she made. Mine of course is a different color pallet. I will post finish project pics later this week!!

Picture courtesy of Wink's on Tutsplus.com

Enjoy the rest of your week!! I hope to post a FO this Friday!!

Echo Spring Petal Scarf - FO Friday

Happy Friday everyone! This week has seem to just drag by for me. Maybe because I begin my Stay-cation next week. Yep, taking time off from work and enjoying some local activities. It is Spring Gruv around our town, so plenty of live music and pond skiing happening next week.

I completed my Echo Spring Petal Scarf and added a couple of wooden buttons. It isn't a very long scarf because I did make it for the cooler months so no need for a thick wrap.

Enjoy your weekend!! I plan on tackling a few more projects next week.

Echo Spring Petal Scarf - WIP

Happy Wednesday everyone!! I am working on a new scarf but with an old pattern. I did the Spring Petals Scarf  before using the Lion Brand Ozark Forest Tweed yarn in this post. I decided to re-visit this pattern and use a lighter weight yarn. I chose the gorgeous Redheart Boutique Unforgettable yarn in the Echo colorway. Its variegated colors are beautiful with the mixture of green, grey, pink, and purple. They remind me of Spring so I went with a Spring-like pattern!

This pattern is a very simple pattern but can be a bugger starting the first row and not thinking you did something wrong. Once you get about 5 rows in, it begins to fill out better.

I do love how this yarn self-stripes.

 

 

Check out other fabulous WIPs over at Tami's Amis.

Dancing in Daisies Pillow

Hello all and a Happy Friday!! If you stopped by last week you read how I completed my Dancing in Daisies Blanket! Well, after completing it I had four extra daisies remaining. I decided to whip up a quick pillow with the left overs! I completely went off the cuff and figured it out as I went.

The front of pillow consist of 4 daisy squares. I kept the look of the flat braid join to match the blanket and joined them with this technique. I then did a half double crochet (hdc) stitch border in the honey and single crochet (sc) stitch in the medium blue. 

For the backside of the pillow I went with a traditional granny square with the hdc and sc stitches as the border. I also made a filler pillow out of a cream colored cotton fabric. I joined the two sides with the medium blue in two rows of single crochet.

I am very pleased with the end result!! This was a quick and easy project! I now have the pillow bug and will have to make more! One blogger that makes wonderful pillows is Lucy at Attic 24. She just completed some really colorful and bright cushions! 

I do love my earth tones and blues, but I am in need of some bright Spring colors. Time to check out my stash and see what bright colors I have...might need to go on a yarn shopping trip. ;-)

Everyone have a great weekend!

Dancing in Daisies Blanket Completed!!!

Finally after close to a year I have completed my Dancing in Daisies Blanket! I had ran out of the honey and medium blue yarn and re-ordered back in December. The box of yarn had been sitting on top of my cabinet along with the blanket when I finally pulled them down last week. I was amazed to see that I only needed to work up 21 more squares and join them to the rest of the blanket. So I went to work and it is now complete, border and all!!

The completed afghan/blanket measures 76 inches by 44 inches. It is so soft and plush from using the Red Heart Soft yarn. I love the look of the flat braid join, but I don't think I will be using this joining method very often. It wasn't a difficult joining method once you got the first 4 squares completed. I just didn't like when the four squares are joined a slight "hole" effect is caused. I had to go back and stitch close some of these joining areas. I just felt that when you are snuggling under the blanket the holes could be snagged and then made larger through years of use. For the border, I decided to do a roll of half double crochet in the honey all around the blanket and a scallop edge using the medium blue. I am so very satisfied with the end result.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!! I am linking up with Tami's Amis' blog for more wonderful FO Fridays!

WIP - 3in1 Wrapper

Hello everyone! If you have read my blog enough, you know how much I love Pinterest. The other week I came across a great wrapper pin that I just had to find the pattern for. Luckily, it was a free online pattern through elann.com. You can also find it on Ravelry as well. I do love when I can keep track of my project through the Ravelry project page. It really is a project saver when you have stepped away from a project for awhile to be able to come back to it and know exactly what yarn and hook size you were using. It has saved me a few times.

It is called Crocheted Easy Rapper by Flora Yang. The yarn is only 1.75 oz, so a 4.5 hook. Unfortunately, I have lost do not have a 4.5 hook so I am using a 4.25 hook. I never crochet that small, so it is truly an Advanced Beginner pattern for me. Now for a look at what the end result should be:

In this picture the model is wearing it as a poncho and if you look closely there are buttons along one side that will allow you to wear it also as a cardigan or shawl. That is why I am calling it a 3in1 wrapper.

The yarn color I chose is a variegated coral. I was going to go with a blue but when I saw this color I had to snag it up!!

I'm hoping this yarn does it justice since it is 100% Acrylic and the elann Sonata Soft that the pattern used is 100% Mercerized Cotton. I thought when I bought this yarn it was the Mercerized Cotton, but I think I veered from the brand that was to this brand because of the color selection. If this yarn doesn't work out, then I will just order the Sonata Soft and do another. I'm sure I will have to hook another one for my daughter. She doesn't like this color for herself because coral doesn't go well with her skin tone. So I might be able to keep this one!!

I hope everyone's week is great! I am hitching a ride with Tami's amis blog. Please check out other WIPs!!