Christmas Pom Pom Ornaments

Want some really cute, easy-to-make Christmas ornaments? How about some pom-poms. I made all of mine in red because I had a bunch of red yarn, but you could make them in pretty much any color. You could even use some of the sparkly Christmas yarns if you want. They are a great way to add a little pop of color to your tree.

Oh, and they'd be great for decorating wrapped packages, too.

Crochet Bag

So I love Lucy from Attic 24's crocheted bags. She has a Crocheted Bag pattern as well as a Jolly Chunky Bag pattern. I had chunky yarn leftover from my needlepoint pillow. So, of course, I planned to make the Jolly Chunky bag. I got the right size hook out and put it with the yarn. Well, when I went to make the bag, I accidentally downloaded the Crocheted Bag pattern. As I finished up the bottom in the above picture, I realized this bag was going to be monstrously big so I started to make some adjustments.

Here the bag is finished except for weaving in all the ends. There were a lot of ends!

Peanut the dog is jealous that the bag is getting my attention instead of her.

And, it turned out terrifically. About halfway up, I started decreasing about every other row. I just kind of eye-balled it and decreased as it needed.

Crocheted handles seem to stretch too easily with my overloaded bags so I used some recycled nylon handles. I also added a green shoestring to the top so I can close it.

And I love the little flowers that were part of the pattern. I'm really happy with this bag.

Finished Object: Heartfelt Hat

Ravelry Page

This Heartfelt Hat was made with Maureen O'Doogan's pattern. She is an amazing designer and her color combinations are simply glorious. I did make a few changes including using wool yo-yo's instead of hearts.

I also completely messed up the color work part. I've been reading up on color work and charts and wanted to try a project. Nowhere had I read that the last square of the chart is not to be worked because it's actually the first stitch of the next row. The first two rounds, I also thought I was supposed to repeat the entire chart over and over again. I kept thinking my gauge was off.

Why didn't I swatch? For one thing, the swatch would have been about as big as the color work part of the hat. Additionally, I have not learned to swatch in the round, yet. Then, there are times when I consider it more beneficial to jump in and try a small project learning as I go versus doing a swatch. By doing the project first, now I'm ready to play around with swatching in the round because I can compare them and figure out which things will be the same and which will be different. I also have a whole new set of questions about how color work goes together and I've also learned some things.

But, I also have Mastering Color Knitting now. That should help clear up some questions.

One of the things I learned is that color work comes out really, really tight. This definitely came out child size. My assumption was that it would actually be very loose. Another thing I learned is that knitting with two colors is deceivingly easy at least as far as manipulating two yarns back and forth. Now, if I can just conquer charts, I'll be set.

Book Review: Crafting a Colorful Home

 When I saw that Kristin Nicholas had written another book, I couldn't wait until it came out. I have loved her colorful style for a number of years now and Crafting a Colorful Home is no disappointment.

The entire book is filled with color from a wide variety of craft styles such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting, and embroidering. Her home exhibits a warm, cozy vibe that is cheerful and vibrant at the same time. It is just the place I'd like to spend a cold winter's day, curled up with a book or some knitting.

Unlike most decorating books and magazines that show pictures that look as if no one has ever lived there and where children and pets would have to be barred, Kristin's home has a welcoming lived-in feeling that invites all to come in and soak in the joy.

There are no projects in this book that I do not want to try. There are some that while I would not make the same project in the same colors, I would definitely use colors I like instead to accomplish the same thing.

Even people less inclined to use every color in the rainbow in their homes and on their walls can find projects of interests here. But, if you love color and yet have beige walls because you aren't quite sure how to use it, then you need this book.

I can't stop flipping through the pages for a feast of color. It is definitely my favorite craft book ever. Be sure to check out her blog.