Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 28

Day 28: Design a coffee cozie

I did the wrong challenge today. So we are going to pretend that today is the coffee cozie day. What I really should do is go edit the day where I listed out what everything was going to be and then you would never be the wiser!

I present, a coffee cozie two ways:

 

 The cup sleeve (which I would use on a paper or styrofoam cup, not a travel mug) is just a stretchy band. I started with a foundationless double crochet row and worked in rounds with the right side facing. Alternate a front post double crochet and a back post double crochet.

The mug cozy design is not original to me, but there were many like this out there so I wouldn’t know who to credit. I didn’t follow a pattern though. Start by crocheting around in a circle (from a joined chain ring) for a couple rounds, then work back and forth leaving two or three stitches unworked to create an opening for the handle. I did the button loops as I went. The buttons are as follows:
Rd 1: Start with magic ring (leaving long tail), ch1, 4 sc in ring, join
Rd2: ch 1, 2 sc in each sc, join
Rd 3: ch 1, sc2tog 4 times stuffing in long tail as you work, join
End off leaving a long tail for sewing on button, weave tail through the opening to close up the button

Here’s a side view of the mug cozie. I’m talking with my mom about embroidering some felt rectangles that say “I love coffee” to sew onto this side!

A view of the cozies off the cups.

I think the cup sleeve would also make a cute bracelet / armband / wrist warmer.

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Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 27

Day 27: Create something using a jumbo hook

 

That’s my jumbo hook, which you may have seen in the posts about broomstick lace and i-cord, shown next to an F-hook for comparison. I have no idea what size my jumbo hook is and it doesn’t really matter all that much because jumbo hook patterns usually are not gauge-critical.

Jumbo Hook Hat

Materials: Jumbo hook
ww yarn in two colors (mine is acrylic)

Hold two strands together and work as one
Start with a magic ring
Rd 1: ch 1, 6 sc into ring, join (6 sc)
Rd2: ch 1, 2 sc into each st, join (12 sc)
Rd3: ch 1, *(2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st)* around, join (18sc)
Rd4: ch 1, *(2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 st)* around, join (24 sc)
Rd5+: Do not join, but work in a spiral, sc in each st until desired hat height. (Mine looks to be about 7 rounds of this, so 11 rounds total before the last round)
Last Rd: Sl st in each st and join

This is pretty much your basic sc hat pattern. The amount of rounds you need to increase (rounds 1 through 4) will depend on your hook size, yarn weight, and the circumference of the head for the hat.

And now, some ridiculous self-portraits of me. I’ve decided the hat can be worn two ways.

The first way is like a skull cap. Or in my case, a retro swimming cap look.

And the way I will likely wear it – pulled back on my head so that it looks like a bonnet-type thing or Amish head covering. Good way to hide a bad hair day…or maybe it makes it worse. You decide.

PS It’s my birthday! When I was growing up, on my birthday my mom and dad would blast Birthday by the Beatles on the stereo first thing in the morning.

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Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 26

Day 26: Create a belt, purse, or other accessory

For this challenge, I worked on a project for my mom. I had already made a sparkly scarf and she wanted a little clutch purse to match that was big enough for driver’s license and phone.  If I know my mom well enough, it also needs to hold a lip balm.

I came up with the scarf and the clutch on my own. I don’t have time to write out a pattern, but I can give you the basics. The scarf is just a v-stitch. Chain as long as you want and start the first v-stitch (dc, ch, dc) in the 5th or 6th ch from the hook (counts as first dc and skip two ch), then skip 2 ch and make another v-stitch across, ending with a final dc in the last ch. If you have too many chains for the pattern to work out right, just leave them unworked because you can undo it when you go to weave in the ends. The next row, you ch 3 (counts as dc) and v-stitch in each v-stitch ending with a dc in the top of ch 3.

The clutch is also very easy. I used half double crochet to make a rectangle that when folded over was the size I wanted for my clutch. Once it is the right size, you begin the top flap. My flap uses shells (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) with a dc at each end. You work this just like the v-stitch for the scarf except do shells instead. Once I made the clutch, I wanted the scarf to coordinate, so I added a shell edging on the scarf.

 

I made my own little button to close the clutch. I made a ring and put several single crochets in the ring and joined. Then I slipped stitched across the back through the sc  on the opposite side to made the circle an oval button. The button feeds through the space in the shell of the flap.

 

 

 

In case you can’t see the button and think I’m making you look at one of those stare until your eyes go crossed and you can see the picture, I’ve circled the button.

 I might add a little wrist strap to the corner of the clutch just to prevent dropping, but this yarn (Plymouth 24K) is really stretchy so I don’t think it will work out right.

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Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 21

Day 21: Design a pillow

 

Easy peesy pillow.  This guy is little (about 10″x10″), but I would love to make a bigger one. The pattern is my own, but the cable pattern came from a fingerless mitt pattern in one of my many magazines. I’m making up for a flaky go on the cable challenge day!

I used a fine sport weight yarn, but I doubled it up except on the edging. It’s also blue though it looks white in the pictures. I am admittedly not a photographer. The back side of the pillow is just plain single crochet.

It would probably look better with a pillow form of some kind, but I didn’t have one so I used polyester fiberfill.

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Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 20

Day 20: Try Finger Crochet

AND, here’s another “yep, I tried it.” They invented hooks for a reason, haha. For tutorials on how to do it, check out YouTube

2 homespuns (supposedly same dye lot, HAH!) & a boucle

 

Working it

Benjamin helped me with a few stitches

Getting longer, kids scarf maybe?

 I was also able to finish up the fingerless mitts for my booth neighbor Cheryl. My mother-in-law found her website!

Gloves for my booth neighbor Cheryl

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Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 19

Day 19: Make a project using only scrap yarn

 

Custom Book Cover

 

Very easy to make! Crochet one piece to the size of the outer cover (front, back, and spine). Crochet two smaller flap pieces the same height as the edges of your first piece. Line up the flap pieces and pin into place. Slip stitch around the edges with the outside facing you, making sure to go through both thicknesses to attach the flaps. Voila! If you are using scraps, crochet over the edges as you go to eliminate weaving in the ends.

My book had ties, so I just fed them through the work with a crochet hook so I could still fasten the book!

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Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 16

Day 16: Embellish a greeting card

Handmade greeting card: Cardstock, size 10 crochet thread, size 8 steel hook, yarn needle, clear tape. I was able to use the yarn needle to poke through the card stock and I knotted the ends on the back side of the card. Then I taped the ends down with clear tape. Voila!

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Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 15

Day 15: Create a piece of jewelry

Had a rather disappointing day today. I went to the harvest festival in Mt Laurel and sold not a thing except to my mother-in-law and a dear friend. I’m trying hard not to be discouraged and if it weren’t for this challenge I would probably be saying F it for a while. But I trudge on and present:

A flower ring. I wanted something that worked up very quickly and this did. It took about 20 minutes, mostly due to figuring out what I wanted to make. D-hook and size 3 crochet thread.

Crocheted jewelry is really fascinating.  I would love to make more of it like earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Here is a bracelet I made for myself earlier this year:

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Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 14

Day 14: Design an ornament or fridgie

 

What is a fridgie? It’s a small crocheted refrigerator magnet, usually flat and food, shapes, flowers, etc.  I chose to make this pumpkin fridgie because of the yarn scraps I had though normally I like to make lacy thread ornaments. I’m not super proud of this creation. I had hoped for a charming little pumpkin, but he’s got an attitude. It looks like he’s giving me the finger.

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Crochet-a-Day Challenge: Day 13

Day 13: Create a baby bib, booties, or hat

 

I present a toddler bonnet! I have a friend who was concerned that her two-year-old was too old to wear bonnets. So I decided to make her one. Unfortunately, this bonnet ended up a bit large and nearly fits me if it were just a little longer top to bottom! My friends made fun of my model, so here it is on my son. Which is worse? Haha.

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