Crochet Oven Mitt

When I go to Hobby Lobby, I like to check the clearance yarn. I often get really good deals on my beloved I Love This Yarn! brand this way. Without fail, the one kind of yarn I always find in the clearance section for really cheap is the funky, ruffle-y yarn. I, for some reason, threw away the wrapper, and I can't remember what brand it was, so...sorry. The closest I can find is the sashay yarn by Red Heart, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Red Heart. Here is a picture, though.

Does it look familiar? ANYWAY. Long story short I've never really found a use for this yarn. Then, I thought, "Hey, this yarn - when not pulled apart - is kind of like bulky yarn. I bet I could use it in bulky yarn projects." So I bought it. And had zero inspiration of something to make with bulky yarn. Until I realized that my oven mitts are starting to die. Like, holes right by the thumb, where hot stuff touches all the time. Great place for a hole, I know. Now, I've tried making hot pads with normal cotton yarn, and it is just not thick enough to protect your hands. You have to double it up (a pattern for this is coming soon). I wanted to try bulky yarn, but it's fairly expensive compared to normal yarn. SO, I decided to use my funky yarn. Whoo.

It took two skeins of the stuff, but my hand is fully protected in this giant oven mitt. Really. It's big. It fits my husband's hands, and they are GIANT.

This is made with plain ole double crochets, but, because the yarn is so thick, it looks like I did something special to it. 

Crochet Oven Mitt Pattern:

Yarn: the weird yarn I described earlier or (I imagine) normal bulky or super bulky yarn.

Hook: 10 mm hook. I think this is a "P" hook, but the writing has rubbed off, so I'm not 100% sure.

For this pattern, when I say "inc," it means "increase" - which means 2 dc in that st. When I say "7dc," or something like that, I mean to dc in the next 7 sts. Don't make 7dc in one st. 

You're going to start with a magic circle, which is a fun challenge with the big yarn. If you're not comfortable with those, just chain three and make the eight double crochets into the first chain (the other two chains will NOT count as a dc). If you are, great. 8 dc in the magic circle. Join.

Ch 2. 2 dc in each st around. Join.

Ch 2. [Inc, 7dc] twice. Join.

Ch 2. Dc around. Join.

{Ch 2. [Inc, 8dc] around. Join} do this twice, and then fasten off.

Join 2nd color 3 sts before where you fastened off. Ch 2. 3dc. Ch 8. Sk 1 st (this includes the knot where you fastened off). This will create the thumb hole. Dc the rest of the way around. Join.

Ch 2. Dc around, including 1 in each of the 8 chs.

Ch 2. 5dc. Dc2tog. 10dc. Dc2tog. 6dc. Join.

Ch 2. 4dc. Dc2tog. 10dc. Dc2tog. 5dc. Join.

Ch 2. 4dc. Dc2tog. 4dc. Dc2tog. 3dc. Dc2tog. 2dc. Dc2tog. Join.

Ch 2. Dc around. Join. Fasten off.

Join into the open thumb hole you created earlier. Sc around. Make four rounds of sc before you start sc2tog-ing until the thumb hole is pretty much closed. You can either sew it closed, or just kind of sl st it closed. Just go with what you feel. And then fasten off and weave in your ends.

What do you think of the pattern?

Hexagon Baby Blanket

So, my cousin is having a baby soon, and her shower is on Saturday. I decided to make her a blanket, and since I love hexagon "squares," that was what I used to make her blanket. 

She's having a boy, so I decided on some pretty bold colors. Although, I think they would really work for girls, too. But baby girls generally get boring pale colors, a tradition I intend to break if I ever have a girl.

I used Red Heart Love yarn...because I was at Walmart when I bought the yarn, and I liked the colors and the yarn was passably soft. Having worked with it now, I don't love it, but I don't hate it. I reminds me of the texture of the Lion Heart Vanna's Choice yarn. Good not great. It's just not as soft as my beloved I Love This Yarn. Another note: I used three skeins, and they combined to barely make one baby-size blanket. And it's a newborn size blanket. Keep that in mind if you decide to use their yarn.

Hexagon Baby Blanket

Yarn: Acrylic
Hook: J

If you've ever made a granny square anything, this is very similar. You'll make a bunch of hexagons, and you'll combine them together in whatever pattern you want. You will be using a cluster stitch a LOT. And here it is:

Cl: Yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, draw through a loop, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, draw through another loop, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, draw through a loop, yarn over, pull through all loops.

If that seems like a lot of yarning over, it is. But it works up quickly.

Hexagon pattern:
Ch. 4. Join to 1st ch with a slst to form a ring. Ch. 2. [Cl, ch. 2] 6 times in ring. Connect to first cl with a sl st.

Ch 2. *[Cl. ch 2. Cl.] Ch 1.* around. Connect to first cl with a sl st.

Ch 2. *[Cl. ch 2. Cl.] in the same st. Ch 1. Cl. Ch 1. Cl. Ch 1.* around. Connect to first cl with a sl st. Fasten off.

Join the second color in any corner. Ch 2. *[3dc, ch 1, 3dc in the corner]. 3dc in each ch1sp.* around. Fasten off.

Make as many hexagons as you need to make the size you want. To join your hexagons together, I like this method. But I ended up doing my own version of this method because I couldn't remember how to properly do it. My way definitely creates an edge along the join, whereas the other method makes the project lay flat. I've used the other method before on the one other blanket I've made, and I prefer it. But here's how I did this one, just in case you're interested:

Hold two hexagons together. Join the yarn in the corner of both pieces (You will be making all the sts in both pieces unless otherwise noted). Ch 1. Sc in the same corner as join. Ch 2. Sc in the space between the corner and the first group of 3dcs. Ch 2. Sc in the next sp. Do this until you reach the corner. Sc in the corner, then take ch 1. Take the next hexagon piece you will be adding, and sc the two pieces you want to join. Continue the pattern, using a ch 1 and a sc to join in new pieces at the corners.

Does that need more clarification, or does it make sense? Please, please, please let me know if that description is fuzzy at all or if you have any concerns/questions. Thanks!