I really enjoyed the sequence of front post double crochets that form the ribbing. With as slowly as I crochet, having measurable milestones along the way really helps me stay focused and encouraged. Each set of stitches felt terminated by an FPDC, like I’d just completed another section.

It also made counting easier… I’m really bad at counting when I’m doing a long series of the same stitch.

The flower was just something I made while fiddling with in the same yarn. I did probably 3 different flower concepts before one turned out. Once the Divine Hat was done, I felt like it needed something more, so I tacked the flower on and it worked out great!

I think I can call this hat a success!

Stay tuned for one update… I had to add flaps to keep her ears warm!

I found out in May that a friend was having a baby in July… and I wanted to make something special for their family. So off I went in search of simple baby blankets! Luckily, my friend half_moon_doublecrochet pointed me to this one…

Beginners Round Ripple

by Donna Mason-Svara

I snagged some Lion Brand Big Scoop at Michael’s and got started!

The pattern was remarkably easy to work up while not paying a whole lot of attention to what I was doing. I got to practice decreases and increases, as well as yarn changes… and you know how sometimes when you’ve done 100 of the same stitch in a row you get kinda burned out? Well, the slight change at each point and valley in the pattern broke up the work just enough that it wasn’t boring or tedious.

It did work up just a smidge weirdly, though, thanks to the quick color changes in Big Scoop yarn. I used the Blueberry (white-blue variegated) as the primary yarn, with periodic rows of Cookies & Cream (white-gray variegated) to break it up… and there are places where the whites from each yarn ended up aligned, so it doesn’t actually break it up fully. If I do this pattern again, I’ll likely use a solid-colored yarn in place of the Cookies & Cream.

I used a small stretch of Lion Brand Jeans (Vintage color) yarn to do a solid final border, which I think helped finish it out nicely… but would have been way too dark for the interior separating rows.

Anyway, I was pretty dang happy with the final product, for my first baby blanket ever… and I’ve gotten to see the little guy tucked in with this one a couple times, and it warms my heart!

(And if you like my stuff… you’ll love half_moon_doublecrochet’s stuff! Check her out below!)

The first person that came to mind for me was my daughter, whose hair is constantly falling in her face… and what could be easier to crochet than a simple headband? I mean, it’s a small rectangle that joins at the ends!

Right?

…Right?

On a related note, have you ever noticed that when you’re a beginning at something, sometimes even the easiest things are way harder than you expect them to be?

So anyway, moving on… I spent a few months making headbands. One after another. Perfecting my craft. I am now the best headband crocheter in the west.

Maybe not.

I did spend a few months doing nothing but headbands, though. The one pictured above was my second. I swear I didn’t take pictures of the first. *cough*

That said, looking back at how uneven my stitching was back then… I have to admit I feel pretty encouraged. Maintaining even tension and stitching is something I still struggle with now, 6 months or so later, but at least it’s better than that!

So here are a few of the ones I finished. There are more… I just can’t find pictures! Maybe I’ll add them later…

My new yarn arrived.

I don’t know when I will emerge from this cottony heaven, but… don’t wait up.

…let’s just say I’m not very good at estimating how long crochet projects take yet.

Point being, I’ve wanted to do some blog posts to update y’all on my projects, but I’ve been too busy actually DOING them! (Well, that and playing Rocket League, but that addiction is its own ball of yarn.)

I’ve definitely got some updates coming down the pipe, though. It’s just a matter of writing them. 😀