Polar hat - pattern

While I was flying from San Francisco to Paris on Wednesday, I was so nervous (or better to say, terrified) that I had do do something... Once again crochet saved me, giving me something else to think about. So I came up with this hat for my aunt who is seriously ill and will need it. I made it with less than a skein of Rowan Polar, leftover from my mom's poncho (previous post). I've started following Sandra Huffines' chemo cap pattern, and then change it as it follows:

Hook: US 11 / 8mm
Gauge: loose



Rnd 1: Chain 4, join in round. Ch2 , work 11 dc into ring, join.
Rnd 2: Ch2, in next st *2dc in ea st* around, join. (23)
Rnd 3: Ch2, in next st *1dc in next st, 2dc in next st* around, join. (34 dc)
Rnd 4: Ch2, in next st *1dc in next 2st, 2dc in next st* around, join. (45 dc)

Rnd 5-7: Ch 1, hdc in every st around, do not join.
Rnd 8-14: Ch 1, sc in every st around, do not join.
Rnd 15: Ch 1, sc in 3 sts, *decrease 1 sc every 4 sts*. Join.

Rnd 16: Work (sc, ch2) in every st around, join.
Fasten off.

From Brussels

Hello everybody,
as I promised here I am from abroad. Here the weather is rainy, so not much of a change from the Bay Area ;-) and I've just received 3 skeins of Noro Kureyon 154 that I had previously ordered on E-Bay UK. Sweet!
Later this afternoon I'll post the picture of the Eleanor Poncho that I have just finished and a coordinate hat I've made while I was on the plane (praying for my safety ;-). Since then here's a nice pic of the Belgian Capital.

Here is the pic, as promised. As you can see, the Poncho still needs to be washed and blocked as to shape it correctly, but I am so bad at washing wool that I'll give it to my mom as it is, and she will fix it. Hope she'll like it anyway.

Out of town...

Just a quick post to announce that I will be out of the country (and in part out of the Internet... ARGH!!!) for a while. I'll be leaving next Wednesday for Brussels, Belgium, to see my dad and then I'll spend the Easter Holidays in northern France with my mom. While in Brussels I'll be able to check e-mail forums and Blogs, but starting April the 8th I will enter a total Internet blackout period until April 29th. I will miss you all!! But hopefully when I'm back I'll have some new project to post. I'm leaving with a suitcase full of wool and 2 books of patterns :-)

By the way, I've finished the PONCHO! I cannot believe it! :-D
I'll post a pic when I'm back! Yuppeeeee! I've also sent my 8 squares to Jimmie Lu for the Amigos project, and now I'm ready to start a whole new set of blocks for the 200 Crochet Blocks CAL !!! :-)

And to finish, I made a couple of tests and I must say they're just right. Look at the pic, it's my favourite pastry ever, Pain au Chocolat! Mhhhhh and guess what's my favourite pie?! ;-)

You Are French Food

Snobby yet ubiquitous. People act like they understand you more than they actually do.

What Kind of Food Are You?

You Are Apple Pie

You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional. Those who like you crave security

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Squares that don't get along

Since I got the book 200 Crochet Blocks I've started crocheting like crazy using all the small amounts of leftover yarn that I had, thinking about making some squares for a pillow cover. I chose the squares patterns randomly, just for fun, and here are the results.



As you can see, the single squares are pretty, but they don't really get along one with the other. So now I have 8 squares and I don't know what to do with them!!! :-/ Maybe some potholders...?

If I haven't been wise with my crochet squares, luckily the knitting is going a bit better. I've been progressing a lot with my mom's poncho. While I was knitting it, I've realized why I never star big projects and I usually prefer to work on smaller item. I love to switch from one type of yarn to the other. I'm a single-skein crocheter/knitter. I love changing continuously gauge, hooks, and patterns. With such a big project the creative part is soon over and the rest of the work is just the same, every row... Kind of boring. Said that, I LOVE how the poncho is proceeding. It will be so rich, soft and warm! :-)

English or Continental knitting?

Which one do you prefer?
I can't decide. To be honest I discovered the Continental knitting just a few weeks ago, thanks to this great website KnittingHelp.com, and I'm trying it (only knit, purl is too complicated). I must say that when my right arm is tired, a little bit of continental knitting helps, but only if I'm using steel needles, because Takumi Bamboo needles have a very round ending and I cannot hook the yarn.

Today I've been progressing 10 rows on my mom's poncho and, I must say, Continental knitting made me go much faster in stockinette stitch than the throwing method. I speed up like a flash! This way I could be done for Easter... At the beginning my gauge was tighter than with the other method, but after a few rows it was exactly the same. Continental knitting conquered me! Wow!

Felting and fulling by hand

That's it I wanted to try felting so long, and finally I did it. I don't have a washing machine so I tried by hand. At the end of the process my hands were way more ruined than the little purse I was trying to felt, or I should say full (see difference here), but in the end something happened. I'm not sure I should redo the process to shrink it more, but I guess I won't.

I used Cascade 220 yarn in pink (col 7805), Dawn dish soap, ultra hot water and a bowl of very cold water. Passing from one to the other for at least 15-20 mins. This was my rehearsal before starting the "booga bag" I'm planning to knit. What do you think? Should I re-felt it to have a more compact texture?

I've also progressed a little with my mom's poncho, I've finished the collar and now started the body. I hope I'll make it in time for Easter!!! Hopefully I can count on my cat's help... as usual ;-) This reminds me I have to finish my sister's Amigurumi dog!! I'm running so late in all the projects!!!

Finally, on e-Bay I bought the "Amigurumi Collection vol. 1" book, and to be sincere I was expecting something more. I mean all the amigurumi are made using the same technique (rounds increased 6 sts per row), so the book is kind of superfluous, anyway the pictures are cute and the animals in it definitely nice.

Crocheted Bikini Progress Icons

Bikini Icons by

Tote bag progress icons

I'm in the icon-loop, I'm making icons for every project that I have in mind... Subtracting precious time to actually making the projects... I know... But I'm in a Photoshop trip. Again feel free to use this icons if you want, just link me if you would :-)

Tote Bag Icons by


For this bag I want to use the lovely Booga Bag Pattern, look how cute is this web site, with all those booga bags pics!!!!



Coming up next... Bikini bars!

Poncho Knitting Bars

I've been trying to use the lovely Knitting Progress Tracker by Indigirl, but apparently Blogspot doesn't support JavaScript :-/
Anyway, I spent the last hour making my own poncho icons, feel free to use them if you can put a JavaScript in your Blog :-)

Here they are:

I've also made some "progress poncho icons". Feel free to download them to your blog. Please do not link directy those files, it would hurt my bandwidth. If you decide to use those icons, I would appreciate a link to this blog :-)

Poncho Bars by

Polar is Here!

It's here! It's here! I've just received it!!
What? But the 10 balls of Rowan Polar color Jaffa that I had ordered on e-Bay! I'm SO happy!!!!!!!!! :-D
The color is actually even better that I expected, and it's so soft and rich. O my goodness, I'm so excited, I can't wait to start the
Eleanor Poncho for my Mom!! Yuppeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Crochet Caddy - Double

Finally I managed to make a crochet hook caddy. I've used the amazing pattern by Crochet Cafe. But because I have been shopping online lately, I now have a big bunch of hooks, so I made the pattern double.

Basically I followed the instructions given in the Crochet Cafe pattern, but instead of making the front flap I started another crochet caddy, upside down.

And here it is! It's a bit bigger that I thought, and it's not something that you can carry with you. So I'm thinking of making a smaller version, single folded, to carry just 4 hooks. You know, for traveling. Anyway this caddy certainly brought a bit of order in my messy crochet stuff.

Needle Master, I Love You

Finally all my bidding on e-Bay gave some results. I've received the fantastic, marvelous, wonderful, outstanding Boyle Needle master. Yooohoooo! I LOOOVE it, and even if I'm a very bad knitter, I don't care I wanna knit the world with my needlemaster!!!

I already started to knit a pillow cover, and I already can see that the results will be very poor... But who cares!? My next step will be knitting a poncho from the lovely book "Viva Poncho", I've chosen this one, it's called ELEANOR. Isn't it lovely? I'll do it for my mom.


My only problem now is buying the Rowan Polar yarn necessary for the project, and apparently is not easy, not even on e-Bay. I thought I made it today, but at the very last 20 sec on the auction someone bided 1 dollar more than me and got the yarn :-(
I guess, I'll try again... or I'll go to Article Pract in Oakland and ask for a substitute yarn...