Vintage Pattern Fail

Well, shit.

I’ve got more hair than they did in the 1940s, apparently. And that’s with most of it shaved clean off. It’s a shame. It’s a very clever pattern, and the hat really is lovely. (You can grab the pattern here. [I do not make any cash if you buy it.])

But sometimes you take a chance, and it doesn’t work. That’s okay. I got to practice short rows (ugh) and the overall build on the hat was interesting and fun.

A few notes to help you out:

You need a #10 crochet thread. You’re gonna double-strand it. You’ll need 575 yards. I used Knitpicks Curio.
The pattern calls for a #1 Steel Crochet Hook. That can either be a 2.25mm or a 2.75mm. I used a 2.75, and it was still too small, but my stitches looked fantastic, so definitely go with that.
There’s a very good spot in the pattern to add more increases. You do a series of them after the short rows. Then, the pattern says to work even for 4 inches. Just add more increases in the early rows of the 4 inches. I don’t think the overall structure of the hat will be impacted by doing that.
There’s milliner wire in the edge of the brim. I used 1.5mm, and it was too thick. I don’t suggest going above 1mm.
I am not the person to tell you how to sew the tuck (you can see my very questionable sewing in the photo). However, if anyone’s got tips, I would happily take them.

Lastly, and hilariously, this is the first vintage pattern I’ve used in awhile that did not have a single errata (Check out the Vintage Pattern Errata Page for ones I’ve tracked down so far). So, well done lovely hat! I will eventually try this one again, but for now, I’m happy to put aside the thread and tackle something else.

The Baby Blanket of Back Injury

That is not clickbait. I got really into the surface crochet part of making this baby blanket and absolutely wrecked my left elbow, bicep, shoulder, and some spot sort of near my shoulder.

This is not my first crochet injury. It’s healing fine. Take breaks. Stretch. Learn from my (painful) mistakes.

But, I mean, look at it!

It’s worked back and forth over a chain stitch with six increases at the top edge every row. I then used surface crochet to add the extra colors in the stripes, the flower stems, and the name. I embroidered the flowers and worked a series of shells over the edge to finish it off. The goal was to create a blanket that looks like a drawing a kid might create.

For further details plus some info on how I goofed up sewing on the back fabric, here’s a video:

I made a little friend!

After many years of looking at Deja Joy’s Owl Crochet Basket, I finally sat down and made one. It’s not as firm as the ones in the pattern photos because I didn’t do the quadruple yarn strand that was recommended (my fingers would have snapped clean off), but I am very pleased with my squishy work.

Deja Joy also has a hanging basket pattern that I used to fake some storage in our apartment, and it’s also grand.

Here’s a short video about the owl, just sort of walking you through how it looks and feels: