Crocodile Stitch Collar

I LOVE the crocodile stitch!  LOVE it.  The flair!  The drama!  The texture!  I swoon...

image from Yarn Muse 
If you're interested in learning this stitch I found her blog and tutorial videos very helpful!

I've been wanting to make something using this stitch for a while now but knew it couldn't be just any ol' thing.  It needed to be special.  And then I finished  my baby sister's birthday gift.  This wasn't a standard gift; these were a little dramatic and, well, special.  And my other sister had a birthday coming up...eureka!  Living in Colorado, I didn't know how practical wristwarmers would be.  If she was out and about, she'd probably want her fingers to be just as warm as everything else.  I settled on a collar/neckwarmer--maximum warmth, room for heightened drama, and not so long (like a scarf) that I grew weary of the project way before it was finished.  Perfect!

I am so happy with the results!  There really isn't a pattern here, I just did a chain in multiples of 3, measuring it against my neck until I found a width I was happy with.  And then I started crocodile stitchin'!  About halfway through I decided I really wanted the scales to face down on both sides so I actually made one half, crocheted the other side a few rows longer, and then connected the two pieces with a seam in the back.  Then I added some black ribbon to tie and mailed it off!  I can't wait to see pictures of my gorgeous sister wearing this!

Chain Loop Scarf

My girls have been asking for scarves for a while now but I've been busy with other projects and, to be frank, I find them rather tedious and boring.  Then I saw this free pattern by Hidden Daisyy and knew I had found the solution!  I made one for each of my daughters in an afternoon.  I think they are super cute, versatile and the pattern is REALLY easy!  This is an ideal project for someone just learning to crochet.  Because I was making them for a 2 year old and 4 year old I used a K hook (instead of an N) for a slightly smaller chain and only made 9 chains.  This scarf can be worn long, more like a necklace, or looped twice for extra warmth.

Wrist warmers

My baby sister's birthday was at the beginning of December, when I was in the throes of panicked gift crocheting.  She was super understanding when I asked if I could move her gift to the end of my queue and finish it up after the holidays.  (Isn't she great?!)  Aside from not liking giving a gift that late, I hated to put it off because I was so excited about it!  I saw a picture on pinterest that really got my crochet juices flowing: wrist warmers (or gauntlets or long cuffs or fingerless gloves).  No matter what you call them, I had this picture in my head of how awesome they would be and my sister is definitely cool enough to pull them off.  After much debating, I settled on a peacock blue/green.  I used Caron's Simply Soft--I love this yarn!  After searching through free patterns online I realized that nothing was quite what I wanted and the only issue was making sure they weren't too small and having the right number of stitches for the shells.  Easy!  

I absolutely love how these turned out!  My eldest daughter was immediately smitten and has requested a pair of her own, in blue.  I think I may need a pair too...