The Violet Beauregard skirt

YAY! I got in my yarn from elann.com! It's amazing, considering I only ordered it late Thursday night! They shipped it Friday, and it arrived here at work today! Sometimes you just have to love the US Postal Service.

Sadly, I left my copy of The Happy Hooker at my sister's so I STILL can't start on my Violet Beauregard skirt. Which is sad, because I so want to make it! I mean NOW! Right now! Where's my hook? I WANT MY SKIRT!

In the meantime, I think I'll go fondle my Sonata yarn. French blue, tapestry blue, and Alaskan blue. I love it...

Magic Yarn Ball, Anyone?

I recently heard about magic yarn balls on one of the knitting podcasts, and I immediately thought, "I MUST DO IT!" I mentioned the idea to Jenlar and Ishy over at Craft Wonderland, and they agreed. So, it's official: we're going to do a swap. Our first, actually.

Okay, by now you may be wondering, "What IS a magic yarn ball?" A magic yarn ball is like a little treasure hunt meets knitting and crochet. Here's the idea...people sign up, just like for any other swap (duh!). You get your partner's name and stuff, just like any other swap. But this time, the goodie basket is IN THE YARN. Instead of making a little package, full of wonderful little things, you buy a skein, ball, or hank of yarn. Then, you start rolling it into a ball. As you go, you wind all the little treats up into the ball! You can hide everything, so it's all a surprise, or you can leave little bits peeking out to offer a taste of what's to come. Then you ship it off...with the label from the yarn, of course!

You've had your fun, but now it's your partner's turn! They receive this wonderful little ball of goodness, maybe tied with a ribbon or with things sticking out. (Why am I suddenly thinking of Katamari Damacy?) Now it's time to get to work: starting crocheting or knitting! As they work, more of the goodies are exposed. Common items are candy, ribbons, buttons, stitch markers, little things of lotion (wrapped securely!), and silk flowers. Handmade goodies are always appreciated, of course!

We haven't set a deadline yet, so if you want to join us, head on over to Craft Wonderland and let us know!

Some examples of magic yarn ball goodness...
Whip Up's cute kid's myb
Stitch Marker's chronicle of her magic yarn ball
Another myb blog entry, this one from The Heathen Housewife
An old magic yarn ball swap at Craftster
Tons of magic yarn ball pics from a flickr group

Belliveau Shores-Gulf Cove Hat!

I finished crocheting my first hat from a pattern (about a week and a half ago)! Yay me! And not only that: I customized the pattern!

I love hats, and cloches are one of my favorite styles! So when I saw THIS pattern, I couldn't wait to try it! I really couldn't justify going out and buying more yarn, though, and I had three skeins of Paton's Classic Wool in black...which, conveniently, makes up about three-quarters of my wardrobe.

Okay, so I have some really great (if basic) yarn that I bought on sale...except that it's thinner than the Lamb's Pride Bulky for which the Belliveau Cove pattern was written, and thicker than the Lily Sugar and Creme called for in the Gulf Shores hat. But I really can't go buy more yarn. So, I forged ahead and customized the pattern.

Like I said, I used Patons Classic Wool. That yarn calls for a size 7 hook, but I only have a G and an H, and none of the stores carry a 7. So I used a G. I added an extra round of double crochet stitches after round six; I increased it by one stitch every six, for a total of eighty-four stitches going into the shell stitch portion. If I were to do it again, I would make my increase round single crochet or half double, and add an extra round of shell stitches before the shaping the bell (round thirteen in the pattern). But I had already frogged several rounds to go back and add the extra round on the crown, and I was not about to crochet the same section a third time! Instead I added a single crochet edging, which helped lengthen it just a bit.

All in all, though, I'm very happy with my new black hat. :) And just in time for the really cold weather (by Atlanta standards) from the last week. Now I'm making an amigurumi "Fat Kitty" from Crochet Me. :) Light blue with embroidered eyes, since it's for a baby boy!