WIPocalypse March

It's been so long! I took time off to crochet some hats as Christmas gifts. I made, I believe it was ten hats in a little bit over a month, I also got sick again in that time.

I made these hats for twin girls that live across the street, from a free pattern on Raverly.com called Rainbow Granny Stripes Hat. As you can see I did not do the striping and I added a pompom.


The next one I did for Jasmine's ballet friend, also a free pattern on Raverly.com called Front Post Beret.


It isn't supposed to swirl like this, but I like it. The pompom is missing in the pictures.


Jasmine's friend has very sensitive skin, so I had to make the hat band wider in order to fit some fine knit cloth, so the scratchy yarn wouldn't touch her skin.

I also make two of Snow on the Eaves a free pattern on Raverly.com, one was for our upstairs neighbor's daughter and one for Jasmine's ballet friend's little sister.


I made 3 of these Ben&Mikkel Hats, free pattern on Raverly.com. I figured out how to chain all three colors onto the foundation row, because otherwise whatever color you use for the first color leaves a large stripe down the side.


I made a purple Front Post Beret for a different upstairs neighbor.


As you can see, it still has the swirl.



I also did these two Christmas fairies as cards (mentioned back in September, 2015), but I forgot to take pictures of them attached to the cards.


They were quick to make up, but I can't really see doing them again.


* * * * *Do you use hoops, stretcher bars, lap stands or Q snap frames and why? (viaCathieJ)

I have one embroidery hoop, I believe it is 18 inches, it is a bit large and unwieldy. I think I should have gotten a smaller one. I also bough a scroll frame, but it too is unwieldy as it doesn't have a floor or lap stand. I don't want to buy anything more until we move back to the U.S., I think I'll take either the embroidery hoop or the scroll frame, but not both. I don't really like the scroll frame because of how it holds the fabric in by tension, and the embroidery hoop is lighter.

When we get back to the states I'd like to get a split scroll frame, kind of like this:


I would also like to get a floor stand, either like this:


or like this:


I've had a lap stand before, but I always needed to use pillows or something to boost it up to the right height for me, eventually over time it would slip down, it was very uncomfortable.

* * * * *Anyway, I left off on the Hogwarts Crest here:


I haven't worked on it since finishing crocheting all the hats. Instead I've been working on 노리개 (Norigae). I had intended to have it done for my Mother's birthday in March, but I got sick, again! So, now I'm hoping to have it done by US Mother's Day. I still need to find a framing shop.

Here are the first five done:


There was one part of the instructions that I didn't understand, the key showed to lines of yellow and two of green for back-stitching. I couldn't understand the Korean, so I asked a friend to read it, but she doesn't cross stitch and she didn't understand the meaning. I asked Soda Stitch's Facebook page, but I got impatient and just used one thread of each that was used for the yellow back-stitch. The example picture was no help since neither the yellow or green was done in the picture. I did get a reply from the Facebook page, it is an either or, you can do the metallic thread or the cotton thread they have listed. Ah, well, so I'll keep the yellow back-stitching with one thread of each option, and the green back-stitching is just metallic silver thread. But if you ever have any problems with their patterns they replied really quickly.

Here are the fifth and sixth finished, I have three more to complete and a little less than a month, since I'll need to hand it over to a framer and mail it:


If you are looking to buy this design, or other Soda Stitch designs you can look here.

Phew! That got really long.


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