Urban Jungle Hat

I originally found the Urban Jungle Hat pattern via Pinterest and used the original post found at Vicke Howell for Caron's site for detailed instructions and video. I also made a matching scarf with the same yarn. I initially made the hat and scarf to match a new winter coat but my mother claimed them for herself after showing me her new winter coat that also went well with the yarn colors. This photo is my mom relieving me of my matching hat and scarf.

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver, Aspen Print, 7 oz/364 yards
Hat Pattern: Urban Jungle Crocheted Slouchy Beanie
Scarf Pattern: Front post single crochet

Crocheted Baby Blanket

My dear friend Sarah gave birth to her first child, a baby girl named Kaitlynn, this past January. Little Kaitlynn arrived before I could start work on her baby blanket but that worked in my favor because mom and dad chose not to learn the baby's sex. I was unsure about what colors to choose for the yarn but after Kaitlynn's birth, I chose this combination pink, white and brown (Neopolitan) yarn.

I've been working on a few yarn projects and haven't been doing a good job of keeping track of the types of yarn I've chosen or the patterns. Thankfully, I found the wrapper for this project:

Yarn: Michael's Loops & Threads Impeccable Big! Worsted Neopolitan, 582 yards
Pattern: Half Double Crochet throughout

1|52 - 52 Week (Self Portrait) Project

This year I'm attempting the 52 Week Project...one self-portrait a week for an entire year. You would think that after completing a 365 Project (one photo a day for a year) that this would be easy however I believe it'll be much harder because:

1. It's hard to take a self portrait...focusing, using the self timer, fiddling with the tripod...all makes for a more involved photo.
2. Having one subject, me, will force me to be more creative...you can only take so many arm length photos of yourself. 
3. Having one subject, me, will force me to look at myself in all types of ways....the good, the bad and the ugly.

Since the first day of the year fell on Sunday, my aim is to take my selfie each Sunday throughout the year. Feel free to follow my project via my Flickr or 365 Project sites.


That said...here is my first submission. This photo represents me as a football fan...love them or hate them, I'm with the Cincinnati Bengals win or lose. I can honestly say I don't care much for this photo. 

1|52 Football Fan

The Birth of the Beanies

When I first started knitting a few years back my sweetie, Keith, requested a knitted hat. It wasn't until recently when I began crocheting that I was able to fulfill that request. I used my niece's hat as a guinea pig since it was smaller and I was already in the process of making a scarf for her. It turned out to be a very simple project with the help of this bobwilson123 tutorial. 

The hat began much larger than I expected and I somehow miscounted my stitches. After unraveling it and starting over from scratch I was able to successfully finish it. I made it a bit longer so that it could be worn to cover the ears or be folded up. I topped it off with a pom-pom made with a small Clover Pom-Pom maker. 

Niece's Beanie

I began Keith's beanie the night before Christmas Eve and completed it on Christmas Eve in roughly 4-5 hours total. I was able to stuff it into his stocking as a surprise. He wore it on Christmas day and even posed for me for this blog. 

Keith's Beanie

This is a great hat for beginners and can be completed in a few hours. I'm guessing next Christmas everyone will be getting a hat from Santa. 



Materials Used 
Niece's Beanie with Pom-Pom:

• I Love This Yarn - Agean Stripes, worsted weight (Hobby Lobby)
• Size 5 (H/8) Crochet Needle 
• Clover Pom-Pom Maker

Keith's Beanie:

• I Love This Yarn - Ivory Tweed, Sport Weight Tweed (Hobby Lobby)
• Size 4 Crochet Needle 

Let's Get it Started!

Scrapper | Photographer | Knitter | Reader

I think the phrase "A Jack of All Trades, A Master of None" is a good working description of me. Sometimes I wonder if I'm attempting to do too much or if I should choose one thing and try to master it. Over the years I've challenged myself to learn new things (knitting, crocheting); taken a class/workshop here and there (photography) and taken up a few projects (GoodReads 2011 Reading Challenge, 365 photo project).

Depending on the project I may be locked into a certain website that's not completely open to sharing with folks outside of that site so I've decided to do something a little different this year. I plan to continue my various projects and hobbies but I'll compile them here without any sharing restrictions. I'll commit to this upcoming year, 2012, for this project and will see how it goes. That's my normal parameter for trying anything new...I'll give it a year and if it doesn't work out I have the freedom to stop without guilt.

This blog will be part journal and part show-and-tell. I hope you will join me in this journey and follow along. You can follow along using the "Get Updates by Email" box on the bottom of the page or use your favorite RSS Reader to keep up-to-date. I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions and ideas!

Now...let's get it started!