Butterfly Hat

I made this butterfly hat using Valerie Whitten's Olivia's Butterfly pattern, found on Ravelry. I used a J hook and some stash worsted weight yarn. Overall, I didn't really like this pattern. The butterfly motif doesn't look as good as it does on the pattern (though it's much better than the picture shows, once it's on someone's head!). I probably won't be making this pattern again.

Time on this project: 2 hours and 5 minutes
Time total: 100 hours and 40 minutes

This concludes my Odyssey project! I will donate my second batch of projects to Safe Harbor when I'm home in Greenville during my Thanksgiving break.

Accidentally Mobius Cowl

I made this cowl from this Accidental Cowl pattern. However, when I first started the cowl I accidentally started it as a mobius cowl. The pattern turned out to be aptly named! Regardless, I like this pattern. It was simple and really let the gorgeous yarn take center stage. I used bulky Loops & Threads Charisma yarn that I found on sale at AC Moore. I also used an N hook and initially chained 88.

Time on this project: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Time total: 98 hours and 35 minutes

Baby Comfort Blanket

I used Red Heart's Baby Comfort Blanket pattern and a J hook to make this blanket. I used Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn! to make it. I ran out of yarn, so I ended the pattern early, making the border ruffle simpler. I really liked this pattern! The alternating stitches kept the pattern from being boring. My camera doesn't capture color well; the blanket is actually more blue/green.

Time on this project: 9 hours, 10 minutes
Time total: 96 hours, 50 minutes

Alewife Hat

To make this hat, I used the Alewife Hat pattern from Ravelry, Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice yarn, and an H hook. I really like the main stitch used in this pattern - front post double crochet. It adds a lot of texture to the hat. The only modification I made to the original pattern is that I ended it early and it's not a slouch hat.

Time on this project: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Time total: 87 hours, 40 minutes

Winter's Twist headband

I used the Winter's Twist Headband pattern from Beatrice Ryan Designs to make this headband out of leftover Red Heart Super Saver yarn. To compensate for the gauge of the yarn, I used an I hook (though I didn't change the initial number of chains). It was tricky to refrain from twisting the chain while joining the ends - my first attempt failed. Other than that, I loved this pattern! I also thought the dark green and white colors made a nice combination.

Time on this project: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Time total: 86 hours, 35 minutes

Deeply Textured Hat

Here's another potential guy hat. This time I used the Deeply Textured Hat pattern by Amy Depew over at The Laughing Willow. I initially made a purple and white version of this for my mom and she absolutely loved it. So I figured the Safe Harbor folks will too! This one is dark brown (darker than the picture shows) and black. The only changes I made to the original pattern were to start with a magic loop, crochet it in the round, and using an I hook instead of a J hook. I used Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn brand. I love this pattern! It's quick and - most importantly - interesting!

Time on this project: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Time total: 84 hours, 25 minutes

Easiest Headwrap Ever

Headbands are great uses for those half-finished skeins of yarn lying around. I made this one with some stash Red Heart yarn, an H hook, and the Easiest Headwrap Ever pattern from Ravelry. The only adjustment I made was to freehand the edges closed instead of using a button. Honestly, the pattern was pretty mediocre. I probably won't use it again. Also, the picture below doesn't show the color well - the yarn is more of a light moss green.

Time on this project: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Time total: 82 hours, 15 minutes

Skater Beanie

I've crocheted several items for girls during the course of this Odyssey project, so I figured it was about time for me to crochet a guy item. Using some Red Heart worsted weight stash yarn and an I hook, I made this Skater Beanie from Ravelry. The pattern is written for DK weight yarn, so I stopped the increase rows at round 6 since I used worsted weight. Overall, I liked this pattern. It was simple, quick, and the final project looks nice.

Time on this project: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Time total: 80 hours

Cozy Flowered Headband

Along with slouchy hats, headbands are a popular item right now. Especially with the couple of freezing cold weeks we've had this winter in Arkansas! I used this Cozy Flowered Headband pattern on Ravelry, an I hook, and some Caron Simply Soft yarn from my stash. The yarn skeins were the passion and lavender colorways from Caron. The headband pattern itself was mediocre, but I adore the flower pattern! I've used it on a few other projects as well. Instead of using a button to close the headband, I free-handed a seam.

Time on this project: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Time total: 78 hours, 55 minutes

Kisses Slouchy Beanie

It seems like slouchy hats are all the rage right now. I found this Kisses Slouchy Beanie pattern on Ravelry (of course!) as a free download. This is the first slouchy hat I've ever crocheted, and I have to say it was a really fun project! The crossed stitches pattern was also new to me. I found it interesting and enjoyable, and I'd like to use it for a cowl or something in the future. I used some stash Red Heart Super Saver Solids yarn and an H hook.

Time on this project: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Time total: 76 hours, 10 minutes

Effortless Cowl

I went to Michael's to browse for more yarn and found some gorgeous Loops and Threads Charisma yarn on sale for half off. Each skein was only $1.25! I had never crocheted with bulky yarn before, so I got a few skeins to try it out. I chose this Effortless Cowl pattern. Based on Ravelry user comments, I chained 130 for the foundation instead of the pattern's recommended 87. I'm glad I did this, since it's just long enough to loop twice around my neck. 87 chains would have been far too short.

Overall, I decided that bulky yarn is sometimes difficult to work with. However, the difficulty could be due to the pattern - half double crochet (hdc) stitches can be tricky with the best yarn. The yarn itself is incredibly soft and a much nicer color than the photo represents. 

Time on this project: 4 hours, 10 minutes

Time total: 71 hours, 40 minutes

Ruffled Blankie

I really enjoyed making this ruffled blankie. The ruffled border was lots of fun to crochet and definitely spruced up the simple base pattern. I used worsted weight lavender yarn from Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn! brand, since it tends to be softer than Red Heart yarn.

Time on this project: 9 hours, 40 minutes
Time total: 67 hours, 30 minutes

Donation day!

Yesterday I took most of my items to the Safe Harbor resale shop to donate! The resale shop is very similar to Goodwill in terms of merchandise for sale and prices, although the shop lets Safe Harbor clients and their children shop for free. Furthermore, most of the employees are volunteers and all of the shop profits go to benefit the Safe Harbor organization. If you're interested, more information can be found at their website. 

I packed a box with two baby blankets, five child hats, three dishcloths, a scarf, a cowl, and a pair of baby booties. Since all donations to Safe Harbor are tax-deductible, they gave me a receipt for my donation. I have several items still sitting at school that I didn't have room to bring home, and I'm planning to donate those over spring break or during the summer. I really enjoyed bringing my donations to the store; the employee I talked to was very happy to get them. It feels like I'm really making a difference to this organization. 

Martha Cowl

I found the pattern for this Martha Cowl scarf on Ravelry. I crocheted it using navy blue yarn from Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn brand. The pattern was wonderful - very simple and elegant, especially with the eyelet stitches - although I followed users' comments from Ravelry to make a few changes. I chained 201 stitches for the first round instead of 150 to account for using a thinner weight yarn. In addition, the flower in the pattern was difficult for me to work out, so I used the flower from this Cozy Flowered Headband instead. Overall, I really loved this pattern and definitely plan on making it again!

Time on this project: 5 hours, 30 minutes
Time total: 57 hours, 50 minutes

Brrr Baby Beanie

Winter break has proven to be an excellent time to get some crocheting done! I used the Brrr Baby Beanie pattern, a magic loop, and some more stash yarn I found laying around at home to make this beanie. I'm not too fond of how the yarn worked up but the pattern turned out nice and simple. I'll probably make this pattern again sometime with different yarn.

Time on this project: 2 hours, 5 minutes

Time total: 52 hours, 20 minutes

Rib-wrapped Kid Cap

I found the pattern for this Rib-wrapped Kid Cap on Ravelry a couple of years ago and used some stash yarn I had at home to finally make it. I really liked the pattern! The only adjustments I made to it were to crochet it in the round and start with a magic loop. Magic loops are my new favorite technique; they make it so much easier to tighten the top of hats.

Time on this project: 2 hours, 40 minutes

Time total: 50 hours, 15 minutes