Christmas in July (well, almost...)

I got one of my regular emails from HookedonCrochet.com and their topic was "Christmas Crochet Patterns". "WTF?!" I thought to myself - its not even July yet!

However, they made a good point - if you want to have enough time for a holiday afghan, you've got to get started now. Or at least you do when you're me.
I'm not planning to make anybody an afghan this year, but there were a few things I wanted to make, and a few things I think are cool. So here's some fun patterns should you decide to get started on your holiday crochet early.

Ornament Cover (to spruce up old/plain ornaments)
Jingle Bell Garland
Plarn Gift Bag

I am also looking for a way to display all of my holiday cards, so we'll see what I come up with for that.

Trash to Treasure: Gift Bows

So I found a  free e-book with some trash to treasure ideas. I wasn't terribly impressed with the majority of them, but this one sounded cute! I'm gonna have to try it!

http://www.favecrafts.com/Green-Crafting/Green-Crafting-Gift-Wrap-Bow

If you're interested in the full e-book, you can check out everything here:

http://www.favecrafts.com/Green-Crafting/12-thrifty-trash-to-treasure-crafts-eBook/ml/1

I like the bow and the apron crafts, but nothing else in there seemed to appeal to me. Maybe you'll enjoy it though.

Beary Cute Hat

This project was requested by my friend Elise, and I let her pick out the yarn at Joann's. It is BY FAR the softest, most cuddly yarn I have ever worked with. That said, it is painful to work with. You can't see stitched worth crap. And yet, its totally worth the hassle. I would totally reccomend it for a baby project any day.

Yarn: Red Heart Buttercup ( approx 1/2 Skein or 30 yrds)
Color: White Coral
Hook: 9mm (US-N)

Pattern:
Ch 6 and sl st to form a ring.
Rnd 1: Ch 3, then 13 dc into ring, sl st to top of the ch 3 to join
Rnd 2: Ch 3, then 2 dc into each st, sl st to top of the ch 3 to join
Rnd 3: Ch 3, *2 dc into next st, 1 dc into the following st* repeat from * to * until end of rnd. sl st to top of the ch 3 to join
Rnd 4+: Ch 3, dc into each st of round, sl st to top of the ch 3 to join
Once hat is the desired length, do one final round to tighten it up
Final Rnd: Ch 1, and place st marker or safety pin into this st, sc into each st of round, sl st to ch 1 sts that you marked. Fasten off.

To make each ear:
Ch 4, sl st to form ring
Row 1: Ch 3, 7 dc into ring. Push stitched into 1/2 circle and DO NOT JOIN
Row 1: Ch 3 and turn, 2 dc into each st of previous row. Fasten off.

Stitch ears onto hat in desired location using matching yarn and yarn needle.

The pattern is written for an adult size, however, choosing an appropriate yarn and using a sz 5.0mm hook you could easily make it child-sized.

Oven Mit of Win

So, as you've read, I've been trying to decorate my new place. My kitchen is green, and my only (well-worn) oven mit was red. This was not allowed. Found a pattern on ravlery for a cotton one. I read about it, and people said that it protected their hands quite well. So I made it. And it works great!

Yarn: 4 skeins of Sugar and Cream cotton, with plently left over for matching dishcloths.
Pattern and Hook as written.

http://www.bernat.com/pattern.php?PID=2243

Remember - no using RedHeart or other synthetic yarns with these! You don't want to melt the mit onto your pans!