Rosa's Bunting

A wee project for Rosa's room, and an exploration into the world of crochet for mama! I'm more of a knitter, as you probably know, but lately I've had a craving for a bit of crochet. Well, rather a craving for what you can do with crochet. I'm a devoted knitter, but I have to admit that crocheting is far more suited to certain projects (especially shapes) -- and also considerably faster than knitting. However, my lack of crochet knowledge/skill has left me limited to video tutorials, because I can't really read patterns. The Boho Tassel Bunting Crochet Pattern did me in, though, and I found myself buying my first crochet pattern.

Thanks to a well-written pattern and helpful photos, I was able to figure this pattern out with relative ease -- and then it was just a matter of repeating it eight times over! I used a simple cotton yarn, which of course was thicker than the pattern called for and resulted in my needing a larger hook and tweaking one of the rows. But it all worked out in the end, and Rosa was so excited when she found out it was for her! She'd been eyeing it while it was in progress, though I managed to head off her inquiries with vague answers. *wink* 

It's now adding a welcome bit of color to her curtain rod. Let's just say I won't miss the stark white walls of a rental house when we move this summer!

I've gained a bit of confidence through this project (though charts still make me shudder!), and I'm eager to have a bit more versatility with my fiber crafts -- I'll always be a knitter first and foremost, but I don't mind having a few more techniques in my project bag...

Desperate Times, Not-So-Desperate Measures

Since moving to a very dry, western climate, my poor feet have been in sad straits. I've struggled with dry, callused skin for years (the one downside to going barefoot most of the time), but those problems quickly developed into painful heel cracks out here. I've managed to get the cracks under control, but the whole fiasco prompted me to finally find a house slipper solution.

Enter, the Minni Slipper. It's a free pattern -- but it's crocheted, which was a bit disconcerting. I've done a tiny bit of crochet in the past (mostly washcloths, and mostly using video tutorials!), but I'm far more comfortable with knitting. Still, the pattern included a healthy dose of photographs, and I thought I could probably work it out.

I used some of my leftover KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Tweed in Reindeer Heather, held double to get the right yarn weight (which made it much more difficult to crochet! But I had the yarn on hand, so...). I've used this yarn for two sweaters, a hat, and now slippers -- and I still have a little left. It is a lovely yarn!

Cue awkward foot selfies!

I did make a few alterations -- crocheting seems very compatible with improvisation. Overall, I really liked the pattern and was pleased that they came together so quickly. It took barely more than a day to make both, even though I had to rip out a total of several inches of work over the course of construction (crocheting novice here!). 

It took a bit of extra time to add some leather soles, but they should help the slippers last longer (and they were incredibly slippery without them).

I may add a little cord or ribbon through the edging, to keep them more secure -- between the low heel and the natural stretching through wear, they feel a bit loose at times. But they certainly do the trick, and are quite cozy to wear around the house!

They're not glamorous, but my feet are thanking me. A little more comfort, a little more crochet practice, and a little more yarn and leather out of the stash. That's enough for me!


Raveled here.