Stash Bust Challenge, 2014 September Update

Posted on September 30, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Crocheted in Cascade Yarn’s Bentley

I just finished this hat about an hour ago and I’m really excited to share it with you! This past Saturday I was playing around with some of the fantastic Cascade Yarn I received from Shannon a few months ago and decided to “wing it” with an idea. Four days later I have this adorable hat! I’m really pleased with the final design and pretty sure this one is going on my “make sure your write up this pattern” list. I used 100% of the 3.5oz skein. The hat can be worn with the ends rolled up and the hat pushed back, slouchy style, or pulled all the way down over ears. I added a pompom because they are fun. But I didn’t sew it on. Instead, it is attached with a safety-pin so the user and alter the style either with or without the pompom or it could be removed when the hat is washed. I hope you like this one as much as I do!

Bentley yarn is an easy care, 75% acrylic, 25% superwash wool blend.

Halos of Hope is falling short on the need for adult hats. I’m going to try to get at least one more done before I mail this one out. I’m behind in my Stash Bust Challenge for 2014 but I’ll keep on stitching!

Total hats made in the 2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 14

Total weight of the hats to date: 2 pounds, 12 ounces.

Whispers in Knit Picks Chroma, in processhttp://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/whispers-shawl-shawlette-or-scarf

Crocheting with the Scouts

Posted on September 22, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Yipee! It’s Monday!!!

Some people hate Mondays. Garfield hated them and Mondays made the Carpenters feel bad. But I love Mondays. Actually, I love 6 to 7:30pm on Mondays because that is when my youngest son’s boy scout troop meets. I drop him off and I have a good hour and 15 minutes of alone time. When it’s cold and the days are short and it’s dark out, I often go to a fast food restaurant, get a cup of decaf and sit in the back and crochet. Sometimes in the hotter months, I find a quiet place at the local university, enjoy the AC and crochet. Most of the time though I park my car at the park, open the windows, enjoy the quiet and crochet. Wherever I may be, if it’s just after 6pm to about 7:15pm on a Monday night, I am likely crocheting.

The weather in north Georgia this time of year is beautiful and a lot of people come out to enjoy the park. This week, I’ll be there with them working some more on my Whispers in Chroma. This yarn is gorgeous and perfect for this pattern. I can’t wait to finish it and block it.

Stash Bust Challenge 2014, Update Aug

Posted on August 30, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Divine Hope

I took a quick break from designing to work up a hat for Halos of Hope. I have been eyeing the Divine Hat by Sarah Arnold for some time. I remember trying it when I was new to crochet and just couldn’t figure it out. It has been on my to-do list ever since. The stitch pattern is beautiful and once you get the hang of it, it doesn’t require much concentration. In other words, it is a “get in the zone” hat. I had some tweaks to the pattern as it calls for worsted and I choose Caron Spa, a lighter weight yarn. You can see my notes here. This is a beautiful pattern and it is free so there are a ton of projects on Ravelry. I love seeing the variations others have made; extra long slouchy style, stripes with pom-poms, big flowers added, sc edging with buttons, brims and bows are just a few of the adjustments. There are so many ways you can make this simple and beautiful hat your own. Give it a try. If you can’t figure it out right away, bookmark it and come back to it after you have a little more experience. You will be glad you did.

This hat weighs 2 3/4 ounces.

Total hats made in the 2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 13

Total weight of the hats to date: 2 pounds, 8 1/2 ounces.

Shark Week 2014, Day 7 and a Stash Bust 2014 Update

Posted on August 17, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Shark Hat Finished!

His name is Cap’n and he is mighty proud of his multiple stripes. I’ve had a lot of fun making this hat during shark week. I’ll have to remember to do this again next year. But I do have a slight confession. I only watched one shark show while making him, the one on giant hammerhead sharks. We recorded a couple on the dvr and will watch them eventually. It seems like every year the researchers get themselves in more and more dangerous situations in order to get the great whites to breach or catch the elusive Old Hitler (giant hammerhead) on film. Watching the shark shows gives me the heebiegeebies a little but they are wildly entertaining. Now back to the hat…

I do love the pattern by Monica Miles but as I’m working with limited yarn and a totally different weight than what the pattern calls for, I have to make a lot of adjustments to the pattern. You can see a few more details on my project page as well as a couple more pictures. One day I’ll get the right yarn and make one as the pattern is written. Cap’n will be donated to Halos of Hope and is another hat completed for my Stash Bust Challenge 2014. He weighs in at 5 1/2 ounces.

Total hats made in the 2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 12

Total weight of the hats to date: 2 pounds, 5 3/4 ounces.

Shark Week 2014, Day 6

Posted on August 16, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Shark Hat Update, Day 6-Almost Done!

Moving right along! Last night I adjusted the body of the shark by removing about 10 rounds and reworking them. The hat was a little too loose so I frogged back to the last increase and reworked the rounds without it. I also saved enough yarn to finish the fins. I wish I had enough to outline the fins in sc but this will have to do. I had less than 2 feet to spare of each color! I added the gums and worked in some of the ends. With a couple more ends to work in, teeth and eyes left, I hope I’m able to finish it tonight. CHOMP!!

Shark Week 2014, Day 4 and 5

Posted on August 15, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Shark Week Hat Update!

I made a lot of progress on the hat Wednesday (day 4) as you can see by the photo! I really like the two colors together. I was a little concerned about the different yarns as one is worsted/aran and the other is bulky or maybe even chunky weight. I worked the bright blue, the thinner yarn, in hdc and the aqua, the thicker yarn, in sc and used the same hook for both yarns. Therefore, the sc stitches are stitched pretty tight. Last night (day 5), I finished up the body of the hat and started on the fins. Unfortunately, it looks as if there won’t be enough yarn for all the fins so I will have to frog a couple of rows. I’ll just make the gums and teeth section larger to make up for any lost length. There’s nothing wrong with a lot of big shark teeth!

Shark Week 2014, Day 3

Posted on August 13, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Update on the Shark Hat for Halos of Hope

Last night I realized I wasn’t going to have enough of the bright blue yarn to finish the shark. I’ve made them before and they usually use more than a full skein. So a frogged a few rounds and added some aqua stripes. They are totally random and I add a stripe as I feel it is needed. I’m happy with the progress so far. I have a couple free minutes so it is time to squeeze in a round or two. Check back tomorrow. : )

Shark Week, 2014 Day 1 and 2

Posted on August 12, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Crochet a hat for Shark Week!

In honor of Shark Week, I’ve decided to crochet a shark hat for Halos of Hope. I’ve made a number of these hats before and I have a lot fun giving each shark a different personality.

The crochet pattern is available here and the knit version here. I always make a few adjustment to the pattern as I prefer to work in the round and the crochet pattern is written for rows. In addition, the pattern is written for bulky yarn and I only have aran available so I’ll add few stitches to adjust for the sizing.

I started the hat on Sunday but was REALLY tired and didn’t get to far. That is a good thing because I frogged what I did and restarted it last night. I wanted to make my shark in hdc so I started over. Now I’m really behind and have a lot of catching up to finish it before the week is over.

Anybody care to join me?

Three times the charm…crochet shawl pattern

Posted on August 1, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Naming Crochet Patterns

On more than one occasion I’ve been asked where I get the names for my patterns. Some are obvious, The Happy Pets pattern set, for example, includes both a smiling kitty hat and a smiling puppy hat in the pattern set. Sometimes my family members make suggestions on the name. My mom named the Picture Perfect Baby Blanket and my husband suggested the name for the shawl, Whispers. Occasionally a name just pops in my head, Nighty Night Baby Blanket is one of those.

But not every pattern has a name that easily jumps out to me. Often I have to ponder the options during the design process. When this happens, the final name can appear to be a little obscure or random but there is always a logical reason. For example, the Black Raspberry Shawl was named after one of my favorite candles. Every fall the local high school and middle school bands sell candles as a fundraiser. My oldest son plays trombone in the band now but I’ve been buying these candles from the neighborhood kids for a number of years. My favorite scent is one that is a mix of black raspberries and vanilla. While I was working on the shawl design, I had one of the candles on the table next to me. I enjoyed the scent for many hours while I worked out the details of the shawl. In addition, the yarn I used was very similar in color as the candle itself. So when it came time to name and publish the pattern, it was obvious (to me) what to call it. I realize not everyone will use the same yarn and color used to write the pattern. So if you choose to make your Black Raspberry Shawl in orange or beige, then go for it!

My latest pattern has a story to its name as well: The Charmed Shawl. When I swatched, drew out, chose yarn and started crocheting the initial design, the shawl had a different name. I’m keeping that name in reserve as it may appear in a later design. Unfortunately, I ran into a couple of issues as I worked the pattern. My goal was to design a shawl that used a specific amount of yarn, no more than the 6 balls I had. As I neared the end of the shawl I realized my supply was going to fall short. So rather than order more yarn, I reworked the body of the shawl a total of three times before I was happy with the results. In addition, I had to work the edging three times to perfect the lovely eyelet lace with the given amount of remaining yarn. So…you’ve heard the saying…Three Times the Charm…that is this shawl! I believe the finished design was well worth reworking as the shawl turned out stunning AND it can be made with exactly 6 balls of Knit Picks Galileo! Phew!

Waiting for Spring Crochet Pattern by Darleen Hopkins https://crochetbydarleenhopkins.com/patterns/hat-flapper-waiting-for-spring/

Crochet Pattern Re-lauch

Posted on July 11, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Pattern Nightmares (not really) Episode 1: Waiting for Spring, Flapper Hat

My husband and I are big fans of Chef Gordon Ramsay and all his crazy cooking shows. We watch Hell’s Kitchen, Master Chef, Kitchen Nightmares and Hotel Hell. He seems to always have something airing every season. My favorite show of his is Master Chef. Even though his entertaining antics and colorful language and sayings keep us giggling and wonder what the heck will he do or say next, I prefer the encouraging chef he is on Master Chef as opposed to the ticked-off chef on Hell’s Kitchen. A close second is Kitchen Nightmares. If you aren’t familiar with the show, Chef shows up to a restaurant that is failing (at the request of the owners) and he tells them what they are doing wrong and (tries to) help them. The smart ones take his advice and the others often end up closing their doors for good. The first 40 minutes of the show highlights all the things wrong with the restaurant with a lot of nuttiness in the mix. There’s usually about 10 minutes of self-realization for the owners, makeover of the kitchen, dining room and menu and the last 10 minutes of the show is re-launch night of the new and improved Restaurant X.

So, what does all this have to do with my Waiting for Spring Crochet Hat pattern? I’m re-launching it of course! This was my first self-published pattern, 2 1/2 years ago. Although the pattern never was a “nightmare”, I’ve learned a lot and have made many formatting adjustments over the past 2 years. So, the pattern has been reworked to my current format. The pattern itself is the same, just a lot prettier and cleaner in its presentation.

This is a perfect hat to work in worsted cotton for the warmer months. It is available in 5 sizes to fit premie to teen/small adult. Got an American Girl fan in your family? Make the Extra Small to fit an 18″ doll and a matching one for the big girl!

Get it while you can on sale! A restaurant can only serve so many people at one time-so, the first 25 to respond will get this adorable hat pattern for 50% off! Use coupon code “RelaunchWfS” at checkout or click this direct link: http://www.ravelry.com/redeem/crochetbydarleenhopkins The sale is running now until 7/18/2014 midnight EST.

Crochet By Darleen Hopkins

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