Peppermint Pals Hot Pad Set from http://www.ilikecrochet.com/issues/december-2014/?mqsc=DAHOPBL111414

I Like Crochet – Holiday 2014

Posted on December 11, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Checking out the 2014 Holiday issue from ILikeCrochet.com

Have you had a chance to check out the 2014 Holiday issue from ILikeCrochet.com? I have to admit, I have had access to this issue since November but have been so busy that I am just now getting a chance to really check it out and it is great! As a contributor, I am honored to have my Peppermint Pals Hot Pads included. It really has some great patterns, articles and tips. There are a number of hat patterns-I do love hats-shawls, scarves, baby items and tops. And if you have time before the holidays, some great holiday themed items as well. Check out those stockings on the cover! Adorable!

Peppermint Pals Hot Pad Set, crochet pattern

Peppermint Pals Hot Pads Now available at CrochetByDarleenHopkins.com!

I’m picking out yarn for a couple of hat patterns-did I mention I like making hats? to use in my stash busting in the upcoming year. Two hats from this issue have been marked high on my to-do list, the hat from the Wistful Wisteria pattern set and the Butterscotch Cream hat. I’ll be sure to post photos of the finished items.

Stash Bust 2014, First December Update

Posted on December 10, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Another Winter Tracks by Sarah Jane Made for Halos of Hope

I’m still plugging away at my Stash Bust Challenge. I’m beginning to realize I won’t be making 7 pounds worth of hats but that’s OK. I’ll make what I can. This is my second Winter Tracks hat, designed by Sarah Jane. The hat is written to have a brim. I was so tired and so excited to finish the hat last night that I completely forgot to add it. Oh well, I think it looks great with and without so I’m going to leave it as it. Great pattern! Gotta go, I need to get stitching…

This hat weighs 4.75 ounces.

Total hats made in the
2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 22
Total weight of the
hats to date: 4 pounds, 12.5 ounces.

Elsa Frozen hat crocheted by Darleen Hopkins https://crochetbydarleenhopkins.com/patterns/

Stash Bust 2014, Last November Update

Posted on December 1, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Elsa and Ninja Hats for White Christmas Donation

Two more hats for donation completed in November! Whoo-Hoo! These two cuties will be donated locally. I had an almost full skein of white Red Heart Super Saver in my stash. This isn’t the best yarn for chemo hats so I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Then I received notification that this year’s White Christmas has a Frozen theme. Every year the employees of the local university where I work collect A LOT of food and toys (White Christmas) for those who live in the town and are in need. So, I decided to make an Elsa hat for the collection. I’m pleased to have found a charitable use for this yarn. And because it will be worn by a child who will have hair, this yarn should be OK.

For the hat, I used my Chirp! Chirp! Tweet! Tweet! Hat Baby Bird, Chick, Bluebird, Cardinal you pick hat. I added the hair and crown.

The Ninja Turtle hat was crocheted with Red Heart Super Saver also. I hope it will go to a young boy who will have fun with it. I have a lot more of this green and I wish I had the time to make more Ninja Turtle hats. If I still have the yarn next November, I just may make another turtle or two for the collection next year.

The two hats weigh just over 7 ounces.

Total hats made in the
2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 21
Total weight of the
hats to date: 4 pounds, 7.75 ounces.

Stash Bust 2014, 3rd November Update

Posted on November 23, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

A Gift-A-Long Hat for Halos of Hope

Two weeks ago I mentioned the Gift-A-Long that is occurring on Ravelry. This is such a fun event, please check it out. It is still going strong through Dec. 31, 2014. The participants are having a lot fun sharing their WIPs, FOs and random thoughts. You never know what you might find or learn there; lots of new designers and patterns as well as learning what Vegemite and Marmite are. I gotta try this stuff!

While searching the GAL crochet designers, I discovered this beautiful hat by Betty Fay Wallace, La Villa Lace Brim Slouch Hat, and just had to try it. I’m so pleased with the hat. I haven’t made anything like this before. It is crocheted in mercerized cotton and it is gorgeous. With three more hanks of this same yarn in my stash it is very likely I will make more of these.

This hat weighs 3.5 ounces. This is my fourth hat this month. There’s one week left in November and I have a goal to make a couple more!

Total hats made in the 2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 20
Total weight of the hats to date: 4 pounds, 4.25 ounces.

Stash Bust 2014, Another November Update

Posted on November 22, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

One more for Halos of Hope

Third week of November and I have one more hat to be donated to Halos of Hope! This is the striped version of the Bentley Hat I made in September. I finally wrote the pattern down and it is now available.

Although the pattern is written for Cascade Yarns Bentley, I made this one in Caron Simply Soft. For some reason have 2 more skeins of the mauve so you will be seeing more pink hats in the future!

This hat weighs 3.75 ounces. I’ve made over 4 pounds so far-it’s going to be tough to make the full 7 pounds in 2014 but I’ll keep on trying.

Total hats made in the 2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 19
Total weight of the hats to date: 4 pounds, .75 ounces.

Stash Bust 2014, November Update

Posted on November 9, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Two more for Halos of Hope

Give it a Whirl hat

Willow Tree Slouchy

First week of November and I have two more hats to be donated to Halos of Hope! I was so excited to receive the gifted yarn that I just had to make some hats right away. The first is a pattern that was suggested through the Hat of the Month Ravelry group. Each month, the members of the group decided on a free hat pattern to stitch over the month. I’ve found some great patterns this way. The second hat is a pattern I found written for bulky weight yarn. I wanted to use the gifted ombre yarn paired up with some solid yarn I had in my stash. I had to tweak it slightly to adjust for the different gauge but I’m really happy with how it turned out. Click on the photos to be brought to the project pages and the links to the free patterns. The two hats weigh just under 11 ounces! Heavy hats!

Total hats made in the 2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 18
Total weight of the hats to date: 3 pounds, 13 ounces.

PS-If you haven’t joined Ravelry yet, it is time to do so! Look for an amazing announcement later this week!

Just Treats this Halloween!

Posted on November 1, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Generous Crocheter Sending Treats this Halloween

Gifted yarn. www.cochetbydarleenhopkins.com Crocheters (and other crafters too!) are such generous people. We love our craft and want to share it with as many others as possible. How often have you found yourself saying to others “If you’d like to learn, I’ll show you.” Not only do we share our skills, we also share our stuff. Last week, one of my regular pattern testers mentioned she had some cotton yarn she couldn’t use and asked if I’d like it. She said maybe I could make a couple of hats for Halos of Hope with it. Because she lives rather far away I suggested she see if she might be able to find someone local so we wouldn’t have to worry about shipping costs. Her response was, if I wanted, it was mine and she would treat on the shipping. I said sure thinking it was maybe 3 or 4 balls of yarn. Yesterday (Halloween), I arrived at my house to find a large box at my door. “What?” I wondered, “What treat did I receive?” I opened it to find 17 full and a couple partial balls of cotton yarn. WOW! Yeah, I think I can make more than a couple of hats for Halos of Hope with it! The yarn weighs over 2 pounds, 10 ounces, almost as much as the yarn I have used in 2014 (to date) to make 16 hats!

This isn’t the first time someone has shared her craft items with me. Last year, a woman my husband knows through his job, was clearing out some knitting items. She sent him home with 2 large bags of books, patterns and needles for me. She said for me to take what I wanted and donate the rest. How sweet! I pulled out a couple of books and some lovely bamboo needles and brought the rest to the thrift store that supports a local women’s shelter.

Thank you both Heather and Maggie for your generosity. All of these gifts will be put to good use as I continue to bust out my stash for Halos of Hope. If you’ve received a generous gift from another crafter, I’d love to hear about it!

Stash Bust 2014, Update-One More for October

Posted on October 30, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

Silly Hair for a Silly Girl

Whew! I finished a second hat for October to be donated to Halos of Hope! I wanted to change it up a little and make something fun. While searching for ideas online I noticed many fake hair/wig hats. There are hats that look like Cabbage Patch Kids, Princess Leia and just about every Disney and fairy tale princess who ever wished upon a star. So going with that theme, I grabbed a partial skein of Caron Simply Soft in Strawberry and made a wig hat for a little girl who might think pink hair was fun. The pattern is a basic beanie with strands added for the braids. And just for kicks and giggles, I added some random button decorations to liven it up. This was a lot of fun to make and I will definitely make some more versions of this hat in the very near future. This hat weighs just over 3 ounces.

Total hats made in the 2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 16
Total weight of the hats to date: 3 pounds, 2 ounces.

Stash Bust 2014, Update-October

Posted on October 9, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

More Divine Hope

I just finished my second Divine Hat, pattern by Sarah Arnold, to be donated to Halos of Hope. This pattern creates a beautiful stitch and should be made in a yarn with great stitch definition. I don’t think it is for beginners but for those who have some experience, give it a try! I’m so glad I did and will likely make more hats with this pattern. I used Caron Spa, so soft and perfect for a chemo hat. This one will go with others for my next shipment out to them. They have been running short on their hat supply this year. If you have some time, maybe you can make a hat, or two, for Halos of Hope! I used the full 3.0 oz skein for this hat-had less than 12 inches to spare. I LOVE when that happens!

Total hats made in the 2014 Stash Bust Challenge: 15
Total weight of the hats to date: 2 pounds, 15 ounces.

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.

Crochet By Darleen Hopkins

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