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. : )

Stash Bust for Hope 2014, January

Posted on February 2, 2014 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

January 2014 Stash Busting for Hope Update

Wow, only one month in and I’m already falling behind in my goals. I’ll get there, I PROMISE! I did manage to get one hat for Halos of Hope completed during January. If you are on Ravelry, plynn (blog) has started a CAL/KAL forum for Halos of Hope hats. Since I don’t really knit much, I’m participating in the CAL. For January she chose the Shells and Trellis hat by Melody Hamor. It is a really cute hat and easy pattern. With a few modifications, you can use just about any yarn. As always, I made a few tweaks. You can read my notes on my project page. This pattern has been on my radar and I’m glad to finally have had a reason to make it-thanks Pat!

Stash Bust 2014 hats made to date: 1

Total weight made to date: 1.75 ounces

Want to see more hats made for Halos of Hope? Check out this Pinterest board!

Handmade Holidays-Winter Crochetvolution is a great place to start

Posted on November 10, 2012 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

If you are like me, and if you are reading this blog about crochet, it’s likely you are, you like to include handmade items in your holiday gift giving. I’m always looking for something unique to make and to give. It’s also nice to be able to gift something special that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. One great place to start looking for gift pattern ideas is Crochetvolution (it’s FREE!). This “new” eMag has been growing over the last 14 months; both in readership and in pattern offerings. The latest issue, Winter 2012 is fantastic (yes, I’m a little biased as I contributed an article and a pattern). But I’m talking about the other fantastic patterns, beside mine.

There are too many patterns to highlight them all here, so you’ll just have to take a look yourself, but here a few of my favorites and the ones I hope to incorporate in my gift making this holiday season.

Mitten Bookmarks! Adorable!!!!

I’m making 4 sets of these to give as teacher gifts. Best part, each one uses only about 5 yards of yarn!

Anastacia’s Textured Scarf is a unique twist on a warm winter scarf. The yarn she chose for this project is gorgeous and works wonderfully with the pattern.

Sarah Jane’s Cowl is gorgeous too! How can I choose which one to make??? And she has a fingerless mitt pattern to match (see above), both can be made with just one skein of yarn, fantastic!

Last, but not least, my contribution to the issue, the Snowflake Ice Scraper Mitt. The mitt part is made from a damaged wool sweater (instructions on felting here) and the snowflake can be made with just scrap yarn. Upcycle an old sweater and give a great gift!

This issue is jam-packed with fantastic gift giving ideas, from quick projects to larger ones for the very special individuals in your life. Check it out, read the articles too and sign up to be on the mailing list (it’s FREE).

Last Minute Handmade Halloween Costume

Posted on October 21, 2012 by CrochetByDarleenHopkins

10 Days and Counting to my FAVORITE Holiday. I LOVE Halloween. Some of my favorite Halloween memories are of dragging the costume box down from the attic and putting together that year’s spooky creation. That box contained some old miscellaneous costume pieces and a few of mom’s old wigs and 1960’s housedresses. I had a lot fun with that box and created some pretty wacky costumes both for Halloween and for just silly play.

Now that I have my own family, we have a costume box too but with only boys, it’s full of mostly bloody swords and capes. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with bloody swords and capes. We just don’t have anything pink or fairy-like. So when I started thinking about what would work as a last-minute costume with just bloody swords and capes, I thought of this.

What I love about this is the child’s face is not covered with an obstructing and hot mask. I dislike full face masks. They smell funny, are hot and make it hard to see, especially at night. Another awesome thing is once Halloween is over, you have a great hat to wear throughout the winter season.