Eleanor's Ridiculously Pointed Winter Hat!

 I decided to make my daughter a completely ridiculous looking hat.  I didn't use a pattern for this or write down what I was doing, but if you can crochet in the round you can make this!  I just started at the top and kept slowly increasing each row until it fit my daughter's head.  I did add a few rows of seed-stitching for a textured element and then added ear flaps to make it more functional.  I topped it off with tassels on the top point.  Very elf-like I guess!  My daughter really loves it.  It is mostly done in single crochet and was made with a size J hook (my favorite size).  It actually fits my head pretty well too but I wasn't about to post of picture of me in this hat because my husband almost fell off the couch laughing at me when I put it on!!!

If you like to crochet and would like a huge collection of free crochet patterns, check out this directory at Crochet Pattern Central.  I adore this website and use it all the time.  Sometimes just seeing the images gives me ideas for my own creations, like ridiculously pointed snow hats.

Bethany's Fingerless Mittens--My First Crochet Pattern

 In my recent drive to crochet I decided it was time to actually pay attention to what I was doing and write it down so that I might post my first ever Bethany Sew-&-Sew created crochet pattern!  This is for fingerless mittens or "arm-warmers" if you prefer.  I got this idea from a different pattern but it was too detailed for simple ol' me and I pretty much only work with Red Heart Super Saver yarn (worsted Medium 4--ya know, the stuff you can get cheap just about anywhere).  In this case I chose a dark pink.  I used a size J crochet hook.  This pattern is an easy pattern using only a few basic stitches and is designed to fit an average woman's hand/arm.




So here's my pattern: Bethany's Fingerless Mittens

Feel free to use it as you like but please give credit to www.bethanysewandsew.com if you link it or mention it elsewhere on the Internet!  Thanks!

Stitches used and their abbreviations:
Chain - Ch
Slip Stitch - Sl St
Single Crochet - Sc
Double Crochet - Dc  (If you crochet really tight, or are using a smaller hook, Dc's can be changed to Treble Crochets)
Double Crochet Decrease - Dc Dec 


Foundation Chain: Ch 30 (or however many you need to fit your arm snugly), join with Sl St to form a ring being careful not to twist the chain.
Rows 1-9: Ch 3, Dc around ring, join with Sl St at end of each row.
Row 10: Ch 3, Dc about halfway around ring, do 3 sets of Dc Dec (To see how to do this, click here for a video tutorial), finish with Dc around ring, join with Sl St.
Rows 11-13: Follow instructions for Rows 1-9
Row 14: Follow instructions for Row 10
Rows 15-16: Follow instructions for Rows 1-9
Row 17: Ch 3, Dc about halfway around ring, Dc twice in one stitch, then again in the next (2 Dc Increases), finish with Dc around the ring, join with Sl St.  (this is to widen it for the base of your hand after narrowing it to fit your wrist with the Dc Dec above)
Row 18: Ch 3 *, 2 Dc in next 2 stitches, Ch 5, skip the next 5 Dc (this is to make the thumb-hole) Then Dc the rest of the way around the ring.   * When making the mitten for the opposite hand, Ch 3, then TURN your project so that the thumb hole will be on the opposite side before following the rest of the Row 18 instructions.
Rows 19-21: Follow instructions for Rows 1-9

The Thumb-hole
Attach yarn to base of thumb-hole opening.  Do 1 row of Sc all the way around it, join with Sl St, Ch 1, then Sc around it again, joining with a Sl St (2 rows of Sc).  Then Ch 3, do 1 row of Dc around it, join with Sl St, Ch 3, then Dc around it again, joining with a Sl St (2 rows of Dc). 


Feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have any questions or see any problems in this pattern.  It is my first one ever to post on the Internet!

More Crocheting--Baby Booties and my Finished Baby Blanket

I made my first ever pair of baby booties this week.  The pattern I used can be found here.  These things worked up super quick.  I don't know if I would call this a "beginner's" project but it is certainly an easy one if you're familiar with crochet terms and not afraid of reading patterns.  Now I have to make a blue pair since I don't know the gender of my baby yet!  I still want to weave a ribbon around the ankle so I can tie a bow.  My three-year-old daughter wants a pair so I'll probably have to do the math to grow this pattern out for a child's size!


 I officially completed my in-utero baby's baby blanket.  I posted the link for the pattern in my last post.  I just added a ruffle border around the edge to make it look more finished.

Bethany Crochet-&-Crochet?

Here is the baby blanket I'm making for the bun currently in my oven.  I don't know the gender yet, so I chose neutral colors.  The pattern I used is the alternating V shell afghan.  I like it!  I learned to crochet from my mother and my 5th grade teacher Mrs. Jurgens.  I tend to do more crocheting in the fall and winter since I can do it huddled under a blanket.  This has also been a good project to work on while being in the first trimester morning (and evening!) sickness blues.

 I love crocheted beanie hats and after seeing some at a craft festival last year I decided it was time I learned how to make them.  The black hat has a detachable flower so that I can change it depending on what color I want to wear.  The green and blue one is warmer though and is my personal favorite.

 I featured my Mario/Boo pillow as my first entry on this blog with a tutorial which you can find here.  I made this for my husband for Christmas last year.  This project took several hours/days to complete, but was tons of fun to make!