More Yarny Things

On my hiatus from sewing, I found myself spending a lot more time with my yarn stash. I'm trying to get a jump on some Christmas presents, so you'll excuse me if I don't say who these items will be for ;)

First up, some nice, simple pot holders. In my kitchen, these ones are my favorite. My quilted ones just don't insulate as well as the two layers of cotton yarn, even though I added both cotton batting and Insulbrite to the middle. Ah well. At least those ones are still pretty, right? These will be a Christmas gift. I might make a couple more sets as well. I think they'll make good little add-ons and they're quick to make! Pattern here.

Next up. Some fingerless mitts. For these I used the Firecracker Gloves pattern.

I love the herringbone HDC stitch used for these, but they are a bit on the snug side. The pattern says they are for 3" to 4" wide hands. Mine fall into that range (albeit on the high end) and I checked my gauge, but they're still a bit of a struggle to get on. I was making these as a gift, but I don't want to give ones that may be too small. I think I will make them up again a little larger instead.

I also experimented with these on different starting methods. The glove on the bottom uses a regular chain to start and then a row of SC into it as the foundation. It's kind of ugly and wavy, probably partially because I'm not used to crocheting with fingering weight yarn. But the one on top uses a row of foundation single crochet. Look how nice and neat! It was really quick, too. I will definitely be using this method in the future.

And last but not least, sock progress! I have been working on these way too long. I gave up because I just didn't like doing 2 at once. Too much fiddling with each strand of yarn and turning and making sure your yarn doesn't get tangled.. Plus I just felt like I was treading water all the time. So! I took one toe off the needles and will finish them one at a time. I don't think these will be a Christmas present, though, as I started them in my own size ;)

It was nice to revisit my yarny projects! I will definitely be making more time for yarn in the winter months. There is just something so appealing about drinking a hot cup of tea while knitting in the dead of winter, you know? Not that Arizona gets much winter, but still. I can pretend!