Can't stop smiling :-)

I want to announce there is a new hooker in our midst.  My daughter has officially become hooked.  :-)

When Erika was 8 or 10 she wanted to make an afghan because she always saw me making them.  She/we picked out a pattern and got the yarn and started making squares.  Well.... I taught her each part of the square and made her make some of the parts but you all know I did the majority of it...lol.  She would show it to her friends and say she made it, I would roll my eyes and say "yes she did"   :-)

Last year she said she would like to start crocheting again and could I help her relearn it?  My response... SURE!  I sent her some yarn and we found and easy pattern.  She chose the Jacob's Ladder pattern.  I had some donated yarn that would make a smallish afghan that I could use too.  So, over Skype we would sit and crochet together.  I had her measure her test swatch for gauge and I'm not quite sure what she measured but she agreed that it fit the gauge.  Well.... when she came home for a visit in November she brought the afghan.  It looked great but, she is a super tight crocheter!!!  Her 5 rows of Dc equals 2 1/2"!!!  I just shook my head and added more yarn to the box to be mailed to her home.

So here is her finished afghan.... TA DA !!!

She hasn't measured it but I would guess it is about 50" x 72".

She liked the edge of the Kitten's in a Row scarf so I explained how to do that edging, even the reverse single crochet stitch for the outside edge.  She caught on to the reverse sc so quickly it was awesome!  Once she got the hang of working backwards she zipped around the afghan.  :-)

Here is a close up of the edging.

She was thinking it took her so long to finish the afghan, starting in October 2011 and finishing February 2012 is not bad!  She also made in the same time frame: Secret Pal gifts, Christmas gifts, new Secret Pal gift, and Valentine gifts for Hubby. 

I would definitely say she is hooked.  Now she is looking for some yarn for an afghan for her Father-In-Law.

Kittens in a Row Scarf

I needed to make a gift for a friend who likes cats.  I also had some of the yarn left over from the Blue and White afghan.  I then remembered I had always wanted to try out this pattern...  Voile!  a scarf!  :-)

Beverly said it was okay to post this scarf pattern here.
The Original pattern for afghan can be found here.
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/kitsinrow.html

A PDF of this pattern can be found at my Ravelry store. Kittens in a Row Scarf

Skill Level – Easy to Intermediate

Size: 6” w x 51” l

Materials:
Three colors of WW yarn.

• Color A – 3 oz
• Color B – 2 oz
• Color C – 2 oz
• “H” Crochet hook or size that will fit gage.
• Steel Tapestry Needle

I used yarn from my stash:

  Simply Soft/Navy (A), ILTY/Medium Blue (B), ILTY/Soft Blue (C). 

I did not weigh my yarn before I started making this scarf so the above weights are just an estimate.

Gage: 7 dc = 2” 3 rows = 1 ½ “

Special Stitches:

Shell: [2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc] all in the next ch-1 sp.

Simple Puff: [YO, insert hook in space between shells 2 rows below, YO, draw up a long loop to the height of the working row] 2 times, (you will have 5 loops on your hook) YO, draw thru 4 loops, YO, draw thru 2 loops.

Carry Yarn Forward: This pattern requires 3 colors of yarn because you will not need to cut your yarn at the color changes. To Carry Yarn Forward you hook the loose yarn into stitch you are making at the end of the row. In this pattern the last stitch of each row will be a Dc into the top of the Beg Ch 3. How you do this is:
Insert hook into beg ch 3, go under the carry forward yarn, YO with working yarn, complete the dc with the carry forward yarn above the working yarn, when dc is finished flip the carry forward yarn over the working yarn and turn your work for the next row.
On the row where you will be changing colors, start the last dc the same way by going under the carry forward yarn (next color to be used), YO with working yarn, draw thru beg ch 3, YO, draw thru 2 loops, drop working yarn, pick up the carry forward yarn from under the old working yarn, draw thru 2 loops, turn your work for the next row and continue using the new color.

Directions:

With Color A, ch 22 loosely.  This pattern is based on multiples of 5 plus 2.
Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hook, sk 2, *2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc, sk 3; repeat from * 2 more times, last repeat sk only 2, dc 2.
Row 2: Turn, ch 3, dc 1, Shell in next 3 ch-1 spaces, sk 2, dc 1, dc in beg ch 3, drop Color A and change to Color B. Do not cut Color A.
Row 3: Turn, ch 3, dc 1, *Simple Puff, Shell in next ch-1 sp; repeat from * 2 more times, Simple Puff, dc 1, dc in beg ch 3.
Row 4: Turn, ch 3, dc 1, * Shell in ch-1 sp; repeat from * 2 more times, sk 2 and sk Simple Puff, dc 1, dc in beg ch 3.
Row 5: Repeat Row 4, at end of row change to Color C.
Rows 6 – 8: Repeat Rows 3 thru 5 changing to Color A at the end of Row 8.
Work in pattern (Rows 3 thru 5) changing colors in order of A, B, C, until piece is 48” long. (approx 10 color sets)

Repeat Row 3 one more time with Color A.

Last Row: Turn, ch 1, sc in same st, sc 1, ch 2, 2 sc in ch-1 sp, [ch 3, 2 sc in ch-1 sp] 2 times, ch 2, sk 3, sc 1, sc in beg ch 3.

Finish Off Colors B and C, do not cut Color A.

Edging:
Row 1: Ch 1, * turn work 90° to work down the side edge, 2 sc around the side of dc or ch 3, [ch 1, 2 sc around side of dc or ch 3] repeat [ ] along side, 3 sc in corner, turn work 90°, sc 18, 3 sc in corner; repeat from *, sl st join to beg sc. FO Color A.
Row 2: With Color B, sc join on bottom edge 5 st from corner, sc 1 in each sc, Corner: (the center sc of the 3 in the corner from Row 1) [sc 1, ch 2, sc 1] all in same st, sc 1, [ch 2, sk 2, sc 1 in ch-1 sp] repeat [ ] along side, ch 2, sk 2, sc 1, Corner, sc 20, Corner, repeat [ ] along side, Corner, sc 3, sl st join to beg sc. FO Color B.
Row 3: With Color C, sc join on the bottom edge opposite from where you joined Row 2, * rev sc in each sc, 2 rev sc in corner ch-2 sp, rev sc 1, [rev sc 1, rev sc in ch-1 sp] repeat [ ] along side, rev sc 2, 2 rev sc in corner ch-2 sp; repeat from * once, rev sc to beginning, sl st join. FO Color C.

Weave in ends... Enjoy!

Terminology
ch = Chain stitch
dc = Double Crochet
sc = Single Crochet
rev sc = Reverse Single Crochet
sk = Skip stitch
sp = Space
st(s) = Stitch(es)
FO = Finish Off

This pattern has not been tested so if you find any errors please ping me a note, thank you  :-)