Charity Crochet - Ugly Yarn

I have been going through boxes of things that have been in storage. When we moved here, we moved quickly and didn't have time to put thought into what we really wanted to keep or discard. What we didn't realize was, we were downsizing. Granted, the house is actually larger than the one we moved from by about 100 square feet, BUT, this one has no attic space. On top of that, the contents of a 2 bedroom apartment added to the "collection". UGH! So this is a huge project that is going to take some time (a gross understatement!)

While going through some boxes yesterday, I came across some very "dated" yarn that came from my mother when she died. It screams 1970's. I wonder what made my mom purchase such a color scheme. Was it on sale at the right price? Or maybe she had a project that called for it. Could she have possibly LIKED the color combinations? Or maybe it was just given to her. Mom never said no to free yarn! Unfortunately, I will never know.

I figured I'd give it a chance and crochet a swatch up to see if by some chance, there would be a surprise result. One never knows exactly how the yarn will work up while still wrapped on the skein.  I worked the swatch over 20 stitches using a size 10 (J) hook. I did 5 rows of single crochet and 3 rows of double crochet. Maybe I'm just not seeing the beauty, but it's certainly not getting any better than my first reaction... UGLY!

Now I felt I had a challenge on my hands. I had to do something to make this yarn into something useful and something someone would want to wear. Margaret Olander (her YouTube channel can be found here) is such an inspiration to me. She loves the challenge of crocheting and knitting with scraps and she does a lot of hats for charity. She was showing a some hats she had made using the Better Late Than Never Beanies by Kathy North. It was perfect for using this yarn in!

I think it tones down the yarn some. Unfortunately, the picture is a little off. The brown is a bit darker than what it appears here. I used Red Heart Super Saver in Brown for the main color. I also changed the pattern a little. I followed the pattern for 18 rows. In the directions it says to end the main color and work the last rows in the contrasting color. I ended the contrasting color and continued with the main color.
Row 19: Double crochet around.
Row 20: Chain 3 and work a Front Post Double Crochet and a Back Post Double Crochet around
Row 21: Single crochet around. Finish off.

I liked the ribbing look on the bottom. This hat was made in the Adult large size. I used an "I" hook and the gauge came out spot on.

Friday... A great day to post pictures!

WIP
My stranded socks are coming along nicely. I know, I'm going a bit slow, but I'm so very happy with them! I'm on the last pattern repeat before I do the heel.


FO
I was terribly bored looking at homes and jobs, so I decided to do a little surfing looking at knitting blogs. I found a real gem that I knew I had to knit right away. I'm a nut for hummingbirds, so this Hummingbird Dishcloth was a must for my kitchen.


I did find what I think is a mistake. Row 44 didn't look correct when I did it, so I changed it to:
Row 44: k4, k6, p8, k1, p5, k1, p4, k1, p4, k10, k4
which now looks correct to me :)

Yarn PrOn!!

I didn't go to town today with DH and the kids, but instead stayed home and made dinner, since they would get to the orthodontist, do a few errands, then get home just in time to eat and run back out the door again to get to their 4-H meeting. I asked them if they had time on their outing today, would they stopping in at the yarn shop and picked me up some yarn so I can make DH the socks he wanted :) What a surprise it was to find 3 skeins instead of one in the bag!! They decided I needed to make them all more socks.

On the left is Fortissima Colori Socka Color in color #9 that my son chose for his socks. In the middle is the Hot Socks they were supposed to pick up for DH. (Not only is it the same color as the one I made for DS, but it's also the same lot number, so if I run out, I have some left from DS socks I did this month!!) On the right, DD chose Opal Petticoat #1295. Now, better yet, they remembered to give my frequent buyer's card, and brought it home with another new one. Yup - it's now full and I get $10 off my next purchase!

I have been a member of The Knitter's Sock Of the Month Club for 2 months now, and am finally just getting around to posting the great kits I've received so far. First is Feb's SOTM and is called "Hugs & Kisses". It came with Reynolds Whiskey yarn. Oh what a lovely soft yarn it is!! I can't wait to get these knitted up, but looks like they will be put aside a bit longer now :)


My March SOTM kit arrived last Friday and it's just lovely. The pattern is called "The Road to Hana" and uses a lovely colorway from Trekking XXL. I'm dying to get this one started. Purple is one of those colors that calls to me.


Well, with all these socks that need knitted, it looks like I won't be getting any XS done for a while :) No complaining here tho, because I'm just so grateful that I have a family that appreciates my hand made things!!