mini police box and interesting videos

I had some fun last night creating these two squares. They are part of the afghan Patchwork Squares. You can find it at e-Patterns Central or in the Crochet World August 2010 issue (available online if you have a digital subscription).

The afghan contains four different squares. Of the two I made, the one on the left uses the berry stitch, which I just love. So simple. The one on the right uses popcorn stitches. I used to shy away from popcorns, but they are really not difficult. I had to do additional rows to get my square to the same size as the other one, but that was not really a problem. They are 8 1/2" square.

I added a round of hdc to the berry stitch top and bottom and sc to the sides to get it "square". On the popcorn, I worked additional rows plus an edging of  dc all around. That one was really off on size if they are supposed to be the same size, at least for me. Now I must admit I did not work gauge so it is most likely me and not the pattern.

My friend has received her gift so I can show photos of the special project. It is a miniature police box. :-) She is a big Who fan. I know I said I wasn't going to do another, but this one was small. Still the same number of color changes, but didn't take nearly as long to do. It came out a bit smaller than I'd hoped, but still quite serviceable and she is pleased with it. That's the important thing. FYI, this is a "side" view of the police box, without the phone opening.


Here are some photos to show the difference in size between the full size and the mini.

Since we recently talked about crochet courses, I grabbed on to this file that was posted somewhere - Ravelry I think. It is a skills check off list, so you can see how you fare. http://4h.wsu.edu/em2778cd/pdf/c0678.pdf

Here are some online classes that are available. These are not free, but paid courses.

KRW Knitwear. http://learningcenter.krwknitwear.com/

Crochetville http://www.crochetville.org/forum/

Then I found this cute pattern for a long "tree topper" hat for sale.
http://www.crochetmemories.com/patterns/santa-hat-tree-topper.php

Maggie Weldon posted a free pattern for a pretty Cathedral Window potholder on her Facebook page. Look in the tabs under Free Pattern.

I also was going through my YouTube favorites and ran across a few videos from which I thought you all might benefit.



The one above shows how to add chains if you miscount when you're making a long foundation chain.

Then I found this video showing how to make the first stitch of a row with a chain up sort of turning chain. It gives the first stitch of a new row the look of a regular stitch, rather than the thinner chains.



Isn't that neat? I wish I would remember these things when I'm working.

This one shows a different method of taking care of tails as you go. You can decide if this method is for you or not, but I found it interesting.



Also neat. It's great that these things are available so we can share our knowledge with one another.

I think that's all I have for you today. Don't you love when you go through files and find neat stuff? :-) I do.

Happy crocheting!