Finished: clutch with red-white flowers

Pattern: Clutch from "The Happy Hooker" by Debbie Stoller, p. 137 by Ileana Rodriguez
Yarn: "Soft-Merino" by Wolle Rödel (for those who don't have any of their stores in town, here's the link their webshop), 100 % merino superwash, 100 m/50 g, 18 stitches x 22 rows = 10 cm in stockinette stitch, recommended needle size: 4 - 5 mm, wash at 30 °C
Color: blue, red, white (not in order: #308, #360, #331)
Price: 3 € and something per ball
Amount: one ball in red and white, two balls in blue (= one ball and a little bit of the other)
Hook: 4 mm (G-6)
Gauge: was a bit off, but since the pattern is very simple it's very easy to make modifications
Dimensions: 25 cm wide and 15 cm high
Lining: red cotton
Modifications: I made three small flowers instead of one big flower.





I like the clutch although I find it a bit floppy. Next time I would maybe use cotton to give it more rigidity and stability. The lining did help somewhat. At first I wanted the lining to go up to the upper edge of the bag instead of letting it end below the handle as it says in the instruction which might have added a bit more stability to the bag, but then it started to look more complicated than I had planned and I didn't really think the added bit of stability would not have justified spending more time fussing with the lining. In any case, I'm really pleased with how the clutch turned out. It took me a bit more than a week to finish it, so that's a quick project (hm, now I think I want to make one with cotton, in green with little daisies).

The yarn is very loosely spun and probably will pill a lot.

I like this book a lot. I had borrowed it from a friend and then eventually got my own copy. If you have no clue about crocheting this is the book I would recommend. Debbie Stoller starts from 0,00 and explains every "stupid" question you might have. I've never been as proficient with crocheting as I am with knitting and I've been never been really sure if what I did was a 100 % correct. Crochet is somewhat more forgiving of mistakes than knitting and you can crochet happily along without getting busted that soon (although I have heard of people who had been knitting through the backloop instead of the frontloop for years), but with this book you can end your miserable existence as impostor and become a real crochet queen. Apart from the excellent explanations there is also a very nice compilation of crochet designs (hats, a wrap, scarfs, belts, cardigans, bags, a blanket, toys, a pair of gloves, a pair of slippers, a shawl, tops, a skirt, a doormat, a necklace and a bracelet made from wire, etc.) from various designers.

Finished: South Bay Crochet Beret and my Amor Intenso Scarf

Pattern: Crochet Beret from South Bay Crochet
Yarn: Schulana Tweed Lux, 85% virgin wool, 10% silk, 5% cashmere, 110 m/ 50 g
Color: #05 charcoal
Price: I'm not sure anymore, maybe about 7 € for a skein, must be so pricy for all the expensive stuff like silk and cashmere. The yarn is ok, but well, it's not causing me to gush about it. I mainly bought it because it had the right color, was tweedy and had the right weight.
Amount: 1.1 skein (I had to start the second one because of the brim I think)
Needles: 5 mm hook (you can all be so glad that I'm on Ravelry where it's supereasy to enter the details for your projects, because I have such a lousy memory; just yesterday I entered the information for a scarf I had knit like a couple of weeks ago and I just couldn't remember the needle size anymore...)
Gauge: I got told that it's not so important, because you can increase until it's big enough and then you decrease. What I can tell you is that the maximal number of double crochets between the front post double crochets is 8. After that I started decreasing.
Dimensions: The circumference is 24 cm.
Modifications: If you follow the original pattern you will get a spiral pattern. I somehow felt that I did not like the spiral pattern, but I was not not following the instructions on purpose, so you probably will have to pay very careful attention to the instructions if you want to get it right (but what is right anymore, I like my version better :D). I will include here the notes I made on Ravelry for this project:

I'm doing the front post double crochet (fpdc) on top of the fpdc from the previous row instead of on the following double crochet (I used this online tutorial - http://www.crochetkitten.com/tutorials/fpdc.html - because I just couldn't figure out how to do a front post double crochet ). It doesn't create a spiral, but looks much better I think. TheWilk told me about her modifications, but the instructions are a tad confusing I think, because without thinking too much and simply following the directions I did the same thing as she did.

It also seems that I only made one row of single crochets instead of two.

My notes seem a bit messy, but the pattern is really easy and I was able to finish the beret in a couple of hours.

I forgot, the second knit item I wanted to post about is my scarf. I call it Amor Intenso Scarf for the colorway of the yarn.

Pattern: Mine, see below
Yarn: Handspun bulky from handpaintedyarn.com, 135 yard/ 100 g
Color: Amor Intenso
Price: $6.20
Amount: 2 skeins
Needles: Like I said, I can't remember, probably 6 mm
Gauge: Not important
Dimensions: about 24 cm wide and 2 m long
Modifications: None

DSCN4512, originally uploaded by projektleiterin.

The colors are gorgeous, aren't they? :)

Directions:

Cast on 27 stitches (I used the backward loop cast on). Knit 3 rows in garter stitch for the edge.

Pattern:

1. Row: Knit
   
2. Row: Knit 3, purl 3, * (knit 3, purl 3), repeat from* to the end

Repeat the pattern till you nearly run out of yarn. The pattern should end with the first row. Now knit 2 rows in garter stitch and cast off with a technique whose name I just can't remember anymore. :D Ok, I'll try to describe it: Knit 2. * Insert left needle into the second and first knit stitch and knit (as if you were knitting them through the back, it's just that the stitches are mounted differently). You have one stitch on the right needle again. Knit another one. * Repeat from * Break yarn and pull through the last stitch. Voilà, finished! :)

More information about the sweater that I'm wearing here.