Some people don’t like to crochet or knit during the summer months when it’s hot, or will switch to lighter weight yarns. What I’ve noticed just from looking at pictures of sets that I’ve made from the past few years, certain patterns or motifs are seasonal. Or, at times I become fixated on a pattern and try it out in different yarns.
I make a few specific patterns during the summer months because I want to try something different and generally I will have reached the halfway point of my goal and don’t want to get bored. I’ll make something I’d like to try in a particular yarn. Maybe it’s the yarn I have and have used before or want to improve upon something. Whatever it is, I’ll notice there might be two or three of the same designs or maybe slight alterations or modifications to a certain design or motif because of something I’ve seen or revisited in one of my pattern books, or got an idea from YouTube. Whatever it is, it seems like I haven’t made that in a while so I’ll make certain patterns. As long as it’s something that is fun and I’m still enjoying what I do who cares?
Now I’m in a period where I am using up different colors not necessarily small amounts where they’re oddballs but combining different yarns for a small a bit of a color or mini skeins where combined if it’s enough to make a hat and scarf set but too much just for a hat. Some experiments are more interesting than others. I have some mini skeins I bought two sets and combined similar colors in the same color family to make a hat and scarf set with charcoal as a neutral. I think I’ll do that again with another color family and a lighter gray. As I keep trying things and experimenting with yarn in my working stash, I have a better idea of what I want to make with the mystery ball of yarn that I’m creating. Instead of using it alone, I would likely combine it with one of my current favorite neutrals – charcoal to pull it all together.
For me, sets are for summer, winter, spring and fall… As July closes, I’ve surpassed the halfway point for completed sets (61 and counting) and four scarves. Hats, well, there are only two solo hats so far. The plan is to make a bunch of hats when I have a lot of small remainders from sets in the fall, for very unique, one of a kind colorways. Stay tuned it’ll be a hat making extravaganza in October or so.
Happy crocheting!
The first set worked up well, so I wanted to try again with different yarn in different colors to see if I still liked it. For the second attempt, I worked the scarf vertically in a dark charcoal and black and white marl yarn. Halfway through the scarf, I grew tired of the color changes every other row.
While the houndstooth pattern takes a while to change colors for an overall project, this pattern has possibilities for fun, colorful designs especially to use mini skeins or oddballs for hats and accents in scarves. The stitches were fine and took a while but remembering or being able to find the single crochet in the dark rows to make a double crochet became mind numbing and I know that several rows aren’t perfect but they worked out, regardless of the non-alternating flub in a few spaces.
Bulky yarn isn’t my favorite but I was gifted two giant balls and figured why not make a lapghan in a granny rectangle? It’s working up nicely and bulky yarn gives an almost immediate sense of accomplishment. A lady asked me about blanket yarn when I was buying yarn in a large store and I said I had an idea for a project, but it’s not my favorite. The yarn was gifted to me. It’s soft, feels like velvet and is not too difficult to rip out, if necessary. It’s just not something I would choose, it’s looking nice so far.
After a few false starts, the afghan I started making using one of my 
Before we get too far into the New Year, I need to share my totals for 2022:
It’s Halloween and that means that there are 55 days until Christmas! Time to get moving on those holiday gifts!
If you haven’t planned what you are making for a winter holiday, then do it, because it may take a while to get the yarn you need. ALSO – pro-tip – don’t buy just enough of what you need, if you can, purchase an extra skein of yarn. Depending on your gauge and tension, you might use more than the pattern calls for or the yardage may vary from the amount in the skein or hank. Yarn chicken around the holidays is not fun!
Using yarn that I was familiar with was a good plan. Different colors don’t really change the functionality of the yarn but different weights do, so all of the yarn I took with me was yarn I was familiar with, so I could just dig in my bag and work on a project. As I was leaving home, at the last moment, I threw a couple extra skeins of yarn in my bag and they came in handy so I had enough for the entire trip.
The plan was very good using untried yarns can be frustrating Since my return, I haven’t completed as many projects. I have made a hat, but I’ve also restarted a scarf with a new or yarn, and gave up on a project with another new yarn (that yarn is now in the donation bag). Also, I’ve been combining some odds and ends to make more hats, and started a couple of red scarves.
During 10-day trip I was able to finish nine and a half hat and scarf sets. The last half of the scarf was completed once I returned home but I still consider it part of the vacation crocheting projects and the cross country train trip put me at my goal of 100 sets! Whoo hoo!
A few of the most recent sets are shown here. Eight months of the year have passed and 90 completed sets – that’s an accomplishment! Wow! My uncle likes to joke that I am running a sweatshop…maybe he’s right.