If you had asked me a year ago, I never would have guessed that my most-used handmade item would be my tea cozy, but it is! I make a big pot of tea each morning and my cozy keeps it warm for a long time. I’ve finally uploaded the pattern, so you can make one too.

Sombrero Tea Cozy on Flickr.

buy the pattern

Here’s a version my friend Deneen crocheted for her tiny 1-cup tea pot (just a coincidence we used the same colorway?)

A student from my beginning crochet course made the sides longer and uses it for her coffee press. What handmade items do you use every day?

The new Twist Collective is out. I’m so excited because I’ve been sitting on this little secret since June, and I was losing the ability to keep it to myself: Twist has Crochet! When I met Twist Collective’s Kate Gilbert and Julia Farwell Clay this summer the first thing I thought was “wow.” They were getting ready to launch the first issue of their new magazine and they really had it all together with a fabulous presentation for advertisers and contributors alike. They were passionate about the new publishing model they had constructed and l was pleased when the first issue launched that it looked like they were meeting with success. Of course, when we got to talking, I immediately started asking them about crochet in Twist, and they both were interested and open to giving it a try. We talked about starting with a project that would be accessible and appealing to their mostly knitter audiance. The Elissa Hat and Scarf is made with sock yarn (wonderful squishy sock yarn from Pagewood Farm ). The stitch pattern is simple and fun to learn and easy to memorize. The pattern is being made available free until February 2009.

James grabbed this shot right before I sent the set off back in August. One of the wonderful things about working with Twist, is unlike other publications, I’ll get it back, eventually!

The whole winter issue is full of glorious patterns. I love the felted Heroine coat by Jennifer Lippman Bruno, and the collar and herringbone pattern on Stormsvale by Robin Melanson is dramatic and inspiring. The Gytha hooded pullover looks so wearable and fun to knit; and the I love the patterning of the Postwar Mittens.

I also wrote a short article for the issue, kind or an open letter to knitters who have yet to pick up the hook. (Thanks to the members of SSK for being the inspiration for my article opener!) For most of you dear blog readers, the article is preaching to the converted, but the sentiment, that you need to approach any new skill with a beginners mind and heart (watch a kid learn something new–they are ready for multiple failed attempts before eventual success) has helped me when I need to learn new things, like my recent dip into the waters of spinning.

Wow–I just realized this is the FOURTH Halloween that I’ve been blogging, so I have a bit of goolish content on the blog that it might be nice to revisit.

In 2005, my first year with the blog, I made a crocheted Halloween Treat Bag for a class. You can get the bag on my Ravelry store, but this week only, I’ll e-mail it for free to anyone who leaves me a comment on this post requesting the pattern.

In 2006 we carved a “knit-witch” pumpkin:

Speaking of which–I’m hosting a pumpkin-carving party later this week, and we’re contemplating making our own apple cider I’ll take pictures and report here if we do.

Ghoulish Snacks: Make this easy Halloween snack that jay brought home from preschool last year:

Bake and decorate Halloween Gingerbread Cookies with my recipe from last fall:

And of course, there’s Selma’s Hermione Tie which I made just this weekend:

What are you making this year?

Selma decided to be Hermione Granger for Halloween, and we’ve been collecting supplies: my mom sent my brother’s graduation gown which I will alter for her robe, she’s selected a chopstick for a wand, and asked me to knit her a tie. She chose the yarn: Lamb’s Pride worsted for warmth because she thought the tie would make a nice scarf after Halloween.

The knitting was simple enough. Truthfully, as James is underway, we had the most trouble tying it: “Selma, hold still!” I grumbled, while trying to read online instructions and tie at the same time. I think with a little more practice, I can get a neater knot.

Here’s how I made the tie, in case you’re trying to dress a little wizard this season as well. (The pattern is a quick write-up of my notes and tested only by me, so let me know if you see anything strange.)

Materials
Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted in Color A (CA): Raspberry #M-83 and Color B (CB): Sunburst Gold #M-14 (less than one skein of each)
US Size 8 needles
4.5 mm crochet hook
1 stitch marker

Wide Point
With CA, CO 3 stitches
Row 1: K1, yo, pm,  k1,  yo, k1
Row 2: knit
Row 3: knit to marker, yo, sm, k1, yo, knit to end
Repeat rows 2 & 3 until you have 13 stitches

Begin Color Changes
Pick up CB
Row 1: knit to 2 bef marker, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, knit to end
Row 2: knit
Rows 3-6: Change to CA, work rows 1-2 two times.

Work color change rows 1-6 until tie measures 13 1/2 inches

Tie Decreases
Continuing to work lace pattern and color changes, over the next 6 rows, dec 1 st at each edge on RS rows  until only 7 sts rem.

Work even until tie measures 53 inches. End with CA.

Ending Point
Continuing to work center eyelet pattern, dec 1 st at each edge on RS rows until only 3 sts rem. Final row: k3tog. Do not fasten off.

Edging and Finishing
Pick up final stitch with 4.5mm crochet hook, and with RS facing, sc evenly around all edges of the tie, join edging round with a sl st. Fasten off. Weave in ends. Block gently so tie lays flat.

Carol Ventura has a great post today about how she designed the Sunburst Bowl that’s in the current issue of Crochet Today (A must-have issue, by the way, that features top designers and great editors working within the strict constraints of using only one family of yarns–Red Heart–doing a fabulous job of creating home and fashion projects.) Carol is an amazing evangalist for tapestry crochet–she shares her immense knowledge with love and generosity and it shows. More and more people are trying out the technique as evidenced by the lively ravelry group on the subject.

The September issue of Crochet Today magazine came out while I was in the midst of moving, and I didn’t get to see a copy until I was in Hawaii (I found it at Safeway!). I have a pattern for toe-up crocheted socks. Toe-up socks are my favorite method. They do have one challenge, and that is getting a roomy-enough heel so the sock is easy to put on, but the ankle still fits. These are ankle socks because they were originally meant to be in a summer issue, but they ended up in fall instead.

I crocheted two pairs of these, and numerous step-out-bits, because the socks (not me) are going to be featured on Knit and Crochet Today–the companion TV show for Crochet Today that is on PBS. It looks like my socks will be on episode #205, so once the show airs the socks will be available as a free PDF download. I’ll link to it once it’s posted.

The toe and heel are worked in single crochet. I wanted to have a lacy pattern for the ankle and foot, but a solid footbed so the socks are comfortable to walk on. I couldn’t use single crochet because the double crochet from the lace pattern would cause some distortion since it’s so much taller than a single crochet. To solve the design dilemma, I used linked double crochet stitches on the footbed and double crochet for the lace. When worked in the round, the linked dcs have a very nice, smooth fabric which is perfect for the footbed. The ankle is worked in crocheted ribbing, attached as-you-go. The socks could just as easily be made longer. I used two balls of Heart & Sole sock yarn, but had some left on the second ball. Each ball is 213 yards. Working in self-striping yarns can be quite a challenge in crochet–it’s easy to end up with odd pooling or a camouflage effect. Here by playing with the stitch pattern a bit, I was able to get the colors to cooperate.

Since the Fall Interweave Crochet preview is now out, I can finally post my own pictures. I grabbed these snapshots in a hurry as I rushed to get this sweater mailed in under the wire this spring.

Kim, who does not love having her picture taken (but who was the only neighbor home and a PERFECT fit for the sweater!) agreed to let me take them. Thank you, Kim!

The sweater is crocheted in Lorna’s Laces Green Line DK. It’s a hand-dyed organic merino, and I would call it a chubby dk as it is really almost worsted. It was wonderful to work with–both I and Carol, my star crocheter on this project liked working with it too, I think. This is one sweater I’ve had to part with that I will very likely make again for myself. I’m considering teaching it as a follow-up class to the beginning crochet I’ll be teaching at The Net Loft over the next couple of weeks.

I think that our house is kicking us out. Our phone has been intermittently going on the fritz, every time it rains, as a matter of fact. And last week our furnace broke. Someone came to fix it, but a few days later, it broke again. Oh, and all the rain we’ve been having flooded the basement (i.e. my studio), so rugs are piled on top of boxes and things that I had to move to allow the carpet to dry. Argh. We do have to be here at least another 6 weeks until the movers come, so the house and I are going to have to reach some sort of détante. Maybe a little feng shui is in order.

Meanwhile, I have a new hat design in the works… here’s a quick snapshot. I hope to be doing a photoshoot of this and a few other new projects this week that we’ll be debuting at TNNA in June. The yarn is a sock yarn from Pagewood Farm. It’s a hand-dye on a lovely sock base that is great to work with–this is part of a trio of knitting patterns I’m doing with Pagewood Farm that will include a scarf and a purse.

This weekend we had a break from many, many days of torrential rain on Saturday, and we took advantage of it by going to see the US Women’s soccer team beat Canada at RFK stadium in DC. We had front-row seats, and the kids really got to see the action. A few of the players were moms and their kids got to run out to the field and bring them flowers for mother’s day. Afterwards, some of the players came and signed autographs.

One of them, Kate Sobrero, who was carrying her son, Keegan, tossed Jay one of her signed Jerseys!

Of course, he had to put it on, right away.

If you’re a Heroes fan, you’ll appreciate this adorable Mohinder amigurumi doll created by Violet Anchovy. I love the sideburns.

She based it on Kim Werker’s Amigurumi Dude pattern at CrochetMe. Oh, and she’s made a Sylar one too!

As promised before the yarn party, I’ve finally put the finishing touches on the patterns for Nhoj’s Raglan–an top-down crocheted men’s sweater, and the Antique Lace Shawl–a triangle lace crocheted shawl worked in one ball (plus oddments for the edging) of Knit One Crochet Too douceur et soie. More pictures for both the shawl and the sweater are on ravelry.

Without further ado…