Practice Swatch: Crocodile Stitch

This stitch is actually fairly easy to do, once you get the rhythm of it. I've been experimenting with techniques and yarns. Here's my first stab at it using Red Heart "Soft" Yarn. Not a fan so far. The strands unwind and I get lots of scraggly looking pieces. Too bad since I adore the color.

I've been doing this swatch using Teresa's YouTube instructions and I've started another swatch as well using a different technique and yarn, which I'll post later and compare my thoughts on the two.

Any ideas on what to turn this little swatch into?

Christmas Scarves for Boys

When I went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving I saw that she had picked up crochet again. I had been rolling this around in my mind too, and I had actually packed yarn and a hook for the drive (13 hours!) but discovered that I get car sick if I focus too closely on detail work or reading. {Sigh.} Lucky that the library has books for download as this makes the time FLY. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan was entertaining for everyone. Anyway, seeing that my sister was back in crochet mode was all I needed to get myself going again. She gave me an awesome book that has stitches in it that I'll share another day.

I knew I needed to start back in an easy fashion, and nothing is easier than a scarf. I made 3, one for each kid (actually 4 - N didn't like his original so I ripped it out and started over) and I'm fairly happy with how they turned out. The pattern is a riff from the Lion Brand Yarn "2-Color Scarf". I changed it up into a 3-Color Scarf because I thought that a stripe of red would pop the grey and black and that the gray would be a nice foil for the purple and black. Be sure to block your finished creations, especially if you think they're a little crooked or lumpy looking. I soaked them down, wrapped them in a towel and squeezed out the excess water. I spread them out on the laundry room counter and re-shaped so that the edges were even and lines were straight. Straightening out everything when wet does the trick!

Tip: If you're just starting out crocheting, the Homespun is rather challenging to use. The way the yarn is constructed makes it a little hard to see stitches or count, so if you're really, really just starting, I'd suggest a regular worsted yarn for your first few projects until you get in the groove.

Colors I used of Lion Brand Homespun
Black
Edwardian (Gray)
Candy Apple (Red)
Barrington (Purple with Teal) In real life, this looks nothing like the swatch online. This is a great reason to check dyelot - make sure that you buy enough yarn to finish your project from the same dyelot. You can find the numbers for each lot on the back of the skein wrapper. Dig through the bin at the store and buy an extra if you think you'll be close, keep the receipt and return if not needed.

Amigurumi Penguin!

Isn't he adorable???

I enjoyed making him and after many consultations to the pattern (which is from Lion Brand Yarn and can be found HERE), the picture and tips and tricks off the internet, he's done. I was hoping to get 3 of them done for the boys, but he's a one-of-a-kind for right now. I'm really itching to make a crocodile stitch scarf for myself that I have beautiful yarn for. (More about the itching part and the scarves I made for the boys for Christmas later...)

Here are the materials I used for him:
Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in White, Black and Gold
LaPetite #735 black buttons
Polyfill from Joann

What should we name him?