Old Finished Projects

crocheted scarf
yarn: Peaches & Creme 100% cotton (two balls)
hook: 3 ¾ mm/US F
pattern: nine rows of double crochet
comments: When I first moved to the DC area my only scarf was a red, yellow and green one I had crocheted in honor of my Guinean dance instructor. African men on buses and trains would see me wearing it and use it as a point of conversation. Most African men I have come across tend to be very persistent and won’t take no for an answer (huge turn-off), so, to avoid unwanted attention, I bought yarn and a hook and crocheted this scarf and retired the old one.

I was an intermittent crocheter. I’d have a few months of frenzied activity followed by several months, or even a couple years, of inactivity. Making this scarf was the beginning of a new period of crocheting activity during which I learned how to knit. Now that I have two crafts to choose from, I can switch off between the two and haven’t had any more periods of craft inactivity.



first (second, third, fourth) hat
yarn: 100% hand-painted wool
needles: 5 mm/US 8
pattern: 2x2 rib in the round, crocheted tassels
comments: This is the first hat I ever knit. It’s beginning to look a bit worn out, but I still wear it. I knit it without a pattern and without making a swatch, therefore had to pull it out and re-knit it three times (too small, then too wide, then too pointy). This explains why I never wove in the end at the bottom. I wasn’t sure if I was going to have to re-knit the fourth attempt, so I just let it hang.

From this experience I learned the importance of swatching. I still rarely follow a pattern, though.