The Sweatshop of Love Blog

Since I started getting hand pain I’ve been trying to mix up my crafts so I can give the hurting parts of my hands breaks every once in a while. I’ve had these awesome crocheted flower hot pads in my queue forever because they look awesome and they’d make great gifts.

Crocheted Flower Hot Pads

Every couple hours I knit on my mom’s Bergen Street Cardigan this weekend I’d stop and take a break to crochet a little Flower Hot Pad. This pattern is nuts. Maybe it’s because I don’t do a lot of crocheting or maybe it’s truly because this pattern is nuts, but just looking at these I had no idea how they were put together. It was really fun crocheting blindly and getting one of these hot pads.

Foldy and Mysterious

We are headed to New York in a few weeks for Renegade Brooklyn and we are going to make a whole trip out of it – spending time at PT’s family home in New York state, in NYC, and driving up to Boston for a few nights. Everywhere we’re going we are sleeping on friend’s couches, so I thought these would make nice hostess gifts.

Two down, two to go! You know, I’m really starting to think I’m going to finish everything I need to before Renegade. It’s a MIRACLE!

The Target

A few weeks ago I spotted this sweater on my friend Caitlin and fell in love. After a lot of inappropriate groping I asked to borrow it.

Tiny Pockets, Cables

Caitlin said she got it at a resale shop, so it took me a lot longer than it should have to realize this is a hand-knit sweater. It just didn’t dawn on me that someone would donate a hand knit. My mom pointed out that the knitter might have just outgrown it, or gave the sweater to someone who didn’t like it.

I Mean, Cables on the Sleeves!

So I’m going to do something I’ve never done before and recreate this sweater with no pattern or direction. It’s a worsted weight wool or wool blend in a seed stitch rib with 6 sts cables and a single crochet button band and collar edging. Simple, right?  … … right?

Single Crochet Button Band

Have you ever attempted to write a pattern based on an existing knit? Any help would be great!

... There Was a Sale!

I went a little crazy at JoAnn this morning in anticipation of tackling Caitlin’s sweater. All of the yarn at JoAnn was on sale and today was the last day! What was I supposed to do?

I got four skeins of Paton’s Classic Wool in Jade Heather that I’m really excited to jump into for this sweater! I am always knitting other people green things but never myself.

I also picked up six skeins of Bernat Satin in Admiral. The blue is stunning and it was on super sale. I’ve never used it before but it’s really soft and perfect for a project I can’t get out of my head.

Reglan Wrap

Next to the yarn in the picture you can see I snagged my own copy of Boutique Knits from Tara! Everyone at The Sweatshop has been ogling the projects in this book forever and it hasn’t left my coffee table since I got it. Specifically this Reglan Wrap! I must have it. I think it will be really pretty in that blue.

Oh, and that huge skein of Bernat Cotton was half off and perfect for these:

Crocheted Flower Hot Pads

These are so pretty and perfect last minute hostess gifts. Or, for me. And probably for my mom once she reads this post.

I can’t possibly sit here on the computer any longer with all this yarn around me and not be knitting. Have a great (wild card) weekend!