The Sweatshop of Love Blog » Crocheted Flower Hot Pads http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog The Sweatshop of Love Blog celebrates every aspect of knitting - from finding a pattern to finishing a project. I publish my own patterns, share everything on my needles, and help knitters of all skill levels get excited about knitting. Never snobby, I use creativity and ingenuity to create finished projects for less. More than anything, The Sweatshop of Lover's Blog LOVES knitting and wants to make you love it, too. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:16:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Hand Break: Crochet Flower Hot Pads http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/05/19/hand-break-crochet-flower-hot-pads/ http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/05/19/hand-break-crochet-flower-hot-pads/#comments Thu, 19 May 2011 13:23:08 +0000 Allyson http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/?p=5926

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!

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]]> http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/05/19/hand-break-crochet-flower-hot-pads/feed/ 2 The Ravelympics! http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2010/01/15/the-ravelympics/ http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2010/01/15/the-ravelympics/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:47:25 +0000 Allyson http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/?p=2654

I’m a huge sucker for the Olympics. I want to watch every competition, every sport, every lame back story. I’ve already been crying during those Morgan Freeman commercials about the speed skater who’s sister died right before his skate! And he promised her he would win the gold but he fell. BUT THEN 6 years later he won the gold, and he is holding his baby daughter he NAMED AFTER HIS DEAD SISTER!

It kills me.

Kristi!!

When I was really young I wanted to be an ice skater. It was the first thing I ever really wanted to do. Kristi Yamaguchi won the gold medal in 1992, when I was 8, and was my hero. Then I loved Oksana Baiul before she went totally nuts.

Clearly, I am not an ice skater. I am a knitter. But you can imagine how excited I was to hear that there is a way I can combine my irrational fondness for the Olympics and knitting! Enter, the Ravelympics!

The idea is that you knit like a crazy person while watching the Olympics! There are different categories, like Sock Hockey, Mitten Moguls, and Hat Halfpipe, and you, along with the people on your team, knit as much as they can during the span of the Olympic Games. The official rules are here.

I joined Julie at Knitted Bliss‘s team, Team Buttercream, and of course I’ve already got my projects picked out!

Hoodie Devoted

I’ll be entering the Hat Halfpipe with this hood (rav) from Boutique Knits I can’t stop thinking about. It’s lined, too! I love it. It will be really cute to throw over a cropped jacket when you probably shouldn’t be wearing a cropped jacket but can’t stomach the thought of putting on your winter coat again. Stupid Chicago.

Bella's Mittens

I’ll be entering the Mitten Moguls with Bella’s Mittens (rav), which have something to do with Twilight I guess? I just like the pattern. I’m going to make them fingerless, though, because, as Julie said, they are kind of a lot to take on and off.

Clearly, I’m kind of obsessed with Julie!

Crochet Flower Hot Pad

I mentioned these little guys before when I bought the yarn for them! I’ll be entering the Home competition (that doesn’t have a cute name? What is that?) with the Crocheted Flower Hot Pads. I’m going to be crocheting these when I need a break from my other projects. IF I need a break. I want the Olympics to start right now so I can start on these projects! I can’t wait.

Amazingly, all these projects have something in common. I’ve got a trip to Portland scheduled at the end of February and I want to NOT bring my winter coat. I want to flit around in my hood and my arm warmers and be pleasantly cold, not uncomfortably cold. And the hot pads are my hostess gift. And I’ve got to make a couple for my mom. Knew that was coming.

If you are interested in joining the Ravelympics, do it! We don’t cast on until the opening ceremonies, and those aren’t until Friday, February 12th, unfortunately.

That means I’ve got from the 1st till the 12th to finish my February Sweater for my Knit a Sweater a Month Challenge. I might be breaking some knitting records in February! Did I bite off more than I can chew?

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]]> http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2010/01/15/the-ravelympics/feed/ 3 Mission: Recreate Caitlin’s Sweater http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2010/01/09/mission-recreate-caitlins-sweater/ http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2010/01/09/mission-recreate-caitlins-sweater/#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:34:47 +0000 Allyson http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/?p=2602

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!

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