Slouchy Beanie: Reloaded

Hello! Well, it's been a while... But here I am with another hat - because crochet hats and scarves are pretty much the only things that I do finish when I start them. And because who doesn't want another nice beanie to brighten up short winter days? :)

And guess what? This one took me just two days, working a couple of hours a day!

I already made a beanie for myself using this pattern that I found here in 2012 (almost 5 years ago!!), and I wear it every winter since then - it still looks cool and stylish.

This time I made one as a gift.  I used thicker yarn and larger hook (6 mm instead of 4 mm), and made 14 rounds of puff stitches instead of 16. Hence the incredible speed of making! It's less slouchy, but that's not a bad thing too. Also the ribbed band is 7 stitches wide (instead of 10 sts in original pattern).

And here's 2012 me in 2012 version of hat, just for comparison =))
Have a warm and cozy winter everyone! 

Really Silly Crochet Socks

If you think of handmade socks, you most certainly imagine them knitted. I wanted to destroy that stereotype and find out if I could crochet my own pair of socks. So I searched the web and soon enough I stumbled across this pattern.

I crocheted my socks using yarn leftovers. I understood that they will be silly anyway, so I decided to make them different from each other. Because it's boring to crochet the same sock twice, isn't it?)

I wouldn't wear them outdoors, because they seem not so durable. Maybe someday I will crochet another pair, using different pattern for a smaller hook.

But these socks, they do have that cozy vibe to them. So relaxed and so appropriate for a weekend morning at home with a big mug of tea.

Braided Crochet Earwarmer

Here's my turn on this nice pattern - knit-looking crochet headband/earwarmer.
I decided to make the earwarmer version (the thicker one).

Despite looking easy, the pattern turned out to be challenging. At first it just didn't work for me - I could not achieve the desired "knitted look" by alternating rows of "front loop only" and "back loop only" hdc's. It took a couple of tries and fails to understand that I've been using "center loop" instead of the "front loop"!  I figured it out only after reading this comment of the pattern's author to the original entry:

"...basically when you’re looking at the hdc and it’s 3 loops, I’m referring to them as the front, center and back. The front being the one closest to you. By only using the front or back loop it leaves the other two which gives it that “knit” look and by alternating front and back each row it keeps those extra loops on the same side."  

I also had a bit of a hard time with foundation hdc's, but eventually (after watching some video tutorials) it all worked out. And the braiding video was super helpful!
Here's the result. Is it "knitted" enough? :)

Since the original description contains not so many pictures, I decided to provide more photos for those of you who are not sure how the resulting piece will look when it's put on.

P.S. Yes-yes-yes, it's time for Christmas lights :)