This and that

 The last few weeks, I finished a couple of projects.  I finished my chevron scarf and spun some fiber that my buddy, Denise, gave to me in a swap.  

 I have been planning my travel projects but not really finalized anything yet.  I am definitely taking a crochet project with me because I'm paranoid about bringing needles on the plane and them being taken away from me.  Plus, I'm too cheap to have a prepaid envelope with me to send them home so I'll be packing the needles in my suitcase and crocheting with my carry-on.

I couldn't resist starting one of my travel projects early.  And then I finished it... so now I want to find another project to add in with my whole packing situation.  I only have two days to make a crafty plan.  Wish me luck!

Beret Bonanza!

Halfway point...

My awesome beret tester

Le bébé en gold

Someone else wanted to help

The start of the end

Berets for everyone!

In one week, I'll be off to France with my students.  To help them thoroughly enjoy their French experience I was convinced to whip out eight berets for the eight students going on the trip with us.  I made all the berets using a G hook and a mix of Redheart yarn in pink, black, gold, and red.  The sizes varied a little but not too much.  It's pretty safe to say that this pattern will forever be ingrained in my mind and you guys can find it here.

What happened in Grand Rapids...

 Memorial Day weekend, I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan to celebrate the wedding of my little sister.  The kiddies were with my in-laws so, I was able to squeeze out some hexipuffs while my sister was getting her hair done and I did some spinning in the hotel room that I shared with my parents and the husband.  The hotel that we stayed at was super cool and modern.  It was hands down the best hotel I ever stayed in.  It became even more awesome when I saw this crocheted and knitted mural on the wall:

Yes, the red squares are crocheted and the white and gray ones are knit.  They were probably about 2 inches by 2inches.  I, of course, had to touch it much to the annoyance of my husband.  I took a few pictures of it and as you can see there is a booth right in front of it where I enjoyed my continental breakfast and admired the patience, time and effort. 

Gatsby inspired...

Fellow Raveler and Instagram-er, Vanessa Rothenbuhler of Lynai Yarns organized a Great Gatsby inspired knit-a-long and I decided to join in on the fun!  I busted out the crochet hook and some yummy angora merino yarn from Lion Brand.  Check it out!

My inspiration - Image c/o here.

... and what I got so far...

The Singles Queen

I'll just let the pictures do the talking...

Just a few details:  4 oz of BFL single spun into 174 yards of sport weight... a dream to spin!

Glam mitts

Continuing on with some more testing, I opted to help out another fellow Raveler with one of her crocheted fingerless mitts pattern.  The pattern is 'Lily Fingerless Gloves' by Angèle Lumière and I used Isager's Highland Yarn in the colorways of Maize and Fig.  This is a fingering weight yarn and typically I do not crochet with such thin yarn but the last few tests were about breaking out of old habits and trying new things!  I highly recommend this pattern for all the hookers and wanna be hookers out there!  Such a small, simple but pretty project!

Anyone for a bag?

 I've been pretty busy again and even with the end of the school year coming and a million and one things to do there, I refuse to stop crafting at home.  It's a nice release.  One of the things I was working on was a test crochet for my friend, Denise.  The name of the pattern is, Anyone for a Stroll? Bag.  She wanted me to use hand spun yarn since the pattern really does that sort of yarn a lot of justice.  I was scared at first.  I have this habit of making all this awesome yarn and hoarding it away and not doing anything with it.  This test was a great motivation to use it!

 I can't believe I waited so long to use my own hand spun.  It was a wool merino blend that was soft, squishy and full of bounce.  The dark pink fiber was from Spinner's Hill that I two plied.  I had a different button purchased originally but decided to keep a light wood theme going with this bag.  The button is from Joann Fabrics as well as the handles.

You may also notice that there is a light pink fiber running around the base of the bag and up at the top edge.  That yarn was spun for me by my friend, Gretchen, into thick and thin singles.  This was from a trip to Rhinebeck where I bought a ton of fiber and then asked her to spin it up for me.  I love how both of these yarns work together.  

If you like what you see, head on over to Denise's blog and check out her newest collection: Fleurs et L'eau.  Her most recent posts are showcasing the patterns!