Drawing Money Purchased Patricia Kristoffersen Book

Not too long ago, I was lucky enough to be the winner of a drawing for $100! Since it was luck and all, I set out to do the wise thing and splurge, lol. I had been eyeing many Patricia Kristoffersen books on doilies for a while and decided to buy one. It was a difficult decision, but I chose, Doilies with a Twist. There are six wonderful patterns in the book. I crocheted, Ruby, which is on the cover. My fanciful dream is to eventually collect all of her books. They are fairly expensive and difficult to find, sadly. However, there are individual patterns for sale on Ravelry.

Patricia Kristoffersen Books

Patricia Kristoffersen

As you can see from the first picture, I stocked up on Lizbeth yarn. This was the first time I used the yarn for doilies. Before, I mainly used it for Irish crochet and jewelry. After using it there, I realized how durable and lustrous it is. It can be unraveled over and over again without pilling or separating. I’m not trying to sell it, I just really think it’s a great product. In my opinion, it is better to pay a little more for good yarn than to pay less for something that will fall apart in your lifetime. Especially since there is so much effort, time, and love involved in making each creation.

Patricia Kristoffersen Doilies

Patricia Kristoffersen

From left to right, I crocheted Windsor Round, Peacock Pride, and Ruby. The first two are from my other Kristoffersen book, Absolutely Gorgeous Doilies. For Peacock Pride, I tried incorporating Lizbeth’s new Metallic yarn into size ten thread. At first, it was a little tedious getting the hang of the texture difference. After one round, I was able to easily work it. I LOVE Metallic Lizbeth yarn. I can’t wait to start making some jewelry with it! Even though the company says that Metallic is comparable to size 20 thread, it worked really well with the size ten I used. The colors I used for each from left to right are Golden Yellow Lt, Ocean Turquoise Lt with Gold Dust, and Purple Iris Lt.

Kristoffersen DoiliesKristoffersen DoiliesKristoffersen Doilies

Patricia Kristoffersen DoiliesPatricia Kristoffersen Doilies

In the near future, I want to thread more Metallic yarn through the Peacock Pride doily. I think more Gold Dust and some Iridescent would be pretty. There will be lots of experimenting!

My First Crocheted Afghans

All my life I was surrounded by handmade afghans, but I never tried crocheting them myself. During the cold months last year, I decided to attempt my first. Instead of going with a traditional square or rectangle pattern, I went with a circular one I found on moogly. Not only did I think it was nice to have a round afghan, but I also loved the pattern.

First of Two AfghansSecond of Two Afghans

After crocheting for as long as I have, I thought I knew most things pertaining to the subject. Turns out that I had much more to learn! Gauge is extremely important when it comes to making afghans. Every person is different in how they crochet, so it’s critical to find your gauge for the pattern. I needed a much bigger needle than suggested. Unfortunately, K is the largest size I have, so I had to crochet super loosely to make it work. The pink afghan was my very first attempt, and it is a puny example because of my tight crocheting. For the second attempt, I tried much harder. It was comical for me to crochet at the tautness needed for the pattern. After three tries for the gauge, I was able to finally continue. Somehow, I still ended up with a couple extra skeins of yarn! Oh well, that yarn will definitely not go to waste.

Crocheting Afghans

First of AfghansAfghans

First of AfghansAfghans

The Circle of Love Afghan pattern is a lot of fun to crochet. It was a little strange at first, but I got the hang of its parabolic nature eventually. Choosing the colors for the pattern is one of the best parts. Knowing how to change colors is a must for this pattern, as well as knowing the front post double crochet. It is the FPDC that gives the pattern its neat shape and body.