Stuffed Potato Shepherd's Pie - Quick Meal Prep or Week Night Meal

In honor of the upcoming St. Patty's day this week I decided to try out a recipe that my friend, Catherine, made for me when she came to visit a few weekends ago. We attended the local Irish Fest and we were thinking good Irish food ... and potatoes ... and lamb ... but mostly potatoes. She made a version of the recipe I posted below, but I added a few more fresh veggies (I prefer fresh over canned). Really, with this dish you can add just about what ever you want. Even whisky! But as a beverage - not in the recipe itself. I digress.

The main idea behind this recipe is to take the concept of a shepherds pie and stuff it into a potato. I love shepherd's pie, but the mashed potatoes are such a pain. And then the pie part always bubbles through the mashed potatoes leaving your oven dirty ... not the easiest meal to cook. This recipe makes it easier because you just bake the potato, carve it out, stuff it, and then top with the soft-baked mashed potato goodness. Top with more cheese and sour cream, bacon bits and chives - I'm sure the Irish won't judge. Unless you forgot the whisky. I'm sure a Guinness would be a suitable substitute as well.

Yummy potato goodness - yes I'm Irish, can you tell? I love potatoes!

I also recommend this as a great week night meal of - throw everything in the skillet, cook while microwaving the potatoes (so much less time than baking), carve, stuff, top, and serve! I like having just one half of the whole potato (pictured above) and I take the other half, wrap in foil, and there's lunch or dinner for later in the week! Ok, ok, so you want to make these. I'll keep you no longer! Here's the recipe I wrote up after making it tonight:

Quick Stuffed Potato Shepherd’s Pie - Week Night Meal

Description: This quick to cook meal can be prepped earlier in the week to enjoy for the next few nights or warmed up for lunches - or it can feed a small army. Since I don’t have an army to feed I simply make the meat-veggie mix one night to store for the week in the fridge and then just microwave the potato when you’re ready to eat! To make for quick heating: cook and stuff the potato a head of time, let it cool, then wrap it in aluminum foil to store in the fridge till you are ready to eat!

Cook & Prep Time: ~30 minutes

Serves: 8 people (depending on how many potatoes you have or how many hungry people present)

Serving Size: One Stuffed Potato (Although I find one half of a large Russet potato is enough for a meal for me or gives you the option of pairing a side with it).

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound of ground beef/lamb/turkey

1 white onion chopped

1 cup of corn (canned or fresh of the ear)

1 cup cut green beans (canned or fresh - if fresh cut small)

2 stalks celery sliced

1 cup of shredded carrots

½ Cup low sodium beef broth (or veggie broth)

8 Russet potatoes

8 Tablespoons light sour cream

4 Tablespoon shredded cheese

3 clove minced garlic

(Optional: 2 Tablespoons melted butter)

Suggested spices: Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Salt & Pepper - add to taste while cooking the meat and veggies.

Directions:

• Cut veggies as needed. Since I like to buy fresh green beans I cut them smaller, and I cut the corn off the cob. Dice the onion, slice the celery, and shred or thinly slice the carrots if you didn't buy them pre-shredded. Depending on how much time you have you might want to buy canned/precut. Personally after a long day at work I find wielding a knife therapeutic.
• In a pan on medium heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add cut veggies - cover to keep in the juices.
• Cook until tender stirring from time to time. Don't over cook fresh veggies. No one likes limp veggies. That's how your grandma cooked them and that's why you don't like them. Keep them tinder!
• Transfer tinder veggies to a mixing bowl and set aside.
• Over medium heat brown meat in the same pan the veggies were in using another Tbsp of olive oil if needed.
• When meat is starting to brown add broth and let simmer for a few minutes till meat is completely browned.
• While meat is cooking, microwave two potatoes at a time, but rub some olive oil on the outside to give it an oven-baked taste - add some salt to it if you're feeling daring. 
• Let the potatoes rest - and cook as many as you need in batches till you’ve cooked all potatoes if you are feeding an army or making meals ahead of time.
• Add the veggies to the same pan and cook for a few minutes. Reduce heat to low - do not cover.
• Carefully cut a potato in half - it'll be hot! I use a kitchen towel to hold the potato while I work with it. 
• Take a small knife & spoon (leave a small potato wall next to the skin, do not carve all the way to the skin wall) carve out some inner potato goodness and place the innards in another mixing bowl. Carved out potatoes can rest on a plate while they wait to be stuffed.
• Once all potatoes have been gutted, mix the potato innards with garlic, cheese, sour cream and optional butter. But don't forget the garlic. Garlic and potatoes is almost better than cheese and potatoes, or bacon and potatoes.
• Scoop the meat and veggie mix into the potato (about ¾ of a cup depending on your potato) till it’s almost level then take some of the potato mixture and place on top of the meat and veggie mix.
• I recommend serving in a bowl just in case things get messy!

Estimated Nutrition Information:

Calculation based on using lean beef in the recipe (via MyFitnessPal website - I do not represent them or make money from them I just so happened to like using their website).

1 serving = 1 stuffed potato (two halves)

Calories 519

Carbs 71g

Fat 16g

Protein 25g

Sodium 224mg

Sugar 6g

So there you have it! Since St. Patty's Day falls on a THURSDAY this week (almost as bad as having a Birthday on a Monday) this is a nice quick meal for a busy week night! I hope you try it and like it. With whisky ... ok or a pint of Guinness! Happy St. Patty's Day!

Fall Leaves Crochet Earrings

Adorable Maple Leaf Crochet Earrings!

This past weekend I picked up some new hooks at JoAnn's to mix things up a bit. I have big hooks, medium sized hooks, but I wanted to try out the tiny hooks! Brave. I know. I also picked up some thread to try out.

I found this pretty thread and instantly thought "fall!" What is a symbol of fall? Leaves! And since our recent visit to Canada I thought that a maple leaf might be a good choice of leaf to start with.

After a little "research" (Pinterest/Google images) I found this free pattern that is made with just regular yarn. I gave it a go and found the pattern very easy to follow and to make. I also copied and paste it below for reference.

After making one of these little guys, I couldn't resist and made a few more. Then the inspiration hit me to turn them into earrings. I use to dabble a little in jewelry making and beading so I found my old supplies and got to work!

Here's is what resulted:

Maple Leaf Earrings!

This picture gives you an idea of how small they ended up.

Maple Leaf Pattern:

Colorful Maple Leaves worsted weight yarn ***(I used Lisbeth thread size 20)
hook 4mm ***(I used a size 1.5mm hook or size 7)
optionally one split ring stitch markers

st, sts-stitch, stitches
sp, sps-space, spaces
ch-chain
sl st-slip stitch
sc-single crochet
dc-double crochet
tr-treble crochet
picot-chain 3, sl st in back bump of 3rd ch from hook


Base ring:
ch7, join with sl st to form circle

Round 1
ch1 (doesn't count as sc), 15 sc around, join with sl st in first sc, put marker in st just made, do not turn
Round 2
ch2, dc in next st, ch2, sl st in each of next 2 sts,
*ch3, tr in next st, ch3, sl st in each of next two sts* 3 times
ch2, dc in next st, ch2, sl st in next st
Steam

ch 10, starting in 4th ch from hook sl st in back bump of each ch  across , sl st in marked st (remove marker)
Round 3
2sc in next ch2 sp, sc in next dc, picot, sc in next ch2 sp
3sc in next ch3 sp, sc in next tr, picot, 3sc in next ch3 sp
4sc in next ch3 sp, sc in next tr, picot, 3sc in next ch3 sp
3sc in next ch3 sp, sc in next tr, picot, 3sc in next ch3 sp
2sc in next ch2 sp, sc in next dc, picot, 2sc in next ch2 sp
sl st in last st before steam
Pattern Source.

Chrochet Braided Infinity Scarf - Free Pattern

Crochet Braided Infinity Scarf - Free Pattern Below!

I have a sick obsession with my Pinterest boards. It's like what Reddit is for my husband, but mine is actually productive (oops! did I say that?!). But I, like so many other people on Pinterest, pin amazing things that I may never do, but hope to some day. Most Saturadays or lazy mornings I can be found in bed, with a cup of coffee or tea, and my iPad open to Pinterest just pinning away - usually an episode of Pioneer Woman on TV to further my pinning. 

So one of the things I have pinned on my Pinterest crochet board (http://www.pinterest.com/allisonsavoy/) was a braided infinity scarf - supper pretty and instantly pinnable.  If you haven't seen one search for it on Pinterest. They would make a stylish gift for any lovely lady you know ... like yourself!

Seriously.

This weekend I organized and inventoried my yarn stash because JoAnn's was have a sale this weekend I couldn't miss - not that you should miss any good sale, but this was the holy grail of sales combined with coupons.  And much to my hubby's dismay I wanted to load up on yarn for the fall.  So as I was going through my yarn stash and found some Bernat yarn that I had scored on sale at JoAnn's a while back - no joke it was $0.97 per skein. Sorry, Macklemore, I did NOT need to go thrift store shopping because JoAnn's knows how to mark 'em down!

If only every trip to JoAnn's began this way...

It is Bernat Mosaic in the shade called Aura (http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/bernat-mosaic) - I thought it was really pretty (and so soft which are two criteria for any yarn unless it is for someone you don't like), but at the time I purchased it just didn't have the right project for it which is the case for most yarn we purchase.  We go "oooo pretty! I'll find a project for you ... later." Then go back to Pinterest ... I diverge....



Some goes for yarn. If you get cheap yarn then you know how I feel about you...

Well, as I was basking in the glory my reunion with the Mosaic yarn an idea took hold - this yard would be perfect for the braided scarf I want to make! Pinterest inspiration is born! Doncha love it when that happens? Some people are pinner to their boards and other create from them -- guess which we are?!


So pretty! What a lovely discovery in my yarn collection!

I did a little research (Pinterest) and settled on writing my own pattern that worked for me and what I wanted to achieve which was awesomeness. But awesomeness has to be carefully crafted by taking the best ideas you can find through your research. At least that is what grad school taught me. 

Lucky you can skip all that research and pinning -- ok just the research -- because I have written the pattern out below along with some tips and tricks because someone has to learn from my mistakes. I don't claim to know it *all* for this pattern - despite my amazing research. So please feel free to leave a comment if you have a suggestion of how to improve the pattern just make sure you use your indoor voice.

Difficulty: Easy ... and you're thinking "ok what does she REALLY mean?" It is easy if you have done a few pieces and feel comfortable with crochet. Not a beginners piece, but if you're good at this you'll get it done in no time bar the sewing to make it an infinity scarf.

Materials:
Yarn: I used the Bernat Mosaic in Aura which is a medium weight yarn. If you go with a bulkier weight yarn you will need to make a smaller foundation chain so just keep that in mind (about 50 inches is what I would aim for on average). I used two skeins of the Bernat Mosaic which is 209 yards (191 meters) each so a total of 418 yards (382 meters) - always buy more than you need ... as if I had to tell you that. I had yarn left over (yes!) so it'll give you plenty of medium weight yarn.
Hook: This yarn called for a size H or 5.00mm hook
Yarn needles, clothes pins.

Stitches:
The only stitch you need to know for this pattern is a double crochet. You can sub out any stitch you'd like though (half double, single, triple, back post stitch, etc.).

**Variation idea: (this is just bonus) If you go with a bulkier yarn then I would do a back post stitch-like pattern to give it a knit look. Might come off looking very Katniss-like from Catching Fire. You can see what this looks like in my blog about this stitch that I used on a blanket.(http://chateaudesavoy.blogspot.com/2014/06/chunky-back-post-stitch-masculine.html)

Other tips about this pattern:
The basics of this pattern is you are making three mini scarves then braid them together, but the scarves are not made quite like you'd think. The foundation chain will represent the length of the scarf then you add about 5 rows to create the width of the scarf. Different because I know most scarves I make a small foundation chain to represent my width then just keep on adding rows till I get the desired length. Nope! This different technique give the scarf a different, but awesome, look.

To start, chain 200 which gives your first mini scarf a length of about 50 inches. Again, chain less if you want a shorter scarf and chain more if you want it longer. At the bottom is a picture of myself to give you perspective - I'm about 5'2" if that helps.

Ok, it was really 51" but you don't need to be exact! And guess what? My foundation chain is not near as pretty as those pictures from the pros - feel better now doncha?

 Rows 1: On your foundation chain, chain another two and then double crochet into the second chain from the hook - you will do 200 double crochets, chain two, then turn. Now as you do this you may noticed that your double crochets are curling up (see below) - there are a few ways to prevent this. First crochet your foundation chain very loosely you high anxiety person! Another technique that've been known to employ is to use a bigger hook like one letter up (in this case an I or even a J if you're a REALLY tight crocheter). Now I did a loose foundation chain and this still happened, but it disappeared the further I got - so just keep on going and if it doesn't look good you can always rip it out! There are many projects that don't really start to take shape until I get a few rows or rounds in.



Just make a loose foundation chain and the curl won't stick around after a few rows

Rows 2 - 5: Repeat the same thing you did in row 1. And don't forget to turn in a good TV show or movie you can listen to while crochet. I recommend a good BBC Masterpiece miniseries to make you feel sophisticated, but that's really up to you!
Row 6: This step is optional, I didn't like how the foundation chain left the scarf looking unbalanced (something that always bothers me when I finish a project) so I did one last row of slip stitches all the way across before fastening off.

Here's what my first scarf looked like:

One down two more to go!!

Do this entire pattern two more times to get three mini scarves. What you have might look like this:

I love how they are all different even though my OCD/perfectionist side is twitching a bit.

Now comes the tricky part - putting it all together. I'll share with you what I did and what I would improve - take what you want from it! First I sewed in all the tails on the scarves.

Lay your scarves out on a flat surface and figure out what order you want them in - if it's all one color this may not make a difference, but when we make out projects WE know the difference between the scarves because WE made them. Before I started braiding them I realized it might be a good idea to connected all of them together (picture below) - looking back on this you probably don't HAVE to, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. So across the top I did a single crochet. Hindsight, I might do a double crochet so it's a little more sturdy easier to connect to make the infinity part of the scarf, but I didn't want a huge seam so I went with a single crochet. Heck, you could even do a slip stitch! Again, connected them across the top is optional, but I thought it would keep everything together -- including my sanity!

Optional, but may help your sanity - especially if you are not coordinated like me - connecting them across the top with a single crochet before you start braiding them.

After connecting them, you can fasten it off. I didn't do that right away because I'm great at second guessing myself -- I mean I wanted to make sure that I kept the yarn attached incase I wanted to use it for connected the opposite ends of the scarves.

Next, I took something heavy - I had a Panini press! (my husband thought I was nuts, but hey, he married me!).  The Panini press (which was clean!) was used to hold down the connected scarves while I braided them. Again, optional, but it helped me and my uncoordinated ways.

Weight it down and start braiding! It's like I'm combining my two favorite hobbies - crochet and cooking - but I'm not gaining any calories!

I wasn't too tight with braiding them, and it takes a while to find how tight you want it. If you're a perfectionist this will drive you up the wall and you'll probably redo it ten times. Seriously. I was able to restrain myself to just five tries. Looking back I might try to braid a little tighter, but the tighter I did it I noticed the more the individual scarves start to curl. Don't fret over it too much - after all this is a hobby that should make you relaxed and happy!

Happy little scarves being braided. I braided loosely and tried not to re-do it too much!

But once you get the braiding looking the way you want it try to make the ends of the braid all line up.

Get the to line up as best you can. It's ok if one is longer or shorter than the other because once you sew the opposite ends together ... no one will ever know! Crochet is so forgiving!

Next, I used some clothes pins I had on hand to keep the braid together while I flipped it up to where my Panini press is holding down the other end. Because if that braid came undone I was going to come undone as well - I had it just the way I wanted it!

I pinned it (literally - not on Pinterest!) together so that it wouldn't come undone.

Now, take your project (you can have a seat and resume watching your BBC Masterpiece miniseries) and carefully sew the ends together using your yarn needle and about a foot or so of yarn of the same color. Make sure your yarn is not attached to the skein. Again, hindsight I might have kept the yarn attached at the top where I made the single crochet so I could just use that to sew the opposite ends together. Options! Options!

My first go and sewing these together - I'd probably do it a little differently next time. Just use your yarn needle to sew in and out of the stitches.

I'll be honest and say I just took my yarn needle and sewed both ends together by weaving my needle with yarn in and out of the ends of the scarves. However, I recommend taking your clothes pinned end and matching them up to make another braid. Here's what I mean, looking at the picture below, I would have taken the top left scarf and matched it up to the bottom right scarf and so on so that it created one more braid to be sewn together. You can do it my way, but you definitely have a seam that you'll want to hide with your hair. --Like I said! I'm perfecting this! If you have a better way of doing this PLEASE SHARE! Sharing is caring!

Sew the ends into the single crochet row. I probably would have sewn the ends together differently now so that it looked like one more braid - live and learn!

Guess what? You're done! That's it! Aside from getting the scarves braided and sewn together this is a super easy project that only mildly tests your sanity. So what's next? Make another one using a different stitch or a different type of yarn! Use multiple colors! Do five small scarves instead of three bigger ones! The possibilities are endless!! And if you needed a stylish gift for "that" friend/family member who is always changing their wardrobe - they'll love this! Or maybe that's you!

Pretty! Pretty!

I wish you luck and leave questions or suggestions in the comments. Thanks!

Crochet designer and model! Just kidding, but why not show off my beautiful creation?! Happy crocheting!

 

Fall Perfectly Pumpkin Crochet Basket - Free Pattern

Perfectly Pumpkin Fall Basket

My mother was in town recently and we took are usual pilgrimage to JoAnn's to oogle over yarn. I have her to blame for my crochet hobby and subsequent yarn addition. Lucky for us JoAnn's was have a clearance sale on some of their yarn! Many things had been picked over, but I was able to get five skeins of pumpkin colored yarn which gave way to a Fall inspiration.

This summer I learned how to crochet a basket which has been handy -- I made two! But I realized when making the baskets it would be really fun to make one to hold Halloween candy this Fall. It seems like every Halloween I buy tons of candy, but never really have a good candy bowl with which to distribute the candy. So why not make one?!

When I saw the pumpkin colored yarn I knew I had to have it - and it was 50% off the original price!  (All said and done this basket cost me under $10.) Now there is a difference with this yarn than others I used to make baskets: it's the bulky yarn. This particular yarn is Wool Ease Chunky by Lion Brand. It yielded a color hard to photograph, but a very nice basket!

After making the basket I was going to use black yarn and stitch a Halloween pumpkin face on it, but the more I thought about it the cheesier it was looking in my mind. So why not a little embellishment? So I made a leaf and corkscrew which almost looks like a pinecone!

I have written out the pattern along with the little embellishments I made for it below.

Apples! In a pumpkin basket! Cute!

Fall Perfectly Pumpkin Crochet Basket
Yarn: A chunky pumpkin colored yarn - 2 skeins will do. I used Lion Brand Yarn Wool-Ease Chunky yarn in Pumpkin.
You will also need a little bit of green and brown for the embellishments. I had scrap yarn on hand so I just used what I had.
Hook: The hook it calls for is a K or a 6.50mm, but to make the basket you want a tight stitch so I went down to an I or 5.50mm hook.
Pattern notes: So not only are you going with a smaller hook, but you are also going to hold two strands at once. It can be tiresome on the hands, but using two strands is what makes it stiff. Yes, you are decreasing your hook size AND using two strands at once - this will yield a sturdy basket, but it can be troublesome on the hands. Take breaks! Here's a picture of what I mean you have to use two strands at once:



Working with two stands means two skeins as well!

Pattern:To begin chain four, and then make a ring by slip stitching into the first chain you made. Chain three (this does not count as a double crochet).
Round 1: In the ring you made do ten double crochets. When you've made the last double crochet, slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet for that round. This technique will make a nearly invisible seam. Chain three to start the next row.
Round 2: Do two double crochets into the same stitch as the chain three, then do two double crochets into every stitch after that. You should now have twenty double crochets. Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet. Chain three and now begins a new "rhythm" to the pattern.
Round 3: Do two double crochets in the same stitch as the chain three, one double crochet in the next stitch, two double crochets in the third, one double crochets in the fourth, two double crochets in the fifth, etc. Repeat this process all the way around, you should now have thirty stitches. Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet. Chain three.
Round 4: Two double crochets in the same stitch as the chain three, one double crochet in each of the next two stitches, two double crochets in the next stitch, one double crochet in each of the next two stitches, etc. Repeat till all the way around. Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet. Chain three.
Round 5: Two double crochets in the same stitch as the chain three, one double crochet in each of the next three stitches, two double crochets in the next stitch, one double crochet in each of the next three stitches, etc. Repeat till all the way around. Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet. Chain three.
Round 6: Two double crochets in the same stitch as the chain three, one double crochet in each of the next four stitches, two double crochets in the next stitch, one double crochet in each of the next four stitches, etc. Repeat till all the way around. Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet. Chain three.
Round 7: Two double crochets in the same stitch as the chain three, one double crochet in each of the next five stitches, two double crochets in the next stitch, one double crochet in each of the next five stitches, etc. Repeat till all the way around. Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet. Chain three.
Round 8: Now you are finished making the bottom of your basket and it's time to make the sides. The stitch you are going to do is called a back post stitch where you actually crochet around the post of a double crochet. Here is a link to a tutorial on how to do this. It's a really neat stitch actually! If that tutorial doesn't work just search for double crochet back post stitch. Back to the pattern! Do a double crochet back post stitch in the same stitch as the chain two, then do the double crochet back post stitch all the way around. You hand might get tired! Once you've gone all the way around slip stitch into the top of first double crochet and chain three.
Round 9-12: From here on out the usual double crochet in each stitch with continue along with slip stitching into the top of the first double crochet and chaining three. You will do this for the next four rounds before it'll get interesting. And if your basket doesn't look quite right just give it a few rounds to take shape.
Round 13: This round we will create the handles. To do this do a double crochet in the next thirteen stitches, then skip the next nine stitches and instead chain eleven (this is the beginning of your handle). After skipping nine stitches do a double crochet in the next twenty six stitches. Here is the next handle, skip nine stitches and chain eleven. To finish off the round do a double crochet in the next thirteen stitches, slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet and chain three.
Round 14: Last round! Double crochet into each stitch include the chain eleven from the previous round. This will create good sturdy handles.

Here's a close up of the handles:

Embellishments:
Like I said earlier I debated putting a cute Halloween face on the basket, but I instead decided a little green leaf and corkscrew might look nice. Here are the patterns. Before you do any of these though I'd like to recommend to keep a long tail so that you have something to sew with when you attach to the basket.
Leaf:
Chain 14. In the second chain from the hook do one single crochet, in the next stitch do a half double crochet, then in the next three stitches do a double crochet in each. Then in the next three stitches do a triple crochet in each. Next you will reflect what you just did. Double crochet in the next three stitches, half double crochet in the next stitch and single crochet in the last.
Then you will chain three to make a bit of a stem. Slip stitch in to the third single crochet from your hook - this makes the tip of the leaf.
You just made one side of the leaf with the foundation chain representing the middle of the leaf. For the next part you will make the other half of the leaf which is a reflection of what you just did.
So working into the other side of your foundation chain single crochet in the first stitch of the chain, double crochet into the next one, then one double crochet in the next three stitches, triple crochet in the next three stitches, double crochet in the next three stitches, half double crochet in the next stitch, and then finally a single crochet in the last stitch. Fasten off and you have your leaf.
Corkscrew:
These are super easy! Just chain however long you want it to be - I did 25 because it seemed like a nice number. Then do two double crochet into the fourth chain from the hook. Then in every chain after that do three double crochets till you reach the end. Leave this tail long do you can use it to sew into the basket.
Sewing on the embellishments:
I used the long tails from the stem of the leaf and the corkscrew with a yarn needle to connect them to each other and then connected it to the basket. The leaf kept on rolling up on me so I took another strand of the green and sewed through the middle of the leaf onto the basket so it would hold. There's really no right or wrong way to do all this, just experiment and know that you can always rip it out if it doesn't work.

Here's a close up of the embellishments. I tried to rotate the photo, but technology is not being my friend.



Leaf and corkscrew. The green color did not photograph well, but I promise you it's a pretty color!

Now you should have a lovely fall basket! What shall you use it for? A centerpiece for fruit on your dining room table? A festive catch-all for the season? Fill it with pinecones, pumpkins, and other seasonal goodies? Or Halloween candy like I will?! The possibilities are endless!

If you have any questions just let them in the comments!

 

 

 

Learning to Knit from a Crocheter's Perspective

Knitting Versus Crochet

In July I began my adventures in learning how to knit - something most of my friends do, but I only know how to crochet. After a year of crocheting I felt like I was ready for a new challenge. There are a few things I have learned about knitting that a crocheter might find interesting so I decided to list them here. Maybe this will give you insight on if knitting is something for you or at least how to prepare yourself for talking with your knitting buddies.

 

So what is really the difference?
When people see me working on a crochet project and say, "Oh, you knit?" I promptly correct them which leads to a bit of confusion. From a crocheting perspective the best way I explain crochet versus knitting is knitting is with two needles and you "cast on" multiple lops or stitches. In crochet you have one hook and your stitches are done one at a time and are not left on the hook (generally speaking). I also like to point out some differences of crochet versus knit like crocheting goes faster making great for things like blankets, but takes more yarn than a knitting project. Knitting takes longer, which makes it great for small pieces, but doesn't use as much yarn which means you can use nicer yarns. Those are probably the big differences. So what advice can I give to crocheters wanted to knit?

Get Bamboo Needles
In crochet they type of hook doesn't really matter as most are metal or plastic. So when I would talk with my knitting buddies they were horrified that I was using metal hooks ... but crocheters think you're nuts for splurging on wooden ones. Here's why bamboo needles matter: The bamboo creates a little bit of friction which allows you to keep your stitches on your needle. Apparently, I don't know because I didn't buy them, the metal ones are too slippery and your stitches tend to slip off.

Nicer Yarn?
Like I said above, knitters love their nicer yarn and I can see why - you use less yarn. I have used "nicer" yarn (part wool, part acrylic) and it can still be pricey for a crochet project. So should you go out get a nice wool yarn for your first knitting project - NO! As with starting any project just get a cheap and simple yarn. I always have some Red Heart Supersaver in my stash so that's what I used to get started.

Casting On
Casting on is the equivalent of making a foundation chain in crocheting and is super easy because you only use one needle - almost like crocheting which is why I rock at it. It's a good confidence builder! My biggest advice is you do not need to cast on as many stitches in knitting as you would in crocheting a foundation chain. And of course keeping your stitches on the looser side makes it easer when you do the next row - good advice for both crochet and knit.

Tutorial that Rocks
I found this youtube tutorial that is how to knit (cast on, knit stitch, and bind off) from a crocheter! And she's really adorable! I also like this video because she shows you what to do if you dropped a stitch - which almost makes you want to give up when it happens to you. I recommend searching around the internet and using a few different videos to get different perspectives on how to knit.

Binding Off
The last step of learning how to knit was the binding off process. This carefully takes the loops of your needle one at a time. It was really pretty easy, but this isn't a process that needs to be done in crochet so yet another means for comparison.

My first knitting "project"!

I just finished my first "project" which was a coaster. It was fairly easy and I'm looking forward to learning a the purl stitch. Here is what I ended up with. Not too bad, but I'm learning!

Other Differences
The last biggest difference between crochet and knitting that I have observed is that crochet can make lots of different things whereas I feel knitting is a little more limited. I think this is due to the fact that crochet has multiple kinds of stitches, but at the same time I think knit can make better cold weather clothes like sweaters. There are also WAY more different types of knitting needles than there are crochet hooks. Both needle crafts have their merits and I am probably a little biased, but this my blog gosh darn it! :-)

As of now those are my insights to knitting from a crochet perspective. I think the biggest thing to remember is that you will NOT be good the first few times you do something - it's like learning how to do anything. You will make mistakes, it won't look at that pretty, but you have to stick with it. Lord knows I have set down a few projects because I got fed up with them and that's ok. Every project is a learning process and I can already see all the new things I will be learning with knitting.

Crochet version of Jayne Cobb's hat from Firefly - Free pattern tips and notes

Crochet Jayne Cobb Hat

Ever since I learned how to crochet my darling husband has been begging me for a hat just like Jayne Cobb got from his mom in the TV series Firefly. Since we were traveling for vacation and I needed a small project to travel with I thought, "why not?! I'll finally make this hat he wants!" Granted the hat Jayne wears in Firefly is actually knitted, not crocheted you can still yield a similar hat.  I made a few tweaks to the hat pattern just based on what I thought looked good for the hat and how it looked on my husband.

The pattern is super easy and I just so happened to have the right colors on hand. You really don't need much of all three colors, but I had just a little of orange so I just used a little more of the yellow. The number of rows for the orange and yellow really don't matter, but I'll break down what I did for my Jayne Cobb hat.

The only space traveling creature I could find to model the hat. Good job Alf!

Yarn used (again, one skein will produce you numerous Jayne hats):

• Red Heart with Love Daffodil (for the yellow)
• Red Heart Super Saver Carrot (for the orange)
• Red Heart with Love Berry Red (for the red)

Tip: I recommend you practice making a hat with scrap yarn before starting on this project. Also when I make a hat I use the "nearly invisible seam" pattern.

Pattern & Notes:
With your yellow color: To start a hat use a magic ring or chain four (I tend to chain rather than just the magic ring because I can never remember how to do the magic ring). Slip stitch in to the first chain to make your hat ring.
Round 1: Chain three (this does not count as a stitch), then do ten double crochets into the ring. Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet in your magic ring.
Round 2: Chain three (again this does not count as a stitch because when you slip stitch into the top the first double crochet you are covering this chain three **video tutorial on how to do this**). In the same chain three stitch do two double crochets, then in every stitch after that you will do two double crochets. You should have twenty double crochet stitches. Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet in that round.
Round 3: Chain three, and in the same stitch do two double crochets. In the next stitch only do one double crochet. In the next stitch do two double crochets - you will continue on this pattern of one double then two double till you have thirty stitches. (The hat increases by multiples of ten). Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet in that round.
Round 4: Chain three, and in the same stitch do two double crochets. In the next two stitches only do one double crochet in each, then do two double crochets in the following stitch. Essentially the pattern is two double crochets in one stitch and then one double crochet in the following two stitches. And slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet in that round to join.
Round 5: Chain three, in the same stitch do two double crochets, then one double crochet in the next three stitches, and repeat this pattern (two in one and one in the next three) till you get all the way around and slip stitch into the first double crochet of that round to join.
Tip -- when you do two double crochets in the same stitch this is known as "increasing" which is what I making your circle get bigger.
Round 6: Chain three, in the same stitch do two double crochets, then one double crochet in the next four stitches, and repeat this pattern (two in one and one in the next four) till you get all the way around and slip stitch into the first double crochet of that round to join.
At this round if the space warrior you are making the hat for has a small head then skip to the directions below. If they have a little larger head continue to the next round.
Round 7: Chain three, in the same stitch do two double crochets, then one double crochet in the next five stitches, and repeat this pattern (two in one and one in the next five) till you get all the way around and slip stitch into the first double crochet of that round to join.
At this round if the Serenity smuggler you are making the hat for has a medium sized head then skip to the directions below. If they have a larger head continue to the next round (this was my husband's case)
Round 8: Chain three, in the same stitch do two double crochets, then one double crochet in the next six stitches, and repeat this pattern (two in one and one in the next six) till you get all the way around and slip stitch into the first double crochet of that round to join.

So now you are done making the crown of the circle (again depending on what round you stop on depends on the size of your Serenity mercenary's head). If you have to rip out your stitches later to make it larger or smaller don't despair! Crochet goes quickly and all errors can be fixed easily.

At this point you might consider switching to the orange color and that is up to you, but since I had a little less than the yellow I just kept with yellow for the next following rounds.



My other, but more unwilling model, our giant space sheltie Duke.

For the next 5 rounds (decrease to four if you went to round 8 as stated above) you will chain three, do one double crochet in the same stitch as your chain three, then do one double crochet in ever stitch after that then joining the round with a slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet.

What this does is create the sides of your hat - now it'll start to look like a hat! Feel free to change to the orange color at any point in time, but here's what I did:

For the next 6 rounds switch to the orange color if you haven't already. This will conclude the base of your hat.


Close up of the smaller ear flaps I made. They can be made bigger! Just follow the directions!

Next we will switch to the ear flaps. You will find that you want your ear flaps to be closer to the seam rather than be equal distance apart. So I counted ten stitches away from the seam and made the first ear flap. To do so, I did one row of about 14 single crochets (although I'd use double if I got to go back and redo it because it would make the ear flaps longer) and did that for about four rows, and chain one to when you turn your work, before I started decreasing my stitches (again, if you want to make the ear flaps longer just do another row or two - I made mine shorter because I thought it looked better for my project and personal Independence fighter).

For the decrease (tapering the ear flaps) you will first do a single crochet (or double crochet) together which is printed in patterns at sc2tog or dc2tog and I have linked two tutorials to those decreases. But back to the pattern, for row 5 do a decrease stitch, in my cause I did a single crochet together, then single crochets across until I get to the last two stitches. Then again, in the last two stitches, do a single crochet together. Turn your work, chaining one and repeat the decreasing process above. I repeated this process until I had two stitches left at which point I cut my yarn leaving a 4 to 6 inch tail and pulled through my last stitch to finish it off. I also tied a knot in the tail so it wouldn't ravel.

For the ear flap tails, the picture shows multiple strands, but I only did one. It's up to you!

The next ear flap was tricky to figure our the distance so I called the husband into the room and found that I needed to count 12 stitches from the seam to make the next ear flap. Repeated the process above and then it's time to make the pom pom.

A good tip I've heard is to trim up the pom pom because the shorter the yarn the more "poofy" it looks.

I have never made a pom pom so I went to the interwebs to learn how! This blog has great pictures and explains wonderfully how to make a pom pom. But my tips for this hat is to take all three stands of yarn in your hand at once and wrap them over your hand multiple time -- the more the better! I used a bit of yellow yarn since that is the color used where the pom pom will be secured. 



Pom pom on the Jayne hat.

I'm still playing with how to secure the pom pom properly, but the website I cited above may prove to be helpful with that.

Once your yarn tails are sewn in (not the tails of the ear flaps though) you will have a hat perfect for a Canton hero. Fun and EASY project for nerds alike! Enjoy!