Finishing Touches

Got a few projects finished up this week. Baby Blanket Alpha is done as of yesterday.

Heartfelt Warmth by Cori 2011.

Pattern: Heart Filet Afghan from McCall's Needlework & Crafts (January/February 1981 issue), heavily modified.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Blackberry (five skeins)
Hook: H

I am really happy with how this came out, though I think that when I next make this pattern I will play with it to make it a bit wider.  The original pattern is actually all filet like the hearts picked out above, with only the hearts themselves in solid double-crochet, and with a different configuration of the hearts. But since this is for a baby, I didn't want it to be all holes. I thought a few outlining the shapes would be enough for a kiddo to play with but not so much she would get completely tangled up.

I'm still a little on the fence about the border I did--edging is so not an area where I excel--but I think it came out okay nonetheless. Now I just need to finish my next project, a fuzzy companion for the recipient's big brother, and I can ship it off to its future owner, yay!

I also made a second Jayne hat last week.

Jayne Hat II by Cori 2011.

Pattern: Jayne by Heather Hill (inspired by Joss Whedon's Firefly).
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Paprika, Gold, and Chestnut Heather (one skein each).
Needles: 10.5 (US) Circular and DPN

I have a friend and fellow Browncoat who celebrated a birthday over the weekend and I thought she might appreciate a Jayne hat for one of her gifts (she did). I went with the Wool-Ease yarn because she has a small child like I do and I would feel very guilty giving her any knit gift that was not machine washable and dryable. The colors aren't completely perfect, but I have seen Jayne hats in a wide variety of shades of the three basic colors (orange, yellow, and red), so that was really not high on my list of concerns for this project.

No, that was reserved for the fact that once I had assembled the yarn and my needles and sat down to start making the hat...I couldn't find the pattern. Anywhere. It is gone. Vanished. Vamoose. I started this on Thursday and my friend's party was on Saturday, so that meant I had a deadline. I mostly remembered the way the pattern went, and I had my first hat for reference, so I decided to wing it.

I actually think it came out really well. Compare with the original I made:

Jayne Hat by Cori 2011.

Honestly, the only thing I actually got wrong was the length of the earflaps. I made them a bit too short the second time around. They were still long enough, however, to cover one's ears, so I suppose that is all that matters, right?

And yes, if you are wondering, I did manage to get some progress made on my Doctor Who scarf this weekend as well. I am now officially at halfway done I believe. Geronimo!