Fancy Yarns -- Do You Like Them?

I have to admit, just the word "fancy" piques my curiosity. The little girl in me conjures up visions of tutus, castles and lace. As an adult who's crochet crazy, the idea of fancy yarns delights me. Yet, I don't often know what to do with them.

Various fancys

By definition, fancy yarns are any type of yarn with a deliberate interruption or discontinuity in color or form. I have a bag full of fancy yarns -- eyelash yarns, yarns with tiny bobbles or rickrack-like things. Initially at a loss as to what to do with them, I turned to my go-to project: the hat.

A slightly metallic variegated fancy.

Eyelash yarn, which looks like yarn with fine eyelashes.

 Although the yarn was hard to work with at first, I eventually got the hang of it. A few fellow crocheters suggested using a second strand as a guide, then pulling it out after each row. I preferred to feel my way through each stitch, instead. They can be difficult to see.

My grandmother left behind a bag full of fancys when she passed away. She almost always crocheted with pastel colors of regular, four-ply yarn, so I can't imagine what on earth she was planning to do with an entire bag of eyelash yarn! Perhaps, like me, the little girl inside her was lured in by the word "fancy" and her mind envisioned tea parties with princes, moonlit dances and fun yarns that delight, even if they're only sitting in the bag.

For the Love of Crochet Hats

Somewhere in here, there's a hat waiting to be crocheted.

One of my favorite crochet projects to make is a hat. When I first started relearning crochet, I made granny squares. Then I made a hat. In retrospect, it should have been the other way around.

Hats are so easy to make, and they provide nearly instant gratification. A basic beanie, shown in this fantastic tutorial, can be crocheted in a couple hours if it's for a newborn or two nights if it's for an adult.

Basic beanie

I can't even begin to tell you how many crochet basic beanie hats I've made! It's my go-to hat pattern, which I usually personalize with favorite colors or embellishments, like this:

Basic beanie with flower

 Because I need creativity the way we all need oxygen, I've tried many other crochet hat patterns. A few have been unraveled and made into something else. Many have gone on to a new home. That's what I love about hats -- they're easy and fun to make, and are great gifts. After all, is there any such thing as too many hats? Here are a few other styles I've enjoyed creating.

Newsboy cap

Pumpkin hat

For the football fan

Owl hat

My last hat project was for the two baby girls that were born into our family last week. I used the basic beanie instructions, but changed to the granny stitch after the last row of increases. This simple change adds such a pretty twist to a basic hat.

Basic beanie with granny stitch in the middle

Hat Tips: One of the most important things I learned -- the hard way, of course -- is to crochet hats to the HAT size, not the HEAD size. If you crochet to the head circumference (at the widest part), you'll end up with a hat that's too big or too lose. Measure the widest part of the head and subtract 2 inches or 5 cm. You'll get the perfect fit every time.

Do you enjoy making crochet hats? What's your favorite pattern? Today it's all about hats!

Crochet Baby Cocoons & Matching Hats -- The New Way to Swaddle

Next week I'll be traveling back home to the Chicago area to spend time with my family (two babies should be making their arrivals next week) and to attend a training with the company where I work as a tour director during the summer and fall. All the cold weather I've been hearing about makes me wish I had an adult-sized crochet cocoon to keep myself warm for the next several weeks. But I can only imagine how long that would take to make!

While the Midwest has had an Arctic-like winter, we've had a really mild winter here in the Dusseldorf area. In fact, it's been so mild that nature seems to think it's almost spring. Today as I walked down to the recycling bins a couple blocks from our house, I saw these signs of spring:

A gorgeous, flowering tree with tiny, pink buds.

Forsythia bushes in bloom by the neighbor's house.

And tiny buds forming on the magnolia tree in our front yard.

I was going to post a picture of what the weather's been like in Chicago lately, but I decided I'd rather focus on spring-like weather while I have the chance.

Anyway, when I saw my daughters, S and R, this past Christmas, I gave them each a crochet baby cocoon with a matching hat for their babies who are now due any minute. I'd also made one for a friend last year, and everyone really liked them. The positive comments prompted me to do yet another thing I've wanted to do but have been too busy...publish my first crochet pattern!! May it be the first of many! Here are pictures of the baby cocoons made with my pattern.

Crochet Baby Cocoon with Redheart Pink Camo

Heather gray yarn with off-white and baby blue trim.

My baby cocoon and matching hat pattern is available on Amazon. They're popular for photography props, but I think they're great for swaddling. In fact, every baby in the Midwest should have a crochet cocoon and matching hat this winter!