Markers and a Shawl

Here is the first set of stitch markers I have received for the month of September for the Stitch Marker Swap.

All the way from Massachusetts come these beautiful blue little gems. Each one is made with a glass bead of a slightly different shape so you can keep track of which stitch repeat you're working on, with a bonus contrasting light blue marker for the beginning of rows.

Thank you, Swap Buddy, I just love blue, and I love these markers!

I had purchased 6 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun in color #312 Edwardian (charcoal gray) several months ago with a prayer shawl in mind. I knew I wanted to make a simple rectangular shawl, large enough to cover the head if needed. I just needed to choose a stitch pattern for it. I knit swatches and played around with it but wasn't happy with it at all, so I put it away for a while.

I have been craving a little crochet lately, and I got the idea to try crocheting the shawl instead. So I played around with swatches and found a stitch texture that I like for this project. A simple shell stitch, shown here in a swatch using Red Heart Super Saver yarn and a size H crochet hook so that you can see it well, it's made as follows:

(sc=single crochet, dc=double crochet)
Chain a multiple of 4, plus 2 chains.
Row 1: Sc in the 2nd chain from hook, *skip one chain, make 3 dc in the next chain (one cluster made), skip one chain, sc in next chain* repeat to end. Chain 2, turn.
Row 2: Dc in the first sc (chain 2 plus 1 dc=2dc made), sc in the center stitch of the first cluster, *make 3 dc in the next sc, sc in the center stitch of the next cluster* repeat across row ending with 2 dc in the last sc. Chain 1, turn.
Row 3: (chain 1=1 sc made) *make 3 dc in the next sc, sc in the center stitch of the next cluster* repeat to end of row. Chain 2, turn.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until desired length.

Here is the progress so far on my shawl. I started with chain 78 using a size K crochet hook with a single strand of the Homespun. I've finished one skein of yarn, and the piece measures 30" wide and about 13" long. By the time I've used up all 6 skeins it should be a good, proper length for a shawl of this type.

Crocheted Hat with Brim

This is an easy hat to crochet. This hat is sized for a child, but can be made larger for an adult by adding a few rounds to the 'rnd 8 to 15' section.

Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun #375 Candy Apple and #370 Coral Gables or color(s) of your choice. One skein is enough to make this hat, pulling yarn from the inside and outside of the skein at the same time.

Gauge: 7 stitches and 10 rows = 4 inches/ 10 cm in single crochet using size N/9mm hook.

Abbreviations:
sc = single crochet
st = stitch
sts = stitches
rnd = round
slst = slip stitch
*...* = repeat instructions between asterisks as directed

Instructions:
Work in rounds in a spiral, using a stitch marker to keep track of beginning of rounds.
With doubled strand of yarn, chain 2.
Rnd 1: Sc 8 sts in the first loop; 8 sts.
Rnd 2: Make 2 sc in each st; 16 sts.
Rnd 3: *Make 1 sc in first st, 2 sc in next st* repeat to end of rnd; 24 sts.
Rnd 4: *Make 1 sc in each of first 2 sts, 2 sc in next st* repeat to end of rnd; 32 sts.
Rnd 5 and 6: Make 1 sc in each st.
Rnd 7: *Make 1 sc in each of first 3 sts, 2 sc in next st* repeat to end of rnd; 40 sts.
Rnd 8 thru 15: Make 1 sc in each st.
Rnd 16: *Make 1 sc in first st, 2 sc in next st* repeat to end of rnd; 60 sts.
Rnd 17: *Make 1 sc in each of first 4 sts, 2 sc in next st* repeat to end of rnd; 72 sts.
Rnd 18: Make 1 sc in each st. Slst to beginning of rnd. Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Note: I used 1 strand of Candy Apple and 1 strand of Coral Gables to crochet this hat, changing to 2 strands of Candy Apple for the last round.