I am very happy with the way the original Connecticut Avenue Jacket turned out, but after going over my notes, I saw there are some areas that need refining. So I am making another one using a different bulky yarn. This one is made using Knit Pick‘s Quarry in Ubatuba.

One trick that I’m using this time is making both the left and right front at the same time using two skeins of yarn. It seems to go faster and I can be sure that they are working up the same by doing my increases/decreases for the row at the same time on both pieces. I’m going to do the same thing when I work the sleeves.

I’ll take better pictures also. Make sure I wear a bra this time and model someplace other than my bathroom.

This is an easy and simply way to make a hat without being able to make a circle or crochet in the round. This pattern is basic but allows for any type of embelishment you can imagine.

The other week, I couldn’t wait to get to my Connecticut Avenue Jacket and remove the pins from the blocking. It has turned out exactly like I had envisioned, maybe even better. I proudly put in on, sans the buttons that needed to be added, and went into my 24-year-old son’s room to model my creation.

“What do you think?”

Him: “Is that the thing you’ve been working on all this time?”

*smiling proudly* “Yes!”

Him: “Oh, it should be longer and why are the sleeves too short?”

“Because that’s the style that’s out right now, and I think it’s cute.”

Him: “Well, it looks okay, but the sleeves . . .”

*getting irritated and cutting him off* “You don’t know what’s hot right now.” *I exit back to my fortress of solitude and sanity, otherwise known as my bedroom*

I can only imagine what my daughter will say when I show her. LOL!

For some reason, I tend to keep my creations to myself and admire them in private. I don’t know why I only trip about my crochet only. I used to design jewelry, dolls and others creations — proudly displaying them for sale — but it’s like I couldn’t bear for someone close to me to talk bad about my first love, crochet.

Ravelry is helping me to get over this. Seeing so many people freely displaying their work has made me brave. Got me in my closets looking for things I made long ago so I can say “look what I made!” I’m even modeling my designs. LOL!

I have one more step I need to take, though. I need to work up the courage to show my boyfriend my finished work. He always sees me crocheting but never sees what I’ve done. And on top of all this, he’s professional photographer, but still my crazy butt is taking pics in my bathroom instead of asking him to take my pics. Does that make any sense?

I really want to eventually have some of my designs for sale as patterns, and in order to do that I’m going to have to get focused and get over my phobias and weird ways.

Finally done with the crocheting. My White Orchid is blocked, and this weekend I will find some cute buttons for it. Ew, looking at the photo I can now see that this top was nowhere near aligned when I pinned it. I will use a ruler next time instead of just eyeballing it.

Hope I haven’t gotten to fat to model this.