Head's Up

I became obsessed with finishing Gem this week. Yes, I was lured to the dark side by crochet. It started with a simple ring then round and round I went. Next thing I knew - I had myself a saucy beret. I coerced twin A to take some shots this afternoon to try and capture the detail in this pretty pattern.

Here are the specifications:

Pattern: Gem from Heartfelt the Darkhouse Collection Kim Hargreaves

Yarn: One skein of Kid Classic (lavender ice) and One skein of Kid Silk Haze (dewberry) doubled

Hook: 6mm crochet hook

Beads: About 300 size 6

This pattern is fast, fun and I'm very pleased with the results. Kim Hargreaves' book has several patterns calling to me and this one was very well written. The crochet terms are detailed in the back of the book. I did however have to search elsewhere to find out how to decrease (treble two together) but that was easy enough to nail down.

The pattern has you change to double crochet for the beaded section for 5 rows. I only did 4 rows mostly due to bead supply and yarn running out. I wouldn't want any more rows any way since this is just the right amount of "ease" for me. I like a beret to flop just a bit. the hat is finished with crab stitch in Kid Silk Haze only - three strands together.

I see that Kim Hargreaves book is now more widely available through online book retailers and ebay vendors. I would imagine it will sell well.

Now that Gem is complete, I've got my eye on another fast project from Heartfelt. Thanks to Webs, I have 5 balls of Big Wool in an unusual shade for me - cassis.

I may never go below 3 stitches per inch again!