Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and we all know what that means: candy! Which is awesome. . . except when it's not. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to sweets (cookies are one of my very favorite things, after all), but sometimes it seems like any holiday celebrated at school turns into a crazy sugar fest. So why not put my yarn stash to good use? These crocheted candies are just as festive and cute as candy without adding to the sugar mountain. Further proof that yarn is the answer to all of life's quandaries. 

It's time to come clean: I've been holding out on you. I have to confess that I've been holding onto this finished design for way too long. I was hoping to make something seriously impressive (like a blanket) with this pattern, but then everything snowballed and now it's suddenly 2019?!? Since I'm lucky to stay awake long enough to crochet a row or two of anything these days, I think it's only fair that I share this gorgeous square pattern with you all instead of making you wait for something bigger. Because this square right here is way too pretty to keep to myself anymore. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the Stained Glass Square. 

Once upon a time, I decided to crochet a seal. When I was about to finish said seal, it became apparent that I don't actually know what a seal looks like without a reference picture. But the little seal was just so cute that I couldn't resist sharing the pattern with you all anyway. So now we can all make anatomically-incorrect seals together! And, to make it even better, I decided to make mine a Christmas seal by dressing it up with a cute red and green winter outfit. But why stop there? Change up the colors and it's totally a Hanukkah seal! Or make it extra sparkly and it's a New Year's seal! Or make it pink and it's a Valentine's seal! Seals for all occasions!!! Okay, so maybe I'm getting a bit carried away...but if being excited about holiday seals is wrong, then I don't want to be right. 

No, you're not having deja-vu. You have seen this hat before. (Mostly.) Last October I posted patterns for both a crocheted Cabled Crown Beanie and a knitted Cabled Crown Beanie. But I was never quite happy with how the knit version worked out. I've since learned that when adapting a crochet pattern into a knit pattern, it needs a little bit of a different approach; the stitches behave differently. So I decided to revisit the knit version and I'm happy to announce that the new and improved version is now ready! 

After I finished making my Bean Stitch Cowl, I found myself with some extra yarn left over. It wasn't enough for a giant project, but it looked like the perfect amount for a hat. So why not design a matching beanie? I'm so glad that I went for it, because I love how this hat turned out. With squishy stitches and a double brim, this hat is extra cozy and perfect for the cold weather.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted anything in a while. Morning sickness + 2 high energy kids = way too exhausted to do anything, let along blog. But I'm finally starting to feel better and I'm BACK! I'm still not feeling 100% and things are kinda of crazy around here these days, so bear with me if I'm slow at answering your questions, etc, but things are definitely looking up. So let's kick things off with a simple textured cowl pattern!