Ponchos and Hats

For the last several months, I have been knitting and crocheting hats for the military and ponchos for Children of the Night.

The knit hats were made with Patons Merino wool and I used this free pattern. The colors used were chestnut, treebark, and cream. For the cream cap, I used mistake rib pattern. For the chestnut and treebark colors, I used a simple 2 x 2 rib. I sent all the caps to The Ships Project. (Click on the pictures for a larger image.)

For the ponchos, I crocheted this adorable pattern with bulky yarn. I used mostly Lion Brand Jiffy yarn and some Lion Brand Homespun yarn. I used this free pattern from Lion Brand yarn, but I omitted the fringe at the bottom and crocheted a simple reverse single crochet stitch.

This teal poncho was knitted on a knitting loom. I used Lion Brand Jiffy yarn in teal (which I bought for half price on a clearance sale at Michael's for $1.00 per skein!), and Lion Brand Microspun yarn in French Vanilla. The knitting loom is super simple to use and makes gorgeous items. No knitting skills are needed - anyone can make a lovely garment like this!

This lacy crocheted poncho used Red Heart Super Saver yarn and just a basic crochet pattern. I made a chain about 18 inches long and joined. Then I did one round of half-double crochet. Then I did a chain 5, skip 3 chains, and sc in the next stitch around. For the next and subsequent rows, I slip stitched into the center of the next ch-5, then I did ch-5, sc in the center of the next ch-5 around until it was as long as I wanted it. For the bottom I did some simple shells.