Crafty Weekend Getaway

Well, it seems there's not enough coffee in the world to wake me up this fine Monday! I returned last night from a weekend getaway at a fantastic 5 bedroom home that some friends and I rented on Airbnb with the mission of finding some extra time to work on our respective hobbies. I was somewhat the odd man out - I was a lone yarncrafter in a group of scrapbookers. But I found myself a cozy and well lit corner and got to work trying to finish up my purple poncho project.

I thought I'd snap a pic of my project resting on my favourite chair as the weekend closed. Note the sign on the fireplace - "I really need a day between Saturday and Sunday". I was all like "True that, sign!" 

Some notes on the poncho as I am close to finishing it up:

- The pattern suggests crocheting the collar and side ribbing pieces separately from the poncho and then sewing them on when you have the correct length. I personally am anti-sewing, so instead, I started the ribbing by joining to the work with a slip stitch and then attached each row of ribbing with a single crochet to the project as I progressed. I found it easier and the look is more seamless as well, in my opinion. Plus, I want to crochet, not sew!

- I read some of the comments on this design on Ravelry. One user mentioned instead of crocheting the ribbing pieces, she knitted them, and it went much faster for her. If you are prolific in both knit and crochet, I'd say this would DEFINITELY be the way to go. The crochet ribbing is made of slip stitches in the back loop, which is slow, tedious work. You also REALLY have to watch your gauge, otherwise it gets too tight really quickly. It's definitely slow going with the crochet method. 

- The pattern also suggests that you sew the side buttons through both sides of the poncho, and that the buttons are for looks only. I thought that working buttons would make putting this poncho on a child easier! So I improvised and crocheted 3 button holes on each side. I crocheted 17 rows of ribbing up the side from the bottom, then the next row, I did 2 slip stitches, then chained 3, then 2 more slip stitches. I spaced 3 button holes like this 15 ribbing rows apart. Now, I'll have to find some buttons that work with this project!

I'm so glad that I've nearly completed this poncho...the crochet ribbing is really getting so tiring to work on. Unfortunately, I do need to make another poncho in pink! I may have to do a small project in between as a palate cleanser before I start the next one though!