Cheap and Cheerful Crochet

I've been seeing a lot of cute and kitschy crochet potholders on Ravelry and throughout the blogosphere lately and have been itching join in on the fun. But, there's just one little problem: I can't do anything other than chain and single crochet. So when I ran across these crochet potholders on Ravelry, I knew I had to could make them.

These potholders are nothing but single crochet. Once you've done your foundational chain, you basically single crochet around and around until the sides match up. It's perfect for a complete crochet novice such as myself.

When I finished the first one, I realized that they would make a fantastic canvas for some simple embroidery. The single crochet makes a very clear grid, and because they're seamed up the back, all of the mess is hidden inside. To stitch the lazy daises onto the potholders, I used this very helpful YouTube tutorial. I followed the instructions pretty closely but did find that sewing through the stitches (i.e., the knots instead of the holes) made a more secure flower.

Because I like seeing the "guts" of other folks' projects, here's what the "lazy daises" look like on the inside. I simply tied the ends in square knots behind the flowers and ran the yarn tails under a few loops.

For me, this project was reminiscent of EZ's Baby Surprise Jacket. You make an amorphous blob, fold it, and voila it's something! When you're done crocheting rounds, you have a little pocket like this:

You just fold it on the bias and end up with a pocket like this. I think it's delightfully clever.

Using an H hook, I was actually able to eek a set out of two out of one ball of Lily Sugar 'n Creme. (Only one is pictured here. The other one is waiting for its daisies.) I liked the pattern so much that I cast on for another set in purple.

Don't worry: I won't be crocheting toilet paper covers next. These were just a fun little diversion and a nice pick me up. I'm also working on a Liesl sweater, but it's still an unimpressive blob right now. And, I'm starting to swatch for the next project.