I believe it was a few weeks ago when I posted that I wanted to make a new top to wear to Christmas Eve mass. I found the Abundant Motifs Tunic:

I looked on Ravelry to see how many people had made it, but I only found two reviews. Both of them were unfavorable. Apparently the crocheters had difficulty when it came to the sleeves. This was only the second garment that I’d ever had to construct after crocheting, but I thought that as long as I took it slowly I would be okay.

I had to make 12 large motifs, 32 medium motifs and then you worked the wheels as you assembled the tunic. I’d discussed it with my mom (who can crochet ANYTHING), and we came up with a game plan for me to follow. I made all of the motifs first (at least, as far as I could, then I pulled enough yarn to finish them as they were being assembled).

Things went smoothly for the most part. I came across a few motifs that I had ‘shorted’ so I had to redo them. I also redid any motif that seemed excessively large (like the bottom right one in the photo above). The sleeves were a bit difficult when it came to the wheels that you make under the armpit. I fudged it, though, and it seemed to work.

Here is Addie modeling it for me after I finished it.

I think it looked better on her. It doesn’t look the same as the picture modeled above in beige because it actually called for a #3 yarn, which is thinner than the #4 worsted that I used. However, I really enjoyed wearing it.

It was definitely over-sized, but that was okay. It kept me warm and I didn’t feel like I was swimming in it. I didn’t receive many comments on it, so I’m not sure if people could tell that it was homemade and didn’t want to tell me it looked bad, or if it looked so good they didn’t realize I had made it. We have an Epiphany concert on Jan 5th so I think I’m going to wear it to that, too.

The next gift I want to show is the shawl that I made for my best friend, Pauline. I saw the pattern and instantly thought of her. It’s called the Lost Skulls Shawl (free download on Ravelry) and this is why:

When you look at it from afar you don’t necessarily see the skulls.

Of course, now that you’ve seen the skulls they will stick out at you. Oh, and again, please excuse my outfit. I had one shot to get pictures of three different garments so I jumped at the chance.

Yes, I did weave in the ends before giving it as a gift. I wanted this shawl to be comfy and cozy. It will be a bit large on Pauline, but even if she just wears it around the house to keep the chill away it will work wonderfully. I used the Ice Yarns Pastel Cotton yarn. It is machine washable and dryable, plus it shouldn’t show the cat hair very easily.

The last garment that I want to show today is the poncho that I made for my friend, Patty.

(Again, ignore my outfit)

This was made using Ice Yarns Pastel Cotton yarn. It was the only yarn that I could find in colors that really remind me of Patty. She wears a lot of pinks, corals, and pastels.

I wanted to make something that she could wear when she is on the beach looking for shells. Her and her husband tend to go to the beach during the off-season, so there’s usually a slight chill in the air. I thought this would work nicely on those days when it’s not cold enough for a jacket, but you just need a little something around your shoulders.

Since it’s a poncho she doesn’t have to worry about the wind blowing it off of her shoulders, and if she gets too warm she can always push it up off of her arms a bit.

I used a tutorial by Christa from The Secret Yarnery.

Patty is smaller than me, so this fit her a lot nicer than you see it fitting me in these pictures. It bunches in all of the right places and really looks nice on her. She really liked it, too.

I did give my sister her cardigan.

She said she liked it and wore it the rest of the evening. I checked with my mom and apparently my sister continued to wear it throughout the rest of her visit. So I think that was a hit, too.

None of these garments were perfect, but they were all made with love. Hopefully the love crocheted into the garments sticks with the recipients for quite a while.