Crocheted Diagonal Potholders

I intentionally ignored this project in last night's post as that post was getting long enough as it was.

It is a single crocheted diagonal potholder. I used this pattern sort of (plus the advice of my mom...since she's made a hundred of these things). This starts with a chain 45. Then single crochet around and around for about 20 rows. Whip stitch together.

I made one on the way to NC and another on the way back while we listened to HP and the DH on CD. Audio books is the way to go on long trips. It really passes the time quite pleasantly.

Well....someone on one of my groups was asking about Christmas projects. So I googled for the link I provided above for this pattern and ended up stumbling upon a knit version of this potholder. The scales fell from my eyes and I started brainstorming.

I could do an aloha cast on ala Crazy Toes and Heels (like toe up socks). That would give me a little purl ridge down the middle. I may or may not like that ridge....depends.

I could also do Judy's Magic Cast-On and avoid that purl ridge. I've done a little sample of this before and it isn't very hard to do.

As I was looking at that knit version and imagining all the different stitch variations that could be done I started to think about the Fair Isle class I was going to yesterday morning. I could get a lot of practice doing Fair Isle colorwork on these potholders. I could make them in wool too...possibly even a bit bigger and then felt them.....

The only problem I can foresee is the whole jogging issue which really threw me a bit when I finished the Fair Isle portion of the sock pictured in the previous post. I started to think I read the charts wrong because the design looked off. Then I realized it was the starting point of the round. (For those of you who don't knit in the round...you are actually knitting in a spiral so where your end of the round meets the beginning of that same round you are one stitch higher.)

But most Fair Isle sweaters are knit in the round so there must be a way to overcome this jog issue....or it is just hidden in the side seam area (there really isn't a side seam)? I'll have to do a little investigating....or if you know, fill me in on the secret.

And Michele...those are two more cast on techniques to teach. I'll offer a third...Long Tail Cast on in Purl. I did it for three projects. It wasn't too bad once you got the hang of it. I don't remember it anymore...I'd have to study the pictures again with yarn and needles in my hands.