Crafty is Awesome: Gifts for Jeremy

Ever since the scarf I made Liz for her birthday in September, Jeremy has been "subtly" hinting that he could really use a scarf too. I wanted it to be different from Liz's but at the same time I am in love with cables, I just think they are so classy. After trying to find a pattern for him with no success, I decided to make his almost the same as Liz's. The only difference is I only added one cable on the outside of each edge instead of two for his. I also wanted it to be a pretty neutral color. Jeremy and I are similar in that we both basically only wear black, grey and other dark or neutral colors. Plus he just got a really nice new Dickies coat that is black so I thought a grey scarf would look nice with it. I got to work on it and then realized he needs a new hat too. He's been wearing the same striped visor beanie since last year and it's pretty tattered looking now. I looked all over Ravelry to find a hat for him. I couldn't decide whether to make him a hat that matched the scarf or not, he's not exactly a matchy-matchy kinda guy but sometimes a hat and scarf combo can look really nice. After not being able to make a decision I realized, why the hell not just make him two hats?! I found the first hat with the cables patterns to match and according to the reviews the pattern was pretty easy to follow. I didn't like the brim on it so I just omitted it. This thing is SO thick and warm! The pattern said it was "one size fits most". Well apparently Jeremy has a big head because it's kind of tight on him. He said he doesn't mind though and I think it'll stretch after a while. The second hat...well...I don't knit, right? But I REALLY love fair isle patterns. I think they are kind of kitschy but so cute at the same time. I have the Son of Stitch & Bitch book and there is this awesome hat and mitten set with fair isle skulls that I would love to make for Jeremy. I was on the hunt for how to crochet fair isle patterns. After searching and searching I came across this post on Craftster. I did a few test swatches but didn't really like how they were turning out, the pattern ended up really large and it just didn't look right. Back to the drawing board I went...well back to Ravelry actually. I found this pattern for a skull beanie and thought it would be perfect! I didn't like the crossbones bit so I just didn't do them. It was kind of a challenge at first with the color change and carrying the grey yarn along with the black when not in use but after trying, frogging, trying again, etc. it turned out great I think! It's kind of big on me but it fits Jeremy so that's all that matters! I made sure to use the same grey yarn as the scarf for the skull so they'd look good together too. So, without further adieu...

The scarf.