October 1963 - Holly Glass Muffs finished

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About the pattern:
The pattern is not difficult to understand and it’s fairly simple to make if you can work with thread and understand how to crochet in the back loops.   
The pattern is done in four parts; the middle ribbing, the top border, the bottom border and the bottom.
The middle ribbing is done in the back loops and makes a nice stretchy fabric.  This method of making a ribbing stitch could be adapted to other patterns once you know how to do it.  The top and bottom border are mostly shell stitches using back loops.  The bottom is a circle that you make separately and then sew on.
The holly leaf motif is done in pieces and sewn on.
It uses two strands of size 20 cotton thread for the main parts and one strand for the holly motif.
 
How it went:
I chose light blue and gray cotton crochet thread size 10 and used just one strand.  I thought they’d be good winter colors and it also made it a little easier to see the crochet thread than a dark green would have been.   The pattern has you make the ribbing a little smaller than the glass you’re going to put it on and then sew the ends together to make a tube. 
The border is done right on to the ribbing.  I made them one row shorter on both the top and the bottom.
The bottom is done as a separate piece and then sewn to the tube.  I decided to do it right from the border instead.  Trying to work from the outside in was a little more difficult than it usually is since they’re circle pattern wasn’t a typical circle pattern.  It didn’t quite work and it seems a little looser than it should be.  
I did not make the holly part.  Someone at the October Crochet Guild meeting suggested a snowflake and I think that would look nice but I wanted to be done with this so I just left the extra motif off.
 
How it turned out:
I like how the color combination worked out but I don’t love this pattern.  I put it over a small jam jar and it looks ok.  I’m not sure the bottom piece is necessary if it’s just decorative.  This might be cute as a votive holder or to dress up a jar of jam or other preserves.

Next week:
I'll have the November patterns to vote on ready!  My November selection of Workbasket Magazine has only six years; 1954, 1967, 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978.