Happy Valentine's Day!

My husband likes video games, and Portal is one of the more enjoyable ones he's played.  I came across a pattern that seemed correct for the Companion Cube from the game, and with the hearts decorating the box, it seemed to be the perfect Valentine's Day gift.  I've already blogged its beginnings and the major problem, so here's the finished product:

Pattern: Mini Companion Cube (Rav)

Yarn: Multiple scrap yarns from various projects, mostly acrylic WW.

Hook: USF/3.75mm

Timeframe: February 5 - 13, 2011
Mods: None really, crocheted the pieces together and used a flat cushion cut to fit rather than loose stuffing.
Problems: Ran out of the gray yarn.

I did manage to finish this on the 13th and as I wake up slightly earlier than he does, I put it on his desk so it was waiting for him on Valentine's Day, along with a candy he enjoys that is not readily available here.  The different grays I had to use are not all that noticeable, so while I was originally considering ripping and re-crocheting those squares when I can get more of that yarn, I think I'll just leave it as-is, 100% finished.

One of the other major pluses of this project was that I learned how to make a nice crocheted seam!  I've used a crocheted seam on blankets before, but always using the method of putting the wrong sides together and crocheting through both pieces, which makes a nice crocheted line but also leaves a "wrong side" line of stitching next to the seam.  Not pretty when you're making contrasting seams or want it to be perfectly perfect.  With this project, I learned that if you put the pieces to be seamed next to each other and pass your hook through the right sides of both pieces you're seaming rather than right side of one and wrong side of the other, you get a gorgeous crocheted seam with the "wrong side" line on the actual wrong side!

I love that I've been knitting and crocheting for a number of years and have gotten pretty good at it, but still manage to learn something new on many projects.  I love how my work keeps looking better and better with the little techniques I pick up from the internet crafting community!