going a little retro

Last week I found a new pattern for a crocheted trivet with a retro look and feel that I really liked and so, even though I don't really have any use for a new trivet, I decided to try my hand at it.  One thing that interested me is the fact that this pattern is rated as "intermediate" difficulty.  I usually go for the easy patterns that I can work up without having to think too much, but every now and then I feel the need to stretch myself a tiny little bit and see what happens.  

 What happened is a trivet that was a lot of fun to make, and really not very hard at all.  So far I have made four of them, just to play with the color combinations.  I'm working on another, so apparently everyone I know will be getting a trivet for Christmas :) ... I've thought about putting them in OCC Shoeboxes, but I don't really know what the kids would do with them.    

They start out kind of funny looking and it is very hard to see how they will turn into anything like the end result.

Ronnie says that they are downright ugly at this stage, 

but if you look closely you can see that the spikes are starting to turn, which will eventually make the final shape.

This is my first attempt.  I think it turned out pretty well.  

I really like the brown and blue color combination.

My second attempt

Number three ... 

For this last one, I changed the final round to half double crochets

instead of singles.  I like the way it sets off the color change.

So, anybody want one?  I'm having too much fun playing with the color combinations to stop now. At the moment, I'm working on one that has a brown center with yellow for the contrast.  I may even throw in a third color, but I haven't decided between sage green or a coral color.

Happy Crocheting!

(Here's a link to the pattern, in case anyone is interested ... Colorful Kitchen Trivet)