Grabbing Winter by the Crochet Hooks

Something about winter makes me want to cozy up under some blankets, turn on the tv, and crochet until my wrists hurt.  When summer comes along I always forget about this particular hobby (because who wants to be surrounded by balls of yarn when it's 90 degrees?!) but as soon as the temperatures start to drop I remember that, yes, I was in the middle of making a ten foot long blanket.  Seriously, I once made a blanket that was so big I could not fold it by myself.

I used to stick with fairly standard stitches - you know, the single crochet, the double crochet, maybe toss in some chevron for kicks.  But lately I've been feeling up for a bit more of a challenge.  Luckily, Pinterest has been throwing some great new patterns my way.  Here are a couple of my new favorites:

The Honeycomb

Ribbonberry

Starburst

Okay, so maybe that last pattern didn't have a name so I made one up.  I think Starburst is very appropriate.  

Have you accepted crochet into your life, and subsequently have many scarves you need to pawn off on unsuspecting friends and family members?  Do you have any favorite patterns to share?