Off the Hook

January has been productive.  I filed my taxes.  We removed the carpet from the living room (love the hardwood floors).   I  even managed to complete a few projects:

Terra Cotta Elise Shawl by Evan Plevinski.  Worked in Louet's Gems Fingering, this little gem (no pun intended) was fun to work.  Featuring a 2-row pattern repeat, I was able to take this along on my daily commute to work.  After the first six rows, the easily memorized pattern is relatively mindless.  This shawl is reserved.  Don't ask me to change my mind or name names.

Two Plum Delight Sun Ray Slouch Berets designed by moi.  Both lacy tams were hooked in Garnstudios Drops Delight, a sock wool yarn with a handspun texture.  Although billed as "luxurious and super soft," I don't think it stands up to this billing.  Despite this letdown, I love the yarn and its extraordinarily long, well matched color transitions results in striping that Garnstudios has dubbed "magic-print."   The pattern results in a beret with a touch of hexagon in the shaping.  Solution?  Block the hat on a 12-inch round melamine plate purchased at the local dollar store. 

While visiting relatives for the Christmas holidays, I made a hat for my twin sister.  She loves it but wanted another one to match her new coat.  Of course I promised.  She picked out the yarn and I made her this tam worked in double strands of Loops & Threads Impeccable.  

I frogged the Ostrich Fan Fandango shawl (lovely but complex pattern) because the gauge was too tight and I realized I would run out of yarn way too early.  I plan to redo with a larger hook in a different yarn.  I will keep you posted.

Almost off my hook

Likely to be completed first is a Denim and Navy Blue Winter Watch Cap.  With only about 5 rows to go, this one is reserved for my father.  My father's the type who will wear the same hat or pair of shoes until they wear completely out.  So, count me as surprised when he asked me to crochet him a hat when he has a perfectly serviceable winter hat to keep his gray head warm.  I'm not speaking out of school when I say he has more salt than pepper but he is quite happy he has a full head of hair at his age.  Paton's Classic Wool Merino yarn will ensure relatively easy felting to shrink this slightly oversized cap to fit my father's head.

 

Second up is a Half-Granny Square Shawl designed by Anastacia Zittel.  A one-row repeat has this cute little shawl flying off the hook and is just made for commuting.   Worked in Knit Picks Bare 100% Merino Fingering Wool that I tea-dyed some time ago, I may re-dye it in a bold evergreen.  This one likely will go out as one of my Pay It Forward commitments.  I'm not saying to who, though.

Okay, February.  Bring it on.

Paying it Forward 2011

Scattered around Facebook are posts about passing along our crafty goodness.  Called Pay It Forward 2011, folks like me have committed to making handcrafted items for the first five people who respond to my post.  Each person in turn is supposed to post her/his commitment to make handcrafted items for the first five people who respond to their post, and so forth and so forth.  What a great way to work off our bloated stashes.  I committed to six (don't ask) projects, five of which will hopefully will eat away at my yarn stash.  What I love about this commitment is that I get to choose the yarn and the project.


Just today, I completed the second of six handcrafted items which have eaten up two skeins in my stash.  Both completed projects are hats crocheted from the Garnstudio's Drops Delight, a 75% soft superwash wool/polyamid blend that features long yet smooth color transitions.  Nice yarn with great stitch definition and a slight tendency to split when knit, but I was crocheting.  Both hats use my Sun Ray Slouch pattern, slightly modified for a fingering weight yarn.  The first hat followed the pattern with few modifications.  For kicks, I decided to knit a ribbed brim to the second beret.  Easier said than done.  


Without thinking, I dove into my US 5 [3.75 mm] 30 inch circular needles and quickly picked up the horizontal bar created by the half double crochet stitches I used to make the body of the hat.  As I struggled with the first row of knit stitches, it dawned on me that I needed shorter circular needles.  I moved on to my US 3 [3.25 mm] 24 inch circular needles and managed to work a few rows of k2p2 ribbing before I had to move down to my Addi Turbo US 2 [2.75 mm] 12 inch circulars.  Picking up stitches was smooth and fast.  However, I realized that the ribbing I was knitting would fit a preemie rather than the intended adult recipient.   Stupidly, I had not taken into account that knitting stitches are skinnier than crochet stitches and so had forgotten to add stitches when I first cast on!  I frogged back to the last crocheted row and added a stitch for every four I was picking up.  Working from a base of five stitches, I chose a k3p2 ribbing.  One inch later, the ribbing still looked a bit smallish.  Time to take gauge.  Several measurements later, I found I should have added a stitch for every two I picked up.  I frogged again and bought a set of Hiya Hiya US 3 [3.25 mm] 16 inch circular needles before beginning anew with a k2p2 rib.


As they say, the third time's the charm.   The yarn ran out, the stitches bound off, but the hat fit.  It was tough going [7 hours to work a two-inch ribbed brim!] but I am happy with the results.   My neck is killing me.


All of this effort reminded me of the recent furor over crochet/knit combo patterns.  When the Fall 2010 Interweave Crochet (IC)  issue hit newsstands, the inclusion of seven knit-crochet combination patterns (out of 24 total patterns) created quite a stir.  Some dedicated crocheters announced they would cancel their subscription.  Others were pissed that they their subscription included the primarily knit with crochet embellishment patterns while the crochet-laden special IC Accessories Issue was not included in the basic subscription.  Most felt betrayed by the publishers of Interweave Crochet.


My complaint was less about the inclusion of knit/crochet combo patterns but more with the fact that the beautiful patterns were better suited to a knitting magazine showing how crochet can embellish knitting.  A crochet magazine should illustrate how knitting can embellish crochet, which is exactly what a cross-over pattern generally means for a crocheter. For a knitter, crossover is about how crochet can embellish knitting. Instead, what we got were patterns that showcased knit patterns (many of them at the intermediate or advance level) with a bit of crochet thrown in.


I knit a little but crochet a lot.  Although I prefer crochet, I would still like to practice my knitting skills. For me, given the demands on my time, adding knit to my crochet would help enhance my skills.  Unfortunately, there are few patterns that are primarily crochet with some knitting. However, encouraging the development of such patterns is what the intention of such a special section should have been. If crochet traditionally has been an embellishment for knit, let’s turn the tables. For example:

• knit ribbing on a crochet sweater/tank/hat/socks
• knit i-cord and other embellishments for a crochet tote/drawstring bag/etc.
• knit lace sleeves on a crochet sweater

After this weekend, I could have used a few educational articles about (1) how best to pick up crochet stitches to begin knitting (perhaps it is better to knit first and then pick up stitches to crochet), (2) tips to better seam crochet and knit pieces, and (3) how to choose the right hooks and needles to work in combination with a yarn (we know that crochet stitches are wider than knit ones using the same mm hook/needle).

Next time I attempt to embellish my crochet with a bit of knit I hope to be better prepared.  BTW, pay it forward has hit the blogosphere as well.  So, I repeat my my 2011 pledge here:


"I promise to make something handmade for the first five people who comment to this post.  Each must in turn post this pledge on their blog and make something for the first five who comment on their status.  The rules are simple:  all items must be handmade by the poster, and they must be received before 2011 ends."

So, if this sounds like something that you'd like to be a part of:

• Be one of the first five to comment to this post.
• Please leave your e-mail address so I can contact you directly.
• Be sure to repost this pledge to your own blog if you do comment, since that is the whole point of Paying It Forward! :)

Help me to bust some stash.

[Insert Post Name Here]



Defying all fabric capabilities, this laced Crochet table is from Marcel Wanders,

a Dutch designer who was one of the first droog designers. I would have loved to be

one of the crocheters commissioned to make this table or the limited edition Crochet Chair.

Sometimes we don't realize how much family and friends appreciate our fiber craft.  Just the other day, my Mother called me to tell me that she had a co-worker who needed some crochet done (her words).  No "hi" or "how-dee-do" just So-and-So needs some crochet done and to give her a call.  When my Mother says to call someone, you do.  Right then.  Not later.  So I did.

I didn't think my Mother ever gave any thought to my crochet.  Although I have gifted family and friends with all manner of handcrafted accessories, I've only made my Mother a few items - a cap, a shawl.  I wasn't sure how she felt about handcrafted gifts; all communication about the things I have made her came through my sister.  Needless to say, I was surprised that she called me herself to say that she had offered my services to her co-worker.  My mother -- pimping my crochet. 

I was going to call this post, "Getting Pimped," but apparently it doesn't mean what I thought it did.  According to the Urban Dictionnary, getting pimped now means writing or drawing on someone [who] is passed out due to intoxication.  Shudder.  When you get pimped in medicine (the Socratic method or as some interns call it, shame-based learning), it means that your upper level, attending, or your professor basically tears you a new arsehole in front of your peers by firing off a million questions designed to put you on the spot and make you look like a dumb ass in front of everyone.  Makes no sense.  I thought getting pimped was when someone puts you "into the game" for some form of consideration.  Progress.  Sigh.

So, I did as my Mother said and called her co-worker.  We talked briefly about her 6-year old daughter's desire to have a green and red and pink sweater "just like the one she saw on TV."  She's not quite sure exactly what her daughter saw or wants but is working on it.  Hopefully, in a month or so, she will let me know what she wants made.  Although we have exchanged contact information, I'm not worried about us keeping in touch.  We both know where my mother works.

Now, I am stuck without a name for this post. Any suggestions?

These are a few of my favorite [crochet] things . . .

 When my knee cracks
When the phone rings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel, so bad.

 

Christmas is a short three weeks away and once again, I am struggling with how to answer the question, "What do you want for Christmas, Aunt Vickie?"

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things that I would like, no love, to have -- a million dollars, a brand new house, permanent hair dye that magically colors the gray as new hair grows in, the names of those elusive ancestors who insist upon hiding from me, world peace.  Seriously, I would love to be introduced to a new author, to find a pair of boots that fit all over, to take a real vacation where I'm not expending energy for someone else's pleasure, or to be on the receiving end of a pair of black or navy blue silk long johns to wear under skirts and pants to keep my legs warm as I commute.  And of course, world peace.

The list could go on but I am prevented from responding with the obvious -- crochet goodies or anything related to genealogy.  My girls won't have any of it.  They do not want to contribute to what they call my obsessions and what I call my hobbies.  That means no crochet or genealogy magazines and books, no hooks or notions, and, gasp, no yarn.

But if I could have some of my favorite crochet things, they would include:

Yarn, like Berrocco Latitude, a cotton and rayon which combine to produce a subtly variegated worsted weight yarn wrapped with a coordinating thread.  I think the colors (although limited) are great.  Like most good cottons, this yarn produces great stitch definition that would show off almost any fancy stitch.  Of course, I already have quite a stash of yarn but who says when enough is too much.  Particularly when I get verrrrry specific requests for a pair of socks or a pair of mittens or a shawl.

A crochet hook gauge designed specifically for, you guessed it, crochet hooks!  All the other gauges on the market are of the 'hole' variety, in which you insert your hook or needle.  Those of you who know crochet hooks, know that hooks by different manufacturers can vary widely so that type of gauge is relatively useless.  But this gauge is tapered, allowing you to see the true physical size of each hook where it matters, regardless of manufacturer and regardless of the size markings given.  Relatively inexpensive (less than $8), this notion should be in every crocheter's bag.  Caution: although made of thick plastic, it can crack at the bottom where the gauge narrows.  Just remember to keep it in your bag with your hook collection and not traveling with your works in progress.

Crochet hooks to go with the gauge.  I have been using Kinki Amibari's Yuraku aluminum hooks with bamboo handles this last year.  Despite the 5-inch handle length, these tapered headed hooks handle like a dream (no pun intended).  I only wish I can find a distributor who sells the in-between sizes.

Fancy Buttons!  God, I love me some buttons.  I think they just add so much to a garment and can really spruce up a hat or scarflet.  A button added to a flat 2-dimensional flower suddenly springs to life with the unexpected button that expresses that the wearer is "cute as a button."

Pom-Pom Makers.  Just the right gadget with which to make those furry little balls that embellish hats (at the top of the head and at the bottom of the ties) and other garments. Granted, I can use a piece of cardboard but my pom-poms always turn out like crap.  That's probably why I typically steer clear of them.  Perhaps with one of these little doo-dads, I might have better luck.

A good Granny Square Afghan pattern.  The oldest will be going off to college next fall and has asked, no told me, that she expects to take along a handmade-by-me granny square afghan with her.  You may say, no problem, but for me, this will be quite a challenge to make one large enough for a twin bed.  Not being a huge fan of granny squares, I just haven't attempted to make one, and most certainly have not had an opportunity to settle on a favorite.  After a bit of preliminary research, I thought she might like Lisa Naskrent's Moorish Mosaic Afghan, but noooo, she wants something a lot more traditional.  Perhaps she might like the Mosaic Throw by Ellen Gormley (pictured right).

More crochet and genealogy podcasts that are funny, slightly irreverent, and full of useless facts.  Podcasts enhance my weekday commute, as does a good portable crochet project.  What's on my MP3 player is TheKnitWits, a wife and husband team who just chat away about her knitting and spinning, all within the context of sharing stories about their life.  Since they live in Tennessee, I will just say, they are a hoot.  Go give them a spin.   As for a genealogy podcast, I listen to several but none are of the "laugh out loud, pee your pants" variety.   I also must admit to following the shenanigans of Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers of NPR's CarTalk, which I listened to religously for years until the local station kept changing the broadcast schedule.  Now, with the advent of Star Trek inspired technology, I no longer worry about missing the show -- I download the podcast and listen at my leisure.  Unfortunately, these weekly 1-hour shows I'm currently following are not enough.  I need more.  Anybody got any suggestions for good crochet or genealogy podcasts to add?

So, these are a few of my favorite things.  A girl can dream, can't she?

Happy Holidays!

Sneak Peak

No, it's not the remnants of a Halloween haunted house.  Rather it is a sneak peek at a project I am working on for a CFC raffle her at work.  For the neophytes, CFC stands for Combined Federal Campaign, the annual federal workplace charity campaign. The mission of the CFC is to "promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee-focused, cost-efficient, and effective in providing all federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all."


My agency has set as its goal $1.2 million, which is raised through a combination of employee pledges and creative fundraisers (many of which feature food like hotdogs, burgers, and cupcakes).  Our little office runs an auction -- last year we raised $700.  This year we also are supporting a raffle sponsored by our program office.
 I have agreed to contribute a crocheted [SHHHH -- TOP SECRET], made with Louet Gems 100% Merino Wool fingering weight yarn in Terra Cotta.  Louet is machine washable and can even be dried in the dryer, although I don't recommend it for this project.  Simple blocking will help it retain its beauty.  The ---------- is coming along nicely; it's about 25% complete.  Although I am continuing to work on my goal of 16 hats by mid-December, there is still time to get this charitable deed done by the December 2 due date. That is when I will post pics of the finished item. In the meantime, here is another sneak peek.