Sunday, December 11, 2016

Top 5 most read blog articles

I've published 250 posts on this blog to date. Wow - that seems like a huge number. I thought for my final post of 2016 I'd give you a list and links to my top 5 most read posts of all time.





1. Five reasons to join a CAL August 2016
2. How to locate a yarn store while away July 2016
3. Butterfly Garden Cocoon Shrug January 2016
4. How to substitute yarn October 2015
5. Peyton Heart Project August 2015
 

I'm taking a little break from blogging for a while. I have a new research client so I need to free up some hours starting January! I'm an independent market researcher as well as a crochet teacher. It's all fun! Knowing me I'll miss writing and posts will start up again before long!

Anyway, please don't feel bereft - you can still reach me and see what I'm up to in the wonderful world of crochet on TwitterInstagram, Facebook and Ravelry. I'm @craftyescapism Please do get in touch! I really would like to hear from you.

Have a wonderful holiday y'all!



Sunday, December 4, 2016

Christmas & charity crochet hats

Occasionally I come across a pattern which I adore and just want to make over and over again. It's called Reversible Strands and has been favorited on Ravelry almost 8000 times so evidently other hookers are loving this pattern as much as me! The swirling lines of the cable / front post stiches are very pleasing to me.



At my charity crochet group Yak & Yarn we have decided to move onto making hats for the homeless this winter as well as scarfs so I was looking on Ravelry at crochet men's hat patterns and came up with this one. The designer, Nancy Smith, is particularly talented with crochet cables. Looking at her website, NLS Stitchings, I discovered that she is friends with the amazing Margaret Hubert and has two stunning patterns in one of Margaret books which is also one of my favorite crochet books: The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet (2nd edition) 

I haven't exactly followed the pattern, I almost never do, but I am very happy with the resulting hats that I will give as gifts. The bright one is for one of my dearest friends in the UK and I made a more manly one for my brother. I will make more with my Yak & Yarn group for charity.

Crochet cables seems very on trend right now. The Fall edition of Interweave Crochet focuses on crochet cables with 10 cable projects and even tutorials for those new to cables from experts.

I have also flicked through a copy of the recently published Celtic Cable Crochet by Bonny Barker in the yarn store where I work. The Lavena Poncho on the front cover is even making the knitters want to learn to crochet! It is fantastic!

Let me know if you've been making anything with crochet cables recently. And have a great week y'all!