Hello March! Review of Crochet Kaleidoscope

Short February has flown by and thank goodness I can check my Instagram feed because I forgot to write a list... I've mainly been hooking a fabulous crochet blanket, joining in with the go go granny crochetalong run by super British crochet designer Rosina of the Zeens and Roger podcast. I was dithering a lot before the CAL began on my choice of project and then happy mail arrived from F+W/Interweave, a newly released crochet book for me to review Crochet Kaleidoscope by Sandra Eng who is @mobiusgirl on Instagram.

It's a book of 100 motif patterns and there are five projects at the end including a really standout blanket design which incorporates granny stitches and so qualifies for the crochetalong. The owner of the yarn store, where I teach, loved the design too so I've been hooking it as a sample for the store. Samples sell yarn!

If you don't have a motif book this would be a good one to buy. There is some fantastic color advice at the front of the book. Some people intuitively pick out colors that go together but not me I need a little assistance. It has appealing motifs aplenty in different shapes: squares, circles, hexagons, triangles and others. Each motif has written as well as charted instructions which is something I like to see. And there are several inspiring projects at the end of the book so you can see how to incorporate your favorite motifs into something more than a motif. Here is my Vintage Bauble Blanket in progress. I'm using lovely Queensland Collection United yarn which is a sport weight certified organic wool/cotton blend in the most gorgeous colors.

My #useitorloseit2018 campaign continues. I made the Lilla Bjorn Sweater in February using stash yarn taking part in another crochetalong hosted by one of my favorite designers Tatsiana Kupryianchhyk. I love this sweater and Houston Texas, like many other places, has had a colder than normal winter so I've been able to wear it often and show off.

From March 1st I'll be starting another crochetalong - the Different Designer CAL run by Fay from the Crochet Circle Podcast. Full details are in her Ravelry group but essentially you pick a pattern from a designer who is new to you. I thought I'd try some different crochet sock designers. Do join us in the group and/or use the hashtag #DesignerCAL if Instagram is your thing.

And finally...the kind publishers sent me two copies of Crochet Kaleidoscope so I'm going to offer one of them as a giveaway. Please let me know in the comments below if you'd like my second book and/or send me a message via Instagram Twitter Ravelry or Facebook - I'm Crafty Escapism everywhere! I'll run a little random generator in a week's time and pick one of you. Good luck and have a fabulous March. I'll be back with another combo blog/podcast on April the 6th.

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Yarn Review - Crafting Oasis Yarn Co

This week I'm reviewing hand-dyed yarn created by my talented friend Cat. She is a very crafty young lady - I am sure you know the type, they do it all crochet, knit, spin, dye, paper craft, embroider and more.. whereas I am firmly stuck on the crochet with the occasional knit project for variety. And of course Cat is really good at all of these things, is one of the sweetest people I know and lives in Houston too.

When Cat asked if I'd review a skein of her hand-dyed yarn on my blog of course I agreed and I decided it was going to be a one-skein shawl as my second shawl for the #SeptemberShawalong organized by lovely Hannah of the Cozy Cottage Crochet Podcast. I always like to link my hooking to an -along, don't I?

I didn't specify a color but wow - when I opened the parcel I just couldn't do anything but smile - that pop of bright pink red was irresistible. And when I posted it on Instagram lots of other people loved the color too. Fortunately Cat told me this is a color she can replicate. It's called "Pinkberry" and it's fingering weight on a 100% merino platinum base.

The color is just the best. Everything else about the yarn is good too. It's super soft around my neck (and I am very sensitive). It smells good. It didn't split at all when I was working with it.

The pattern I chose was the Metro Kerchief by Yuliya Tkacheva also known as Ms Weaver. It has a fabulous track texture which is achieved with lots of slip stitches which slowed me down a little but I do love the end result. I will wear this when it's a little dull outside and I want to cheer people up.

So please do head over to Cat's shop on Etsy Crafting Oasis Yarn Co to see what she has in stock.  She told she was going to be dying some Christmas themed yarn next. How fun!

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Book Review of Modern Tapestry Crochet

I was sent a copy of Modern Tapestry Crochet by Alessandra Hayden of Just be Happy Crochet from the publisher for this review.They enjoyed my recent review of Rohn Strong's new book Step into Crochet and now I'm on their list of reviewers. How cool is that? I get to pick the titles that appeal to me which is ideal because I wouldn't really like to write a negative review. And I was actually going to buy Modern Tapestry Crochet because I enjoy learning about techniques and some of the projects looked gorgeous. Just look at the colorwork of the cowl on the front cover!

I was hoping to learn how to improve the neatness of my colorwork with some tips on tapestry crochet technique and I was not disappointed. There are 12 pages on technique and now I know the secret of how to make everything line up really neatly. I'm a teacher so these are the kinds of questions I've been asked. 

I felt I should make at least one project from the book before writing the review. I chose a two color design - the Evergreen Country Cowl. I was staying at my parents in Perthshire in Scotland with limited shopping venues or opportunities to escape but I managed to get to the amazing Fluph yarn store in Dundee and buy the owner the lovely Leona's very own hand-dyed yarn, Rusty Ferret, to make my cowl. The pattern called for aran weight yarn but Rusty Ferret didn't come in aran weight so I bought chunky weight instead and guestimated how much yardage I needed. Back at my parents' house I checked my tension and fiddled around with the chart a little to make it work. What a delight to be working in heavier yarn than fingering for a change and even though I had to have a couple of goes at the joins and messed up my chart a few times the project was complete within two days. I loved how quickly it worked up and following the charts and the squishiness of the yarn made it a very pleasurable crocheting experience! Here's my 13 year old wearing the cowl - the colors are more her than me.

There is a good range of patterns all in aran weight yarn - 2 scarfs, 2 cowls, a shawl, 4 hats (two of them slouches), a headband, 2 throws, 2 bags, a clutch, 2 mittens, slippers and socks. There is something for everyone. I'd definitely say the patterns would appeal to younger crocheters and/or would make a good holiday gift for teens and young adults. In Texas we call Christmas "holiday".The colorwork and geometric designs are really on trend. The book and patterns aren't yet on Ravelry but the wonderful Kathryn Vercillo, who I first heard about this book from, has also written a review of the book here with a few more of projects photos for you to peruse! I've picked out my next project already! Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Listen to the Audio Podcast

Finished Object - My Hotel of Bees Shawl

This week I completed my version of Christina Hadderingh's Hotel of Bees Shawl and I am SO happy with it.

One of my regular Friday afternoon workshop attendees went for a class at Hill Country Weavers in Austin, Texas and she spent I can't remember how many hours learning about how to make this shawl. Several months later she hadn't started the shawl. It's quite an involved pattern which requires some concentration and lots of counting so it's maybe not ideal for a lively group workshop setting.

But anyway when I heard Claudia on her Crochet Luna podcast talk about the Hotel of Bees crochetalong that Sandra from Cherry Heart and Sam from Betsy Makes were organizing I thought this was a great way to get my friend going with her project and obviously I had to join her so that I could help with any queries along the way.

I absolutely loved the pattern because it is comprised of many different techniques - cute puff stitch for the bees, overlay technique for the wings and fillet crochet for the honeycomb pattern. I enjoyed the challenge of all that counting. It's also a shape that I like. I like my wear my shawls around my shoulders with a knot at the front or the corner so not every shawl works this way.

My yarn choice was Queensland Collection Savannah which is a linen/silk mix. I was a bit worried because it's not soft BUT it's not scratchy either. I haven't used linen before to make a garment. It's starting to get quite hot here in Houston. Wool just doesn't work. Anyway I wore the shawl into work on Wednesday, a rather hot humid day and I am happy to report that it felt great! I think people will be seeing rather a lot of my Hotel of Bees Shawl this summer!

Anyway do go have a look at all the marvellous Hotel of Bees shawls on Ravelry. There are 355 projects to look at as I write this. And/or check out #hobcal on Instagram if that's your thing. I would highly recommend that you make it too!

Here's the Audio Podcast

It's NatCroMo!

This month is National Crochet Month and this year's theme is glamping. It's not too late to take part in all the fun....

Crochetville are currently hosting their 5th annual NatCroMo Blog tour featuring 80 designers, crochet-friendly local yarn stores, indie dyers and spinners. There are free patterns and tutorials and daily giveaways too! Here's the link to general information on the CrochetVille website. You can see what's going on each day on the CrochetVille blog and their National Crochet Month Facebook group.

The designers are my absolutely favorite thing about the Crochetville tour. I was delighted to see the inspiring Marie Segares kicking off the blog tour. Of course I had to make the camping trivet (her free pattern for the tour) being a big fan of camping (and Marie!) Being the thrifty Brit I made my own tshirt yarn out of my daughter's old choir t-shirt. It's amazing to see how simply pulling the cotton tight rolls it into functional yarn. Here's the fab video on How to make t-shirt yarn that I found on YouTube by Trisha at Upcycled Stuff.

I loved the projects by new-to-me designer Yuliya Tkacheva and figured out that she works in tandem at Cup of Stitches with Lena Fedotova, designer of the wonderful Entrelac Tunisian yoga top that I've just completed. I also discovered fellow Brit Amanda Perkins for the first time who designs the most beautiful crochet blankets. And the month is barely half way through!

The CrochetSpot blog are keeping things simple by celebrating National Crochet Month with a series of cute crochet applique patterns for us to make. I'm very taken with the cherry. CrochetSpot also mentions an International Crochet Month over on Ravelry. Their party runs for another week until March 19th.....

Have a wonderful week y'all! You'll find me in between weekly blog posts on Twitter and Instagram as @craftyescapism 

Getting a wriggle on with my Tunisian Crochet project

Here is my progress on garment number 1 of the year - the Tunisian Entrelac yoga top. It has been slow going. Tunisian crochet is rather time consuming and I've been so distracted by my charity crochet bobble blanket project. The additional wool that I ordered online from Jimmy Beans Wool, taking advantage of their free standard postage in February, arrived far quicker than expected. I just kept making those little bobbles.

 

I listened to Fay on the latest Crochet Circle podcast episode just before the Super Bowl game began and found out that March 3rd is the start of their Tunisian Crochet Along. How exciting!! I've been a big fan of the Crochet Circle podcast ever since I reviewed it back in May last year. 

There are three different categories for the CAL which will be hosted by Sol. And my yoga top does not qualify. Boo! I need to start the project on March 3rd not beforehand. Sharing will take place on Instagram and Ravelry. Check out the show notes for further details here if you fancy taking part. It's going to be fun!

This gives me a few days rest between the current Instagram challenge I'm currently taking part in: #yarnlovechallenge It's great to search for the hashtag and scroll through the loveliness and read the accompanying stories. I am particularly drawn to crochet items as well as doggy crafting companions. The challenge has been organised by @maryheatherb and @oharethey More details can be found on their blogs here
http://maryheatherbrowne.com/blog/yarnlovechallenge and http://www.oharethey.com/blog/yarnlovechallenge. Being a little part of this is really brightening my day. Thank you ladies!!

Hope February is going well for you too lovely readers!

 

Mainly hooking bobbles

All week I've been working on my new woollen diagonal bobble blanket inspired by Tamara Kelly's Blackberry Salad Striped Baby Blanket. The repetitive hooking of little bobbles is just what I need right now. The bumpy texture under my fingers is wonderful and the color combo pleases me so much! It's going to be hard to send away but I will remind myself it is for a good cause. 





As you can see though, I am definitely going to run out of yarn. I am woefully short of the required 36 inch height. I am down to two colors and the darker fingering weight wool I am having to double up. I'm adding rows to both top and bottom to keep the middle stripes as symmetrical as possible. I'm only going to get halfway with what I've got.

I visited yarnsub.com (SUCH a helpful site) and found out that my main bright colored yarn is discontinued and am currently working out suitable substitutes. The super online store Jimmy Beans Wool has free U.S. Flat Rate and First Class International shipping during February and a great selection. What great timing! I will return to my crochet garment-making (the Tunisian Entrelac crochet top) while I wait for more yarn to arrive...or perhaps read my latest book Top Down Crochet Sweaters by Dora Ohrenstein which came in the post this week. Yes, I ordered it at last. How exciting!

Anyway until next week, craft on my friends x

A home for my woollen charity projects

I made a really exciting discovery this week. My fortnightly Yak and Yarn charity crochet group meeting was coming up. This always spurs me onwards to activity so that I can go to the meeting with something to contribute: a new pattern for us to try out, some completed products to donate... you get the idea.

 

Anyway, we have a sweet new member who is super keen and getting through my donated yarn stash at high speed. The softest acrylic is almost gone and there is just the itchy type left. I have an issue with working with it. I'm not quite sure how I become so sensitive to scratchy yarn but I do think that some of it is related to living in a warmer climate. When it's humid and you're feeling a little hot the fibers do chafe. I've gone soft since I moved to Texas. Another theory of mine is that I have been exposed to far too much gorgeously soft wool in the yarn store where I teach. Soft AND spoilt!

I do have some donated wool in my stash but the local charities we crochet for prefer items that are machine washable. My wool is hand wash only. But this week I found a charity, the Warm Hands Network, that actually prefers wool because it's warmer. The projects go mostly to Northern Canadian children. There is a Ravelry group too which of course I've joined. The garment I was talking about last week has been put to one side and I've started on a blanket of approximately 36" x 36" dimensions.

I do adore the bobble blanket that I made back here and I found this diagonal bobble striped blanket on Ravelry: The Blackberry Salad Striped Baby Blanket by the rather marvellous Tamara Kelly of the Moogly Blog. I'm guesstimating about having equal quantities of orange and brown colors. I should really just make the calculation and figure out how much I need but I'm missing a yarn label or two and I find it oddly entertaining examining the yarn as I go along wondering if I have sufficient. We all have our quirks! The bobble stitch pattern IS rather yarn hungry and when I look at the picture above it doesn't seem to add up. I may need to supplement to complete it but that's OK. And time is on my side because there are two main shipment dates and I can't possibly make the closest date Jan 30th.

I'd love to know if you know of another charity that accepts wool and/or if you have a charity project on the go... just comment below! Have a wonderful week y'all!

1st garment of the year - Tunisian Entrelac Yoga Top

I've decided that this year is going to be the year of the crochet garment. I have made a fair few knitted and crochet garments and designed a couple too but I can definitely finesse my skills. I plan to buy Top Down Crochet Sweaters by Dora Ohrenstein after reading a review by Susan Lowman on her Crochet Architect website.

 

I learned Tunisian Entrelac Crochet last year making a bright blanket for charity and wrote about it here. I enjoyed the technique so much and since this year is the year of the crochet garment I decided to tackle the Yoga Top by Elena Fedotova. I found out about Elena from Marie Segares in her Instagram #undergroundcraftertakeover. Here's the roundup on Marie's blog. Elena's geometric designs look so fresh and modern. I favorited the Yoga Top straightaway and I really love what she has done here with a traditional crochet granny squares on her Granny Fish Top.

I am now underway. The yoga top is bottom up and mostly seamless (yay for not having to sew sides together).I just love making these tiny squares because they are join as you go, and they just look so unbelievably cute. There are a few color combo suggestions and a blank chart in each size for you to colorize with your own color choices. I did have to restart after making a silly gauge calculation. Usually, I find one row is sufficient to measure horizontal gauge but with Tunisian Entrelac stitch the gauge reduces after adding a second and third row. My top was going to be a tight squeeze so I had to rip it all back and add additional squares. My husband likes to see me ripping items back. He says I'm getting more enjoyment out of the yarn and he's probably right.

Are you tackling something new this year? I'd love to hear.

Hooky hat wearing weather

Hats have dominated the last week or so. I had my first Yak & Yarn meeting of the year and had a tip off that a new member had made numerous hats (while I was away she emailed me to ask if she could bring them to my house - this was a bit of a giveaway). I had to stop making my second Take Two Crochet project and hook up a few hats for the homeless to show willing. She made sevens (yay!) and I managed three. I'm not competitive, honestly! 

 

I received an e-newsletter from the inspirational Betsy Greer, the godmother of the Craftivism, who I have met in person and written about here. She interviews fellow craftivist heroes on her blog (love it!) and sends links to related projects. Anyway, one of the links was to the Pussy Hat Project so I've found some pink yarn in my stash and selected the crochet pattern with the cable ribbing. I'm just about to  join up the sides with crab stitch, my favorite seaming stitch, which is functional but decorative. And I should meet the deadline to mail it to Washington for the march. I do like taking part in a Craftivism project for a good cause.

I love seeing something in the crochet world go viral in the world of non-crafters. Right now  it's all about the Messy Bun Hat or Ponytail Hat. Last week a non- crafter was in the yarn store where I work looking for yarn for a friend to make one for her. I've also spotted it coming up on my Twitter feed. I have short hair but if I can see my daughter looking gorgeous in one of these free crochet patterns: It's All About the Messy Bun by June Nemeth!

Anyway, I do hope you're having a wonderful week y'all whatever you're crafting!! If you don't want to miss my blog articles and you're reading on your desktop computer please do sign up to receive an email with a link. It should be top right. And I'm on Twitter and Instagram too. If you've been making hats this month please do let me know in the comments below!

New Year adjustments

Oh my goodness, the holiday was such a productive time for my crochet I'm sort of in shock now I'm back to my daily 45 minutes while watching evening tv with my hubby! Our holiday was far longer than usual - three weeks instead of two. We returned to the UK to renew our US visas which entailed two long flights of non-stop hooking watching back to back movies and we took a long drive to New Mexico which included many hours of road trip crochet. And of course while away from home there are not the chores and I didn't have any work projects so there was plenty of time during the day too. I was in crochet heaven. One morning in New Mexico I woke up and hooked an entire cowl, merrily making it up as I went along. What decadence! Here is my dog showing his appreciation:

It's a super simple pattern (US crochet terms).

1. Foundation double crochet to size so it fits over your head.
2. Slip stitch to join.
3. Chain 2, double crochet all around, slip stitch. 
4. Repeat Step 3 trying it on until you can pull it up over your face.
5. Weave in loose ends.

I should really have used a linked double crochet stitch (my daughter commented - "there are holes mum") but there's always a next time, and another ski "buff" to make.

Of course, there was much preparation before my three week trip to ensure that I wouldn't run out of yarn or projects. Oh heaven forbid I should run out. I've written about how I panic about running out of yarn on holiday before!

In early December I went to a holiday event (with discounts) at the yarn store, Nimblefingers, where I teach and decided to treat myself to some new yarn for a project I've had on my list for a long time the Pink Wrapover Top by Hannah Cross in the Simply Crochet Magazine. Mine was not pink, I'm not a pink kind of gal, but it worked out very well and I'm wearing it here in aqua.

I bought The Crochet Circle Podcast's Take Two, Collection One - Crochet book and packed yarn for two projects. Fay told me I was the first person to complete a project from the book and that never happens to me. But I was on my long long holiday after all. Anything was possible! I would highly recommend the book. Lynne and Fay have designed crochet staples and each project has been made twice with different local yarns (hence the name "Take Two"). There are eight patterns, all very well written and I'm on my second project already. I put my version of their Baltum fingerless mittens on Ravelry and I'm actually wearing them as I type... it's an unusually cold January day in Houston, Texas.

Are you still adjusting to January like me, or have you got it all together?

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!

Lining my peacock tail bag

I have finally lined my peacock tail bag! Hurray! I put it off for several weeks after the CAL ended making up ridiculous excuses because I'm not as passionate about sewing as I am about crocheting. I have made so many crochet and knitted bags over the years and I just don't use them as much as I should because they are not fully functioning bags without a lining. It wasn't going to happen this time. Of course, I ambitiously decided to insert a zipper making the exercise even more daunting and leading to further delay. 

 
The lining is leftover Kaffe Fasset material purchased five years ago from quilting shop Poppy Patchwork in my old neighborhood of Westbury on Trym in Bristol. I bought this glorious fabric to line a knitted Debbie Bliss cable bag that I made in 2011 Fiddly Fushia Bag. This was the last and only other time I have lined a bag!

I told my Friday workshop students that I was going to line the bag making up a whole host of excuses for the delay and they teasingly told me "challenge yourself" - a phrase that I am very fond of saying to them! My sweet crochet friend Jodie who writes the wonderful Lupey Loops blog also encouraged me. I do find telling fellow crafters about my plans stops me from procrastinating quite as much! 

I started with the peacock tail bag cal lining tutorial from Lilla Bjorn Crochet for a general idea and then visited my local sewing studio Thimblefingers to buy my interface and zipper so that I could get a few more tips on how exactly I was going to go about making the liner with the zipper. The best tip from the extremely helpful owner was where exactly I should attach my liner. I had envisaged sewing it an inch or so below the opening but I was told that the seam would be more robust if I chose the existing natural seam between the colorful rounds and the band around the top. My lining isn't perfect but I am very pleased. I know that I will take my bag out far more now that it has a zippered lining. I even added a cellphone-sized inside pocket. Go me!

I found two helpful online tutorials for adding zippered linings to crochet bags if you're feeling inspired to have a go. Fab crochet designer and blogger Stephanie of All About Ami has a tutorial for a lining with a zipper and a circular base: Crochet Zipper Pouch. Stephanie gave a link to a second helpful photo tutorial from super crochet designer Jesseyz of Chocolate Mints in a Jar Zippered Lining Tutorial.

Well now that I've achieved this I'm feeling confident enough to make a project bag or two. I'm going to use this super cute project bag tutorial from the talented Sam, crochet designer, blogger and podcaster from Betsy Makes.

If you'd like to tell me about your experiences with lining a bag, please do let me know in the comments below. Anyway, do have a wonderful week y'all.

The Bobble Blanket

The charity blanket-making continues in my Yak and Yarn group. My latest make is the Bobble Blanket. One of the other members of my group gasped "that would drive me crazy" but I found the repetitive bobble-making extremely soothing. Yarn over, insert hook, pull up yarn, repeat, repeat....... When my life is complicated and overwhelming sometimes mindless making in cute colors with my hands is the perfect antidote.

The bobble stitch is one of the nine squares from the Sampler Blanket that I designed this summer and wrote about a few weeks back here. I am slowly editing the Sample Blanket pattern as members of my Yak and Yarn group make their own glorious versions and give me their feedback along the way. I am hoping to publish the pattern on Ravelry at some point too. Well that's the plan! Other things with a higher priority keep getting in the way. The bobble was a favorite square so I decided to make an entire blanket in this stitch. Each one of the nine squares in the Sampler Blanket could feasibly be used to make a blanket.

Bobble blanket method:
Please note that I am using US terms and Craft Yarn Council standard abbreviations

To make a bobble: *Yo, insert hook in next st, yo, draw yarn through st and up to level of work. Rpt from * 3 times in same st, draw yarn through 7 loops on hook.

Ch a multiple of 2 + 1 (each multiple will give you one bobble)

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc to end.

Row 2: Ch 3, *skip one st, booble in next st, ch 1. Rpt from * to end, bobble in last sc.

Row 3: Ch 3, *bobble in ch st, ch 1. Rpt from * to end, bobble in last ch 3 space.

Rpt row 3 as required. 

I used mainly worsted weight but did double up a lighter weight yarn for one of the off white sections. I used the yarn I had, stash-busting my donated yarn, so had to improvise a little. My blanket has 50 bobbles per row and measures approximately 34" x 34" It's a square which surprised me because I thought I'd made a rectangle before I got out my measuring tape. The stripes create an optical illusion. I made five stripes in three colors of 12 rows each: off-white, bubblegum, rosewood, off-white, bubblegum.
 
The one downside of the bobble is that it is extremely yarn hungry and I used up A LOT of our donated yarn stash. But it looks great and this particular blanket has been donated to an upcoming charity raffle. I am sad to see it go because it's cute stripes and fun texture made me quite happy. I can always make another!

Overlay Crochet technique

I couldn't help myself from jumping on the CAL (crochetalong) bandwagon again. This time I'm making a bag (or purse as they call it here in Texas) designed by the wonderful crochet designer Tatsiana Kupryianchyk aka Lilla Bjorn Crochet  from the Czech Republic. I'm on part five and having such fun learning another new technique - overlay crochet. 

In one of my recent book purchases Crochet Master Class (I wrote a book review here) there is a section devoted to this technique by Melody MacDuffee. She writes:

"I had always wanted to create something in the medium of crochet that looked like a mandala or stained-glass rose window. When I eventually found my way into this technique, I knew I was there."

The book describes Overlay Crochet far better than I could:

"densely textured cable crochet with color changes on every row or round...long stitches cover up horizontal rows or concentric rounds behind them...unwanted ones disappear like magic"

Tatsiana's CAL pattern is well written with very clear photos and video support. And I'm extremely impressed that this CAL has been translated into Dutch, German, Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, French and Hebrew. Following the hashtag #peacocktailbagcal I can see versions of this bag being made all over world. So cool! I find myself leaving comments "beautiful", "wonderful colors"... and wondering if the recipient can read English but Instagram helpfully has a translate function.

In my mind I can visualize overlay crochet as the perfect technique for a Christmas tree ornament. And Tatsiana has three gorgeous ornament patterns for sale. My favorite is her Starry Dream design.  Now if I can resist another CAL I might just make some as gifts.

Have a great week y'all and please do let me know if you've tried overlay crochet before or if you're feeling tempted!

 

Self-sabotaged socks

I have self-sabotaged my latest pair of crochet socks - July's Bluebell from Rohn Strong's 2016 Sock Club by carefully swatching but then putting the wrong sized, too large, but similarly colored hook in the project bag and then getting on a plane from Edinburgh to Chicago and making almost a whole sock without realizing my mistake. Arrgggh! Here is the resulting still wearable, extremely cozy but tad too large sock #1.

I was introduced to a brand new stitch - linked double crochet which seems to lend itself well to sock construction. It's as stretchy as double crochet but dense like single crochet and makes quite an attractive horizontal ridge. The yarn is WSK Western Sky Knits - another wonderful hand-dyed marvel purchased at the Houston Fiber Fest. How I do love scrummy yarn from indie dyers!

And fantastic news - I actually managed to finish TWO pairs of socks since I wrote about my serious case of crochet sock startitis. Writing that article somehow spurred me onwards to completion.

My FIRST ever pair of completed crochet socks are Cabled Socks by Karen Whooley.  As a crochet sock newbie her extremely clear instructions helped me get my head around sock construction for the first time. Thank you Karen for showing me the way!

 

My second completed socks are Ribbed Socks by Rohn Strong, a crochet sockalong for July in his Facebook group Crochet Sock Addicts. Being part of a Crochet Along (CAL) motivated me to keep going.

I've written more notes about my completed crocheted Socks on Ravelry: Cabled Socks and Ribbed Socks if this is of interest.

I have now developed quite an addiction to crochet socks and I'm feeling ready to start asking family members for their foot measurements! I remember joining the sock club thinking - "one sock a month, surely I won't feel like making them as often as that..." but I've found crochet socks to have just the right amount of challenge, to be the most portable of projects, quick to complete and the resulting handmade sock is so pleasing!

I started the summer looking for the ultimate crochet sock pattern and have discovered there isn't just one pattern but many and perhaps the ultimate crochet project is a sock, well for me anyway!

A serious case of crochet sock startitis

I have developed a serious case of sock startisis. In case you're not familiar with the term here's the Urban Dictionary definition:

Startitis: noun - Repeatedly starting new projects while still having multiple uncompleted projects.

 

Melanie is plagued by startitis. She frequently starts knitting something new rather than finish her other incomplete projects.

 

 

 

I am definitely making great progress on my summer mission to find the ultimate crochet sock pattern and I'm learning SO MUCH about socks but I now have five socks started but not completed. It feels a little excessive.

Sock #1 is the Survival Socks pattern that appear in an earlier post of mine The Hunt for the Ultimate Crochet Sock Begins and I'm working on this with one of my students in the weekly workshop I run on a Friday at my local yarn store. And I'm almost there. It's a toe up design and I'm just finishing off the cuff ahead of my student so that's fine. 

Sock #2 is the current most popular sock on Ravelry coincidentally called the Ultimate Crocheted Sock (with an -ed) by Dorothy Hardy. This time the pattern called for an extended single crochet stitch and I just LOVE how stretchy this stitch makes my sock compared to single crochet. However, still being the sock novice I need photos really and there was an error in the pattern which threw me a bit. And something odd happened with my gauge - the sock is huge. (I have since discovered that I need to make the sock 1/2 inch to 1 inch smaller than my foot circumference because this stitch will stretch.) #2 has been abandoned.
 
Sock #3 is above. It's from Karen Ratto-Whooley's absolutely super book I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks which I bought recently. It's the cabled sock and I'm using Premier Yarns Wool-Free Sock Stripes yarn in the Phoenix colorway purchased from Hobby Lobby. I had intended to make a basic sock from Karen's book. She has both cuff-down and toe-up basic sock patterns in the books. But all of my sock stash is in fingering / sock weight and the patterns call for DK weight. It would be more sensible to start with thicker yarn and a bigger hook and work down to fine yarn so I can see the reason for the yarn weight choice. The basic sock patterns have extremely good photo tutorials with differently color coded parts of the sock. Looking at these I was able to visualize exactly what happens at different parts of a sock. For the cuff down pattern there is the cuff, leg, heel flap, heel turning, gusset, foot and toe. SO helpful!

The most recent socks that I've started #4 and #5 are not entirely my fault because I am working to someone else's deadline - Rohn Strong has a July sock crochetalong (sock #4) and also started a sock club this month (sock #5) which I couldn't really resist.

Well better get back to the socks..... Hope your week is going wonderfully!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hunt for the Ultimate Crochet Sock begins!

One of my lovely regular workshop students, who doesn't knit, told me recently that she had always wanted to make crochet socks. Around this time I discovered the marvelous Crochet Circle Podcast which I reviewed a few weeks ago here. Fay and Lynne, the hosts of Crochet Circle, mentioned another British podcast Crafternoon Treats so I had to check that out. Binge-watching back episodes of this podcast, I found out about their sockalong which started with a free crochet sock pattern Survival Socks by Elin Stoodley so I chose this to crochet along with my student.

We had to do a bit of conversion to create an American version of the pattern.  For foot size add 2 to UK sizes to get US sizes and for UK double crochet (dc) read US single crochet (sc). I'm British and even after four years in the US still have to rely on the Craft Yarn Council's conversion chart to change mms to American sizes for hooks and needle size.  

The pattern is really well written and I appreciated the photos in the survival sock pattern A LOT! When you're a novice sock maker you may not be able to exactly visualize where a gusset goes. I've only knit cuff down socks before and crocheted slippers so I really needed the visual. I've decided I like the toe up design very much so I can try it on as I go along. 

 

My gauge swatch was a bit off height wise so I had to modify the pattern a little before starting out. My foot widens as it goes up so I had to customize the sock with increases before the heel and then decrease before getting to the cuff but that's fine. Feet come in all different shapes and sizes and I'd expect some customization. My student's sock fits her well. The photo shows where we are with the survival sock so far... We're make good progress!

I've already started on crochet sock pattern #2. The hunt for the ultimate crochet sock continues! I will update you on how I'm getting on here on the blog. And I'm tagging my hunt with #ultimatecrochetsock on Twitter or Instagram if you're on either of these. (I'm craftyescapism on both.)

And if you have any crochet sock stories to relate, I'd love to know in the comments below...

Before you go though, have a little listen to the latest episode of The Crochet Circle podcast: http://thecrochetcircle.podbean.com/e/episode-4-a-crochet-journey/. It made me laugh SO MUCH when around two minute in, Fay and Lynne started talking about my review. I wasn't ready for that! I've got to meet those ladies in person someday! They are so fun!