Posts from the ‘Crochet’ category

Crochet Mania and Potholder Swap!

on March 16, 2009

If you follow me on Flickr, you know that I’ve been having a bit of a crochet attack. This time, I’m all about the hot pads and potholders, with a small side of ripple blanket.

The Swap:

It turns out the crochet attack is going around, and some of us got talking about starting up a swap for these hot pads and potholders, so that’s just what Maritza and I are doing. The goal is for each participant to crochet 5 beautiful potholders or hot pads and send them in. In return, you get 5 glorious potholders back. We’re aiming for something a little above and beyond the norm, here. We want potholders that are super kitschy and fun, or extra beautiful (handspun?!), functioning as useful objects as well as art.

We’d love to have you join our swap. To participate, please email us at potholderswap2009@gmail.com. Deadline to enter the swap is 3/21/09. Please join us at the swap blog, as well!

Now for the rules. They’re pretty basic, so here goes….

RULES FOR THE SWAP:

– hot pads/ pot holders must be crocheted
– each member will crochet 5 hot pads/ pot holders in the same pattern. Different colors are okay. (You can choose whatever pattern you want to work with and vary the colors between them, as long as you crochet 5 hot pads/ pot holders in that same pattern.)
– each pad/holder must be tagged with maker, fiber content, and care instructions
– wool or cotton yarns only please
– if you have a wool allergy please let us know so you will receive cotton hot pads only
– each pad/holder must be between 6 – 12 inches in diameter
– US swappers., you must include a USPS Priority stamp for return postage with your potholders. Non-US residents are welcome, we’ll just need to work out how you pay for return postage with you.
– have fun with this!

We’re thinking that 2 months should be enough time for everyone to finish their hot pads/ pot holders, but we’ll post an official deadline and details as to where to mail them shortly, once we have all our swappers.

For now, there are a few wonderful resources for pot holder patterns, such as Crochet Pattern Central and the Crochet & Crafts Link Index, as well as an inspiration group we started on Flickr.

Take a button! (Save it to your own server, please.)

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Crochet Craze

on June 10, 2008

My knitting friends are crocheting like crazy all of a sudden. Let’s blame Maryse, shall we? Not only does she crochet wonderful things, but she takes gorgeous photos of them and is happy to teach the poor knitters to crochet, as well. I’m thoroughly addicted, but maybe need to branch out and crochet a different pattern next time. Oh, well, he’s another Anne scarf, without mistakes this time!

Pattern: Anne, by MK Carroll. Ravel It.
Yarn: My handspun and hand-dyed worsted weight singles yarn. Corriedale, 3.55 oz., 212 yards. It’s the one on the right.
Hook: 5mm
Size: Approx. 3″ x 80″

I spun a singles yarn from the end of an un-split combed top for long color repeats in the finished scarf. I love it!

Check out Cheryl from yarnbee’s awesome example. She Navajo plied her yarn for a long color repeat.

Here’s the other one I made a little while ago, complete with “elbow” where I forgot to turn the scarf. Oops!

Later on today I’m going to add some nostes and handspun from Maisy Day Handspun to the shop and I’ll be back later today or maybe day after tomorrow with some fantastic summer salad recipes I’ve been making like crazy for the past couple of weeks. They’re saving our lives in this heat!

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I Can’t Believe it, Myself.

on April 15, 2008

I learned to crochet. It wasn’t pretty for a moment there, when I sat down with the pattern and thought “Ooh, I just wasted $5.50, because I do not understand this AT ALL.” I got back up and printed line by line instructions for each of the stitches needed and went for it.

Why didn’t anyone tell me how fast crochet is? I can’t believe it! Two evenings of lazy crocheting and general farting around, chatting and watching movies and there’s a scarf. I want to make a bunch of these now and have some fiber set aside to spin up a yarn with long color shifts for the next.

Here’s the yarn and the fiber from this one. The scarf is Anne, by M.K. Carroll. Ravel it.

Yarn School:



Yarn School is REALLY SOON! There are still a few spots left, if you’d like to come. Sign-ups end tomorrow. To everyone coming, I can’t wait to see you!

Any orders placed between the 18th and 29th will ship when I return.

In case anyone was wondering, yeah, I didn’t quite manage the shop update before Yarn School. I dyed some Fat Sock, though, and I’ll get some more stuff done and ready for sale when I return because seriously, it has been so amazingly long since I dyed sock yarn! It’s pitiful, especially since it’s my favorite.

I’ll be back. :)

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