Weekend Wind-Up

Well, I managed to finish the crochet shorts!

They fit perfectly over a large prefold. I still have to lanolize them, but I'm quite happy with the result.
These were made from the Little Fire Crochet Pants pattern (Ravelry pattern page is here). I typically knit wool diaper covers, but decided to try out this pattern in honor of both NatCroMo and the Earth Day CAL I'm doing.
One thing I liked about this pattern is the lack of short rows for shaping - instead, half-double and double crochet stitches are used to give extra length on the back side.

It's especially nice as it doesn't cause obvious patterning changes with variegated yarns. This yarn is fairly monochromatic, so it wouldn't be as noticeable anyway, but on some colorways it really shows.

Shortly after I finished these, we had a crazy dust storm. I went outside to secure everything on the patio, and snapped a picture while I was out - it was crazy haze.

Seriously, there is no filter on this. Here's what it normally looks like (from a slightly different angle)(ignore the weeds, please, it's an ongoing struggle):

We didn't lose power, but I did lose a few branches off one of the rose bushes. And our welcome mat got flipped over. And there was dust everywhere. But otherwise, we're fine.

I had another bout of startitis, and just had to begin making a shawl.

That's one of the yarns I got at Vogue Knitting Live, I've already hit the first color change (you can see the last row is green instead of yellow), and I'm loving how this is working up!

Finally, I have some garden news. I have a carrot sprout!

 And a strawberry!

I hope you had a great weekend, too!

Weekend Wind-Up

I did manage to get some crocheting done this weekend! Nothing is finished yet, but that's ok.

Remember this market bag I made earlier in the month? Well, I'm making another one. This is out of KnitPicks Dishie, which is so much nicer to work with than Sugar & Cream. The cotton is a bit thinner, so I'm using a 5.0mm hook instead of 5.5mm. This will also make a slightly smaller bag, but that's ok! The mesh will stretch quite a bit. 

I'm also using this project to trouble-shoot the notes I made from the prototype. If I can actually nail down the challenges and solve them, I'll have a workable pattern to share. 

And I'm working on a pair of shorts for Grant. It's starting to warm up, and in the hot weather I'd rather use a wool diaper cover than a plastic one. Wool is breathable, he stays cooler. I haven't made this pattern before (I usually knit diaper covers), so it's interesting to see the different construction. 

The yarn is Malabrigo Worsted in Comfy Junkie, and I'm using a 4.0mm hook - my gauge was spot-on with the first swatch, which is always a nice feeling! It's like the pattern just wants to be made, right away!

Hopefully, I'll be able to finish at least one of these before Friday, so I can have more than one completed project to wrap up National Crochet Month!

Weekend Wind-up

So here's what the weekend produced:

This scarf, which is pretty short but very colorful.

It's the Lizard pattern by Jasmin Räsänen, which is easily adjustable to any gauge and works up very quickly. The yarn is Premier Yarns Serenity Garden Sport, and I used a 5.0mm hook. 

Yeah ok the scarf is barely long enough to wrap around my neck once, but have you ever been to Las Vegas? I was planning on this being my "keep cool" scarf this summer (the kind of scarf you either wear to mop up your sweat, or dip in water to keep your neck cool). It doesn't need to be long, it just needs to be cheerful. 

I've made considerable progress on this filet crochet project. I think I'm about 20% through it by now; when it's finished, it will be either a wall hanging (if I ever manage to mount and frame it) or (more likely) a doily on top of the sideboard. I'm using KnitPicks Curio crochet thread, and a 1.75mm hook.

And finally, I've started on a market bag.

The inspiration to start this one came from the Earth Day Crochet Along in one of the Ravelry groups I belong to. (Please note: if you are not a member of Ravelry, you won't be able to view any of the forums. The website is free to join, though, and is a wonderful database of yarns, crochet/knit patterns, and projects.) 

Anyway, the CAL is not a particular pattern, but more of a general theme. Reusable items, like market bags and dishcloths, or recycled/upcycled items such as plarn (yarn made from plastic bags) or reclaimed yarn from old sweaters. 

I've been meaning to make some more market bags; I would like to make a shift to reusable bags when grocery shopping, and my local Smith's gives me bonus loyalty points when I bring my own bags. So I decided this CAL was a perfect reason to design one! (Wait, did I say "design"? Why, yes I did!)

So it's started, and (hopefully) I'll have it completed by next weekend, and once it's completed I'll have a pattern to share. 

Stroller Blanket

I was perusing one of my (many) stitch dictionaries the other day, and for some reason this pattern jumped out at me and said "hey! Make me into a blanket!" As fate would have it, I had two skeins of acrylic yarn that was purchased specifically to become a stroller blanket. A few evenings with Netflix (currently watching Supernatural and Parks & Recreation), and we have a new blanket, perfect for keeping Grant warm on our walks around the neighborhood. (The other stroller blanket is red, green, and white, and was adorable in December, but now that it's March...it's time for something a bit more spring-like.)(Although, if the weather continues as it has been, we may not need any extra layers outside.)

Finished size is 27" by 22" - perfect lap size for a toddler!

Here's a closeup of the stitch pattern:

The color isn't coming through very well, it's a spring green. The yarn is Big Twist Baby in "Baby Sweetpea".

Hooks! So many hooks...

In honor of National Crochet Month...

I have a lot of crochet hooks. And I mean a lot. Some are full sets, but most are individuals that I've picked up over the years. I realized, as I was writing another Amazon review for another set of hooks that I'd returned, that I'm really picky about them...and yet I keep buying more.
So here they are. All the ones I can find, anyway...I'm sure there are a few hiding out in a box that I've yet to unpack (yes, we moved into this house 7 months ago. No, I'm not done unpacking.)

My Collection

My favorites are the Tulip Etimo hooks. I bought the gray one in Japan; the pink one came from Amazon. These hooks are sooo comfortable to work with! Unfortunately, my attempts to purchase a full set haven't panned out. I'm not sure why, but the handles on the hooks in the sets I've purchased all had a different texture to them that made my skin crawl. (I actually have a third Tulip hook...but it's in hiding at the moment.)

Tulip Etimo

Clover makes two different hooks, the Amour and the Soft Touch. The Amour line has a squishy handle that feels kind of gummy to the touch. I seldom use the larger hooks; the steel hooks have the same texture, but they are much more comfortable than using a steel hook without a handle. I don't typically work with thread for a long period, though. The Soft Touch is a lot more comfortable, and this is my go-to 4.5mm hook.

Clover Amour (top 2) and Soft Touch (bottom) 

Why yes, that's a filet crochet thread project on the green hook. I didn't want them to get separated.

Clover Amour Steel

These are Knitter's Pride Waves hooks. I compare them most to the Clover Soft Touch, in terms of both design and comfort. I like the color-coded handles, too.

Knitter's Pride

My Addi Swing hooks - these look strange, I know, and they take a bit of getting used to. But they are pretty comfortable, especially if you tend to switch your hold between pencil and knife frequently. My biggest complaint is how short the shaft is - but, having found a hook with a similar handle design, and longer shaft, I can tell you that it's better to use a different hook if you plan to make a lot of trebles or double-trebles - a longer shaft just makes it ridiculous to work with.

Addi Swing

KnitPicks Harmonies and Knitter's Pride Dreamz - they're essentially the same hooks, although Knitter's Pride color-codes theirs. Laminated birch, in-line hook, and comfortable to work with for an extended time. The tips are very round, though, so if you need a lot of precision, these aren't the best choice. They're awesome for granny squares, though!

KnitPicks Harmonie/Caspian (multi) and Knitter's Pride Dreamz (red)

I found this set on Amazon. It's a pretty good value, although not all of the hooks are aligned to the handles - for instance, I won't be using the 4.5mm from this set, which is a pity because otherwise the hooks are very comfortable! I've been using the 5.0mm for quite a while, now. And it comes with a 7.0mm hook, which isn't a common size to find!

Athena's Elementals

This HiyaHiya hook came in an amigurumi kit. I'm not a fan. It's very smooth, yes; yarn slides right over it without snagging. But it's still an aluminum hook. Nothing special about it. It isn't even comfortable to hold.

HiyaHiya

And I bought this hook at my local yarn shop. It's very pretty to look at, comfortable to hold...but not particularly nice to crochet with. The hook part tends to catch on the yarn.
***updated 01Feb2018 - this is a Nirvana maple hook.

(I don't remember the brand name, honestly.)

Most of these hooks came from my mom's house. Half of them probably came from her mom's house. And they're probably familiar to you: good ol' Boye and Susan Bates. Inexpensive, easy to find at any Michael's or JoAnn's, and great for learning with. Beyond that? Well, let's just say these hooks don't see a lot of yarn. They're perfectly usable, but I have so many nicer, more comfortable hooks to crochet with! And, when you're working on a project for hours at a time, you want to use the tools that don't hurt your hand after ten minutes. (There are probably a couple hooks from the 100 yen shops, too.)

The rest of the hooks

NatCroMo

Oh, hey, it's March. National Crochet Month. I had intended to do something for this, but got distracted by some sad news and was just reminded of this today. (Well, yesterday. I wrote most of this post on Friday.)

So, in my super-quick-scrounge-up-a-project...yeah, ok. I made another pair of these.

I think I'm addicted to making house shoes. It could just be the pattern; it's seriously cute, and easy to follow. Plus, I can make a pair in an evening or two, and I can stash bust through my acrylic/acrylic blends easily. Ok, I did purchase new yarn for these. There was a sale at JoAnn when I went there to pick up items for another project. I liked the colors. I thought they'd make cute slippers. Here we are.

Well, there are still 28 27 days left in the month, I will surely be back with more crochet stories!