March Is International Crochet Month & International Craft Month

So you'd better get busy, either crochet or crafting!  It doesn't matter, as long as it's craft-related. :)

(Obviously, crochet is my first choice.  But it doesn't really matter what you choose.)

Turquoise Blue Double Hug Silky Shawl

This is the one I started and then gave up on more than once.  It seemed to never grow, it was always the same size even after I'd spent a couple of hours on it, I kept adding rows but it never looked like it.  At one point, I was ready to call it done and then donate it.

Part of the problem is that I started it with one hook, which is larger than my preferred hook.  One time when I started back to work on it, after I'd done several rows I discovered that I'd gone back to the smaller hook.  It's not enough to really show, I know the difference because I know where to look.  But even an experienced crochet artist would probably not be able to see it, it's that small.  It's just that I know what I did and where I did it.  I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, and crochet usually is not a problem for me.

Anyway, I finally finished it.  Although it's not as long as I originally thought it would be.  I just liked the length I got it to, so I put the final ruffle row on and called it good.

This is the 2nd Double Hug shawl I've made.  The first one was green and was a gift for my sister from another mother, Virginia.  This one is a smaller gauge yarn, or smaller size in other words.  Double Hug refers to the fact that the first part is a granny square which is then folded in half, or doubled.  It's supposed to be warmer at the neck and it probably is.  I haven't actually worn it anywhere yet, it hasn't been really cold enough.  It's probably going to be worn to church mainly, it gets cold in there and being a redhead I am naturaly more susceptible to getting cold.  (See my main blog for details on the Redhead Curse.)

The top edge is not straight, which is part of the pattern to an extent but I also made it that way on purpose.

This shows how long it is.  The original pattern was for much longer, but I made it this size because that's the size I like.  If it were for something "formal" then it would probably have been made longer.  While it might not look very long, keep in mind that I am tall, 5' 9" to be precise.  I probably should have pulled my hair out of the way!

A close up.  It's a foundation chain start, which is standard for just about every item that is crocheted.  Then it is made from a granny square base piece, and consists of double stitch and chain stitch.  The double stitches are in groups of three with two chain stitches between each set.  The original pattern called for one chain stitch between groups, but I wanted the extra "curve" on the end so I used two chain stitches between sets of double stitches which made it slightly wider and not as straight edged.

The way I made it with the extra chains between the groups makes it easier to flap one end over the other.  I prefer not to use shawl chains - as in jewelry-type chain, not chain stitches, to keep the sides together.  But that's just me, the shawl I made for Virginia was made slightly closer to the original pattern, it does have the less than straight effect but not as much as this one does.  But part of that is because this yarn is very silky and slippery.  It is acrylic yarn, but it doesn't look or feel like it as it's very silky.  It's by Caron, which makes very good yarn.  I think that the green shawl I made was also Caron yarn, but yarn is not "one size fits all."  There are as many different colors, gauges and textures as there are stars in the sky.  Or at least it seems like it!

I'm glad to be finished with it!  Photography credit:  Otter.

October 12, 2012 is I Love Yarn Day

I Love Yarn Day!

(Sorry I can't get this any larger.  Click on it to enlarge).

And I do!

Autumn Red Soft Scarf & Hat

Otter found some yarn when we were shopping one day, and it's not a color I ever thought she would have any interest in.

It's red.

Redheads don't generally wear red, but this is a rust shade or red.  It's actually called Autmn Red and it is very pretty.

Otter requested a scarf and hat made with it.  I used my standard scarf pattern, although this one is 6 rows instead of the usual 5 because the yarn gauge (size) is smaller)

It's sitting on top of my washing machine since I wanted a white background.

Here's a close-up of the stitches.  It looks orange, but it is actually a dark red.

The scarf is triple stitch on a row of foundation chain, three rows done on one side and then three more rows on the opposite side.  It's a very soft yarn and feels very silky.  The color is actually much closer to the first picture, which is a little dark but is better than the close-up picture as far as color goes.

Crocheted Double Hug Shawl

The name of the pattern is Double Hug.  It comes from the fact that the start is a square, commonly referred to as a granny square - foundation row of chain stitches then each additional row is double stitches in groups of three with 2 chain stitches between each group, but after about 10 rows it's folded into a triangle - one corner to another corner.  Which took me a while to figure out for some reason, I kept trying to fold it into a square.

I eventually got it right, then the rest of it is a series of double crochet stitches in groups of 3 with 2 chain stitches between each group.  This is done only on the triangular sides - when it's folded properly, it looks like half of a triangle.  Each row is increased by two sets, which makes each row larger than the one previous.  The final row is a row of double stitches combined with single stitch, and it forms a ruffle edge.

The yarn I used is part of the yarn I purchased for the afghan which will eventually get finished - if we ever get an actual winter again, that is!  I realized that I bought twice the amount of yarn I needed for the afghan, but I knew I'd find a project for it.  It's a very soft yarn and was easy to work with.  I bought it in one-pound skeins, I don't normally like the big ones but it was the best choice since I wasn't sure when I started the afghan exactly how much I would need and it's always better to have too much than not enough.  It's not fun to run out of yarn shortly before the project is finished and then not be able to match it.  It took 14 oz. out of the 16 oz. skein.  It's a sort of seaform green color.  The pattern was actually for a much bigger shawl, but Virginia is not very tall.

This was a gift, my sister-from-another-mother Virginia's birthday is Friday.  I mailed it to her today, it should get there in time.  I used Otter for my stand-in, she's actually a little taller than Virginia but I needed to be able to try it on someone as I was working on.  Thanks, Otter!

This is the back.  The folded over part - the Double Hug - is visible at the top and looks slightly thicker.  It's called Double Hug because of the fold being thick and warm.

The front.  The ruffle row is visible.

I didn't measure it.  But here it is spread out on the floor.  Otter's feet are in the picture!

A close-up of the stitches and the ruffle row.

Yarn Bombing

Bartlesville is a town that is north of us, in fact it's almost on the Kansas border.  It's a nice place, we've been a few times and enjoyed it.

Today, they got bombed.  The fun kind:

Yarn Bombing!

I keep telling myself that I will get up the nerve to do this someday.

But I'm not holding my breath.

Bartlesville's experience was part of an annual event, so it was "sanctioned" although most yarn bombing is not.

It's still fun, though!

(It's both types of yarn addicts, knitters as well as crochet artists).

Otter's My Little Pony Refurbish Craft Project

I mentioned this on my main blog, but Otter loves to craft.  She's always working on something.  She didn't have a choice, seeing as she's the daughter of two crafters!  She's been working on My Little Pony refurbishment projects.  MLP's are very popular with as many adults as they are with kids, and guys and girls both like them.  Some of the refurbished ponies can sell for a lot, and some of them are real works of art.

Otter submitted one of hers to one of the MLP fan sites and they apparently liked it.  Because they featured it on their main page on Easter weekend.

Source # 4 Otter's Submission

(April 19:  Otter sold this one for $10.00!)