• afghans - Crochet

    Double it up

    October 1, 2020 - By 

    I’ve found a way to use up more yarn from my stash – using two strands at a time. I’ve mentioned before that I like using worsted weight yarn. What I hadn’t considered was using two DK or sock weight yarns to make something. I’ve used two or three strands or worsted weight yarn together. Even using a larger hook I got tired of it, my hand would cramp and the project would be too stiff or too loose when I used a larger hook.

    This doesn’t happen when two lightweight strands are combined. I hadn’t thought about using DK or sock weight together – mainly because I don’t have a lot of those in my stash. I’ve used sock weight and worsted together for give a little hint of color in a wrap but why not for a project on its own? As I continue on my stash busting quest, I’ve found some lighter weight yarns that I won, was gifted or purchased [because I liked it and had little intention of using it]. Now those yarns have taken center stage since I want to use most of what I have before adding more.

    Why hadn’t I done this before? It was easy to go to buy another skein or two of yarn to try or buy a color that caught my eye. Since January, the only yarn that I have bought was for a gift and the novelty of a Caron Anniversary Cake because it’s so gigantic. I’m purging as I go as well, there are yarns that I thought I’d like and don’t or that I find too difficult to crochet. Someone else may like it. I’ve happened upon some fun yarns at thrift stores, likely because people just didn’t like them. When it’s time to buy more yarn, I will consider purchasing some DK weight yarns to combine and make more colorful scarves.

    I’ve always known that you could combine two strands or yarn. Combining two strands of worsted is like working with a bulky and that’s cumbersome after a while. A quick search on the internet will tell you that combining two lighter weight yarns will make an equivalent heavier one, though it may depend on the yarn manufacturer and your gauge.

    Two strands of lace weight together equal a DK or Sport weight
    Two strands of fingering or baby weight equal a DK / light worsted weight
    Two strands of DK equal a worsted weight or Aran
    Two strands of worsted equal a chunky/bulky

    There is still the issue of dropping stitches by not pulling both loops through the hook. With two worsted weight yarns this seems to be a greater issue but not as much with the finer yarns. The thought of using such fine yarn on its own never appealed to me, just as I don’t like using super bulky. Two lighter yarns together, now I’m onto something. When I’m adding more yarn to my stash in a few months, I will consider acquiring some sock and sport weight yarns to the fold not just to look at but to actually use and add more color to my work.

    Why stop with combining two of the same weight to equal a heavier weight? Why not use a lace weight with a solid worsted to add color? With yarns ranging from cobweb to jumbo, the only limitations will be SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) getting in the way and the limit of your funds.

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet

    Fifteen! Thirty-seven! Fourteen!

    September 22, 2020 - By 

    Though football season has resumed, those are not calls but the number of completed projects. The goal for the year was 15 hat and scarf sets, 40 scarves and 15 afghans. Six and one could also be added to 15, 37 and 14 – six adult hats and one baby hat. One goal down and two to go. The hats were just bonus items because I didn’t have enough of the same yarn to make anything larger than a hat.

    Fifteen hat and scarf sets are ready to be donated.

    Some yarn I’m reserving for hats and scarves, mainly because there’s more yarn than needed for just a scarf – even in a pattern that uses a lot of yarn. For now, I have met the goal… though I may make more. There are still three months left in the year and time to make more scarves and finish the 15th afghan. The scarf goal is on it’s way to completion – only three scarves to make and as the days are getting shorter there’s more time to crochet.

    I’ve even started working on a project for myself after a lot of researching, planning, gauge swatch, more planning and math. The only thing that was constant with that project which I’ve had the yarn for since last Christmas was the yarn itself!

    I’m heading toward the finish line and may add more finished items in overtime!

    Stay tuned…

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - Hats and scarves

    Where did August go?

    September 1, 2020 - By 

    Time flies when you are crocheting…

    The mini goal of 10 scarves was completed with a few bonus items. I used up more yarn from the stash, dyed some yarn and made another set.  Eleven scarves completed in August as well as a set that started as a scarf and two scarves in progress as of August 31.

    August’s mini goal also gave me a chance to take a break from working on afghans. The almost immediacy of completing a project is fun especially now when most of the things that I like to do in the warmer months like movies and concerts in the park have been cancelled. Many previous posts from the summer show me posting what I worked on during the outdoor events. Sheltering in place will definitely boost the number of items that are added to the donation bags. Some yarns, I combine such as a dk and sock weight to make a colorful combination or if I don’t like them at all I will just add those yarns to the donation bag. Someone might like them and it’s contributing to the stashdown.

    September makes me think of school starting and whether it’s remote, hybrid or in person regardless of the venue some things never change. In the Midwest, September means that fall is not far behind. I saw a Facebook promotion for Foster Care to Success with a student promoting the organization’s Red Scarf Project. I keep this organization in mind during the year and will just take out a few of the red/burgundy scarves to send to them. This is something that is constant – or at least has been for the past few years.

    The only thing that appeared to be normal during the sheltering in place has been crocheting. I’ve gotten into a routine with reading which was automatically built into my day when I commuted to work. Now I will read a bit after work while listening to music or for a few minutes before falling asleep. When I worked closer to home I was able to walk, now I devote a portion of my day to getting some activity in – either walking or some other exercise so I’m not just sitting at the computer all day.

    Crocheting always fit into my day – a few minutes before bed or during lunch or during an intermission or pre-concert talk. That was in the before time. Now it’s crocheting while watching a movie or the baseball game. There’s more time to crochet since there’s more time at home. More time to crochet, means more time to make things to donate, and more opportunities to help those in need.

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet

    Color walks

    August 16, 2020 - By 

    My new routine includes going for a walk which is a way to be more mobile, since I work on the computer for hours each day and then read for a bit. There’s no walking to from public transportation to the office. My route varies and I enjoy seeing the flowers and little free libraries that are decorated in different designs. I also check out the offerings in the boxes to see if there is anything I’d like to read. My walks have also become inspirational, not just in the spiritual sense of taking a break and movement as a way of relieving stress, but inspirational as in seeing the different colors in nature or art installations that give me ideas on how to combine different colors in scarves and afghans from my stash.

    Hibiscus, lilies, peonies, impatiens, the lake, bushes, mosaics and murals are some of the things I notice when I go walking; not just the wonderful fragrance of the flowers and greenery but the vibrant colors. Then when I come home and look at what colors I have and can combine. Even if I don’t have the same colors to replicate what I’ve seen, ideas come to me. Until recently, since the beginning of the pandemic, the only yarn that I purchased was for a friend’s gift. A few days ago, I ordered some natural wool because I didn’t have any and needed some for a dyeing project and didn’t want to pay shipping on my order. This means that colors I would not have normally put together have been combined.

    For August, I set the mini-goal of 10 scarves. I’m getting to the interesting color combination phase of my crafting. there are some yarns that I was given and can incorporate those colors with what I have. Even looking at some of the multicolored yarns with abrupt color changes gives me ideas of color combinations.

    Planning isn’t really that involved especially for a scarf. This is how the conversation in my head goes: “Not enough of this and not enough of that? Well, let’s put them together and see how it looks!” This happened when I combined two green multis to make a scarf. In the photo, the light section in the dark ombre looks white but it’s a light mint. The yarn was leftover from another project and it was too much to add to a black/multi ball and not enough for a scarf or hat on its own. In one of the bags of assorted yarn that I was gifted, there was a two strand mint/light green yarn that I decided to experiment with. The mint was too heavy for a baby project, it was a heavier worsted yarn than dk but still soft enough for an adult scarf… what the heck. I’m pleased with the final product, though the pictures don’t do it justice.

    Combining colors helps me use up what I have in creative innovative ways to make truly unique items. Also, it helps me put off winding yarn.

    Happy crocheting!

     

  • Crochet - Mystery balls

    Let the color do the talking

    July 22, 2020 - By 

    The collection of black and mystery balls that I have been amassing – I have four complete and one I’m still adding to – are waiting for the right pattern. I want something that isn’t a granny square, maybe another open shell type pattern but a pattern that will make the colors stand out. It may be as simple as two or three rows of alternating front and back post or rows or a few rows to make it seem like blocks of color.

    Any remaining yarn from a project that is medium/#4 yarn non-wool yarn gets added to a mystery ball. The amount of yarn varies in both the color and the black. No measuring, no fussing just adding yarn to the ball as I go. When the ball was about the size of a kickball or bowling ball, then I started another. The length of the color or the black is not the same either. As long as the color is a ball at least the size of a ping pong or golf ball and no larger than a medium sized plum, it’s incorporated. Larger remainder balls could be used for rounds of a hat or the centerpiece of a Granny Square afghan. Then I wind. Each ball starts with color and ends with black.  There aren’t really any rules other than no navy is included, as it would be too difficult to differentiate between it and the black. Since I don’t use white or cream too much, there’s not a lot of those included either.

    After I finish two or three more afghans, I should be ready to start. I’ve used two full 16-ounce skeins of black and lots and lots of color segments. How will this crazy afghan look? There’s some of the same black in reserve to make two rows of a border on either end, it will be done in rows. Other than that, I’ve still been thinking of how to make this colorful afghan and show off the colors with something more than rows of double crochet.

    There are a few ideas that I have considered, but I need to make sure I have enough yarn, especially if I choose a stitch pattern that creates a more solid fabric. I want the color to make a statement in a unique way other than joining colors that aren’t in the same color family. The black breaks up the flow and this will definitely make a statement.

    The main idea or theme of this afghan is another way to incorporate scraps with something that is more artistic and somewhat freeform. I’ve been paying more attention to color the swatches of color across the sky as the sun is setting or colorful bands on insects and birds.

    Other scrapghans that I have made in the past were different clues, or coordinating yarns that were used double stranded in large Granny Square afghans. I’m stepping out on crochet faith, emptied my bowl of all the scraps and I’m ready to try something different. It may be something that I replicate, in theory, another time when I have lots of odd balls of yarn. The scrapghan makes the rounds every couple of years or so when I have enough yarn left over from afghans projects. When I make scarves, I try to use as much as possible and sometimes the amount left is woven in.

    Still winding, thinking, and planning until it’s time to start chaining.

    Happy crocheting!

  • afghans - crafting - Crochet - stashbusting

    Ode to the Granny Square

    July 1, 2020 - By 

    The Granny Square is a utilitarian way of using up yarn. Generally, when many people think of a Granny Square afghan they think of lots of smaller motifs joined together in bright colors. The Granny Square, which is a simple shell or fan stitch – three double crochets with a chain stitch then three double crochets again with a few chain stitches at the corner can be used to make a block as large as you wish. This is a pattern that I can almost make in my sleep. It’s versatile.

    The best part about making one large Granny Square is that you can use up a little or a lot of yarn and make something unique and random or planned and bold. The reason that I make the Granny square so often is that I end up with a lot of small amounts of yarn from previous projects and I don’t like to waste yarn. Scrapghan patterns that have lots of colors are fun. Some people don’t like the unplanned, unmatched look. The bright colors don’t bother me as much as I really, really, really, REALLY do not like joining motifs. Joining colors is ok, especially since I found the craft life altering Russian Join so I don’t have to weave in ends.

    I like color. Lately, I have been playing with random colors that are complimentary or as I like to say, “sort of” go together and then are tied together with a neutral like gray to make the color changes in the Granny Square really stand out.

    Before looking down your nose at a Granny Square afghan consider that you can buy kits online that range from the tens to hundreds of dollars depending on the material and size of the finished afghan. A quick search online will yield lots of patterns for a Granny Square, and different variations – the Modern Granny, Rectangular Granny, Corner to Corner Granny, Granny Log Cabin and so on.

    What I like most about a Granny Square in addition to the ease of making it is that you can take a small amount of yarn to start and then continue changing colors for each round or doing multiple rounds of a color and you can make something beautiful. I have never seen a solid color Granny Afghan. It can be done but why. The beauty of the pattern is that it is so simple that the colors do make a statement. One, two or five rounds of the same color offers a nice symmetry. Even numbered rounds, odd number rounds or even a Fibonacci sequence can be used as a plan for a colorful afghan.

    Often when I start an afghan I don’t plan that far ahead of time, I gather what I think is enough to make an afghan, which is tricky when you have small oddballs of yarn. Remaining balls of yarn are great for Granny Afghans – because you can start with just a little bit of color and go from there. The negative comments about Granny Afghans makes me wonder why I make them. The simple answer is because I like them, they are warm, and I can use a bit of yarn to make something beautiful for someone else.

    Happy Crocheting!

  • crafting - Crochet - crochet motivation - Mystery balls

    Semi-motivated

    June 16, 2020 - By 

    The number of completed items grows weekly and I have tried a couple of new patterns. No difficulty sleeping, no difficulty crafting, just a lack of motivation to do a whole house purge that I thought I was going to do. It was ambitious, I admit. The slide show features three months’ worth of work from the first day I began working from home in March until today. There were other projects that were started before sheltering in place began not featured.

    I thought I would have a well organized and completely purged home by now, especially after three months of COVID-19, sheltering in place, plus the addition of black lives matter protests and a few days of curfew to quell looting. It has been exhausting. Weekdays, I work from home and it’s not so different than being in the office, except the dress code is more casual and the commute is shorter. After working the last thing I want to do is do any work.

    I have been doing a lot more cooking. Easter was the one time I did order delivery. I enjoy my cooking generally during an average week, I’m not home often to do it. Now I’m home all the time and my dishwasher hasn’t been used as consistently since I’ve moved in. I have sorted and tossed a few things, but I haven’t been motivated to do purging, especially since unless it’s garbage there is no where for it to do. My donation bags are filling up. Even the books I’ve borrowed from the library were automatically renewed… now I can return them.

    After working, making meals and cleaning up the kitchen because everything can’t go in the dishwasher… I am always motivated to do anything except watch movies and crochet. Crocheting helps me keep occupied. I have a sewing machine, but I don’t sew well and have no material, so mask making was out. I have lots of yarn. Part of the cleaning and purging process renewed the feeling that I have toward worsted weight yarn. I don’t really like many bulky weight yarns and dk or lighter are aggravating. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but those are on the heavier side of dk. Double stranding could work, but I’m not really a fan of that either.

    Trying new things and combining different colors to use up the yarn that I had was definitely a way of purging and adding to the donation bin. Out of all the things in my home, there’s still a lot of yarn, but it’s probably the most organized, because I also didn’t want to buy any yarn until I used up what I have or at least more of what I have.

    Not wanting to throw anything away or be wasteful especially with food or yarn are traits that have intensified during the past few months. I can always use up the last bit of something in another dish or add the yarn to a mystery ball. Reading on the way to and from work was a regular part of my day, now I have to make time to read and even then it needs to be something interesting otherwise, I lose interest. Crocheting is something I do everyday: it’s calming, relaxing and I set goals for items to give away. It would seem that setting the goals would be more stressful, it isn’t, I crochet fast. I set goals for reading and I’m a fast reader if I’m interested in the book. Besides, if I don’t meet my reading goal I’ve only disappointed myself.

    Happy crocheting!

  • afghans - crafting - Crochet - pandemic crafting

    Waiting and crocheting

    May 31, 2020 - By 

    March 13 when we left the office, we thought it was only for two weeks. Then we were told to shelter in place. Two weeks has become more than two months and we are still working remotely with no clear end date. Being able to continue to work  remotely and receive a paycheck is a blessing.

    I had met with a new friend who gave me some yarn the day before the initial two week working from home period began. We had coffee and talked about what was going to happen. There was a lot of speculation but we didn’t know and weren’t too worried after all it was only for a couple of weeks. Restaurants hadn’t been closed yet, things were still open, it was surreal.

    Two and a half months later, we are ending still sheltering in place in Chicago for a few more days and while restrictions have been lifted in other parts of Illinois. Now we have a mandatory curfew because of protests that became riots over the killing of George Floyd. Now we wait.

    The virus is still here, racial injustice is still here, people who still have a need for warm items when the weather gets colder are still here.

    Between all of the posts, articles and ads regarding COVID-19, protecting yourself, and other affects – joblessness, emotional issues etc., there are still posts and pleas from organizations. These groups are expressing a need for items because unlike sewn items, crochet and knit items take longer to make. Scarves, hats, gloves, and other items will still be needed when the weather turns cold, the need hasn’t gone away, it’s just that the other requests have become louder in the short term. Several organizations that offer warm items to people are asking because the need hasn’t gone away, and some people have time to make things.

    Unrest, stir crazy, insecure, anxious – many words could express what is happening now and has been happening. Not just to me, but to other people. There is a rush to get back to normal for people. Should we? What will normal be like? Yes, I miss seeing friends and family. I miss going for an impromptu coffee or meal. I miss walking along the lakefront. I miss getting together with my knitting/crocheting group and chatting about everything and nothing. I miss going outside without wearing a face covering. I miss going to church, the symphony, museums and concerts.

    Those are some of the things that I want to return – not the hatred, inequality and injustice that has been an unspoken part of our society.

    Crocheting and knitting can be more than just an escape, it can be political and emotional: remember the Pussyhats/Women’s March or Ravelry taking a stand to ban speech supporting the Trump administration, hate speech and white supremacy? The resurgence of crafting in the past couple of months hasn’t been about politics or race, they have always been there. Just as people with a need have always been there – just not in the forefront. Crafting during the pandemic has made a way for people to quell anxiety, be productive, escape and survive. In other words say maintain sanity.

    Whenever we are able to get out and freely move about unmasked – literally and figuratively, remember there are those who are still in need of things beyond the basics of food, shelter, employment, but justice and fairness.

    Be safe and happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - Donations - hats

    The hat

    May 10, 2020 - By 

    Multiple projects going at one time keeps the love of crochet alive for me. The mystery balls are still in progress; right after finishing an afghan in multiple shades of purple, I started another afghan. Yet, as I look for new color combinations for scarves and sets or to incorporate into afghans or the mystery balls, there are some amounts that are too much for the mystery balls or not enough for an afghan or scarf. Enter the humble hat.

    A hat may be functional or stylish but it is also a necessity in the Midwest. The cold and sometimes brutal winters require hats. Since I have time because of sheltering in place, I’ve sorted through some of my working stash to find a use for some odd bits that might languish there. Some yarns have seemingly jumped out at me begging to be made into hats. No scarf to accompany it, just a hat on its own.

    Top down, bottom up, side to side, open and lacy for fashion or tightly stitched together for maximum warmth – hats take practice. After making hundreds of baby hats, and dozens of adult hats, I have a good idea of how much yarn it would take to make a hat. Even so, I will rip something out and start again until I’m happy with what I make. Though I may never know the recipient, I want to be happy with what I make. One of the best things that I’ve ever figured out – when making a hat and scarf set, always start with the hat. You can make a shorter scarf, but you can’t skimp on a hat. The same stitch pattern takes on a different life when it is made in a lighter or heavier weight yarn or in a different color. The results are unique, fun and often can’t be duplicated because I’ve run out of yarn and don’t have the band to buy it (if it’s still being manufactured).

    Make a hat or two to donate – they work up quickly and the gratification of a finished project is almost immediate.

    [Note: Hats aren’t part of my 2020 goal – they are bonus items, but I will keep track of how many I make.]

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - Mystery balls - Scrap yarns - stashbusting

    Double the fun

    April 25, 2020 - By 

    Last Saturday, after exercising and showering before my busy Saturday of reading on the couch, I went shopping in my yarn stash. I found some yarn for hat and scarf sets and other small projects…

    AND…

    I found some pound skeins of black yarn. Along with the bag of odd balls that my friend’s family gave me and the ones I already have, I could make the multicolor afghan I’ve been thinking about. Although, instead of measuring the lengths of black, I will start the afghan with two rows of black and then continue working with one of the balls which all start with a color and end in black. An open shell stitch would show off the colors and make it interesting.

    Black ties all the colors together nicely. Many yarn companies make color changing yarns and some of the combinations are striking. Why not make my own? Wool yarns or fancy yarns aren’t included, but ombre, color changing, are all included. This is a fun and different way of using up yarn. I plucked a ball of yarn out of the yarn bowl to start the ball rolling (bad yarn pun intended) and I wrapped black around it until I felt like changing colors, then kept alternating between a color and black. I use all of the color, then wind some black around.

    This is a work in progress because I need some additional colors to add to the mystery ball with black. Two full pound skeins of black with the colors interspersed should be enough or at least a good start. For the mystery ball that’s just yarn joined together, no amount is too short. If it can be joined (using the Russian join so it’s somewhat seamless) and it coordinates with the color it’s being added so – it’s included. Unlike the black and color balls, the mystery ball is solely color and colors are matched together as they are joined. In a run of three colors, the one in the middle coordinates with the ones on either end of it. When I’m ready to use that ball, I will use it two stranded with a lighter weight black for as large of a square I can make and then complete the rest of the rounds in black.

    I’m enjoying making the mystery balls, though I need to finish a few more projects so I will have yarn to add! Double the fun of creating them and working with them! Stay tuned…

    Happy crocheting!