Things don’t always line up. After making a hat, I had a couple of false starts on the scarf. The yarn is not forgiving and does not want to unravel nicely. It snags and rips. After two false starts, I decided to go with the basic double crochet. While working on the project, I decided to try a different edging, which made the scarf wider, because I didn’t count the number of stitches I had in each row. When I realized my mistake, I regrouped and kept going. For a more forgiving yarn, I would have ripped it out. For this snaggy yarn, I just kept going.
It doesn’t make a difference how long you have been crocheting. Everyone makes mistakes. When you realize that and don’t focus on the mistake as a complete failure but a learning opportunity, then you can just say – whatever and keep moving. That’s what I did. Next time, I will not try a new technique mid-project and also remember to count my stitches!
The scarf looks ok, it’s just not up to my regular standards. It will keep someone warm, so that’s the most important thing.
Happy crocheting!
The first set worked up well, so I wanted to try again with different yarn in different colors to see if I still liked it. For the second attempt, I worked the scarf vertically in a dark charcoal and black and white marl yarn. Halfway through the scarf, I grew tired of the color changes every other row.
While the houndstooth pattern takes a while to change colors for an overall project, this pattern has possibilities for fun, colorful designs especially to use mini skeins or oddballs for hats and accents in scarves. The stitches were fine and took a while but remembering or being able to find the single crochet in the dark rows to make a double crochet became mind numbing and I know that several rows aren’t perfect but they worked out, regardless of the non-alternating flub in a few spaces.
I saw a yarn online and thought it would be interesting to try. It’s a nice red and black that I could use for the red scarves that I make. When I got it, I dove in and tried it. First attempt: I made a set, double stranded and I didn’t like it. It wasn’t quite as thick as I thought, but it wasn’t quite right using two strands, either. Second attempt, I tried one strand and made a set. 
It was okay then after starting, restarting and after the third start of a scarf – I’ve given up on it. I am just not going to use it anymore. After several attempts on this third project, I put the partially completed project, the stopped project (which could be considered a test swatch) and all the rest that I bought into the donation bag for someone else to enjoy. There are just times when you need to give up on a yarn. I wanted to like it and in some ways I do, it’s soft and I like the colors, it’s just not fun to work with. Crocheting is about fun and relaxation for me and I was struggling. Not in the “I don’t like how this stitch looks” or “I think this would be better” inspired restarts that I am wont to do. This was, I made two projects and thought I would like it better if I tried something different the next time, well, I didn’t want to put myself through the abuse and I let it go. Very cathartic.
It’s not so easy when you find yarn that you think you will like and don’t because it ticks all the boxes, right weight, material, color. Buying online can be challenging because you can’t touch the yarn. Even when you try something new what you see in the store, you don’t know if you will like it or not, until you use it. It’s a chance we all take, which is why many people stick with the yarns they have used because crafting can be expensive.
A few YouTube videos have been dedicated to Kraemer Yarns’ Mystery Boxes. When I found out about this wonder last year (2021), I was unable to get in on the action. I had forgotten about it until I saw a new crop of videos this year and was able to score one of the smaller boxes before they sold out. For less than $60 including shipping I received a variety of colors and weights of yarn that I can use for myself and gifts. Plus, some is natural and that I can dye. Kraemer’s yarns are mostly wool, which is why I wouldn’t use all of the yarns for my general donation projects, as some groups specifically request machine washable items. The amount of yarn that is in the box is a great deal, if you aren’t picky about weights or colors. Even as a kid, I always loved a good mystery box so that is why I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
Yarn mystery boxes are more appealing than yarn subscriptions, to me. In the case of Kraemer and other mystery boxes that I have purchased in the past, there has been enough to make an item, that I can make for myself or as a gift If there’s at least enough to make a hat or mittens, I’m satisfied. Anyone who is familiar with mill end yarns or unbanded yarns would be comfortable with this mystery box.
I have a few projects already in progress, but did decide to dip into the yarn that I received. There were two small squishy skeins of a lilac that is similar to a lighter weight Lion Brand Homespun or Red Heart’s [discontinued] Baby Clouds. While I was never a big fan of homespun because of it’s bulk and difficulty to fix any mistakes frogging, the yarn that I tried from the mystery box glides over the hook and doesn’t snag when unraveling. Bonus so far! Kraemer box came with some bulky yarn on cones which I can use for solo hats. Not everything is wool, there are some blends that look similar to ones on their site that are machine wash/dry, so I will give them a whirl soon. All of the yarns are unbanded so it’s a guessing game to figure out what they are (if the yarns are still available on their site). Still, I’m happy with my box and am excited to try the others in the box.
The current batch of sets features two poor choices. I purchased both yarns online from different companies. I’ve used both yarns before and thought the colors would be ok for sets. Generally, I try to use darker colors or grays so the recipients won’t have to worry about the items getting dirty since they may not have access to laundry facilities.
Another set… The yarn was pink and blues. Again, the pink gradient seemed darker online and I made a mistake. I wanted to try all of the colors in Lion Brand’s Mandala Ombre. The light pink is very light and almost white in some places. Again, I like the yarn but I will steer away from that colorway – Pure.
It’s ok to give up on a project. Some projects don’t work out. There’s some yarn that I have that was from a friend’s family that looked lovely. There were two colors of the yarn, both boucle: a cone of black and a royal purple. The purple I unwound from an unfinished project of that my friend never finished. The yarn is lovely, soft and fun, and I thought that would be an attractive yarn to use for a set.
Life’s too short to work with yarn you don’t like. I’ve been getting rid of things in my house that take up space. I have been reading about minimalism lately and though it’s not for me, I can identify things that I want to get rid of – the boucle yarn was it. Actually, I doubt that creative people can really be minimalists. Though I did like having the yarn knowing that my friend had used it or bought it to use for projects and had even started on something, it was a struggle. I have other things to remember my fried by and this yarn does not give me fond memories, so I am letting it go so that someone else may enjoy it.
