Author: Admin

If anyone has a large collection of yarn, yarn makes great packing material and works well to cushion items, especially if you would have to pack it anyway.

Last weekend, I dropped off 72 hat and scarf sets for a hat and scarf drive at an area church. Sixty-three of those were made in 2024, nine were from last year. There are still a few solo hats that I can drop into boxes that I see, since my local coffee shop generally has a box to collection donations for winter gear for people in the community.

After I dropped off the six dozen sets, of course I started working on some other projects. One of my new projects uses multiple yarns which will take more time and isn’t very portable without everything getting tangled. Also, no one is getting a handmade gift for Christmas this year, and it’s relaxing and freeing.

There are a couple of scarves that I want to try again next year. My goal is to improve my craft and not have to rely on the pattern if I have yarn and hooks with me and the pattern isn’t around. No specific numeric goals for the New Year yet, except a dozen red scarves. I’ll see how I feel after getting through Christmas and more home improvement projects.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Crocheting!

I’ve been happily crocheting along continuing on my year of free crocheting, deciding to do whatever I want with few goals and it’s been blissful. The most enjoyable part is just trying out or combining different yarns that I already have. The stash down is still on, and for the most part, I haven’t bought much new yarn. It’s been fun! That’s the most important part, I am enjoying what I do.

Something I have tried has been putting pom poms on hats which was always a recommendation by quality control A.K.A. my mother. I make a few hats with pom poms. It wasn’t difficult I have several pompom makers and also know how to do it without the fancy tool. After making and attaching a few, I then decided to make them more secure. I bought some buttons for the underside. That works and contributes to the stash down by using up more yarn. In some cases they’re limited colorways so all the hats may not have a pom pom. Depending on the design, or yarn. As I was finishing a recent set, I ran out of yarn and finished the last few stitches with a close substitution. Neutral sets, or if I run out of yarn they don’t get a pom pom.

Pom poms are okay I have nothing against them it’s just whether or not I feel like making one or not. I don’t always feel like it. Generally, once I weave in the ends, it’s finished. If I decide to add a topper – there are a few more steps. Making the winding the yarn for the pom pom, cutting it, securing the strands then attaching it. Not much, but more than weaving in ends – especially if the project uses one yarn. I’ll add a pom pom to the top if I think the yarn that I use will make a good pom pom. Some yarns don’t do well or I don’t think they would they might come apart especially if they’re two a twisted yarn which might not work so well.

But I have been working on red scarves earlier than usual and so far I have five completed and a another is one of my current WIPs (work in progress).To date I’ve completed 25 sets, five red scarves, four hats and have rediscovered yarn that I had forgotten from my stash. This is giving me an opportunity to use up yarns that I like or didn’t dislike enough to purge or give away but dislike enough that I probably won’t purchase again. I’ve also been playing with color a bit more which is a way of stretching two smaller amounts of yarn that I have. Crochet liberation!

Happy crocheting!

As I close out the third month of my free form maker year and using up yarn in my stash (well, mostly), I have been trying new things. I have this yarn that I purchased it is a bulky weight not too too bulky but still too bulky to use a 6 ½ mm hook. So, I tried using a 7 mm which was frustrating to use, then I choose a random wooden hook that I have with no size on it. I think I bought it at a thrift store because I don’t recall using it on a project before but it looks like it’s been used, but still in good shape. I started using that hook and since it’s the first time using it, my tension is okay but I like how it’s working out with the project.

I’ve made quite a few sets, only two red scarves so far this year but the goal is 12 which can be completed easily by the end of the year. I’m definitely making a big dent in the yarn that I have and using up my stash. To date, my sole purchase from Temu has been yarn. I purchased enough to make three or four scarves a few months ago. I made a scarf with it and liked the yarn. However, there were several knots in the small skein which put me off from using it. Generally, I’m not the type to rewind skeins of yarn but the knots irritated me enough to impede my flow and make me not want to use the yarn. I rewound two skeins, untying the knots when I came across them, then rejoined the ends using the Russian join. Ahhh! I was back in business and enjoyed the yarn once again.

I’ve only purchased yarn a couple of times this year. Both times were because of the really great sales one was a clearance sale, and that’s always a boon to me considering I buy things for donation. Another place had a low shipping threshold for a Leap Day sale and I purchased yarn that I wanted to try in a new colorway. Otherwise, I’m doing pretty well trying things out and experimenting with what I have – maybe I make a set maybe I don’t, it depends on what I have. Regardless, I’m using things up.

When I have little bits left over, I have been adding to my mystery ball, soon I may have enough to make a set or at least an interesting, fun scarf. The plan is to combine the mystery ball with black or a dark gray for an interwoven look.

One of my favorite things that I have figured out is that if you use a color changing yarn and a solid which shows the color change throughout the project. I need to find a color changing yarn with shorter runs of color or an ombre to see this effect as imagined and planned, not just as an experiment with odd balls from my stash.

Having no real goals has given me the opportunity to experiment and increase my speed with certain motifs and techniques. When I see something new that I want to try, I try it. It’s not like I have a quota to meet. I’m making the rules as I go along.

Happy crocheting!

The weather may have been gray in January but the crochet projects were not. I dabbled a bit with interweave crochet and a bit of mosaic. There are a few other patterns I want to try out. Also, I have been using the yarn that I have… other than one great sale on yarn that I like. I haven’t added any yarn to the stash, and have been using up what I have. This maker year has been freeing, if I want to make a hat because I don’t have enough yarn to make a set, so be it. If I want to try something new that takes longer than a pattern I’m already familiar with… So be it. This is a relaxing pursuit about delving into the craft and playing with color.

My first attempt at interweave crochet was ok and I made adjustments then tried it again. Then, I experimented using the technique on a hat. What could go wrong? It’s just yarn? I’ve purged my working stash of yarn that I don’t like and was able to make a good start on a project with yarn that I was familiar with, which made the process easier.

I have ideas for another interweave project, with a mystery ball and gray. Not sure if this will be a set or just a technicolor scarf and which will be the primary color. It all depends on how much yardage I have in the mystery ball.

I’m having fun and no goal other than a dozen scarves, though I’ve made a hat for a gift and 5 sets. Let’s see what happens in February!

After purging yarn I don’t like, and wouldn’t use from my working stash, I decided that in 2024 I’m going to use up the yarn I have and make 2024 a free form creative crochet year. The only goal that I am making for myself is to make 12 red scarves for Foster Care to Success. Whatever I make will likely be for donations to different organizations, but I’m just going to go with the flow, use what I have, and experiment with new techniques to improve my skills.

The final tally for 2023 was:
100 hat and scarf sets
20 hats
12 red scarves

While I didn’t meet my 2023 goals, I am happy with what I made and the joy I brought people. My goal was to make 100 hat and scarf sets, 25 hats and 12 red scarves. I completed 100 sets, 20 hats and 12 scarves AND two baby blankets, a ruana/throw and a hexagon sweater. All the while a scrapghan was languishing and not being worked on. After I finished the 20th hat, I watched Barbie and added a few rounds to the scrapghan. It’s moving faster than I thought, so I will likely make a few of these and donate them because I don’t need that many blankets and I have several mystery balls of yarn.

Making hats and scarves is a quick process. I miss making afghans, which is what I did before COVID restrictions forced some organizations to stop accepting larger items like afghans and lap robes. I’d like to use up the yarn I have or at least more of it in various projects. If I don’t have enough for a set, I could make a hat or mittens. There’s a giant bag of oddballs that I will start working on for random hats and I know there’s likely a gift or two that I will make thi s year.

While I “hit my numbers” in hat and scarf sets and red scarves, I made 80% of the hats I wanted to make and 4 gifts that I didn’t anticipate making in the beginning of 2023. If you only make one stitch… you’re a crocheter. I’m happy with what I made and the joy that the gifts brought to people for the gifts I made and the feeling that I was able to help people I may never meet.

Happy 2024!

Happy Crocheting!

A little of this and a little of that… that phrase can be associated with recipes, or crafting.

In my case, I’ve been matching up different oddballs to branch out from using a color with a neutral but by putting two colors together or two neutrals together. To kick off fall, I just started playing with color, which was also several rounds of yarn chicken since I had a limited amount of yarn to work with for the projects.

There are things I could have done to get an estimate of how much yarn I had, but weighing or measuring seemed too much like right. Instead, I tried to wing it. For three of four projects that worked exceptionally well. However in the fourth, when I thought I had enough to make a hat, I lost at yarn chicken. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any yarn of the same color, since the two yarns are ones I don’t generally buy, and they were 3 weight, and I usually work with 4 weight.

Once I ran out of yarn, I looked in my stash to see if there was something complimentary that could be used to complete the hat. I found a little of a darker brown yarn than I used and some multicolored yarn that were the closest contenders. I opted for the multi colored yarn to add a subtle shift for the brim.

Plan your project and purchase enough yarn. This is what I do when I plan a project ahead of time. Now with my burgeoning stash of leftover odds and ends, I take my chances and see what happens. Basically, I’m making it up as I go along. Using up leftovers keeps the craft fun, though this method can be a little nerve-wracking or anxiety filled for the more timid. For me, it’s exciting to see what will happen or if I need to adapt the pattern as I go. Another bonus is that this method of using an unknown amount of leftover yarn definitely generates one of a kind, unique items.

Take a chance and play a little yarn chicken… it’s not for the timid. Just remember, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but you have to play to win.

Happy crocheting!

It seems fitting that International Crochet Day and Mindfulness Day are on the same day – September 12, both are meant to offer relaxation. This is definitely a necessity for those who need to be quiet, and calm given that September 11 is still a difficult day for many in recent American history.

I’ve been purging items from the craft room to make more room for other yarns – so it’s been a colorful summer – combining lots of oddballs with my favorite neutrals or even combining coordinating colors together. After playing ‘Yarn chicken” too many times, I discovered that I need to select the right stitch for a scarf because some use more yarn than others and wouldn’t make the scarf wide or long enough. Crochet is an evolving craft, and everything doesn’t always turn out well. I have had multiple starts on projects or just abandon something altogether because it’s not right. Giving up is a step that we sometimes overlook. Just because there is something that you want to try, it may not be the right yarn, pattern, or skill level at the time. Never give up, I was discussing a particular yarn the other day with a friend who is a knitter, and she likes it. I don’t – she likes it because it is slippery and glides easily off of her knitting needles, I dislike it for that reason. I’ve tried it and other manufacturer’s varieties and disliked all of the slippery yarns equally. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s not for me and crocheting is a relaxing pastime – slippery yarn makes crocheting a chore. The remaining yarn will go to the donation bin, instead of using the last bit in other projects. [One down, dozens to go!]

A few hats were donated to a local project for refugees, including one child’s hat that I never found a specific group to give it to before now.

Here’s a short compilation of completed projects. We are in the last days of summer, but the crocheting continued through the warm months.

September 12 is also National Day of Encouragement in the US – so I’m encouraging you to find something you like to do, for your own well-being!

Happy crocheting!

Some people don’t like to crochet or knit during the summer months when it’s hot, or will switch to lighter weight yarns. What I’ve noticed just from looking at pictures of sets that I’ve made from the past few years, certain patterns or motifs are seasonal. Or, at times I become fixated on a pattern and try it out in different yarns.

I make a few specific patterns during the summer months because I want to try something different and generally I will have reached the halfway point of my goal and don’t want to get bored. I’ll make something I’d like to try in a particular yarn. Maybe it’s the yarn I have and have used before or want to improve upon something. Whatever it is, I’ll notice there might be two or three of the same designs or maybe slight alterations or modifications to a certain design or motif because of something I’ve seen or revisited in one of my pattern books, or got an idea from YouTube. Whatever it is, it seems like I haven’t made that in a while so I’ll make certain patterns. As long as it’s something that is fun and I’m still enjoying what I do who cares?

Now I’m in a period where I am using up different colors not necessarily small amounts where they’re oddballs but combining different yarns for a small a bit of a color or mini skeins where combined if it’s enough to make a hat and scarf set but too much just for a hat. Some experiments are more interesting than others. I have some mini skeins I bought two sets and combined similar colors in the same color family to make a hat and scarf set with charcoal as a neutral. I think I’ll do that again with another color family and a lighter gray. As I keep trying things and experimenting with yarn in my working stash, I have a better idea of what I want to make with the mystery ball of yarn that I’m creating. Instead of using it alone, I would likely combine it with one of my current favorite neutrals – charcoal to pull it all together.

For me, sets are for summer, winter, spring and fall… As July closes, I’ve surpassed the halfway point for completed sets (61 and counting) and four scarves. Hats, well, there are only two solo hats so far. The plan is to make a bunch of hats when I have a lot of small remainders from sets in the fall, for very unique, one of a kind colorways. Stay tuned it’ll be a hat making extravaganza in October or so.

Happy crocheting!