• Crochet - Donations - New Year Crocheting

    Happy New Year’s Eve

    December 31, 2019 - By 

     

    New Year’s Eve and I’ve finished all my crocheting goals: 75 baby hats, 15 hat and scarf sets, and 75 scarves. The original goals had to be adjusted from 60 baby hats and 50 scarves. I work faster than I thought.

    I restarted a few of the items, because I didn’t like them. In 2019, I intended to do less post work, but I discovered that I really like it. Using different colors makes the basket weave stitch and other variations of it really stand out.

    The new year begins soon. I haven’t set goals for 2020 other than I want to make a couple of things for myself. I got yarn for Christmas for items for projects for me. Tomorrow, January 1, 2020, I’ll start making afghans again and some small portable projects.

    This past year was a sabbatical and I didn’t make any afghans. I miss working on them and have already planned the first couple that I want to make. I’ll still make hats and scarves but likely only 50 scarves and 50 baby hats. They are portable, unlike afghans, so I’ll need some small projects to carry along with me. In this past year, I learned a lot about technique and personal preferences. I also learned that I prefer to only make things to give away, not to sell. If I don’t finish an item or choose to work on six things at a time, it’s my choice. There are many deadlines in other areas of my life. I don’t need a deadline in my pastime.

    There’s a lot of yarn that I plan to use up in 2020 or just donate. Superbly yarn isn’t my favorite. I thought I wasn’t a fan of light worsted (#3 weight) yarn. It’s not bad. Doubling it, or using it two strands together isn’t difficult to use. For the last scarf of 2019, I planned to use some random balls of super bulky for a quick and simple scarf. Even on an S hook, I didn’t like working with it, so I put it in the donate bag. Another lesson learned this sabbatical year: not all yarns are what you want to use. Work with what you like, there’s enough yarn to go around.

    A new year is upon us, may crocheting, knitting and other crafts keep you sane, and give you joy and peace.

     

     

  • crafting - Crochet

    Handmade gifts are not cheap!

    December 23, 2019 - By 

    Not everyone is worthy of your gifts.

    I ran into a neighbor as I was getting some packages that I’d ordered for Christmas. She commented – presents for Christmas? Yeah. “I’m making mine this year she said” I’m a senior at [a local university] and college is expensive. She shook her bag and said I’m just making everyone hats this year, they’re easy and quick.

    “Wow! That’s great, this is the first year that I haven’t made anything for anyone, “ I said. She was saying she wanted to pay her tuition and we got to her floor.

    As the elevator door opened, I said “Hats – that’s a great gift, you’ve bought the yarn, but you also have your time that you spend making each gift, that’s not cheap. Think about how much your time costs. That’s so cool!” Then she offered a big smile and said good evening.

    Don’t let anyone belittle your gift or effort. Crafting is not cheap, few people consider the time that it takes to make something and only think of the cost of the materials. Value your effort. Whether you are just starting out or are a seasoned crafter your time is valuable.

    We all have those projects that we made when we were first starting out. My mother still has a project I made as an 8 year old. My family members still have the first scarves and hats that I made. I have held on to things that students made me when I taught for a short while and my mother has dozens of keepsakes that her students made/gave her.

    Your time and talent are valuable. I am guilty of the line of thinking that I can just buy the materials and make something that won’t cost a lot [for the materials]. Since I like making things so if I decide to crochet a scarf, or hat or make a piece of jewelry, I don’t think of the time that it takes to make something. The thought and the effort count! Two days until the Christmas deadline – forza, friends – you can do it! And remember, your gifts are not cheap!

  • crafting - Crochet

    Enjoying the holidays – one stitch at a time

    December 14, 2019 - By 

    My 2019 crochet goals have changed a few times. I met the baby hat goal, original scarf goal, then added a hat and scarf set goal, then met and exceeded that goal. Now everything that I’ve made has been donated. This leaves only 8 scarves to finish for the modified scarf goal. Four are in progress and no holiday gifts are on the horizon, so I’m ready to keep plugging away!

    The holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day can be stressful. Since my counting of completed projects is inaccurate until I’m ready to send them, I chose to make more hat and scarf sets to donate. Ambitiously, I was going to make a nice round number of five, but decided to not impose added stress on myself and donate the four completed ones.

    Pressure to create is real for many people especially those making Christmas gifts. I’m not making anything for anyone – yet. But, I’ve been in that position before, so I chose not to put any additional pressure on myself and concentrate on meeting my revised goals. The four scarves in progress means that I and a few stitches closer to the goal of 75 scarves. How do you meet your crafting goals – one stitch at a time.

    Crocheting or any crafting should be fun. The holiday gift making pressure can take the joy out of the season. Don’t let self-imposed goals steal your joy this season (or any other time). If you can’t make everything you would like before Christmas, so be it. If it happens, it happens.

    Happy crocheting!

  • crafting - Crochet - Hat and scarf goals

    Losing track of finished pieces

    November 20, 2019 - By 

    I definitely cheer myself on when I get the math right or plan the correct number of stitches for a new project. [Thanks to the practical use of algebra.] When it comes to finished projects counting is where the difficulty comes in. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets excited when the math works out for a pattern repeat. I get more than a little excited especially when I have decided to combine a couple of different things and don’t have to restart a project after the first try. I know I can count and in other aspects of my life, other than my own personal budget, I have to make sure I can count.

    When it comes to finished crochet projects though, my counting is off. I finished 75 baby hats and have them in three bags of 20 and a bag of 15. A few weeks ago I sent 20 scarves to an organization and was planning out how many I am sending to other organizations. The finished adult scarves were also in larger containers of 20 (each individual scarf in a plastic zipper bag).

    While working on my original goal of 10 hat and scarf sets, I lost track of what was finished and greatly underestimated what was done, because I hadn’t counted in a while. The temperature dropped in Chicago and was been below freezing just after Halloween, so I figured out a time to take some things to a local organization. I thought I had only completed eight sets and I like to give away round numbers when I make donations – weird quirk, but whatever. Thinking I had 8 sets I was going to drop off five. Well, I had eight completed in one part of the house, another two in my work room; plus four partial sets (hat or scarf complete, but not both). Including the partial sets, that’s 14 sets.

    I can do many things, but obviously I can’t take a good account of what I’ve made. As I finish items, I stash them away. I thought I still needed to complete more to meet my goal. On a recent road trip, I finished a set and hat for another. Eight plus two equals ten; plus four sets in progress is more than ten. I have gotten better in determining how much yarn to take on a trip, it is the speed of completion that I lose track of. When I finish a project, I just start something new, or if something is too large to transport, I start a new project. The same way I treat a book, if I only have a few pages left, I don’t’ want to carry two books, I start a new one.

    My new response when asked how I complete so many projects, I will say one stitch at a time. The same way that I lose track of completed objects – one stitch at a time.

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - hats - red hats

    All good things must come to an end…

    October 31, 2019 - By 

     

    The American Heart Association has ended its Little Hats Big Hearts program. Many of us who made hats for the organization were concerned. The hats that were already sent to the AHA will be donated. Those of us who hadn’t sent in our hats were looking for other organizations that would accept the hats. In the Little Hats Big Hearts Illinois group, another organization’s founders said they would gladly accept the hats. This isn’t the first time that a program has ended and won’t be the last. When one door closes another opens. Several years ago, another program which asked knitters and crocheters to make items for special Olympians ended. That was the first year that the women in a shelter also received a scarf along with other goodies that were donated from my church.

    While both of these endings made me sad, there are dozens of other organizations that seek handcrafted items made with love and would be ready to receive them. Some organizations are local or very small but they are out there.

    For a few days I was concerned that I wouldn’t have a place to donate 75 red baby hats to, but that didn’t stop me from making other items. Everything I make will eventually find a good home.

    Just keep going! Don’t get discouraged when you don’t like the yarn you are working with, put it aside and work on another project. Try a different hook or pattern with the yarn and the project will practically fly off your hook, There may be crafting setbacks, learn from the experience and move on.

    Happy crocheting!

  • Art of crochet - Crochet

    Crochet everywhere!

    October 12, 2019 - By 

    I’m not ashamed of the fact that I crochet. It’s just that I didn’t want people to ask me questions about crocheting when I crocheted in public. Reading in public is a closed activity, for the most part, no one will feel free to talk about what you are reading, unless they have read the book, or want to read the book. Generally, if you are reading, no one will bother you. When you are crocheting in public, however, that is a different story. Someone may decide to come up and ask what are you knitting, ask “is that for me?” or chat about your project.

    Now, I will crochet everywhere!

    By everywhere I mean I will crochet:

    at home,
    at a park,
    at a concert,
    at the talk before at the opera,
    at the pre-concert lecture at the symphony,
    in the bed,
    in a chair,
    in a restaurant or in a bar.

    I will crochet near – at my favorite coffee shop (Metropolis) or far – my most recent vacation in Costa Rica and even on a cruise with a group I met and still keep in touch with on social media.

    I will crochet in my home, in a friend’s home, or in a relative’s home.

    If I’m waiting, I’m crocheting because I can still be social.

    People will inevitably ask what I’m working on, this may be the reason that other people don’t crochet or knit in public. In certain spaces, people are too polite or unobservant to ask. What are The answers come easier now that I have been crocheting longer. One place that I don’t crochet is public transportation – that is my reading time and it’s easier to read on a crowded bus or train than it is to try to gather up the yarn or fight for elbow space. When I would visit my grandmother in the nursing home or even visiting people in the hospital, I crochet because it gives us both something to do.

    I don’t care anymore about people looking at me, because I can people watch and crochet and that’s just fine by me. Don’t worry about others, worry about yourself – crochet or knit in public and enjoy yourself. Taking your project “on the road” is exhilarating, unless it’s an afghan and too unwieldy to manage.

    Happy crocheting – crochet where you want!

  • Crochet - crochet motivation - Patterns

    Sea anemone hat

    September 23, 2019 - By 

    Here’s a hat pattern that I created and have made a few times. It reminds me of a closed sea anemone, hence the name.

    Sea anemone hat

    Size: Newborn – 3 months
    Made with Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday® Worsted in Really Red/ I hook

    Chain 3, slip stitch to join

    Round 1: Crochet 12 single stitch into the center, slip stitch to join. Chain 2, count chain as 1 double crochet.

    Round 2: Crochet 2 double crochet into each single crochet. Join. Chain 2.

    Round 3: Crochet 2 front post double crochet (fpdc), 1 back post crochet (bpdc) to end of round [turning chain counts as 1 bpdc at end of round]

    Round 4: Crochet 1 fpdc into each fpdc and 2 bpdc into each bpdc to the end of round (1 bpdc in last two bpdc)

    [Note: As you add more rounds, the circle will begin to curl on the edges and take shape.]

    Round 5: Crochet 1 fpdc into first fpdc, 2 into second (making 3 fpdc and 2 fpdc); 1 bpdc into each bpdc; crochet 1 fpdc into next fpdc, 2 fpdc into next [Optional: alternate the increase on the first or second fpdc – you may choose to increase on the first or the last]

    Rounds 6-16: Continue pattern of 3 fpdc, 2 bpdc (or desired height – roughly 5 inches)

    Round 17: Single crochet into next eight stitches, skip one, sc into next eight, skip one, sc to end

    Rounds 18-20: Single crochet into each stitch, then bind off and weave in ends.

    Try it out! Feel free to link back to this pattern. Make a few and donate them to your local chapter of the American Heart Association for their Little Hats Big Hearts program. 

  • Crochet - Dyeing

    Dyeing Experiment

    September 6, 2019 - By 

    In one of my kitchen cabinets I found a stash of unsweetened Kool-Aid packets and in my working yarn stash I found a couple of four skein bags of undyed worsted weight wool. Obviously, I had a dye project in mind, because I do not drink Kool-Aid and there were multiples of each flavor in flavors that I wouldn’t drink if I did – grape, orange, blue ice and some color changing flavors. All of these were unsweetened as well and I have no sugar in my house, because I like my coffee and tea unsweetened. This was definitely for a dyeing project.

    The yarn however, I guess it was on sale because there were eight hanks waiting to be used in my working stash. I needed a refresher on how to dye yarn with Kool-Aid. I searched online and soaked the yarn, while I prepared the dye. This was something I had done before so I got out the squeeze bottles, poured in the flavors/colors that I wanted to use and then filled the bottles with vinegar. Many directions say to use vinegar and water. I just use vinegar and it works well.

    Wild Cherry, Grape and Orange were chosen for my test this time. Initially, I wanted to have mostly red in the color scheme. There were only six packets of wild cherry and I wanted a more vibrant color, more colors were added to the experiment. I added a little of a packet of grape to the orange dye to make it darker. The color ended up looking more like a muted than very bright. A couple of months ago when I was in an office supply store, I purchased some large rubber bands, to purposely keep some natural sections on the yarn.

    The yarn looks lovely and I was anxious to wind it up, though I am not sure what pattern I want to use for the hat and scarf. I dyed four hanks which is enough for a hat and scarf. Though, the next time I do this I would buy more or have more of the drink mix to have more concentrated color, as well as turn the work to make sure that the dye gets through to both sides. I’ve dyed before and know that it’s important to get enough saturation, but I wanted to see what would happen if I just let the dye go where it did, not turning the hanks, just squeezing it through (wearing plastic gloves).  Once all the dye was on the yarn, I wrapped it in plastic and heated it in the microwave to set the colors. After testing a section to see if the water squeezed through the skeins was clear, and it cooled sufficiently, I put the hanks in a bowl with a little dishwashing liquid and rinsed it. The water was clear, which was a good sign and I hung the skeins to dry.

    One hank has a little more natural color than I intended, that one will be used for the hat. If I turned it more or used more dye, maybe it would have turned out differently. The colors weren’t as far off as I thought. When the colors are wet, they are darker, but I was pleased with how they turned out. Eager to see how the yarn would look wound, I put it on my swift and wound the hanks up last night.

    A few years ago, I took a class through my favorite yarn shop. Since this was an at home project, I wanted to use dyes that are safe to use in dishes at home and are easy to buy. Drink mixes and food coloring are easy to find and use. Since this is just something I wanted to dabble in and not make a deep dive or further cash outlay, I went with what I had.

    Inspiration hasn’t struck yet… When I discover the right pattern for the hat and scarf, then I will start stitching, for now I’m content with admiring my newly dyed yarn and planning the colors for my next four skeins.

  • Crochet - Donations - red hats

    Too much of a good thing?

    August 27, 2019 - By 

    Two weeks ago it hit me, crochet project fatigue. I’m ready to make something larger. For the past decade or more I have been occupied with making afghans between 10-20 per year. When I decided to take a break this year for a crocheting sabbatical and only focus on technique, hats and scarves, I wanted to step back and not concentrate on large projects.

    When I decided not to make afghans this year. I thought that 50 scarves, and 60 hats were a manageable goal for the year. Well, not only was it manageable, but achievable. The new goal of 10 hat and scarf sets, 75 scarves and 75 hats, is going along well and when both symphony and opera seasons start again in the fall, there will be built in time to crochet during the pre-event talks. BUT I miss making afghans.

    The almost instant gratification and satisfaction of a completed work, has challenged me to seek out new motifs at a much faster pace than I normally would when working on an afghan. The fast pace has given me an opportunity to increase my speed, and work out new finishing techniques. There are pros and cons to this sabbatical year… The biggest benefit will be the number of groups that will receive more donations. I’ve become more particular about the yarn I use for certain projects, my speed has increased and I have tried more yarns than before since the amount needed for a scarf isn’t as costly as the amount needed for an afghan.

    I will keep plugging away at my goals, there are four months left in the year, much more to do and crochet. Stay tuned!

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - Hats and scarves - red hats

    Setting new goals

    August 11, 2019 - By 

    Ten adult sized hat and scarf sets. That is part of the new goal.

    Since I have completed 57 little red hats and 50 scarves, I need a new challenge. The new red hat goal will be 75;  10 hat and scarf sets. Two sets are already complete and I’m working on more little red hats.  This doesn’t seem like a big enough goal.

    A big goal would be 60 scarves and 10 hat and scarf sets.

    It is possible. I want possible, yet challenging.

    New goal:
    75 scarves
    10 hat and scarf sets
    75 little red hats

    In 2019, I have experimented with color and yarns. There are some yarns that I prefer to others and some yarns are more suited to wearing than snuggling (i.e. a blanket or afghan). Though they fit and I have tried on a few of the adult hats that I’ve made, I still think that adult hats seem gigantic compared to baby sized ones. The most recent hat I started, had to be ripped out because I forgot about the stretchiness of the starting chain. Some people have large heads, but not that large. This sabbatical year has allowed me to work on different techniques and increase my speed a bit. I’ve also sampled some new yarns that weren’t exactly to my liking and then others that I fell in love with, but other people weren’t as infatuated with those yarns from reading their reviews. There’s a yarn out there for everyone. When I like a particular yarn or project, I tend to work faster, because it’s not a chore.

    Summer time is the best time to work on small projects, a hat doesn’t have to be on your lap like an afghan does and you can move a scarf around as it gets longs so you don’t get too warm. A relatively cool evening, outside listening to music or watching a movie is the perfect time to work on a small project.

    I need to get going and complete some of the projects that I have started.

    Since I’ve met my goal, I challenge my crafty readers to make at least one item and donate it to a charity of their choice (or a person in need) by year’s end. What are you waiting for?

    Happy crocheting!