• Crochet - hats - red hats

    Inspiration is everywhere

    August 3, 2019 - By 

    A few weeks ago, I found a crochet-a-long for an afghan that piqued my interest because the center section would allow me to make a creative top down hat. I made a hat with a few modifications to the center section of the afghan because I didn’t want it to be too big. It was ok and on the smaller side, but the next one I made worked out beautifully, then I decided to make a third with a change in the pattern – same basic premise and it also turned out well.

    As I’ve mentioned before, patterns are like recipes. Instead of moving forward with the afghan crochet a long, I was inspired to use the beginning techniques to make a hat. I like the flexibility of the bottom up or brim up hat, but I like how the top down hats seem to be warmer and have fewer holes in them in the crown.

    I was online and saw the first portion of the Study of Planet Earth afghan and thought I could use that in making a top down hat that would be warm. I changed things a little bit since I’m making smaller hats and I know that the crown should be in the four inch range. The techniques used in the video can be adapted for an adult hat since the crown is larger. Once I got to the proper diameter of approximately four inches for the crown, then the decreases stop and I just continue crocheting in the round, until the hat is the right height, then single crochet in the last round or two.

    Since I’ve almost met my goal for scarves (four in progress as I’ve been concentrating on little red hats) I’ve been thinking of donating to the Seamen’s Christian Institute. I want to make sure that I follow the guidelines of an organization before sending any item. On their page there are several patterns, mostly for knitted garments. The Seafarer’s scarf seems enticing and I’m interested in challenging myself to create a crochet version. There are a couple of different ways to do it, but I’m up for the challenge. The knitted pattern has the dimensions listed and that will be my starting point for the crochet version. As much as I’ve searched Google and Ravelry, I can’t find a crocheted version of the Seafarer’s scarf. As I always say – patterns are suggestions. The approximate dimensions are given for the knit patterns as well as suggested yarn weight. To me, as a crocheter that means challenge accepted.

    Now all I have to do is pick a color and make sure I have enough for a hat and scarf. Stay tuned!

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - hats

    Met my scarf goal… now what?

    July 18, 2019 - By 

    Forty nine completed scarves as of today, July 18, 2019. My goal was to make and give away 50 scarves this year. I have 49 completed scarves. I don’t know how that happened. This has happened before where I just finish something and then begin a new project or two after putting the last one away and not thinking about my goal being met. I guess I just lost count.

    The way that I discovered that I had two additional scarves was when I decided to consolidate my storage and put them all into one container. I counted the finished scarves several months ago and put 20 into one of the containers that I use. When it was full, I put the completed scarves in different nooks and crannies in my home. This weekend, I gathered them up to transfer them all to my workroom, which is when I discovered 2 scarves that were hanging out in another container.

    The red hat tally has also been inching upward. The goal for hats is 60 and currently I have 50 with two in progress. I reached the end of my preferred red yarn that I used for hats so I ordered more and it is ready to be used.

    This isn’t the first time that I have found more completed works in my workroom. My friends in my knitting group and my family members tease me about my crocheting speed. I don’t think I am that fast. But I guess I don’t think about how quickly I work and actually complete projects. Which may be why I have no problem taking things apart when I am not satisfied with how they look.

    I need to set new goals. Maybe I will reset my scarf goal to 75 and 10 adult hats. Then when I meet the red hat goal, extend that as well. There are still a few things that I have been planning and want to do before the end of the year – dyeing yarn with egg dye, making a color block scarf with some odd lots of yarn from previous projects and purging more yarn from my work stash that I don’t like to make more room for completed projects.

    Happy Crocheting!

  • Crochet - Patterns

    Make a pattern your own

    May 10, 2019 - By 

    These notes look like chicken scratch – I understand them, but the notes that I have in my pattern books aren’t for anyone else – just like when you are sharing a recipe with someone that you have memorized, you wouldn’t just give someone a list of ingredients and say go for it and expect the same results.

    To me, this means something and I would use this again to remind myself how I started a particular scarf.

    There are so many patterns that I know that I just sometimes look at a yarn and think that would be great in a shell stitch or basketweave. The same yarn can look quite different when a different stitch pattern is used. The hook make a difference but the stitches also make a difference as well. It the same when you give someone ingredients to create a meal and you might not get the same dish – it’s all about how you make it.

    When I make afghans, I may plan or I might just buy some yarn that I like and go from there. Rarely have I ever decided to make something specific, purchase the yarn for it and have the pattern already planned. Generally tat’s for gifts and I know the recipient. It’s likely that I may never meet the recipients of the hats, scarves and afghans that I make, so I just have to go with the feeling. It sounds hokey but it is, Just as someone can look at ground beef and decide to make hamburgers, meatloaf, tacos or sloppy joes, a skein of yarn can become almost anything. The possibilities are mind boggling!

    Try a different stitch pattern with the same yarn or even change the hook size to one larger than you normally use – the drape will change and you will see things differently. Using a different size hook or a hook made of wood instead of metal may change how you feel about a yarn.

    Explore the possibilities with yarn!

    Happy crocheting!