• Crochet

    Gliding into 2023

    January 2, 2023 - By 

    Before we get too far into the New Year, I need to share my totals for 2022:

          • 115 hat and scarf sets
          • 12 red scarves
          • 36 hats

    plus… a few things made for family and friends.!

     

     

     

    My crochet goals for the 2022 were 25 hats, 100 hat and scarf sets, and 12 red scarves. It may seem like I’m bragging but I’m proud of myself for what I made in 2022.

    Maybe my 2023 crochet goals will remain the same?

    • 12 Red scarves
    • 100 sets
    • 25 hats

    There are a few other non-crocheting projects that I want to work on, so to give me some breathing room… And a chance to live, experiment and play, I’m keeping my goals the same.

    Unfinished: 

    I still didn’t finish the scrapghan that I made the yarn balls for, and I’ve been stashing leftover Puzzle yarn and Mandala Ombre to make a couple of fun throws or lap robes.

    For Christmas I got a lot of Puzzle yarn and I know I’ll have some leftover from sets so throws may be on the docket for this year.

    All I know for sure is that I crochet practically every day, some more days than others and I find it enjoyable. That’s the sentiment I want to carry throughout this new year!

    Happy crocheting!

    Happy 2023!

  • Crochet - Hat and scarf goals

    19 Days Until Christmas

    December 6, 2022 - By 

    Nineteen more days until Christmas. This is just a little pep talk for people who are stressing about making a gift or not making a gift. If you’ve decided to make a gift and you don’t have time to finish it, what about wrapping a promissory note? “I’m making you something but I will finish it by (future date)” and wrap the partially finished product. Unless you have to mail it off. Don’t stress, the holidays don’t need additional stress. Take time to enjoy the holidays. If you have made something or you still have someone else you need to make something for… Relax. I’ve been there – making things at the last minute and it’s not pleasant. Many worst case scenarios arise: You run out of materials, your gauge is off, or you run into a tangle. Best case: If you finish what you have started, at least you started. Congratulate yourself – you made the effort to give someone a handmade gift. Preserving your peace by not making any gifts is fine too! Enjoy the holidays or make something for yourself at a leisurely pace.

    If you forgot to get something for someone and you think you can make something – great! Unsure but still want to try and make something? It’s go time! Don’t stress – make something small. Let’s go back to the promissory note. Write a fun little note “hey, I’m planning on making you *blank* but I ran out of time. I’ll finish it shortly!” Remember – don’t stress yourself. Stress adds pressure, which just makes for mistakes, which creates more stress… relax.

    Whether you crochet fast or slow, you are a crocheter. It’s not a race, crocheting is a craft. Whether you use materials from the dollar store, thrifted materials or a handmade hook out of fine wood using qiviut, you are a crocheter. Use what you can afford, use what you like and grow from the experience. Craft, learn and grow!

    Don’t stress… Do what you can, breathe!

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - Hats and scarves

    55 days until Christmas

    October 31, 2022 - By 

    It’s Halloween and that means that there are 55 days until Christmas! Time to get moving on those holiday gifts!

    No tricks… Just a treat and tip that the holidays are approaching soon and if you plan to make any gifts, you need to start working on them, especially if you need to buy materials.

    There are a couple of things that I am making for Christmas but I already made sure that I have enough, or at least I hope I have enough yarn to make a throw. This was yarn from another project. I have been in that position before furiously crocheting on Christmas Eve or December 23rd aka Christmas Eve-eve trying to finish a gift. I crochet faster now, but I also prefer to have gifts made well ahead of time and then just relax after I have admired my work.

    If you haven’t planned what you are making for a winter holiday, then do it, because it may take a while to get the yarn you need. ALSO – pro-tip – don’t buy just enough of what you need, if you can, purchase an extra skein of yarn. Depending on your gauge and tension, you might use more than the pattern calls for or the yardage may vary from the amount in the skein or hank. Yarn chicken around the holidays is not fun!

    Friendly advice, start on those holiday gifts and projects now, so you will have less stress and more time to spend with those you love.

    I’ve slowed a bit on the crochet goals, since I have met the hat and scarf goal, though I’m still making more. There are two red scarves in progress and a bag of assorted yarn to be used for hats. Hats work up quickly (an hour to 90 minutes depending on the pattern) so I’ve got time before the end of the year.

    Happy crocheting!!!

  • Crochet - Hat and scarf goals - Hats and scarves

    Ninety-one, ninety-two… ninety-nine and a half

    September 23, 2022 - By 

    One hundred sets!

    I went on a cross country train trip to San Diego and crocheted, it was delightful. As I prepared for my vacation, I made the decision not to take any yarn that I hadn’t used before and didn’t attempt any patterns that I hadn’t already tried. I was happy that I’d brought the appropriate amount of yarn: because I finished three sets going, two sets while I was in San Diego and almost five sets on the return trip. Most of the time, during the day while looking out the window enjoying the scenery, I was just happily crocheting the day away.

    Crocheting allowed me to enjoy the scenery when there was daylight as well as take a few photos with breaks for meals and fresh air when we were at longer stops. Also I could have conversations with people while riding unlike reading which is a “closed” activity. In the evenings once the sun set, the activities changed slightly… instead of looking out the window and taking the occasional photograph I read and crocheted. Day and evening I also listened to music and listened to the entire Ring Cycle (Das Rheingold and Die Walkurie going, and Siegfried and Gotterdammerung on the way back).

    Using yarn that I was familiar with was a good plan. Different colors don’t really change the functionality of the yarn but different weights do, so all of the yarn I took with me was yarn I was familiar with, so I could just dig in my bag and work on a project. As I was leaving home, at the last moment, I threw a couple extra skeins of yarn in my bag and they came in handy so I had enough for the entire trip.

    The plan was very good using untried yarns can be frustrating Since my return, I haven’t completed as many projects. I have made a hat, but I’ve also restarted a scarf with a new or yarn, and gave up on a project with another new yarn (that yarn is now in the donation bag). Also, I’ve been combining some odds and ends to make more hats, and started a couple of red scarves.

    During 10-day trip I was able to finish nine and a half hat and scarf sets. The last half of the scarf was completed once I returned home but I still consider it part of the vacation crocheting projects and the cross country train trip put me at my goal of 100 sets! Whoo hoo!

    Three more months to go in 2022, and still lots of yarn in my working stash! Though I have a couple of gifts to make, I will likely hit 110 sets with no difficulty.

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - Donations - Hat and scarf goals - red scarves

    Ahead and behind

    September 3, 2022 - By 

    I am a little behind on the goals I’ve set for myself.

    I crochet fast. It’s not a race, just years of practicing my craft.

    It’s the beginning of September, and I have 90 sets completed, 5 red scarves (goal 12) and 18 hats (goal 30). For sets I’m well ahead but haven’t made as much progress on the other categories. There’s still time. Like I said, not boasting but factually I crochet fast.

    It’ll all sort itself out. I’ll go on a tear and just get a few solo scarves and hats done in a short time.

    Though the numbers for my three goals aren’t equal, I’m happy with what I’ve finished so far!

    A few of the most recent sets are shown here. Eight months of the year have passed and 90 completed sets –  that’s an accomplishment! Wow! My uncle likes to joke that I am running a sweatshop…maybe he’s right.

    Don’t compare yourself. Crochet at your own pace, not mine.

    Does it really matter? Don’t worry about my goals, make your own!

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - red scarves - trial and error

    Giving up… again

    July 1, 2022 - By 

    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.

    I’m never really sure whether I try something in person or online if I haven’t used it. Sometimes, I take a chance and it can be a hit or a miss. Yarn sub may give you a clue if a yarn is similar to something you’ve used before or if it gives a suggested hook size. Other keys that are helpful are if it’s a certain weight or if the fiber composition sounds good. Not all the time, but most of the time I’ve had good luck and finding yarns that are nice online and reasonably priced. I’m always hunting for a bargain when it comes to “working stash yarn” for projects to donate and since I use so much. Generally, I can get a lot of really great yarns that are being discontinued in certain colors or changing seasons.  Then, there are times like this one, where it’s been frustrating to use.  After trying multiple ways of using it, I have given up. I started another project in the same stitch with a different yarn and the project has been enjoyable. Since purging the pretty and frustrating yarn, I feel so much better.

    Yarn doesn’t always work out that’s okay certain stitches look better in some yarns than others or some colors look better than others, that’s okay too. It’s part of the learning process… oh well, I tried it, this didn’t work – keep it moving. Crocheting makes me happy – this yarn was stealing my joy, so it had to go!

    Half of the year has passed, so I took a quick tally to share my progress on my different goals.

        • 66 Hat and scarf sets
        • 18 Hats
        • 3 Red scarves

    Plus a few things in progress!

    Happy crocheting!

  • Creative reuse - Crochet - leftover yarn

    How do you use your leftover yarn?

    May 19, 2022 - By 

    For me, one way of using up leftover yarn is to make oddball hats.

    There is never the right amount of yarn for a project. When you buy something just as when you guy a carton of eggs and only need 3 for a recipe, you will have some left over. Depending on the style of the hats and scarf I make, there may be yarn left over. Knowing this, I purposely set aside the yarn that I have just to make some hats to donate to an organization. Some hats can be made with less than 150 yards of yarn while others are quite thirsty and require 200 yards or more. A good rule of thumb is to have about 200 yards of yarn to make a hat. A crochet swirl hat or a half double beanie (or toque) won’t take as much as a hat with front/back post ribbing or cables.

    As I complete some sets, I put the remaining yarn into a bag. Since I’m beyond the halfway point of 100 sets and it’s May, I’m taking a few days to just make hats. Even after making a couple of hats, I have some yarn left and will combine those with gray or brown and use the them to make hats with accents. If you haven’t figured this out yet, I don’t like to waste yarn. When it gets to a very small amount <5 yards, I add it to a mystery ball.

    Making hats with a limited about of yarn is fun because there are constraints… almost like yarn chicken in every hat. Ok, not really. I save the bands for yarn and some will give a yardage. If I have unused full balls, or I can rewind the partially used ones to give me a better estimate of how much I have. I could weigh the yarn to get an idea of how much I have. That’s more accurate, but not as much fun. Instead, I reach into one of the bags and see how much I have, then go through the hat patterns that I have committed to memory and begin.

    I’m impressed with the end results – warm hats.

    There’s still a bit of yarn left in the bag and hopefully I’ll make a dent in the bag once I make 10 hats or so. Then I’ll go back to making sets and continue to add to the bag. It’s an ongoing cycle. Unless I put the remainder back into my working stash because I bought a large quantity on sale and will use it later. There’s always a plan, even if I don’t know what it is when I begin. That’s the creative part.

    Happy crocheting!

  • Art of crochet - Crochet - Donations - Hat and scarf goals - stashbusting

    My reflections on crochet

    May 3, 2022 - By 

    A few things I’ve learned about the craft

    As a more experienced crocheter, who loves yarn and the process of crocheting I’ve realized what is for me and what I love about crocheting isn’t what always draws others to the craft. There are always lists of what novice crocheters should know or tips to improve. Instead, I have a few reflections that go beyond how to hold your hook or how to monetize your hobby.

    1. Make what you want
    There are many tips and tricks that people will share on how to crochet faster or how to do myriad things in crochet but if you are passionate about crochet, what is really important is that you like doing what you want. That means if you want to pursue crochet as a business, as a side hustle or just as something you like to do to relax… make what you want. If you want to make six dozen lovies, or baby blankets to sell, cool. If you want to make hats go for it. If you want to solely work on one project or have six concurrent projects – that’s your prerogative.

    2. Crochet with yarn you like
    Though I have tried different yarns and will experiment with different ones, I am firmly in the worsted/Aran weight camp. DK or Light worsted are ok, but for my regular comfort zone… give me a worsted. The range of worsted still seems to vary; they aren’t all on the bulker side or on the thinner side so there are still quite a few to work with. As I’ve mentioned before, there are more than enough yarns for people to love and use. Working with bulky too long, makes my hand cramp and I like to see more progress which I can’t see after working with laceweight for a lengthy period of time.

    3. Don’t be afraid to change the pattern
    Patterns are like recipes – suggestions. There are times when I look at a pattern and think there’s an easier way to make a section or make changes based on what I want to do. Patterns are great just as recipes are. Once you have made them then tweak them. Or if you know that you don’t like a certain ingredient don’t use it or select another. If you aren’t a fan of eggs, then don’t make a frittata and if you aren’t a fan of puff stitches or cables, then choose another pattern. If you are being graded on what you are making or need to sell something that needs to look a certain way, then fine, otherwise feel free to express yourself.

    4. You don’t have to use the recommended or suggested hook
    The biggest, most freeing thing that I have learned about crochet is that you don’t have to use the recommended or suggested hook. There are certain manufacturers whose suggestions are useful, while others, I’ll increase a hook size or two. Also, not all hooks are the same, a metal hook may glide over one yarn while a plastic or wooden one will slow you down. Use the right tools for the project. You only know what the right tool is, if you try a lot of yarns and use different hooks.

    5. Crochet in public
    Crochet in public. For a while I didn’t crochet in public because I didn’t want people to ask me about my project. Though, I would crochet at lectures or talks at the public library. Just sitting and listening, makes me fidgety. I would take pages of notes that I wouldn’t necessarily want to keep just to keep busy and stay focused. Taking notes on the salient points is still useful but for something where I may zone out, crocheting a pattern that I know well, helps me stay focused. Also, when I have to wait, having a project allows me to be engaged with my surroundings and not as closed off as I would be if I were just reading a book.

    There still more to learn and about the art of crochet. It’s fun, a pastime and a way to make things that I can share with others. I don’t want to sell things, that’s added pressure to make a deadline. Even though I set goals and break those down into mini goals for myself, that’s it a goal I have set for myself. If I don’t make my goal, I haven’t disappointed anyone. It’s enjoyable sitting down with a hook and yarn while rooting for my favorite team on tv or a streaming a movie or show and finishing a few rows or a hat. No pressure and no stress, just relaxation and a way to share something with others.

    Happy crocheting!

  • Crochet - trial and error

    Mystery box score

    April 6, 2022 - By 

    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.

    Kraemer’s boxes are sold out now, but when they restock, don’t hesitate, because they go quickly!

    Happy crocheting!

     

  • Hat and scarf goals - trial and error

    Color choices

    March 12, 2022 - By 

    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.

    The first set, the yarn seemed a darker and the more prominent grey and I thought that it would be suitable. The hat was ok but lighter than I anticipated, thought manageable. However when it came time for the scarf, the pattern I chose highlighted more of the white. Love the yarn, Premier Puzzle but won’t buy the color again. [Colorway – Jacks.]

    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.

     

    These two experiences makes me think of a song on a kid’s show I watched growing up – “oops I made a mistake that’s all and making mistakes is never fun… It’s part of growing up.” I’ll chalk these up to learning experiences. Though the scarf that I made in Puzzle is a pattern that I will use again because I’m a big fan of Puzzle and have quite a bit in my working stash. It’s great – machine wash and dry and soft. These learning experiences weren’t bad and even though the colors are lighter than I anticipated, someone may still use them to keep warm.

    Keep moving forward!

    Happy crocheting!