Oh Say Can You Crochet?

You may remember I have mentioned many times that, despite the fact that I make afghans using yarn and a crochet hook, I really don’t know how to crochet. I never knew the names of the stitches and I had no idea how to follow a pattern. I know what knitting is supposed to look like so I can count the stitches and it is easy to spot a mistake. Crochet is a bunch of lumps and bumps and I have not gotten well enough acquainted with the intricacies of stitches to tell one from the other.

So…ta da…I took a class. There were four of us in the group at Yarn Garden and my experience with not knowing what I was doing but doing it anyway did put me a step ahead as the others were learning how to hold the hook. So I learned to make a chain, sc (single crochet) into that chain, and add dc (double crochet) for increased stitch height. I made a little square. A teeny tiny potholder.

Then I bit the bullet and started the project I have been wanting to make. I’ve had the pattern for months. That little bit of knowledge got me going and I got the bag started during the class. And I am clicking along here at home. When I get enough rounds of loops that the bag measures 12¨ I will hit a snag. Linda and Monica are standing by and the class instructor has made herself available by e-mail. So I am soldiering on.

You will agree I need another mesh market bag!

Multi-Color Soxie Sox

My third pair of socks and the easiest yet as I finally know what I am doing. I have modified the pattern so the socks will actually fit my feet. It just seems like a good idea to have a pair of socks going. A small portable project. I will take along with me to Jury Duty tomorrow. Hopefully, the size 1 bamboo needles will not pose a terrorist security threat. I actually started this project months ago and then it migrated to the back of the closet. Now that I have finished Pair #2, I will get going on these again. This is the first sock of the pair.

Kitchner Toes

I started these Tofutsie socks a year ago [see June 7, 2007 posting] and I finally finished them yesterday sitting on my friend Linda's patio. That last little part of weaving the toe together just defeats me. But Linda is a whiz and with her help I have now completed another pair of socks. Believe it or not, I am on pair three. And I have yarn put aside for two more. My feet will be cozy next winter.

State Fair Entries

A friend at Yarn Yoga reminded me that I had noticed an absence of lace knitting being displayed at the State Fair when I went two years ago. So this year I plan to enter some lace. Of course, things may have changed since then. However, I plan to send the beautiful Edwardian Carrying Cape I made as a Christening Cape for my granddaughter. [See posting for 10/17/07.]

I am also making a lace scarf. Soft and warm. And with the weather being what it is in Oregon, I won't have to wait until calendar winter to wear it. It is made with Debbie Bliss wool/cashmere blend on size 7 needles. The pattern is called VanDyke lace.

Ten UFO’s

Count them. Thanks…I’d rather not. But there they are…all those unfinished objects lurking in the back of the closet and stuck here and there about the house in several of the multitude of bags I love to keep on hand. Can you believe I just made another one! [See entry below.]

Anyhow…I am thinking that I should (there’s that word again) finish them before I start any more with the wonderful yarns I purchased while on vacation. Ten projects/ten weeks. If I stick to a schedule, I could have everything wound up by the end of September. Just in time to start on warm fuzzies for Fall and Winter.

Of course, some need more work than others. Take the socks, for example. One pair is done except for joining the toes with the dreaded Kitchner Stitch. The other pair has sock one half done and sock two not even started. Mending an afghan should be a quickie, but the Sixteen Color Vest will take more than a week. (It took me a whole winter to knit it the first time before I ripped it out because I lost 50 pounds that same winter and by the time I finished it, it was way too big.)

That’s all well and good, but on this quiet Sunday I want so much to plunge into some of the yarn waiting…waiting…waiting. While in Missouri, I visited The Studio in Kansas City which was a favorite spot when I lived back there. And I dropped in to Kiddin’ Around in Clinton to just say hi and ended up with two balls of fun bumpy yarn. Then my friend Jane gave me some from her stash. I also have some skeins sent by a friend that would make a great scarf for her.

So the PIW’s are beckoning. But I will stand firm. At least for today. I have a plan to meet my friend Linda next week to get back into Sock Mode. She is a pro at that K Stitch. And I do like the small sock projects as take-alongs.

The State Fair is coming up but I have resolved not to enter anything that is not already complete. No more stitching up the last seam in the car on the way to the drop-off point. Watch this space for updates on the final decision on knitted items. The Quilt will go, of course.

To Market...To Market...

If you know me, you know it is NOT to buy a fat pig. Baby treats, natural old-fashioned peanut butter, and organic tea fit nicely. I made this in one evening on Size 17 needles from a Mother Earth Knitted Bag pattern from Fibers Grass Valley at 120 Mill Street, Grass Valley CA.

Next time I will use a circular needle so I don't have to sew up the sides. Maybe add some color stripes. This is made with 100 yards of hemp.