Are You Hooking?

I have a love/hate relationship with crochet. My sister Jill taught me a couple of years ago. After a million tries to just single crochet, I figured it out. Her words?

"Don't quit your day job, Sarah. I think knitting is your thing."

Flash forward and I think I have the basics - single crochet, double crochet, yarn over. But give me a pattern? Puhleeze. I'm ripping back at least 5 times. I think that crocheters, or hookers as they like to be called, have an crazy ability to "see" their pattern. As a knitter, I really rely on the pattern directions to the letter. When you crochet you have to "see" where you are going as you are going there.

So here is my latest crochet obsession: Queen Anne's Lace. It's a free pattern on K2togonline. The yarn is a silk/cotton blend Debbie Bliss Stella in this really awesome orange, only 2 skeins.

Hmm, i thought, what else do I have in my stash that would make an excellent scarf? What about a webby black Rowan cotton?

Very dramatic, don't you think?

Crafty Mondays

I'm not the only crafty one in my circle of friends. Many of my teacher friends have a hobby they enjoy: digital scrap-booking, beading, knitting, or crochet. This summer my friends and I started gathering for Crafty Mondays.

What do we do? Well, we all work on our latest project together and discuss new ones over light snacks.

What's cool is that each one of us is working on something different, but we are all artists: making something from raw materials with our hands. We "ooh" and "ahh" over each other's projects. And laugh over silly stories.

I'm so thankful I have a group of people I work with that I enjoy hanging with outside of my profession.

Slubby Scarf - a Recipe

Three words: It is HOT!

But that's not preventing me from doing a little knitting with my handspun. Teal gave me the batting 2 years ago after she went to the amazing Southeastern Animal and Fiber Fair. Drop-spindle spinning takes a long time. A very long time, but it's so worth it.

This pattern is a recipe, which means that it's a simple idea, but can be easily adapted based on yarn yardage, personal tastes, etc.

You will need:

1 skein of Spud & Chloe Outer

approximately 6 oz handspun.

Size 15 needles

My scarf measured about 5.5" X 72"

Recipe:

1. Cast on 14 stitches with handspun. Knit 6 rows.

2. . *K1, YO to end.

3. Knit, dropping all YO as you go.

4. Knit one row.

**Repeat from * twice more. You should have 3 dropped stitch sections.

Then knit 4 rows garter stitch with your Spud & Chloe Outer. Cut your ends, pick up the handspun and repeat.

I ended mine with 6 rows of Spud and Chloe Outer, largely because I was running out of yarn. Also, I chose not to weave in my ends too much. I think it adds to the charm.

Now, if it would just get a little cooler.....