mini police box and interesting videos

I had some fun last night creating these two squares. They are part of the afghan Patchwork Squares. You can find it at e-Patterns Central or in the Crochet World August 2010 issue (available online if you have a digital subscription).

The afghan contains four different squares. Of the two I made, the one on the left uses the berry stitch, which I just love. So simple. The one on the right uses popcorn stitches. I used to shy away from popcorns, but they are really not difficult. I had to do additional rows to get my square to the same size as the other one, but that was not really a problem. They are 8 1/2" square.

I added a round of hdc to the berry stitch top and bottom and sc to the sides to get it "square". On the popcorn, I worked additional rows plus an edging of  dc all around. That one was really off on size if they are supposed to be the same size, at least for me. Now I must admit I did not work gauge so it is most likely me and not the pattern.

My friend has received her gift so I can show photos of the special project. It is a miniature police box. :-) She is a big Who fan. I know I said I wasn't going to do another, but this one was small. Still the same number of color changes, but didn't take nearly as long to do. It came out a bit smaller than I'd hoped, but still quite serviceable and she is pleased with it. That's the important thing. FYI, this is a "side" view of the police box, without the phone opening.


Here are some photos to show the difference in size between the full size and the mini.

Since we recently talked about crochet courses, I grabbed on to this file that was posted somewhere - Ravelry I think. It is a skills check off list, so you can see how you fare. http://4h.wsu.edu/em2778cd/pdf/c0678.pdf

Here are some online classes that are available. These are not free, but paid courses.

KRW Knitwear. http://learningcenter.krwknitwear.com/

Crochetville http://www.crochetville.org/forum/

Then I found this cute pattern for a long "tree topper" hat for sale.
http://www.crochetmemories.com/patterns/santa-hat-tree-topper.php

Maggie Weldon posted a free pattern for a pretty Cathedral Window potholder on her Facebook page. Look in the tabs under Free Pattern.

I also was going through my YouTube favorites and ran across a few videos from which I thought you all might benefit.



The one above shows how to add chains if you miscount when you're making a long foundation chain.

Then I found this video showing how to make the first stitch of a row with a chain up sort of turning chain. It gives the first stitch of a new row the look of a regular stitch, rather than the thinner chains.



Isn't that neat? I wish I would remember these things when I'm working.

This one shows a different method of taking care of tails as you go. You can decide if this method is for you or not, but I found it interesting.



Also neat. It's great that these things are available so we can share our knowledge with one another.

I think that's all I have for you today. Don't you love when you go through files and find neat stuff? :-) I do.

Happy crocheting!

I PASSED!

Just got the news via e-mail ... I passed the CGOA MASTER OF ADVANCED CROCHET STITCHES AND TECHNIQUES course. My grateful thanks to CGOA and Karen George, who reviewed my swatches. I'm very pleased and excited. Was it worth the wait? Since I passed I can say definitively YES, indeedy. ;-)

It's been a wild ride, but I do think now it was worth it.

If you're considering taking the course, you have an advantage in that you can be prepared if there is a delay. As long as you understand that, I think it is well worth the time and trouble.

Here is the timeline of my experience.

July 12, 2010 Rec'd my course materials via e-mail
July 19 Finished course and rec'd letter to hold it until notified (on July 28 there were 58 ahead of me)
Nov 2 Rec'd request to mail portfolio to head office. I am among the top 15 (mailed it out that day priority)
Nov 5  portfolio was rec'd by CGOA office according to delivery confirmation
Nov 22 rec'd note that my portfolio was being sent to a reviewer
Dec 1  rec'd note from reviewer that she had rec'd the portfolio and I should allow a month for processing
Dec 12  rec'd notification that I passed!

Really, once things got moving, it didn't take that long. If you look at the numbers, it looks to me like they were processing about 15 portfolios a month and I was told mine would take about a month.

These are volunteers, so this is not the only thing they do. They have lives, jobs, kids, etc. and now it is the holiday season. Note that I received my notification on a Sunday so they are working weekends too.

Taking everything into consideration, I think they really are processing as quickly as they can while doing a proper job of it so that when you get the certificate, it has meaning.

In other news, here's a photo of the stocking I made using Maggie Weldon's granny mini stocking pattern. I thought it was a square since it is named "Granny Square Mini Christmas Stocking" but when I went to work it, I discovered it is a pentagon. Nice pattern. Do follow the instructions and sew the ends in when she specifies. This is important. *voice of experience*

Maggie specifies a G hook. I was a rebel and used an H hook and regretted it. I got a stocking that was really larger than I wanted. My bad. I think if I were making this again. I would use sport weight yarn and the G hook or even fingering and a smaller hook to get a tiny one.

That's all for now. I have a special project in the works, but can't post about it yet as it's a gift.


Happy crocheting!

this 'n that

Finished a dozen squares for Share a Square, but haven't been able to mail them yet. Hoping to feel better and get them out in the coming week. I don't like having things hanging about so I try to mail them off soon as I can.

I have to share this blog post I found with a photo of a retro granny square dress. You can see it at http://www.crochetbug.com/i-get-my-go-go-granny-dress-done/  I did not like the Cate Blanchett's dress, but this one is growing on me. She said it was like wearing an afghan, and I can see that. I might like to be "wearing an afghan" on the few cold days we have here which is actually NOW. LOL

I was looking for a hooded scarf pattern to try as hubby mentioned how hard it was to keep the scarf wrapped around his neck in the cold weather. We southerners are not prepared for the cold northern winters. I did make a hooded scarf out of a scarf I had on hand, and it was soooo simple, but I was not as happy as I might be with the pointy back end. It was okay, but not as good as I'd like. I know. Picky me.

I found a seamless hooded scarf at Ravelry - several in fact. I might try this one at Andraya's when my Swish superwash wool yarn comes in. I've never used a superwash that I can recall so I'm anxious to see how it works out.

I also found a hooded scarf at Crochet Spot. This one is for purchase. I'm thinking about it. The one I was looking at doesn't wrap around the neck, but hangs down with pockets. I can't tell from the photo just how the "hood" portion is created.  As to pockets, one could take extra length and fold them up to make large pockets, I'd think. In any case there are lots of good things in her store as well. Instructions for her projects are well done, at least the ones I've seen.

When I was tired of looking at scarves, I went through the links in my e-mail which included this one from Maggie Weldon at http://www.bestfreecrochet.com/?p=964 for a small stocking ornament made of a granny square. It uses triple crochets. Some time ago I had a similar stocking made with a pentagon. You can find it at the bottom of the tutorial on the pentagon. I'm going to have to try Maggie's though. Very cute.

Maggie also has a full size stocking pattern at the site. You can find it at  http://www.bestfreecrochet.com/?p=962 . I love the way she has been sending out e-mails for her for-sale patterns as well as including a free one. All of her patterns are nice. If you missed some of them you can see them in the Archives.

Guess that's it for now. Hope December is not too cold for you. It's been pretty cold here. In fact, I put on a long sleeve t-shirt today and I hardly ever wear long sleeves. I've watched a few news reports with lots of snow in the northern states. I feel sorry for the football players who have to play in the inclement weather. Hope they all stay healthy.

Happy crocheting!

squares

I decided to work on more squares and here are the beginnings of this go round. I used Kim Jiries Double Cross pattern for a couple and my daughter's X Stitch pattern for a couple.


My camera doesn't do well with the red/orange colors, so I will show you a picture of the square my daughter made when she designed hers.

For this foray, I chose to use the bright orange thinking there might be some very young children who would like bright colors.

I went through my Debbie Macomber hanging storage bag (I also have the single project bag and the small see through bag) and found even more of those small granny squares. I pulled out some yarn and brought those up to 6" so I could use them for Share a Square. Here is the result.

Happy crocheting!

neck cozy, Inox/Prym hooks

neck cozy

You may have noticed that I've been making a lot of scarves lately. heh

When trying on some scarves I had on hand (for his trips into the snowy land of Wisconsin), hubby mentioned he liked the shorter length.

With that in mind I started looking at neck cozies. How much shorter can you get, right? I found this pattern and decided to make one in manly colors. I haven't put the buttons on yet - there were no instructions but I guess you just sew them on. There were also no button holes designated as such.

wood pin

As it happened I had just received two cute little wooden needles, so I decided to use one as a shawl pin. I think it works quite well and very easy to use.

Megan Rose is modeling the neck cozy while wearing a hat I made last year while working up the Bulky Men's Hat. Of course, she is obviously not a man though both the hat and cozy were made with a man in mind. The hat is a bit large on her, but I didn't want her head to get cold. We have to take care of our models. She also insisted on wearing my jingle bell Christmas earrings. :-)

As I may have said before, my favorite hook is my aluminum made in Germany H Inox hook. These are no longer manufactured and I'm sure anyone who has one is holding on to it. They were made in Mexico at one point and there are some similar that say made in India, but I don't know if those were listed as Inox or Prym or some other. The Prym hooks replaced the Inox once upon a time and are listed as Inox in some places. They are not the same as the original, but are similar in coating and design. I find the length close to Bates hooks.


Every now and then I go off and try to find these again, hoping to run into some original ones. I saw the aluminum Prym hooks listed at The Pattern House and decided to get a couple in the H and I that I use most often.

The order was delayed, but to my surprise and delight, when it arrived, I found the cute little wood pins and also a slap wrist pin cushion. I love it and have already used it several times. 

This little item has really been a help since I've been lying on the sofa more in the past few days between the strained back muscle and this cold. The cushion  can be worn on the wrist as shown above, or on the finger as I have it here.

Unfortunately, two of the hooks ordered were plastic rather than aluminum. Debra has been very quick to correct this problem and also to find out from her distributor what happened. I couldn't be more pleased with the service. She is sending me Bates Quicksilver hooks to replace the incorrect Pryms. I will return the incorrect Pryms to her.

I can understand how the error occurred from the store end. The hooks look very much the same and, in the wrapper, you can't really tell the difference. As soon as I took it out of the package, however, I could tell the difference. (This is me glad that I didn't wait a few months to open them!)

If you drop it on the floor, it makes a very different sound too. Even so, I wasn't convinced I was right until I asked my husband his opinion. He immediately said the I hook was plastic. The plastic ones also bend slightly even when in the package. As a store owner, however, I certainly wouldn't want to have to try and bend every hook that comes in to be sure it is aluminum. LOL Also, the price must be different, even for them, so they would want to get the right item.

This little snafu made me curious, so I pulled out my grey hooks. The one on the far left is plastic. The two next to it are Pryms. The H Prym hook is about a quarter inch shorter than the others. The one on the far right is an Inox made in Mexico and the ones next to it are hooks that look like Prym but say Made in India. I don't have the original wrapper so I don't know if these were indeed Inox or Pryms or some lookalikes that I saw and tried. Most of them are the same in length, but the "true" Inox, to me, have the right weight / length / smoothness etc. Of course, hooks are very personal. Each crocheter works differently and what works well for me might not for you.

You know I have plenty enough hooks, but isn't it funny that if I'm in a hurry that one hook is the one I turn to.

Happy crocheting!