I usually hate reading blogs where there is a long lapse between posts, but I’m doing it myself. In my defense, I do have another blog to attend to. This one is fiber-only content. My other blog has everything else…vegetarianism, primitivism, feminism. I figured a one-stop blog would offend too many people, so I split them up.
I made some purchases, recently. I bought a set of crochet hooks that Grumperina recommended, but I ended up returning them. They are too short and hit my palm in an uncomfortable place. I’m used to hooks that completely clear my palm and stick out the other side, like knitting needles. I bought them because they supposedly have a comfortable grip. I have been wanting to try amigurumi, and since the stitches are so tight (to keep the stuffing from poking through), it was mentioned in a book that hand crampss might be a problem if one didn’t use a comfort-type hook. But I’ve been eyeing the Addi Turbo crochet hooks. They have a comfy-looking grip on them. But I also saw a video on YouTube the other day about making your own handles for crochet hooks out of polymer clay. That’s a thought. I wouldn’t use my current hooks, though. I’d buy new ones, b/c I love my Susan Bates, and some of these go way back, when they used to be made better, so I wouldn’t want to ruin them.
I have been crocheting dishcloths and scrunchies.
I used Paton’s Grace for this scrunchie. I bought it at Michael’s, I think. It’s mercerized and sport weight. It’s nice yarn.
This dishcloth was made with half double crochet alternating in the front and back loop.
And this is just plain half-double crochet (I think), with a single crochet border.
These dishcloths were made from Knitpicks CotLin which is 70% cotton, 30% linen. It’s DK weight. I used to crochet dishcloths out of worsted weight “kitchen cotton,” back when I didn’t know how to knit. And they were serviceable. However, when I learned to knit and made knitted dishcloths, I found them to be better because they were thinner. So, this DK weight yarn is great for crocheted dishcloths. I don’t think it has the same scrubbing action as the cotton that most people use for dishcloths (Peaches and Creme, and Sugar ‘n Cream), but it’s fine.
I also ordered several skeins of Shine Sport from Knitpicks. I can’t decide if I’m going to crochet a summer top with it or knit one. Now that I’m crocheting so much, I get frustrated with the slowness of knitting.
I’m also crocheting a tank top with a DK weight cotton/merino blend, but I had to rip it out and start over because it was too snug. I swear I either over-estimate or under-estimate how wide I am. I did read a nice tip in a magazine recently, though. When you measure your chest, you shouldn’t measure around your breasts. You should measure above them, just under your arms, and if your breasts are large, you can put in bust darts (like short rows). Interesting. It makes sense, because I have a store-bought sweater that fits me really well, and it is not the measurement of the fullest part of my bust. The sweaters that I have made with the measurement of the fullest part of my bust are huge on me.
The annual Black Sheep Gathering is next weekend. Woot! I’m looking forward to it. I’m going with a friend this year (I think). The friend that I taught to knit. She could never go before, because she worked the same shift as a coworker who always marked the calendar first…even though she has been going every year since its inception, she couldn’t pass up one year to let a new knitter go. What a bitch! Anyway, my friend is in a different department, so she’ll most likely be able to go.
Hopefully, posts will pick up. BSG always inspires me to knit and spin, even if I have been taking a break from it. The energy there is so wonderful. I really like I’m surrounded by my people. The first year I went, I actually teared up a bit.
