crochet cacti trio

July 3, 2016 by 6 Comments

My office in our new building is nice and big, but it’s got no windows and is very bare since we have to provide our own decor.  It needs something green, and since I can’t really grow real plants in there, I had to make my own!

IMG_3960not your average crochet - cacti

I’m really happy with all of them!  The agave took the longest and was hardest on my hands, but even so I can’t pick a favorite!

IMG_3960not your average crochet - cacti

I talked about the barrel cactus in my last post.  The agave & saguaro were also made with worsted yarn and a size E hook.  The free pattern for the agave can be found here and the free pattern for the saguaro can be found here.  I made some alterations though — with the agave plant I made 5 of the medium leaves, 3 of the small leaves, and then I made 3 even smaller leaves that aren’t included in the free pattern but follow the same easy premise.

not your average crochet - agave

I also made the saguaro a little taller so that I could bury a good bit of it under the rocks to stabilize it.

not your average crochet - saguaro cactus

These are just so cute, I’m so happy with them.  I might have to go back to the store and get a couple more pots and try a couple of other types of cacti!

Well that’s all for today, thanks for stopping by!

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summer crochet

June 30, 2016 by 6 Comments

The Maeve shrug is still coming along — only about 4 more inches of the band to go and I can bind off.  Unfortunately for productivity the shrug is big, wool, & warm, so I wanted to start some smaller, quicker, cooler projects.

Say hello to my little barrel cactus!

not your average crochet - barrel cactus

Isn’t he cute?  The free crochet pattern is here (although I doubled the stitches per row and the number of rows), and the free crochet pattern for the pink flower I put on top is here.

not your average crochet - barrel cactus

I want to name him something adorable.  There’s also a mini agave plant and a mini saguaro cactus in the works; the trio will help decorate my sad window-less office and make it sorta-kinda seem like there are living things in there… sorta.

not your average crochet - barrel cactus

Speaking of decorating my office, I’ve also started a doily for my very large wooden desk!  The crochet pattern is called “Debbie” and it can be found for $3.99 USD here.

not your average crochet - Debbie doily

It’s worth noting that I’m using my new Clover Amour hooks and I swear I couldn’t get so much done at once if it wasn’t for those awesome handles.  However, I DID have to do the first bit 3 times before getting even close to gauge with different hooks; it calls for a steel 1.75 mm hook but I’m using a 2.75 mm hook instead.  I wonder if the author had a problem with their gauge (which is not very likely), if I have a problem with mine, or if the tapered hooks (instead of my usual inline) are making a difference.  I’ll have to remember to do gauge swatches when using these hooks in the future, just in case.  It’s a fun pattern so far anyhow, with interesting stitches but nothing too hard (at least not yet).

As far as other life stuff goes, I dyed my hair purple & got a side cut, which I love.  Work has been crazy busy but we just passed inspection for the renewal of our accreditation so I’m hoping things will get a bit easier, at least for a little bit.  I think we all need a break, because we’ve all got a bunch of other life junk going on too and we need to practice some self care.

Well, that’s all for today I suppose.  I’ll update with more cacti soon, hopefully, and progress on the doily and the Maeve!  Thanks so much for stopping by, see you soon!

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summer beach wear – tank top & floppy hat!

June 16, 2016 by 7 Comments

Hello everyone!  Seems like it’s been a while, but I was on vacation in Pensacola, FL and didn’t do much at all (and it was so nice)!  There are a couple of FOs I have to share with you; first up are the Fun Shine Sun Hat (a paid crochet pattern that features a thin wire that runs through the last row of sc stitches to add some stability to the brim) & the Split Back Tank (a free knitting pattern that works up quick & is nice & breezy):

fun shine sun hat & split back tank

The Fun Shine Sun Hat won out over the Floppy Brimmed Victoria Hat, which I also made; the Victoria hat wouldn’t quite stay in the desired shape & was also thicker (read: warmer) because it uses 2 yarns at once so I tried the Fun Shine hat & loved it.  For the hat I used Lily Sugar & Cream Super Size in Ecru (worsted, 100% cotton); I haven’t measured how much yarn I used yet but it was a good bit since I added some rows (see here for the specific pattern mods I made).

IMG_6272

The Split Back Tank is the first knitted garment (not accessory) that I’ve ever completed, and I love it!  It works up big using fingering weight yarn (I used the suggested Lindy Chain from Knit Picks, a linen/cotton blend) and US 9 needles (5.5 mm), but it shrinks when you wash and dry it in the machine (which it’s supposed to do).  It’s worked flat since the back is split all the way up, and it’s connected/finished off with a row of sc around the arm holes & the neck; mine’s not the finest because I haven’t really practiced crocheting into the sides of curved knitted items and thus some holes appeared, lending a sloppy appearance when viewed close up.  It fits great though and is comfy, despite the rather rough feel of the linen while knitting.

I’ve still got plenty of WIPs but no significant progress has been made to warrant update photos; hopefully I’ll get busy this week (my brain still feels like it’s gone, in one way or another).

That’s all for today then, thanks for stopping by!  See you soon!

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new hooks, new projects!

June 2, 2016 by 5 Comments

Hello everyone!

I know I just posted about how I only like inline crochet hooks, and I’m not taking it back (yet).  But I’ve never seen tiny steel hooks made that way, even from Susan Bates, so I got the Clover Amour Steel Crochet Hook Set on sale.  I plan on using them for Christmas gifts but other than that I don’t often use tiny steel hooks, and the comfy handles of the Clover Amour hooks were so nice that they got me interested in the regular set, and I had to purchase it (on super sale on Amazon right now, made extra worth it because I have a student account which means I get free 2-day shipping on everything):

Clover Amour Crochet Hooks

The set comes w/ US sizes B, C, D, E, F, G, 7, H, I, & J, that’s 10 hooks!

Not only are they comfy to hold, but they’re pretty, so I had to take a photo of both sets together:

Clover Amour Crochet Hooks

The steel & regular Clover Amour crochet hook sets

And with all these pretty hooks, I wanted a pretty pouch for them, because neither of the sets come with any kind of case (unless you pay extra for the gift set).  Instead of buying a pretty pouch, though, I just used my Not Your Granny’s Granny Square Clutch (my free downloadable PDF crochet pattern):

Not Your Granny's Granny Square Clutch

And it was just so pretty I had to take another one (and you can sort of see the cute lining in the clutch in this one, although it’s a bit out of focus):

Not Your Granny's Granny Square Clutch

Especially since I bought the whole set of the regular hooks instead of just trying one (I really wanted to nab that sale before it disappeared), I really hope the lovely ergonomic handles make it worth dealing with the tapered hooks.  I’m about to start a beach hat for my upcoming trip to Pensacola, FL (a girls trip with family members) with one of these hooks after I finish writing this post, so I’ll soon find out!  I’ll use the Fun Shine Sun Hat pattern with these items (the wire is called for in the pattern but it doesn’t say so on the Ravelry page — it’s to stabilize the brim):

Fun Shine Sun Hat beginnings

I actually already made a sun hat specifically for this occasion, but I’ll post about it later; I think this one will be more practical.

Well, that’s all for now, thanks so much for stopping by!  If you use the Clover Amour hooks, do you like them?  Let me know below.  See you soon!

-Hannah

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pattern woes & pretty hooks

May 15, 2016 by 5 Comments

The crochet Kippen cardigan I started came to an abrupt halt after row 1; I think the pattern has incorrect foundation chain numbers for both the XS and S versions.  I messaged the publisher about 2 weeks ago and have gotten no reply.  Looking at the written pattern, I thought at first that I should chain the stated # and go on with the different stitch count, but now I’m thinking I should probably chain the required amount to meet the correct stitch count after row 1.  *sigh*  This was unexpectedly disappointing (especially after paying about $15 USD for the pattern), but I’ll probably start on it soon and we’ll just see how it goes!

In other crochet news, I have an old set of steel crochet hooks that were my great grandmother’s, but they’re so uncomfortable to use because they have no good place to grip.  I therefore took advantage of a KnitPicks sale & bought the Clover Amour steel hook set:

Clover Amour crochet hook set

Aren’t they pretty?  They came with caps to protect the steel ends (or perhaps to protect humans from the sharp tiny tips), as you can see.  I’m going to use them for some Christmas ornaments.  They didn’t come with a good case though, just the plastic packaging, so I’ll probably get a pencil case to keep them in.

Speaking of pretty and ergonomic crochet hooks, have you seen Furls crochet hooks?  I prefer inline hooks and this is the only brand outside of Susan Bates that I know of that makes them (if you know of more brands, please tell me in the comments)!  You can get beautiful wooden ones for about $75 USD each, PolyResin ones for about $50 USD each, or their more affordable metal tipped ones for about $30 USD each.  I really want the candy colored PolyResin ones but those will have to be saved for special treats!

In my knitting world I still have 3 of 4 straps to finish on my Split Back Tank but that shouldn’t take long, and then I’ll wash it and share!  I’m also diligently working on my Maeve shrug:

maeve shrug

It’s not really as bright or as coral-y in real life, which I prefer, but I’ve had trouble getting any photos that accurately portray the colors.

Speaking of accurately portraying colors (or not), check out this gorgeous yarn:

Leizu DK

It’s a little more pink in real life, testifying to my newfound obsession with all shades pink (which is also evidenced by the Maeve shrug & Kippen cardigan & one more project I’ll share soon).  It’s Leizu DK yarn from Julie Asselin (90% merino, 10% silk) in the colorway Shiitake. I’m planning for this to be a lovely wearable item, I’m just not sure 100% what yet; I’ve got so many options that it’s hard to decide.

Well, that’s all for now; I’ve gotta go to Michael’s before they close to get some things framed for my office at work.  Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

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