Crochet 101 - The Chain

Step one - Picture one: Wrap your yarn around your finger
Step two - Picture two and three: Pull a loop like you are making a slip knot
Step three - Picture four: Place the loop on your hook and pull it tight
Step four - Picture five: Yarn over your hook from the back
Step five - Picture six: Pull the yarn through the loop on your hook

Picture seven: If you continue following steps four and five you will make a chain
Picture eight: On one side of your chain it will look like a braid
Picture nine: On the other side it will have a ridge down the middle like a spine (This is important when you start crocheting)

What is a chain? The chain is the foundation of your project. In patterns it may tell you to chain once or twice in between your stitches. More on that later...

Important: The loop that is currently on your hook is not considered a chain! (For instance: If you are wanting to chain 10 - you would not count the loop on your hook!)

Homework!!

Practice making a chains. Remember - Practice makes perfect!!

Crochet 101

I have family and friends who have wanted to learn to crochet. BUT they don’t live near me and I have found it hard to teach them with out being able to sit down with them.

So… the next few blogs are in their honor and the honor of those who want to learn!

Welcome to your crochet school! :)

Time to go shopping! What you will need:

Crochet Hook: Purchase a size N- 9.00mm to start with (or any size you would like.. the bigger the better for now.)

Yarn: Any Color (try to stay away from black and white – they are the hardest learn with because it is harder to see your loops.)

Type of yarn? I recommend “Red Heart” or if you have a Hobby Lobby near you get their brand “I love this yarn”. Don’t try to learn with lacy or frilly yarn…

Please let me know your feed back as we go along.

Christmas Ideas in May

Have you ever made something for someone and wanted to do it again because the reaction that they had made you feel so good?

Last September, I started making Christmas gifts for my family. I did not have time to make everyone something but the reaction that I had from those who did get a crocheted gift made me feel so good!! I decided to compete against myself and see if I can do better this coming Christmas.

I wasn't planning on making Christmas gifts this year but while I was browsing my favorite crochet website (ravelry.com) I saw a blanket that I just had to make. While making it I realized that it had my nephew's name written all over it! Granted he is not old enough to really appreciate it but I knew he had to have it. It if finished and it looks awesome! Sorry!! I can't show any pictures because I don't want anyone in my family to see them until Christmas!

Now I am working on a blanket for my niece, Iris. I think it is going to look cute but it is a little too early to tell.

I have written down what pattern, colors, and size blanket I am going to make every one. I hope my plan works. I am so excited but it is going to be so hard to keep it a secret!

I hope that our move goes quick so that I will have more time to work on them. I also am hoping that I will be able to make my husband something that he will love and surprise him as well. Cross your fingers!

Moving Pains

My husband and I are moving in exactly a month! I would be okay with it if I knew that we would be ready on time! Today we went to the new place to clean it thinking we would have it done in no time... but we realized that we have our work cut out for us! Don't get me wrong - this is a nice place but it hasn't been lived in for over a year and the girl that lived there last left it dirty...
( I will spare you the details of that)
There are spider webs every where. Dead lady bugs in the windows. The carpet was dirty ( after I shampooed them they looked so much better!).

We made a emergency run to dollar general and I found my new best friends! I bought a duster wand that opens the size of two brooms! I can reach the top of the ceiling now and get the spider webs! I also found a little sweeper brush that is helping me get the lady bugs out. ( my windows will sparkle when I am done with them!) OH! and while attempting to bleach the kitchen cabinets we found a hand held vacuum!! It works like a miracle! Do you understand how nice that will be?! (think about having a cat and a dog... now you understand)

But all of this will take time. I am scared that we will run out of time to clean and pack and move. I do not want to move our stuff until we have it completely clean (did I mention that we wanted to paint too?!?).

Do you ever wish you could take a break from life so that you could get done the things that are very important? I sure do.

With all the stress of the move my desire to crochet is ten times worse! I know it is because crocheting is the one thing that relaxes me but I am afraid I won't have much time for it. I know I sound very pitiful but if I could show you what we are up against you might just understand... :) But none the less I know it will work out. I just want ten more hands and a ton more time...

So... to those who crochet... Please take extra time to crochet in my honor...

To those who are neat freaks... can you please help me clean?!? :) heehee!!

To those who are good at packing... come on over!!

This is my story and I'm sticking to it.

Baby Fever...

Baby Fever...

When it comes it comes like a wave...

rushing at you...

That is what it has felt like this month. My husband and I have been married for two years and we are by no means ready or trying to have kids. Yet I found myself signing up to watch new born babies every Sunday morning, found myself looking at patterns for baby stuff, found myself walking through the baby section at the mall...

Because of this wave, I had to put my 'mint chocolate chip blanket' on hold and crocheted this dress that I have been admiring since I received May/June edition of Crochet Today! Before beginning this dress I had reservations... the pattern said that it was intermediate... I have only been crocheting patterns that are for beginners or labeled easy for the last year. I wasn't sure that I could do an intermediate pattern yet.

But what does it hurt to try?! Right?! :)

I believe that it was a very easy intermediate pattern but either way it was so much fun! I made it for my 18 month old niece, Iris! I can hardly wait to see how it looks on her! I would look to make some bloomers to go under the dress but we will see about that.

To those who do not think they could learn to crochet - If I can learn and continue to learn - you can do it!! Give it a try!! It is very rewarding!!

Now I need to focus on finishing my blanket but I have my eye on the wedding ring afghan in the May/June Crochet Today magazine!! :)

The Art Of Spinning

A few weeks ago I went to FireFox Museum (http://www.foxfire.org/) with my parents and grandparents. At FireFox you will get a look at the lifestyle of the pioneer culture of the Southern Appalachian mountains. We had a great time looking at the houses and imagining how it would be like to live in a one room cabin with ten kids!

While we were there we saw a lady who was spinning wool into yarn. If you know me you know I love having yarn and a hook in my hand! It was so fascinating! She had a wheel similar to the one above and was taking clumps of wool that she had bought from a sheep farm near by and was making yarn. Towards the back of her workshop she had skeins of yarn for sale at 25 dollars each. Granted I am used to paying 2 to 3 dollars for one skein at Hobby Lobby but it was so neat to see the process of how yarn is made!

For the longest time, I held in my had the prettiest yarn I had ever seen! It was a dark brown and it was so soft! She told me that it came from a black baby sheep and the reason that it was softer then all the others was because that was his first hair cut! I almost talked myself into buying it but I didn't!

Before I left I got information on taking classes to learn to spin wool. Between the class, buying the stuff I would need, and buying wool from a local farm I am not sure that this is a project that I can take on right now. Maybe one day when we strike it rich! :)

I did learn that you can make yarn out of dog hair! I have enough of that here at home that I wouldn't have to worry about the cost! So, to those of you who spin... if you need dog hair I am willing to sell it to you!

My Mint Chocolate Chip Blanket

Five weeks ago I ran into Books-A-Million and bought Crochet Today!'s All Time Best Blankets and started working on their Perfect Picnic Blanket Pattern. Their blanket is red and white but I wanted to work with colors that are in my living room. I decided to use light green and brown. I LOVE IT so far!! It does remind me of

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream when I am working on it but I think that is fun!

When I started this project I told myself that I would only work on this one thing. I have a habit of starting 5 different projects at once because I want to do everything! That worked for the first four weeks... I spent a few days with my mom and before I left I was teaching her how to crochet. I was showing her how to read a pattern and what working in the round is. She read me a pattern and I crocheted it. (I was amazed that she could read the pattern!!) While making this granny square I thought it would be neat to make four squares.. four different colors and place them in nice frames. I spent this week doing that and I have to say I am very happy! It looks great! I now have something to put on my wall above my kitchen table.

Mistake number two came last night. I had spent some time finding beginner patterns for my mom and saw a few patterns that I thought were cute. I saw a picture of a baby cocoon and went on a search for patterns. I found them! I also found a pattern for a Crochet Bunting.

Despite my distractions... I will not give up! I can hardly wait to see the end result of my blanket!

What projects are you working on? Do you find yourself distracted?