sc~dc 2: Entering new territory

Hello there again!

Today’s post should resemble the usual episode, so let’s dive right in.

Crochet & Knitting

Finished objects

Nope, none. I did a lot of frogging and learning.

Works in progress

Wobbly Hat

As I said in my new year recommendations, I wanted to learn knitting. So I did.

I owned a pair of 3.5 mm long needles for flat knitting and went to this page and learned how to cast on, how to do knit and purl stitches, and how to bind off. Easy peasy. Kinda. To some extent.

Then, I used double-pointed needles, and after knitting like three rows in flat, I joined and did a few rounds of plain stockinette. And my conclusion is: DPNs are fiddly. So. Darn. Fiddly. I am glad I still have both eyes because the ends were flying around as I was trying to understand how to hold them ~~comfortably~~ safely.

That was one evening. A few days later, a set of super cheap DPNs from Amazon arrived, and I started making a hat.

I didn’t use any pattern; I just cast on 88 stitches and went on my merry way of two knits, two purls.

The hat is hideous because my tension is all over the place, but I enjoy it very much. And if I finish it, I will wear it. At least inside the house!

I am doing continental knitting - is that right? The one when you hold the yarn in your left hand? I find the yarn throwing just inefficient, so I didn’t even try it. That’s just me, though - a beginner that knows nowt.

I love how stretchy the final fabric is. And I love how easy it is to fix mistakes. I can drop a stitch fifteen rounds down to fix a wrong stitch type, use a crochet hook to rebuild the column of stitches, and continue as if nothing happened. That’s just a luxury we don’t have in crochet.

But I don’t love how my screwed-up tension shows up. I suppose that’s expected because this is my first project, and I am switching stitches and needles, and I am sure it will improve over time. But still. That bothers the heck out of me.

I don’t want to hide my mistakes, so here are the bumps in all their glory.

Oh, and there is more. At the beginning, I used 3+1 needles, but (after too many rows) I switched to 4+1, and the flow got so much better. Yep, I have fewer stitches on each needle, so that means more needle switching, but the whole thing is way less stiff. And it’s also easier to store; it folds nicely.

And for materials, I use VlnaHep Tulip in colour 4019 and 5.0 mm needles.

This whole DPNs thing made me thinking, that the same can be done with double-ended tunisian hooks and crochet tunisian stitches in rounds. I will need to explore this area further.

The Ugly blanket

This project did get some love, but it’s a blanket done in a solid colour, so the progress is tiny.

I am enjoying that anyway. I think I could do some interesting colour work next. And by next, I mean in the next ten years because this will take me forever.

Full Stitch Hat

Tunisian crochet is my sorta-newly acquired skill, and I love it. So I decided to make this hat from Claudetta Crochet, using the same yarn - that’s the first time I have the yarn the pattern calls for.

Do not worry, it’s folded, so it looks odd and tiny, but it’s not tiny :)

I used a 5.5 mm normal hook for the brim, and I did single crochet BLO with 12 initial chains because the half doubles in the pattern had too many unsightly holes.

Now, I am using a 6.0 mm tunisian hook. It’s still in progress but I am already in love with it, and it’s definitely going with me on my trip to the mountains this February.

Acquisition

I got a huge box from Joann after it got stuck in the Netherlands for two weeks. Please, remember I live in Europe, so getting my hands on US/CA yarn is not something that happens often.

I went for value yarn, simply because I was too curious not to - some people were bashing it, and some people were making all of their projects out of it. Well, the other reason is that I fell in love with Red Heart Stripes colour combinations.

So, I got Caron One Pound, Red Heart Stripes, Lion Brand Ice Cream, Lion Brand Mandala Bonus Bundle, and Big Twist Value Worsted. I don’t want to get into reviewing because how fair would it be to review value yarn? However, I can say that the yarn was so cheap I am jealous. We do not have that here.

After I purchased the yarn, Joann raised their free-shipping threshold, so now it’s over 250$, and I am not paying that at once for yarn. And I am not sure shipping over the ocean would be worth it either. So, this is probably my one and only order of overseas value yarn.

But that is alright, we have cool yarns here as well, and if I search enough, I might find a stripes alternative.

Yarny chit-chat: How about some introductions

I thought I would start with a set of questions, so that you can get to know me a bit better

How long have you been crocheting?

Since December 2018. So, not that long. And I had many long breaks because my hands were sort of out of business.
Where do you crochet?

Everywhere. On trains - we have a great railway network here, so I travel by train mostly. At doc’s office (while waiting, not during the actual visit). At work - during calls, crocheting is the only way for me to focus on what is being said during the call and not wander off back to work.
When do you crochet?

I don’t have any specific timeframes or occasions. When I want to crochet, and I have a project with me, I crochet :)
What are your favourite hooks?

Darn, I chose a bad set of questions. I wouldn’t say I like some brands in particular, but I like when they have the thumb rest and are long enough so that they don’t poke my palm while working. But my hands are small, so that happened to me just once with those “keychain” hooks. A good example of my fav hooks would be Addi Swing.
Favourite brand of yarn?

That would be VlnaHep. It’s local, and they have various fibres like acrylic, wool, cotton, blends… I also like VSV and YarnArt.
Favourite things to crochet?

That highly depends on my mood. I enjoy amigurumis the most, I guess. But as I am venturing into wearables, that might change; who knows.
How do you get ideas or inspiration for your projects?

Youtube people, definitely. And absolutely random situations - a year ago, I found a fabric with honey bee gnomes. I fell in love with that idea and then discovered there is a whole subculture about gnomes in crochet.
How did you learn to crochet?

A friend taught me, which was great because I had someone available for questions.
Do you have any other hobbies?

MANY. I bore easily and I get excited easily, so I rotate my hobbies (like adults rotate toys for toddlers to keep them entertained :D). My biggest hobby is my job, which fulfils my soul the most.

See you in the next post ~