There is beauty in Chaos! Or that is my theory and I am sticking to it!My Leadlight Blanket is progressing slowly.I wanted a Challenge! Something a bit different!Working from only one ball of yarn at a time, is not living on the edge. So what do I do? I design a pattern that in this colour work section, uses 96 bobbins of yarn.How it all Began!I saw a Mandala type Stained Glass and thought, Mmmmmmmmmm, something like this would look great in crochet. So my mind began constructing, breaking down and forming how I would go about this.You know how it is when you are actually trying to sleep. Instead of going to sleep my mind is figuring out how I can turn this Stained Glass into a workable blanket. I thought about how I was going to construct this for several weeks. Then I chose my yarn.I am using Stylecraft Batik Dk and while I have never been a person who likes green, (there is only a minimal amount of true green in, it) I am extremely happy with the outcome.Normally, I have a tendency to go for Oranges or Purples, as I just love those colours. So I jumped out of my comfort zone and went for Teals, blues and the odd bit of green (which I do have to admit I put in grudgingly).Yes, Yes. It sure looks like a huge mess!But there is order in my chaos. I only have 13 Rounds remaining of this section and while each round now takes quite a while, I will get there.It is different and the Challenge I was looking for.I keep adding up in my head, how long this will take to complete.Assuming I don't get tangled in my own yarn and have to call for emergency services to rescue me. IF I do half a round each day, I can have this section done in 26 days. Who knows I may get more done in a day. I like to do a certain amount of a more challenging project each day and then revert to something a little more mindless.Then I can look forward to sewing in 192 ends!But, it already looks FABULOUS! And I really think that when done it will be Super, Duper FABULOUS! Yes, I can see how it would be a bit hard, to tell from this picture. You will just have to trust me on this.I hope to have this pattern out to testing by the end of 2018 and published early next year.With each round of the blanket growing, this pattern will use quite a few balls of yarn. Stylecraft Batik is available here on Love Crochet
Pumpkin Spice Hat.
If you have read my post 'A Journey for a New Design', you would know that this hat and I have history.This hat stubbornly refused to be finished!The pattern itself took me forever to get the stitches just how I wanted them, to get that effect of two colours. Frogging, frogging and more frogging!Throw in some swearing!Running out of Yarn! And one hat in the naughty corner, via air express!Well I am very pleased to report that I won!The hat is completed and now out to testing with my fabulous and long suffering testers!At times I do wish I had been better at math in school than I am. Calculating stitches for different sizes tends to give me a headache. But I got there in the end (Well I believe I have. I will have to wait on the reports from my testers to see if I am right). The hat will be available in Child, Teen and Adult sizing.I also think (coincidently) that this is rather a well timed hat. I used Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 10ply/Aran. One of the colours is Pumpkin Spice. Just in time for Halloween!I rather like this yarn as it is just as its name describes 'Luxury'.So to the 'Pumpkin Spice' Hat, I say 'You thought you would get the better of me, but I won!'I also have to say that if you don't own a pom pom maker, put one on your Christmas list as these things make Pom Pom making a breeze. One of these days I may do a 'how to' on using them.Keep an eye out for the pattern coming very soon, to a ravelry, etsy, Love Crochet store near you!I won!
Crochet Lingo!
Have you ever received strange looks from people who are not highly fluent in Crochet lingo? I know I have.We have our own secret language!Words like:De- Stashing- Parting with some of your precious, precious yarn. For me not something I do easily. Try and get some of my yarn, I dare you!Frog or Frogging- Undoing or ripping out your hard done work. Supposedly as it makes a 'ribbit' sound when you say it.Hoth- Hot off the HookHooker- Me! A proud Crocheter.Yarn Barf- What my yarn usually looks like when I frog something (tangled mess). I always say I will wind as I go. But I know it won't happen-Yart- Which stands for, Yarn Aquisition, road trip. This is where you often drive a ridiculous distance to get one ball of yarn and come home with a car load.These are just a sample of Crochet Lingo.I often see posts online from people just starting their crochet journey, who are quite perplexed at what some of these words mean. I can understand how Newbies could feel, especially if you use the Urban Dictionary to try and help you out with some of these terms. If you want a laugh I suggest you take a look at some of the meanings (according to Urban Dictionary)A Sample of what you get on Urban DictionaryHoth- The ice planet in The Empire strikes back where the rebels get their asses kicked by the empire.
This is The best sequel ever for any movie (so they say).
Frogging- The act of going out on many dates to find your Prince.That is the only one I would print on here. The other meanings are 'R' rated and I certainly hope people don't think I am doing any of them, any time soon. Sure I may be frogging but I am not doing, THAT!Yart- A slang word for Marijuana. (See this is why crocheters are getting strange looks)Hooker- I simply refuse to type what the Urban Dictionary describes this one as. You will have to look yourself.I openly admit to being a Hooker! And I am proud of it! But I am not what is described in the Urban Dictionary................................As you can see I am easily amused!I also enjoy teasing Siri on my phone by asking her strange questions. Sometimes she seems to get annoyed with me. I asked for the definition of 'Yarn Barf' and she got quite snippy. Hardly my fault she doesn't know!I have to say that it seems understandable that at times I get strange looks, especially if people think I am a Marijuana smoking, Hooker who is performing several acts, that do not want describing. One of which is done in public. (According to the Urban Dictionary. Frogging. Remember, I said to look it up).
A Journey for a New Design
A week or so ago I got out my magic wand (hook) and was fiddling with a new stitch idea. I stumbled across a mixture of stitches, that I really liked and felt quite puffed up with myself for producing it. I wanted to make a hat from this wonderful mix of stitches. I wanted something different and new. I spent a few hours working towards that. Every time I looked at this incredible mix of stitches it sang to me, how wonderful it was. I sent pictures of it to a friend crowing how wonderful it was and how fantastic I was for producing it. But then I started to notice that it was trying to leave the room without me. It had a distinctive lean towards the door on one side. It was slowly creeping that way as though trying to escape. Nah, I must be imagining it, I thought. So, I kept going, as I was sure that if I ignored the issue, it would just go away. A few rows later and it was obvious this was no good, no good at all. My wonderful mix of stitches was mocking me, and the shine had gone off it. So, it got placed into the naughty corner. To be honest, it went via air express (my pitching arm has been honed by years of crochet).
There it stayed for a few days while I pondered a work around, to stop the creeping, or leaning. I knew what the issue was. The Puff stitch was always going to one side, so it was inevitable that it would lean. Perhaps I should have thought of that, if I had not been in a haze of wonder about my stitch pattern.
I had an idea for a fix for the issue. The hat was retrieved from the naughty corner where it had been sitting in shame and I frogged what I could and began again. Yes, this would work, this will be brilliant. But as I got further into the rows, I found I was slowing down. I wasn’t feeling it. Something was not right! I stared at that hat for what seemed forever and slowly it dawned on me. This is way too busy! It is just not right! It will not do! So again, it landed quite heavily in the naughty corner. I could almost hear it laughing at me!
I did think about giving up. But to let a hat beat me seemed wrong. I also really liked that stitch pattern (it did sing to me). There had to be something I could do to fix the issue. I thought about it till my brain hurt (which probably doesn’t take much) and finally it happened, I found an answer. A Split Puff would do it. Everything would line up and be neat. No Leaning Tower of Pisa, this would work.
I thought about frogging what I had, but I was now going to work in rounds and there were way too many cut bits of yarn in the hat as it was. So, the failure remains in the naughty corner (sulking) and I began again.Everything was turning out just wonderful. My only issue was the fact that I had wasted quite a bit of the beautiful Bendigo Mill Luxury yarn that I had, initially had. You know that feeling when you know full well that you don’t have enough yarn to finish something, but you are optimistic and figure if you crochet faster, it will make the yarn go further, or the problem just go away. By the time I got to only metres left I was working like I was in the speed crocheting competition of all time.
So now I wait for my yarn order to arrive. The hat sits staring at me, mocking me. The pattern looks great and is singing to me, but in a mocking tone as it knows I can’t finish it till the yarn arrives. I am an adult and I will not throw a tantrum due to this incredible disaster. I will not dial for emergency services to rush me a ball of yarn. STAT! I will wait with patience, maybe!!!! Hopefully it will come soon as I so want to get this ready to test!