Tag: crafts

Branching out into knitting

For many years, I was a crochet-only gal. I will always love crochet and consider it the more versatile of fiber arts, suitable for anything from amigurumi and sturdy baskets to delicate garments. However, these days, I’m also branching into knitting. This twisted headband, knitted entirely in stockinette, isn’t perfect – but it’s soft, stretchy, very wearable, and I’m super proud of it.

I worked with leftovers of Malabrigo Silky Merino, a dreamy yarn that’s such a delight to handle and knit (and crochet too, of course!). The technique is super simple: just make a rectangle of the desired length, then fold and sew it together using the method in the Easy Crochet Velvet Twist Headband video. That’s it!

Now, on to the next project… possibly something bigger that requires a gauge swatch.

Discovering ColourMart Yarns

I’ve wanted to work with pure cashmere for a long time, but as any yarn enthusiast knows, cashmere is ridiculously expensive. Then, while browsing Reddit one day, I spotted a comment saying, “If you want really nice yarn at great prices, check out ColourMart.”

Guys. I was blown away. [Just to be clear, I’m not an affiliate and make nothing from recommending ColourMart!] The website looks like it hasn’t been updated since 2005 or so, but you can find absolute treasures there.

How significant is the difference? Well, I ordered 300 grams (about 2,200 yards) of lace-weight cashmere yarn from ColourMart for $67. If you check out Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere 2-ply on WEBS, one 55-gram hank (400 yards) sells for a whopping $54, so 300 grams would cost almost $300! Rowan Pure Cashmere is even more expensive: 50 grams costs $69.5, so 300 grams would cost $417.

So what’s the deal? Well, Colourmart sells luxury mill-end yarns from premiere textile mills and fashion houses. In other words, what you’re getting are the leftovers from making luxury fabrics on an industrial scale. This is what enables the retailer to sell cashmere, silk, alpaca, and other expensive yarns at mind-blowingly affordable prices.

One downside of ColourMart is that the selection and color palettes aren’t always predictable. The other is that the yarns are typically pre-treated with oil for industrial knitting, which makes the fibers feel stiffer and more compact until they’re washed. You can pay a small fee to have your yarn pre-washed and wound into hanks, as I did (by default, the yarn comes on cones). You can also wash the final garment, but as I understand, the fabric may “grow” a bit after washing, so prewashing or swatching might be better for size-sensitive garments.

I chose a heathered cashmere that feels a bit crisper than I’d expect, but I know that cashmere “blooms” and grows softer and fluffier with wear and gentle washing.

They also send you a selection of yarn samples, from cobweb to chunky, with your first order. It’s super helpful to feel the yarn to get an idea of what you might want to order next.

First attempt at finger crochet

I’ve had this marshmallow-soft ball of enormous-sized yarn sitting in the closet for a while simply because I didn’t have a hook large enough to use with it. Then, finally, I figured out how to use my finger as a crochet hook! I was surprised at how quick and easy it was. The technique I used was very similar to what this video shows.

The rectangle in the photo above took me under an hour and works great as a chair seat cover. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of super bulky yarn – I’m more into fingering-weight yarns and fine wearables – but jumbo yarns can be a nice option if you’re looking to whip up a quick handmade gift.

Happy crafting to everyone!

Summertime crochet mess

Wanna know what it looks like when you have so many crochet projects you want to follow up with, but your bright and lovely summer just gets too busy?

Pillow cover in the Alpine stitch
Scrap yarn headbands waiting for ends to be tucked in
Parts of a top in an original design I devoutly hope is going to work.

OK, so I might have gotten a little sidetracked. But I promise not to start anything new until I finish these!

P.S.: I’m using Camilla Cotton Magic for the top and Chenille Baby Light for the pillow cover, both by Ice Yarns.

The little yarn shop

Photo by Surene Palvie on Pexels.com

It was a tiny store tucked into the crook of a little side street, with no showy banner or attractive display windows. But if you knew where to go, you’d see bins upon bins of discounted yarn overflowing to the sidewalk, and ladies rummaging in them enthusiastically. On the shelves inside, you would find every yarn you could ever want, from affordable acrylic to luxury cashmere blends.

I had not been there since the coronavirus breakout and ensuing restrictions in March, and I’m not even sure the store is still there. It was not an essential business, so it wouldn’t get permission to operate during lockdowns. It was tiny, with barely any room between the display shelves and the counter, so it wouldn’t allow for social distancing. It was not big or modern enough to have financial reserves or switch to online orders.

I’ve completed many crochet projects since the start of the COVID-19 era, with yarn arriving in convenient, hazard-free packages from eBay or Ice Yarns. But I miss the little warm hub where the proprietor would always be ready to chat about anything related to knitting, crochet, and macrame; where other visitors would sometimes chime in with spontaneous opinions about whatever you were buying; where I would see displays of beautiful fiber art from local artisans.

I have most of the things I need within walking distance, and haven’t been to town in months. And I fear that next time I peek into that little side street, I will see the yarn shop locked up or replaced by another business – perhaps a place selling cheap plastic homeware or cell phones or toiletries – something that would get more of a leeway than a yarn shop to remain open.

I realize that the COVID restrictions are necessary to keep the infection levels down, but I feel that social distancing regulations are killing us as a society. They are knocking down the weak and vulnerable, the poor and the lonely. They prioritize large, soulless convenience stores over small businesses run by real people. They isolate us and deprive us of everything that is so essentially human, like hanging out with friends and spontaneous hugs. That’s a tragedy, and I don’t know how to avert it or whether we can ever turn the wheels back.

Another day, another basket

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I made another little rustic jute basket, much along the lines of my previous one. It seems perfect as a nest for my kids’ dinosaur collection.

It was meant to be oval but sort of came out round anyway – I guess I didn’t make the base chain long enough.

As much as I love the rustic look of jute baskets (and the fact that the material is inexpensive – I picked the roll up at the hardware store for about $2), I think I won’t be making another one anytime soon, as working with it is pretty heavy on the hands. Jute chafs the fingers, and I had to really pull on the thread to make the loops – no smooth gliding yarn action here!

I made the top row in a double strand of leftover coarse yarn of unknown origin. 😉

I hope you are all enjoying a happy and crafty summer.

Big Bird Crochet Pillow

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This quick and easy project would make a perfect gift. It’s soft and cuddly and extremely satisfying to make.

Materials:

Two cakes of super thick chenille yarn of this type (200 gr total). I used black, grey and white variegated.

Odds and ends of black, white, brown, and dark brown worsted weight yarn.

Stuffing of your choice.

Start by crocheting two identical circles from the chenille yarn, using a 7mm hook.

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Assemble the eyes and beak. For the eyes, start making dc with the black worsted yarn from the center, using a 3.5mm hook. At the end of the round, slip stitch and join.

In the next round, use white worsted yarn and work 2dc in each dc of the previous round. Slip stitch and join.

In the third round, work sc using the dark brown yarn in the following pattern: 1 sc, 2 sc in the next stitch of the previous round, 1 sc, 2 sc, etc.

For the beak, make a triangle in sc using the light brown yarn. Instructions for making a crochet triangle can be found here.

Naturally, you can play with the colors however you like.

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Sew the eyes and beak onto one of the chenille circles using a tapestry needle and worsted weight yarn of the same color (light brown for the beak, dark brown for the eyes).

Join the front and back of the pillow together by slip stitching. I used black worsted weight yarn for this because I thought it would look better. The thinner yarn disappears between the threads of chenille and the join is very neat and almost completely invisible.

Once you have just a bit of the front and back left to join, stuff the pillow. I used old stockings, but you can use store-bought stuffing if you prefer.

When the pillow is stuffed enough to your liking, finish the slip stitch join, tie up the ends, and push them inside.

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Voila! The pillow is ready for squishing.