Learn to crochet?

[Jenben]

I love your master plan and admire your ingenuity

Unfortunately my supplies have gone way beyond being able to hide them anywhere. Lucky Dave is so tolerant, keeps me quiet I guess

He did just say ‘we have loads of space in the van’



But I don’t think he meant it for a craft store .

 

[Ven]

It’s here

And it’s full

 

[Theonlysue]

<Broken link removed>

 

[Mark and Mindy]

It’s here

And it’s full

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Are you pulling the yarn from the middle of the ball or from the outside? I've always done from the outside when the ball is free to move but not sure about how that would work in the bag.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

You know how I’ve been complaining about all the sheepsies in the moho? Well look what happened.
1st one appeared.



View attachment 352438

Then more.

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Then whoosh, taaaa daaaaa.

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Very very proud of my learner at this crottcheting lark. My carer Angela Mrs Badknee ???

I have a question for all you crafters!

I love Mrs Badknee 's blanket and would love to make it as well and a rectangular to fit a single bed rather than the square one which they do the kit for, but and its a big BUT, I don't like man made fibres very much and definitely not acrylic as it makes my skin itchy, if I was to change to 100% wool or some wool with another fibre such as cotton or merino or alpaca or anything else other than man made, would it affect the actual blanket itself?

Would the blanket still lie nicely, and how would washing be done? I've an inherent distrust of wool wash cycles on a machine ever since I washed my favourite handknitted blue cardigan on a wool wash cycle many years ago and what came out would have fitted a large teddy bear!

Are there any downsides of using a different yarn composition?

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[Janine]

Two things spring to mind.

Washing wool requires minimal agitation - that's how you make felt! A gentle handwash in the bath would be kinder.

Making a project with wool that you want to drape nicely, use a slightly larger hook so you are not working too tightly.

 

[Jenben]

Mark and Mindy I know you don’t like acrylic yarn but the Stylecraft Special DK is nice for an acrylic wool and doesn’t seem itchy to me, it also comes in lots of colour options.

There are also wool shops online who will do packs of it in a particular colour range which makes it easier to choose wool for projects. Woolwarehouse do this (and have Attic24 blanket kits) but also Lincolnwoolpack do the same as well.

There are also lots of cotton yarns available in DK as well but I think it might make a blanket quite heavy when it’s made up ? I would also be concerned about it stretching if you dried it on a line ?

 

[Ven]

Are you pulling the yarn from the middle of the ball or from the outside? I've always done from the outside when the ball is free to move but not sure about how that would work in the bag.

From the inside with mixed results That is the only way it would work i think, it was mostly successful last night but you still get the odd knot.

 

[Ven]

It’s funny I find wool more itchy than acrylic and use the stylecraft a lot. I do love using wool for other projects though.

I guess washing would be the main difference with the blanket.

The wool for my Dreamweaver blanket was about £50 so i dread to think what it would be in wool though.

 

[Janine]

Did you know that, when you pull the insides out of the ball of yarn to find the end, it's called 'yarn vomit'

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[Offagain]

From the inside with mixed results That is the only way it would work i think, it was mostly successful last night but you still get the odd knot.

I always use yarn from the inside, saves it leaping around the place when pulling more to use. The downside is occasional yarn barf
I've put yarn in mine now but haven't led it through the holes yet as it's for octopals and I need to keep it as clean as possible.
Mark and Mindy have you thought about using blends? I quite like bamboo blends as they are light and nice to work with:
https://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk/yarn?blend_nav=5155 for example.
As Jenben says a full sized blanket in pure cotton will be heavy and difficult to wash without misshaping. Although cotton is very forgiving and won't shrink in a hot wash.

 

[Badknee]

Nooooooooooooooo, the Sheepsies have escaped the cupboard..............again!

 

[Offagain]

Nooooooooooooooo, the Sheepsies have escaped the cupboard..............again!


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Beautiful colours, Mrs Badknee. Are you making another blanket?

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Thanks for the replies, yes 100% cotton is harder to work with from my memories of that horrible bedspread I crocheted in white, peach and orange back when I was about 14 - my Mother loved knitting and sewing and decided that I should make something useful! It was finished under protest and threats, the hexagons weren't all the same size and my Grandmother nobly stepped in to sew it together and put the border on... I am never ever making anything like that again!

I think I should look again at the acrylic, maybe its changed from when I used to do a lot of knitting/crochet as I don't think I could get the right colour range using other yarns of different compositions. I will check out the bamboo blends though as I know its nice to have next to my skin, I am wearing a bamboo mix compression long sock on one leg and its really nice and comfortable - I just put into the wash with a normal light coloured wash and dry in the airing cupboard.

I think I'm jumping the gun a bit as I've just rechecked the pattern for the jacket and it seems I need 208 squares and as I only have 14 then its a way off being finished and as I've just eased Mark back into me crocheting again I don't want to blow the goodwill.

My bag arrived today in spite of having an email to say tomorrow, and I've ordered another smaller one to take in Hymie as I think I could squeeze it in somewhere, it takes less balls though and so isn't as useful as the bigger one.

 

[Puddleduck]

For those of you who 'do' Facebook, there is a great group called Crafty Campers.
Lots of great ideas and nice people.

Log in to Facebook

Log in to Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family and people you know.

www.facebook.com

And an RV Quilters which is mostly US based but there are a few of us from other places.

Are you pulling the yarn from the middle of the ball or from the outside?

I was taught to pull from the inside and nearly always do so.

if I was to change to 100% wool or some wool with another fibre such as cotton or merino or alpaca or anything else other than man made, would it affect the actual blanket itself?

I think it would be very heavy if made in wool and I'm not sure how you would get it dry.

There are parcels waiting for me at home including this bag which is not the same as the others that people ordered:

Amazon product ASIN B07YFVHHK3
I've also ordered a little case to keep my interchangeable needles and cords in as I'm fed up of sorting them out.

Badknee love your octagon Angela

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[Mark and Mindy]

And an RV Quilters which is mostly US based but there are a few of us from other places.



I was taught to pull from the inside and nearly always do so.



I think it would be very heavy if made in wool and I'm not sure how you would get it dry.

There are parcels waiting for me at home including this bag which is not the same as the others that people ordered:

Amazon product ASIN B07YFVHHK3
I've also ordered a little case to keep my interchangeable needles and cords in as I'm fed up of sorting them out.

Badknee love your octagon Angela

I've just pulled from the inside from the current balls which were all being used from the outside before I got the bag and had to fend off the very helpful attempts of a schnoodle trying to ensure that the pulled wool was wet and soggy!

 

[Hollyberry]

Went up to clear the loft yesterday and found a whole carrier bag of yarn and needles. Must have been up there since I moved in five and a half years ago. I need to set myself a target for hat knitting.

 

[Mrs Badknee]

Offagain hi is was playing around with some Spanish acrylic yarn that I have to see if it would work as a blanket. I have enough colours to more or less match the Stylecraft ones for the original pattern so I thought I would give it a try. It is very fine and the tension is all over the place but the test one looks ok. It comes out a lot smaller than the first one. I am short of something else to do to be honest!

 

[scousebird]

I had an email to say my craft bag would be delivered tomorrow (Monday) but they've just tried to deliver it to the office which is closed

 

[Mark and Mindy]

I had an email to say my craft bag would be delivered tomorrow (Monday) but they've just tried to deliver it to the office which is closed

I had 3 emails today saying that parcels would be delivered tomorrow only to get a knock on the door just before lunch and took delivery of all 3, just waiting on one which is definitely for today as I ordered it this morning; oh and took delivery for a neighbour as well who was allegedly out, except they weren't as the driver had been knocking on their side garage door (which isn't even attached to the house!) and then left the card tucked into the door jamb.

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[Ven]

I must show you the beautiful portrait Sus3v did for me which I gave to Dave for Christmas now we have finally decided where it should live. He loved it.

I know it looks crooked but it is straight to the wall honest

 

[Puddleduck]

Went up to clear the loft yesterday and found a whole carrier bag of yarn and needles. Must have been up there since I moved in five and a half years ago. I need to set myself a target for hat knitting.

I have a basic beenie hat pattern that was part of the "commit to knit" campaign for this year. I can send it on to you if you want it - very easy to alter and jazz up!!!!!!

 

[Hollyberry]

I have a basic beenie hat pattern that was part of the "commit to knit" campaign for this year. I can send it on to you if you want it - very easy to alter and jazz up!!!!!!

Thank you Puddleduck , I’ve got a very basic pattern know by heart. I change the stitches around, knit in stripes to ring the changes.

 

[Sus3v]

We have a Grandchild due in May as well but that daughter-in-law hates handmade things. I have made a shawl but not sure if she will accept it

For many years, I would get (for Christmas) a yellow polo neck jumper made by my auntie Maudie. I did get to an age when I wanted something else, but surprised myself by being disappointed when I finally got some other thing! (horrid child)
shop-bought gifts were somehow considered less precious/thoughtful in those days.
I have now run out of parents and aunties, I miss them (and their yarn-craft skills)
Nanny Wales (me) and Nanny Glo (her) both Keep up the handmade gift thing - she is a much more skilled crochet/knitter than me (but I do the best drawings) ?? Lol

 

[Ven]

Nooooooooooooooo, the Sheepsies have escaped the cupboard..............again!


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You sure have an eye for colour, they go so well together!

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[Puddleduck]

My craft bag was waiting for me when I got home and is perfect for me I have put the necessaries for the socks I am working on in there. Ideal when on the move as the bag is about the size of a large handbag and can sit beside me on public transport with yarn etc kept safe whilst I knit or crochet.

I tried out the new filet crochet net for size, it's a little small and rather heavy but I still have to block the work and may put it onto a frame rather than hung directly from velcro. Too tired to go there at the moment.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

I found a smaller crafting bag to take on Hymie, more expensive but better quality - you get what you pay for!

Amazon product ASIN B077TJ7GCR
I definitely couldn't use it at home as not only is it small but half of the bag is open at the top with nothing to stop dog noses from getting in there! Harry is a great one for what we call "nose jabs" and in spite of having been told a lot of times not to do it with wool, and looking suitably chastened each time, he's still doing it.

I had a doh! moment last week, realised that I'd misread not only the number of squares needed for my jacket but also the number of balls of wool, so having had a bit of a think about what I'm actually doing and the finished effect I've changed things a bit. Rather than making masses of squares which have 3 colours in the first 3 rounds its either going to be 1 colour for 3 rounds or 2 colours with one for the first 2 rounds. This makes the colours less busy, all squares still have the same colour on round 4 plus the edging of the whole thing. And as I needed more wool I got some different colours as well which blend well with the original 7!

Bought myself some half moon cheapie glasses so I can crochet and watch tv at the same time, and made the font on my kindle really small so I can read otherwise the font became enormous and made my eyes feel funny!

 

[Ven]

I definitely couldn't use it at home as not only is it small but half of the bag is open at the top with nothing to stop dog noses from getting in there! Harry is a great one for what we call "nose jabs" and in spite of having been told a lot of times not to do it with wool, and looking suitably chastened each time, he's still doing it.

Dad’s dog Maddie is yarn mad too, I can not leave anything lying around or in an open bag whether it’s a ball of yarn or a finished crochet project. If I’m doing amurigami (sp?) she cannot take her eyes off it

 

[scousebird]

My bag has arrived

 

[Jenben]

I have been to pick up some supplies of wool as we are off travelling next week.
Now you see it all

Now it has become a bag of socks (bag sewn for me by a lovely friend for our travels)

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