My Crochet Diary - Two

So I am still working at learning to crochet, and here is my first completed crochet project. Isn't he cute. I saw an appeal on Linda's Crafty corner for knitted/crochet bear puppets for a charity record attempt. Linda has also really helpfully published a Bear Crochet Pattern. What was reassuring was having read through it I thought I could understand the pattern. The only thing I slightly altered was making him a little circle for a muzzle. He also has a little bit of wadding in his head and muzzle. I must find out where to send him to for the record attempt in September.

I am still making a few mistakes, but I am learning as I go. The first major mistake with teddy, is that once again I have put my crochet hook under one strand, not two. (Thank you CreativeJewishMom for explaining this to me.) The book I am working from only illustrates the first row, and doesn't explain that further on you insert the needles under both strands. 

Thank you everyone who gave me tips and advice and encouragement after my last Crochet Diary post. I have found that Youtube videos are really helpful, although the UK/USA difference in stitch names is a bit annoying. The main thing you can really learn from a video is how to hold the thread and hook (another thing I have been getting wrong and doing much more like a knitter).

The other things I am finding hard is how to count how many rows I have done, and how many stitches I have. How many extra chains to make at the end of each row, and how many stitches in to start.  I can see if you get this wrong your work could start shrinking or expanding. So turning at the end of the row is always a bit scary.

My target is to eventually make a granny square blanket, or perhaps even a single granny square would be a good start. But for now I am looking at little crochet projects to learn a few more skills. More advice would be very welcome!

Sea Urchin

I only occasionally knit to order, but someone contacted me through Etsy to ask if my sea urchin pattern would knit up smaller. They wanted a sea urchin that would be 3 inches across to go on a mobile. I was not sure, the only way to find out seemed to be to try to make one. So this is my sea urchin knitted on smaller needles, with a rather strange, but I thought sea urchiny wool that I found in my stash. 

The size turned out exactly right, and I also found one tiny typo in my pattern. How does that happen? I test knit again and again, but I think sometimes the eye just sees what it wants. But anyway, I was also pleased that I could put that right as well. And the sea urchin is already with its new owner in the States.
 

My Crochet Diary

I usually see my summer holiday as a great opportunity for, yes you've guessed it, knitting. But this year the special holiday request from hubby was "no knitting". I guess a vacation is meant to be a break from the norm, so was I cheating when I agreed to the no knitting, but decided to use this time to try my long talked about ambition to teach myself to crochet.

So I rather proudly present my first ever piece of crochet. Now I think I may be feeling a bit like the kids in my knitting club when they have completed their first bit of knitting. I am going to try and do a series of posts on my attempts to learn to crochet, so you might want to follow my progress.

I would really appreciate any advice from experienced crochetters (is that even a word). Easy patterns, or books that I can understand would be useful. These are the only books I have. The two books are both fairly old - I think my mum gave them to me. I look at the amazing variety of stitches, but I think I need a much more basic book with some practical projects, as these are just a bit overwhelming.

So I started by borrowing my daughter's Cath Kidson's kit. It's aimed at kids, so surely it can't be too hard, I thought, but soon realised that the instructions to make a granny square cushion were way beyond me. So thinking of how I teach knitters, I decided to just make a square, and think I have learned the doublechain and treblechain. Although even that is a bit confusing, as there seems to be a half treble chain, double treble and treble treble!!! After a bit I did find it quite relaxing, and got into a bit of a rhythm. There are a few mistakes, and the things I found difficult is to judge where to put the hook in, and also turning at the edge of each row. (In knitting it is really obvious if you have gone wrong as you can just do a stitch count.) I got a bit fancy at the end and had a go at a scallop edge, which I think would have worked if I had had a longer edge and could have kept going. 

What I think I am doing wrong is that I am thinking like a knitter, so I felt fairly happy to crochet with rows going back and forth. But I want to make some of those cute amigurumi that I see, and for that I think I need to go in a circle. The other thing I find confusing are the patterns I have seen that are diagrams. Beautiful series of squiggles and shapes, but no idea at all how I would follow one.

This was my only attempt at a little circle. I was just going in each stitch twice. Seemed to work, and I think I have made a little hat.

I just can't decide who it looks best on ....

That is all for now ... but there will be another crochet post soon. As I said I would really welcome any pointers to easy patterns or books that have some very easy projects to try.

Friends Forever

What should you do when your really good friend over the last year is going back home to California? 

The answer is to get your Mum to make you and her as little dolls, so you can go with her.  

My daughter stitched the little bag, where both the dolls can live together. By now the little dolls are in California. 

I tried to be fairly accurate with their school uniforms and hair styles, as girls can wear either skirts or trousers at their school. Both girls are much prettier than they turned out. I don't know what it is with my dolls and fairies, but they always end of a little frumpy. I do love little one-off projects like this. The basic dolls are my fairy/mermaid pattern, with a few adaptions. It was so nice to knit the dolls and clothes and not worry about writing down what I have done.