The Hook and I

I had my last class of Kids Crochet today–some of the girls brought flowers, it was so nice! We had a fun last class finishing up old projects and learning to crochet in the round by making hair scrunchies.

On Monday, Kathleen Greco sent me a big box of Jelly Yarn. It is stretchy vinyl yarn comes . . . → Read More: Jelly Kids Crochet

I’m going to be teaching a feather and fan scarf in a couple of weeks and I spent most of last night experimenting with different versions of the stitch, it was one of those things where I couldn’t go to bed until I felt I had what I wanted. Well, at 2 a.m. I went to . . . → Read More: Knit Dreams

When I was little, my mom would wash all the wool sweaters by hand at the end of winter. When they were clean, she’d roll them in a towel to squeeze out the excess water, (she had special sweater washing towels, they were the old ones) and then she’d spread them on the dining room table . . . → Read More: Savory Knits

CNN & Entertainment Weekly create a weekly top-ten list of “must reads” and “must-see movies.” Debbie Stoller’s The Happy Hooker Made the list this week.

I’ve had the book for a while and have been reading it and re-reading it. I’m really enjoying the profiles of the contributors. There’s a wonderfully diverse group of designers who are . . . → Read More: Crochet Makes CNN’s "Must" List

I don’t know why I hadn’t stumbled upon Amazing Crochet before. Ning–creator of the site and the designs has yarn patterns and finished garments for sale. There are some beautiful, elaborate tops with floral motifs–mostly quite ornate. There’s a big selection of pretty standard crocheted baby items. But the adult garments really stand out. My favorite . . . → Read More: Amazing Crochet

The other day, I brought this strange orange yarn to my middle school knitting and crochet class. I had picked it up at a yarn swap, and I handed it out to the girls. Lizzie decided to crochet a tie–she used her dad’s tie as a model, and did the whole thing in single crochet. The . . . → Read More: Lizzie’s Tie

“Matie Trewe lives in a tiny apartment in Eugene, Oregon with one loving fiancé and enough yarn to knit two more.” She’s a biologist who’s web site, Strange But Trewe has become popular for it’s knitted guts (including tongue, anus and 21 feet of knitted small intestine!) created last October. Matie is obviously a fun and . . . → Read More: Strange But Trewe

After finishing a bunch of big crochet projects, my knitting needles have been calling to me. I had a great time making Julsey’s capelet, and it made me wonder about knitting garments side-to-side.

I read a few patterns, and then, like I do when I’m in the kitchen, I put the books a way, and just . . . → Read More: Side-to-Side

Julsey’s bolero/capelet Originally uploaded by plainsight.

I made this cute little shrug/bolero in just a couple of evenings–it was really fun! I love knitting from the top-down. This would be a great first garment for a new knitter, the pattern is really easy to understand. Next up–I want . . . → Read More: Julsey’s Bolero (Anthropologie-Inspired Capelet)

This pattern caught my eye this morning and I have to say, I like it. I might even wear it. Why? Maybe because it reminds me of the afghan on the back of my couch? The one my grandmother made thirty years ago? (I do wear a coat she made out of upholstery fabric that . . . → Read More: Wear Your Afghan