Update to the Masters

I know it's been a very long time since this has been mentioned.  Let me recap.   I applied for the CGoA Master Crochet level 1.  This required a bunch of written questions and answers.   This required upwards of four dozen swatches.

I revised my responses a few times until I was happy with what I had. I wavered between a short answer and writing books.   In the end,  I tried to keep it succinct, short enough to be readable but long enough for details.

My swatches used more than a 7 oz skein.   I had to buy a second.  The rules are specific that all must be single color unless specified. 

Once the family emergency and church festival were over and life was drifting back to a more normal pace,  I sent my portfolio to my designated evaluate.   Now I wait.  I can only hope that the mailing of my portfolio didn't cause the swatches to malformed.   There is no blocking so I don't have to worry about that.  I know blocking can come undone in transit.

In the News....

People are amazing with the things they can accomplish, especially if no one says they can't.

Amazing person beautiful work.

This is definitely worth a look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This isn't your granny's crochet.

Another fashionable look at crochet.

I wouldn't look good in these particular clothes, but I can add crochet embellishment to a lot of my things...… The ideas are fabulous

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's a way to take things that are trash and upcycle them into something usable and useful.

charity begins at home

This does take a while whether knit or crochet.  Collecting the materials requires the help of many.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The value of crochet, priceless no matter who you are

Reading like Crochet are important skills

Both can help you find an escape, a way to cope, a way to be your own person.  What can you do with them??

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So many appeals for knit and crochet items.  Help is needed around the world.

Australia needs help
Jeppe Girls help with 67 Blankets 
poppy appeal

Can you help?  I can send a poppy or two.

Charity Knitting and Charity Crocheting

While there is a specific month dedicated to this (January), I will be talking about it in the summer.

Most of the charities will utilize small items.  Small squares can be made into larger afghans for distribution.  Hats and scarves are small.  Mittens and gloves are small.  Cowls can be small.  These are all things that can be made for charitable distribution during the hot summer months.

Some thoughts about charity knitting and crocheting.  Think about the intended recipients.  Men tend to like darker colors in "man colors", black, chocolate, navy, maroon, forest. These colors also tend to not show dirt for those who are living rough.

For kids, brighter colors are the rule.  Kids, in my experience, tend to like colors that match up with their favorite book, movie or cartoon characters.  I'm thinking back to a few years ago when Harry Potter was all the rage.  House colors ruled.  Dora the Explorer and Minions took over a few years ago for the younger set.

Choose easy care fibers. But more importantly, check out the requirements for your specific donation site. They might have special needs. Knitted knockers is this way.  My go-to for charity work is acrylic.  It can be tossed in the  washer/dryer. It can be hand washed and hung out to dry or laid flat.

A new yarn I'm testing out.   Lion Brand Scarfie has been on the market for at least 2 years.   It was gifted to me a while ago and only now am using it.   I picked up a second ball of this. I'm doing a Clapotis.  I chose neutral colors to have maximum appeal. 

Knit in Public Day a little late

Courtesy of a church festival and a family emergency,  I didn't get a chance to attend any of the festivities locally or further afield.  I have a facebook  post about some of the goings on.  

From everything I have seen online,  WWKIP was a smashing success.  There were even considerations made for crochet and some of the other needle arts, depending on your locale.

Had I been able to attend, I was asked to teach a fabulous crochet flower and a crochet butterfly at my local outing.

Here's the basic idea for the flower.

Ch 4 and join with a slst to form a ring.

R1:  ch 2, 15 hdc in ring.  Join with a slst in top of ch 2.

R2:  working in front loop, ch 1, sc in same St as join, *  2 hdc in each of next 2 hdc,  sc in next.  Rep from * around. Slst in sc.

R3: * working in the back loop,  (ch 2, dc, 2 tr, dc, ch 2, sl st, sl st in next bl).  Rep from * around.

Fasten off.

Weave in the ends and use as an embellishment.  To add more interest to the flower, use variegated yarns or different shades of the same color for the rounds.

Here's the basic idea for the butterfly.

Ch 5 and join with a sl st to form a ring.

R1: ch 3, dc in ring, * ch 2, 2 dc in ring.  Rep from * 6 times.  ch 2, sl st in top of ch 3.  8 ch 2 spaces.

R2:  sl st to ch 2 sp, ch 3,  2 dc, ch, 3dc in ch 2 sp, * 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 1 in next ch 2 sp.  Rep from * around.  

R3:  ch 1, sc in ch 1 sp, * in next ch 2 sp,  3 dc, 4 tr, 3 dc, sc in ch 1 sp.  Rep from * around.

Fold in half.  With black, Ch 2, make a long sc around the center of the folded butterfly.  This is the body.  Ch 11, sl st in 3 ch from hook, sl st in next 6 ch, 3 hdc in sc, ch 8, sl st in 3rd ch from hook and each of next 6 ch.  Fasten off.

You can change up the butterfly by using variegated yarns, a different color on round, add fanciful curlicues to the last round  in the middle of the 4tr.

Our Comfort Zone

I was reading an article on LinkedIn recently about people not really living to their fullest potential.  The graphic was spot on and while it made me think about relationships more than the professional; I really started thinking how it applied to knitting and crocheting.  Let's check this out....

In the center are those things we hold near and dear to ourselves or which don't cause stress.  The further from the center we go are those which are harder and harder for us.  

So in the center is some nice yarn.   Nothing more stressful than being sure you have enough for your project.  Or perhaps picking colors is hard for you.  And you move that a little further from the center.  I have in the very bottom of the right hand the watermark from the app I used to create this.  For me this was important to be there.  This is something new I am learning to do and it doesn't come naturally to me.

Running in the medium go around I would put things like garter stitch, stockinette stitch, double crochet, single crochet and granny squares.  These are easy things that can be made harder either by inexperience, illness, or little tweaks hear and there.  Further out go the intricate cables, color work, shaping for sweaters and such.  Shaping for clothes isn't hard.  Getting the proper fit can take a bit of time especially if you are new to it.

Socks and laces are things that can be challenging to the person who has never tried.  They tend to look complicated.  The directions tend to make little sense unless you are actually at that point in your work.  Some of the stitches also don't make a lot of sense in lace.  Most are straight forward but some just make you wonder whether you are reading through before starting or actually at that point.  

Having a teacher to walk you through directions or stitches or trouble shoot your work can be very beneficial.  Who is your teacher??  Comment below about how you learned to knit or crochet.