I do believe I have done it!
Posted on 02/03/2023 9:03:05 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Crochet is ‘easier’ - one hook/one hand versus two needles/two hands with knitting. It’s easier to build speed crocheting as well, or at least that has been my experience.
You have the advantage of being able to watch Youtube for instruction - when I started, I was 12-13 years old and taught myself - no Youtube back in those days!
Start with something easy & small - lots of attractive washcloth patterns out there and I think they would be good starter projects, plus you’d end up with something useful as well! :-)
I do believe I have done it!
Hallelujah! This is a quilt I recently finished for a grandson who will graduate Purdue in the Spring. I promise, no more pictures
Beautiful. The color and the blanket.
Right now I’m into toys. Would love to be working on a blanket. But many young great grands, and they love soft toys.
Good tips, thanks! My son’s girlfriend crochets and makes pretty and usable stuff like winter hats and scarves. She’s very talented. I was impatient when I was a teenager and could never get my crochet stitches to be similar enough in tension or size, so quickly stopped. I kept getting compared to my cousin who mastered it quickly. I had no desire to be like her at all. So I stuck with sewing, embroidery, and cross-stitch, though I haven’t done any of those in years either.
Thank you Diane. This is a double holiday surprise. A heart and a bunny. Four made so far, maybe one more to go.
I’m not a knitter either. Reading a crochet pattern is enough of a challenge. At my age I’m happy with the hobbies I have!
Beautiful work. The quilt is amazing! Post all the pix you want. We love it!
My latest ‘challenge’!
I am knitting a pair of leg warmers for a friend’s Christmas present. Yes, Christmas .... the month of December was spent with dad in the hospital, so it’s as if I just skipped right over Christmas, now I’m playing ‘catch up’.
Anyway, I bought some 100% wool yarn that is really nice and the leg warmer pattern shows up beautifully. They should be nice and warm, too. This is a friend who really appreciates knitting & crochet (she crochets, but does not knit). I want the leg warmers to be extra nice and gift worthy.
The issue is the bind off. A regular bind off is not stretchy at all & the leg warmer needs to have some stretch. A ‘super stretchy’ bind off or a ‘suspended’ bind off result in a different look along the edge which I ‘could’ live with IF the edge didn’t “flare”. I hate the flared look ... want the bound off edge to be more like the cast on edge.
After scrounging through articles and videos, it looks like the “Tubular” (aka ‘Italian’) bind off is what I’m looking for. It’s a sewn rather than knitted bind off and very similar to the Kitchener stitch (ugh!), but looks terrific. Everyone who has talked about it in blogs, how to , etc. says it’s worth the trouble - I guess I’ll find out!
I’m knitting a k1 p1 ribbing swatch to practice on before I attempt it on the leg warmer I have finished (1 down, 1 more to knit) except for the bind off. I might have a glass of wine while I’m first attempting/practicing it (ha ha).
So here’s how you do it - great video btw, instructions are very clear:
Tubular Bind Off In the Round for k1, p1 Ribbing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jPMLIE7ac8
Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow - 100% rain all day, cold and “messy” for the forecast - sounds like a great day to do some knitting!
“Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow - 100% rain all day, cold and ‘messy’ for the forecast - sounds like a great day to do some knitting!”
I’ll be crocheting - either dishcloths or more of those Pet Mats I’ve been making for my local Humane Society.
Nothing better - snacks, football, crafts! :)
I am waiting for ‘things’ to settle down here this morning, but this afternoon, I want to try that tubular bind off.
Good morning so far - had leftover ‘shrimp & grits’ for breakfast LOL! The ‘grits’ use cauliflower for a base - by the time you add butter & cheese, you don’t think cauliflower. The shrimp were a pound of wild caught gulf shrimp I got in a Butcher Box last week. Some relatives gave me a BB subscription - the first box to set things up, they had to pick the items ... I get to pick from now on (it’s a year’s subscription).
Not Garden Thread related ... well, maybe I can figure out a link. Did you see this on crocheting “thick” potholders? I think I posted it on the other thread ... can’t remember. I have brain fog pretty bad these days, especially when stressed (that stinkin’ phone!!) ... comes with the grief territory, so I’ve read. Anyway, I have a bunch of scrap yarn & will do some of these for the yard sale this fall. My big issue with potholders is they’re never thick enough - this one looks like it would do the trick ... you know, for taking EGGSHELLS out of the oven to use in the GARDEN to prevent blossom end rot :-)
Free Thick Crochet Potholder Pattern with Envelope Border
https://www.nickishomemadecrafts.com/crochet-thick-potholder-pattern/
Re: Comment 54 ... Oops ... not on the Garden Thread LOL!! Brain fog ... it’s the brain fog I tell ‘ya!
Thanks! Some potholders for the Food Pantry might be a good donation idea, too.
I get the brain fog. ;)
I'm trying to make it a 'thing' that you wear a pretty piece of vintage jewelry with your Infinity Scarves. This broach belonged to my Grandma Edith. The scarf is just a one-skein wonder with Caron 'Simply Soft' yarn in a shell stitch. It's my favorite scarf among many that I've made/wear.
I personally find that knitting is particularly soothing/calming, much more than crochet, although doing crocheted prayer shawls had me in a different mental state while doing them.
Anyway, I saw this today .... Center of the Yarniverse is a ‘local’ yarn shop in a small town near me ... about a 30 minute drive through some pretty countryside. I’m not going to this one, but would consider it in the future - it would be nice to know how, in a more specific way, to view/use knitting & crochet as a meditation.
Center of the Yarniverse:
“It’s not too late to sign up for tomorrow’s Fiberside Chat with Mary Ann Gebhardt: Yoga for your Knitting & Crochet Rhythm!
Mary Ann will be sharing the healing aspects of knitting and crocheting. The class will cover gentle hand and shoulder movements to relax the muscles you use most. We’ll explore knitting and crocheting as a form of meditation incorporating the sounds of the Tibetan singing bowls. Join this class to combine your passions or learn a new compliment to your needlework!”
Smart idea! Of course, I had to look further:
7 Tips to Practice Mindfulness Through Crochet and Knitting
By: Red Heart Design Team
“Knitters may find additional insight from the book ‘Mindfulness and Knitting’ by Rachael Matthews and ‘Mindful Knitting’ by Tara Jon Matthews.”
I’m going to incorporate some of these practices on the next thing I make. Thanks!
8 Stretches That Help Prevent Pain While Crocheting
https://kirstenhollowaydesigns.com/2019/11/8-stretches-that-help-avoid-pain-while-crocheting.html
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