101 Crochet Books

Since I will likely NOT finish The Grouchy Ladybug, I have decided to send myself to a veritable boot camp.
It is not punishment but more of a test of my endurance and patience.
I have at least 101 crochet book (Yes, I am copying off of 101 Cookbooks from the Healthy Recipe Journal!)
I promise to attempt to try and complete one project in each of my many crochet books, patterns and leaflets. Maybe knowing that I have accountability, if not the puss eyes of Baby #4

then to the 80 whole people who have visited this site within three day (AND HAVE NOT LEFT ANY COMMENTS!)
Tonight I will dig through my books and see what pattern I can use to begin my crochet challenge. If you happen to have completed the same pattern, please leave an email, or send me a picture.

Socorro Ana-Paula!

Look at this face... Look at those eyes!

Wouldn’t you do just anything for him!
When Baby #4 looked up at me with those eyes just like those and said, “Ladybug?” I determined to recreate said ladybug just for him. He’s 33 months and really into his board books. He is particularly fond of Eric Carle’s The Grouchy Ladybug. Being a toddler with a notoriously short attention span, I had to abbreviate the tale for him.

“Hello!”
“Go away!”
“The ladybug met a yellow jacket.”
“Wanna’ fight?”
He got stuck on, “Wanna fight?”
He liked all of the animals that the ladybug met, but he loved the “wanna fight?” line.
“But Baby #4!" I reasoned
“You have to understand that the grouchy ladybug has a change in attitude.”
I continued “She met all of those bigger and tougher animal, couldn’t beat them and now she is the NICE ladybug…”
“Wanna fight?”
No matter, I was still going to make him that adorable NICE ladybug. I embarked upon a ladybug pattern in the April 2012 that Crochet World deems EASY…We will see because I have an inexplicable fear of amigurumi crochet. I don’t mind buying those books. I have too many of them to name. Ana-Paula Rimoli’s blog on blogspot is one of my favorite and I have all of her books(and I'm buying her new despite the $1,500 price tag!)BUT I had to stop buying ami books because I just wasn’t making them. I wasn’t making them because I was afraid of them.
I will start on an amigurumi, crafting the head, easy orb, done that before. When it comes time to branch out and make that body…I can’t do it. Is it he designers? Is it my mind? Is it the amigurumi? I don’t know.
Since the ladybug isn’t a traditional amigurumi (small crocheted thing, no torso to scare me) I decided to push past my fear and pick up my hook. I made the body easily, but tired because I like quick and easy projects. I made the head, stepped away from the project after all of that work and found that Baby #4 had pulled out 3 of my rows! I would not be deterred, although I did stop to take a break and to write this blog.
You see, this is where I usually get stuck. This is what turns a half-completed ladybug unto a UFO (UnFinished Object!) I’ll stash it in my workbasket, then reason that he didn’t really want that ladybug after all, I could pass off a store brought one for him, even though I promised him and myself NO MORE UFO’S, and he is looking at me, and then at the creature that is his ami… Look at those eyes...
Sóccoro Ana-Paula!

I Do Not Make Doilies

My title is a misnomer, I do not make doilies. In fact I do not even like to work with the tiny steel crochet hooks that are required to make those dainty fancies. I suppose it is for the same reason that I will never, not ever make another granny square. When I learned to crochet, my first pattern was the infamous granny square.

I made granny square slippers, hats, afghans, pillow covers, bags, and scarves, but not a skirt. I have seen many a granny skirt pattern, but never felt inclined to make or wear one, Cate Blanchett notwithstanding.

I suppose there are some parts of crochet that deserve to remain in the past, doilies and granny squares amongst them. I love the new crochet. I love all of the colorful books on the subject that abound now. I love all of the cool magazines (6) that crocheters have to choose from. When I was young and funky fresh in the 80’s

it seemed that the only books my library had on crochet were from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. They were never in color and every page had either a granny square vest or dainty table doily on it. No wonder the magazine McCall’s Crochet and Magic Crochet

went out of business. I have had enough. Although I am not hostile towards knit I have also had enough of crochet taking a back seat to knitting. I am a little jealous that knit and not crochet is mentioned in the Bible, I am jealous that when I am sitting and crocheting in public, people ask, “What’s that that you are knitting?” I am jealous that if you search for a crochet clip art in Microsoft Word you get four choices. If you enter the word “knit” you get an overwhelming choice. Go ahead, give it a try and see. I was thrilled when I found out there was an entire museum devoted to the art of crochet…till I learned it was no larger than the Fotomat booths of the past. If you are crocheter, you already know these disparities; if you are a knitter, please feel my pain! So, it is with this post that I make a stand for crochet! I love that crochet has made a resurgence with the likes of Allison Hoffman who makes cool celebrity amigurumi. I am/was afraid of those cute little things so my I applaud you Allison for having Hollywood clamor for your cute stuffed things.

And I love Shauna Robertson whose hands are no doubt cramped after crocheting those GIANT lion sculptures for Olympics this year.

She coined a new term called, “crochetdermist.” COOL! And I love Gordana Gelhausen. When I heard there was a crocheter in the Project Runway I was thrilled…till I saw that her work was actually knitwear! She made up for it on her website where you will find some lovely crocheted jewelry. Way to go ladies, you are championing the cause of so many crocheters out there who want to see our stuff in the media. Keep it contemporary and keep it crochet! ++

What a Difference a Weight(and Gauge) Makes

Dinah Washington, I should have listened to you!

Crocheters eschew gauge to their disadvantage. I remember when learning to crochet many years ago I asked my mom about gauge. She said, "Nobody pays attention to gauge!" That lesson was imbedded in me young and I passed it on to my daughter who is learning to crochet as well. "What's gauge?" she asked me as I had asked my mother, "Nobody pays attention that!" I told her, parroting the saying of my mother. So as I tried to complete an adorable little ladybug pattern from the April 2012 Crochet World magazine I am faced with a quandary. And all of those years of ignoring gauge has turned around and bit me in the back!

I completed the top in red and with a yarn that I purchased from a thrift store. I could tell that the weight was thinner than my favorite Red Heart, but that cute little ladybug needed making! I had some black yarn(Red Heart) and was able to complete the bottom. I was so happy because I have a slight fear of amigurumis( I will blog on that issue later!) When it was time to put it all together...well the pictures will tell the story, they did not match!

I did not take the time to CHECK THE GAUGE as most every pattern I've ever seen screams! Back to the yarn store I went sans 40% off coupon, to purchase more yarn. I am a YARNAHOLIC

so I don't mind buying yarn, but I do mind delaying gratification...that little ladybug is wondering what's the hold up! Because I ignored the difference in the weight of the yarn AND I ignored the gauge (THANKS,MOM) I was forced to complete another red top for my ladybug.

Both red top and black bottom are done and all that's needed is to join them with a single crochet. They will match because they are the same size because I made sure to follow simulate the weight and CHECK THE GAUGE. Pretty soon my lovely little ladybug will come to life. Stay tuned for the lovely picture!

Dani Does Doilies!

The Happy Hooker, Chicks with Sticks, Dani Does Doilies Do you see a pattern here? Is it any wonder that I chose a “naughty” title for my book of crochet stories?

My crochet stories are far from dirty though. They are varied and will fill a void in an industry dominated by all things KNIT. I have found very few copies of stories straight from crocheters. Stories about the lives of knitters abound, but stories about crocheters are few and far between.
Crocheters have stories to tell that are different but similar to knitter stories. Knitters and crocheters have gauge and yarn and patterns in common, but only crocheters have hooks and only crocheter have beautiful lace work and only crocheters have Allison Hoffman!

Alright, so if you knit you can make a cable knit sweater;

I so want a cable knit sweater. You can make(comfortable) socks and you will use much less than yarn than if you crochet; crochet is known as a “yarn gobbler” but knit has only two stitches, the knit and the purl. Crochet has so many different stitches and techniques there are entire books devoted solely to that.
Sure crocheters and knitters can both Zen out together because all fiber artists gather relaxation from the melody of the movement, and we can really groove to the fact that we are actually creating a hat, or scarf, mitten, toy or sweater or skirt even. You can’t make lace with knitting needles!

It’s okay that Michaels.com says that knit is the “favorite for sweater making”! You can make a sweater with crochet, although it’ll be a little…boxy.
To be fair, Michaels.com also admitted that crochet is a versatile and popular. So there, knit!

So, come on…be naughty with me, be a rebel with be, go against the grain with me…Crochet With Me!