Team Hooker - Welcome to the Hotel Crochetfornia

[SoupDragon]

You can check in but you can never leave...

[aJumpedUpPantryBoy]

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes, I make charts of each wool type with a piece of the wool plus name.

I store them by brand in sets of plastic storage drawers at the moment I have a Stylecraft, Debbie Bliss, Sublime and baby bamboo drawers and then a mixed drawer where odds and ends are in labeled bags

[StuckInTheFensAwayFromHome]

I risked taking 1 normal hook on a flight - was prepared to throw away if they had a problem with it, but I'd read on the internet (so it must be true!) that most are allowed - less lethal looking than knitting needles!
Was fine on flights in and out of Canada with that hook.
This time am travelling by ferry so no problems - am taking so much stuff that I'm sure boyfriend won't notice my wool bag!!!

[AnitaManeater]

Not keen on wooden hooks but they do look pretty. I just stick to the £1.25 Pony brand ones. My kids always get their hands on them and post them down the gaps in the floorboards. My youngest cries whenever we go in the wool shop and rips the labels off as soon as we get home. I think they have wool related issues and may need counselling

[Daisybell1]

Doh, I am such an idiot!!! I had visions of my whole project being taken off me, yarn, pattern, everything

I'll buy a wooden hook tomorrow

[PurplePidjin]

I prefer plastic, you can get them the same shape as the metal ones I'm used to. One day I'll get to try one of them posh ergonomic ones

[bluebump]

Hello, just checking in on the new thread. I'm still doing a striped blanket, it takes me over an hour to do one stripe (3 rows of each colour) so it's a slow, big project!

My first big granny square blanket sits on the sofa but my DS leant on it too hard and managed to break one of the squares! No idea how I'm going to mend it so I have had to turn it around so that it hangs over the back so no one can see it!

[aJumpedUpPantryBoy]

If you are buying new hooks I love my Addi Swing, mind you I'm also quite fond of clover hooks and Pym hooks as well

I do have some bamboo ones which I don't love although I read that they improve with use. I'm saving them for my next flight!

I'm nearly half way through the blanket that I'm crocheting at the moment, it's in colours I wouldn't normally use as it is a gift for a friend. I'm actually surprised at how much I like the colour combinations

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Pantry - thanks, yes I've got a notebook with the name/code and a bit of wool stuck in for all my proper project wool, done for if I want to buy more of the same, I just haven't bothered for all the random balls I have let DD choose for making little animals etc, perhaps I need to put every single ball in, hadn't thought of using it for sorting out muddled stashes.

[SoupDragon]

I bought a lovely coloured stripey hook from eBay, specifically for the flight. It is a 4 at one end and a 4.5 at the other. It's slightly varnished which gives it a slippery surface like the metal ones have. I can imagine it, and the bamboo one I have, improving as they get polished by the yarn going over them... That thought pleases me, the aged look gained by much use!

[PurplePidjin]

Bluebump, if you made all the squares then joined them, you can remove one square and replace it by cutting the joining stitches a couple of inches away, remove the square, reattach joining wool. It's easier done than explained!

[Kopparbergkate]

Just started crochet and really enjoying it (much more than knitting!!). I've only done a couple of granny squares, and the tension's a bit dodgy, but I'm already planning my first project - a pram blanket for DC2 due in April.

A couple of questions - I have an idea for a design in my head that involves including ripple squares, I can follow the ripple pattern on Attic24 but can I make the edges square to join in with square squares iyswim.

Also, any recommendations for yarn? I'm looking for bright, clear colours but it's got to be easily cleanable (given its intended use!) and preferably non-splitty (given my novice status ).

in advance

[PurplePidjin]

Hello, Kate :)

I would make ripple squares 1/2" smaller than needed, the crochet round in a border - dc down the sides, mix of dc, htc and tc across the top and bottom to even out the wiggles.

Sirdar Baby Bamboo is gorgeous, bright and washable - just have a look at the pic on my link from yesterday morning!

[SoupDragon]

Ripple squares all have to be a multiple of 7 stitches across so their size will depend entirely on how many repeats of the ripple you do. I think you'd need to try a few squares out to see how many repeats you need to make the pattern still look effective.


I love the baby bamboo but do find it a little splitty sometimes.

[craftynclothy]

Kate - I'd definitely reccommend the Stylecraft special. Mind you, I can't afford more expensive yarn atm and I'm a little addicted to the Stylecraft

Have finished this really huge, I should really read the finished size before deciding to blindly follow the pattern Mario blanket Ravelry link and, because dh liked it a lot I whizzed this little BobOmb up for him for his Xmas surprise another Rav link

I've also been using my Stylecraft scraps up making granny squares and am in the process of edging them all with white before joining them as a blanket for one of the kids. I'm also making a granny stripe for the other child (not decided which one is going to each yet).

Speaking of hooks, I love my Clover Soft Touch hooks but find after using them for hours they feel a bit short in my hand so dh has bought me some custom polymer clay hooks for Xmas from Polka Dot Cottage and they are lovely (he let me check they were right when they arrived). I couldn't resist having a granny square design crochet hook

[aJumpedUpPantryBoy]

Has anyone tried crocheting with laceweigh yarn? Manos del Uruguay have some beautiful skeins of laceweight - I've used their DK before and it was amazing.

I'm wondering if I could make something inthe style of a Sophie Digard scarf - if you haven't seen her work do google it

[PurplePidjin]

I find 4ply frustrating

[aJumpedUpPantryBoy]

Mmmm, true - I made a blanket in 4 play (I think, or maybe 3 ply) and whilst the finished product was lovely I didn't enjoy making it at all.

Perhaps I'll buy some of the DK and make a cosy scarf rather than something floaty and dainty

[Kopparbergkate]

Thanks all. I bought some stylecraft special today cus it was cheap (and all that was available in my local craft shop) so I'm going to do some practice squares using that.

Any recommendations for buying yarn (and hooks) online or great shops nearish the University in Southampton or in Fareham? The latter would be better I suppose as I don't like the thought of not being able to see/squeeze the balls (as 'twere!

[PurplePidjin]

Ooh a local!! John Lewis in Southampton and C&H in Winchester both god. Not sure about independents, I'm a little further south west :)

[PurplePidjin]

God? GoOd

[Kopparbergkate]

Nah, you were right the first time - JL is God

[Daisybell1]

Ooh Pid, where are you based? I grew up in Dorchester , but now living in the frozen north...

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I worked near Fareham until fairly recently but can't think of any around there. There's a C&H in Chichestet but that's the wrong direction, think it might be smaller than the one in Winchester. Sorry, not much help.

[VintageEbonyGuitar]

Can I check in?

Halloo

no one warned me about multiple projects. I have just finished my very first ever granny square blanket and I luff, luff, luff it even though it's wonky and the colour pattern didn't quite work have also nearly done the refuge squares and am having a foray into knitting a beautiful hot water bottle cover original is a nasty cheap tesco thing bought in an emergency

have also just built the cat a cardboard box hotel complex including crochetted balls

[PurplePidjin]

I'm south of southampton and east of Bournemouth :o

Best wool shop is Honora in Christchurch, wish i could afford to go there all the time, so many small shops closing down

I think we tried, Ebony, but like the rest of us the message didn't sink in until too late