It's Crochet, Knit & Natter 10: New Year, New Yarn, New Thread!

[QuantumWeatherButterfly]

Time for a new thread for all the lovely yarn crafters!

Old thread here: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/artsandcrafts/4557189-its-crochet-knit-natter-9-so-many-projects-so-little-time-oh-well-i-almost-made-it-rhymee_

@lucysmam if you worked bottom up starting with a magic ring, you could make a little open topped pot shape, the crochet the top edge closed straight. I think that would give the same effect.

I'm making slow but steady progress with my scrappy basket - I can only do one round a day without killing my fingers. I've also done most of a gauge swatch for the raglan sweater, but it's come out a little on the small side. So, while I ponder whether to go up a hook and make the size down, or stick with the same one and make the size up, I decided to knuckle down and finish DD's hexi cardi. I made myself take back the cuffs on the too-short sleeves so I'm up and running again. The two benefits of doing it are that 1) I might actually be able to fit everything in my project bag again and 2) I can use the leftovers for the scrappy basket which will mean some really pretty colours for that.

Wondering if this resonates with anyone? 😂

Ummm... no, not at all <eyes spinning wheel>.

There's a paddock out there with your name on it @AllProperTeaIsTheft @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound

Me? Um, yes a bit. I’m literally parked at the ferry port and wondering what kind of warp to wind for my loom when I get home I had to pack for holidays before so I got it restored but not warped!

There's a paddock out there with your name on it @AllProperTeaIsTheft

Haha - I think that's a bit of a step too far even for me . Maybe when I retire though...

Grrr...I'm busy making colour monsters from scraps & out of the three different yellow ends of balls I have, none are enough to make a whole little monster 🙄

Ok. So it's finished. I don't hate it, but it's not how I imagined it. But that's ok. I'm going to put armholes in and wear it to a festival in a couple of weeks. If I don't love it after that it's being frogged.

It's based on the window in "Wednesday" on Netflix. If you haven't seen it, you should!

@CrochetBug I quite like it - I'm imagining it'll be quite well suited to a festival!

Colour Monsters are done, apart from yellow/happy. I'll acquire some yellow yarn from my friend tomorrow & do him then - he won't take long.

That's really cool , @CrochetBug ! My kids watched Wednesday and I saw bits of it.

Relief in the ProperTea household today. Dd dropped a grade on two of her A Levels but still got accepted by her first choice university - phew. She's off to York!

Cute monsters, @lucysmam!

@lucysmam they are cute.
Congrats to mini @AllProperTeaIsTheft . That's great news.

Well done to your dd @AllProperTeaIsTheft !

My dad, and the girls dad, thought dd1 got her GCSE results today...she's itching to know how she's done now. She did say that the grade boundaries seem to have been high this year & is wondering how that trickles down to GCSEs.

Congratulations to your DD @AllProperTeaIsTheft

The shawl is cool @CrochetBug . Love Wednesday.

DD is y10 but has taken 6 bits of GCSE this year and gets the results next week. I'm having kittens because she really struggles at school and her confidence is very low. Most of my non- knitting is down to trying to support her. I am wondering the same thing @AllProperTeaIsTheft

Thanks folks! What's really lovely too is that one of my departing Y13 students who I've taught this year has got her place at York too, doing a course that's partly the same as dd's. We'd previously talked about the fact they might both end up there. She emailed me yesterday to see if dd would like to get in touch so they'd have a friend on arrival in September!

Hi, can I join?
I'm trying to teach myself to crochet. I've learned some absolute basics but I only have one hook and one ball of yarn... until today. I've ordered a full set of hooks and 10 balls of yarn to hopefully knit a granny square blanket.

Any tips for an absolute beginner welcome!

Hi @LucyLoopyLu! I'm a knitter first and a crocheter second, but I'm very slowly making a granny square blanket with squares from this book. 200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afghans: Crochet Squares to Mix-and-Match https://amzn.eu/d/aYYGF31 It's really good!

Hi, yes try Bella Coco Crochet on you tube, she does some great tutorial videos and is very easy to follow. Good luck, I’m sure you won’t need it though

Thanks both! I will check out your suggestions 😊

Welcome, @LucyLoopyLu - I taught myself from Bella Coco videos. Not everyone loves them, but I followed the beginners videos, then thought I would just crack on any try to make something because what's the worst that could happen?

Update from me! I hope to finish DD's hexagon cardi this weekend. Just the neckline and cuff ribbing to do now. Hilariously, after the sleeves being too short, they are now a bit too long, but I can't be arsed to fix them again, and anyway, she'll grow into it, right? If the body ends up being too short by the time the sleeves don't drown her, I'll either bodge on some sort of frill trim at the bottom, or claim it was meant to be cropped all along.

The reason for buckling down and finishing it was 1) so I don't have so much crap in my project bag, 2) I'm sick of the sight of it and 3) so I free up some pretty scraps to use in my scrappy basket.

The scrappy basket is coming along nicely - slow but steady at one round a day, to stop my fingers getting sore from how tight it is. But I have to say it looks very good, and I am very happy with it.

Once they the hexi cardi is done, I ought to crack on with the raglan jumper I have the yarn for and have already swatched. So naturally this evening I bought the yarn to make these and this instead😊

Well done getting to the end of your dd's cardigan, @QuantumWeatherButterfly ! I was supposed to be makimg my dd's jumper in time for her to go off to university and I've only made the back and done about 10 rows of the front . I guess she can have it at Christmas

I'm on holiday in Scotland this week, the crochet has been packed and I'm determined to get something finished

Can I join too? I used to knit a lot, but it sort of dropped off my radar for a few years.

I just bought the 52 weeks of socks book, but decided I really should finish a pair of fingerless gloves first which I started four years ago. I already have one glove completed, but decided to unravel the second one as I couldn’t work out what row I’d left it on four years ago. It’s a miracle I still have the pattern to be honest!

I’m still here and very slowly crocheting. I think I’m managing half a row a week. Our house move has been dragging on for a while now (we sold stc at the end of February) and still no date for exchange/completion. The estate agents are a nightmare and making the whole thing harder than it needs to be. I’ve found it’s just zapping all my energy and I don’t have the energy to crochet, just doom-scroll on my phone. I’m hoping we can complete by the end of the month because my list of things to crochet isn’t shrinking!

Welcome @SparkleHard ! You are definitely not the only one on here to have projects stretching over years

Sympathies re the slow house move, @WeCanLiveLikeJackAndSally . It's been 9 years since we did our big move from SE to NW but I very much remember the rubbish estate agents and the feeling of being in limbo.

@tizwozliz - happy crocheting in Scotland!

I feel in the mood to make New Year's Resolutions, because my life runs on the academic year calendar, so September always feels like the time for new beginnings for me, not January.

So my NYR is to spend more time knitting, crocheting and spinning, and less time on the internet. Also eating more healthily and fitting in some exercise after school.