What Yarns Are Best for Crochet…?

This was a question asked on one of the crochet forums I’m on. Thought I’d share my response here. Feel free to add your input in the comments to help others!

I would say that what yarn you use depends on project and attitude actually. I know everyone has an opinion and there are various camps of thought. But my take is more of a unifier of worlds. I’m a true Libran – I dislike division.

You can crochet with anything. Seriously. And I’ve done it. I’ve mixed all sorts of fibers (some thigns not even considered “fiber”) and broken most taboos out there. And what I haven’t broken yet, I will endeavor to before I die. You can’t focus on being able to see. This is the eternal quip between my grandmothers and I. “But grandma, if you really know how to crochet, you don’t have to see your stitches, right?” It’s our private little laugh between us. But it’s true. I’ve used lots of stuff people didn’t think you could crochet with. But I also find that people get in a rut with fibers because they only use one type of hook or tool. Hooks can make an incredible difference in the variety of things you can create. Certain ones are better for certain things.

Only once have I come across a fiber that I felt was the spawn of satan and that I refused to try again and actually threw it away. Something called whirly-gig. And the monstrosity was difficult to use because it falls apart. Shouldn’t have been called yarn! In my experience, as long as it doesn’t fall apart, it can be crocheted!

I find most yarns do not meet people’s expectations because they approach it either with preconceived notions or one hook fits all approach. And that’s OK. Specialization is important too. Let the fibers speak to you and you’ll figure out how they best like to be used.  It’s like anything in life, you learn how it works. All fibers have a personality of sorts and a way they “prefer” to be handled. All you do is just figure that out.

I say take the fear and hesitation out of it and just let go. Get some paint and splash it on that canvas and see what you get.

Fair Trade Chocolate…

Not really related to crochet, but then again, who isn’t inspired by chocolate from time to time….! (Except for you strange non-chocolate fans out there……)   Thought I’d share…..

For those who like chocolate, here’s a company who makes a very good high quality fair trade chocolate. Chocolate desserts are my other hobby and I’m very picky about chocolate.  In fact, I totally embrace and admit that I am a complete chocolate snob.  So really, this is pretty good chocolate!

http://www.divinechocolateusa.com

(Austinites – there are a few places in town selling Divine Chocolate so you don’t have to mail order if you don’t want!)

MO-Hair…

Setting: I’m working on my latest hat design one night, trying to get all my notes down and actually record the creative process. So, I’m trying the hat on, trying to make sure the shape of the bill is just right and just about ready to make the final snip to tie off. Dear hubby is multitasking – recommending a yellow flower for the side while wailing on the new Fender he just bought. And my dear daughter (11 at the time) is fondling the yarn balls I just snipped free from the hat I’m finishing.

Story:

“Oh, I just love this yarn,” my daughter sighs, handling the shimmery lilac one. “That’s mohair,” I say, never missing a moment to teach. All these years she’s always heard me talking about one fiber or another.

But this time, she paused long.

And then my super genius 6th grade but high-school level science whiz tells me, “Ummm Mom, I don’t know what a Mo is……”

So that’s where I stop and nearly choke laughing!

To make matters worse, without skipping a strum, my dear hubby chimes in dryly, “Oh you know honey,” he says to our daughter. “From the Three Stooges. The guy with the hair chopped off in the front. Mo-hair.”

So what if you have more than one blog and post duplicate content…?

I found some helpful information and wrote about it here:  http://thedifferencebetweenaduck.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/so-what-if-you-do-have-more-than-one-blog-and-post-duplicate-content/

Crochet Movie Titles Fun….

We had a fun thread awhile back at The Crochet Liberation Front group on www.Ravelry.com (a crochet and knit community) about possible Crochet Movie Titles.

These are the ones I came up with – reposted here for your enjoyment! Feel free to participate and add yourself to the fun in the comments!

How to Lose a Hook in 10 Minutes

Last of the Mohair

Triple X-Stitch

Hot Yarn and Cold Feet

The Accidental Crocheter

What About Bullion?

Bullion 5 (Babylon 5)

Backstitch (Backdraft)

Balls of Furry

Attack of the Zombie Fiber Hookers (John suggested that one!)

101 Things to Do with a Naughty Skein (another John contribution!)

The Cable-Stitch Guy

Cast Away the Sticks!

Chasing Stitches

Chronicles of Intarsia (a technique in crochet)

Cirque du Filet

Clash of the Tritons (a shell stitch)

Code Name: Decrease

Cluster Theory

Cables Under Fire

The Craft (Hey I like it!)

The Hidden Lives of the CLF

Crazy Shell Dundee

Weaving in Ends

Cross Trebles Make Hidden Dragon

Saving Popcorn Stitch

Scary Mohair

The Stash

Star Stitch Troopers

Herringbone and the Half-Close Stitch

The Stitch-hiker’s Guide to the Marquerite (a star stitch)

House of Flying Picots

The Coffee Stain (I know I’m not the only one who has spilled coffee on a project!)

Tapestry C and the Hook of Destiny

That Darn Cat (need I say more?)

Triton A.E.

Basic Crochet 2: Risk Addiction

The Back Loop Killers

Ruffling Evil

OK I had some fun with this…..!

There’s a New Handmade Market in Town!

If you are thinking about selling handmade or vintage, you might want to give Zibbet a look. And if you’re like me and sell on Etsy and have noticed that it seems to be over-saturated, just like eBay became, then you might be interested in trying something at an earlier level – before they get too big for their britches down the road.

I’m picky, but Zibbet impressed me enough this morning to sign up and the basic store is completely free of all fees eBay and Etsy would charge. And it was very simple process to set up, I’d say even a little easier to put a listing together than Etsy is. You do have to have a Paypal account though. 

The premium store package allows for unlimited listing and customization. You can try it free with promocode “FREETRIAL.”

Anway, if it helps anyone, especially right now with the holidays – pass the info link on: http://www.zibbet.com/AberrantCrochet/sell. 

Added content:  Hey – also, I found out they have a referral program.  If seven folks sign up for a store through my link, I can get a free premium account.  You can too!  I don’t know how long the referral offer is good for, so if you’re interested, get it done!

Halloween 20% off SALE! Time to Move On to Gifts!

As you guys already know: It’s Hubby’s and My Birthday Week! In celebration, enjoy 20% off discount on Halloween items! Go check it out! But hurry – this sale will end soon! I don’t do clearance!  www.PixieWorx.etsy.com

OK – that’s it now! Custom Halloween orders are cut off and no more Halloween items will be created for 2009. If I get a chance, I will list the last of the Halloween items left in my Etsy store. Or, you can always give me a call!

For next year, I have some great ideas in mind, including a special spider web design to be hung around a ceiling fan! It’ll be great! And I’ll be spending many months planning it out. Due to the intricacies and time involved, I expect that only a few will be made. But I think it will be so much fun to work on!

Now it is time for me to dedicate my full attention to my truest crochet love – designing hats and the stuff people like to go with them! Don’t worry – there will still be some jewelry! Watch my store and blogs for updates!

It’s My Birthday Week!

My dear hubby and I have birthdays in October that are only 6 days apart. So in our family, between our birthdays is “birthday week” and the weekend that falls in between we call our birthday weekend!

Once a year, I really try to step back from the craziness of Life a bit during that week, keeping it as “zen” as possible and do something personally meaningful that adds to my life experience and memories somehow. And together, we try to do something special every year on our birthday weekend. That and our anniversary near Christmas have been our main “date traditions” we strive to make sure we do something special and different for each year (going on 14 soon)!

So last night, my sister-in-law took the kids and we tried out a new wine bar/Italian cafe in town that we heard great reviews about. It’s called Pizzeria Corvina. It was soooooo goooood! Their coal fired pizza, chicken alfredo, wine and beer selection, desserts and coffee were just excellent! Not to mention the incredible atmosphere and open kitchen and the service was top notch! I could hang out there all day – just simply lovely and the staff are awesome! And open ’til midnight on Saturdays!

We tried to get a photo of us together with the wine in the background, but alas! My camera seems to be on the fritz and it was impossible to get a clear shot! Ack!

Still I think you will like it – go check it out!

Blurry Shot at Pizzeria Corvina For Birthday Weekend!

Giant Crochet Spider Web Pattern…

I am currently working on my Giant Crochet Spider Web pattern for you folks. This is the kind that can be made up to many feet wide to display in your yard, or a large space. I hope to have it ready to list in my Etsy store this weekend.

Advantages to this design are it’s durability over most crochet designs, while at the same time, not becoming too bulky or using mass amounts of yarn to achieve this strength.

This spider web pattern utilizes unconventional stitches outside mainstream crochet, which will likely cause it to have an “advanced” crochet skill rating according to the international standard guidelines. However, I believe these unconventional stitches will be easy enough to learn for most folks and are somewhat repetitious.

So stayed tuned for photos and the pattern listing!

Also, watch for a series of spider web umbrellas to be released as well! These umbrellas are a limited run. (I only have so many umbrellas to make these with and only so many webs can be made per week anyway!) So once they are up, grab what you want, because they will be all there are this year. Price range for spider web umbrellas depend largely on complexity of the web design and time involved, after consideration of supply cost for the umbrellas themselves. Average time to create a single fairly straight forward spider web umbrella is about 3 hours. Careful handwork in securing the spider web to the umbrella and weaving in several feet of ends is a significant portion of the time in my process as well, again depending on complexity of the design. I like to leave several feet for the tails to add to the durability and long-term strength of my crochet webs.

I’ve been playing with a new toy called Animoto….

* Fair warning, I’ve noticed that the Animoto videos sometimes play the music twice in a row, even though the video portion is done. So wait for the music to stop before clicking on the 2nd video, or they’ll both play at once.

10 foot Spider Web attached to the side of my tent