Crochet anyone?

[leaette]

lookin good red! i make tons of them too. i have them on my esty store.

 

[~*Red*~]

lookin good red! i make tons of them too. i have them on my esty store.

Woohoo! Send me your etsy store name...this way I can support a friend and I don't have to make so many myself. lol
(i kept losing track of how many double crochets I did before I would move to the next chain. )

 

[CanadaDoll]

This is so like me! My mama taught me some basics a couple nights ago, and now I have crochet thread for a project before I even have the pattern!

 

[CanadaDoll]

On the note of thread, do any of you experienced crocheters have any suggestions for a newbie like me on thread or yarn types or brands? Any favourites, any cautions on what to avoid?

I bought South Maid brand and it's fairly stiff, but I like how fine it is, and it seems to work well with me, I wouldn't mind a softer thread though

 

[leaette]

i don't think that thread is a good way to learn. it's too detailed of work and very tiny stitches.

if you go back in this thread, i wrote a few posts about ideas for beginners.

 

[CanadaDoll]

I did try with yarn first, but I found I couldn't control as well as with the thread, and didn't like the look of it[huh] maybe I'm just wierdlol

 

[ShooShooBaby]

On the note of thread, do any of you experienced crocheters have any suggestions for a newbie like me on thread or yarn types or brands? Any favourites, any cautions on what to avoid?

i would advise starting with something meatier than thread, till you get the hang of your stitches. make a scarf, and you'll never forget the basic stitches you used, ever! and you can give it away, if you don't want a scarf.

i personally love working with and wearing wool over acrylic. brown sheep makes fantastic, affordable yarn in really cool colors! there is also a yarn i love that i get at my LYS but i can't remember the name of it. it's made by women in a collective in south america though.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

If you want something string like....but much thicker, I can highly recommend trying out the Sugar and Cream yarns by Lily. They are all cotton, so have that thread feel to them, so you can -see- what you are doing, but are going to be more productive in terms of making a completed project then fine string crochet.


sugarncream.com is their website, but most craft stores have a decent selection



I -won't- suggest you try what my latest project is made out of...I am crocheting with store plastic bags made into yarn.

 

[~*Red*~]

If you want something string like....but much thicker, I can highly recommend trying out the Sugar and Cream yarns by Lily. They are all cotton, so have that thread feel to them, so you can -see- what you are doing, but are going to be more productive in terms of making a completed project then fine string crochet.


sugarncream.com is their website, but most craft stores have a decent selection

I was just about to say the same thing!

When I am trying out new stitches, I find I prefer to use the sugar n cream thread/yarn. It's easy to seem exactly what I am doing, and it isn't so mushy/slippery as yarn is. They're fairly cheap too!

 

[~*Red*~]

i would advise starting with something meatier than thread, till you get the hang of your stitches. make a scarf, and you'll never forget the basic stitches you used, ever! and you can give it away, if you don't want a scarf.

i personally love working with and wearing wool over acrylic. brown sheep makes fantastic, affordable yarn in really cool colors! there is also a yarn i love that i get at my LYS but i can't remember the name of it. it's made by women in a collective in south america though.

I've been wanting to use wool, but I find it incredibly scratchy to wear. It would sure make it easier to join yarns because you can felt it. is there wool that is not scratchy? or am I SOL?

 

[ShooShooBaby]

I've been wanting to use wool, but I find it incredibly scratchy to wear. It would sure make it easier to join yarns because you can felt it. is there wool that is not scratchy? or am I SOL?

i honestly don't find it that scratchy, even on my neck. i know some types are less so than others. i think merino is supposed to be pretty mild. for me, the tradeoff of a little scratchiness is that it regulates heat and moisture much better than synthetics. even when i'm on my bike in the rain, my neck and head stay totally warm and dry! but without feeling sweaty and gross.

 

[~*Red*~]

i honestly don't find it that scratchy, even on my neck. i know some types are less so than others. i think merino is supposed to be pretty mild. for me, the tradeoff of a little scratchiness is that it regulates heat and moisture much better than synthetics. even when i'm on my bike in the rain, my neck and head stay totally warm and dry! but without feeling sweaty and gross.

That's good to know. I will have to check out the merino wool. I just wish it didn't itch so!

 

[leaette]

joann fabrics has a wool yarn that is washable. and it's soft. i forget the name of it. debbie mum or lionbrand. can't remember. oh wait, i think it's moda dea (sp?). it's expenive though at i think $7 a small skein. but i'm sure it goes on sale and you can always use your coupons.

 

[zaika]

Those would be great wouldn't they Fleur! lol

Zaika I always liked knitting better for those same 1970's flash backs as you. But my Granny could crochet and not knit so that is what I learned first.
The vintage crochet patterns are nothing like the bulky 70's stuff anyway so I am glad I crochet too.

I tried my hand and a vintage crochet bag pattern this weekend. I sort of got lost. lol Figured that it couldn't be THAT much harder than following a knitting pattern. [huh] Are vintage crochet pattern instructions different than modern day? I'd like to find a book to teach me crochet so then I can try this bag again.

 

[leaette]

vintage crochet patterns are not for the beginner. it seems like they leave stuff out, and word things difficutly.

so you're not alone. i made a snood last week and i got to this one part and sat for almost an hour thinking and re-thinking this one line. it just didn't make sense at all. so, i skipped it! maybe not a good thing to do, but the snood came out alright. hahaha.

 

[CanadaDoll]

I -won't- suggest you try what my latest project is made out of...I am crocheting with store plastic bags made into yarn.

Store plastic bags?? I'm imagining that they're recycled into fibers for the yarn?
That sounds really neat!

Thanks for the suggestions ladies, I've never seen Lily brand around here, but I'll look a little more closely

 

[~*Red*~]

joann fabrics has a wool yarn that is washable. and it's soft. i forget the name of it. debbie mum or lionbrand. can't remember. oh wait, i think it's moda dea (sp?). it's expenive though at i think $7 a small skein. but i'm sure it goes on sale and you can always use your coupons.

I'm going to have to look for that one too, thanks!

I tried my hand and a vintage crochet bag pattern this weekend. I sort of got lost. Figured that it couldn't be THAT much harder than following a knitting pattern. Are vintage crochet pattern instructions different than modern day? I'd like to find a book to teach me crochet so then I can try this bag again.

I just learned an "afghan" stitch for crochet that ends up looking a lot like a stockinette stitch for knitting. So much easier and faster! I like both knitting and crochet, but crochet is just incredibly fast as compared to knitting, and you only have to hold one hook, which is alot nicer for my wrists.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Store plastic bags?? I'm imagining that they're recycled into fibers for the yarn?
That sounds really neat!

Yea, its fun, although making the yarn takes a while and a lot of bags...hehe I will take some pictures so far...

I just learned an "afghan" stitch for crochet that ends up looking a lot like a stockinette stitch for knitting. So much easier and faster!

I do afghan stitch stuff a lot...great for square things like scarves and potholders. I have a bright red one on my blog thats afghan stitch. I just found a whole bunch of afghan hooks at the flea market...so mmmmm more fun..they were smaller then any I had previously found, so I might try some thread based stuff with them.

 

[Girl Friday]

I made a teddy bear and a bunny from patterns I got off the Lion Brand yarn website, I'll take pictures and post them tomorrow.
http://www.lionbrand.com/
They have some great patterns, and most of them are free if you sign up for their newsletter.

 

[CanadaDoll]

Yea, its fun, although making the yarn takes a while and a lot of bags...hehe I will take some pictures so far...

That is so cool Miss N! I never thought of that even being possible, it sounds very environmentally friendly too! :eusa_clap

Please do post some photos of the process and the results when you get a chance, I'm really curious to see what it's like.