the end of the tale of how arin went blind trying to crochet

no, really.

i’ve DONE IT.

i have made…

well, basically, i have made the world’s best crocheted marble EVER.

it all started because i want to crochet a beaded necklace, but, with the pattern calling for a .75mm steel crochet hook and SEWING THREAD, i first had to create it at a scale i could actually see and get an idea of how the pattern worked.  so first step?  ~done~.

next step, adjust to TEENY TINY thread and hook… and because i’ve no idea what “top-stitching thread” is, i decided to go with a size 80 dmc thread, as it felt a bit thicker than regular sewing thread.  (and if nothing else, i could almost see it!).  ...AND because i can’t actually see the hook on the .75mm steel crochet hook, i went with a 1.30mm steel hook.  after all, this was just a test - a way to get used to working at this scale.

so i made the first chain 6, EASY PEASY! ...then i tried a slip stitch to make a loop.  and dropped the stitch.  563 times.  (yes, i counted.  no, i never exaggerate EVER.) but, FINALLY, i got the slip stitch made.  woohoo!  i was on my way!!

...and 798.6 gabillion attempts later, i had my 8 single crochets around the loop.  or so i thought.  since i couldn’t actually be sure of what i was counting.  me: “1,2,3,... did i count that stitch or the one next to… wait.  1,2,3… is that a stitch or am i cross-eyed?”

(let me say right here… if you don’t have an ott light?  *buy one*.  (especially if you’re working at a scale that only micro-organisms can see.)  i happened to catch one on sale just as i began this project and it’s been an eye-saver.)

by the 5th round, i realized… i’d made a bit of a mistake in selecting a multi-coloured thread (pattern calls for 4 different coloured threads to be switched out each round, but i hate switching yarns that often, so i was *cheating*.).  at this scale, it’s harder to keep track of the rounds, but i wasn’t about to stop there.  I COULD DO THIS!!!  just be patient.  pay attention.  count stitches.  i kept going…

this is what ~perseverance~ looks like - slightly blurry and out of focus.

of course, the first thing i did after my little pep talk?  i made a HUGE error, which i wouldn’t discover for several more rows; but since this was just a “test” to get used to the thread and hook, i ~allowed~ myself to adjust and fudge until i could get back to the correct count and spacing.  (“correct count.”  HA.  HAHA.  HAHAHAHA.  i say that so easily now!  i’m not even sobbing!  try this: cross your eyes and count grains of salt.  it was *totally* just like that.)

now, i never expected the gauge to come out correctly - i was unsure of the thread size, i was using a larger hook, and my tension was anything but consistent.  (nevermind the HUGE error.  no, really, JUST NEVERMIND.)  so colour me surprised when at the point in the pattern which calls for the bead to be inserted? ...it was looking like i might be able to actually use the right sized bead!  ...which i hadn’t bought.  ...because i never expected this test to work.  ...and it was midnight.  ...and there were no stores open.  and i wasn’t prepared to go to jail for breaking into a craft store because “OMG, IT WAS AN EMERGENCY, I NEEDED ONE WOODEN BEAD, OFFICER!!!”

but see.  i’m a ~crafter~.  i have ~supplies~.  and by “supplies”, i mean, “stuff i’ve no idea what i’m ever going to do with, but can’t get rid of it yet” ...which just happened to include ONE 3/4 INCH WOODEN… BALL.

still unsure whether or not the rounds would cover the ball completely, i decided to give it a try and see how it’d come out…

i give you… my crocheted wooden… marble.  ball.  not a bead.  totally useless.  thingy:

DAMN SKIPPY! we haz a crocheted wooden… marble!

it came out much better than i expected and i’m pretty sure that i can get by with the size 80 thread AND the 1.30mm steel crochet hook… as long as i get my tension more consistent.  also? better vision insurance.  but in the end, i WILL have my beaded necklace :)

Crochet, Misc, Comments (0)
June 09, 2010 @ 01:09 am

the tale of how arin went blind trying to crochet (part 2)

as i stated previously, i’d purchased “The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet” and in the very back of the book is a gallery of items created by the book’s contributors…

which is where i saw something like this:

i had to have it. those beads are absolutely beautiful!  I HAD TO MAKE THIS NECKLACE!!!  but sadly, there was no pattern listed with it :(  ~oh no!~  but, of course, being in a wicked frenzy to purchase all the ZOMGTOTALLYAWESOME crochet books i can find, i was *compelled* to stalk google the artist’s name and ~voila~ : melody macduffee - (do NOT miss her gallery), so i ran lickety-split** to buy her “Crochet Overlay Jewelry” book, hoping that the beads would be part of the patterns within.  AND THEY ARE!!!  along with several other really impressive pieces.  i’ve never tried this method of crochet, but the instructions are clear and easy to follow. 

just a couple of comments, though, about the designs: all are crocheted with something called “top-stitching thread”.  i have no idea what that means.  apparently, it’s the size of two strands of standard sewing thread, but no shop that i went to had ever heard the term.  also, most designs are made using a .75mm steel crochet hook.  let me repeat: a .75mm steel crochet hook. 

to give you an idea:

i’m not saying this is impossible (clearly, it’s not).  i’m just saying i’m going to need MUCH BIGGER EYES. 

**(unrelated sidenote: i had to google to see if lickety-split was hyphenated and, basically, google just taught me that the term IS hyphenated, it means to go very fast, and OH HEY, it’s also used for porn. so, yes, i ran fast.  no, i didn’t stop for porn.  this time.)

Books, Crochet, Comments (0)
June 06, 2010 @ 10:32 am

the tale of how arin went blind trying to crochet (part 1)

recently i’ve been on some kind of frenzied hunt for crochet books… i swear, they’re *like crack to me*!  i can’t pass a book store without rushing to the craft section to see what they have.  then, someone recently gave me an amazon gift card and i spent… 5… F I V E… five… hours, looking through every crochet book that i could find :|  either there’s been a recent surge in the number of ZOMGTOTALLYAWESOME crochet books or i was just not paying attention in the past!

the first “must have” was: The Complete Photo Guide To Crochet and OMG, it’s simply ~beautiful~.  though there’s not many patterns within, there is a HUGE collection of unusual stitches and motifs.  i’ve had some “encyclopedias” of crochet before, but none of them have impressed me as much as this book.  the pictures are just beautiful (bright and colorful!!!) and the stitch instructions are easy to follow… if you crochet, you should have this book!!!!

needing a couple of small gifts, i made a couple of the motifs into bookmarks - (the tassels and chains can be removed and the motifs can be used as appliques or pins, etc.)

but, of course, i couldn’t stop there… oh no.

in the *back* of the book, there was a picture… and *right here* begins the tale of how arin went blind trying to crochet…

Books, Crochet, Yarn, Comments (0)
June 04, 2010 @ 11:53 pm

crocheted flip-flop thongs

summer has all but officially arrived in houston… temps are well into the 90s.  hot hot hot! …and what better way to keep cool than these crocheted flip flop thongs!

i’m making a pair for my stepdaughter and now i’m glad that i bought enough to be able to make a pair for me as well.  i don’t often wear flip flops but these are just too darn cute!  anyone who has ever made those yarn covered coat hangers should have absolutely no problem making these thongs.  the technique is exactly the same.

materials:
pair of flip flops
2 skeins of lion brand “fun fur”
for crocheters, use a size J hook
for non-crocheters, you can easily do this by hand

instructions:

1. make a slip knot in the end of the yarn and, with the toe of the shoe facing you, bring the loop of the slip knot under the left strap.
2. bring yarn up and over the strap and pull through the slip knot.
3. with hook (or finger holding the loop), reach under the strap, loop yarn over and bring up (2 loops on hook, or finger).  yarn over hook (or finger) and pull through the 2 loops.
4. repeat.  alot.  and then some more.
5. when you get to the toe, you’ll flip the shoe around so that the heel is facing you.  work all the way to the top of the right strap, cut yarn, pull through and weave in ends.

note: as you do the stitches, push them together so that the strap is densely covered.  (you can make it as dense as you like, i went full on fuzzy!)

Free!, Crochet, Patterns, Comments (0)
June 04, 2010 @ 11:07 pm