another new hook lover

K von M wrote

on Jan 8, 2008 9:53 AM

*tap* *tap* *tap* is this thing on?

hi everyone :). i'm not so good with introducing myself, but here goes... and fair warning, i hate the shift key ;).

i've always been fascinated by yarn. i don't know why, i just am. my mom taught me two stitches when i was about 3 years old... chain and triple. one of my earliest memories is riding in the car with my mom, going through an entire skein of red heart worsted weight on just a chain stitch. i couldn't have made anything out of it even if i'd wanted to... the whole thing was nothing but a tangled mess.

in high school i tried knitting... i just can't do it. i mean, i CAN do it, but i can't. my grandmother could knit entire sweaters blind. somehow it just seems like too much concentration for me. i tried crocheting after college, but for some reason my ex hated seeing me working on anything. he'd get mad if he saw me working on something unless it had a valid purpose or recipient. it was incredibly frustrating... my element is fire, so i have a natural need to create things. it's just one of the many reasons he's an ex ;).

i got back into serious crocheting a couple of years ago. my current husband may tease me about all the "rugs", and the colors i choose for baby blankets, but he knows it keeps me happy. he doesn't even complain that the front closet has been taken over by all my yarn.

i've learned a couple of things about how i crochet... one, i never pay attention to gauge. for most of what i work on, like blankets, it's done when it's as big as i need it to be. i recently did a stuffed bear, and did it exactly according to the directions. he should have been about 8" tall... seated, he's about 14". i don't know if that was a yarn issue or a hook issue or a hand issue... he's still in proportion and everything, and adorable, so as far as i'm concerned it doesn't matter that he's twice the size he should be. two, i won't work with red heart yarn, which gets frustrating because they have some of the best variegated patterns. the colors are gorgeous, but the finished product is always rough and scratchy and not something i'd want to curl up with. give me a lion brand homespun or a bernat boucle any day :).

i'll get some pictures of my stuff posted soon. i'm not so good with coming up with my own patterns, so i take the basics listed in books and just do my own thing with colors and strands. lately i've gotten into amigurumi animals and am trying to learn the ins and outs of making my own.

and someday, i'll figure out how to do a pair of mittens that FIT!

PaulineL wrote

on Jan 8, 2008 12:56 PM

Yep, it's on, you found us! :^D

I love fingerless mitts. I'm wearing a knitted pair at the moment to keep my hands from freezing. Take a look at the new pattern here, Mohair Mittens (or something like that), that should be easy to fit to your hand even if you ignore gauge (horrors!). Just make a foundation chain or foundation dc row long enough to go wrist to a bit past first knuckles and dc enough rows to wrap around your hand, and stop! Do it again for the other hand. Then follow her suggestions for sewing up, adding a border, and making a flower trim. Easy peasy, looks so cute. I want to make a pair, forgot to buy yarn last Sat. but will do so today.

LaMorocha wrote

on Jan 8, 2008 4:28 PM

Welcome, K! And thanks for the great read. :)