Thank you.

Recently I have dusted off my hooks and been giving the yarn a whirl again, started off on another project,(a tunisian knit - stitch cardigan for my partner), and was desperate for contact with other hook heads. I've not got round to looking for a local group yet so finding this forum and the wealth of information here has been a real blessing.

I'm a 37 year old male short order cook from Nottingham in England and have crocheted since I lived with a group of hippies in Glastonbury, 12 years ago.

I've made bags, jumpers, hammocks, trousers, lots of things out of crochet, but the only thing I've ever followed a pattern for is lace.

I've still got a lot to learn and love getting any advice I can to expand my work. As I said, I'm a little rusty at the moment and the tunisian cardigan really is in its early stages. I feel like I've bitten off a bit more than I can chew,(the collar design is still eluding me and decreases come out uneven in size!), but I do love a challenge.

I've waffled long enough - thanks for reaading and I look forward to conversing with you all.x

Welcome! I just joined a few days ago and I'm already loving this place.

You made pants?

It looks like we're in the same line of work. I'm not a short order cook. I'm a mom, but mostly I cook. Keeping four boys full is a full-time job.

You made pants?

Your cardigan sounds interesting. You're not using a pattern for that either, huh? Amazing. I've not made a garment before. I'm working on a shawl, but I don't think that counts. I'm thinking about trying a dress from the Crochet Me book. Just thinking about it...

You made pants? Really? Have you got a picture because? Pants? Wow. Are they lined? :)

Again, welcome.

RedTartan

Yes I made pants!

They were festival wear, so not something you would put on to go to work, but trousers none the less.

I crocheted one leg, then the crotch, then down the other leg all in one piece. The advantage of being self-taught is that you don't know what not to do and make things you never would as a purist that knows the craft. I made them whilst on a really long bus journey. they were in black chunky knit wool on a size 5 hook in double crochet and I wore them with green long-johns underneath.

They were really warm and ideal for a night outside dancing.

The cardigan is just getting past the swatch stage. I've made my little test squares and at the moment I'm working out how i graft on regular double crochet to form the collar.

4 boys eh?

I'm impressed you manage to find the time to crochet with such a house full, but imagine you must find it as soothing as I do. I drift into hook-world whenever I can.

http://treblecrochet.blujay.com Welcome to Crochet Me!

LOL! I HAVE to find the time. Crochet is necessary for the preservation of my sanity! I can feel the stress melt off my shoulders about three stitches in...

I like to crochet after the kids are asleep while I'm watching something I've seen before or am not particularly interested: an old familiar movie, a war movie my husband wants to see :), or Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series... for the tenth time...

New TV stinks anyway. Crochet is a better use of my time :)

RedTartan

Wow, crocheted trousers! I would have loved a pair in my misspent youth - they would have been a lot warmer than the patchwork ones I used to wear.

I wanted to send my welcome too even though i'm fairly new myself. I like to follow patterns when it comes to making garments but find myself always altering them along the way.

Probably because I always a different yarn and end up using a different sized hook(or needles) too. I would be interested on hearing more about the lace, my new love. To Red Tartans 4 boys I add my 4 Girls!. The youngest of which (4months) sometimes lets me crochet. I'm working on a beaning for one of said daughters. Good luck with the cardi!

Kath

Hey Arbor,

Welcome. Now that you've described the trousers, how about the hammock?

Pauline

yer tells us about the hammock!

Kath

Seriously. Who couldn't use a hammock?

sorry it's been a while, I've just got back off holiday in Goa - blissfully peaceful!

Anyways, hammocks are easy.

I used a cut off piece of broom handle with a hook carved into the end with nylon twine for my first hammock and refined to a silk and cotton thread by the time I'd perfected the sling.

I started with a chain that measured 2 meters and simply single crochet, 5 chain, single into 3rd chain. leaving turning of 5 chain.

2nd row the same, making the single in the 3rd chain of the formed "loop" and carried on with single, 5 chain always joining in 3rd chain of previous row and 5 turning chain.

When the piece is the desired length,( I usually did 3 meters) I would either knot into foundation chain 1 meter of twine to each head of each "loop", or thread through a broom handle first, then knot into the handle depending on whether I wanted a hammock that wrapped around me or lay open at both ends. The twines would then all be knotted onto large plastic discs at each end and thicker rope at the other side of the disc to be able to tie the hammock to it's supports.

I'm a little jet-lagged at the moment and just catching up with emails so i apologise if this isn't too clear, but if anyone really is intrested I'll try and put a proper pattern together and post later.

happy hooking all.x

Oh, you made your own hook from a broom handle? Wow. Then you shifted to cotton thread and, I guess, steel hooks? But that would take forever!

I must admit I didn't make my first really big wooden hook and the idea for crocheting a hammock was a complete improvise copy of something I saw for sale at a music festival.

Whichever twine, cord or thread I made a hammock with, I always used the same kind of wooden hook, fashioned from a broomhandle, because I travelled all over and it's an easy item to get hold of.

I could make a hammock in about 3 or 4 weeks in my spare time.

"Seven days without crochet makes one weak"

http://yoursandi.blogspot.com

So glad I checked this forum tonight. I loved the reference to being a "hook head"...got a great big smile on my face with that one.

Also I am so glad that you brought up how it is easy to just go ahead with something when you don't know enough to know you are doing it wrong and then you found success with the pants. Love that.

I am the kind to read the manual two or three times before I ever get started. Hate that. But have learned to live with it.

I read last night that when you create something from scratch (an original) there are no wrongs. It is your creation and therefore it must be right.

Thank all of you that are comfortable with making a mistake because without the risk takers in life all we'd have left is rigidness.

I'm proud to be a hook head.