So Much To Do!

Once I realized that I was actually somewhat successful at crocheting I had a million and a half projects I wanted to do. I wanted to make a blanket for everyone I knew who was having a baby, I wanted to stock my linen closet with blankets made by me so they would all be the perfect size/color/pattern for what I wanted. I wanted to make nice blankets for our beds that would cost me MAYBE $30 in yarn instead of $90 for something store bought!

So far Chloe has one misshapen blanket that I made (my first blanket) though it is functional, and we have a slew of coasters that were granny squares I attempted and didn't like the finished product.

Some day I'll get to them, for now I have some custom orders and of course Chloe's birthday blanket (which will be the first successful addition to my crocheted world!). I'm excited to get some time to work on things for me and projects for people that I love.

I must admit it would be easier to get all the baby blankets done if we could just find out the sex of the baby right away and if my friends stopped having babies at the same time. Oh well I like a challenge.

As it stands right now I work Monday-Friday during every nap and after Chloe goes to bed on custom orders (and keeping up with housework ect) and then the weekends are for her birthday blanket. I'm usually pretty burnt out by then so I don't get too much done though. I see myself up all night on August 24th desperately stitching to get it done. It will be so worth it though!

Today I'm a bit burnt out and needed a break so I'm online shopping for my favorite crochet project assistant.

TOTE BAGS!!!

This one is from Amazon. 

(and approximately $20)

Tote bags are so useful when crocheting ESPECIALLY if you frequently run errands where you do a lot of sitting around and waiting or you have pets. I have dogs and I vacuum every morning but I swear my house is shedding. I put my yarn in a bag and feed it out of there when I'm working, when I'm done I fold up my project and tuck it into the tote. That way I never misplace my yarn or hooks and everything is all together. The nice thing about totes with pockets is that you can just tuck your extra supplies like fabric tape measure, yarn needles, scissors all in the front pocket and leave the yarn and your project in the big pocket. 

 

I always leave my hook in my project unless I don't have a spare and I need it for another project, then I put a hair clip through the last loop where the hook would be to hold the space.

Then if you're headed out for a doctors appointment, or you're going on a flight somewhere, or you have to go to the RMV and waste a million hours of your life just waiting, you can grab your bag and go. Never waste time that could be put to use crocheting (unless you're showing signs of carpal tunnel then take a day off).

 

Right now I'm debating if that is the bag I'm getting or not. And if yes what color. The yellow is super happy, I love the pink, and I would really like the charcoal grey but that doesn't make sense with dogs.... Decisions, decisions...

How I Learned To Crochet

These are the videos that I started with to learn to crochet! Check them out and see if they help you. I'm working on my list of amazing patterns that I love to share with you all. I always recommend youtube-ing any new stitch you haven't tried yet as it seems the easiest way to learn, at least for me! I'm terrible at reading diagrams!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqca00LdmAc
This is the first video I watched. I did okay with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdK-WWdHCQU
Then I watched this and it really helped a lot!

Ready, Set, SOLD!!

So I'm terribly far behind on doing my own explaination of how to crochet. I'm just so swamped with things to do before the big move I'm fairly certain I won't be able to give it a good enough effort before I leave England so I may temporarily postpone it and replace it with lots of good links to other blogs and youtube videos that  can help you learn.

I will make my own in the future though!! I will study all the other videos and try to figure out what is vague and what I can simplify for you.

But for now my big news is that we closed on our house today which means we are one step closer to England! It makes it a lot easier for us to not try to manage a rental property from across an ocean so it was the best choice, but I'm getting tearful thinking about the day when I walk out the door and I'll never see my baby's nursery again.

Growing up my nursery remained untouched, at least the wallpaper and shelves did. My sister and I grew out of our nursery and into other rooms. Until the day my mother sold the house the nursery was always my nursery and I don't think I'll ever forget the soft yellow and the circus animal paper on the wall.

I'll take lots of pictures for Chloe so she can always see her room and the perfect shade of purple we picked for it. We agonized over the color, looking at probably 100 shades from bluish to pinkish purple and finally deciding on the perfect shade. Her room is perfect and I love it.

I always knew that it was very likely we'd get orders, and it's not that I'm not excited to go to England because I really am, but a big part of me imagined Chloe growing up in that room, at least for more than a year.

But we move on, and we'll have new adventures, new rooms to decorate, new friends to meet and a whole world to explore!!

Right now I'm working on custom blanket orders. I love the one I just finished and the one I'm working on now is very special indeed. When that is all said and done I'll be rushing to finish up my baby's first birthday blanket! I fully intend on making a birthday blanket a tradition from now until I'm too old to crochet. She'll have so many by then she won't know what to do with them but I'm sure the years will destroy some of them.

I just think that if, God forbid, anything every happen to me I'd want Chloe to have something personal, something that I made with my own hands that you can just feel the love in and knowing I made it with all that love for her. It's a bit of me she can keep long after I'm gone.

So I think I will share some pictures if you care to look now.

This blanket went off to meet it's new baby not too long ago. Buttery soft and ready for years of snuggles!

And this is Chloe Jane's First Birthday Blanket it!! I'm much further than this now I just haven't taken pictures. It would have looked so gorgeous in her room, but unfortunately it will only get to live there about 3 months. But then it will find a new room and just be a part of her life, so it's all good!!

Step 2: The Starting Chain

Ready to get frustrated with this? Most people do, but don't. Just keep calm and if you can't get it, blame me and I'll try to explain better.

I'm sorry lefties, I don't know how to teach left handed crochet but I know a lot of left handed people crochet right handed. Both of your hands have work to do anyway!

Your yarn should have two ends, one that feeds out of the middle and one that feeds out of the outside. I prefer to use the one that feeds from the outside as it tends to get tangled less. You may try either.

Step 1:
Leaving a 'tail' of 2 to 3 inches of yarn wrap the yarn around your index finger twice, crossing the second loop to behind the first. It should create an 'x' shape on the side of your finger.

Step 2:
Tug lightly on the front loop to loosen it, then pull the back loop underneath the front loop and up. Slide them off your fingers and tug until tight. This should create your starting link. Or slip knot.

Please enjoy the sound effects of my baby and husband in the background.

Step 3:
Next put the hook through the loop you just created and tug on the 'tail' end of the yarn to tighten it onto your hook.

Step 4: 
Place your right index finger on the top of the loop around the hook to stabilize it then yarn over (abbreviated YO in patterns) your hook. To yarn over simply take the yarn that is attached to the ball end and bring it up behind the hook and wrap it around. With your thumb and middle finger that are not on the hook grip the bottom of the loop that is on your hook to keep it from sliding. Catch the yarn you just wrapped around into the hook and through the loop. You should now have the new loop on your hook and one loop hanging below it. Congratulations you have 'chained one'.

I will be adding a video for this soon. Just trying to figure out how best to record it so you can see.

Step 5: 
Repeat Step 4 twenty more times. No, I'm serious.

Step 6: 
Congratulations, you made your starting chain. It should almost look like a braid. With your index finger on top of the chain that is on your hook you can give a little tug at the bottom of the chain to even them out a bit. It's okay if it doesn't all look even this time. It takes practice!

Important Notes:
I can tell you how to hold a hook and how to hold your yarn but for me I just made it up as I went until I found something that felt comfortable and worked for me instead of trying to train my hands.

It is completely normal for projects to look all lopsided and crazy and not work out the first time. That is OKAY! When I first tried to crochet every scarf I made turned into a triangular cat toy, and then I quit. When I picked it up again two years later I kept dropping stitches and making trapezoids. My first granny stripe blanket had to be restarted 4 times. My first chevron blanket had to be restarted 6 times.

The more you fail at a pattern or anything you make the more you LEARN ABOUT IT. If you just walked through every pattern no problem you would miss discovering so much and how to trouble shoot.

It's all part of the process. Keep practicing!

Step 1: Collect Supplies

Quite luckily the start up costs of crocheting are minimal and you may even have some of the supplies already. Here is what you'll need.

• Crochet Hook (you only need one!)
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Tapestry/Yarn Needle

Choosing Your Yarn

It's best to start with a medium weight or '4' weight yarn. I suggest starting with a Red Heart Super Saver brand yarn because it's inexpensive, holds up well, comes in an assortment of fun colors, and is medium weight. There are other types of yarn that are medium weight, you're welcome to try them if you'd prefer.

To find out if a yarn is a medium weight check the label. 

 

You also want to pick a color that is not too dark and not too light. This will make it easier for you to see the stitches in the beginning. Avoid the ombre or variegated yarns at this point.

These colors are great for starters but don't feel like you have to choose one of these! (From top to bottom Orchid, Aruba Sea, and Prefect Pink)

The yarn should cost no more than $3.50 per color.

Choosing Your Crochet Hook

Different size hooks will make different sized stitches, obviously, but even within the medium weight class of yarn there can slightly different bulkiness to the yarn and therefore different recommended hook size. Regardless of pattern, your results will always turn out better if you use the hook size recommended by the yarn (with the exception of amigurumi or tiny crocheted characters/toys/ect).

To find out the hook size you need, check the label on your yarn again.

Recommended hook size for Red Heart Super Saver yarn is a 5.5mm hook or an I-9. Make sure you look at the crochet hook size and not the knitting needle size. Easy way to tell, one is shaped like a hook, and the other one is two needles.

I recommend Boye brand hooks, they are my favorite, but try what you want.

A hook will run you a little bit over $1... big spender.

Tapestry/Yarn Needles

These are used for weaving in the ends of your yarn once you've finished a project. As you work on project with multiple colors you will have more ends to weave in, that is the allure of a solid color piece. Less ends.

You should find the yarn needles in the store by the crochet hooks and knitting needles. Look for one with a big eye so it's easier to thread the yarn through when you get to that point.

I recommend getting the metal needles over the plastic ones. Again personal preference. But 100% of the people who wrote this blog post agree with me.

Scissors

I seriously hope I don't have to explain this one. Any scissors will do, just to trim yarn and cut it off when you're done with a piece. I bought kids school scissors (metal ones, not plastic) because they are inexpensive and easy to keep around with the rest of my crochet stuff.

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And now I've given you an excuse to go shopping! Go collect supplies, I doubt it will cost you more than $7 unless you simply can't decide on a shade of yarn and have to buy 5.

I hope to have the next step up very soon! Feel free to post questions in the comment section if you need clarification on anything!