Blue Cat Needlework

As you can see from the new banner at the top of my blog page, my Etsy store, Blue Cat Needlework, is now open for business.  The Shawl Pins may be of interest to you if you are making a shawl for yourself, or as a gift.  A shawl pin is a nice touch.  Since the pins I used have no coil, they will not snag the shawl.

I am also working on my first order of  six (6) small market bags crocheted using 100% cotton yarn.  I make them a little over-sized so when they shrink, they are still a useful size.  The pattern probably already takes shrinkage into account, but I would rather err on the side of caution.

I made a large version of the market bag - I made it exactly twice the size, but I can't sell it because I did something that makes the handle look like it is attached incorrectly, even though it is mathematically in the correct place.  I used it to carry laundry and a detergent bottle to the laundry-room where I live.  I fit enough clothes in the bag to fill a large capacity washer.  I placed the bag in with the first load, and even after it shrank, I could still carry a washer-load plus a large bottle of detergent.  All of my joins have held.  The handle is fairly wide, and with the inherent stretch, it was comfortable on my shoulder.

The pattern I am using for the market bags is available for free at Lily's Sugar'N Cream website.  This links directly to the pattern.

Happy crocheting!

Tatting

Since this blog is also about tatting, I thought that I would include a book recommendation for anyone interested in learning the technique, or improving your current technique.

One big problem with tatting is, if you are tatting in the round, joining the last ring to the first picot leads to a twisted picot that doesn't lay right.  It is also a dead giveaway as to where you started/finished the round.  There is a way to correct this, other than simply not doing the final join.  The book I am linking to this post is my favorite technique book.  I got my first copy right after I learned to tat while I was living in Australia.  When I got home to the USA, my book was packed up in a box, so I bought the book again.  That's how good it is.

This book is worth every penny.  I have the page marked that shows how to join the final ring to the first picot, creating a seamless round with no twisted picots.  You also learn a nifty way to hide the ends without having to glue or sew them down to the outside of the work where they are visible.  I hope you will find this book as helpful as I have.

Happy crocheting and tatting!

Were you caught up in the Rapture?

Well, I didn't get raptured this evening, so I guess I'm stuck here on Earth for awhile longer.  Either that, or the guy who predicted it is a total quack. Since we are still here, I will be looking for some more interesting bits to pass along here on my blog.

Happy crocheting!

Mystery Crochet-Along

I joined a crochet page on Facebook, and I just now found a post on my page.  This is for a Mystery Crochet-Along, the purpose of which is to make cat toys for your, or a friend's cat, or to donate to a shelter.  It is a great way to use up some scraps that are long enough that you just HATE to throw them away!

If my cat is any indication, it won't matter whether the yarn is acrylic or natural fibers.  So use what you have stashed away!


Happy crocheting!

Russian Join

I just tried my first Russian Join!  If you don't know how to do this, please click the link.  It will take you to another Blogspot blog with great pictures.  Thank you to Maria who posted this link on the Magic Ball discussion on Crochet Spot.

I am crocheting a Market Bag from 100% cotton worsted weight yarn.  The body of the bag is mesh.  Hiding the ends when joining the new ball is problematic in this situation, so I decided to try the Russian Join.

Russian Join

 Here is the chain loop containing the Russian Join:

 Here is the next round worked into the chain loop containing the Russian Join:

So, it isn't too obvious, and I won't have to weave in any ends.  I will post pix after I launder the bag, and will let you know how it holds up.  The cotton will shrink, so we'll see what happens.

Crochet as Meditation?

OK.  Now I know which other post is missing.  It went something like this:

Have you ever been crocheting, and found that the only things of which you are aware are the yarn, the hook, and the motion of your hands?  I have, many times.  Even if you do not deliberately practice meditation, you may have found yourself in this meditative state while you crochet.

I would like to recommend "Contemplative Crochet".  The author has written the book so that it doesn't matter to which religious practice you adhere, you can read the book and apply the principles to yourself.  Cindy includes projects you can make to remind yourself of the concept in each chapter, or to give as a gift.

Since I sometimes find myself in this meditative state, it is nice to know this happens to others, as well.

Ravelry.com

I just updated my projects on Ravelry.com.  If you aren't using Ravelry.com yet, I would recommend at least a quick look.  You can look at other people's yarn stashes, works-in-progress, finished projects, etc.  You might get some ideas for your next project, or find a special yarn in someone's stash that they are willing to sell.

My name on Ravelry.com is loriannj.  Look me up!

Prayer Shawl finally finished!

OK.  So a few months ago, a lady I know lost her 9-year-old niece to a very tragic car accident.  I offered to crochet a prayer shawl for her, and I expected to spend 3 days.  Well, it took me 3 months!!  When I was only a few stitches from completing the edging, I realized that the edging the designer came up with looked like a mistake to me.  I hated it!  I spent several days scouring Internet crochet sites and my own library.  Nothing looked like what I was envisioning, and I couldn't seem to come up with my own pattern - even I couldn't make it look right.

I used Caron Simply Soft, which is heavier than the recommended yarn, but I know from personal experience that when you sit still for 1+ hours, you get cold!  I wanted something heavy enough, as well as soft enough, to wear for hours while preserving body heat.

At Crochetspot.com, I finally found a ruffled edging, which I modified slightly.  I used the hanging shells pattern, which looks flat in the picture, but came out ruffled.  I used 6dc instead of 8dc, because I needed to save time and yarn.  It still ruffles and looks really pretty, as you can see in the pictures below.

Front

Right side

Left side

Bottom of the triangle detail

Collar detail

Back

Twin Birch Products crochet hook review

About half-way through a project, my only size I crochet hook mysteriously disappeared.  I think my cat may have decided it would make a good toy, but he refuses to confess.  So, utterly amazed that I don't have another size I hook in the place, I headed out to my local yarn store.

In my area, neither Jo-Ann's nor Michael's carries Takumi Bamboo crochet hooks, so I decided to check out the one and only yarn shop in the area.  No Takumi  Bamboo crochet hooks, but I did find a Twin Birch Products size I hook that looked interesting.

Size I Twin Birch Products crochet hook

The shift from hook to handle creates a natural stop so stitches can't go off the back end of the hook.

The hook is the normal diameter for a size I hook, of course.  The handle, however, is significantly larger in diameter.  This could be an advantage if you have arthritis, or some other difficulty holding a crochet hook.  The hook part of the shaft is a bit short, so the stitches can't slide around.  The wood is very smooth, and the hook is amazingly light weight.

What I don't like is how the acrylic yarn feels to me like it is sticking to the wood.  The yarn rubbing against the wood keeps squeaking, even though I'm not putting excessive tension on the yarn.  I have not experienced these problems with the Takumi Bamboo crochet hooks.  I will definitely be getting another Takumi Bamboo hook to replace the one I lost.  I just don't like the birchwood hook nearly as much.

If you've had any experience with Twin Birch products, please share.  I'd like to know if I'm the only one having issues.

Quick update

Good afternoon!  Yesterday, I set up, and added a link to, my Amazon.com store.  Right now, it contains crochet and tatting products and most of the items in my store are products I have personally used and like enough to recommend to others.  Fulfillment is done by Amazon.com, and I receive a commission, so you won't be giving me any information.

I am thinking of information or tips I can post, to make this blog more than one huge advertisement.  If anyone has a question, please ask.

Advertising

OK, so today I added the advertising.  Yes, it's a shameless attempt to get a little something for my efforts.  However, I don't intend that my blog should be all adverts and nothing else, so I shall have to some up with something fun for people to read.  Wish me luck!

My first entry

Well, here I am starting my first blog.  We'll see how it goes.

I love to crochet, embroider, cross-stitch, and tat.  Tatting and crocheted are the only laces I make.  Most of my crocheting is afghans, with the occasional sweater, shawl, slippers, lace, and baby layette thrown in for special occasions.

Since a blog is about sharing, I will share some crochet sites in this entry.

I recently found CrochetSpot.com.  Rachel has some wonderful tutorials for those who want to begin to crochet.  There are also tutorials for those wishing to go beyond the basics, most of which I have printed to PDF (look up "cute PDF writer" for a free program), and stored on my hard drive.  There are many free patterns and helpful tips.

I also found  Ravelry.com. It is for knitters and crocheters, with places to keep track of your hooks and needles, yarn stash, and projects.  You can share your info, and look at what others have and the projects on which they are working.  I am on Ravelry.com as loriannj.

One of my favorite shopping sites is Lacis.  The store is located in Berkeley, CA.  However, they do much more business via Internet shopping.  I have ordered a few times, and my information has been safe, and I received exactly what I ordered - no surprises.  Lacis has books and supplies for almost everything to do with any type of lace-making.

That's enough for this entry, I suppose.  Not bad for the first one, really.  I even provided links that work! (I tested them.)