Yarn Diet

I am making a vow: no new yarn purchases until:

• I have finished more projects
  
• Used up more yarn
  
• Used up all the acrylic I have lying around from forever ago
  
• The yarn will once again fit into the designated bins and not in bags and boxes around my bedroom and closet.

I got a very full box from WEBS today that I had ordered at the end of last week, which had culminated in Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. That will be my LAST yarn purchase for a while. I'm going cold sheep.

I've unsubscribed from all yarn store newsletters. I will not go to WEBS, Knitpicks, Yarnia, etc. I will not purchase more yarn from my LYS.

• I will continue going to my LYS for open stitch time as I get a tremendous amount of crocheting done during those hours.
  
• I will shop my (very long) ravelry queue to remind myself of all the wonderful projects that I already have yarn stashed away for.
  
• I will use up the miles of acrylic yarn I had bought on sale, cheap, before I discovered how much I loved luxury fibers. I'm too cheap to just give it away so it must be used.
  
• I will take breaks from crocheting, because I've already had one RSI flare-up this month.

I'm making this public in the hopes it will keep my honest.

Re-recycling

It's a bittersweet moment for me. I'm currently frogging my first ever garment I ever crocheted. It was the Baby-Doll Top from Mary Jane Hall's Crochet That Fits and I made it long before I figured out silly things like yarn weight and correct garment construction and seaming. So I made a pattern that called for fingering weight yarn with DK weight cotton yarn. Fast forward a year and some change later... and it's hanging funny. As in, one side's shoulder strap is shorter than the other, and so the entire bodice is lop-sided, and the cotton has stretched so it's kind of big on me.

So, frogged.

That's the bitter part.

The sweet part is that this shirt was also my first ever project I ever made with recycled yarn -- and that yarn was from my first ever recycled thrift store sweater, to boot. So lots of firsts wrapped up into this orange sparkly not-quite-right top. I feel like it's karmic balance that the shirt made with recycled yarn is being recycled yet again into something (though I'm not quite sure what, yet).

It's fiber samsara. I love it.

I Feel Vindicated

My last post was full of crocheter indignation about craftism in the fiber world.

Well... In your FACE, snobby knitters. We outspend you and outnumber you by a lot.

Listen up, yarn companies. We hookers matter!

Hooker Frustration

I'm a crocheter. I am not a knitter. Knitting makes me want to scream and throw things. I love yarn. I love making things out of yarn. But I'm getting really really tired of feeling like the afterthought red-headed stepchild of the fiber world. Hey, guess what? I have money to spend on yarn and patterns, just like knitters! I have skill and talent and can make things that are pretty, useful, and not just granny squares. So why do I always feel like a second-class citizen in yarn stores?

I know they don't mean it. And my LYS is so crochet-friendly I could live there forever. But despite all the hooks they carry, the carefulness to call it "Open Craft Night" instead of "Open Knit Night", the willingness of the owners to hold crochet classes.... I'm still the only consistent crocheter there. I'm surrounded by knitters. The regulars know me and admire my work. But newcomers will sometimes express disbelief in what I'm making, and how I'm making it.

I don't want to start a knit vs. crochet debate and if one is better than the other, but I have frustration and I need to vent it.

I'm a crocheter and I'm damn proud of it. If you can knit it, I can hook it. So why the hell is it so hard for me to feel accepted? Because, honestly, it's lonely being a crocheter in a sea of knitters. I've never run into the blatant craftism that other crocheters sometimes do -- thankfully, or I may have started screaming at the snobby knitter -- but I still sense that crochet is less accepted, less mainstream, less visible. When people think "crochet", they have visions of granny squares dancing through their head (not that I'm knocking the granny square; I've made gorgeous afghans out of them). So the fact that people are astounded that I'm making sweaters, socks, dresses, skirts, etc. makes me want to beat my head against a wall, sometimes.

I've been thinking of ways to make crochet more prominent in my area. Start a crochet-centric meetup? Get a group together and descend upon a LYS en masse? A Wear Crochet to Work Day? Camp out in front of the hyperbolic crochet coral reef and hold a hook-in? Wear a "Proud to be a Hooker" button?

Lacy Bunny Socks

These socks were made with a light fingering weight wool/bamboo blend. I would probably recommend a fingering weight - they were a little snug.

I wear women's US size 6 shoe, and these socks were designed for my feet. You may find that you will need to go up or down a hook size, depending on the width of the foot. Or, alternatively, you may continue increasing the toe until you reach the desired width - the lace pattern is a multiple of 4.

NOTE: I went through the pattern and tried to catch any errors, but inevitably one or two slip through. Any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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Materials:

• Approximately 400 yds fingering weight yarn (smaller sizes will require less, larger sizes will require more). I used JL Yarn's Bamboo Zania
• 3.5 mm/E crochet hook

Special Stitches:
Linked Double Crochet (ldc): dc, insert hook through horizontal loop of dc and yo and pull through loop (two loops on hook), insert hook into next st and yo and pull through (three loops on hook), yo and pull through two loops, yo and pull through last two loops; ldc completed.

Make 2.

Toe:
Rnd 1: Ch 10, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next 7 ch, 3 sc in next ch. Do not turn; continue working on opposite side of chain. Sc in next 7 ch across, 2 sc in next ch. Do not join.
Rnd 2: sc in first sc, and in each sc around to end, 3 sc in end st, sc around to end, 3 sc in end st. Do not join.
Repeat rnd 2 5 more times. (44 sc around)

Foot:
Rnd 1: sc, (ch 3, skip 2 st, sc) 7 times, skip 1 st, ch 1, sc 21 times, ch 1, join with sl st to first sc.
Rnd 2: Ch 4 (counts as dc and ch1), dc in same st as sl st, [skip ch-3 space, (dc, ch 1, dc) in sc] 7 times, skip ch-1 space, dc in next st, ldc in next 20 st, skip ch-1 space, join with sl st to 3rd chain of starting ch-3.
Rnd 3: sc in 4th ch of ch-3 space, (ch 3, sc) 7 times, skip 1 st, ch 1, sc 20 times, ch 1, join with sl st to first sc.
Repeat rnds 2 and 3 until sock, stretched, reaches turn of ankle. End with rnd 2.

Leg:
Rnd 1: Base ch/sc 22, skip pattern stitches and join with sl st to first ldc. Turn.
Rnd 2: sc in 4th ch of ch-3 space, (ch 3, sc) 7 times, skip 1 st, ch 1, sc 20 times, ch 1, join with sl st to first sc.
Rnd 3: Ch 4 (counts as dc and ch1), dc in same st as sl st, [skip ch-3 space, (dc, ch 1, dc) in sc] 7 times, skip ch-1 space, dc in next st, ldc in next 20 st, skip ch-1 space, join with sl st to 3rd chain of starting ch-3.
Repeat rnds 2 and 3 until leg is desired length. End with rnd 3.

Cuff:
Rnd 1: Ch 3, ldc around, join with sl st to 3rd chain of starting ch-3.
Rnd 2: Repeat rnd 1.
Rnd 3: Ch 3, *2 fpdc, 1 bpdc*, repeat from * to * around, join with sl st to 3rd chain of starting ch-3.
Rnds 4 and 5: Repeat rnd 3.
Fasten off.

Ankle:
Turn sock inside out and hold with toe pointing towards you. Join yarn to first dc in the right-hand corner of the heel opening.
Rnd 1: Sc in same st as join, sc to last two st before corner, sc3tog, sc across foundation chain to last two st, sc3tog.
Next rnds: Sc across to last two st before corner, sc3tog in rounds until there are ten stitches left around.
Last rnd: Sew the opening together with 5 sl st.
Bind off, weave in ends.


See the bunnies?

Pattern: Toe-Up Fish Scale Socks

These are toe-up socks with an afterthought heel. If you are familiar with crocheted sock design, this should be a fairly basic pattern of 5-dc shells crocheted in the round.

I love the look of shells, and wanted a pair of socks with a shell pattern. Halfway through, I realized that the sock looked like a fish (especially with the wild-colored yarn I chose - some exotic tropical species, maybe?). Turning after the completion of every round provides a slight textured look to the sock.

I used two skeins of Serenity Sock Yarn, thyme colorway. It's a fairly inexpensive bamboo/nylon/merino sock yarn that comes in 230-yd balls. I had bought up a number of different colorways when it was on sale and am now left with some pretty out-there colored sock yarn. I was interested to see just how far one skein can stretch, so I kept working the sock until I ran out of yarn.

Note: I wear a size 6 women's shoe. I tried to write the pattern to be flexible for different length feet, but alterations may be necessary to accommodate wider feet. If necessary, work the toe additional rounds before starting the foot (make sure the stitches around are a multiple of 4).

All stitches are in US terminology.

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Materials:

• Approximately 400 yds fingering weight yarn (smaller sizes will require less, larger sizes will require more).
  
• 3.5 mm/E crochet hook

Shell stitch: 5 dc in next stitch.

Make 2.

Toe:
Rnd 1: Ch 10, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next 7 ch, 3 sc in next ch. Do not turn; continue working on opposite side of chain. Sc in next 7 ch across, 2 sc in next ch. Do not join.
Rnd 2: sc in first sc, sc in each st to end st, 3 sc in end sc, sc to opposite end, 3 sc in end st. Do not join.
Work 4 more rnds, with 3 sc on the ends. (40 sc around)
Do not turn.

Foot:
Rnd 1: *sl st, sc, dc, sc*, repeat from * to * around, sl st into last st. Turn.
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into sl st, ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), 4 dc into same st as sl st, skip one sc, sc into dc, *skip one sc, shell in sl st, skip one sc, sc into dc*. Repeat from * to * around, join with sl st to third ch of ch 3. Turn.
Rnd 3: Sl st into first sl st, ch 3, 4 dc into same st as sl st, skip two dc, sc, *skip two dc, shell in sc, skip two dc, sc*. Repeat from * to * around, join with sl st to third ch of ch 3. Turn.
Repeat rnd 3 until sock reaches to bend of ankle when stretched. Do not turn on last rnd.

Leg:
Rnd 1: Base ch/sc 20, skip 5 shells, join with sl stitch to next sc. Turn.
Rnd 2: Sl st in sl st, *sc, dc, sc, sl* across foundation chain, join with sl st to sc in third dc of shell, continue with shell stitch across for five shells, (shell in sl st, skip one sc, sc into dc, skip one sc) 5 times, shell in sl st, join with sl st to first dc of first shell in row.
Repeat rnd 3 of Foot until sock is desired length. If necessary, make 7-dc shells instead of 5-dc shells to accommodate the calf. Bind off.

Heel:
Turn sock inside out and hold with toe pointing towards you. Join yarn to first dc in the right-hand corner of the heel opening.
Rnd 1: Sc in same dc as join, 3 sc, *sc (dc, sc, dc) together, 4 sc* 4 times, 3 sc, sc 2 corner sts together, sc across foundation chain to last two st, sc3tog.
Next rnds: *Sc across to last two st before corner, sc3tog*. Repeat from * to * in rounds until there are 10 stitches left (5 on each side).
Last rnd: Sl st join the opening closed(5 sl st).
Bind off, weave in ends.

Sock Yarn Addiction

I have been going through my yarn stash and I came to a realization: I have a sock yarn problem. I love fingering-weight yarn. I'm immediately drawn to it. I love the feel of it as I work it up, I love the colors, I love how soft and pettable it is. And I love love love the yardage of it. Sock yarn guarantees you the most yardage for your dollar. This does leave me in a bit of a conundrum: I have stashed more sock yarn than I make socks. Before this week, I have made a total of 1.75 pairs of socks (the .75 keeps staring at me, telling me that I should just man up and finish the cuff and heel). When I look for new patterns to work on, I want garments. Shirts, dresses, skirts. These require significant yarn and time investment, and I am afflicted with project-ADD. I have partially completed projects scattered throughout my condo.

But aside from that, I still have mountains of sock yarn, waiting to be turned into socks. Yes, I know I can make other things out of them, but I don't wear shawls, and I have the hat and gloves that I like. But socks... I adore socks. I love knee-high, brightly patterned socks. They keep me warm all winter. I love the whimsical nature of having a spot of color poke out beneath black suit pants, or to complement a shirt paired with jeans. I love the seductiveness of fishnet stockings, and the feel of bamboo or merino against my feet.

In short: I love socks.

So, this winter, I will make socks. I will make socks from already existing patterns. I will design socks based on stitches I like. I will freeform socks for the hell of it. Because I have 20 types of fingering weight yarn stashed that were bought specifically for socks, so socks they shall be.

Once I make a dent in those, then I'll return to the tunic dress that is currently sitting beside my desk chair.

Halloween Costume

Sneaky Costume Hint

My Halloween costume is almost finished and it's going to be awesome.

I'm not going to say, yet, what I'm going to be, but I'll give a hint:

Crocheting Hyperbolically

In October, the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History (whew, that's a mouthful) is exhibiting the Smithsonian Community Reef. The Smithsonian reef is a satellite of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, a project of the Institute of Figuring. Hookers around the region and nation are invited to contribute pieces for the reef.

The project is the brainchild of two sisters, Christine Wertheim and Margaret Wertheim. Daina Taimina of the University of Cornell figured out that using crochet, one can easily create a three-dimensional model of a hyperbolic plane by crocheting in the round and incorporating increases. Thought to be completely theoretical by mathematicians, hyperbolic planes are actually fairly abundant in nature, particularly underwater. It is no coincidence that the Wertheims were inspired by Taimina's work to create crocheted coral reefs to raise awareness of the plight of the earth's oceans.

Here are some that I've made:



The Crochet Coral Reef Project is much like the AIDS quilt, in which many people can contribute and parts of it can be displayed throughout the world. The Community Reef will actually be made up of three separate reefs. The first will be a healthy reef in which many colors and fibers are used; the second will be a bleached reef consisting of only white, gray, and off-white colors; the last is a trash reef made of recycled, found, or trash objects. I'm planning a coral for the trash reef with a trim of soda pop-tabs.

If you're interested in hyperbolic crochet, here's a short article from Interweave Crochet.

If you're more interested in the mathy bits, here's a more substantive article co-authored by Dr. Taimina.

The Smithsonian Community Reef will open October 16, 2010 and run through April 24, 2011 in the Sant Ocean Hall of the Natural History Museum. If you are interested in contributing to the reef, please visit the ravelry group for specifics.