More crochet and knitting

[Jacksmissis]

ooh I'll have to remember that Spends, I just thought the were all the same length (doh). What does the CAL stand for please Spends? She has some really different things on her site and seems a really nice lass - she only came to it through being poorly a few years ago, I think she's better now though. I've printed her lessons off and I'm going to have a go today & see if I can keep the blessed thing straight! Going to use a big hook thought I'd be able to see better where I'm going wrong. (I can knit anything but crochet seems so very foreign to me LOL !!)

[RozMinis]

They've arrived today Roz, they're not the good Clover ones but they seem nice - felt them all over and don't seem to be any rough bits and the 'soft' handle is comfy to hold, I've no excuses now!!

Good show chuck, I'm sure you will find 'em much easier to use than the metal ones. :)

I bought three or four, can't actually remember, of the KnitPro Tunisian hooks. Only bought the short ones though as the cables from my needles will fit on those too. It also means I can keep them all in my KnitPro case. :)

Roz

[Spendsloads]

ooh I'll have to remember that Spends, I just thought the were all the same length (doh). What does the CAL stand for please Spends? She has some really different things on her site and seems a really nice lass - she only came to it through being poorly a few years ago, I think she's better now though. I've printed her lessons off and I'm going to have a go today & see if I can keep the blessed thing straight! Going to use a big hook thought I'd be able to see better where I'm going wrong. (I can knit anything but crochet seems so very foreign to me LOL !!)

Hope the crocheting went well Jacksmissis. Sorry, shouldn't have used an abbreviation. CAL is crochet along, where a designer issues part of a pattern week by week until it's finished. Most of the CALs (there are also KALs for knitting) I have seen are for blankets, but there are other patterns too.

This is Wink's 2014 CAL:
http://winkieflash.nl/scheepjes-cal-2014/

[Muffintop]

Thanks for your inspiring photos, Spendloads. I've been trying to teach myself to crochet this week and, to me, the instructions in the book I tried to learn from (admittedly very old) may well have been in Mandarin for all the sense they made to me (not many piccies). Anyway did manage a chain stitch eventually which is a bit haphazard tension-wise before I gave up.

Didn't realise Deramores had a tutorial going (I'm deleting all newsletters with lovely crafty things on to avoid temptation). So will away to have a look-see. I stumbled across Attic 24's site and her lovely blankets and she really got me in wanting to learn.

Perhaps we could have a LAL - Learn-a-Long, Jacksmissis but I think you will be producing ripple blankets while I'm still sorting my chain stitch out. :mysmilie_512:

[Jacksmissis]

Here you go Muffintop, these are the first two parts, Wednesday and Friday, so I expect the next one will be Monday / Tuesday 'ish' and I'll put it on here so others can use it if they want. I've printed mine off to make it easier. Sure you'll get there chuck!

http://blog.deramores.com/how-to-cro...5-Wink-Blog-UK
http://blog.deramores.com/how-to-cro...Wink-Blog-2-UK

Thanks Spendsloads, makes sense now!! There's some lovely squares on that link, bet it looks beautiful when made up. Only got around to my crocheting this afternoon (Sat)..... why? 'cos I'd lost the blessed hooks !! only had them a few days so turned the place upside down - zilch! Jack decided I must have put them out with the rubbish..........................then I went into my handbag for my keys, and...............................YEAH there they were (I should be locked up really) Soooooooooooo, I have done two squares this afternoon (learners ones not posh ones) took me ages LOL, and I've used a size 4 hook as wink suggests and an odd new ball of wool (says Aran on 50g label but seems finer to me) one square is all double crochet and the other is all half trebles. I can see mistakes but the edges are fairly straight which is what I was struggling with so really I'm quite pleased. Going to do some more before I venture to making "proper" ones. I'll try to remember to take a piccie when I've done them all!! (but you're not allowed to laugh !!)

[RozMinis]

The Yahoo Friendly Stitchers group have SAL's, that baffled me for ages, but having asked what HAED meant I didn't have the courage to ask again. Turns out it is Stitch-a-longs. HAED by the way is Heaven and Earth Designs! There are a few other acronyms, but I'm blowed if I can remember what they are.

Roz

[Jacksmissis]

eeh Roz, much easier to say it properly - for me anyway!!

Here's the third lesson peeps, it came through today, and I'm sorry, I forgot to say that if you scroll down to the end of the lesson, there's a "printer friendly" pdf for you to print it off, saves a load of hassle. Mines all printed and stapled together, makes life much easier! Going do some more this afternoon !

http://www.deramores.com/media/deram...part-three.pdf

[Jilly]

eeh Roz, much easier to say it properly - for me anyway!!

Here's the third lesson peeps, it came through today, and I'm sorry, I forgot to say that if you scroll down to the end of the lesson, there's a "printer friendly" pdf for you to print it off, saves a load of hassle. Mines all printed and stapled together, makes life much easier! Going do some more this afternoon !

http://www.deramores.com/media/deram...part-three.pdf

Learning to crochet was one of my 2014 resolutions! I shall try again for 2015 - thank you.

[RozMinis]

I promise not to laugh chuck. It may be years, but I still remember my first efforts at knitting and crochet.

"Grandma how do I?" That poor woman must have had the patience of a saint, with me anywhoo. I did finally get the message, but oh dear, knitting was soooo difficult, and boring. Much preferred crochet, though to this day I still find it difficult to follow a pattern written by somebody else. The stupid rows always ran together with just a full stop and, if we were lucky, bold type at the beginning of each row. Should have written them out individually I s'pose, but the type was so small in Pins & Needles that I had difficulty reading the patterns at all.

Needless to say when I designed my own mini patterns I wrote them so 'I' could understand the blessed things in the hope that other would too. I also tried to be consistent with the wording, ended up doing a lot of copying and pasting, even went so far as to have a master file. I just had to remember to delete what wasn't needed, and add anything new. I had to redo it all for my book as dc. 2 tog., was out in favour of dc2tog. Then when I realised folks in the US were using my patterns on a miniaturist group it had to be changed to dc(sc)2tog. Had to explain that the abbreviations in parentheses were US terms. Everybody else in the universe understands what double crochet is, but the American population still do their own thing. I think they are getting there slowly, though I don't really think they understand the metric system, bless their lickle hearts.

Somebody was asking about classes for crochet last week at Dot's. Ethel used to do them, but has not been in for several weeks. I've been helping Jill a bit, but never actually taught crochet. I don't really want to be paid to take classes, too much pressure, though I would be quite happy to sort of show peeps the ropes for free. A case of if peeps need help getting started sort of thing. Anyway I will take a couple of old hooks and some odds and ends of yarn, then if Sandra's daughter turns up we can take it from there. ;)

Roz

[Muffintop]

My MIL tried to teach me but when she started getting that exasperated tone in her voice we decided that I would be better trying elsewhere!

Thanks for the link, Jacksmissus, will be investigating further.