Crochet Hook Case

Well, this isn't the most beautiful thing I've ever made, and it would definitely benefit from blocking, but I'm probably not going to bother.  It is functional, and does what I need it to do! Let's talk tools.

I love Susan Bates hooks. Boye hooks irritate me. It's all what you learn with, I suppose. Being a good mom (and Girl Scout leader), I taught my daughters, and all my Girl Scouts to hook with Bates as well.  At one point I had four identical sets of the main 6 hooks - 3.75 mm (F) up to 10.5 (K), plus a handful of extra I's and J's.

I've been good - Thing One and Thing Two each has her own set, and a set went home with one of their friends. Every girl in my troops received a hook and skein during one of our camping trips. I give away the extras at every opportunity, along with a quick lesson or two, whenever someone says she wants to learn. This got me down to my regular pack, plus a pack of 6 tiny hooks - 1.15 to 2.55 mm.

The sets come in a plastic case that worked fine for a long time. They kept them together, made them easier to find and store. Recently, I noticed the plastic was starting to tear. Time for a replacement. It seemed only appropriate to crochet the answer. I spent a lot of time searching for a pattern I liked. No need to reinvent the wheel. I knew I wanted full "pockets" to slide the hooks in, not just loops.

Choices available include pockets or loops, roll-up cases or folding. The folding cases have plastic canvas embedded to create firm sides.  While I like the look of the folding cases, I didn't have plastic canvas on hand, and I certainly wasn't going shopping.  Roll-up it is!  So here's what I came up with:

I followed THIS PATTERN for the basic shape and to make the pockets, but of course, I made changes. The pattern is written for worsted weight yarn. I used DK from my stash, so I added a few stitches to compensate.  My case has 14 tubular pockets for hooks.  

The little fish shown in the top picture is not attached. (You can see him in the basket, below.)  I don't remember where the pattern came from, as he was hooked many months ago. (See what I did there?) The fish holds my needle for weaving in ends, keeping it safe and easy to find. The yellow tie is nothing but chain stitches. It is not attached to the case, since I wasn't sure where I wanted it.  Unattached is working fine.  

At some point, I may make some improvements to this case, but for now, it's doing a fine job. Have you made a case for tools that you really like?  Let me know!  

It's Snowing! Again!

68 inches of snow this winter with 4 more expected today.... one inch short of a record breaking season. Everyone's complaining.... kids have been out of school a ridiculous number of days and all my friends are losing their minds. I don't know how they are going to make up for all the days they've had to take off. I'm thankful my kids are grown.

The first big snow hit early in January, before the new semester started at the University, so I was lucky to have my girls home. We had a great time - lots of tea, baking, knit and crochet projects, and a Lord of the Rings marathon. There's something wonderful about snuggling inside with your favorites while the storm hits.

Just to give you an idea of the amount of snow this is, here's a picture of Gertie, my Newfoundland - Golden Retriever mix, next to the ever-accumulating pile of shoveled snow.  And the little dog is Izzy, also known as the varmint.  We think she has some border collie or sheltie in her (notice the party pants on her backside!) She is smart as a whip - and absolutely obnoxious.  My Golden, Ellie Mae, is hiding in the house - smarter than both these beasties.

See the white fence/railing from the back porch, behind the snow?  It's 4 feet high. Crazy!

The snow doesn't bother me. It's much better than our typical Toledo winter, which is gray and bleak. A weekly dusting (or dumping) of fresh, sparkling, white stuff has made January and February brighter.  It's the super cold I can do without.  It's not bad this week, but January saw several episodes of 25 to 40 below wind chills. Enough of that!

Lots of random projects going on now....

This weekend, I started the Snowdrop Shawl.  I needed something simple and mindless to use up the Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable yarn in my stash.  Originally, I picked up the yarn for my beginner knitting projects, but I found it very fuzzy.  Not good for learning!  It's the yarn I used for my first knitting project 22.5 Degrees, but I'll talk about that one later.  Back to the Snowdrop Shawl...

Because I had a 4 mm (G) hook in my hand, that's what I started using for this project. Well, I knew it was going to be too small.  Consequently, the beginning of the shawl curves a little. I debated about starting over, but didn't feel like it. Tried just crocheting loosely, but that wasn't cutting it so I gave in and changed hooks, increasing to a 5 mm (H). Curling has stopped.  Why the delay? The hooks were upstairs; I was downstairs. I was lazy. There it is. The truth.

This pattern is very easy. Once you get the rhythm down, it just goes. It's a good project to have on hand for those times when you are waiting, and annoyed, because you are waiting. You know what I mean!

The colorway is Dragonfly. I usually stay away from variegated yarns, but I really like the way this looks. It makes me want to experiment with more self-striping yarns.  For this project, the Unforgettable yarn is fine. Like I said earlier, it's fuzzy. Good for a scarf or thick shawl.

I'll have an update on my Crochet Mood Blanket soon, and pictures of another project I've been working on... here's a preview:

Happy President's Day! Time to put the kettle on, and watch the snow fall.

Crochet Mood Blanket 2014

Everybody's doing it!  This is definitely all the rage.  Stacey Wentford-Hall aka "Frofunky" on Instagram started this, having no idea what kind of response it would get.  Visit Stacey's blog for more information.

But here is the basic idea:  you crochet a block a day, or a block a week, based on your mood.  I've seen people take that idea and morph it into lots of different things.  People are making giant granny squares and all kinds of striped blankets - chevrons, granny stripes, mixed stripes.... lots of choices.

Having recently finished two big blankets, I decided to go small.  That's definitely a new concept for me. Besides, I have other plans in mind, and don't want to feel overwhelmed or burdened by this project.  I want to keep it fun.

So, this is what I have so far: mini-hexagons - using colors that reflect my mood at the time. I am using my existing stash of Stylecraft DK - and only working with what I have on hand.

My color choices and moods have been greatly influenced by the death of one of my dearest friends on December 3. She was diagnosed with advanced, metastatic colon cancer in August, and died peacefully at home just four months later.  Donna's favorite color was purple. Blue ribbons represent colon cancer awareness.  Right now, "feeling blue" is something I understand and experience often.  My hexagons mainly reflect my memories of Donna, missing her every day, and a visual representation of my grief. The shades of purple and blue vary in intensity based on which color speaks to me that day.

There are some colors with a different meaning. Red hexies are days that I was angry or frustrated.  Bright pink means I had a migraine.  (There are two of those in the top row, left).  And fiesta pink, which is actually brighter than "bright pink," reflects happiness and excitement (bottom right).

As I move through the year, I suspect some colors may change their meaning.  I'm okay with that.  I will be flexible and try to really let the colors speak for me.

This picture was taken just about 2 weeks before she died.  Donna received an award from our local Girl Scout Council.   At this point, she had been bedridden for months.  Hospice worked a miracle getting her into a wheelchair and escorting her to the award ceremony.  They were amazing!

Donna worked as Marketing Director for our Girl Scout Council many years ago, and that is where I first met her. We met again 7 years ago when we were both running local homeless shelters. She become one of my absolute dearest friends. She was an amazing woman, and the world is definitely a better place because she was here. I will miss her forever.

Donna Perras, 9/15/1954 - 12/3/2013

Picture Updates!

Squares made by my daughter and students at Bowling Green State University. They yarn bombed the residence hall in December. Now those squares are being donated to Love-Squared.

More progress on circles! 

My daughter is a knitter!

Isn't this gorgeous?  She did a great job.

She is teaching me to knit.  Very challenging! (Ignore the dog hair!) 

Christmas stockings made by my Mom.  She has made 27 of these over the years - one for each of her children and grandchildren, and a few for nieces and nephews.  I can see how her skills have improved from the earlier stocking (made for me 48 years ago) when compared to the ones made for my girls.  They are all beautiful! 

Intricate patterns!  Lots of detail!

I'm still working on knitting.... switched to circular needle and find them much easier to use.  Shortly after taking this picture, I found a dropped stitch. Tried to repair it...ended up ripping out the whole thing and starting over.  Sigh. 

Going In Circles

Using up odds and ends of brightly colored yarn.  Eventually, the circles will be made into squares.

Ta-Dah!

And it's finished!  I'm absolutely in love with the final results!  

Little Squares = a Big Blanket!

I'm surprised by the size of this blanket! I thought using up bits of yarn, it would end up being smaller, more like a throw instead of a full-fledged blanket.  Now, I don't think I'm capable of making them small!

Final count = 396 small squares - and more than 34 different shades of Stylecraft DK yarn.  Squares are arranged 18X22, with "planned" randomness.  I tried to make sure squares with the same outer color are not next to each other, and that the color distribution is balanced.  Otherwise, they aren't in any order. 

I decided the blanket needed a substantial border, with a little color to pull in the squares, and a really fun edge.  How about this? The bobbles are slow and time consuming - but I think they are totally worth it! Makes me happy to look at it!  I hope to finish this up and post final pictures in a few days.  

A few pattern notes:  this is a modified granny square using sets of 4 double crochet instead of 3. Corners have 2 chains. 

Bobble edge: chain 8, dc 3 together in the 5th chain, chain 4 dc 3 together in the 1st chain. This gives 2 halves of the bobble, which have to be connected with a slip stitch (or 2) by going back into the chain where you did the first dc3 together.  Chain 5, sc into your project to connect it.  Keep repeating.  I'll try to get pictures as I continue working and post them later.  Really simply - and super cute!