Crochet

Wow, I can’t believe January is already over. Where did the month go? I was going to call this post "January Round Up" but Little Berry beat me to it.

There has been a lot of posts on Ravelry about the negative attitude of some knitters towards crocheters. I’ve been knitting and crocheting for a very long time. When I was younger, I crocheted a lot more than I knitted. However, as the availability of wonderful knitting yarns increased I began knitting a lot more. I have to say that I’ve never encountered any negative attitudes towards crochet, but that is probably because I was always knitting. Well early this month I had an overwhelming desire to pick up the hook again. So I made myself a hat and scarf.

The hat:

I used an old doily pattern and some 5/2 silk from my stash.
Montreal in winter, is not the place to wear a crocheted lacy hat so I knitted a lining with the same 5/2 silk.

I should have use a contrasting colour to better show the doily pattern. The lining makes this hat soooo warm and it is unbelievably soft. It’s pure luxury to wear.


The scarf:

The stitch pattern was taken from my Harmony Crochet Stitch guide. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Cascade Silk - Fingering weight in the Foxy Lady colour way. I had tried several times to knit this yarn but the colours just never worked for me. I was planning to over-dye this yarn but now I’m so glad I didn’t.

I really like how it looks crocheted.



I used a 3mm hook for both the scarf and hat.

I modified a doily pattern and crocheted my friend a skull cap but forgot to take a picture before giving it to him. I'll try to get one for my next post.

If you haven’t seen it already there is a really funny video on YouTube about the whole knitting vs. crochet dispute. For 2008 I’m going to try to give my hooks a much time as I give to my needles.

I was very surprised when Fleegle honoured me with a “You Make My Day” award. For most of my knitting/crochet life I practiced my hobby in isolation. I didn’t know anyone who knitted and would often feel embarrassed about it. Thanks to all the wonderful bloggers out there I no longer feel the least bit shy or embarrassed about my fibre obsessions. You all Make My Day!

Happy knitting and crocheting.

My new obsession

I’ve fallen hard for weaving! Last summer I joined a weaving guild and from my first lesson I fell in love. I’ve always loved working with fabrics and used to sew a lot of my own cloths. Ten years ago I started taking fashion design courses at night but the demands of my day job became too great and I couldn’t continue. I really enjoy the having the ability to create the fabric I want. I also find it to be a completely different tactile experience.

So far I’ve woven some hand towels and a bath towel. I used a silk chenille for the weft on the bath towel so I’ll be using it as a throw instead. I’ve also woven some scarves using a hand-loom. I’m still very new and make a lot of mistakes but I know I’ll improve with time.








I really want to buy a floor loom but can only find 4 shaft ones. Right now buying new is not an option for me so I’ve been scouring the net trying to find used 8-shaft looms for sale, but they are few and far between. So if anyone know of anyone selling an 8-shaft loom, let me know. I don’t mind paying for shipping but would prefer to stay within Canada; the closer to Quebec/Montreal the better.