Hairpin Lace Scarf - WIP Update

Progess! Working on the second strip of hairpin lace for the Tressa scarf I'm making from Wrapped in Crochet. You see the groups of fifteen loops I've marked that I'll need to join the strips together in a chevron pattern. My goal is to finish this scarf THIS WEEK. There, I've announced it to the blogging world. There is a St. Louis Crochet Guild meet up tomorrow night and I should be able to make great progress!

Spring Crochet Project Inspiration

While I'm loving my chunky wool, I'm looking forward to Spring projects, too. These images inspire ideas for cute tank tops embellished with crochet, cute beanies for sunny days and lovely beaded necklaces.

1. Crochet and bead flowers and berries necklace
2. Blouse with crocheted lace insets
3. Crochet beanie
4. Crocheted rafia bag
5. Window pane tank

Chunky Crochet Cowls

Inspired by the knitted version by Allyson of Sweatshop of Love, these chunky cowls were crocheted using Debbie Bliss Como super chunky wool and cashmere yarn. This yarn was so easy to handle and has a light but sturdy feel. I had to order more of it. The colors are more vivid than their website photos.

The ivory cowl uses two strands and was crocheted with an "S" 19mm hook made by Turn of the Century Designs. The striped cowl was crocheted single strand with a 10mm hook.

These were very quick and fun projects. You'll see more chunky projects in the next few weeks!

Super Bowl Crochet-In

The Super Bowl was only a week ago but it seems longer. Could I make a hat in the time in took me to watch the Super Bowl? And make appetizers? And watch the commercials? And help someone with their homework? YES I CAN! I had to wait a week to take after photos because my lovely model had a cold. So, here we are, crocheting to the Super Bowl.

And progess at half time:

This hat pattern is from Funky Chunky and the yarn is Vanna's Choice in Silver. The stripe and flower were from the stash. Of course the design was inspired by Elle Woods hat in Legally Blonde, my favorite Crochet in the Movies moment.

Who's up for a challenge next Super Bowl?

Craftypod Online Craft Blog Tune-Up Class

Sister Diane at Craftypod delivers a content-packed, personalized and FUN blog learning experience in her online class, "Craft Blog Tune Up." This class exceeded my expectations in several ways.

1. Personalized attention

Sister Diane goes above and beyond to answer classmate's questions in the class forums and one-on-one via email. Her responses are positive and come from her real-world success as a blog entrepreneur. She knows her stuff people! And she is genuinely interested in our blogs and our successes.

2. Online community building

As a new blogger, I didn't really have an online community. By providing multiple forums and class discussions, I had a unique opportunity to meet other bloggers and exchange ideas. Plus, weekly live chats with other classmates gave me a chance to ask and respond real-time to my classmates.

3. Abundance of Knowledge

The class covers blog design, photography tips, building a blog audience, using feeds, technical help with common blogging platforms, generating blog topics, and the day to day best practices of blogging. The material is delivered in PDF documents, video and audio casts and weekly lesson posts.

This class was a terrific investment of my time and resources to improve my online presence and blog. It has inspired me to be creative and encouraged me to continue expressing myself on my blog.

Check out Craftypod's next online class offerings!

Mobius Scarf to Keep You Warm

This mobius scarf was made with two skeins of Homespun in Baroque worked in rows of double crochet a size K hook. It measures 52" in diameter and 13" tall and is worn wrapped twice. It is quite warm and perfect for a cold winter's day outside. It took me about three weeks of night crocheting to finish. The yarn colors worked out to be a striped pattern but that was a happy accident.

Here is an instructional double crochet video by theknitwitch :

Jumbo Crochet - Trial and Error

This week I received my new 19mm "S" hook in the mail and couldn't wait to start working with it. So hubbie drove me to the store once the snow storm died down to get rope. But there was no cotton rope, only nylon. I bought 100 feet to try it out. So this is my 100 feet of nylon rope swatch. Nylon rope is too expensive, too heavy and too slippery for my purposes. I would need about 200 more feet to make the size wall hanging I want. It would also weigh a ton. And do I really need a $90 wall hanging?

Back to the drawing board. Or rather, to the internet! I ordered what I hope will be double super chunky to get this wall hanging project off the ground! I'll keep you posted.

Book Review - Funky Chunky by Jan Eaton

One of the first crochet books I bought was Funky Chunky Crochet Accessories by Jan Eaton. I sat on the floor at B&N an looked at every book they had and this book had everything I was looking for.

It contains basic patterns for hats, scarves, slippers, purses and mittens with many ways to personalize and make the project your own. It also illustrates different stitch variations for each project. It was perfect for me because I wanted to learn the basics but also some flexibility and new ideas to use on the next project as my skills progressed.

This book taught me all the things I needed to know to begin creating my own patterns and projects. I have gone back to this book many times. So check it out at your local library!

My Favorite Crochet in the Movies Moment

One of my favorite moments in "Legally Blonde" is when Elle and her manicurist confront a loud mouth ex to get back a beloved pooch. Reese Witherspoon sports an adorable crochet hat, braids and glasses. A look I would so rock if I had long hair.

What are your favorite "Crochet in the Movie" moments? Check out this list of other crochet spotter's favorites.