Monday Guest Bloggers

Entry by: Karen
Title: Hairpin crochet I think I'm hooked


I remember hairpin crochet in the 70's yuck not cool.The  yarn I had access to  was often plasticky  and lacked spring. It was stringy it added to cheapness and it pilled. Things I crocheted felt like a brick. Whenever I'd see those old Hairpin lacebooks  I'd think eeeeeeeewwww that junk.

I recently did a search at my library on crochet. I put a hold on a bunch of books. One was an old Hairpin lace book. It showed all the different size forks. I was amazed they had pulled it into a circle made figure 8s attached it to single crochet edgings. Something I had considered repulsive is now beautiful.

Now The obsession starts. I tried to find the book from the library, its out of print. I did find one at Annies attic but I got lost surfing...  obsessing...  trying to find the old book. I ended up buying Hairpin crochet edited by Jules & Kaethe Kliot. I was enjoying looking at al the vintage pictures eager to get started. Pages 23-60 are all in Danish or is it Swedish. Whatever it is I don't understand it. I wish I had had a crystal ball in High school. Not that it was offered but if only I had learned Danish and Japanese. Oh well at least there's pictures.

I had to get started, I had a hairpin lace loom from the 70's. I got a awesome buy on some ribbon yarn all set to make my skirt.It calls for a 6inch wide strip. This thing only goes up to 4 inches! I made 2 trips to my local craft stores, no luck. I figured I'd start with  strips I can make.  There's an online video for hairpin lace thank goodness I watched 4 times.

Its simply once you get the hang of it. The ribbon done in hairpin crochet looks spectacular fit for a queen. I rummaged through my stash. I decided to make a 2 inch lace. I had some chenille wrapped with funfur yarn. I just made a strip as long as a scarf. Wow it twirled it looks like a potatoe chip scarf its awesome! 

Well now I can't stop. I tried some plain worsted yarn how good can that look?I decided to keep the projects simple. I will cover a satin coat hanger. I started to do my hairpin lace as it grew on the loom I had to pull the bottom piece off to take a peek. Its fabulous. I lay it across the hanger just to see if its going to be worth doing. It is!
In the book I have they said it was used for trims made of silk for bonnets
underwear doily's. They have pictures of curtains, pillows and  shawls. The most beautiful are the ones done as insertions.

Something I learned if you go under 2 loops instead of 1 you get a more solid braid in the middle and the side loops don't twist.  http://www.bellaonline.org/articles/art5290.asp  For this project I like the one loop and the loops twisted , like me . I  made a 34 inch strip folded it in half so the side loops butt up against each other. I went through 2 loops on one  side then 2 on the other http://www.wrights.com/class/needlework/haripintechniques/hairpinjoin.htm
. Its pretty cool. It looks like a braid down the middle. I single crocheted around the edge going through one loop at a time. Its about 3 inches wide.

You are probably think why would I want waste my time making a coat hanger cover? Well better to waste a little time and see if you even want to do it or like the results. Another thing is I make samples, I clean up and throw them out. This is a sample that has a use. I might know where it is. Its like that commercial only, what's in your closet? It would make a nice remembrance gift embellished with some silk ribbon roses ribbons. Its not for the person who's room looks like a hurricane hit it. It might be a nice gift for someone. If you have tops that slide off the hangers this will give the necessary drag to keep them on the hanger. There's only one problem now I have to mail order for a wider hairpin lace loom. I am like Verooka Salt "I want it now!". I thought about getting out some wood and drilling some holes.Thats not a hobby I want right now.

With all the new yarns ribbons threads I think you could go wild trying it and thinking up uses for this craft. I know I am completely exhausted.
Karen

http://groups.msn.com/karenslink 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/machineknittinghandknittingcrochet/

Entry by: Tina Marie
Title: Crocheted Chaos

When I think of chaos, I picture the current state of my craft room. Boxes of stash overflowing onto my futon, the desk, dressers, and floor. Some might think of their children's bedrooms or that shelf of leftovers in the fridge. No matter what image comes to mind, I'm sure those aren't the images we want to see posted on the world wide web anytime soon.

In the scientific world, the Lorenz equations describe the chaotic nature of systems - like weather or a turbulent river. If Lorenz could see my craft room the equation might read something like this: number of boxes times skeins of yarn divided by actual surfaces in the room time skeins of yarn equals amount of yarn times number of projects, and so on and so forth. (my apologies to any serious mathmeticians present)

Speaking of serious mathmeticians, two in Great Britain have actually come up with a crocheted model of the Lorenz equations. According to the model, chaos looks like this. There seems to be an unusual trend toward crocheting mathematical equations, as was recently evidenced by Crochet magazine's article on Hyperbolic planes.

I'm not sure what's more amazing - the fact that so many college students are being exposed to our craft in such a fascinating way or that out of my "organizationally challenged" (sounds better than chaotic) craft room, I could end up creating something so strikingly . . . well . . . organized. Somehow, that wasn't even close to what I pictured chaos would look like!
Tina Marie - Brewster, WA
www.crochetcottage.blogspot.com