A "How To" - Peacock Garment Closure

Create your own pretty "Peacock Garment Closure"

If you are anything like me, you yarn shop AND shop for buttons, tassels, and beads too.  But not necessarily at the SAME time, or with a project aways in mind.

Sometimes inspiration hits. We go stash diving, find the perfect yarn and pattern combo and then begin happily stitching away. Then, once the project is done, we consider "the closure..."

So we head to the stash of buttons to find we do indeed have the perfect button, but then realize the project lacks button holes!  What to do? What to do!

An easy fix! We create a "Peacock Garment Closure."  Which is very pretty indeed!

You will need:
1 large button (the pretty one)
1 smaller button (used as a stabilizer)
2 pretty tassels, beaded ones optional
a sewing needle.

Instructions:
1. Sew the pretty button on the front of the project, with the smaller (stabilizer) button on the backside with the project "sandwiched" in the middle.
2. On the other front side of the project, sew the tops of the two tassels together so that they can dangle freely.

To use:
1. Take one tassel and loop over the button.
2. Take the other tassel and loop around the button in the opposite direction.

Now not only do you have a super pretty closure, but also more inspiration to enhance your button, bead and tassel stashes.  :)

Happy Cro-tastic New Year!!

Can you believe it?  Today is the start of a brand New Year -- and, in just a few short weeks, it will also be the official 10th Anniversary of my blogging (mostly) about crochet.  TEN YEARS!!!  What a milestone!!  The yarn, the hooks, and the projects!  The classes, conferences, and sheep & wool festivals!  Wow!!

To celebrate, I'll be awarding one lucky reader a one-year membership to the Crochet Guild of America: a year of opportunity, possibilities, and discoveries!  I've been a member since 2001, and I can tell you I have enjoyed every moment of it. ... So, not only is it my blogiversary, but the CGOA will be celebrating their 20th ANNIVERSARY!!  What an exciting year this is going to be!!!  :)

For those interested in helping me celebrate and want a chance to win the CGOA Membership, the rules are posted below.  Please note one entry per person, and the drawing for the 1-year membership is open to everyone of adult age.  (If you're not sure if your country is open to the CGOA Membership, you can contact the CGOA to inquire prior to entering.) 


>>>  EDITED 2/1/14: GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED.  Winner TBA in future blog post.  <<<
The Rules:
1.  Dive into my blog archives and find a post that you like.  An easy way to find a topic that might interest you is by utilizing the "search" option in the upper left-hand corner. You can search for a technique, a hook, a project, a yarn, a book review, famous crocheters and more!
2. Once you've found on you like, right-click onto the title, click onto "properties" and grab the address to that post.

3. Come back here and leave a comment stating "This is a post I liked: (insert the post address by right-clicking again and pasting the post address)."

Example: one of my favorites from my archives is http://crochetwithdee.blogspot.com/2004/09/that-my-mom-she-famous.html

If you comment on why you liked the post, then you will get two chances of winnng the membership.
4. Leave a way for me to be able to contact you should you be the winner.  If I can't reach you, I'll have to pick someone else.
5. Note that this is for the CGOA Membership, and is not exchangeable for actual cash.
6. Yes, even if you're already a CGOA Member, you can participate. Should you win, it will be more like a Renewal.

Good luck, happy post hunting, and may your New Year be Cro-tastic!  :)www.crochet.org

Guinness, A Rematch, please .. re: World's Largest Crochet Hook

For quite some time I have been interested in which crochet hook should be crowned the World's Largest. I've actually been accumulating links on my Hooks and Stitches blog to the various articles and videos  could find after exhaustive searches so that my decision stays as fact driven as possible.

Today I received the latest Talking Crochet enews with an article on this very topic. It states that "Jeanette Huisinga of the Yarn Studio in Casey, Ill., who teamed up with Jim Bolin, also a resident in this small, central Illinois town, to compete for the Guinness World Records for the largest crochet hook." They won the title and I do wish them the most sincerest Crochet-ulations.  But did Guinness get it right? Their finished hook measured 6 feet, 1.5 inches long and 3 inches in diameter.

Ah, but what about Jimbo's hook? I mentioned his "Diplohookticus Jimbosei" hook in my article, "CrochetingWithDee.com: Magic Wands, Part II." Jimbo states here that his hook measured 57.87 inches long and 6 inches in diameter.

... and what about the other contender?  Let's not forget about that lady in the 1955 film, crocheting with a whoppingly long crochet hook who needed an assistant to ensure her hook wouldn't be hit by passing cars ...

To help me visualize these hooks, I drew out some basic rectangles and then called my son over to help me with a bit of math.  Here is what we compiled (if you right-click onto the image and select "open in new window or tab, the image should be much larger):

Based upon what we compiled, Jimbo is still the front runner.  Jimbo had stated that "The wise folk at Guinness informed us that the largest crochet hook in the world wasn't "unusual" enough to merit recognition."

I say lets ask Guinness to a rematch.  Wouldn't that be fun to watch?  :)

Pom Poms on the Fly!

The conclusion of the Tenth Annual "60 Scarves in 60 Days" Challenge took place on November 30th.  This year, I crocheted a total of 12 scarves with matching hats that were donated locally at the beginning of this month.

Why is there a credit card in this picture???
(one of the scarves & hats I crocheted for the 60/60 Challenge.)

Mr Dee, being observant as I worked on my last set, asked me why I don't share my little "time saver" tip...  I replied, "I plan too, I just need to find the time."

What he observed was me creating a pom pom utilizing fake credit cards various companies sent out in hopes of me opening an account with them.  Gift cards, the plastic kind, also work equally well during those times you cannot locate your Clover Pom Pom maker (which I absolutely LOVE!).

Here is how I use fake credit cards and used gift cards to make pom poms on the fly:

Recycle those fake credit cards and used gift cards as a Pom Pom maker!

Quick, easy, and from recycled materials.  Easy, right?  :)

The 2014 Hello Doily Challenge Chronicles: Chapter Three

In the last Chapter of this on-going project, my homework was to:

• decide which pattern I wanted to use.
  
• collect enough comics and then spin them into paper yarn.
  
• crochet it up.

I've been doing well with my self-imposed homework assignements: I decided to use the "Irish Rose" doily pattern by Dorothy Drake that is featured in the "Doilies in Color" book by Annie's Crochet.

Thanks to my Crochet group and my husband who have been collecting them for me, I've collected nine comics thus far, each consisting of three pages.  Of those I have already spun a total of 18 pages. I know I'm going to be needing more!

Spinning the comics: This has not been an easy task as I am still relatively inexperienced in the art of spinning, and with this being my first time to actually spin paper into "yarn" it has been an interesting learning experience.  Yes, it is true, I do demonstrations on how to crochet with unspun roving, but that is a different skill-set.  To say I have been feeling a bit like Rumpelstiltskin trying to spin gold is an understatement; dragon slaying might have been an easier job!{grins}  There were some spinning sessions that went smooth as honey, and others, well ... more like my homemade gravy (a bit lumpy).

... but, I pushed on ... slowly honing my spinning technique to the point where my paper "yarn" pops less (when it breaks it actually makes a "popping" noise!), and is more evenly spun.  I have even cut down on the amount of time it takes me to spin one set of comics: from four hours to about two and a half.  This time includes the cutting of the paper, and the time it takes to join all the pieces as I am spinning it.

Crocheted Newspaper/ Sunday Comics

About the tension:  Controlling, or rather, not controlling the stitch tension as much as I normally do has been an interesting lesson.  I've learned if I put too much tension on the comic yarn that it will break -- making that "popping" noise I mentioned just moments ago.  Since the paper yarn is stiff, I cannot just let the "yarn" be as I draft from the drop-spindle. If I let it roam, it will wrap and twist about itself causing a big mess.  And we can't have that!  LOL 

In actually creating the crochet stitches, no problem there.  Except for picot stitches.  Oh, those are a bear to create with stiff yarn!  OY!

So the project continues.  And as it does, I now ponder about how I am going to block the project once it is complete.  And about how I will display it... 

The 2014 Hello Doily Challenge Chronicles: Chapter Two

After looking at hundreds and hundreds of doily patterns, I am delighted to say I have found two contenders for the 2014 Hello Doily Challenge put out by my local Crochet Group -- both doilies are featured in the "Doilies in Color" book by Annie's Crochet.  The first doily pattern being the "Marigolds" pattern by Josie Rabier, and the second being the "Irish Rose" by Dorothy Drake.  I think both would look fantastic crocheted with paper yarn.  Actually, I think they'd both look a-may-zing crocheted with paper yarn spun from the color comics featured in the Sunday paper.  I just need to decide which one!

Unable to locate my drop spindle, I invested in a new one, procured from the recent Stitches East event that was held in Hartford, CT.  I purchased it from the lilivestock.com booth, and the shop owner said she is looking forward to seeing the paper I plan on spinning with it.  ((I too, am looking forward to seeing the paper I spin from it! LOL)) 

"Acorn" drop spindle ready to go!

I did practice spinning regular newspaper a little (see my first chapter posting) and I noticed I was more comfortable spinning the make-shift drop spindle "clockwise."  This gave me an "S" twist.  Since I create the majority of my crochet stitches with the hook in my right hand, this simply won't do.  I will need to be careful to spin my "funny" paper counter-clockwise so that I get a "Z" twist, making the paper yarn a wee bit softer once I work it up.

My next step is to ensure I have enough raw material, in this case, the comics from the local newspaper.  Thankfully Mr Dee put up a "WANTED" sign at his work in hopes of helping me collect enough.  This still puts me well in line with the February 2014 deadline.

My homework:

• decide between the two patterns which one I'd like to use.
• collect enough comics and then spin them into paper yarn.
• crochet it up.

Question: do we block completed paper projects?  And if so, how is that done?????  I'm going to have to research this too.

Hey, not sew bad!

I don't have a crafting room, so most of my crochet projects are created in the living room.  Last year for Christmas my son gifted to me one of those "C Tables" that can slide over sofa cushions; this has come in real handy for when working on crochet patterns ... my only problem has been my new habit of leaving my prized crochet hooks that I'm currently working with on the laptop.  Not a good idea - I could damage a hook -- or my laptop that way!

I was over at Twitter a few days back when Joanns Fabric posted a link to an "Oval Needle Holder."  I don't have a lot of sewing experience, so I thought this project would be a good way to help me improve my sewing skills so I could eventually give making a zipbag a try. I also thought this would be a great way to store my "while in use" crochet hooks.

First, let me state it took longer than the single hour the project called for.  One must add in the time it takes to collect all the needed materials, including driving to the store to get what isn't already in our stashes: I needed to buy the hoop and the Phoomph bonding paper. [[If you are a CGOA member, be sure to sign up for Joann's VIP program to save 10% off your purchases!]]  I had a quilter's fabric kit in my fabric stash that I had already used the "giraffe theme" panels from (no surprise there).  My problem with the remaining panels was the time investing in trying this panel with that, and that panel with this, until finally settling on this combination:

I think just doing that took well over an hour! And I think it increased my appreciation in what quilters go through!! 

The next step was cutting all the pieces and pressing/ironing them.  I was really happy I didn't burn myself with the iron.  :)

Like I said, I don't have a lot of sewing experience so I was pretty nervous about sewing a straight line...but I think I did OK.  Next was putting the project on the hoop and tightening it.  Then cutting the edges off ...

 

Am I concerned about cutting those edges off?  Yes.  Should something come undone I won't be able to put it back on the hoop.  If I make this again I think I'll use some sort of glue to help the fabric bond to the hoop.

 

My local Joanns didn't have the hoop size needed for the project, so I went with one slightly smaller.  But I think it still looks good!  :)

 

 



Ta-Da!!  Look how happy my crochet hooks are all nice and snug in their new holder!  If you're wondering what is in my "tiny pocket," (the pattern says it is for scissors) that's my pocket-sized Ott-lite -- it clips onto just about anything and is a life-saver in the event of a power outage!  So what do you think?  Not sew bad, right?