I've actually worked on several knit and crochet projects since I last posted pictures, but unfortunately I can't find my card reader and that's why I haven't uploaded any new pix (I know, I know)...
Anyway, I realized tonight that I have finally gotten comfortable fixing mistakes in knitting. It used to really annoy me if I made a knitting mistake because I'm so used to simply ripping out crochet stitches and redo-ing the work. But, I followed the instructions in Deb Stoller's Stitch and Bitch and now I think I've really got the hang of it. (You can see a similar method for fixing dropped stitches at eHow.com. The same method is great if you've purled when you should have knit, or knitted when you should have purled!)
Okay, I'm going to reveal a dirty little secret in the crafty world: there are some knitters that are very snobby and look down their noses at crocheters. So I feel a little smug that you need a CROCHET hook to fix knitting problems!
Crochet vs. Knit -- it's kind of like an East Coast - West Coast rivalry. (I just had a mental image of Snoop Dogg knitting -- I need to get out more!) At our crochet group - City Hookers - we don't mind if people bring knitting to our meet-ups -- in fact one of our members actually creates patterns for a knit designer so she often brings a couple of knit projects along. But God forbid you should bring a crochet project to a knitting circle, or one of those snobby high-class yarn stores.
One of our members told our group that one time she went to a yarn store and pulled out a swatch of a very complicated crochet stitch she'd been working on so she could match a contrasting yarn to it. Well, one of the sales clerks asked if she could take a look at it. "What a beautiful pattern stitch," said the sales clerk, "I can't figure out how you knit it." My friend replied, "Oh, it's not knit, it's crochet." The salesperson literally dropped the swatch like it was a hot potato, made a face and said "Oh!"
Now there are plenty of friendly knitters, I'm sure, and maybe the snobbishness is just a New York City thing. Personally, I love being bi-craftual and enjoy switching back and forth between knitting and crochet. I think my hands are grateful, too since it's a different movement. The more skills, the more creative you can be. (Check out the knit/crochet patterns in the Family Circle Easy Crochet winter issue.)
Here are my current and recent projects:
1) Crochet shoulder bag using Lion Brand Homespun - Finished tonight
2) Working on making men's hats for some of my male friends (I've made gifts for my female friends and their babies, but I've been neglecting the fellas.) I've made three caps so far, one in a ribbed knit (navy with two green stripes) pattern is from Stitch and Bitch, one crochet (all white) I can't even remember where I got that pattern!, and a kufi style crochet hat (white with green trim). I'm going to make the ribbed knit one in black with a white stripe. I've been using Lion Brand wool-ease. I'm going to send some also to one of the chemo cap charities like HeadHuggers.org.
3) Preemie blanket, knit checkerboard pattern from my Creative Knitting magazine and some white baby yarn (I think TLC by Red Heart). I had screwed this up and knitted when I was supposed to purl but didn't discover it 'til several rows later. But, I was able to succesfully fix it tonight so now I can finish it! I'll be donating it to a hospital for their neo-natal unit. You can find a lot of charities on the Lion Brand web site.
4) Martha Stewart Coming Home Poncho - Homespun Rococo (beige), crochet - I tried this again with a different yarn then my previous try and I still looked like a smurf in it. But I asked my friend Laura to try it on and she's tall and long-legged so it looked FABULOUS on her and she loves it. And I know it sounds way too precious, but I crocheted a matching one for her dog Lola. Both projects are complete.
5) I'm making Laura a crocheted beret out of Homespun (Noveau), using the yarn that I used for my bag. It's almost finished, I just need to add a few more rounds after I buy another skein of Noveau (didn't have quite enough.)
6) I made this gorgeous knit/crochet poncho out of Patons Divine, but again, it seemed to big for me. Maybe I shouldn't be making ponchos! The top is ribbed knit and the bottom half is crocheted...but the knit part just didn't seem to fit right so I'm going to try redoing it. It is supposed to be a turtleneck at the top but mine came out more like a cowl neckline. I thought I had matched the gauge correctly, but I'm going to try taking it down a needle size.
7) I have this marvelous Grignasco merino/alpaca wool that I'm using to make a ribbed knit scarf. I'm maybe a fifth of the way through with it. It's so deliciously soft to work with. Yum!
Will, I think that ought to keep me busy for a while! I also want to start playing with cable knitting, and I have an issue of Creative Knitting magazine that has some really fun patterns for dishcloths that use cable. I also want to try making a cable knit hit.
Posted by: Hanane | Dec 27, 2005 at 09:59 AM
Posted by: stoogeswoman :-) | Dec 20, 2005 at 03:00 PM