The hook test

As we all know I've been crocheting a baby blanket of late (it's very nearly done!), and for this project I've been trying out some new hooks. These particular hooks were a freebie on a magazine. Typically I can't remember which magazine or who makes the hooks. But I think they're Knit Pro Symphonies.

They're certainly pretty enough to be Symphonies - multi-coloured, smooth-as-silk wood, and, usefully, they're double ended. So five hooks give me 10 different sizes. The yarn slides nicely along the polished wood and while the tip of the hook isn't especially pointed I've had no problems inserting it into the stitches, even the foundation chain was no more problematic than usual.

The 'barrel' of the hook is nice to hold, with a carved flat edge where my thumb sits nicely. This edge has also got the hook sizes printed on it. But, and here's the rub - literally - with the hook sizes printed just where my thumb rests the white writing is quickly getting rubbed off. The only way I'm going to be able to fix this is carve the sizes into the wood with a knife.

The double endedness is another problem. It's certainly useful, but the hook is just the wrong length for me. The 'other' end, the end not being used, sits right on the fleshy, sensitive part of my palm - it's called the Mars negative mount in palmistry, according to Wikipedia! This makes the hook really quite uncomfortable to use, though the way I hold my hooks might have something to do with it. I have my hand on top, rather like holding a knife, whereas anyone holding their hooks more like a pencil, with the hook on top, is likely to be fine.

The hooks are the same size as my 'normal' metal ones (I measured) and they could do with being a touch longer. I've got quite small hands so I think this is a problem that most hookers (hee hee) will have. Just an extra couple of centimetres would have made all the difference.

Tying up loose ends

It's all about the finishing at the moment. I've two projects close to completion: the crocheted baby blanket and my cable tunic. The tunic I'm especially pleased about; all the pieces are assembled and I've just got to sew in the ends, do the neck and sew up. But I keep putting it off. Why? I hate sewing!

The actual making up part of making something is easily my most hated. I don't think I'm alone in this. In fact there are people who'll do the making up for you, for a price. It's a good idea, but not one I'll be using. I might hate the sewing in and the sewing up, but this is my tunic and I want to finish it!

The blanket is a much better prospect. There's no sewing up, just weaving in of ends, once I've done the border, which is coming along nicely, thanks very much. I should be finished soon, and while the baby is still small enough to need a blankie - excellent!

This blanket has been something of a challenge, with new techniques employed, botched and finally learned! The end result is a really quite thick fabric that will certainly keep baby warm and an interesting 3D effect with raised zigzags and tubes as well as a pretty shell pattern.

Next project? A hat that is already causing me headaches, but more about that later, now pics:


All the pieces, finished, blocked and just waiting for the sewing up. To be honest I've got no excuse to get this done - my TV broke last week and this week the ac adapter for my laptop stopped working. Lucky I've got an EEE PC to keep me connected to the interwebz.



The light was better this time - it's daytime and I opened the front door. Look at those zigzags! You can't really see, but the border has been started. Just six more rounds and I'm done.



A close-up, obviously. And a much better one that last time.

Happy apping

Recently I've been trying out knitting apps for my iPhone. For anyone with an iPhone, tap 'knitting' into the search box and an array of options appears. In fact, if any more proof that knitting is trendy were needed, then the number of knitter-friendly clever pieces of software for Apple's little block of cool is surely it.

Of course they all claim to help you keep track of your projects, plan your next, count all your stitches and rows and make endless cups of tea (OK, I made up that last one). Prices range from free to £3.49. But which is best? Well that partly depends on what you want the app to do. Jknit, the most expensive, claims to be a complete knitting assistant, allowing you input your pattern instructions to create a single counter telling you exactly what to do row by row – it seems to do everything but knit the rows for you. At the other end of the scale are the free apps that just work as a digital row counter.

The knit test
I've been trying out two of the simpler apps – KnitMinder and Knit Counter, both in free 'lite' versions. The full versions cost £1.79 and £2.39 respectively. Both of these store counters and project information about yarn and needles used.

KnitMinder allows you to record notes in a logbook, which Knit Counter has space for notes. So far so similar. So what are the differences? KnitMinder has the option of saving planned, finished and on hold projects; handy for shopping excursions or keeping track of what you've got outstanding.

The free Knit Counter only allows you record one project; the paid-for version allows unlimited. So while you can't file projects as 'planned' or 'on hold' you can still input such projects and make a note of their status.

Changing boons
Knit Counter's real strength, though, lies in the versatility of its counters. You can assign each project as many counters as you like; for example, a hat I'm making has got four counters. You can assign any name you want to each counter, unlike KnitMinder, which gives you a choice of several. I'm recording the number of rows I knit, the number of repeats in a row, the number of rows to repeat for the ribbing and the number of repeats for the lace section, each with its own name.

To count up, you simply tap on a plus sign next to the row name. You can even link rows so that after you've reached a certain number on one counter, another will count up. Very useful! You can also program in an increase or decrease reminder.

You might have guessed that I prefer Knit Counter. Its adaptability makes it incredibly useful, and the user interface is much prettier than KnitMinder's. It has made following my rather complicated hat pattern much easier. The only drawback is that the free version only lets me record one pattern – so I guess I'll be forking out for the paid-for counter then!

All hail crochet!

In the latest issue of Knitting (April 2010), Laura 'Purl Princess' Parkinson makes an excellent case for knitting as the king of crafts. Have you read it? The Princess of Purl certainly has a good argument - that knitting is the most portable and sociable of crafts. But, I fear, she has forgotten crochet, knitting's oft-maligned cousin.

Portability
Crochet is just as easy to shove in a bag as knitting. Easier in fact - just one, small hook and a ball of wool is all you need. That one hook makes it a lot better for doing in cramped spaces, like public transport, too; you're much less likely to elbow any fellow travellers (or is that just me?).

I have a project on the go that I only do when on the train or during lunch at work. A throw made up of around 70 'wagon wheels', it's ideal for just keeping in my bag and doing whenever I've got a spare moment. What's more, in my head it doesn't count as one of my WIPs. Because it's specifically for what would otherwise be 'dead' time. I don't know how this means it doesn't count as a WIP, it just doesn't.

Sociability
Like knitting, crochet is a series of stitches repeated, and once you've got that series stuck in your head it's easy to two things at once: watch TV and crochet, chat with friends and crochet, drink wine and crochet. In fact if I could convince one person to hold my book at eye level, turning pages when I nod my head, and another to hold a wine glass at hand level, I could easily combine my three favourite things!

And another thing
Knitting can be slow-going. You can only add to it one row at a time. But crochet, with its trebles and more grows much more quickly.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you crochet: the true king of crafts!

This is my latest crochet project: a baby blanket for an old work colleague. These pictures aren't very good. The light in my flat is pretty poor for photography. But you get the idea. I've got a couple more rows to go and then it's the border.


Above: blanket with Knitting. Below: close up of blanket to show stitch pattern. The colour is closer to the photo above; it's actually a very pale pink, for a baby girl.

Slow coach

Why oh why does it take me so long to finish anything? I'm still, yes still, working on both the lace shrug and the cable tunic. I had to undo quite a lot of the tunic because I'd got the measurements wrong, but even taking that into account it's taking ages to finish both of these.

The shrug was started in November 2008. Which means it's been going on for more than a year now. I think the tunic was started slightly later. Even so, that's still been on the needles for around a year. The tunic is particularly galling, first for the unravelling, second because it's all rib from here on in and it's got me bored rigid and third because despite working on it over Christmas I seemed to hardly do any. In the same time read three books. I just want the damn thing finished now!

I wonder - am I losing interest in the fun new hobby of mine? I've only been knitting and crocheting for two and half years, but maybe I've run out of steam. And yet I still get so excited about new projects. I love the idea of knitting, but the reality is somewhat different. I know the problem: I'm too slow, something about the way I knit means it's taking me far too long to get anywhere. But I haven't the faintest idea how to speed things up.

I did manage one thing - I was sliding the knitting far too far down the needle every time I made a stitch, so I'd have to slide it all way up again, and then way down again, with the next stitch. Well I stopped that, and it did speed me up a bit. But nowhere near enough.

So the question is: how do I go about getting quicker? You'd think it's a matter of practice, and yet despite my two-and-a-half-year's experience I'm really not speeding up. There people out there who can knit jumpers for a family of four and still have time to crochet a new pair of curtains in the time it's taken me to nearly finish one tunic, so I must be doing something wrong. But what? Answers on a postcard please!

I'll post some photos of the tunic when I get home this evening.

The place for lace

Review: Amazing Crochet Lace by Doris Chan

This isn’t a new book – in fact it’s about three years old, but it’s new to me. I got it as a birthday present just a couple of weeks ago.

The book starts with an introduction from Chan – why she crochets, her theory of ‘exploded’ lace and a bit of advice on how best to approach the patterns. Then it’s the usual abbreviations and stitch keys and then straight into the patterns. There are 19 of them in total, arranged into four chapters with names like Garden Party and Last Call, which seem to have more to do with the names of patterns rather than the look of any of the garments.

First things first, then, exploded lace means taking a pattern for some small decorative item – like a doily or table runner – and adapting it for bigger yarn, bigger hooks and a much, much bigger product, like a shawl, a t-shirt or a dress.

Chan also talks about every crocheter’s most hated stage – the foundation chain. She uses something she calls the BASE CH/SC. It involves making two chains and making both a chain and a single crochet into the first chain. Then doing the same into the chain of the stitch you just made, and repeating this till you’ve got the right number of stitches. It’s something I’ve never encountered before and the instructions and illustrations really are clear. With a bit of practice it was pretty simple. The resultant chain is an odd-looking bulky thing that is remarkably easy to crochet into. I’m not sure it’ll take over from a traditional chain in my crochet repertoire, but it’s certainly good to know.

The pattern I tested was Chrysanthemum Tea Shawl, a huge circular shawl adapted from three doily patterns. The instructions are easy to follow and the thick yarn and big hook mean the piece grows pleasingly fast. Each pattern comes complete with full written instructions and chart showing a sample of the lace pattern.

The garments, which include a skirt, a dress, t-shirts and shawls, are all lovely, with only a couple I wouldn’t wear. The layout and instructions are generally good, clear and simple to follow. But make no mistake, these pieces are not for the beginner. The patterns are complex, often involving hundreds of stitches. To do this you need the time and space to concentrate – don’t do what I did and sit down in front of Smallville and think it’ll turn out OK. It won’t. And make sure you check for errata before you start. I found a mistake in the special stitches box! But think how much worse it would be to have completed a few hundred stitches only to realise something’s wrong.

One problem is the photography. Each garment has a full-page plate and often another couple of photos. But these are all dark, making it difficult to see colours and detail. A little lightening in Photoshop would have helped. But this really is a minor niggle in an otherwise excellent collection.

A couple of not-very-good shots of the shawl.

Baby blankie

When I finished this about a week ago I thought I really didn't have anything much to blog about. It's a baby blanket, for a friend's soon-to-be baby - what can be said about that? But then I remembered I didn't use the suggested yarn, so I had to Do Maths. And that's definitely something to write about.

It was simple enough to make - square and in long stripes, double (US) or treble (UK) crochet throughout. The yarn give was a worsted weight though, which we don't get in the UK. The closest we have is aran, but I couldn't find any in the colours I wanted. So I decided to go with DK. And that's where Doing Maths came in. I duly made up a tension square and worked out that I needed half again as many stitches for the length and rows for the width. Rather surprisingly I thought; I'd expected to have to double up on everything. A neat lesson there on why a tension square is so important!

It all went swimmingly well until I got the border - surely a double crochet wasn't going to be long enough to weave the braid through? After a couple of tests I settled on triple. Incidentally another break from the pattern was that I chose a different colour for the border rather than use one of the blues as per the pattern. Another problem came with the braid - the thinner yarn meant many more strands, but how many. Again with some experimentation, I worked it all out. I had to braid the yarn by holding it in my teeth!

I think it turned out OK - judge for yourself: