Crazy for Crochet

I love knitting but in the last couple of years I have found attempting to knit for long periods of time hurts my thumbs not sure if it is RSI or arthritis, so I have been leaning towards doing more crochet plus the projects seem to proceed quicker.   I was taught to knit by my Mother but taught to crochet by my Grandmother. 

A recent finished crochet project was this crazy scrapghan blanket I made from all the odds and ends of chunky (bulky) yarn I had kicking about.  I made 4 different colour themed panels, crocheted them together and then did a quick border around the whole blanket.  I was pleased how it turned out and it was a relatively quick project completed on and off in 2- 3 weeks, unlike some other blankies I am in the middle of making – a hexagon, granny type blanket and a log cabin blanket I started over a year ago.

I am now in the process of crocheting Raven a snood combined jumper using two strands of double knit in orange and brown.  The orange was donated to me but I thought a bright orange jumper on its own would be too vivid so I toned it down with a dark brown.  I purchased the pattern from the Etsy store of the pattern  Crochet Pattern for Greyhound Sweater and Snood.  I have had to modify the pattern a little by cast off more around the chest area and continuing the collar to make it into an attached snood rather than a seperate snood.  I had it nearly finished before I realised it wasn’t a great fit around Raven’s chest and had to rip it back.  Once it is finished he should be real toasty in it especially as in December we have quite a few outside fund raising collections taking place.

Mittens & Snoods

Brrrr!! The temperature has dropped considerably since last week.  Until now we have been experiencing really mild weather for the time of year but since since Sunday it has got chillier and the last two nights we have had frost – the first ones of the winter.  Tillie and Rocky were glad of their warm coats and snoods on their morning ramble today.  They are sporting the wonderful pattern by Erssie Major - Dizzy Lizzy A Snood for a Greyhound - Money from the sale of the pattern is donated by Erssie to her local greyhound rescue charity.

              

I wanted to knit a pair of Bella mittens for a Christmas gift.  Now I am not a great lover of circular or dpns and normally avoid it, after all I only have 2 hands and 2 hands = 2 needles – enough said!  Anyway I gritted my teeth and cast on.  Lovely, all was going well (at this point I was knitting on circular needles using the magic loop method) until I got to the thumb gusset.  All hell broke loose as I left some stitches on a holder and attempted to knit the remaining bit of the mitten.  What I ended up with was a huge hole.  I ripped back and attempted again, twice but to no avail, as I was still left with a hole.  After spending a good few hours Saturday night on about a fifth of a mitten I admitted defeat and undid the whole lot.  The next day I found a sort of similar pattern knitted on 2 needles (Mittens knit on two needles – A Pair of Cables) and proceeded to churn out 2 mittens in as many hours.  Not quite the mittens I was after but all I could manage at the time – I hope the recipient likes them anyway.  I will attempt the Bella mittens on circs again but I will get a longer set, I think this might help.