Crochet Crazy

I finished my mosaic crochet hat. I am not as pleased with my yarn choices as I was in the beginning but it is a hat. If I make this again, I'm going down a hook size. I think my work was too loose. 

The pattern for this hat is from Sixel Design and can be found in their book. 

My favorite tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Get your own copy of Dark & Dramatic Mosaic Crochet: A Master Guide to Overlay Colorwork with 15 Modern Goth & Alternative Patterns

Knit and Crochet Tools: You can read my post about these tools in this post from December 2018. 

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold needle, needle threader, and stitch markers)RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc) 

Clover Locking Stitch Markers
Large eye needles 
Clover Yarn Threader
Clear Toiletry Bag

Odds and Ends

It has been awhile since I did one of these posts and I don't have much going on this week. 

I decided to try a mosaic crochet project from Dark & Dramatic Mosaic Crochet by Sixel Design. So many fun designs and so little time. Mosaic crochet is a great skill to add to your crochet toolbox. 

This is one of my portable design boards stacked with cut pieces ready for assembly. This is one of the ways I get so many charity quilts pieced. Preparation is important. You don't have to do it all at once but having a stack of pieces ready to sew is great if you can only find a couple minutes here or there to sew. 

My favorite tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Get your own copy of Dark & Dramatic Mosaic Crochet: A Master Guide to Overlay Colorwork with 15 Modern Goth & Alternative Patterns

Knit and Crochet Tools: You can read my post about these tools in this post from December 2018. 

Fiskars 7 Inch Softgrip Student Scissors (snipping yarn)
24 Pack Metal Rectangular Empty Hinged Tins (hold needle, needle threader, and stitch markers)RuMe Bags Baggie All (Aspen) (to hold my hand-finishing supplies: yarn needle, needle threader, scissors, Kitchener directions, stitch markers, etc) 

Clover Locking Stitch Markers
Large eye needles 
Clover Yarn Threader
Clear Toiletry Bag

Clover Darning Needle with Latch Hook

Quilting tools:

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Electric Quilt

Project box: IRIS 12" x 12" Portable Plastic Storage Cases with Built-in Handle, Clear (storage)

Letter Openers

Fiskars Rotating Cutting Mat 14 inch x 14 inch

Creative Grids Stripology XL Ruler

Odds and Ends

This week has been a week of things but not so much doing things. My Kickstarter copy of Dwellings of Eldervale came. It isn't like I'll be having any friends over soon so I have plenty of time to learn the rules. 

I put the twelve blocks for my kit on the design wall. There will be so much piecing of sashing and cornerstones, and so on for this one. Full update next Monday. 

And my copy of Escape Pod's year fifteen anthology(affiliate link) arrived. I actually bought two copies of this one so someone might be getting one for the winter holidays. 

Mosaic Crochet

I've been working on this mosaic crochet blanket for a couple weeks. It might look a little wonky but blocking will fix that. 

The fabric is very nice and has a nice weight to it. This is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. I'm just changing colors a I come to the end of a ball of yarn. It's so nice to not have to think about it too much.

If you want to check out mosaic crochet I recommend watching some of Tinna's videos on YouTube. She is very patient and has so much to share. She also has patterns on Ravelry.  

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)

Odds and Ends

I finished these fun socks made with a couple leftovers from other socks. These were made of leftover semi-solid black from the middle of a ball of Knit Picks Duos, colorway Rocket Ship. I didn't know if I had enough for the sock but it worked out great with two row stripes of each color. The other is a speckle leftover from an Into the Whirled, colorway Captain Tight Pants. These came out so much better than I could have hoped and I love them.

I worked on my Ard-ri shawl some more. The fabric for this one is divine.

I made more progress on my latest Dotted Rays shawl. I think this is the last wedge of the shawl. I really like these colors together.

I splurged and bought myself the Florid Bloom template set and Double Wedding Ring Quilts book from Victoria Findlay Wolfe. I'm still reading through the book. EDIT: acrylic templates are not included with the book. You do get paper templates in the book but the acrylic templates are an extra purchase.

I finished the Scrappy Quarter Cabin quilt top and moved it to the long arm (more on that later in the week) so now the design wall is empty. I need to find that next great project, or pull one out that I set aside. So many options! What are you working on?

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Knitter's Pride Aqua Sock Blockers, Medium (these are not pictured but they are my preferred sock blockers)
Knitter's Pride Dreamz Tunisian Crochet Hook Set
Cheryl Ann's Quilting Design Wall - 72" White

Quilting Book Review

It isn't often I add another book to my collection. It is even more rare for me to write a review about one of those books. Today I want to tell you about Step-by-Step Texture Quilting: 65 New Free-Motion & Walking-Foot Designs (affiliate link) by Christina Cameli. I first heard of Christina Cameli when I was still active on Craftsy and Bluprint. There I watched a couple of her classes and enjoyed both. I recently received a little nudge from Sam Hunter of Hunter Design Studio either via social media or from her subscriber list. I looked up this book and placed my order. (Full disclosure: I purchased this book with my own money and received no compensation for writing this review.)

This cover, front and back, makes me want to quilt up some of this texture. I suddenly have more quilting ideas than quilts. That is a good problem to have.

Each design is clearly explained with both line drawings and quilted examples. I can't imagine working up all these samples to photograph. Every design has step-by-step instructions and direction arrows when needed. Perfect for both beginners and beyond.

My favorite thing about this book is the photographic index in the back. I need to be able to see the designs quickly so I can make a selection without paging through the entire book (though sometimes I do anyway because I have quilter's block). This way I can see the design as it would be stitched out and turn to the applicable page. Brilliant!

If you want to see what else Christina has to offer, check out her website. You will get a free pattern for signing up to her email list. She offers free tutorials and you can buy her books, patterns, and fabric. You will also find links to her blog and free YouTube videos of her quilting.

Free-motion Quilting Books in my Library (affiliate links):
Step-by-Step Texture Quilting: 65 New Free-Motion & Walking-Foot Designs - Christina Cameli
Free-Motion Quilting Idea Book: • 155 Mix & Match Designs • Bring 30 Fabulous Blocks to Life • Plus Plans for Sashing, Borders, Motifs & Allover Designs Spiral-bound 
Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters: Choose & Use Quilting Designs on Modern Quilts
Beginner’s Guide to Free-Motion Quilting: 50+ Visual Tutorials to Get You Started • Professional-Quality Results on Your Home Machine
Shape by Shape Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters: 70+ Designs for Blocks, Backgrounds & Borders
Shape by Shape, Collection 2: Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters - 70+ More Designs for Blocks, Backgrounds & Borders
Graffiti Quilting: A Simple Guide to Complex Designs (no longer available through Amazon but you can buy it directly from the designer)
Quilting Modern: Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts

The Village Baker

I've had this copy of the The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz for years. It is now out of print and the prices reflect that scarcity. A friend of ours left bread on our porch last month and I pulled out this book to try to make some bread of my own. I'm no great cook. I don't like to cook. I do like to bake, though. Cookies and both quick breads and kneaded breads are my favorites. My all-time favorite baking book is the Fannie Farmer Baking Book, also no longer in print. 

The Village Baker has several recipes have you begin by making a poolish, a wet sponge. I picked a recipe that included whole wheat flour and started with a poolish. I used the liner from my medium-sized Crock-Pot to hold my sponge while it did it's thing overnight. 

In the morning it was a bubbly delight to uncover. 

I added the rest of the ingredients and kneaded the dough. Greased the stainless steel mixing bowl and covered for the next rise. 

The next rise went quickly and the dough easily doubled. 

Some more kneading and into the loaf pans they went. 

Some slashes and into the oven. 

Finally, onto the cooling rack. They aren't fancy but I made bread. This recipe was simple to follow with very simple ingredients. I used some for my tuna salad sandwich at work. It was delightful. I don't think I'll work so hard to make a good crust, though. Hard crust just isn't for me. 

I will have to pull out my copy of the Fannie Farmer Baking Book to see if she shared any fun breads that start with a sponge.

Books and supplies (affiliate links):
The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz
Fannie Farmer Baking Book
Crock-Pot
stainless steel mixing bowl
loaf pans
cooling rack

Crochet Crazy

I've been working through this Mandala yarn that Aunt Betty gave me. The Granny Hack shawl works up relatively quickly and is easy to pick up and put down. 

This is the colorway Sprite. 

Each cake gets you a full run of the colors. Mine started with yellow and ended with orange. Then it was on to the second cake for another repeat. 

Such a simple design that turns out looking more complicated than it is. 

This is a free pattern on my Ravelry. Check out the Granny Hack and share what you're making on Ravelry by linking to the pattern and on social media using #grannyhack. Not quite Pride colors but finished during Pride Month was a happy little surprise.

Pattern available on Ravelry: Granny Hack

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)
Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary: 125 Essential Stitches to Crochet in Three Ways
Lion Brand Mandala is available on Amazon, though you might be able to find it cheaper locally.

Crochet Crazy Granny Chevron

Last week I shared my progress on this granny ripple shawl. 

I reached the end of the yarn, so that means the end of the shawl. 22" wide and 60" long.

I must admit I like this fabric more than I thought I would when I started. 

Two cakes of Lion Brand Mandala resulted in this substantial shawl. 

This is a pretty simple design and you can find the basic directions for the stitch in several crochet stitch dictionaries. I used my copy of Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary: 125 Essential Stitches to Crochet in Three Ways to design this shawl. If you want to make one like mine, I also published through Ravelry. Check out my free Granny Hack pattern on Ravelry.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)
Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary: 125 Essential Stitches to Crochet in Three Ways
Lion Brand Mandala is available on Amazon, though you might be able to find it cheaper locally.

Crochet Crazy Granny Chevron

I've been eyeing this stitch pattern in my copy of Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary for a while now. I decided it was time to make a swatch and plan a project. This was my first swatch. Very good start. So I ripped it out and cast on for a shawl.

That got me to here, five happy little chevrons and the certainty that I would run of yarn well before I got to a suitable shawl length. So I ripped back again.

I cast on for four happy chevrons and I think this will work out so much better.

The piece is about 20" wide and should finish around 64" long.

I'll have to work through the second cake to be sure, though. I've only just started on the second cake. I think I'll have to write this pattern up and add it to Ravelry. It won't be all that original, but it will be mine. I think this really is a beginner pattern. If you can granny, you can make this shawl. I did finish my Crashing Waves Cowl pattern and it is available on Ravelry.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)
Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary: 125 Essential Stitches to Crochet in Three Ways
Lion Brand Mandala is available on Amazon, though you might be able to find it cheaper locally.

Odds and Ends

Happy Friday! This is one of my strawberry plants making with the spring!

Last week I finished this fun crochet cowl/infinity scarf. I even managed to navigate the process of self-publishing through Ravelry. Check it out: Crashing Waves Cowl.

I grabbed my favorite crochet stitch dictionary and started a new crochet project.

I machine knit and finished a pair of socks. One of the nice things about mostly working from home is the fact that I get to wear socks I knit almost every day of the week. Okay, it is every day, but Monday barely counts because I can't wear colorful and fun socks to work. Yarn from Knit Picks.

I did a little drop spindle spinning just to prove it isn't my thing. Again. I admit, it is pleasing to turn roving into yarn, but considering how fast I knit or crochet, and the fact I still have more yarn that I can use in 5-10 years, just tells me I should leave the spinning to someone else.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Crochet hooks: Clover Crochet Hook Set (10 hooks)
Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary: 125 Essential Stitches to Crochet in Three Ways

Tunisian Crochet Update

I finished another dishcloth using the Very Pink pattern for Tunisian Shaker Dishcloths. It was super fun to watch the colors of the variegated yarn work up. I still have cotton yarn, so I will likely make several more of these. 

I also found some really amazing Tunisian crochet patterns for shawls. This is just the beginning of one called Saoirse. It's a stunning shawl and the designer has so many other great Tunisian crochet patterns. Check out her work if you want to try something new. I don't think this is quite the right yarn for this, so I may have to find more suitable yarn. I'll let you know how that works out. I can tell you that I'm super excited about the potential for Tunisian crochet shawls. I have so many ideas.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Set of 11 Aluminum Tunisian Crochet Hooks 

Trying Something New

I spent too much time thinking about giving Tunisian crochet a try. So much time that I ordered a set of hooks from Amazon. They came in nothing more than a plastic bag, so I think I'll have to sew up a roll-up carrier for them. 

I found a simple pattern on Ravelry for Tunisian Shaker Dishcloths. There is even a YouTube tutorial for this one. The picture above is my first try. It didn't end up becoming a dish cloth, but the next one did. 

Here is my finished dishcloth and another one in the making. 

That makes two! Have you tried anything new lately?

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Set of 11 Aluminum Tunisian Crochet Hooks