Friday Focus: Norma Lynn Hood

This autumn I started baking a lot more in an effort to increase my skills. Every Wednesday for the past few months I have put on my apron, pulled out the ingredients, and gotten to work. I have made banana bread, maple cookies, chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cupcakes, orange cupcakes, and pumpkin roll just to name a few. I hope to continue baking once a week for the foreseeable future. What do I do with all of the treats? While Alex and I definitely eat some (read: too much) of them, I love to share them with the people in our apartment building.

Norma Lynn Hood whips up tasty treats as well, but her ingredients aren't flour, sugar, or vanilla. She crochets treasure cakes that she turns into sachets. How sweet is that? Even sweeter is the fact that she also shares her treats with others by selling the treasure cakes to raise money for charity. Though treasure cakes are her main claim to fame, she also has many other amazing patterns. Her kind heart and beautifully imaginative designs will soon have you asking for seconds. Settle in with me on this chilly morning and let Norma Lynn warm your heart as today's featured designer.

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?
I first saw a crocheted piece in Macy’s in 2001.  It was a white ribbed tank adorned with a pink carnation made of yarn.  I was instantly captivated and studied the flower for a few minutes.  I didn’t dare buy the garment because of its overpriced value, but I suddenly had a deep urge to make myself that flower.  That moment was a door to a new world for me.

So I walked into a local yarn shop shortly after and described to the worker the beautiful piece I saw.  With incessant confidence he responded, “That’s crochet.”  I was sold.  I bought my yarn and the hook, and immediately afterward, he gave me my first lesson in crochet.  I first started off crocheting a swatch.  He then told me that my next step would be a dishcloth, but with my itch to replicate the flower, I bypassed the dishcloth, bought a pattern and went home.  I successfully produced my first ever crocheted flower days later!  After that, I mostly taught myself with the help of basic crochet books and since, I've created a website with loads of free patterns and recently started selling several on Etsy.  I’ve been crocheting for 12 years. 

Why do you crochet?
I crochet for therapy and entertainment.  The beneficiaries: me and my health, my family, friends and non-profit organizations.  It’s a win-win for all parties involved!  

Crochet Favorites
Almost all of my work and patterns include Tahki Stacy Charles Cotton Classic with a 3.0mm hook.  It’s my absolute favorite yarn to crochet with.  It’s a smooth yarn that passes through my fingers with ease for tight tension.  I also love working with Aunt Lydia’s Classic Crochet Thread 10 with a 1.10mm hook. 

What are you working on right now?
My niche in crochet is food.  No matter how much I try to deviate and try crocheting cowls or create a pattern for a hat, I come right back to food.  Right now, I am working on more pasta patterns. 

A few finished objects...
Pasta Party: These pasta patterns include farfalle (bow-tie), fettuccine, penne lisc (smooth), penne rigate (furrowed), ravioli and tortellini.  It’s definitely a party when crocheting these pasta pieces! 

Egg Birdhouse: Using jute yarn and a piece of twig from a random plant, this pattern builds a home for our feathered friends.  Provide cute dwellings for our cohabitants!

Love in Cursive: This appliqué can add the spice of romance or simple love to any project.  

What a feast for the eyes. I love Norma Lynn's aesthetic. The pasta is so realistic! Her work can be found on her website and her Ravelry page. Thank you so much for serving us some comfort food today, Norma Lynn!

One Skein To Rule Them All

If you're as nerdy about crochet as I am, you might have noticed that there are some trending patterns. Some patterns seem to explode in popularity. Everyone just has to hook them up. One of these patterns is the One Skein Scarf, and for a good reason. It's sweet and lacy-looking while still being a good beginning project. I had some of that difficult Homespun hanging around and needed a good, simple project for it. It was a match made in heaven!

I used the entire skein of Homespun, even experiencing a rare and magical moment: I only had about a foot of yarn left at the end! Since the scarf is fairly thin, I made mine extra long for wrapping. It would also be cute as a short, light, and airy scarf made with thinner yarn. Have you made the One Skein Scarf? We'd love to see a picture!

Kat Goldin and the Super Awesome Life-Saving Crochet Hat Chart

You needed to make a hat for your cousin Joe Shmoe for the holidays. You found the perfect pattern. You bought the perfect yarn. You selected the proper hook. You put a few hours of work into it...

...only to find that it was too small.

Okay, maybe you made a mistake or something, so you frogged the hat and re-made it. It was still too small. Um, what? You knew you followed the pattern exactly that time. You checked the yarn and the hook. The smiling hat-wearing man in the example picture was starting to make you angry. Maybe you tried the hat one last time before burning the pattern and yarn in a revenge fire and getting your cousin a pet rock instead, vowing never to make a hat again.

What gives? Well, there are several reasons that a hat can turn out too small, too large, too long, or not long enough. First, it's possible that there's an error in the pattern. A quick check of the pattern's rating, example pictures, and reviews can help you figure out if that's the case. Everything seems in order? Check your yarn. Some yarns, especially nicer ones, are not necessarily labeled with crocheters in mind. It might say it is between 4mm and 5mm, but it's closer to one or the other and using the wrong hook will make a significant difference in the item size. You might crochet more tightly or more loosely than the designer and the difference in your tension is affecting the item size. It may even be something as simple as the designer preferring a different brand of hooks. Even though you'd think a metric label would indicate standardization, two 6mm hooks from two different brands can make different sized stitches. I know, right? What kind of nightmare are we living in?

Here's the bottom line... your gauge is off. Most of the problems above are problems with gauge. No, don't run away! Please don't shut down when you hear the word "gauge". It may be easy to ignore gauge in the short term, but in the long term you will be a better crocheter if you take the time to understand it. Remember learning geometry in school? All gauge means is length times width. If a pattern says "5 rows by 5 stitches = 2 inches by 2 inches of single crochet" it means that, using the yarn and hook called for by the project, if you single crochet a square that is 5 stitches across and 5 rows tall it should measure 2 inches on each side. This is what's called a gauge swatch. If your swatch is smaller you are crocheting too tightly for the pattern and need to loosen up. If your swatch is larger you are crocheting too loosely and need to increase tension. You can also try sizing your hook up or down and checking the gauge again.

OR...

...you can be a renegade with me and go off the grid off the pattern. Hate trying to change your tension or hook to meet the gauge? The chart I'm about to link you to was created by Kat Goldin for Slugs on the Refrigerator. Go read part one of her amazing tutorial and then come back for a chat. Back? Great! So, her explanation has a lot of interesting and useful information in it. Part two has even more. For our purposes today the only thing you really need to pay attention to is the chart of standard hat measurements. Look at the column marked "Flat Circle Diameter". That is your holy grail of hat awesomeness. Say you pull the charred remains of Joe Shmoe's hat pattern out of the fireplace and have another go at it. Work the pattern and notice as you go 1) the stitch pattern and 2) where you stop increasing. Consider the following hypothetical pattern:

Start with magic circle.
Round 1: Work 6 dc into ring. Sl st in first st to join. (6)
Round 2: Ch 3. Work 2 dc in each st around. Sl st in first to to join. (12)
Round 3: Ch 3. Work 1 dc in first st and 2 dc in next. Rep around. Sl st in first st to join. (18)
Round 4: Ch 3. Work 1 dc each in first 2 sts and 2 dc in next. Rep around Sl st in first st to join. (24)
Round 5: Ch 3. Work 1 dc each in first 3 sts and 2 dc in next. Rep around. Sl st in first st to join.  (30)
Round 6: Ch 3. Work 1 dc in each st around. Sl st in first st to join. (30)

The stitch pattern here is simple double crochet. To find where you stop increasing, I want you to look at the counts at the end of the rows. Notice how they go up by 6 each time? That's because you are increasing at a regular rate. You started with 6 stitches in the first round and now you are adding 6 stitches to each subsequent round. This results in a flat circle. But wait, the stitch counts for rounds 5 and 6 are the same! That means that round 5 is the last round of increases. After that you're just adding to the height of the hat.

It's time to break out your tape measure. According to Kat's chart, the diameter of your circle at the end of round 5 should be very close to 6.75 inches since you are making a hat for a man. If the circle diameter is greater than that your hat will be too big. If the circle diameter is smaller than that your hat will be too small. Here's how to fix this without changing gauge: frog a round if the circle is too big or add a round using a regular increase if the circle is too small. Do this until your circle comes as close as possible to the required diameter. It's that easy! Then finish the rest of the pattern. Note that your stitch counts at the ends of rounds will now be different, but as long as you are following the style of the pattern you'll be just fine doing this with simple hats. You can even check your hat height against her chart too! She deserves a medal.

Let me know if there's anything in this post you need help with. I realize it's a bit long. With some know-how and a little luck you can now tackle any hat pattern without fear (or fire).

Friday Focus: Lara Mouttham

I am a nerd. What's a nerd? The definition varies. To me, a nerd is someone who knows a lot about something and is invested in it. Being a nerd can mean using your brain, building your skills, and getting excited about things. A few (believe me...there are loads) of the things I'm nerdy about are space, the ocean, fantasy/sci-fi novels, Minecraft, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and crochet. That last one should be pretty obvious by now. I suppose there was a time when "nerd" was used as a pejorative, but happily I have never had it used that way towards me. "Nerd" seems to be more of a point of pride nowadays, which is awesome. It's wonderful that more and more folks feel like they can share their interests with others without as much fear of judgment.

Ye, all my fellow nerds rejoice! For I have found a crochet designer of great consequence. Lara Mouttham of Level Up Nerd Apparel is on a quest to fill the world with delightfully nerdy crochet patterns. Her patterns span many fandoms and her selection is still growing. I squeed when I saw her A:TLA stuff and got even more excited once I realized how completely creative and attentive to details she is. Let your freak flag fly with me today as we learn more about Lara and her designs.

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it?
I taught myself how to crochet about 4 years ago, from a book. I had decided to take up crocheting because I found it increasingly difficult to just sit and watch TV without doing something with my hands (it was too boring). So I figured I would pick up a hobby that would occupy my hands with minimum thinking involved, and when it came to choosing between crocheting and knitting, I figured crocheting would be easier because it only requires one hook instead of two needles - you can't argue with that kind of logic, right?

Why do you crochet?
Now I crochet because it is a relaxing and productive way to enjoy my downtime. It also allows me to be creative in a way I have never been before. I've always had an artistic side, and while I could always copy or reproduce something quite well (a drawing, dance choreography, etc), I could never create something from scratch. Designing my own patterns has been the first time I've created a project straight from my imagination without relying on a guide of some sort. It's extremely liberating - and makes me feel less like a creativity-deficient human being.

Just over a year ago, I made a Viking hat for my boyfriend. When one of our friends suggested I start selling them, I thought it was pure madness... Me? Charging people money for my hats? Who would be crazy enough to GIVE me money for them?? Well, it turns out many people are! Starting my crochet business has been a wonderful learning experience, with many ups and a few downs (taxes.... amiright?), the best of which is that I now have a valid excuse to blend two of my favorite things: crocheting and being a nerd. I can justify watching nerdy shows as research, and my equally geeky boyfriend gets first dibs and input on my new creations, making us one big happy nerdy household.

Crochet Favorites
My hooks are the Boyes set that came with the teach yourself crochet book. They've served me faithfully all these years, so I've never really looked into getting other ones! However, I might upgrade to fancy ergonomic ones for my trusty "I" hook, before I give myself carpal tunnel. 

As for yarn, I use the Caron Simply Soft line for my products, because they are so soft with beautiful colors, and you can't do much better as far as pricing goes. I do want to explore wool-cotton blends for my personal projects, because that's what grownups with bigger budgets do.

What are you working on right now?
Everything! I'm one of those who gets amazing ideas when I don't have a pen, then forget about them until later when I have no time to work on it.  

Right now is the busy-busy season for hats and accessories, what with it being winter and stuff, so I don't have much time to actively work on any new designs. But a few that I have cogitating in the back of my mind include Jake and Finn hats from Adventure Time, Sailor Moon wrist warmers with little bows, ewok hooded cowls to round up my Star Wars line, a Spock beanie from Star Trek, a dinosaur hooded cowl, and a Thor helmet (mostly because I hope Chris Hemsworth will want one). 

A few finished objects...
The Aang wrist warmers are a tribute to Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of my all-time favorite shows. It has allowed me to explore color change and come up with a new (albeit confusing) method of changing yarn to allow for neat, straight, seamless lines.  

The Link hat, from the Legend of Zelda, is by far my best-seller. I had no idea it would be this popular when I first created it, but Zelda fans everywhere love the simplicity and warmth of this hat.

The R2D2 hat is just adorable, in my opinion. It was a lot of fun (and challenging) figuring out the color pattern to be as faithful to the original droid while working within the stitch count required for the size and shape. It's also the hat I wear the most during the winter time, although I try not to play favorites too much.

How cool is all of this nerd swag? I totally adore Lara's patterns. They can be found on Ravelry, and both patterns as well as finished objects can be found on Etsy. Thank you for nerding out with us and sharing your story, Lara!

Criss Cross Stitch

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I'm really excited and certainly very thankful. My favorite dish at Thanksgiving is the green bean casserole. What's yours? To start preparing, today I am making the dessert ahead of time. It's not pumpkin pie, but a pumpkin roll. I like pumpkin rolls because they are a delicious twist (ba dum ch) on the traditional. Sometimes it's nice to mix things up a bit.

For a different take on a common stitch, why not try the criss cross double crochet stitch? This technique is sometimes called cross-over double crochet and it is exactly what it says on the tin. It is worked in sets of two stitches, with the first double crochet worked in the second stitch before you backtrack and work the second double crochet into the first stitch from behind. Here is an excellent tutorial. I would definitely suggest this stitch to a beginner because they will utilize skills they likely already have with a little twist to make it interesting. Also, the motions performed will help to prepare you for around the post crochet if you haven't tried it yet. I'm in a perpetual state of stash busting. This criss cross project was great because I made it for a tall girl and it used up a lot of yarn!

To finish I added a simple picot border. Fringe might have looked nice but the scarf was already so long that I didn't think it would be a good idea. This stitch has a nice rhythm and a modern look to it.

Bird's Nest Bowl Set

Crochet bowls and baskets have always interested me. I like that they are flexible and soft while still maintaining enough rigidity to be functional. After filtering through the available patterns, I finally selected Tamara Kelly's Bird's Nest Bowl Set to play around with. Happily, I happened to have a skein of the exact yarn that she calls for in the pattern, which was nice. Here's how they came out.

I made two of the four available sizes. Bowls like these would be great for kids' toys, random clutter, electronics cords, and more. They were fun and fast, so I recommend this as an instant gratification pattern. Gotta love the texture too, one of Tamara's specialties. Why not hook some up yourself?

Friday Focus: Kathy Clark

Friday. What does it hold for you? It could be the end of a long and tiring work week and the beginning of a weekend of fun. It could mean that your kids are home from school and you're excited to spend time with them. You might have a busy weekend lined up, exciting but also a little draining. As for me, my weekend will be filled with the love of my husband and a rare night out on the town with a close friend. Living in walking distance of downtown Seattle can come in handy! All of the little moments in between will be stitched with care. Hopefully I can come close to finishing the project I've been working on for a month and a half. I can't wait to share it with you after Christmas.

Kathy Clark has spent years filling her moments with crochet, leading her to become a talented and accomplished woman. With over forty years of experience and numerous publications, she has a splendid and impressive body of work. She is enamored of snowflakes and has many delightful wintery projects available, both small and delicate as well as large and substantial. It is my pleasure to spend a few of my little moments this Friday acquainting you with Kathy. Here are a few of her insights and reflections.

Who taught you to crochet? How long have you been doing it? 
I've been crocheting for over 40 years. When I was 12, there was a crocheted vest pattern I found and was determined to make, so my mom and I figured out how to crochet together. I fell in love with crochet and have been crocheting and making up my own projects ever since.

Why do you crochet?
I always like to be busy working on something. I find crochet very mathematical and I enjoy the challenge of figuring out all the intricacies of a design.

Crochet Favorites
I am definitely a threadie at heart and use mostly Aunt Lydia's Classic crochet thread, size 10, and a small steel crochet hook for my designs. My favorite thread projects are snowflakes, but I also enjoy creating summery tops and skirts with thread. I recently discovered the new Knit Pick's Curio crochet thread which I'm also looking forward to creating many more projects with.

When I'm not working with thread, I love working on reversible designs. Typically, I work on afghans using Caron's Simply Soft or Bernat's Satin yarn because of their softness and ease to work with.

My favorite hooks are the Boye hooks. I like the shape of their hook the best.

What are you working on right now?
I'm currently working on several snowflake designs. Each year I put together a new snowflake pattern set. I'm a huge fan of the "Snowflake Man" Wilson Bentley, who photographed snowflakes in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I like to fashion my snowflakes after his photographs and try to pick up the intricate details of each. I'm also working on a second pattern set which uses snowflakes in a creative way such as a clock and area rug. In addition, I have several projects in the planning stages, like ruffle scarves using ruffle yarn in a unique way and reversible tote bags.

A few finished objects... 
Winter Shimmer Shrug: I love snowflakes and try to incorporate them into my designs as often as possible. My Winter Shimmer Shrug uses a snowflake motif for the body of the shrug and then carries elements of the snowflake motif into the sleeves. 

Cool Blue Evening Shawl: I love working with thread and figuring out motifs that can be crocheted together as you go so there is no need to sew the motifs together. I also enjoy seeing the additional designs that take shape when connecting the motifs. The Cool Blue Evening Shawl uses hexagon and half-hexagon motifs to create this triangle shawl. 

Wicker Wonder Reversible Afghan: My favorite of my reversible designs is the Wicker Wonder afghan. I was inspired by how the wicker design is woven and challenged myself to duplicate that effect in a reversible afghan.

 

My patterns can be found on my website. For updates on my current projects, you can also visit my Facebook page. I'm also on Ravelry and Craftsy. 

What gorgeous projects, and they barely touch on the wealth of patterns that Kathy has written. My personal favorite is her Hawaiian Lei Ruffle Scarf, as I have developed a fondness for Hawaii in recent years due to my husband's stories of his early childhood living near Honolulu. Kathy has something for everyone, from snowflakes to leis! Thank you so very much for sharing your treasures with us today, Kathy. In fact, I'm off to take a look at them once more!