Week 3 - Lots of HOOKING going on!!

The lovely ladies at The Wool Loft 

sent me two 100g beautiful hanks of 100% Lincoln Longwool to review

As it was a Chunky weight wool, I immediately thought of my "Chunky Warming Sock" pattern.

First I had to wind the hank into a ball with the help of my wool winder & then I got my hook out and got to work

I changed my basic pattern  (available here) , which is suitable for beginners - yes you CAN crochet socks,  to the one you see above and I can't tell you how pleased I am with them.

The wool itself is a delight to crochet with.  It looks a little rustic (which I like) however it is so smooth and silky feeling that it floats through your hook & is a pleasure to crochet with. It runs beautifully through your fingers, so much so that you don't want the experience to end.

As socks go - these are the best I have ever worn & as you probably know by now I have about 10 pairs of Crochet Socks in my collection.  Being 100% wool they keep your little toes 100% cosy toasty & at £8.99 a hank (you will need 2 for a pair) this little purchase of luxury is one that you won't regret.

 

Now for more "hookiness"

My favourite supplier The Yarn & Craft Shop are now stocking thee GREAT hooks by Clover

I had already bought the 6mm (brown) and the 4mm (purple) hooks some time ago, as these are the hook sizes I use the most.  I was waiting for The Yarn & Craft Shop to start stocking these wonderful hooks (whilst saving up at the same time) as they do mean that I can crochet for longer as they are so comfortable to hold, so I purchased another 3.  Only 3 more to go!!

Now for some classroom news - This week I taught 22 lovely ladies over 9 workshops / classes & here are some of the Crochet Creations made.....

At Sparrow UK in Shaftesbury we made Roses

In a private class we have started to make a baby cardigan & I have been reliably informed that progress has been made!

In Wednesday Evenings class we made flowers

Using new stitches & techniques

but not only that  - SS has made her first sock!

And in the week she sent me this picture

Aren't they just FAB!! I have a pair of bed socks & welly socks just like that. SS came to a 4 week Beginners workshop in November & look at her now - already crocheting socks!

In another class we made more hearts

And back at Sparrow UK we were treated (as always) to home made Coffee & Walnut Cake & Coffee

YUMMY - one of my pupils told me that she was "Teachers Pet" (she was a teacher herself before she took early retirement, so she should know all about this subject) and then she produced a copy of my book, which she then asked me to sign.  I was thrilled - a book signing!!

I must admit that I had to practice my signature as there is so little one signs these days

Did I mention that I like Crochet Socks?  LOL - here are just a few pairs drying on the Aga

Now for more "book" news

This fellow "Tweeter" bought my book recently and then sent me this photograph.  She's completed Project 1 - Flower Headband, which she has made a jolly good job of, & she's now started on Project  2 - A Beanie Hat

"Just started the beany hat. Love yr instructions feeling I'm getting somewhere at last with my crochet."

This is such great feedback to have & makes me burst with pride as LJ has learnt to read a crochet pattern!

News from Online Crochet Course 1:

This is a good 1st attempt - the stitches of Double Crochet are very neat, but the edges are wonky

But JB realised that and knew she had to practise & that's exactly what she did

Ta Dah - straight edges have been mastered 

& she now has a crochet bookmark

Fantastic work - I am so proud of your great work.

If you are in the Blandford Forum area on the 24th March then do come along to this fantastic Vintage Fair at The Corn Exchange from 10am to 4pm.

I went last year & it was one of the most well attended QUALITY fairs I have been too in a long time.

I'll be there with my crochet hook doing demonstrations this year!

I ended the week in style as my Pupil PD came for a private lesson bearing gifts

Her lovely mother made this Triangle Blanket chart, so that we now know exactly how many triangles "in formation" one will need for the 2014 blanket.

Thank you Mummy PD  - I couldn't have done this myself

Here is PD working away, sewing in ends (which is an art in itself) on her Triangle Blanket

And here is HER hook set - she got it as a Christmas present & I am, needless to say, a little envious

They look lovely as a set - so "Rainbow"

And finally - today is Day 25 and here is my 25th square.

Until next week fellow hookers.

Oh yes, I will be producing the next newsletter soon so if you don't want to miss out 

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Day 39, Day 40, Day 41 & Lots of Crochet Class news & new Crochet Hooks & So much more......

Day 39 Square is this rather nice "French Blue" flower - the colour reminds me of my old Secondary School uniform!  I went to St. Annes College of the Ladies of Mary in Sanderstead which was unfortunately knocked down in the late 1970's.  I say unfortunately because it was a lovely building.  I hated school as it was run by scarey nuns, but I did like my Uniform which was a plain fabric coloured kilt in the above colour, with a matching jumper & tie and a cream shirt.

Anyway, enough reminising!!

Today the lovely K came for her lesson - we did colour changes, which she took to like a hook to Crochet and she also accomplished Join As You Go

Which she practiced on some of the many Granny Squares that she made for her homework!  She's so keen and wants to learn more and more each lesson.

She's so good that we even learnt a few new stitches today too

htr's & dtr's !

The heart pattern is proving popular, but as long as my pupils are making what THEY want to make that's the main thing.

Here's an interesting article by Kat Goldin

 on her new website

The Crochet Project 

It's all about Drape & Gauge & what yarns to use for garments

If you didn't read the recent article in one of the latest Inside Crochet Magazines, which was very interesting and very detailed, then it's worth clicking on the link above.

Today I had a new pupil, who came all the way from Cornwall for a "basics" lesson, so that's exactly what we covered - the basics.

Fortunately she's a dab hand with a hook so she picked it all up in no time at all.

So we started with a foundation chain & then progressed to dc

After a few rows to practice turning, turning chains & more dc we progressed to trebles & half trebles

As you can see she's a whizz on the hook!!

We even started to work in a flat round

And off she went with lots of tutorial "how to" pamphlets & a few basic  patterns to follow until her next visit!

Now these chappies arrived in the post today 

They are the new Clover Amour Hooks which I bought from www.getknitted.com

Now before I progress any further, I would like to invite you to take a look at another blog from Julie who's in Brooklyn US

http://julieslifestyle.blogspot.co.uk/

 It very nicely written and she makes a lot of items for charity so she's a very special lady.

Day 40 is this mixed grey & white or off white flower

 &

Here it is being "joined" with my new hook, which I have to say, I do like a lot as it reminds me of my "Tulip" Hook which I can only now think that my Puppy (Scrumpy) ate, as I haven't found it for the 3 months since it's gone missing!! I will get on to comparisons in a bit...

In the meantime, this is Day 41 - again another new colour, thanks to the generous Twitters

And my "crochet" stickers arrived from vistaprint too, so the post man has been busy!

 Now to the issue of Hooks!

The grey one is my 5mm Tulip (I used to have a 4mm but as I mentioned, I think my puppy dog ate it about 3 months ago) and the purple one is the new Clover Amour 4mm

  I have to say that the are very similar - they are both VERY smooth to work with and very comfy to hold.  As you can see the Tulip one has an accentuated thumb grip, where as the Clover one doesn't.  To me that's not an issue - the important bit is that they are comfy to hold and smooth to work with.

The advantage that the Clover has over the Tulip is that they are available in lots of lovely colours

So that's a selling point for me!

As I already have the Purple one and the Brown one I just have 8 more to get!!

And finally, to round up the weekend, I have this UK Crochet Video Tutorial to share with you all (just in case you missed my earlier post)

If you want me to make the next stage (How to Double Crochet) then you'll have to leave a comment on the You Tube Page!!