Mar
I’ve been doing it wrong…
So it has come to my attention that the entire time I’ve been crocheting I’ve been doing it wrong. Since I technically learned to knit before I picked up crochet I hold my hook and fabric like knitting needles. I’ve never really watched other people crochet a whole lot, so I didn’t realize I did it weird, except that when my mother in law watches me crochet she gives me the cocked head of a puppy waiting for the next command. “Eh?” I think is the appropriate term for the look she gives me.
This holding the hook wrong, and subsequently the yarn and the entire fabric of the project, is what I think makes learning new techniques and stitches so hard when I’m trying to figure it out via a book or website. But I’ve still managed to work it out and I’ve gotten quite fast and proficient at crocheting the wrong way. This explains why I couldn’t quite teach my hairdresser how to crochet properly though, it probably didn’t translate well since she hasn’t ever knitted either.
Speaking of doing things wrong, I’ve been knitting wrong too! It’s no wonder the first scarf I made Mike all those years ago when I was learning to knit didn’t have a continuous pattern of ribbing, because I wasn’t knitting or purling right so basically he got a scarf of lumps and bumps instead of ribbing. I’m trying to reteach myself to knit properly so I can then learn to purl properly and do all the other fancy needlework I’ve been dying to do. I really want to learn to use the DPN’s so I can make socks! I would also really like to make actual honest to goodness clothing items and since it’s so much more difficult to accomplish a soft, pliable fabric with crochet I really do need the flexibility of knitted fabric to fully realize some of my designs.
I ordered myself some business cards for the budding DaniDo Crafty line of knitted/crocheted/embroidered/dyed goodies. I even created my own logo:
I think it’s cute, and since we all know how much I love anything with a little face on it, I thought it was appropriate as well.
My current project is making a new Short n’ Sweet bolero like the brown one commonly referred to as ‘The Devils Jacket’ that I did a few weeks ago. I’m using a softer and lighter weight yarn for this one so it’s not as heavy or bulky as the one made out of 100% cotton. This is an acrylic yarn, but it looks and feels like really light mohair or baby alpaca. It drapes quit nice which is good because since it’s acrylic I don’t imagine blocking it will work very well. But I can also wash and dry it in the dryer without fear of felting, pilling or shrinking. This second bolero is going much faster, easier and nicer than the first. Practice makes perfect. I think I’m going to work on some fishnet like fabric to make into some overlays for tank tops and basic dresses. I have found there is a serious lack of Goth knitted/crocheted apparel. I intend to fix that.
27Mar
eh, there is no wrong way to crochet as long as what you’re making turns out how you want it.
I really liked short n sweet. I made one for sweets4ever on craftster and it turned out really well (made it with sugar n cream cotton). Id like to try it with a more light weight cotton because that was just really bulky. After I got all the pattern corrections and explanations, though (man, confuse a women with that whole adding another string deal. what in the WORLD?), it was a breeeeeze.
And I really understand what you mean with the lack of gothy, or at the very least, non preppy/grannie/childish crocheted garments! Though have you seen stitchdivas tunisian crochet corset? I cant wait to make it.
Yes, random note. And very long.