inspiration

For those who do not make garments or anything else out of yarn, it seems that the word “crochet” conjures up images of granny square afghans, doilies, hats, and potholders. Crochet definitely can and does produce those items–and beautifully!– but crochet has made a comeback to the point where it is actually mainstream.

The blankets and throws from the 70s have made a roaring comeback and people have added their own modern twists; coupled with the infinite number of colors and types of yarn out there, people are now taking those motifs and turning them into fashionable, wearable items.

Take the poncho, for example. When I think of the word “poncho,” I think of a shapeless garment meant to keep you dry from the rain.

But some brilliant designer out there (Simone Francis) created a design for a cowl-neck poncho with a standard “granny square” motif as the mainstay stitch, and voila:

It is my absolute goal to make one of these this year.

A woman I found on Instagram, and whom I now follow, has made over 60 of these ponchos! Her name is April–check out her Instagram. It’s incredible! I tend to get bogged down before I even get started with what kind of yarn and colors I should use. In reality, I should analyze less, grab a hook and some yarn, and get cracking. April’s photos show that there are endless possibilities with this design.

I am still relatively new to crochet, only having a couple of years under my belt, so I continually try to build my skills and tackle projects that are doable for both my skill level and meet my need to make something useful but also pleasing to the eye.

I posted a small update about this on the zavvy creations Facebook page, but a year ago today, I completed a project I was so proud of: a crochet shawl. The design is courtesy of Bonita Patterns and uses the crocodile stitch, one of my favorites that I learned to master. I made the below shawl for a friend of mine at work; seeing the memory on Facebook this morning reminded me of how much I enjoyed making something wearable, warm, and beautiful. Honestly, it inspired me all over again to want to make another one or something similar.

Those who keep up with my Instagram or Facebook account have already seen the next item I just recently accomplished, but I can’t help but be proud of it because it meets all of my requirements in looking chic, being soft, and keeping one warm. It is the infinity houndstooth scarf. I rarely keep things I make, usually adding them to the shop or giving it away as a gift, but this one was too lovely to part with.

I have a couple of other small things in the works (I think I have four to six things going at any given time), nothing I am any less proud of, but there is just something about completing a larger project that is so satisfying, be it an amigurumi, a blanket, or a wearable piece. I find I’m constantly in awe of people’s creativity when it comes to this craft, because at its core, crochet’s “foundation” stitches (chain, slip, single, half-double, double, treble) make up the world of crochet’s creations.

And, like most other Chronic Crocheters, I have a dream To Make list a mile long. But it’s only one stitch at a time and there are only 24 hours in a day.

Until next time, friends. If you have made anything you wear proudly, I’d love to see it! Leave a link to a photo, blog post, Ravelry project, etc. 🙂

Almost immediately after publishing my post about what to DO with some pretty yarn I had on hand and was aching to try out, inspiration struck when I came across a pattern for a Tunisian crochet ripple scarf. It was less of a “Eureka” than a “DUH” moment. Of course I should be making a Tunisian ripple scarf. To recap, the yarn in question is a beautiful angora and acrylic blend, so it has some stiffness mixed with softness to it, but also has some wisp. It is a fingering weight blend (weight class 2) but I thought it would work up nicely, and to my delight, it has! It took me about ten rows or so to memorize the pattern completely and get comfortable with it, especially since I was still mastering the Tunisian Purl Stitch, and there is one purl stitch right in the center of each row. (If you’d like a great close-up tutorial, Stitch Diva Studios does a fantastic job of it.) It got easier and easier as I went along, though, and now I feel like I could purl all day long. One tip I have for anybody who wants to try their hand at this pattern is to make sure to loosely do the return pass for the first half of the scarf, and then tighten up as you finish. It will even it out better, as it has a tendency to curl on one side and look lopsided. I feel confident that some light blocking will also help stretch it out and get it more symmetrical looking. The recipient of my scarf still remains a secret but I know this person will love it! In the middle of making the scarf, as I am wont to do, I became impatient and wanted to whip out a project that I could quickly complete and give me that crowning sense of achievement. I decided on a Tunisian dishcloth in Tunisian Knit Stitch and it felt like it worked up so fast. In reality, it probably took me a couple of hours, but here is a shot of of the finished project, including single crochet border: Dishcloth_tunisian_zvc My husband and I were streaming some terrible movie (of my choosing) on Netflix and so it made this dishcloth go by all the faster, since I was focusing on it much more than the movie. I finished it off with a single crochet border and it sits in my sink as I write this.

Tunisian crochet has really turned out to be the “vacation from crochet” when I still want to create but don’t want to do single crochet in the round for hours on end, as in making amigurumi, or doing double crochet patterns, such as granny squares. I’m always in awe of how much there is to learn and do with this craft! Until next time, friends. Just keep hooking….just keep hooking….