Crochet (and Knitting) Fun & Games

If you have crocheted for a while (and this probably fits knitters, too), you have easily run into lots of fun and games while getting your hooks into the projects.

Friday mornings with the charity crafting group is relaxed and comfy and we’ve all been crocheting (and/or knitting) for a very long time. Along the way, we’ve all laughed (after we’ve cried, sometimes, in frustration) over the things we run into when working on our patterns.

We’ve kidded each other many times about these things.

Three come to mind quickly because we’ve just talked about them in the past week or two.

1 - Yarn skeins - Is there even one person who crochets (or knits) who has not cried silently while trying to find the end of the pull skein? You reach inside, feeling carefully, like a surgeon in somebody’s innards. Over and over, you try to find that sneaky end to pull. Finally, you yank a clump from inside the skein, praying that it’s a small clump, quick and easy to use up in this session. Often, it is. But just as often, you pull out a clump that’s almost the whole skein, and you still do not see that end to pull. What do we do? I think we’ve all done the same thing. We push that clump of yarn back inside (no small feat) and then start working off the skein the hard way - from the outside. Fun and games.

2 - Hook size differences - One of our gals was working a pattern and mentioned that it was the first time she’d ever seen a pattern calling for a G hook with two different measurements: 4.0 and 4.25 mm. You’d think a G hook would be the same - always - right? That made me look at the G hook in my own hand. This one was a 4.5 mm. Go figure. It can drive a crafter nuts. Imagine using one G in one location, and perhaps picking up a different G at another location to continue working the same project. That can be a real mess. Add to that, not all hooks have both: the letter and the measurement. Fun and games.

3 - Yarn differences - This same gal was on a roll with our favorite baby jacket pattern. We’ve both used this pattern a zillion times. This particular morning, she was finishing one and showed me the yarn label. It was a skein of Vanna. And it said “Baby.” Now most crocheters (and knitters) are used to yarn for babies saying either “baby fingering,” “baby sport,” or “baby worsted.” This just said “Baby” and suggested a J hook, which is a big hook for baby projects. When she was finished, the jacket was far bigger than the other two she had just completed. This was apparently a worsted weight but slightly thicker than normal and not yet a chunky. We’ve all been through the drill when trying to pick out yarn for a project, knowing that, even though they might all say worsted, Simply Soft and Pound of Love and Red Heart are all different. Unless you check the gauge before moving along, it can be a real mess (just as with the hook differences). Fun and games.

Anyhow, we just had fun thinking about the things we’ve all been through in our crafting efforts. 

We do it, of course, because we are addicted to it. 

We love it. 

And yes, even with the frustrations, we enjoy the fun and games that come with it.