New Hobby Unlocked

Watch out world! I do in fact have a new hobby, and it’s crocheting. Thankfully, I already have so much yarn to use, but may need new patterns, kits, and hooks. Who is scared for me?! (Me. I’m scared! Haha!)

When I started teaching my niece to crochet a few weeks ago, I idly started knitting a longer thin strip. It looked like the brim of a hat, so connecting it in a circle seemed like a good next step. Picking up stitches was pretty easy and then I improvised the decreases. I’ll have to pull up a video to see if my strategy has a name. 

Trying it on after every other round was helpful to see if I was deceasing at the right pace. I started decreasing every 11 stitches for 6 rounds, then decreased every 4th stitch every third round for several rounds. Finally the decrease was at every stitch, making the top of the hat a little hole-y, but I’m pondering whether to add a Pom Pom. 

Fun, no-brand yarn has interesting color choices, but since it was free, I’m calling it “whimsical.”

And for my record keeping, some spring flowers that are blooming around the house. 

March 28

March 25

March 22

March 20

March 13

March 13

This tree came down in a storm on March 15, and our neighbor saw it and shoved it into the woods with his tractor. My neighbors are amazing!

Crochet? Why Not?

Everyone who knows me a little bit also knows that the last person to need a new and unique hobby, is me. I am also a prolific knitter and crochet only under duress (when the edges of something fancy demand it). I had a terrible time learning it as a child and was not interested in the frustration. I could never get the gauge right. Imagine my trepidation when my niece wanted to learn over spring break. And then imagine my surprise when I was able to make a quick swatch using THIS video almost instantly.

My niece is six, and so I decided to focus on the chain stitch first. We kept attaching it to the swatch when it got too long and dangling. 

This girl has so much grit! After I showed here with my hands on hers a few minutes, she was ready to do it herself. But she was very tense, which slowed things down considerably. I think we sat together at least 30-45 minutes before her first break. 

It’s too early to see if the hobby will stick for her, but I may have started a hat…

We were also delighted to visit the baby farm animals on our visit. My brother and sister-in-law had recently welcomed four Saanen goat kids and one Nubian goat kid. We were happy to cuddle them and sample incredible dairy products. 

The Farmer may also have a new hobby goal??

In spite of a freak blizzard during our stay, it looks like spring weather is starting to return this coming week as I go back to school. Enjoy!

Year-End Alpaca Gifts

At the end of the school year, students are likely to show up with extraordinary alpaca-related thank you gifts. This year was no exception.

The first gift was from a senior whose grandmother crocheted this beautiful set of alpacas for me! They remind me of the late Moonstar and her younger "nephew" Dark Star. This student is far from forgettable, but this pair seals the memory forever. 

The second gift was from a new 6th grade violist. During her recess hour, she learned quilling and decided to make an alpaca. Derpy is clearly another Moonstar reference, as I'm sure I told stories in class! Although "Zazzy" brings to mind the Big Bang Theory episode in which Sheldon gets too many cats, names them after famous scientists, except for the one that has a "zazzy" personality!

Here is a detail of the quilling. So much work! Lovely.

Finally, my birthday is close to the end of school and my mother-in-law found these amazing llama/alpaca slippers at LL Beans and got them for me as a gift. I saw her the day after school let out, so it also felt like a year-end gift. They have been super comfy to lounge in during summer break!

 Summer is crashing to a close at the moment, but big thank you's for all the thoughtful gifts!

Shady Grove Crochet

A few years ago, my husband’s colleague inquired about our Shady Grove Alpaca yarn. As she crochets, I really wanted to gift her some yarn to see how it works up. I had no samples and no idea what it would look like. But I procrastinated the gift until I saw her at a fiber fair this past spring. She was so delighted to try it and crocheted up this beautiful cowl.

The pattern is the free Seaside Continuous Scarf by Souma Crochet, and it sure makes the yarn show off! The yarn weight is DK in Bella (Brown) and Moonstar (cream). I might want to learn how to crochet now as I think the look is stunning! 

Thanks for a great partnership! And Happy Crocheting!!