Episode 37 - Feeling Festive?

Hello there and welcome to The Crochet Circle Podcast and the show notes for Episode 37 – Feeling Festive?

 

In this episode, I cover: Old Dog New Tricks: CAL Updates; Final Destination; En Route; Feeding the habit; Quick News Beats; Big Up and J’adore?

 

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1 – Old Dog New Tricks

Today’s Old Do is all about fixing crochet when a hole appears in it.  My friend Lisa went to put on one of her crocheted shawls and discovered that somehow there were two ends poking out that was once a fully formed stitch.  She wasn’t sure how to fix it, so I said I would have a go. 

 

On investigating the shawl there were a few areas where loose ends were showing and one knot.  I don’t know what caused the yarn breakage but suspect one of three things:

1 – moths

2 – the shawl was trapped in a drawer or door at some point

3 – the yarn has worn at particular points (it was skinny single merino)

The good news is that you can fix crochet, the bad news is that I don’t think one method fixes all.  With Lisa’s shawl, she provided me with her leftover yarn (always a good reason to keep some spare) and I knew that the broken stitches were quadruple trebles. 

 

 

Key to fixing these holes was spit splicing new yarn onto the tiny ends of yarn that were poking up.  If you have never spit spliced before, it is a wonderful way of joining two ends of yarn together and works particularly well with wool or yarn with high wool content.  You can do it with superwash yarn, but it may take a bit more effort for the splice to take.  If you are new to spit splicing, here is a link to a YouTube video on how to do it.

 

 

Ensure that you are joining to the loose piece at the top of the row so that you are starting from the correct height.  Do the same with the bottom strand of loose yarn so that it won’t unravel further and weave this end in so that it is secure.

 

Go back to the newly spliced yarn at the top of the row and crochet the missing stitch as per the pattern.  I finished by adding a slip stitch to really bed the new stitch in.  Weave in the end.

 

 

 

If you don’t have enough yarn to do a spit splice, you may be better of tying a knot in it (this will likely create a puckered area in your work though) and then try to felt the two ends together (like the spit splice but without cutting any of the plies out).  This should help to secure the ends which you may be able to weave in and tidy up. 

 

 

2 – CAL Updates 

I haven’t recorded it yet, but hopefully, this weekend, I will have announced the #SockCAL winners on Instagram, Ravelry and possibly a YouTube video (time allowing).

 

Charlie and I are colluding again on a Christmas Eve CAL.  At any point on Christmas Eve, you can start a new project.  Last year we did it as a One-Skein Wonderland CAL and this year it is up to you what you make and with how much yarn.  The bundle is still up in the Ravelry group from last year, so if you need some inspiration for one skein projects, go and take a look. 

 

As usual, you can crochet, knit, weave, do whatever yarn-based craft you please.  This is all about having a chilled-out project that you can work on during the Festive Season and the month of January. 

 

The CAL starts on the 24^th December 2018 and ends on Sunday 27^th 2019.  It is going to be a very chilled out CAL, mainly because I am flat out at the moment and don’t want to over-commit myself again. 

 

Use #ChristmasEveCAL and #ChristmasEveCALFO to show off your projects and finished objects.

 

3 – Final Destination

Do you remember me saying that I was going to get time off in November and that I was going to finish all my WIPs before the end of 2019?  Did you believe me? 

 

It hasn’t quite worked out like that.  I sort of forgot about a project that I signed up to do and got the go-ahead on two rather large commissions that I need to deliver by mid-December…

 

So, there has been MUCH crocheting going on, but I can’t show you properly until March.

 

When I have large work crochet projects on the go, I tend to turn to other crafts as my personal crafts and vice versa.  What this means is that I have finished up a couple of long-term knitting WIPs that I had on the go.

 

 

The first is a DK weight jumper which is called Joyride.  It’s a free pattern on Ravelry and was really quite quick to make, even though I started it at the beginning of February. I made a few modifications and hope to get my project notes up on Ravelry shortly.

 

All of my other FOs are socks.  I have listed all of the patterns and yarns used.  Of particular interest are two new yarns that I used.  The first was Tania’s (TJ Frog) Dorset Horn wool, which has no nylon in it whatsoever, just pure wool.  We were both vending at Yarnporium together and had a little chinwag about the viability of using Dorset Horn for socks.  I thought it was worth a try because of the decent staple length of the fibre and sturdiness of the twist and wool that Tania has had spun.   Needless to say, Tania is currently testing out her new striped (Suffragette coloured) socks and will report back so that I can let all of you know how well her Dorest Horn wool has performed in sock form. 

 

 

 

The other yarn of note is 70% SW wool and 30% nettle.  I bought this yarn when I was at Stephen & Penelope’s in Amsterdam and loved working with it.  It’s plump, warm and silky.  The nettle makes a real difference to yarn.  I haven’t worn the socks yet because I wanted to show them off, but even just from trying them on, I know that these are going to be toasty.  I think that the Onion Sock Yarn would be amazing for crocheted socks.  I need to find some more because I think that it would be incredible in a pair of Deanne’s (Addydae Designs) Baseline or Segue Socks.

 

If you are UK based and interested in this yarn, you can get it from Wild & Woolly in London.  There are other stockists worldwide, just search for Onion Yarns Sock Yarn. 

 

 

 

The stripey fellas were a quick make for my Father-in-Law because everyone needs a woolly hug every now and then.  They were knitted in West Yorkshire Spinners Mallard colourway.   The Eddisbury Socks are a pattern by my friend Gill, using Socks Yeah!

 

My other FO was for Crochetzine’s latest issue.  I said that I would pull together a tutorial on intarsia crochet and I wanted to work that around something festive, so created an intarsia Christmas cracker.  If you aren’t familiar with Crochetzine, it’s a mini crochet magazine on Instagram and it’s run by Chrissie, Sarah and Sharma.  It is going from strength to strength and every month they have a new load of stories, giveaways, patterns and tutorials.  It is a genius way of delivering crochet content to crafters for free. 

 

 

Sometimes the smallest and simplest things take the longest time.  That is certainly true of this little cracker!  

 

In other news, I have had the laser cutter up and running.  I have been working on a collaboration with Becci and Markus from RiverKnits and Nu Shearman from Hide and Hammer.  I will talk more about the collaboration and kit sales in Quick Newsbeats, but that is another reason for the knitted sock extravaganza!

 

 

4 – En Route

As alluded to, I have to whopper crochet commissions on the go at the moment and they are taking up almost all of my crafting time.  My fallen Leaves socks are sitting patiently, waiting to be picked up again.  I know that as soon as I turn the heel on the first one, I will be away and they will be finished in no time!

  

5 – Feeding the habit

Given the number of yarns shows I vend at, you would think that is when I get the majority of my yarns.  Not the case because you spend all your time setting up, vending and then taking down.  That said, at Yarnporium, I did manage to sneak away for a few minutes because I was told that I must go and see Becca at Mahoodly.  I wasn’t disappointed, especially as I seem to be on a mini skein kick at the moment.  She dyes on 100% British Bluefaced Leicester. 

 

 

We also went to Glasgow for a night to meet up with my Dad.  We managed to cram a lot into just over 24 hours, which included two (yes two!) yarns shops!  I had arranged to meet Fiona and Lorna at Queen of Purls on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, Lorna couldn’t make it, but I had a lovely afternoon with Fiona, chatting to Zoe (the yarn shop owner) and her sister,  whom is also now dyeing and has a company called The Sleekit Hare.  You can find her yarns at Queen of Purls and although Zoe is closing the bricks and mortar shop down because she is moving, her online shop will remain open. 

 

 

I also bought a skein of Zoe’s yarn in glorious mustardy colour to go with the mini skeins and a 50g skein of variegated to go with some of her yarn I bought last time I was in Glasgow!

 

After Yarnporium, I took a little trip to Richmond to go back to Tribe Yarns.  I picked up some Isager yarn to crochet a lightweight top with.  I have crocheted with their Alpaca 1 before, held double, and it creates the softest fabric with gorgeous drape.  I also bought some Isager Silk Mohair to add some texture to parts of the top. 

 

 

Milli also had Isager Spinne which is made in Denmark and 100% wool.  I hadn’t touched this wool in the flesh before and wanted to give it a try as it is really quite rustic in it’s unblocked state.  This will become my version of the shawl that I am currently making under commission.

I am currently reviewing what my yarn buying habits might be in 2019…

 

6 - Quick News Beats 

Global Hook Ups – I said that the hook ups would be back in December, but looking at my calendar, I just can’t make it work.  So here are the suggested dates for the first half of 2019:

 

January – 12^th Saturday (night) and 13^th (morning)

February – 9^th Saturday (night) and 10^th (morning)

March – 9^th Saturday (night) and 10^th (morning)

April – 20^th Saturday (night) and 21st (morning)

May – 11th Saturday (night) and 12^th (morning)

June – 15^th Saturday (night) and 16^th (morning)

 

Festive collaboration – the project that I have been working on with Nu and Becci goes love on Friday 7^th December and the kits are available to buy at the RiverKnits website up to Monday 10^th at midday or until the limited edition stocks have run out.  There is a knit version of the kit and a crocheted version.  I’m not yet confident enough to design a crocheted sock, but the yarns amounts should be perfect for Vicki Brown’s Sweetheart Socks or Deanne’s Segue Socks.

 

  

 

7 – Big Up

I have a new YouTube podcast for you.  It’s called The Green Bean Podcast and it’s by Katie Green, formerly of Blacker Yarns.  Katie lives on the Cornwall/Devon border and podcasts about her crafting which is mainly sewing, illustrating and knitting, but she does also crochet.  It’s a lovely gentle podcast and her dog Jack often appears in it. 

 

8 - J’adore

I was thinking about the things that make me feel festive or that I look forward to over the Christmas period.  Here is what I came up with:

1 – Satsumas are in season and I could eat a bag a day!

2 – Mulled wine is perfectly acceptable on a Sunday afternoon as I sit by the fire.

3 – Seeing little children being excited by the magic of the festive season.

4 – Christmas cake is allowed.

5 – Unsolicited access to marzipan.  Hmmmm, marzipan.

6 – Making things for people I love. 

 

Have a fabulous December and festive season my lovelies.  I will be back on Friday the 4^th January!

 

Fay x

 

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