I left you in my previous post Playing with hook sizes with the start of my latest project, the dusky pink Braided cabled slouchy beanie from Stephanie’s pattern over at All About Ami.
Well I am no longer playing around with my hooks…… I’ve finished! Here it is!
Ok nearly, It’s just missing a faux fur pompom, I just can’t decide on a colour yet. I made this hat with a 3.5mm hook on the rim and a 5mm for the main body of the hat.
I love how this hat turned out, I went for less of a slouchy beanie and more of a …well just beanie. I thoroughly enjoyed making another version of it, the colour is gorgeous! although I personally wouldn’t rush to use this yarn again, it is ultra soft but I’m an acrylic yarn fan and the teeny tiny 10% of alpaca in this yarn was enough to put me off, crocheting with it was fine, it was just when I’d made a mistake. I got a bit carried away and made a few too many rows of cables! I couldn’t stop! I did say it was the best bit! this did mean that frogging became an issue. There is a lesson to be learnt here, pay attention and don’t make mistakes!
Don’t the cables and ridges look lovely? There is something very satisfying about a pattern repeat.
As well as finishing this hat, I have been busy finalising my first pattern to publish here for free. I’ve made a prototype which has been worn, tried and tested by my little princess. She loves wearing it, I have made a few changes, all for the better I hope.
I have decided I am going to publish all of my patterns in US and UK terms to make life easier for beginners in this hooky hobby. I know other designers include a conversion, which is great when you are more experienced. But I know all too well, just how daunting the thought of converting the whole pattern, before or as you go can be.
I learnt to crochet using US terms and unbeknown to me at the time there was also UK terms. You Tube taught me, that’s how I come to learn the US way, I was watching American tutorials!
My crochet story doesn’t begin with the wonderful heartwarming tale of sitting by an open fire, with my mum or nan whilst learning to crochet, nope not me! My mum and nan where both keen knitters. I can remember my mum sitting on the sofa with needles in hand and yarn at her feet, for most of my childhood years. Although she doesnt now, sadly she lost interest after an increase of work hours and a lack of young children and grandchildren to knit for. Still now in her retirement she’d rather read a good book. The irony is when me and my husband had our first son, mum offered to knit a cardigan but I very rudely declined, not liking knitted items and wanting something more modern, then a few years down the line, when our little princess arrived, I dressed her in my own crochet creations!! Sorry Mum xx
Most of my memories of my Nanny Mary involved her knitting and me trying! but it didn’t come naturally to me, I was rubbish actually! as I’m sure most are, but the dropped stitches, holes and wonky swatches didn’t hold my interest. I can finger knit, oh and arm knit but that’s about it when it comes to knitting. I did try again as an adult but those pesky holes kept rearing their ugly heads again. So I tried crochet. Using a book with written instructions and pictures, not many pictures may I add! Again I wasn’t taken with the craft, a bit like knitting, it didn’t grab me! A year or two later I came across a crochet tutorial on you tube, I dug out a hook, some yarn and hey! it clicked! The video made sense and I could do it, from there I was hooked!!!
But like I said previously it was an American tutorial in US terms. I didn’t actually realise this though, until watching another tutorial some time later, I spotted a mistake! They were calling a single crochet a double crochet!! My thoughts….idiot! a google search soon made me realise that I’d been too quick to judge, She was right, in UK terms that is!!!
In my 1st year of crocheting, with US terms being my native crochet language if you like. The thought of converting was so daunting. I wouldn’t buy a magazine because they are all written in UK terms. I soon became more confident, and eventually I was able to read in UK terms and crochet in US terms, a bit like reading in Spanish and speaking out loud in English (not quite, but you know what I mean).
So, with my crochet story now over…..
I’ll leave you for now with a sneak preview of whats to come next time….
