March is National Crochet Month

I figured I better have at least one post during National Crochet Month. It will be a hodge podge with lots of updates on the projects that have been keeping me busy the last few months. First off is a belated post about the Christmas gift I received from my dear friend Amy, who currently lives in Australia. Two cute Christmas ornaments and a skein of beautifully dyed silk-merino yarn, and a hand carved wooden handled hook. The yarn is so soft, and so fun to touch, I have a couple of ideas on how to use it. The hook has been great for thread work. I finished up some other projects using yarn, so now I have been able to work on some of my thread projects. This hook has made the crocheting so quickly- I am getting spoiled. Here is the hook with my latest tapestry crochet project- a Jerusalem cross.

In this flat tapestry crochet, I am working in the back loop only on one row and then front loop only on the following row. This is my first tapestry crochet project using three colors at once, and it is going pretty well.

I finally finished my "Chevron Lace Cardigan" it is made with the llama yarn I received last year for my birthday. I decided on a slightly cropped length and 3/4 length sleeves based on hearing how llama yarn will stretch over time. I made a simple closure for the cardigan-two balls on a short chain, and a floppy five-petal flower in the center. It works by just pushing the balls through two holes in the stitches. This way I can have some flexibility in how I wear the cardigan- closed at the neck, or under the bust.I have also been working on and off on some socks using the "Origami Turkish Socks" pattern by Deb Burger in the CLF book. I am working on them simultaneously, doing 6 rows on one then six rows on the other.


I was recently able to get a photo of a washcloth I made last fall, adapted from a pattern in Crochtet! magazine. The background was crocheted first, and the cat done separately and then stitched on.