Crochet a perfect fit every time while avoiding gauge swatches, mistakes and headaches!
Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs
0:00 Intro:
0:35 Stitch Count:
1:51 Understanding the Join
2:40 Varying Yarn Weight
3:24 Gauge and Work-Arounds
5:35 Top-Down Construction Explained
10:31 The Hat Sizing Chart
13:03 Bulky Weight Exception
14:18 Wavy or Cupped Flat Circles
18:13 Uniquely Constructed Hats Caveat
19:03 Learn to Fudge
For the CrochetCrate Giveaway, I asked that people give me something I can Sheepishly Share in the comment section of the giveaway video. (Tips, questions, stories… doesn’t matter!) What a collection of brilliance we received so I’ll be sharing them in my videos!
In the first one, you can learn things like:
In the second one you’ll find tips on:
Click here to watch the video to see all the crochet goodness and enter to win this March CrochetCrate sent to us from KnitCrate! This version is completely SOLD OUT so here’s your last chance to get it! (Knitcrate is a subscription box service filled with yarnie goodess!)
* INSTRUCTIONS FOR ENTERING: Leave a comment on the YouTube Comment Section (not on this blog post) that’s something interesting I can share! Got a question for me? Or maybe a favorite tip? Have you used this yarn before? Do tell!
*Must be 18 or older to enter or have the permission of a parent or legal guardian. This giveaway IS open internationally.
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Want your own subscription?? KnitCrate is Sheepishly Sharing!
Go here: http://mbsy.co/knitcrate/matolander and enter our code SHEEP20 when checking out! (20% off your first box!)
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One of my “go-to” hats for donations AND it’s great for using up left-over yarn! I got permission from the designer, Kathy North, to do a video tutorial and here it is!
RIGHT HAND version:
Heads up that Heidi Yates is having a super 75% off sale on Ravelry for all her Snappy Tots patterns! This includes the Big Kid (Bear) Cocoon that I showed in a recent video and the Sweater Friends (Elf, bear and MORE hats) that I’ve shown in many videos over the years! In addition, she’s hosting a fantastic giveaway!
Now Sweater Friends… I have lots of videos showing these off but here’s a few:
Here’s a crazy one from last November
How about a Polar bear version?
And this may be the first appearance of this pattern… I think…
Caron yarns had no idea their temporary-anniversary-celebration product was going to be such a hit and people are going crazy over it! We’ve recently heard that they WILL be making it a permanent product and now other companies have jumped on the bandwagon.
I’ve tried my hand at making my own. After all, Caron Cakes are simply self-striping yarn (no gradient color changes) that’s caked on a ball winder. The end. I’ve included the method I used below but I question the whether it’s worth the effort. Here’s my take on the matter and be sure to let me know what YOU think about using your own stash to create a cake!
Of course, you can get this effect with any yarn but if you’re trying to closely recreate this cakey craze, here are some details that can help you in your pursuit!
Weight: Medium Worsted (4)
Contents: 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool
Skein Weight: 7.1 oz./ 200g
Yardage: 383 yd. / 350 m
Most of the cakes are equal amounts of color although some are not. Let’s use Blueberry Cheesecake for this example. I snapped a quick pic of this pattern on the label:
383 yards ÷ 4 colors = 96 yards of each color
Since you need to have 2 color repeats…
96 yards of each color ÷ 2 color repeats = 48 yards of each color repeat
(If you prefer other units of measurement, that would be 44 m/.89 oz/25 g)
Now all you need is color inspiration. My favorite place for that is Design Seeds!
Have fun!
Curious about the sizes from different circular knitting machines? Here are 4 samples and their measurements!
Michael’s (a large craft store chain here in the USA) has come out with it’s own circular knitting machine. I bought it and ran it through it’s paces. Here’s my initial impression:
UPDATE: This machine seems to be inconsistent in production quality. Many people report broken gears soon after purchase while others do not. Mine lasted a good while but I eventually wore it out, too.
Since I’m mostly a Charity Crafter and acrylic is preferred, I talk a lot about washing before donating to soften the inexpensive acrylics. Basically, I just treat it like laundry but I get questions all the time about the specifics of my method. So here’s a video to address those questions!
The Feel Good Yarn Company sent me a skein of this to try. Oh. My. GOODNESS!! I’m so excited about it I don’t know where to begin!!
Ummm… I’ll jump in here: Put this yarn on your holiday crafting supply list! You definitely need to make some mittens for someone because YOU CAN USE A TOUCHSCREEN WHILE WEARING THEM! There is so much more to this yarn so save me some typing and watch my review!
(Note: I’m a geeky tech person so the ingenuity behind this product is right up my alley!)
