Sunflower Surprise

I think this is the most grannyish project I've ever done, but I'm not afraid to push the envelope. I find a certain freedom in crocheting in both the avant-garde and the traditional style. I've learned a lot from months of sunflowers which I will apply to my other projects.

It all started when my mom decided that we should have a family crochet group. We would get together once a month and work on afghans, help each other, and have some girl time. Mom dragged out the Herrschner's catalog (where you buy the pattern and all the yarn in one go). The only one I could get my head around, was the Sunflower Afghan. Everything else seemed to have dizzying stripes or chevrons. Still new to crochet, I figured I could learn whatever I need with the proper motivation. Besides, the kit seemed pretty affordable. If I really screwed it up, the price wouldn't be too high. (We will not speak of the alpaca sweater that I never finished. $200 worth of yarn.)

When the kit arrived, I was disappointed. The catalog pictured a beautiful sunlight afghan of warm greens and golds, but the yarn I got was more of a mint color. What was supposed to be tan and green, turned out to be tan and white. Gold was dark orange and Dark Orange was more of a neon orange. The yarn was synthetic, so I knew what I was getting into, but I didn't expect all the knots and breaks in the skeins. Herschner's sent the wrong afghan to my mom, so she went through the headache of having to return it and wait for the right one. You get what you pay for. To be fair, she did have a very positive experience with her second project, the Navajo Afghan and my sisters' kits turned out to be great beginner's projects.

In spite of my complaints I did enjoy making this afghan. I learned about crocheting circular flowers and squaring them off, picot stitches, triple clusters, and reading a crochet pattern. While the colors weren't what I was expecting, I was surprised to see how well it turned out. I guess I got in touch with my inner granny. I'm okay with that!

Pop-Out Map

A friend of mine took a trip to Washington D.C. and brought me back a pop-out tourist map. Since I am a huge fan of anything pop up, I tried to recreate this map. In Adobe Illustrator, I made a document delineating all the fold lines I would need. Using a light table I looked through the map to see the score marks and note all the measurements. I searched for the address of my choice in Google Maps and printed it on white cardstock. I do a lot of hand cutting of my paper designs, but in this case I wanted it to have very precise score marks. I used my CraftRobo ( a cutting plotter ) and had it automatically score all the lines I had designated. It was easy to fold as long as I kept track of which lines folded in (valleys) and which lines folded out (mountains). A satellite photo of the house at the address added that finishing touch!

Why do birds suddenly appear?

My parakeet is the perfect crochet buddy. We have the best talks. He often starts with "Tell me a secret" followed by "That's a good secret!" I always feel better about myself after hanging out with him. He tells me I'm a "good birdie" and gives me a wolf whistle now and again.
Just as Leonardo DaVinci looked to nature to model his flying machines and watercraft, we should look to birds to gain inspiration. After all, birds are some of nature's original fiber artists. Take the weaver, who forms his nest from grass and plants, or the Tailorbirds of Southeast Asia who pierce holes in big leaves and thread plant fibers together and knot them.
So when you're digging through your stash to create a new project, imagine you are a bird rummaging through the forest, looking for materials to build a nest.

ch-ch-changes

Does a fish need wings?
Does a bird need whiskers?
Does an alien need, well, whatever an alien needs?
You decide. I'm not very talkative today.

Crocheted Viking Hats

Never walk away from home ahead of your axe and sword.
You can't feel a battle in your bones or foresee a fight.
--Viking Proverb

It was a seemingly innocent email on a Friday afternoon, dropped like a challenge to an obsessive craft-a-holic such as myself. "My son and I are headed out to Eastern Oregon. I need a bearded Viking Hat by Tuesday..." The tone was playful, but the message was serious: "Make one of these if you dare!" I dared. Yes. I dared.

I went in search of a pattern online. My time was short, so I knew it had to be a crochet project since knitting would have been too slow. In my search I discovered Instructables, a website devoted to craftiness of all kinds: repurposed computer parts jewelry, papercrafts, toys, robots. There's even a section for manly crafts. I used the Crocheted Mustache Hat Costume posted by momwithahook.

I bought two kinds of yarn: Lemongrass Lion Brand 100% Wool and Lion Brand Homespun in Edwardian Gray. Using a size J hook I tackled the green hat first. I realized pretty quickly that the pattern suited itself much better to the thicker Homespun yarn. The opening for the face was too large, so I had to pick up and crochet a few rows around it. The top developed a visor effect, which I liked. The steel gray hat had a completely different effect. While it crocheted up quickly, I had to get used to the squiggly, non-stretchy yarn. After I lightened up my tension, I had an easier time seeing the stitches. In contrast to the the wool hat, this one was soft. The beard looked more realistic. I considered crocheting an optional piece of food for an accessory.

I finished the two hats by Monday. Father and son would head east in style. Mission accomplished. I breathed a sigh of relief. But then things got complicated. His 9 year old daughter asked me for a hat with a hot pink beard. Her hat would have to be much smaller than the Homespun hat for dad so I used a light gray, red-heartish kind of acrylic yarn for the hat and pink Homespun for the beard and mustache. I wanted the mustache to be less intrusive, so I worked it to have a more upturned structure. The result was a snug fitting hat with a beautiful furry beard.

Having been beaten down by requests from this family, I gave in and offered to make one for the mom. To my surprise, she didn't want to look like a hirsute Viking. This turned out to be my biggest challenge: A lady Viking hat complete with horns and yellow braids. I started with the boy beanie hat in The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller. I used the same light gray for the hat. The pattern uses double crochet throughout, but I'm tempted to try it in all single crochet next time for a more solid look.

My next task was the horns. I started with a tube. After a few rounds I began to decrease on one side only to create the upturned horn look. I kept the horns small, so that they wouldn't be floppy when I stuffed and mounted them on the hat. For yellow braids, I used Lion Brand Cupcake . It had a pleasantly kinky/shiny effect. I liked it so much, I'm making one for myself!

My work is done. Go forth and enjoy your hats, but don't wear them into a bank or government building.....

The devil made me do it...

I did not set out to make a gonzo-like creature, but the inner muppet in me emerged when I tried to crochet the devil in the book Creepy Cute Crochet by Christina Haden. Her book is full of ninjas, office zombies, evil monkeys and even a Xena warrior princess look alike. They are all based on a two part head/body pattern, with myriad variations. I did achieve the basic body structure, but when it came down to embellishments, I had to go my own way. She uses a lot of felt cut outs for decorations and accessories. I'm more of a purist at the moment, wanting to fashion any facial characteristics or accoutrements with yarn. I tried not to stray from the path.....

Crocheting outside the box

Don't ask me why. I don't know why. I tend to get a bit obsessive about my crafting. I start seeing crochet possibilities everywhere. What kind of materials can I crochet with? Wire? Dental Floss? Rags? Plastic? And apparently, pasta. I also start brainstorming on my subject matter. I could create crocheted sushi, articles of everyday life like telephones, computers, teapots, people animals, tubes of toothpaste. I've been a knitter for many years, but I'm finding the flexibility of crochet design fascinating. I never thought of it as an art form before. Let's come up with a name for ourselves to honor the artistry of the craft: Crochettiste. Fiber Engineer. Yarn Wrangler. Yarn Sculptor. Mixed Media Twister. Let me know if you have any ideas of your own!