Center-Pull Skein Part 2 of 2: Easy Storage

Now that you know how to make your own center-pull skeins, learn how to stash them in these handy, easy-to-make containers. These containers separate your skeins of yarn, preventing them from becoming battered or tangled while on the road. Your yarn can always stay nicely in these containers. No taking them in and out; just pull your yarn from a hole in the top!

Want to see what I mean? Follow these easy steps to making your own storage container.

You will need:

-scissors
-a plastic container that will fit your ball of yarn (I like to use old yogurt containers)

1. Start with a clean plastic container of your choice that will fit your skein of yarn. I find that old yogurt containers work very well for this.

2. Remove the lid. With your scissors, cut out a circle (with about 1/2 inch in diameter) in the center of the lid.

3. Place your center-pull skein in the container, with the center pull facing up.



4. Draw the yarn through the hole in the center of the lid, and secure the lid shut.

5. Make one for all your center-pull skeins, and you have your own, user-friendly yarn separators in which to store your yarn. These are especially great for traveling with a project that requires lots of color changes.

This is super easy to do! And now that you know how, you'll be wanting to make one for all of your center-pull skeins.

Any questions? Please comment!



Center-Pull Skein Part 1 of 2: Make Your Own

You love to crochet. And you love your yarn! But face it, yarn can be downright FRUSTRATING. Most yarn in the stores are sold in long cylinder-shaped skeins that are bulky and get tangled at the end. This may lead you to wind your yarn into balls before use, which is equally annoying when they roll all over the place.

This is where the SUPER MAN of a crocheter's heart comes to save the day: and its in the form of the center-pull skein. Learn the easy way to wrap your yarn into a tidy little ball that wont roll everywhere because it pulls from the center, not the outside. Just follow these simple steps below.

1. Start by wrapping the yarn in a figure eight around your thumb and forefinger. Make sure you hold on to the beginning peice with the rest of your fingers, as shown.

2. Continue wrapping until the bulk of the yarn reaches to about the midsection of your forefinger.

3. Slide the yarn down your fingers and hold the two sections together. Make sure you are still keeping track of your strand of yarn and that you have your thumb in the hole where it is coming from.

4. Holding the strand, with your thumb still in the hole, begin to wrap your yarn around in a ball.

5. Eventually, as you ball gets bigger, it can get tiresome keeping your thumb in the hole and holding on to your strand. You can solve this by sticking a pen or a highlighter in it and tucking the strand into the clip.

 6.  When you are finished winding all the yarn, congratulations! You now have a nice center-pull skein of yarn!

Any questions? Please comment!

Want more fun tips on how to keep your center-pull skeins organized and travel-friendly? Be sure to check back for Center- Pull Skeins part 2.

How To Read Crochet Patterns

So you know the crochet basics, and now you want to learn to read patterns. Reading patterns opens you up to a whole world of possibilities. There is nothing you can't crochet that you have a pattern for! Lots of people get tripped up reading patterns, with all their abbreviations and symbols. Fear not! I have made you a fast and easy guide to reading patterns. Just remember...practice makes perfect! You wont get it right away, but if you hang in there and keep trying, reading patterns will be a piece of cake! The whole world will be at the tip of your fingers! (or rather, the tip of your hook!)

Things to immediately look for on a pattern:

- the difficulty of the pattern. Patterns are usually rated Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, or Advanced. Picking a pattern that is too hard for you is just setting you up for frustration. Instead, choose a pattern that suits your skill level. Once you have mastered the art of crochet a bit more, challenge yourself with a higher level.

-yarn weight and hook size. Most patterns will specify what type of yarn you should use and what size hook. With some patterns, this doesnt matter, but with many it does, so pay close attention. Make sure you have the right kind of yarn and the right hook.  (Example: medium worsted yarn and hook size F 3.75)

-rows or rounds. Crochet patterns are almost always worked in either rows (back and forth) or rounds (around in a circle) and will usually specify at the beginning of the pattern. If a pattern is supposed to be worked in rounds, and you are working it in rows, it can get very confusing!

- special terms. Some crochet patterns will have special terms (which they will define for you) or may list any special stitches used in the pattern. This is very helpful, because then you can quickly see if the pattern is feasible or not. For example, if a pattern specifies that it uses front post double crochet, and I am unfamiliar with front post double crochet, I know to either choose another pattern or find a video tutorial that will show me how a front post double crochet works.

Translating patterns into plain English...

"Crochet language" may seem like jibberish to you, but its very easy to catch on once you get the hang of it. Patterns are written in abbreviations, and its good to know what the abbreviations mean. I made a basic list below, which you can refer to whenever you like. For now, here's an example.

A pattern worked in rows will list directions row by row, usually numbered. So the first row may look something like this.

Row 1: Ch 26. Dc in 4th ch from hook. *Dc in one, 2 dc in next. Repeat from * across. Ch 3, turn.

Translated into English, it looks like this:

Row 1: Chain 26. Make a double crochet in the 4th chain from the hook. *Make a double crochet in one chain, make two double crochets in the second chain. Repeat everything from * over and over until you get to the end. Chain 3, and turn.

See? Its not so bad. Lets try the next row.

Row 2: Dc 4, 2 dc in next 2, dc 4, 2 dc in next 2, dc 10, 2 dc in next 2, dc in 4, 2 dc in next 2, dc 5. Ch 3, turn.

Translated into English, it looks like this:

Row 2: Make 4 double crochet, make 2 double crochet in each of the next  2 double crochet, make four double crochet, make two double crochet in each of the next 2 double crochet, make 10 double crochet, make 2 double crochet in the next 2 double crochet, make 4 double crochet,  make 2 double crochet in each of the next 2 double crochet, make 5 double crochet. Chain 3 and turn.

See? Not so hard!

Here's a simpler one.

Row 7: Sc in each dc across. Ch 2, turn.

Translated into English, it looks like this:

Row 7: Make a single crochet in each double crochet until you get to the end. Chain 2 and turn.

ABBREVIATIONS
Here are some important abbreviations to know:

ch- chain
sl st- slip stitch
sc- single crochet
dc- double crochet
tr- treble crochet
yo- yarn over
st- stitch
rep- repeat
RS- right side
WS- wrong side
rnd(s)- round(s)
sp- space
inc- increase
dec- decrease
ch sp- chain space
beg- beginning

Learning to read crochet patterns is like learning any other language: the more you are exposed to it, the faster you catch on! It may be a bit tricky or confusing at first, but you will soon get the hang of it! And remember, if you have any questions, please comment!



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Making Time For Crochet

I am here to make an announcement: there are only 24 hours in a day! And most of the time, it seems like hardly enough. There are so many things to be done, and when the day comes to a close, it seems like there is so little time left to just relax and crochet. So how do you make time for crochet, when life is just a hectic mess?

1. Take it along! Because of my busy schedule, I must spend half my time in the car, waiting in line, or just waiting in general. This is when I get a lot of my crocheting done. Its said that the average American spends 3 years of his or her life waiting in line. That's an extra three years of your life to crochet!

2. The extreme hours! Are you a night owl who can never sleep at night, or an early bird who likes to get up early? Either way, use a few minutes from your earliest or latest hours to work on your latest project. I like to crochet at night. That's when I am most awake, and when I am most in the mood to whiz up something snazzy!

3. Schedule it!  Life is hectic. Yes, you have a billion things to do, but resting is almost just as important as getting the work done. You are actually more efficient with your work when you take time to rest too! Schedule a small piece of your day to just sit in the rocking chair on the porch and crochet. Sometimes I like to listen to music while I work, or I'll keep my hands busy when watching a movie. Its a great way to rest your mind and exercise your hands!

What do you think? What are some of the ways you make time for crochet? Please comment!

Making Pom- Poms

I posted a Bernat pattern in July for baby booties. The booties are adorable, but the messy looking, chain stich bow in the front just dosn't do them justice. I decided to put pom poms on the front. Now, aren't they cute?

Pom poms are fun, because you can use them to jazz up anything you make. They're great on hats, the ends of scarves, slippers, purses, and just about anything. ;-) So I decided to post a quick tutorial on the blog. Pom poms are very easy to make. You don't even need your crochet hook! Just yarn and scissors, and follow these instructions.

Step 1: First, take your yarn and wrap it around your two fingers several times. You can also wrap it around your hand. It depends on how big you want the pom pom to be. I didn't want my pom poms to be bigger than the booties, so I used my fingers.

Step 2: Carefully remove the yarn from your fingers and set it down. Take another piece of yarn and tie it tightly around the center of your loops.

Step 3:  Cut your longer ends. Then take a scissors and cut your loops loose so that they are stringy like a little pom pom.

Step 5: Fluff the strings out so that it looks round like a ball. Make sure it sufficiently hids the yarn tied around the center.

Step 6: Now all thats left is to sew the pom pom to whatever you want. I sewed it to the booties. Make sure you sew it on from the yarn tied around the center. Secure it tightly in place, and tie a double knot to make sure it dosn't fall off.

And TA DA! You've got cute little pom poms! Go, embellish your entire inventory with these cute little guys. And remember, the sky's the limit!

Color Schemer

A great Color Schemer for choosing and deciding on colors for your next project.http://colorschemedesigner.com/