(Note: This post was written by Laurel Regan and originally published in a separate blog called “Fibre Yarns”, which was later merged with Alphabet Salad.)
Adapted from LiveJournal entry originally posted January 7th, 2006:
It’s been awhile since I wrote here, hasn’t it?! A couple of updates:
- I received Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Crochet for Christmas – YAY! I’ve been told by various people that it’s the “crochet bible”, so I’m extremely glad to have it! Between that as my “at home” reference and The Crocheter’s Companion (bought for me by my husband for our anniversary last year) as my “portable” reference, I should be well covered in the case of any crochet-related emergencies, LOL!
- We have a new member as part of the Fibre Arts Victoria, BC group… actually, two new members signed up at the web site, but one hasn’t yet shown up at a meet… so the group is growing!
- We met for the first time in 2006 this past Tuesday, and had a good time together. As a matter of fact, we had another new person visiting as well (she’s not part of the web site group, but she works with my sister and knows one of our group members), so it was a decent-sized meet. She was there for help on a special project, but I’m hoping she decides to keep crocheting and comes back, as she’s a really great person.
- I decided a couple of weeks ago that my next project would be a pair of mittens for myself, using the Lion Brand Family of Mittens pattern (woman’s size). I learned a couple of valuable lessons, not the least of which is that I have finally realized that I MUST do a test swatch to check my gauge! I have never done one, and have managed to get away with it until now because I’ve never made anything that needed to “fit” (if that makes any sense). Apparently I am a very tight crocheter, as my woman’s-sized mitten probably wouldn’t even fit a child! (The gauge for them was 12 stitches per inch… I was doing 15. Uh-huh. And that was even AFTER bumping my hooks up a size from those suggested in the pattern, as they were too small for my yarn!) Ah, well… live and learn. I will try this pattern again, and figure out the whole gauge thing for once and for all. (It’s getting late right now, and I don’t feel like messing with photos… but I’ll try and remember to post a picture of the poor mitten before too long.)
No crochet-related New Year’s Resolutions (LOL!)… I’m just generally aiming to keep getting to know the current members and building up the Fibre Arts group, and of course continuing to hone my crocheting skills.
I think my first goal will be to complete the mittens, so they actually fit me. *grin*
