teaching sewing confidence, tip by tip

Saturday 17 November 2012

Is It Possible To Crochet With No Hook On Your Hook?

It's been a good week, lots achieved and a particular highlight has been testing the paper pieced butterfly for Juliet of Tartankiwi and judging by the fantastic response I've had, I think you all love it too!


I've had a big finish as well - My Dad's Memory Quilt is now complete and will very shortly be winging its way across the Atlantic to my Mum.  For now I still can't share photos with you here - I promise I'll do that right after Christmas but you can take a look at it on my Facebook page

There was a wonderful moment this morning when I was going through posts on all the blogs that I follow and started reading a post on The Lazy Quilter that talked about Miss Chrissie and Miss Sarah.  It took me a moment to realise the post was about me and my good friend, Sarah of Quilt Candy as we have become the first followers on Erin's great blog.  Erin lives in Brisbane, Australia, and has been blogging since August but has only just discovered how to add the 'followers' button to the side of her blog, which I'm very glad to know as I couldn't understand for the life of me why no-one else was following her.  Anyway, Erin has a really great voice, funny and quirky, and deserves a few more followers if you'd like to pop over and visit her.

Another great new blog that I've come across in the last week or so is I Taught Myself Patchwork which is brilliantly and humorously written by F (Fleur Bleue), an English quilter now living in rural France and sharing her experiences with us.  I've laughed out loud many times reading her posts and that, for me, is as good a reason as any to keep going back for more. 

I've started crocheting a throw this week using the acrylic/mohair wool I brought back from Rhinebeck in October.  Initially it was going to be a keeper but I've had an idea of someone to give it to and I think they'll appreciate it more than me so we'll see if I think it's worthy of being given away once I finish it.  Another reason to give it away is that Tatty is totally obsessed with it - or so I thought, but turns out it's my bamboo crochet hook that's the real object of her desire.  Tatty had her friend Abi around for a doggie playdate on Thursday afternoon and while I was busy chatting with Abi's mum the inevitable finally happened - has anyone out there had any success crocheting with a hookless crochet hook?  I switched to one of my metal hooks, which was of no interest to Tatty whatsoever but I had to go back to using another bamboo hook (I have a whole mountain of crochet hooks!) as it's so much nicer once it warms to your fingers and takes on the oils from your skin - after a few uses it just glides through the wool.


This morning Tatty and I went for our daily constitutional down to the Colgate Clock looking out to the Statue of Liberty.  It was such a beautiful morning, once you've layered up and you're wearing your ear muffs, hat, scarf, gloves and full length, down filled North Face coat, so I snapped a few photos.


Top left - the Colgate Clock - they're busy replacing all the land that was washed away during Sandy, you can see Ellis Island and Liberty in the background.   Top right - that's my husband Simon's office on the river front and then I've taken the bottom photo from outside his building - that's the Jersey City to Manhattan ferry with 1WTC (previously known as the Freedom Tower) in the background and you can just about see the Empire State Building behind the ferry.

 Top right - I love this building, the Jersey City Powerhouse.  Left - Newport Town Square 9-11 Memorial looking through to where the Twin Towers stood.  Bottom right - I snapped this photo of the ground floor walls of my apartment building being dried out and repaired  after Sandy.  Oh yes, and that's Tatty sitting waiting patiently in her pram!

Well that rounds up my week and it's been such a good one.  I hope you've had a good week too :)


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24 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness. My first follower and my first shout out all in one week!! Thanks Chrissie.
    As for the "Miss" thing, ot's a hangover from my time teaching in kindy's where all the teachers are Miss Erin, etc.
    E xx

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    1. Oh, I really liked the Miss thing I thought it was really sweet and funny :) The shout out's no problem at all, you deserve it and I hope a lot more people drop by your blog to enjoy what you're doing too xx

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  2. Thanks for the nice walk around your area. Next year I will be in Manhattan myself for about two days and I look forward seeing what you see.

    Nana

    P: By the way, the butterfly is perfect and the crochet hook... hahaha, dogs!!!!

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    1. Hi Nana, coming to Manhattan how exciting, before I lived here I thought it was one of the top places I'd ever visited and now I get a buzz everyday walking along thinking 'I actually live here'. You'll have to let me know when you're coming.

      I'm following your blog but I don't speak German and I wondered if you'd mind adding the 'Translate' gadget to your side bar so I don't have to keep cutting and pasting sections into Google translate? I want to be able to read more about all the fab blocks you're making! :)

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    2. Chrissie, my Translate-Button is already there, right on top of the right bar beside the daily posts.

      Nana

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    3. Ah, Nana, I've been and had another look and discovered that the blog I'm following that I thought was yours is another blog that you're linked to - not your own 'personal' blog http://frauenrechtequilt.blogspot.com/. I've now been to your blog, which translates itself beautifully for me instantly! and I'm following you there now instead. Thanks for getting back to me or I'd still be following you in the wrong place!!! :)

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  3. Your butterfly really is awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing it with its Kaffe Fasset border.

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  4. Crochet .... permanently on my list and never gets done! I bought a baby blanket kit just before my youngest was born but as she is nearly 2 now I expect I will either have to have another baby (nooooo!) or wait for grandchildren!

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    1. On no Gertie, don't wait for grandchildren, you'll be missing out on too much fun for too long! The beauty of crochet is that it's so portable and I love to crochet when I'm on a plane. In the past I'd crochet when flying as I couldn't take knitting needles on a flight but nowadays I can take my Knit Picks on so I swap between knitting and crochet. Give it a go when you've got a minute :)

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  5. I LOVE how excited you are about your butterfly- thanks for being such a fab pattern tester! Can't wait to see your finished cushion/
    Had to laugh at your hookless crochet hook!

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    1. Well Juliet, thank you but I only tested the pattern, you're the marvel that created it! All credit to you :)

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  6. Mmmm... the butterfly is so HAPPY. Love it! Cool too to see some photos of your environs:). I'm off to visit the two blogs you recommend.

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    1. Hi Cynthia, thanks for your comment, you're always so supportive and I see that you've visited both girls and are now following them, thank you :)

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  7. Thanks for sharing photos of your lovely area, Chrissie. Your crochet blanket is looking fabulous and sorry to hear about your crochet hook incident! ;)

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    1. Thanks Farah, normally Tatty's favourite food is anything plastic, so chewing a piece of wood was quite novel! I'm on my 5th mobile phone thanks to her but at least I only have the bottom of the range 'make calls and send text' variety. Having said that on 27 November I'll be switching to a swanky new model so I'm going to have to learn very quickly not to leave it where she can get it!!! :)

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  8. Hello and thank you so much for the shout out! Yes, Erin's blog is lovely, and I quite like us being called Miss Sarah and Miss Chrissie, it's quite endearing! Glad to see you have got blue skies in NYC even if it is cold. A bit like here at the moment. (Although I am sure it's colder there!). Lovely to see your out and about photos. Glad you have had such a good week xxx

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    1. Yes Miss Sarah, as always it's never a problem to mention your blogs and work ;) Our blue skies belie just how bitterly cold it is - the wind chill is such a killer, this morning there's been talk of wearing our thermals and then I realised that mine are all sized to fit the very much larger lady that I was a year ago and we could probably fit me, Flicky and Tatty in them now - I can feel a shopping trip coming on! :)

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  9. Thank you for sharing pictures of where you live. I really enjoy looking at them. Tatty is super cute on her pram I've been looking for one for my dogs. Where did you get yours (or Tatty's rather)?
    Your butterfly is gorgeous. Sorry to hear about your hook incident :( but even when they misbehave you look at their little face and everyting is forgotten...

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    1. Oh Martha, Tatty could do absolutely anything and we'd forgive her - you're right, you just have to look at that face :)

      We're thrilled with the pram, I did so much research and went for the top of the range 'All-Terrain' model, which basically is just as good as any child's stroller and why wouldn't you need that really? The wheels are so sturdy, can cope with any lump and bump they hit, it manoeuvres brilliantly with the 1 swivel front wheel and the handles are at a great height and it's really comfortable to push. Downside - the carry basket underneath is a good size but you have to lift the back of the bed to put anything large in there, the fasten zip is a bit fiddly to pull together but if you open the hood fully then it works easily and the cup holders aren't deep enough to hold a cup steadily but I did read that someone had cut the base out of their cup holders so a bottle/cup can go right through the hole and then it was perfect - I think we'll get around to doing this at some point. If I had to buy another I'd buy the same one again.

      I made Tatty a quilt for in it and blogged about it a while back here here and you can see some shots of the pram's inside at the end of the tutorial.

      Here's links to where I bought the pram and also the pram rain cover and also the official site. Be sure to look out for the newer, improved Generation II model - it has a black framework instead of the silver framework on the Gen I model.

      If you've any questions or want to see any more photos just email me :)

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  10. Love the butterfly Chrissie. I need to make one. It's absolutely awesome.

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    1. Thanks Gillian - it isn't difficult and the end result is really neat :)

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  11. I love your butterfly...it is gorgeous! Thanks for the beautiful pics, too. :O)

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Chris Dodsley


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