Here is what I have been working on this week. I have been trying to make incremental progress on several things and really only got to two of them. I also was able to finish a couple of surprise side projects (read: things I had no plans to make but made anyway).
Hand Made Rune Progress
I got the wood rounds sanded and was looking at different ways to inscribe the rune symbols on them. I fond a chemical burning pen and gave that a shot but was not super stoked on the way it came out. Perhaps for larger projects it could be ok. The liquid comes out a sort of clear yellow then turns dark once you apply heat. However, for my purposes is kind of just looked like I drew on the wood round with a marker. I was considering using a soldering pen but read that this was mostly not advised. So I got a wood burning kit at Joann’s to try out and will play with that this upcoming week.
Pom Pom Hats
The Joann’s trip lead to a couple of impulse buys, the first were these pom poms. I have never in my live bought a pom pom. Nor do I have any recollection of being drawn to hats that have pom poms on them. But for some reason these were calling out to me and so they cam home with me. I found this Crochet Beanie Hat with Pom Pom pattern on easycorchet.com and made hats for the girls. It’s my first go with pom poms so I will be interested to see how they hold up.
No Sew Throw
Impulse buy number two was the No Sew Throw. I have always wanted one of these and this fabric pattern is so up my ally. I adore moths so of course could not resist. The great thing about this blanket project is that it took me about 2 hours all told. While there is no sewing, there is cutting. You do have to cut the corners out then all the tabs before getting to the tying part. I also recommend doing a few knots at each end and alternating back and forth. You should also tug where you just knotted to flatten out the bunches. It was totally worth it, the two panels of fleece are super warm and I am looking forward to a winter of movies on the couch with this perfect blanket.
Gauge Practice
For those of you unfamiliar with gauge, it is the way you make sure that the project you are about to invest a good chunk of time will turn out the size you need it to turn out. The hook determines the length and the stitch size determines the height. People stitch in different ways, some more tightly, some more loosely, so checking gauge is the best way to make adjustments needed so your sweater or hat will fit when you are done. It is a very important piece of garment making and one that I continue to end up baffled by.
I am a member of the Crochet Guild of America (CGOA) and have enrolled in one of their masters classes. While I cannot discuss the specific content of the course I can say that I got quite stuck on the gauge example this week and this was one of my favorite stuck points. I had three different hooks and a pile of yarn and no idea if it was the hook or the stitch height I needed to adjust (turns out it was both). It was a great challenge, though I am admittedly glad it is a challenge that is behind me. For now.
And that was my week. I’m curious to see what others are working on as well!
the Jasmine Knot 