Thanks to everyone who participated in the Blueprint Crochet Sweaters giveaway! I had a blast reading all the comments. Although I only have one book to giveaway, hopefully you’ll all be able to access the book in some way, whether it’s purchasing your own copy, borrowing it from a friend or from the library. It really is a great book with a bunch of lovely patterns to crochet! Without further waiting… the winner of the giveaway is…

If you did not win but would still love a copy of this book, you can mossy on over to Amazon and purchase a copy for yourself. Here’s the link: Blueprint Crochet Sweaters on Amazon.

Stay tuned for another giveaway soon!

Did you know that crochet has a professional organization? Don’t be surprised! Crochet is a really big deal! The most recent public data from the Craft and Hobby Association estimates that of the 62.5 million U.S. crafters, 14.7 million crocheted at least once in 2012. That’s almost a quarter of all crafters! Furthermore, the U.S. Census states there were approximately 313.9 million people in the country that same year. That brings our crochet data to another level. That means that almost 5% of THE POPULATION crocheted in 2012. You’re in good company.
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Yay! I just got an extra copy of Blueprint Crochet Sweaters: Techniques for Custom Constructions. You know what that means…time for another book giveaway! This book is full with modern, beautiful sweater patterns, it’s hard to choose which one to start first. The sweaters are also constructed using different methods, so there is a lot to learn about sweater construction! If you’re interested in crocheting different types of sweaters, this book is definitely for you.

To enter the giveaway, for a free copy of Blueprint Crochet Sweaters:

• Go to the Blueprint Crochet Sweater Amazon.com page and click on the “Look Inside This Book” link to look inside the book.
• Then in the comments section on the bottom of this post, share with us which project/type of sweater you’re most excited about starting! Remember to only comment one time (since there is only one entry per person). Duplicate comments or comments that are not on topic will be deleted.

Giveaway ends on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 at 11:59PM EST, where a winner will be randomly selected. Be sure to check back to see if you win!

Have fun looking through the book and good luck everyone!!

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is announced on the Book Giveaway Winner: Blueprint Crochet Sweaters page.

I learned the basics of crochet when I was still young from a booklet I found in our storage. Being naturally inquisitive I found ways to learn more but it wasn’t until I was much older that I heard about drape. Now that I understand the concept I realize that I had an idea of how it worked before hand, as the term has some obvious implications. Now, as a crochet teacher, I’d like to help our readers understand what it means, how important it is, and how to achieve it.
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Today’s Yarns for You selection is a novel classic, Vickie Howell’s Sheep(ish).

Yarn Facts: Vickie Howell’s Sheep(ish) is a blend of 30% wool and 70% acrylic spun into a versatile, single-ply, workhorse yarn that is soft to the touch but is suitable for projects for the whole family. A true medium worsted weight yarn, it’s machine washable in cold water and should be laid flat to dry. It’s best not to iron this yarn. A size H/8 (5 mm) hook is recommended to achieve a 4″x4″ (10 cm x 10 cm) gauge swatch at 17 sc across and 22 rows up. The yarn comes in a very fresh palette of 19 saturated colors that just draw you in and work together very well. I should also mention that there is a related yarn line called Sheep(ish) Stripes that comes in 6 different colorways.

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Well, you never asked for it, but I’m going to advise you anyway! Read on, because maybe these are problems you’ve grappled with, or perhaps these are problems you didn’t even know you had! I am not only pointing out crochet problems, but offering solutions as well!

I got my Ph.D. in hook theory with a concentration in yarn.

While browsing crochet patterns you might have noticed all three terms –blanket, throw, and afghan– referring to very similar projects, and wondered what exactly is the difference. Today I’d like to clarify what each mean for both yarn-lovers as well as the rest of the world.

Pop Up Flower Blanket

Hello, Crochet Spotters!! Thank you for reading this first edition of Yarns for You! I was so glad to have heard from you on the introductory post, and there’s still quite a conversation going on there. That is exactly what I wanted for this series, so – AWESOME!

Today’s Yarns for You selection is the beautiful and smooth Paton’s Silk Bamboo.

Yarn Facts: Paton’s Silk Bamboo is a blend of 30% silk and 70% bamboo, resulting in a lovely and durable light DK weight yarn. It’s hand washable, and should be dried flat. A size G/6 hook is recommended to acheive a 4″x 4″ (10 cm x 10 cm) gauge swatch at 16 sc across and 20 rows up. Right now the yarn is available in 19 rich colors and jewel tones that are perfect for garment and accessory crafting.

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No, I’m not talking about throwing your crochet project into the pool when you’re frustrated. Pooling is a phenomenon that happens while working with variegated yarns. It is often talked about with knitting, but I wanted to explore this aspect of yarn with crochet.

What is pooling? In knitting, pooling is when like colors in variegated yarn end up next to each other row by row, or round by round. The effect could create a kind of unintentional visual pattern. For example, if I have a blue-purple-green variegated yarn, the blues, purples, and greens would “line up” either occasionally or regularly while I’m working on my project. I’m not talking about self-striping sock yarn, where this type of patterning is intentional and looks intentional. It could happen with any kind of variegated yarn – either hand-painted or conventionally dyed yarn.
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I am excited to annouce a new series on Crochet Spot – “Yarns for You” Crochet Yarn Reviews! The purpose of “Yarns for You” is to share a crocheter’s point of view about what makes a yarn good/bad/fun/useful/etc. to crochet with! This will be different from the “Focus on Fiber” series in that I will be reviewing specific types of yarn by name. As always, it would be great to hear from other Crochet Spotters in the comments section!

Why a crochet yarn review? Did you ever notice how sometimes yarn makers put all of the knitting information on the label and have knitted samples in the store, but may overlook crochet? Truthfully, some yarn is better for knitting and some is better for crochet. It has to do with how the yarn is constructed.
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