A Guest Post by Caren Wilson.

Have you noticed that you or your crochet friends have more yarn than you can possibly use? Do you have closets, shelves, bins, or even rooms of yarn? Do people’s mouths drop when they see your yarn collection?

If you said yes to any of the above questions, then you are a yarn-a-holic! But don’t worry, I’m a yarn-a-holic too. Welcome to the club!

Obviously crocheters need yarn to crochet. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I tend to see serious crocheters (including me) go a bit overboard when it comes to collecting yarn. We get more than we need and we hoard it like hamsters. I remember when I first started crocheting, I only had one grocery bag of yarn at a time. But as time went on and I got more and more skilled at crocheting I collected shelves of yarn. Now, I bet my yarn collect could pass as a yarn store!

Does this happen to all crocheters over time? Are all crocheters yarn-a-holics??

Caren is a life long crocheter and self proclaimed yarn junkie. In her free time she enjoys crocheting items for charity and playing with her two children. Caren wishes to inspire others to crochet more, learn more, and live more.

Want to try crocheting earrings? It’s not as hard as you may think! Here is a pattern for beginners to create a pair of light weight, fun to wear, circle earrings. Once you get the hang of making crocheted earrings there’s no telling what other crocheted earrings you’ll be making next! Just follow the easy and fast instructions below to get started.

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Need a fun gag gift? Crochet this Toilet Paper Scarf! This scarf looks like any ordinary scarf when you wear it, but when you roll it up, it looks exactly like a roll of toilet paper. The Toilet Paper Scarf is designed to look as much like toilet paper as possible with perforations between each sheet and a cardboard colored center. Best of all, absolutely no sewing is required in crocheting this scarf.

Skill Level: Finished Size: 4 1/4” (11 cm) wide, 65” (165 cm) long Note: scarf is approximately the size of a regular toilet paper roll when rolled up, length of scarf may be adjusted using the instructions within the pattern Materials: Medium Weight Yarn (approximately 200 yards of white and small amount of brown) Crochet Hook I (5.50 mm) To download this pattern, log into your Crochet Spot Store account. If you do not already have an account, you can create one using the box at the top of the page. Premium Pattern Members maybe download this pattern for free. Others may purchase this pattern by adding it to their shopping cart. All purchases and members help to support Crochet Spot and are greatly appreciated! If you need help crocheting your Toilet Paper Scarf, no problem! Just ask me for help!

When most people think about crocheting, they often don’t associate it with men or even think to crochet something as a Father’s Day gift. But why not? It is the thought that counts, but a gift is even better when dad actually likes it! Crocheted items aren’t just for women. I’m sure a father would appreciate something handmade as long as it’s useful. Here is a list of crochet patterns that you can use to make dad a great crocheted gift that he’ll love.
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Do your hands or wrists get tired when you crochet? Do they get sore or cramped up? If so, you’re not alone, it happens to a lot of us. Here are some stretches that I found across the web that may help you stretch your hands and wrists. Of course, all stretches aren’t made for all people, so do what works for you. You can even take small breaks in the middle of crocheting (it always works for me).
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A few weeks ago, Barbara wrote a guest post here on Crochet Spot about the retirement crocheted afghan she was working on for a teacher who was retiring. Great news, I just added the final picture to her wonderful post that shows off the completed afghan being given to Ann (the retiring teacher).

So check it out! It is an amazing afghan. Here’s the link to the post: A Retirement Crocheted Afghan

Let Barbara know what you think of the afghan!

Felted bowls make neat home decorative pieces! Use them to store items as you see fit. You can even use them as bowl cozies to prevent a hot or cold bowl from irritating your hands. Since this pattern contains 5 different sizes, there is a size that will be perfect for your needs. This is also a great pattern for beginners to learn about felting.

Skill Level:

Finished Sizes:
not felted – bowls range from 3″ (7.5 cm) to 7″ (18 cm) in diameter
felted – bowls range from 3″ (7.5 cm) to 6 1/2” (16.5 cm) in diameter
Note: Felted size may vary based on yarn used and felting method

Materials: Medium Weight Yarn (approximately 50 yards for each bowl) Note: yarn must be 100% wool or other natural animal fiber in order to felt Crochet Hook I (5.50 mm)

To download this pattern, go to the Crochet Spot Store.
If you do not already have a store account, you can create a new one. If you are a Premium Pattern Member, just click on the pattern’s link to download it for free. If you are not a member, then you can purchase this pattern by adding it to your shopping cart and checking out. Once this pattern is purchased, download it by clicking on the “My Purchased Patterns” tab at the top of the store page.

Need help crocheting your felted bowls? Just ask me for help!

As a THANK YOU to all the folks who visit Crochet Spot each day, here is a special sale just for you! All crochet bag patterns are 35% off starting now and ending on June 1, 2010 at 12:59 PM EST.

Visit the Crochet Spot Store to receive this discount: Crochet Spot Store

There are 6 different bags to choose from:

1. Quick Clutch
2. My Fatty Handbag
3. Kaleido Messenger Bag
4. The Casual Girl
5. The Casual Girl Version 2
6. Carry-A-Lot Tunisian Purse

Take a peek in the Crochet Spot Store to see which bag patterns you would like for 35% off.

P.S. all crochet patterns can be downloaded immediately after your payment is cleared. Just log into your store account and click the “My Purchased Patterns” tab at the top of the page.

This chair cushion crochet pattern is free for all to crochet! To make your chair cushion you will need to work each of the small squares separately. The squares are then stuffed and sewn together. You can make the cushion as firm or soft as you desire. Best of all, you can adjust the size of the cushion by adding more or less rows of squares as you see fit. Prior experience sewing crochet pieces together is a plus.

Skill Level:

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When you purchase your yarn it can be wound in different ways, such as a ball, skein, cake, hank, or cone. Some crocheters have a preference as to how their yarn is wound and would even rewind the yarn to make it into their desired method. How do you wind your yarn? What is your desired method?

Personally, I love pull skeins. Pull skeins are the skeins that have the yarn coming out of the middle. This is my favorite method because the skein doesn’t roll around and move when I crochet with the strand of yarn that comes out of the middle. Most major yarn companies, such as Red Heart, Lion Brand and Caron, wind their yarns into pull skeins to be sold. But if I do purchase yarn that is not in a pull skein, most of the time I’m too lazy to rewind it, so I just use it as it is. However, if my yarn is a tangled mess, then I’ll definitely rewind it into a nice pull skein. If you need help crocheting with a pull skein and would like to know more about the “yarn coming out of the middle” that I’m talking about, you can learn more about it here: How to Find the End of the Yarn in a Pull Skein

What about you? What is your favorite way to wind your yarn?