Hey, Crochet Spotters! Are you Crochet Sporters, too? 😀

With both the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics dominating the U.S. media recently, I got to thinking about what a fine combination sports and crochet are. How many of you were playing with yarn and hook during the Superbowl & Olympic Opening Ceremonies? I most certainly was yarn crafting (and tweeting) the whole way through!

As I’m sure most of you know, joining crochet with sport is nothing new! I thought it would be fun to list out a few ways (both formal and informal) that we can enjoy various sporting events while weilding hooks!
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Since I’m really into crochet, I consume a lot of media about crochet. You’d be surprised; if you keep your eyes open for crochet, you’ll see it popping up everywhere! While reading or listening to interviews with crochet designers, there is one theme I see popping up over and over again.

“My mother/grandmother/babysitter taught me to crochet when I was a kid. (She probably wanted to keep me busy/quiet/out of her hair.) All I knew how to do was make chains, but I would do that for hours and hours.”

Seriously, I’ve heard this theme (with variations) touched upon multiple times by people who as adults are avid crocheters and crochet designers!

The way I see it, we need more of these people in the world! What a wonderful way to get a child started on a craft that will serve them for their entire lives. What’s more, we all could benefit from the future designs of this crocheting child! Are you with me?
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Crochet Spot fans, we can talk honestly, can’t we? I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve got a LOT of crochet. Why? Because (like you) I love to crochet! Sometimes I crochet something I don’t even WANT to keep because I just want to try the pattern.

Sometimes I crochet the same thing over and over again because I like the pattern and maybe want to change it up a little. I wonder what it would look like in one yarn or another. I may add stripes or a border. Then, before I know it, I have a dozen of something and I don’t know what to do with them. (Hello, Rachel’s Credit Card Holder!)
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We all know that crochet is a beautiful and versatile craft. We can crochet almost anywhere and all we need is just a yarn and hook, right? While that certainly is true, it is also true that crochet can be done with one fewer item. Leave your hook at home, people. You can now crochet with your fingers!

In fact, “leaving my hook at home” is exactly how this technique came to light for me. I was recently on a road trip and I was excited for the drive because I had brought a current crochet project with me to work on in the car. I was excited until I realized that while I thought I had hooks in every size from E through J, for some reason my “I” hook was missing! Doh! Why is it always the “I” hook?
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What do you want to do with your crochet in 2014? After the holidays settle down, hopefully you will be organizing your lovely new yarn and hook stash from generous friends and relatives. 😉 It will be time to reflect and set crochet goals for 2014.

One of the nice things about crochet is that although we can share what we do with crochet groups, charities, and of course here on Crochet Spot, crochet is an individual activity. That means our only competition can come from within ourselves. The beautiful relaxation of crochet may come in part from the knowledge that the only expectation placed upon our crochet is our own.

This is why it’s a great time to make an individual crochet challenge for 2014. Take a moment to look within yourself and ask yourself what it is you want to do with your crochet in 2014.
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Oh my gosh! I just learned about a new type of crochet and I am dying to let you all know about it! It’s called “Painted Crochet” and it looks uniquely lovely. Although the finished pieces have the “look” of being painted with a brush, the effect is actually achieved by combining either three or four thin sewing threads in differing combinations. The subtle shifts in color come when those combinations are changed.

This is the back cover of the book called Painted Mini Doilies edited by Carol Alexander and Lisa Forsnaugh

It’s not what you think! We know that crochet makes great little gift and treat bags, but this post is about other ways that crochet can be incorporated into your gift wrapping. For the purpose of this post, imagine a basic gift box which will be wrapped with paper. We’ll use crochet to embellish!

Since time is ticking down, we may have to resort to buying our Christmas gifts, but we can still incorporate crochet into the gift giving. 😀
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See? I told you it would be quick! I can’t believe our crochet along has almost ended. I wanted to give you all one last little push in order to get your hooks working and your cameras clicking.

Don’t forget! You can win a free pattern from the Crochet Spot store, or a free month of membership for premium members! 🙂 How cool is that?

You’ll be glad to know I’ve finished my rectangular vest and it’s completely fabulous. Sorry, no pictures of me modeling it, but I will post an instagram of my credit card holders, which will end up being gift card holders this holiday season! Those little cuties will be part of the final push, happening now!!

So get to stitching and posting, my friends!! The winner will be announced on December 1! Click here for the post with the patterns and where you can enter!

Hey, Crochet Spot readers! Are you making scarves for this chilly season? Before I moved to the hot and humid climate of the tropics, my favorite thing to make was a scarf. I would choose my projects by pattern or by yarn and just crochet away. I must have crocheted dozens of scarves in all different lengths and at different levels of complexity. One thing I realized is that I very seldom have added fringe to my scarf projects. I’m not sure what it is about fringe… I do like the look of it most of the time, but I don’t typically decide to add it myself. Weird, huh? Maybe it’s just a habit.

At any rate, I was thinking about scarves and how we adorn them and I decided to round up a few fringe and fringe-alternative tutorials. Adorn the ends of your scarves with any of the following:

Fringe. It’s classic. It’s versatile. Fringe can be made long or short, in matching or contrasting yarn, and thick or thin. It’s one design element that can completely change the look of your project.

Chain Loop Fringe. This variation on the classic lends a completely different look to the ends of your scarf. It’s creative and unexpected. Why not add this to your next project?

A Floppy Ruffle. If you want to go all out girly, why not add a ruffle to at least one end of your simple scarf? That unexpected floof can make your scarf look great (and a lot more complicated than it actually is!) People will wonder how you did that!

Curly Fringe. This takes your fringe adventure to the nth degree! Curly fringe is fun and feminine, and much easier than it looks. BONUS: It looks great with curly hair!

Now that I have all these ways to make scarves look even cuter, I’m inspired to break my fringe-free habit and get to crocheting a scarf today! 😀 Which of these ends, if any, would you like to try?

Have you seen that TV series on Netflix called Orange Is the New Black? Well, it’s like one of those series that just sucks you in and before you know it you’ve watched the entire season in just a few nights. The story is about a woman who spends 15 months in jail for being a drug mule – transporting drug money in a suitcase. The twist is that the “unlikely” protagonist is well educated, cultured and affluent. As you could guess, she seems like a fish out of water at the minimum security women’s prison in Connecticut.

It’s a fun show with rich stories, but the reason I’m writing today is of course about CROCHET! While watching the series, I was delighted to find several scenes where the prisoners sport crocheted fashions, like this adorable hat.

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