Hooked

I came to realize yesterday that I am officially hooked on crocheting.  Addicted might be a better way to describe it at this point.  I'm not giving up any other hobbies just yet, but crochet has definitely joined the crew and is somewhere near the top with sewing and cross stitching.  That's pretty high.

I took a three hour crochet class two years ago, where I learned to chain, single and double crochet. By the end of it my head was swimming and I had a monster of a headache.   A couple of bargain books and many internet searches later I am gaining a little bit of ground.  Most of what I do comes with a lot of fumbling, questions and a whole lot of un-ravelling.  In fact I think I have unravelled as many stitches as I have left in.  However I keep coming back to it.  Yesterday I bought my first crochet magazine.  It's the current issue of Crochet Today.  I was taken in by projects like this:

...and this:

...and especially this:

While at another store a few days ago searching for off-white yarn (and learning for sure that yes, dye lots do really matter), I found some knitting kits on clearance.  I fell in love with the colors in a kit to make something for baby, which also included some pretty fabric.  While I have no plans to take up knitting I did know that 6 balls of pretty yarn (5o% wool) and a quarter of a yard of fabric for under $9 is a good deal, so I popped it in my basket. 

Aren't those colours delicious?  I wish I had seen this before I started my tea cozy, but I have another project brewing that I can use them for.

One thing I really love about crochet is its portability.  I have been able to crochet in lots of public places lately.  Those hours I spent in the school registration line added a good length to my pink scarf.  My tea cozy has been to several dance classes, the dentist's office and public library.  I tried to crochet while in the bathtub last night, but wet yarn doesn't slide off the hook very well :(  I'm going to keep trying though....

I am almost half finished my tea cozy.  I had one side fully made up, then unravelled it because I thought it could be a bit wider.  I had the second half started when I realized the second skein of yarn was not the same shade of off white as the first.  I spent most of yesterday morning trying to find a match, because of course I threw the original label with the dye lot on it away!

I think I got a proper match this time, so I'm on to the second side.  The pink flower is a practice one; I'll be making more when the sides are done.  I'm really excited about this project so I hope it turns out!  I may have to take a break over the weekend because my left eye is having a serious case of eye-strain.

It hasn't been all hooky business around here: last weekend I started on some table runners.  These two are from a kit I got last year for my  birthday:

(I still have to add the binding)

I figured since my next birthday is in a month I should get started on these!  I probably would have gotten them made sooner, but I couldn't decide on fabric combinations.  The kit was only supposed to make one runner, but with the extra fabric that came with it I managed to eke out  two.  I'm a little annoyed with the instructions, as it said to tear 5 strips of fabric to make the sides and binding.  After I sewed the binding together and started applying it to the sides of one of the runners I realized there was not enough to go around.  Of course because I made two runners there is no more to spare!  I will have to bind it with plain -old bias tape, but it should look o.k. in the end. 

I am in love, love, love with the fabric; purple is my favorite colour and every time I see these it makes me really happy.  I thought how lovely they would look in my kitchen on the table and dresser if my kitchen walls were painted a pale lilac.  That would be an extremely hard sell to Mr. Crafty World though, so I'll just have to settle for the purple runners.  *Sigh.*

Have  a lovely day :)