I had the idea of heating up a metal stamp and burning a letter into a wood crochet hook to mark the size.
I tested several times on paper before trying to burn the letter on the wood. It works OK, but I’m not sure if I actually burned the wood, or just stamped on some soot. Either way, it is marked, but for future hooks I should be able to find a more elegant way.
Years ago I crocheted the mermaid tail blankets that were all the rage for my girls. The idea was cool, but they never used them. Getting in and out of a leg hugging device is a pain.
With my girl’s great room switch this summer, I found the blankets tucked in the back of their closets. One got sent to recycling, but Izzy the cat gave me an idea for the second.
Rather than sending the blanket for someone else to recycle, I could frog it (rip it, rip it out) and reuse the yarn. Bernat makes a wonderful blanket yarn that doesn’t shed and holds up well after years. So I found the end (by the way, weaving in the ends really does secure them well, it took forever to free the yarn!), and rather than undo all the stitches and wind a ball, I’m crocheting from one project to another. I frog a bit, crochet a bit, repeat. It skips the ball winding part and deprives the kitten of an opportunity to unwind the ball of yarn. What am I making? Cat mats. I use a smaller hook, and a single crochet stitch and make a rectangular mat. The blanket yarn and stitch make it thick and sturdy, and Izzy completely approves of the finished project.
In the background of the picture is an amigurumi bunny, also made of blanket yarn. I’m developing a mix and match pattern and will be teaching an upcoming class. The yarn from the blanket it too dark for critters, but I can take the mats to our local no-kill shelter.
I’m working on making wooden crochet hooks and noticed that when two hooks face each other, it forms a heart.
These hooks are of the larger variety for super bulky or blanket yarn. Where I like to finish my spindles with a clear matt finish, so they have some grip, the crochet hooks get a clear gloss so they slide through loops better. The hooks in the picture are unfinished, and only partially through their sanding process. It was truly an unexpected heart.
Trying to spin while the kitten is awake is a dangerous undertaking. Trying to knit, crochet, sew, or do much of anything else with squirmy tempting yarn or thread is also prone to attract unwanted kitten curiosity. Luckily he does eventually sleep.
I’ve been working on a new drop spindle. I like my previous student spindles, but they are on the light side, just over an ounce. This light weight can be more challenging, so I wanted something a little heavier for upcoming spinning classes. I sourced some beautifully made wooden whorls from Pinehurst, TX, (yes, they are marketed at toy wheels, but they make lovely whorls) and some locally obtained dowels to make the shafts.
The whorls are lovely, but with the 12” shafts, the weight tipped over the two ounce mark, which is heavier than I wanted. To lighten the load, I drilled out material with my drill press and a 1/2” drill bit.
Then came the sanding and finishing. I sanded each piece down to 600 grit, wet the wood and let it dry, then sanded with 600 grit again. Both the whorl and shaft are finished with a clear matte coating to protect from stains. The most delicate part of the spindle is where the screw hook engages the wood, so I wrap the shaft with beeswax coated silk thread to strengthen.
These spindles can be used as a top whorl with hook, or flipped over and used as a bottom whorl drop spindle with the notch to keep a half-hitch in place. I’ve tested both ways and am pleasantly surprised how long these spin! The finished weight on all of them is around 2 ounces.
Critters and Craft 