Rather than take separated supplies to my crochet class, I made up individual kits. Each kit has enough yarn to make two amigurumi animals, yarn for the face, a wooden crochet hook, a wire stitch marker, a yarn needle, chenille sticks, and stuffing.
Measuring yarn but subtractive weighing
To divide up the yarn, I placed the big ball of yarn on the scale, tared it, then wound off onto the ball winder. When the scale read the value I needed (negatively), I snipped the yarn and started a new ball.
I have discovered a new method for making wood crochet hooks that I quite like. I flatten the middle of a dowel using a spindle sander, and flatten the end perpendicular to the middle with a band sander. This sets up the grip and the head of the hook at a comfortable angle. I then thin the neck to the size hook I need, and shape the head.
Stages of crochet hook shaping
The bulk of the work goes into hand sanding the final shape. I use sandpaper rolled into tight tubes to access the inside of the hook, and flat sandpaper to smooth the outside shapes. I then use several grades of sandpaper until I’m down to 600 grit.
Hand-sanded crochet hook (left), raw shape (right)
I’m teaching an amigurumi class that uses blanket yarn to make marshmallow animals. The blanket yarn calls for a larger hook than is in most hook sets, so I’m making the hooks the students will use. The next step is to finish and make them nice and shiny so they slide through the yarn loops.
I had the idea of heating up a metal stamp and burning a letter into a wood crochet hook to mark the size.
Holding a metal stamp with a silicone holder over a candle flameLetter “L” marked on the bottom of a wooden crochet hook
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.
Crocheted mermaid tail blanket
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.
Izzy lying on the blanket draped over a chair.
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.
Izzy laying on a mat crocheted with Bernat blanket yarn
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.
Two crochet hooks, the space between 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.
Critters and Craft 