Camel hat

On December 30, 2024 By CarynIn Craft

I crocheted my hand spun camel yarn into a beanie style cap with ribbed band. I used a 2.25mm crochet hook and a double crochet for the fingering weight yarn, but found switching to a 3.25mm hook for the single crochet ribbing of the band made it feel more flexible and soft.

I thought I had plenty of yarn for a hat, but the yarn chicken squawked a challenge as I made the band. After I sewed the band together, I had only a few inches of yarn left. So there, yarn chicken.

Photo description: about 5” of yarn left after finishing off the camel yarn hat

Camel is a soft fiber, but my preparation still had some guard hairs and vegetable matter, so to make sure the inside was scratch free, I brushed it with a boars bristle brush. The brushing brought the soft fibers to the surface and gave it a lovely surface feel.

Photo description: bristle brush with the brushed inside of the crocheted hat

Photo description: finished hat crocheted from hand spun two ply camel yarn

I made this for my father in law, and I did make it a larger size. My Dad has reported that my wool hats shrink with wear (a natural fulling effect, I believe), so I didn’t want it to get too small. I may have gone too large though.

Egyptian cotton swatches

On December 14, 2024 By CarynIn Craft

I made my swatches for my fiber book from the Egyptian cotton that I spun on an Ashford Traveller spinning wheel.

Photo description: knit square in moss stitch with size 2 Prym circular needles

Photo description: crocheted round coaster made from Egyptian cotton with a size B Clover crochet hook

Photo description: 3 salvage twined swatch with knotted tassels

I still love the twining weaving technique with open ended warps. This was my first swatch, but the sides are less wonky than my other weaving attempts.

Worm problem

On December 1, 2024 By CarynIn Craft

I may have a worm obsession. I went at making these crochet worry worms with a fervor, using up all my scrap yarn and getting more acrylic yarn. Yes, I bought acrylic yarn. For someone who spins and adores natural fibers, it was a telling sign of a distraction gone rogue. The main advantage of acrylic, other than the low cost, is that the yarn is less likely to cause allergic reactions. There are many people allergic to animal hair or plant fibers, so making a solace gift that could cause allergies feels… icky.

Photo description: crocheted spiral worry worms made from variegated yarn with sewn on eyes

My biggest downfall was the Mary Maxim yarn that was red, white, and green with silver sparkles. Maybe I should find a local addictive crochet support group.

Crocheted Tencel

On November 25, 2024 By CarynIn Craft

I did my go-to coaster crochet pattern for the Tencel swatch using a F hook. The crochet handles the unevenness of the yarn much better than knitting.

Photo description: crocheted coaster made from three ply hand spun Tencel yarn and a F (3.75mm) ergonomic hook by Clover

Photo description: crocheted coaster after blocking

The openness of the lace stitch also is complementary to the uneven yarn. I think if I had done an even crochet stitch, such as a single crochet every row, it wouldn’t have looked as nice. That is a good thing to know: lace or sculptural crochet is a good choice for imperfect yarn.

Throwback Thursday: necklace pins

On November 21, 2024 By CarynIn Craft

These necklace pins are from September 2010. I like dual purpose pieces, and these pins that are also a necklace focal are some of the best I’ve made. I crafted the pins from sterling silver wire and Swarovski crystal beads; one represents a Bluebonnet and the other Queen Anne’s Lace wild flowers.