Crochety

[mothwing]

I've always been about as good at anything involving yarn as the average cat is, so I usually avoid it. I decided to give it another go this week and am currently making a crocodile pattern scarf:

This is a crocodile pattern:



Haven't gotten very far yet, but this is the idea (the colours are off because of the flash, it's actually a much more subdued orange and a greyish blue):


The back is not as pretty, unfortunately:

Comments

[minervas-eule.livejournal.com]

Very pretty pattern!
I sadly forgot to take a picture of the scarf I knitted for my son: a very easy to do pattern, but very effective: the scarf looked as if put together from lots of triangles.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Oh, neat! I remember someone in my family doing a shawl that seemed to be made up entirely out of little triangles, it was very pretty.

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

Very nice! I'm hopeless with this sort of thing, so I'm always impressed when people can make such pretty things.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm hopeless with the complicated stuff, which is why I'm sticking to easy things that look complex.

[shadowycat.livejournal.com]

It's lovely! I've always wanted to try crochet but never have. I don't read patterns well and the books I've looked through that say they'll teach you might as well be written in ancient greek for all that I can make sense of them. So I'm very impressed. I think you're doing very well so far! :D

[ysilme]

*g* It's the same for me, where patterns are concerned. Knitting patterns are no problem, but crocheting.. I can only do the stitches my granny taught me, and create the shapes along the way.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

If I can do it, so can you. I went from "what is that weird hockey-stick shaped thing and how are you supposed to hold it" to that scarf in an afternoon with the help of YouTube. I can't read patterns, either, but crocheting along while someone else is doing it really slowly works well. :D

[shadowycat.livejournal.com]

Having someone to watch is the way to go. I learn better by doing and seeing than by reading directions. It never occurred to me to check YouTube for how to videos on crocheting though. Hmmmm.... Great idea! :D

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Oh, do it! YouTube is a fantastic for learning just about anything and showcasing just about any helpful skill that anybody has and I love it. It helped me through video games I was stuck in but also assemble the computer i'm currently using on my own, helped me through bike repairs that I'd have never attempted on my own, showed me how to do all sorts of things involving folded paper, and now crocheting. <3

[therealsnape.livejournal.com]

That looks lovely! And I'm flattered you use our national colour. Such a pretty stitch, too.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

I'm quite envious that this lovely colour is your national colour, too, orange is so pretty! And I'm flattered you like it. :)

[ysilme]

I'm not too bad at needlework, but the pattern doesn't look easy to me! The only things I'm usually crocheting are potholders, some doll's clothes and small bags for the girls. This looks beautiful and I works well with the colours, I think, but I can't imagine right now how this will work as a scarf; it looks a bit thick for it? But well executed in any case!

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

It really is very easy, otherwise I could't do it. If you can do a chain stitch (seriously, English crocheting terminology sounds so much more badass than our German terms - "work a chain" sounds far more crafty than "häkle eine Luftmasche") a half- and a double crochet and you're good. Look here: link (http://moiracrochets.hubpages.com/hub/Crocodile-Crochet-Stitch-Pattern).

You're right about it being very thick and warm, but I didn't know that when I saw a scarf made from this pattern (here (http://www.favecrafts.com/master_images/Crochet/Rio%20Scarf.jpg)) and I liked it, but I think that this will probably fare better as a neck warmer (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crocodile-stitch-neckwarmer).

[ysilme]

You're right, the English terminology sounds way cooler. Crochet = Stäbchen? I really have to learn that lingo, I have no idea what means what... and I agree, the pattern looks more fitting for a neckwarmer, and it's really cool! I'm having the faint idea of doing a tea cosy by it, in different greens, making a dragon out of it... *g* I've been thinking of doing a tea cosy for a while, as the refill tea warmer lights have become so bad in quality and the system with the wax balls is working fine, but a bit costly. I think one also could do some terrific fingerles gloves from them, don't you?
Are you at Ravelry?

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

I found lists of terminology translation here (http://www.grannys-garret.com/terminology/haekelterm_us-dt.pdf) and here (http://www.von-stroh-zu-gold.de/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/HaekelspracheAbkuerzungen.pdf) (they're PDFs), and what doesn't help is that there are also differences between UK and US terminology (http://www.yarnfwd.com/main/crochet.html). A single crochet is a feste Masche, a double crochet is a Stäbchen.

Finger gloves are actually my next project, maybe not in Ravenclaw colours, though. *g* A dragon pattern tea cozy sound brilliant!

I'm not yet, but having poked around the site a bit I'm thinking of joining up. :) Are you?

[ysilme]

Also not yet, mainly for the fear of being motivated to start countless new projects... but since I will need help with the leaf-patterned jumper I plan to do next (when the current socks and the doll are done) I probably will eventually this year.
Thanks for the links! The crochet confusion sounds horrible, I already wanted to joke what then a "Doppelstäbchen" is..
I have knit finger gloves for myself (black and yellow striped), but not after a pattern, rather after how I thought they should be. I had knitted several pairs of mittens by that time which I had learned from some pattern, though. One thing I found is that the gusset/gore ? (Zwickel) for the thumb in the patterns I found was too short and not making them fit nicely. I have done soem fingerless gloves from oddments two or three years ago with a much better-fitting gusset. (Do you know which is the correct term?) If you like, I can take pics of both pairs and explain in detail as much as I remember. I still have the finger gloves, but don't wear them any longer because I can't stand the wool on my eczema skin.
I've used sock wool for both which is very suitable to my experience, particularly because you can simply drop them in the regular laundry which is rather important for gloves in my experience.

[cranky--crocus.livejournal.com]

It looks great to me! What an interesting and neat pattern. I'm positively hopeless when it comes to yarn and knitting and crocheting; I always admire when others are able to do it!

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

As I said above, it's really, really easy, otherwise I'd be hopeless. Most of my time spent on this pattern I spent on getting the knots out of my wool.