Crochet Journey

...If you crochet long enough, it's inevitable that you will eventually have some pain in your hands, wrists, shoulders, even your neck and back.  It's the same with any repetitive movement, even one as relaxing as crochet.  But by paying attention to your body and forming better ergonomic habits, you can minimize your discomfort, avoid pain and enjoy crochet for a lifetime.  First, pay attention to your posture.  Curling up on a sofa or even in bed to crochet may be cozy, but you need support for your back and your arms.  It's better to crochet in a chair with arms for support, as your arms and shoulders will tire from holding up your work on their own.  If you don't have a chair with arms, use a pillow under each elbow for support.  Relax your shoulders and avoid hunching them. Taking frequent breaks is important for resting not only your muscles, but your eyes.  Stretch your arms, grip a stress ball, turn your neck slowly, do some shoulde...

I've been seeing a lot of articles lately regarding crocheting just as fast as possible.  8-hour afghan!  6-hour baby blanket! 15-minute dishcloth!  And there are genuine prodigies who amaze and dazzle us with their natural talent for producing gorgeous crocheted projects in what seems the wink of an eye!  How do we keep up?  Or can we?  Or do we want to? I think speed-crocheting appealed to me more when I was younger, when the goal was to produce as many hats, scarves, blankets and rugs as quickly as possible.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, my main motivation in learning to crochet was to be able to provide affordable gifts for others.  Anything to speed along the process was okay with me! But these days I see crochet, like knitting and other repetitive fiber work, mainly as a way to slow down, relax and take a brief vacation from our hurried, harried lives.  The time we spend leisurely crocheting, curled up in an afghan against t...

Is it too early to crochet for Christmas?  Never!  In fact, November is rather late to start; many yarnists start holiday crochet in July, seldom later than August!  But we also began working on stockings today to gain some exposure to working sock heels.  This will stand everyone in good stead for making socks and slippers in the future.  Heels can be tricky; they involve short-row crochet, working into part of a row, making the short rows narrower and narrower, then expanding out again and attaching the edges to make a deft turn in the sock.  Once you've done it, it's easy from then on. These simple stockings can also be dressed up, adding embellishments, embroidery; they're a great canvas for Christmas creativity! We'll be working on the stocking projects for one more week; you've still got time to get on board!  Join us Mondays at 10 a.m.!

The stitch for the November "Stitch of the Month" is called the "Lemon Peel" stitch.  It is also called the "Griddle Stitch."  It's been my experience, over many years as a crocheter, that stitch names have evolved over time, but oftentimes what's old is new again.  Great stitches never really go out of style! The Lemon Peel stitch is fairly simple, just rows of alternating single and double crochet stitches, but it makes a lovely textured fabric that can be used in a myriad of ways.  It's sturdy, but with a larger hook, and thinner yarn, it can also make a fabric that is soft with a beautiful drape as well.  The yarn used in this photo is KnitPicks Brava Worsted  yarn in Dublin. What makes it a great stitch this time of year is that it's perfect for crocheting with darker yarns.  It's not so necessary to see the stitches, as one can feel where the single and double crochets should go, singles in the "hills" and doubles ...