What are you knitting/crocheting right now?

[kmehrzad]

I crocheted two mermaid tails for my granddaughter. One is an open concept with one flap over the other and the second tail is a closed, wherein you slide yourself inside.

[ny biker]

I crocheted two mermaid tails for my granddaughter. One is an open concept with one flap over the other and the second tail is a closed, wherein you slide yourself inside.

How fun!

(You're in Charleston now?)

[Catrin]

They both look like fun, both to knit and for your granddaughter!

[ny biker]

Catrin that sweater you made is beautiful. I'm glad you've found an activity that helps at least one ailment!

I still want to learn to crochet, but right now I have to focus on upping my game at work, learning new technical stuff. I don't know if I'd ever want to learn to knit and take on more complicated projects, but then again when I bought my mountain bike back in 1998 I thought I'd never want to do one of those crazy century rides, and five years later I there I was on a road bike doing the NYC Century. So never say never...

[salsabike]

I love those mermaid tails!

nybiker, wish we lived closer. I would happily teach you to crochet--it's easier than knitting and superfast. Its disadvantages--uses more yarn, often although not always bulkier "cloth". But it's easy and fun.

[kmehrzad]

Thanks Salsabike. They were fairly easy to make. I believe I got the patterns off Ravelry. And I agree with you ... crocheting is much more forgiving than knitting. If you drop stitches or need to pull out stitches, getting back on track is so much easier.

I love those mermaid tails!

nybiker, wish we lived closer. I would happily teach you to crochet--it's easier than knitting and superfast. Its disadvantages--uses more yarn, often although not always bulkier "cloth". But it's easy and fun.

[kmehrzad]

Here's my latest completed project - a baby blanket for my niece's soon-to-be-born son. I broke with traditional baby colors and went with Lion Brand Heartland yarn blends. I LOVE the Heartland yarn; it's so easy to work with and the blends are beautiful.

[ny biker]

I still want to learn to crochet, but right now I have to focus on upping my game at work, learning new technical stuff. I don't know if I'd ever want to learn to knit and take on more complicated projects, but then again when I bought my mountain bike back in 1998 I thought I'd never want to do one of those crazy century rides, and five years later I there I was on a road bike doing the NYC Century. So never say never...

<bump>

Just over a year since I posted this... I still am supposed to be learning new technical stuff at work, but yada yada yada that's a topic for another thread. This past Christmas I asked for "whatever I would need to learn to crochet." And received a hook, a skein of bright blue yarn and a small book on how to crochet. The book is really better as a reference than an introductory teaching tool, but there are so many videos online that I think I've made some decent progress. My initial chain rows tend to be messy but my single crochet stitches are good. Double and and half-double crochets... well I thought I was doing well when I practiced with the bright blue acrylic yarn, but now I'm struggling a bit. I bought some mushroom-brown worsted wool, a nice basic neutral that will look good with many of my sweaters, and I'm working on a scarf. I tried a pattern that I found online, but decided I didn't like the way it looked after the first few rows so I started over with my own simple "pattern" -- ~7 inches wide, mostly single crochet with one or three rows of double crochet every 4 inches (21 rows) just for a bit of variety. I'm more than halfway done with it, on the second ball of yarn. But now I'm thinking maybe I will pull all the stitches out and start over. The DC stitches are looser than the SCs, so those rows look a bit messy and slightly wider than the SC rows. I could keep going and wear the scarf as it looks now, but I'm wondering if it will start to bother me over time or if I will grow to look fondly on it as my first very-imperfect piece. It's certainly good practice, either way.

I suspect that a softer acrylic yarn would be more forgiving of my imperfections. I've already bought some additional hooks in different sizes as well as several balls of "plum wine" colored acrylic yarn, which is a mauve/light pinkish purple color. I'm planning to use it for a hat and matching scarf. (I wear a lot of scarves while I'm at work, because I've found that keeping my neck covered helps me stay warm on cold winter days as well as hot summer days when the A/C is blasting too much. So having many different colors is a good thing.)

My goal for now is to get good enough to crochet a scarf or two to give as gifts next winter. Nothing fancy, just a two-color scarf that looks neat enough to give away.

[kmehrzad]

Hi NY Biker,

Yes, my husband and I moved south the end of 2013. Our kids (and grandchildren) live here in SC and we wanted to be closer to them. I still come back to the No VA area every 3 mos or so to take my mom to dr appts and visit with her. She wanted to stay in Ashburn since she has her routine there and all her friends. So I drive up (always bring a bike) and spend a half a week or so. This past Sept. a couple friends and I rode the GAP. It was such a wonderful ride. We carried our gear and stayed in B&Bs or motels along the way.
Have you gotten together with any of the other local VA/MD TE riders lately?

Kathy