Knitting, Crochet, Crafting, Art & More

My Favorite Crochet Tools & Notions

Hooks

Furls Streamline Swirl, I love the Cafe and Cream collection the most. These are quite pricy, they run around $24 dollars each. The good news it they have sales frequently so if you keep your eyes open you can get a great deal. I ended up getting one a month for a while until I had the entire set. For me, these are super smooth to use with all different yarn types, but also feel really comfortable in the hand. Before I got my first one I thought it was all hype, these hooks are really amazing.

Clover Amour Crochet Hook, these hooks are also amazing. They feel great in the hand and glide easily with nearly every type of yarn I have worked with. These are a lot more affordable and come in kits or singular. The prices are generally around $8 if you buy them one at a time, but I never paid more than $4 because I always have a coupon for my local crafting store. These were the hooks I learned on and I still use them regularly. When I give people crochet starter kits, I even add these hooks to them.

Notions

Clover Darning Needle Set (Bent Tip), with every crochet project sadly, you have to weave in some ends. I think this is the worst part of crochet, but I never weave in as I go. Anyway, I found that I LOVE metal bent tip darning needles the best. These allow me to get in between the stitches at a comfortable angle for my hand and wrist.

Yarn Basket, I use Decorative Coiled Rope Baskets from Threshold™, they have quite a few sizes. I came across these when walking around target one day about a year or so ago. I loved the huge size range of these baskets and I thought the neutral coiled rope look went really well with the yarn. They even have handles so you can use these as a yarn bowl if you were so inclined. I generally just use them to hold my WIPs and a larger one to hold all my yarn…. okay some of my yarn. Yarn has its own version of a TBR pile.

Yarn Bowl from kbkilnart on etsy. I have two yarn bowls created by this shop and I love them both so much. They are heavy enough where they stay still, but not too heavy to move around with.

Stitch makers, I have a huge collection of stitch markers. I have over 100 because I use them for almost every project. I tend to buy the cheaper ones although there really are some beautiful ones I see constantly on etsy. My tried and true ones are Clover Locking Stitch Marker. I have never had one pop open on me out of no where and I have never had one snap as well.

Row counter from TwillandPrint on etsy. I have a row counter from them called Witchy Row Counter Pin. it is beautiful and functional! It is a row counter with a pin back so you can attach it to your project I also like that it is not digital and a physical counter.

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Knitting, Crochet, Crafting, Art & More

Crochet Talk | January – March 2021

Hello and welcome to another crochet check in! The past few months I have taken on quite a few new projects and challenges when it comes to crochet and I wanted to take a moment to share the outcomes of these adventures. I know a bit ago I did a post detailing my crochet plans called, Crochet Talk | Upcoming Projects, I figured I should share an update!


The Projects

The first project I finished was a Crochet Kobo Cover. I used a pattern inspired by Melanie Ham called Easy Crochet Kindle Cover. I used Lion Brand Comfy Cotton Blend in the color Chai Latte with a 6.0 mm hook. I added a the optional strap and button as well as a fabric lining, the first time I have done either. It was a bit of a challenge doing the lining, but I think the next time I try it will be better.

The next few projects I made were Drawstring Pom Pom Bags designed by Knit Crochet Addict called Crochet Drawstring Pom Pom Bag, I left the pom poms off, not really my style, but it is cute! I used Wool Ease by Lion Brand in quite a few different colors because I made two for me a few for friends of mine. When making this I used the recommended hook size on the yarn to complete the project.


This next project was a basket called the Jessie Stash Basket by Toni Lipsey. To complete the project I used Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick Color Fisherman doubled up and used a 9.0 mm hook. I really loved how this book came out so much in this cream color! I even placed it on my nightstand to hold my current read and current crochet projects. It is very durable too because the yarn was doubled up. I really love Toni’s patterns and videos.

Next, I created a Highlander Twisted Shawl which was designed by Lilian for a friend of mine. I decided to use Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick in the color Galaxy, which is a bit hard to see in the picture, but is a deep purple with sparkles here and there. I ended up using a 9.0 mm hook. On a great note, my friend loved it!

Following the shawl, I made another gift, but this one was a Snoopy Amigurumi plush by Amigurinos softies. I ended up using Big Twist Value Worsted Yarn in black and white and used the size down from recommended hook size for the yarn. What I loved about Amigurumi is you can change up the yarn size and hook size to make a larger or smaller plush. I am happy with how this one comes out and I really hope the person it is meant for will love it.


This month I made a lot of gifts for others, this time around I made an Outlander Cowl by Jamey from Dabbles & Babbles. I used Big Twist Sincerely Solids in the color Oatmeal Heather. I doubled up on the yarn and ended up using a size 10.0 mm hook. I really loved the texture of this scarf and really love how this came out. The person I made it for ended up wearing it all day when I gifted it to them.

This next project is for me, I ended up making myself the Crochet The Claire Shawl From Outlander by Selina Veronique
using Stylecraft Special Aran in Khaki (1) and Camel (4). I ended up using a size 6.0 mm (J) hook. I decided to use yellow and a green color instead of the green and black used in the show because I wanted to make it more spring-y.

The last project I finished in March was Beginner Felici Crochet Socks by Briana K Designs. I ended up using
Patons North America Kroy Socks yarn doubled up, I actually mixed the colors brown rose marl and
gray brown marl together and used a 4.5 mm hook. This was a project I was very much intimidated by, but so happy that I tried. Plus, I am really happy with how they came out.

What hobbies have you been filling your time with?

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