Warm and cosy for winter

I've just completed this chunky, colourful hat in Sirdar Squiggle yarn, colour Fushcia. The yarn is lovely to feel and delightful to crochet with - but I wouldn't expect anything less from Sirdar. It's 51% wool so cosy and warm and washes at 40 degrees in a machine. I can certainly recommend it and here is another great colourway.

It's a very easy pattern from Twenty To Make Taster Projects which came free with a Crafts Beautiful magazine I recently purchased. Although Crafts Beautiful covers all crafts and so has a limited number of crochet patterns in each issue, it nevertheless is great for ideas and to spark your imagination on possibilities.

The hat itself is on my Folksy shop. It can be worn either in slouchy or in Russian style. Turning the brim down completely makes it super-slouchy (not shown in photographs). It is very kindly modelled here by my friend and neighbour Elsie and the photographs don't really do justice to the colour.

I particularly like the edging on this pattern. It is called Rope Edging and involves working double crochet (US single crochet) backwards from left to right - most peculiar but a lovely effect. Why not try it on the next hat you make?

I was wondering whether to keep this for myself...

 A few nights ago I crocheted a grey wrist cuff - quite simply in trebles (double crochet in US terms) and attached a large rich red flower to it. Two red buttons to match and it was complete.

I was pondering on whether to put it on my Folksy shop or keep it for myself - and veering towards the latter - when a friend called round. 'Ooh, I like that,' she said. Now I was definitely pleased by her words until she asked how much I was selling it for. Well, what could I do? She's a friend! So off she went with it on her wrist. Free, with the proviso that if anyone admires it she must tell them I'll make one for them for a fiver!

I might just have to make another one for myself now - or even two then one can go on Folksy, after all.

So who am I? And why By Hook or By Crook?

I'm a retired IT consultant who has gone back to my first love of knitting and crochet - well, mostly crochet, really. And that's what this blog is about. Crochet, and how I'm growing with it and it's growing with me.

The crook bit? Ah, now, that's something different. As well as being a retired IT consultant I am also a retired clergywoman in the Church of England. So it seemed appropriate. You know, shepherds and sheep and all that!

Playing about with yarn

What am I working on at the moment? Well, I'm currently experimenting with different yarns and hooks but also, at the same time, I'm in the process of crocheting a string bag for a friend's birthday.  Not just any string bag, of course! A purple string bag in a boat shape. I'll be writing the pattern up as I go and posting it later on the three places I frequent - Ravelry, Folksy and Craftsy. Oh, and here now, of course.

So back to the experimenting...