So the life of a blogger isn't always on topic. Did I crochet this weekend? Yes, of course! Not as much as I would have liked to but I did work a bit on a cute hat order for a good friend in North Dakota, a little aviator hat and 2 knight helmet hats! I will be posting about both these fun patterns as I finish them up!
In order to crochet of course I must buy yarn (ok and sometimes I buy yarn just because its pretty and it needs me) but this last Friday I needed specific yarn which always brings up the question...where to buy, my options

1. Michaels  - Which I think is a pretty common craft store for most.
2. Joann's - Another common (and my favorite) craft and fabric store.
3. Walmart - Our Walmart really has an ok selection of yarn, they seem to always have a sale on some kind of yarn and they have had a good stock of Mandala yarn lately.

So faced with my choices I decided on Joann's because I needed a big cut of fabric as well! I really love that they carry fabric and such a great selection!! I could spend hours shopping the aisles! Which leads to some fun to be had by the bored teens who were in tow with me Friday....

Yes that is craft foam battle gear! The charged me from around the corner and I nearly died laughing!! (NO craft foam was harmed) Thankfully they are good kids and survived a lot more shopping.

Some things I consider before I choose where to shop are

• Yardage needed to complete pattern
• Yarn weight
• Yarn structure - I am not sure if this is the right thing to call it really, but different yarns crochet up differently. If for example I am making a Knight Helmet hat I will want a yarn that will crochet up to hold shape well, not something that will be soft and drapey. 
• recipient - If its for a baby I will want something softer, for a toddler or child I always get machine wash and dryable, for adults I always ask if they want it washable or if they prefer natural fibers like wool or cotton. 
• PRICE! I am sure you all guessed this one! I would love to make every hat or scarf out of a luxury yarn of course, but that really isn't feasible now is it? And I don't think its feasible for most crafters. So I always check online to see who is having sales before I go shopping. 

So I got my yarn; Red Heart Super Saver for the Knight hats and Red Heart with Love for the baby aviator hat, and 3 skeins of Caron One Pound for an afghan for my sweet Nephew and his new bride!! Oh and I got the fabric I needed; 2 full yards of white cotton 120 inches wide!! 

I know that's a lot of fabric...you might ask "what are you sewing?" but the truth is I didn't sew it. We used it to make a HUGE screen in our back yard!! My husband and I really love UFC and there was a big pay per view fight we had planned to rent and watch with friends, I was able to borrow a projector from work and we turned the whole thing into a big yard party!

I made a quadruple batch of fresh cucumber salsa, a double batch of homemade meatballs and about 4 dozen rolls and a gallon of sun tea!! Our friends and some family came over and we had a blast! Its really hard for me to do so much in one day, see I have Fibromyalgia, so being able to get it all together and still enjoy the night was just wonderful. 

There was a bit of yarn in the evening, when my sister decided to knit and her cake of yarn had a bit of a snag....

Ok it was a big snag and it took 3 of us to sort it out and rewind it!

Next post I will be talking about the yarn brands I use the most and hopefully reviewing the baby aviator hat from Red Heart! Its adorable so far and super easy!!

Hello!! And WELCOME to a Stitch of Mine!! I am so glad to be here!

A little about me; I learned to crochet from my great grandmother 16 years ago when I was just 21 and pregnant with my first child. I grew up watching my granny crochet booties and blankets for all the babies born, and potholders and slippers for Christmas gifts. I am not sure which of us was happier to have me learning from her, it was an amazing experience for me in so many ways.

 She was almost 90 then and just tickled to have her great granddaughter spending hours every evening in her patio swing learning to crochet. While I practiced on a potholder those first few weeks she not only watched and helped me but also managed to hook up 2 pairs of baby booties for my son. Granny passed away about 6 years ago now, but I always say she gave me a gift that I can give away a million times over and never lose. And I do. I taught my husband, sister, daughter and countless friends how to crochet over the last 16 years. 

So I have a crazy love for crochet and to be honest I am a pattern hoarder. I have tried designing a few things of my own, but I much prefer a well written pattern to follow, some of my favorite designers include Snappy Tots, Meg Made With Love, Twinkie Chan and All about Ami. 

So what am I here to blog about if not my own designs? Simply put; I am here to share my experience with the designs of others! Paid patterns, free patterns, established designers and new designers. I hope to help you find great new patterns to try and show you how easy even big projects can be! I hope you follow along this journey with me and let me know what kinds of patterns you want to see! 

I will leave you with a few pictures of some of my most loved recent projects. I will put links to each pattern after the pictures. 

This is the Faded Stripes Slouchy Hat by Whistle and Ivy, it is a free pattern. I really LOVED this pattern. Very simple but has a really nice drape to it. I used red heart super saver in Flamingo and Soft White, RHSS can sometimes work up stiff if the pattern is done in a tight stitch, this pattern alternates single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet which keeps it from getting the stiff fabric you might get from a pattern done all in single crochet, even using the recommended G 4mm hook it still has a softer drape. The only intermediate stitching would be the back loop only stitches (BLO) used on the brim of the hat, but even these are easy enough for a beginner to tackle!! This pattern does not contain a link to a tutorial for the BLO stitch but there is a good one here Back Loop only tutorial on the Moogly Blog.

This is the Build a Bag by Snappy Tots, this is a paid pattern but TOTALLY worth it! There are numerous different animal options to choose from. My daughter chose the frog and owl, but there is also a monkey, snowman, bat, cow and more!! This pattern was so easy to follow I made this bag in about 3 hours the night before Easter and 2 hours Easter morning! This pattern and all of the Snappy Tots patterns I have purchased (there are some great free ones as well) have come very well written with photo tutorials on some of the trickier parts like the frogs feet, as well as a list of common crochet abbreviations at the end of each pattern and her contact information for any issues or questions you may have. I love the creativity and fun of Snappy Tots and her patterns, she has a range of patterns from bags and hats to slippers and scarves. I have personally purchased most of her current patterns and am excited to share them here with you as I hook them up!

I hope you enjoyed this first post. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. 

See you next time!! 

Keep Hookin'  

Love, Um.