River Colors Journal

Monday, June 06, 2016

It's sun hat season!

"Why would you spend all that time making that? You can buy them at Walmart, you know."

<wince>

Yep, we've all heard that statement at one time or another, usually from a well-meaning friend or relation who thinks they have our best interests at heart. And we talk to them about the superiority of hand-knit socks, the uniqueness of a crocheted cowl, and the fact that keeping our hands busy keeps us happy.

But fans of crochet have one extra point they should make, an important one that escapes most people's attention. While spinning and knitting machines allow for the inexpensive manufacture of many items, there is still no machine that can duplicate the motions or finished product of hand crochet. And that means that every crochet cowl, sunhat, cardigan, or afghan you see for sale - no matter how low the price - was made by someone with a ball of yarn and a hook in one hand.

Think about the economics of that. Walmart has a crocheted sun hat for sale for $8. They're making a profit on it, of course, and that markup is usually about 50% of the price. So they paid $4 for the hat, but they didn't pay that to the craftsman - they bought it from an importer (who marked up the price), who may have bought it from a wholesaler (who made profit on the deal), who in turn paid someone to crochet the hat. It's a pretty simple design, and an experienced crafter could probably make it in two or three hours. But that hat probably earned its maker significantly less than $1 in profit. That's not anything approaching a living wage, anywhere in the world.

Of course, a discount store isn't the only place you can buy sun hats. You can go to etsy.com, where a quick search will turn up hundreds of options, many of them with a price that is reasonable for the amount of work involved, but can't compete with a big-box retailer. You can also search online and in person for fair-trade suppliers who work with craftspeople in impoverished areas to pay fair wages for the work performed. One trendy supplier is Krochet Kids International, which offers a cute raffia sunhat ... for $60.

Or you could, you know, crochet one yourself. Sun hats aren't hard, and the materials to make them certainly won't cost you $60. For example, this (free) pattern comes in infant to adult sizes, is made from Berocco Modern Cotton, and is super cute with that ribbon around the crown:

http://melodys-makings.com/free-beach-sun-hat-crochet-knit-pattern/

Other yarn choices would allow you to make an airy-er crown, a stiffer brim, or a multi-colorered masterpiece of awesome millinery. Personally, I want to make a slightly oversized version of the one above using Rowan Original Denim, then wash it a bunch of times to get it nice and faded and stiff.

We'd love to see pictures of you in your summer crochet and knitwear. Post them on Instagram and tag them with #RCSsummerfavorites so we can all appreciate your efforts!

- Gretchen

Labels: 2016, cotton, crochet, hat, lightweight, linen, Modern Cotton, Original Denim, quick, summer, sunhat

Monday, May 23, 2016

Stashbusting, or, "What do I do with all these little balls of leftover yarn?"

There are lots of reasons why you might have random balls of yarn stuffed in odd places around your house:

You made a pair of socks and had almost 1/4 of the skein leftover
You bought an extra ball of yarn when making a sweater
You bought souvenir yarn ... in every town you've visited for the past decade

Even if you've gone through and organized your main stash (have you seen how the Yarn Harlot does it?), it's inevitable that you'll be left with a some orphans. Sure, you can stick them in bowls and use them to decorate your house, but wouldn't it be nice to find a crafty use for them?

(http://jaimeddesigns.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-i-organize-my-yarn-stash.html)

Crochet is the perfect way to use up those precious little bits I can't bear to throw away. For example, you can make:

Embellishments - sew them on a hat or bag, or attach to a pin and use as an accent on many different outfits.

(http://www.molliemakes.com/craft-2/tutorial-tuesday-crochet-flowers/)

Stuffed animals - give them to a child or put them on your desk, they're not just for kids anymore!

(http://happyamigurumi.blogspot.com/2014/12/fee-amigurumi-pattern-owl.html)

Scrappy afghans - granny squares, stash-busting stripes, and log cabins are all good choices.

(https://notyouraveragecrochet.com/as-we-go-stripey-blanket/)

And finally, my recent favorite method of using up stash yarns ... holding several yarns together and using a big hook to crochet a blanket, rug, or shawl in record time. Check out what three strands of fingering weight yarns look like when you crochet them with a hook the size of your pinkie finger (that's a 9.0 mm, or US M/N hook in the picture):

My obsession started with the yarns in the "grab bags" we had in the shop, and when I ran out of them I moved on to raiding my leftover yarns. Seven shawls and three blankets later, I still love the look of it! Almost any pattern for worsted weight (or larger) yarn will work, so have fun poking around on Ravelry to find a pattern that looks like fun to you.

And by the way ... if you try this technique, don't be afraid to join yarns in the middle of a row. There's a great way to do it almost invisibly called the "magic knot." Check out this tutorial for more information on how to do this crazy-useful technique, which also comes in handy when you're making a lacy fabric where it would be difficult to hide the yarn tails.

- Gretchen

Labels: 2016, afghans, amigurumi, crochet, easy, embellishments, quick, stashbuster

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Crochet linen stitch - beautiful, versatile, and EASY!

Many customers have been curious about a project I have been working on, a striped cotton baby blanket I designed for my newest nephew. It’s worked in crochet linen stitch (sometimes called moss stitch), which is one of the easiest and most versatile stitches in the craft. It’s basically [single crochet, chain 1] worked into the chain-1 spaces of the previous row. After the first row or two you’ll fall into the rhythm of it - it’s very relaxing to watch the beautiful fabric just flying off your hook! This stitch breaks up pooling in handpainted yarns and gives an interesting texture to solids. By playing around with color, yarn weight, and hook size, you can get a myriad of different effects with this one simple stitch.

Kogarashi Cowl (a self striping yarn)

Crocheted Linen Stitch Scarf from Churchmouse Yarns

Braedan’s Blankie

Crochet linen stitch is versatile, beautiful, and easy to master - what are you waiting for? Grab a hook and get stitching!

My favorite quick gift uses crochet linen stitch and one skein of interesting yarn to make a cowl in a flash. Here’s how to make your own:

Pick a hook size that is AT LEAST twice the diameter of your yarn. Bigger is better, but don’t go crazy with it. Work a small swatch to make sure you’re happy with the drape of the fabric you’re making.
Leaving an 18” tail when you make the slip knot, make chain stitches until this foundation chain is the width of the cowl you want to make (between 6” and 8” is pretty standard, but you can make it wider or narrower).
Work the linen stitch back along the foundation row - instructions here.
Continue in linen stitch until strip is desired length (or you don’t have enough yarn to complete another row), then cut yarn and secure last stitch.
Sew the ends of the strip together with the long tail you left at the beginning. Mattress stitch is often used, but you could whip stitch it or use any other sewing method you like.

For a regular loop, join the two ends without a twist.
For a Mobius loop, flip one end of the strip once before you join the ends.

Weave in ends.

This project can also be worked lengthways with no seam; check out this free pattern for instructions on working the Mobius version in the round.

Gretchen

Labels: crochet, easy, linen stitch, pattern, quick, stashbuster