Tuesday, January 27, 2009

conquering crochet!

Today the mercury was hovering just shy of 40C [ 104F ] so probably NOT the day of choice to add crochet tutor to my CV

but we managed

and managed quite well

it probably helped keep the temperature under control that Purl's Palace is housed in a very old, solid brick building with 20 foot ceilings but boy! was it noticeable when we all ventured outside to the cars afterwards !!!!!

anyway

you'll just have to take my word for it that those are looks of intense concentration from [l to r] Caroline, Kirsten, Sarah, and Zoe as they navigate the complexities of chains, double crochet and trebles, reading written directions, japanese style schematics and the totally confusing differences between American and Everywhere-Else's terminology, not to mention the complexities of metric hooks versus the American 'system' which seems to revolve around every manufacturer having a slightly different set of standards for hook sizing and nomenclature.
Quite a lot to cover really but we got through it all and after some samples, everyone made a start on their Scarf-which-still-has-no-name in CashmerinoSome of you might remember that I canvassed your opinions last year as to whether I was on the right track with this being the sample, and you'll no doubt be relieved [ yeah ... I know ... just humour me here ... I choose to believe that you've all been on tenterhooks for months as to whether we collectively got it right, okay ? ]
when I tell you that everyone was completely happy with this as their premier effort.

I will be posting the pattern as a freebie sometime this week but not today as I completely forgot to measure the samples and they are back at Purl's

13 comments:

Lindi said...

Glad it went so well. I'm drooling about the background in that photo! Second heaven (apart from fabric)!
BTW i love your new header - great quilt there on the wall and of course it's perfectly shown off by the gorgeous feline in the photo.

Nadie said...

40C, not F, and the temps about that down here too. Glad the class went well

catsmum said...

thanks for picking up on the typo Nadie - 't'is fixed.

catsmum said...

oh yes
Lindi m'love
all the Japanese fabric - new and vintage - was just behind my shoulder when I took that photo so from my point of view yes it IS my second heaven

lisette said...

purty! is it ok if i come up for a lesson sometime soon?

catsmum said...

yup

Rose Red said...

How awful is the weather!!

Gosh Purl's looks like a great yarn shop. Hope I can visit it some day.

And gee, those Americans, they've got a lot to answer for in relation to crochet, don't they!

Anonymous said...

Has Purls been there for a while?
I seem to recall spending money there. Not quite sure on what now though??
I have actually sewn for two nights in a row. Friend and I are making musical stash and slash or whack...whichever is not the Bethany one. And I sat in happy contentment that I had made enough cuts.......then one bloomin block argued for 2 more...so that of course is 2 more for the lot.
3rd night coming up. I actually sewed this afternoon. While you were playing with wool no doubt...
I love crochet. Cruel Mother made me learn when I needed a rug in boy friend's car...back before car heaters.....sheesh I am old...and so she made me crochet it..and then I could crochet. Cruel Mothers are good for one.
I have been blathering...........lol

Alwen said...

I went to a yarn store on Sunday, too, but it was more like 20 F (about -6 C) than 40 C!

(And now I'm not a Malabrigo virgin any more.)

Verification is "cryinga", so "Inga! Inga!"

Lynne said...

Sounds like all went well in spite of the dripping temperatures outside! And I love the scarf - I think it's a very inspiring project for beginners [so much better than granny squares!]

crazyhaberdasher said...

Of course I spotted the Kokeshi!
Great photo - would love another angle!

Warty Mammal said...

Gorgeous sample.

Using the metric system for crochet hooks seems eminently sensible. I have a drawer rattling with hooks labeled with alphabet soup, and none of it makes a hill of beans worth of sense as far as I can tell.

Anonymous said...

Susan, thanks again for the workshop on Tuesday. It was great to learn the basics and the scarf is coming along nicely...just have to find a cool place....somewhere, 43C here at the moment.