Wednesday, October 28, 2009

hook + cloth

Hello, lovely Internet (and real life) friends. Thank you for the comments on my granny pillow. Here's the one I'm working on now.

One side is done, and I started the other side today. Crochet is fast; I guess it's all the holes. It's fast, and it's glorious. I'm using the basic granny square pattern at Purl Bee.

I have some wrist pain; so the type of crochet hook I use makes a difference. I'd been loving the Clover Soft Touch hooks, pricey though they are compared to the old-fashioned all-metal kind, but then I needed a size 7. I hopped around to Hobby Lobby and found a 7 in Susan Bates Bamboo Handle hooks. The next day I went back for an 8 and a 9 because I like the SB Bamboo Handle even more than I like the Clovers (and I've always preferred the throat on SB hooks). The handle is longer, giving my hand a resting place. They're more ergonomic. I don't grip as hard to hold on to the hook, which means I can crochet longer. The SB's are priced well, too. Check out these reviews.

In other making news this week, I did up some curtains. I'd been living with mini-blinds for nearly a year because I didn't want to spend the money on fabric, but the other day I couldn't take it anymore. I remembered some drop-cloth curtains I'd seen somewhere a while back, and decided that would be my most reasonable option.


I wanted tone and texture, and drop cloth delivers for less than 10 bucks a panel. They don't call it the poor man's linen for nothing. I washed the panels, hemmed them, and voila. I also spray painted the Ikea curtain rods because this particular rod only comes in black and gray.

Here are some nifty instructions for working with drop cloth. And look at some of the cool things you can make with it. The upholstered chairs are my favorite.

8 comments:

Ellen Bloom said...

Woo Hooo...look at you! Granny Squares 'r Us! G.S. are great stash busters too. LOVE the aqua pillow!

Thanks so much for the drop cloth curtains idea. I'm def. going to do this! LOVE it!

We'll miss you at tonight's Stitch 'n Witch Ms. Carla!

Stacy Kraus McDonald said...

The curtains look great! And good to see you back around...

AllyB said...

I still love your manual typewriter. It's a work of art!

Amy said...

Thanks for the tip. I may even try it, my non crafty self.

Natalie said...

Your giant granny square looks awesome! The color is divine and so are the curtains. They are genius and really make a difference in the room. Can't wait to see them in person.

Natalie said...

PS. Missed you at SnW :( Wahhhh.

Adrienne said...

LOVE IT!

Ilix said...

Fantastic colours!
I love your typewriter too!