summer crocheting

well. i was majorly in the mood to crochet this summer.  go figure.  i always thought crochet was a fall winter "sport."  i only use cotton though, so that's a cooler at least.  seriously though, have you noticed how cool crochet has gotten these days?  i don't remember crochet being this hip since i was a child back in the 80's.  part of my acquaintance with this obsession is due to one sheepish girl's blog.  i can't remember now how i stumbled upon her blog, but i enjoy it immensely.  i've also been having trouble resisting simply crochet magazine.  it's by the publishers of mollie makes magazine, another that i've been having trouble resisting.  their projects are so doable and so fresh and appealing.

anyhoo.  this was my first summer project.  a set of cheerful coasters for the coffee table.  g and his little friends eat there quite often, so these are coming in handy.  when i first started crocheting up a storm back in the 80's, i would make this and that without patterns.  sculpting with yarn, if you will.  so far, i've reverted back to that tendency.  hopefully, i will actually use a pattern from one of my new magazines this fall.

i am apparently a crochet on the go type girl.  i spent many happy hours crocheting by the canal while the boys fished on our florida trip.  and look!  i have finally figured out what to do with my grandmother's old bundt pan.  it makes a perfect crochet project keeper.

this is a quick snap of my second summer project.  a little coin purse that my mother claimed as soon as i finished hand stitching the zipper in.  i decided i didn't like the hand stitched zipper.  my stitching doesn't look tidy at all, and it takes too much time.  i also realized that i need to loosen up my starting chain.  i like nice tight crochet stitches, so i use a smaller hook than suggested on projects, but i definitely needed to loosen up just a bit on the starting chain so the bottom wouldn't curl up like that.

here is take two of the coin purse. i found this awesome lighter weight cotton/acrylic blend.  it's called cotton-ish by bernat.  i found it on an endcap at joann's and fell in love.  and luckily i was able to get the whole selection at 40% off.  joann's was having their coupon commotion sale at the time.  i grabbed what i could with the in-store flyer, went back for more with the circular i got in the mail, and then my dear friend tammy grabbed me the last few colors with her leftover coupons.  major score!  isn't that just a happy pictures!  an added perk of the lighter weight yarn is that the weave is thin enough for machine stitching of the zipper.  unfortunately, i have yet to perfect my machine stitching on crochet technique.  i'll keep you posted.

i also snagged that tunesian crochet hook.  i'm kind of anxious to try that after seeing a lovely dishcloth on a blog or in a magazine somewhere.  i just forget where.  i swear, summer seems like such a blur since school started back.

and i will end with a public service announcement.  holding a kitty in your lap while wearing shorts can be dangerous.  holding a kitty in your lap while wearing shorts and crocheting can be VERY dangerous.  happy crocheting!  :)