Smitten with Mittens

I just got a great book called 60 quick knits. It has 20 designs each of hats, scarves and mittens. I love mittens.  They are toasty to wear and are quick to knit being basically a sock but without the hassle of turning a heel.

I plan to run a cord through my sleeves to keep them safe. IDIOT MITTENS ROCK!!!!!

US vs UK terminology

As any crochet fan will know crocheting has a terminology all of it's own. What you may not realise as a beginner is that the UK and the US terminology is subtlety different. Why it has to be different I'll never know and it is a constant annoyance having to translate from one to the other. Your favourite will most likely be a which ever you happened to learn first.

So how can you tell if a pattern follows the UK or US standard? It's easy really. If the pattern uses the term 'single crochet' (sc), then you can be sure it is a US pattern. There is no such stitch as single crochet in UK terminology, instead it is called a double crochet. You can find plenty of neat reference charts so I am not going to list them all here. I just want to make any beginners aware that these two standards do exist and you need to be aware which terminology your pattern uses.

Which is best? Well being from the UK, I have to say I think the best is definitely the US terminology. Yes indeed. How unpatriotic! Why? Firstly, if you compare the two then the US is more logical. It uses single, double, treble as the main stitches. This makes sense to me. The UK version uses double, treble, double treble for these same three stitches. What a mouthful.

If you are starting out I would urge you to make the US terminology your 'native' crochet language because as well as being more logical, more importantly the vast majority of patterns on the Internet are US in origin and therefore use the US terms. Also most of the good crochet books I have come across are US in origin. Yes, there are some great UK patterns and books, but there are LOADS MORE using US terms. So go with the flow and use the one most of your patterns will probably in.

Clover hooks rock

I've done a lot of crocheting and I love to buy hooks. Not the dull grey plastic and metal ones that you can pick up everywhere, but just about anything else. Wooden ones, colourful plaggy ones, oversized ones and even some smashing ones with an LED light in the hook for those late night crochet sessions. However the *best* and most comfortable ones to use (I think) are the Clover ones.
Ergonomic and comfy to hold, you won't get a crampy hand with these. They aren't the cheapest, but buy the sizes as you need them and it won't break the bank. You get what you pay for. And as my Dad always say 'buy cheap, buy twice'.

Go on. Treat yourself.

Catherine Wheel Crochet

This is a great crochet pattern.  Like a lot or crochet the hardest part is getting started, but once the pattern is established it's much easier.  It grows slower than a lot of crochet patterns and uses a lot of wool, but it is super thick.  Here I am making a scarf to get the feel of the pattern, but it is thick and substantial enough to make a great rug.

Heres a close-up look of the pattern.

If you fancy having a go at this stitch there is a brilliant video tutorial to be had just here. 
Awesome catherine wheel crochet tutorial.
Give it a go and have fun.

Craft or Dog Blog ?

I love craft blogs and I love dog blogs, but which is better? I guess there's only one way to find out - FIGHT!!! Well okay, that's not practical and this isn't Harry Hill. So instead of choosing between the two hopefully this will do for both.