Kid's Hobbity: I'm so excited to be branching out into kid sizes!

A Close Look at Some Beaded Crochet

Credit goes to: Irregular Expressions

Here's What's New In The Exciting World of Felted Crochet Slippers!

Ravelry: Men's moccasin slipper:

Oh No! Things Have Gone Pear-Shaped!

Credit goes to: ponnekeblom  Great site with a little help from Google Translate!

Newest Prototype: Men's Moccasin Slipper

Another pattern in the works. Just need some better photos and to proof the pattern and it's ready for Ravelry! If you wanna shout when it's ready, lemme know. Happy crochet to all!

Men's Moccasin: In four sizes. 

Highlighted on Berroco's Blog today....So Cool!!!

Here's the link:

Designer Spotlight: The Klompen by Lydia Hamilton

by ashleypalumbo on May 23, 2014

Lydia Hamilton is addicted to crochet and she doesn’t care who knows it. We’re talking intervention-and-hidden-stash level addiction. She tries to put down her hook from time to time, but old habits die hard.

One of her favorite projects at the moment is actually her own design. The Klompen is a pair of felted, crochet slippers that Lydia made inBerroco Ultra Alpaca. Simple, stylish and practical, these slippers are quick and easy to crochet. You could even cast on and felt this project in the same day! New to felting? Lydia includes tips for best results in her pattern.

The Klompen by Lydia Hamilton

How long have you been crocheting?

I learned as a kid from my grandmother. It wasn’t until I was in graduate school and desperate to avoid working on my thesis that I began to learn how to read patterns. 


How did you come up with this design? 


I love designing slippers of all sorts. I’m particularly attached to felted slippers. This particular design was inspired in part by the popular Toms shoes. It has a modern appearance and is light enough to wear year round. It also crochets up quickly so you get that instant satisfaction that is so rewarding. 


How did you decide on the yarn?

Berroco Ultra Alpaca was a suggestion by the Vanessa, the owner of my LYS, Three Bags Full. I had been using other worsted weight yarns for my designs and I was getting a good result. But there was no turning back once I used Ultra Alpaca! This yarn creates a perfect felted fabric. You can’t see the stitches at all. It’s super soft to the touch and very light, yet hardy. The color selection is also amazing. If I could wave a magic wand, I would have a stash of every single color in this collection on hand!

Any crocheting disaster stories?

Oh man, when I first began felting, I had no idea how big to make the slippers. I made some so large that even after heavy felting they would have been too big for even the tallest of basketball players!

What’s your favorite thing about crocheting?

I love the meditative quality of crochet. I work in mental health care where there is a heavy emphasis on mindfulness, which essentially means being in the moment. Crochet takes you there and away from worries about both the past and the future. 


Do you have a cool design you want to share?  Or did you recently finish a project with Berroco yarn?  You can email Ashley: apalumbo@berroco.com or post it to the Berroco Lovers forum in Ravelry.http://blog.berroco.com/2014/05/23/designer-spotlight-the-klompen-by-lydia-hamilton/#comments

OK folks, here's the latest! Desperately in Need of a Name.

New Slipper Pattern: Gotta Think Up a Name!

The Moccasin: Felted Crochet Slipper Pattern for Women and Available on Ravelry.

Felted Crochet Slippers for Women PROMOTION!!! FREE DOWNLOAD FOR FIRST 20 RAVELERS

Enter Code: Hobbity at http://www.ravelry.com/redeem/lydia-hamilton-moss-crochet-designs

Promotion good until end of day Monday. Happy Crocheting!!!

Crocheted Felted Slippers: New Pics of the Hobbity Slipper.

Crochet Felted Slippers: Pattern Now on Ravelry for $5.25 FINALLY!!!!

The Hobbity Slipper

Felting Tip: How to Find Both Yarn Ends of a Skein

This is a great tip for those patterns that call for "two strands of worsted weight yarn" for felting. You do NOT need to buy two skeins if you have the yardage you need in one.

Crochet and Meditation: Words of Wisdom

As a mental health worker, I've been interested in the therapeutic benefits of crochet for some time. I had been planning to research and write a comprehensive article but recently came across the piece below which is a brief but very accurate description of how crochet can help calm the mind. This was originally published here: lifetips

Mindfulness

I think of mindfulness as being a little bit different than meditation -- meditation is a technique for achieving mindfulness. Mindfulness is an awareness of the present moment and all that is in that moment. It's also being aware of the world's effect on you at any given moment and your effect on the world.

Crochet is a great way to achieve mindfulness because it requires focus and attention. When you are following a pattern and counting stitches, it's hard to think about anything else. That's good, that's what leads to a clearing of the head and relaxation. Challenge yourself with a pattern that you think is too hard -- the extra effort and concentration you will have to put into the project will enhance your abilities to achieve focus and mindfulness. But, at the first sign of frustration, put the project down, nothing is achieved by added stress or disappointment. Come back to it when you are ready or abandon it all together -- it is the experimentation that is valuable in this setting, not the finished product!

Cascade 220 Heathers and Solids: What They Look Like Felted.

Over the past month or so I've been testing slippers for my Hobbity Slipper pattern. The result has been an assortment of colour combinations in lovely felted fabric. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. Any ideas? They're too beautiful to throw away!

Cascade 220s in mostly Heathers and some Solids. Used two strands for felting. 

Polish Crochet Porn? Suspenderbras? Goodness, What will they think of next...

I'm not in market for crochet suspender-bras, nor do I think they are going to be the next big thing. However, I must say I admire the designer's no-holds-back boldness and who-cares-what-others-think attitude.  In an odd way, this is what bravery looks like. Check out the original website (if you dare).

Check out the website if you dare: http://dziana-moda.crazylife.pl/

Factors to Consider When Felting In A Frontloader Washing Machine

Thought you couldn't felt in your front loading washer? Think again. It's absolutely possible. But there a few things you need to know:

 1. Always make a swatch or swatches. Measure before and after felting.

Here is an example of some slipper sole swatches. There is still a lot of stitch definition so I ended up felted a second time (not shown here). Without felting the swatches you make you won't have a proper gauge for your end product. Make a swatch using the yarn type and color you intend to use as some colors of the same yarn felt at different speeds. Really. It's true!

2: Water temperature: go for the sani-wash if you have the option. It is hot tap water which is additionally heated by the machine. If this is not an option, pick the hottest wash possible with a cold rinse. The cold rinse is important as it "shocks' the fibres and is responsible for a large part of the felting process.

3: Agitation: 

Add a dozen tennis balls and extra clothing, lots of smaller pieces of heavier fabric works best (so if you have kids clothes, throw them in). You can also use jeans, rags, smaller towels. All will all help.

If the pieces of clothing you adding are too big, they can envelop the item to be felted and actually stop it from being agitated by the tennis balls etc.

I do not recommend putting your item in a mesh bag with tennis balls. The space is too cramped, and in my attempts, the felting turned out uneven.

4. As yarns felt at different rates, pause your washer and check on item intermittently to make sure you don't take it further than you want.

5. You may have to do more than one cycle to get the felting where you want it to be. If after two cycles you want further felting, I suggest doing it by hand (it's not so bad if you do it in front of a good TV show).

6. Some felters recommend wetting your piece before putting it in the wash. Make sure other clothes are dry though (make sure you put the other items in the dryer if you are doing more than one cycle) or the machine will add too much water).

7. Work in all loose ends really well into work before felting. loosely close any potential holes with a yarn and needle.

8. Do not use the spin cycle if you are felting a large piece such as a bag, it may distort the shape. For something small like a slipper, the spin cycle is fine.

Please add to comments section if you have any tips to add. Happy felting everybody!

If Comment Section on Blogger Is Not Not Working....

Please contact me via Google+ or at mosscrochet@gmail.com if you find the comment section is missing. It is not compatible with some earlier web browsers. Happy Monday to all!

Felted Crochet Slipper: The Hobbit Slipper V.2

The Hobbit Slipper is Almost There. 

I'm thinking about recruiting a couple of volunteer pattern testers and technical editors. Anyone interested? 

The pattern is easy+ and requires someone who can crochet at that level (preferably intermediate). 

Also, experience with felting or slipper making will help a lot. Originally I was going to send the materials but I'm thinking it may be easier to send an Amazon gift card for the costs of the yarn so that you can buy your yarn locally. Contact me via comments or mosscrochet@gmail.com. You also get a copy of the completed pattern for free.

I'm taking Wednesday through Saturday to try to finalize the pattern and would be looking for folks who could work within that time frame. You would have consistent access to me if you get stuck, have questions etc.

How to get the Correct Size When Felting Crochet Slippers

A great question from +David Haylett 


Q: David Haylett

Hi +Lydia Hamilton I am not very good at this sort of thing but my partner is and I do like fashion, whether vintage or home made (my partner is currently heavily into sewing). My question is how do you get the fit and shape right, as I assume it must be difficult? Sorry for the long verbose question but I love your hobbit slippers.

A: Lydia Hamilton

Hi +David Haylett, Thanks for getting in touch.

It hasn't been easy, but I've been slowly creating a pattern based on a pair of slippers a made approximately a year ago (I'll never NOT write down a pattern again).

My pattern calls for a swatch to be made as per usual with hook size and yarn requirements. The pattern also calls for the  swatch to be felted. If the felted swatch matches the gauge requirements, then the pattern should come to the appropriate size.

In addition to this, one can felt the slipper in increments as to make sure it's the right size or even to modify the pattern's intended size.

My patterns are based on pretty heavily felted processing, so it would be hard to over-felt (but not impossible) to come out with a slightly smaller version than the pattern indicates.

Lastly, there's some stretch while the slipper is still wet and newly felted and it can be molded  with your hands from the insides to the shape, and to some degree the size, you desire.

I hope this helps!

All the best,
Lydia

#feltingcrochet, #feltedcrochet, #feltedslippers, #felting #crochetslippers

Felted Crochet: The Hobbit Slipper. First Trial With the Pattern In The Works

It's exciting to finally have a workable pattern for a prototype of the Hobbit Slipper. It needs a lot of tweaking but working from my own pattern rather than just winging it is really satisfying. It has been a lot of work and there's more work ahead to get it just right. I'll keep posting as I get closer to the finished design. Feedback is welcome!

First Prototype for the Hobbit Slipper

Felting Crochet: Important Information.

It's important to remember that when crochet is felted is shrinks more side-to-side than it does from top to bottom.

For example, here is a picture of a swatch made of two strands worsted weight (8mm hook) 10 stitches by 10 rows.. It measures 5'' across and 4" tall (fig. 1).

fig. 1

After felting, it measures 3"x3"; a perfect square. This means that it shrunk by 25% top to bottom and 40% side to side (fig. 2). (The second to last swatch in the picture below). 

fig. 2

The last three swatches on the right are all 10 stitch-by-10 row swatches that were orginally 5"x 4" in dimension. They consistently felted to 3"x3" squares using several types of worsted yarns (double stranded) on an 8mm hook. 

It's always good to do a swatch for any crochet pattern you use. It's doubly important when felting. One might assume crochet felt the same and as a knit product, but in fact knit tends to shrink more top to bottom, the reverse of crochet. Keep this in mind as you dream up your next felting project. I find when working in the round, I average the two measurements and expect around 30% shrinkage as a rule.

I hope you find this information helpful. I wished I'd made swatches in the past. It would have prevented a few felting disasters! Please add to the comment section if you have more helpful information about felting crochet. So much of the information available online about felting relates to knitting, leaving us hookers guessing.

+felting +crochet +felting crochet

The Digital Pillow

For some reason the colour combinations in this pillow look like a pixelated pattern to me. Not that I mind. I think it's partly the colour combination and using one consistent colour (red) with a second strand of changing colour (scraps). I'm sure glad I stocked up on good quality pillow inserts from Tuesday Morning. I've got one regular sized, and one giant goose down inserts left to go. I have an almost finished pillow made by wrapping crochet around a thicker yarn which I will post pictures of when it's finished. It's kind of a neat effect as well. 

 Front

Back

Crocheted Art Form or Forgotten Hat?

When I first came across this, it I thought I might have come across an new non-urban art form of crochet. Elegant, mysterious and beautiful. 

Then it dawned on me that it is perhaps a forgotten hat that someone placed on the sign post that has self-felted in the temperate rain-forest that's so typical here in British Columbia. It fits the post snuggly and the colour looks gorgeous against the greens all around. Either way, I was quite taken by it and was glad I had my camera along. Art or Lost Hat? You decide. 

Art or Lost Hat? You decide. 

Is It a Neck Warmer? Or an Ear Warmer? How About a Earck Warmer or Perhaps Nearck Warmer???

The colour is more accurate in the second photo. The yarn is from Pagewood Farms "Swagger" in Butterfly. I love this piece. It comes in so handy when hiking. The %100 merino means no itching or discomfort and it's plenty cozy. I've also come up with a stitch that has a bit of stretch and is softer than many crochet stitches. I love it so much I might even get around to making a pattern. I great advanced beginner project (if there is such a thing). OK crocheters, can you figure out the stitch?

A neck warmer easily converts to ear warmer...

..and back again! 

Makes for one happy hiker!

Circular Cushion (Pulled Out from the yet-to-finish pile).

Here's the front and back of pillow covers I made some time ago. It took forever because I took a greytone variegated yarn and cut it into pieces and sorted it into 6 gradients of grey from very light to almost black. I then crocheted them darkest to lightest for one side and lightest to darkest for the other. The outcome was worth the effort. Now they just need to be de-wrinkled after being shoved in yarn stash bin for way too long, or maybe even blocked.

I  need to find the right sized pillow insert. Anyone have any ideas where?

I really like the red trim. I think I will make a band of it so it's the shape of a pouf when it's done.

Merino Neck Warmer for Men

 This neck warmer is thick enough to keep out the wind while cycling in our damp Vancouver weather. Looks great too!