Christmas Project Progress

I have a few angels made. Not nearly enough, though. I'll probably still be making these angels on Christmas Eve!

 The angel on the left has been stiffened, ready to use. It looks finished, polished, even. Proof, if you needed it, that these last finishing touches add so much to crocheted projects.

I'll blame my daughter for my slow progress. She asked me to make another grocery bag for her. I told her it's easy, just single crochet. "But I'm so busy!" Oh, well, there go any spare moments I had!

Working on Christmas Projects

It's not time to decorate for Christmas, yet. But, I need quite a few of these flat pineapple angels to tie onto presents, so I need to get started on them.
I found this pattern at priscillascrochet.net
She has lots of free patterns. This is the only one of hers that I've tried. It's easy. In fact, the hardest part was finding the rings for the head. On her web site, scroll down to the free patterns. It's called "flat pineapple angel ".

 I felt that I had looked all over town before I found the rings at Hobby Lobby. I bought all 4 bags they had out. I'm not going to run out for a while!

Then, I still have to finish my pineapple runner.
Unless I find something else I want to make for Christmas, THEN I can go back to working on all my unfinished projects!

Using Sea Shells

 I've used a variety of items for pull tabs on coin purses. The blue one has a plastic ring I found at Goodwill. The red, green, and white one has a "diamond" ring  favor from an engagement party. The orange one has the tab from a Coke can.

 While visiting my brother and his wife on the coast, we took a walk on the beach. I found these lovely shells. My brother said a predator "drilled" the holes through the shells to eat the creature inside. I'm not sure of the details.
I gathered some, thinking they'd make a lovely wind chime, which I never got around to making.

 So, if I wanted to crochet with these shells, I quickly saw that my usual 00 hook was too big to pull a thread through the hole.

 A size 13 hook was just right.

 Won't it make a cute pull tab for a coin purse?

 It turns into quite a process.

 Then I see that this small hole will only hold 3 single crochets, not enough for each chain to fasten to the shell. By fastening each chain to one of the 3 sc stitches, it works.

This was purely an experiment, to see if shells could be worked into a project as more than simply decoration. I'd say it was successful.
There are many natural (and not so natural) items which can be successfully worked into your projects. You just have to be looking creatively. Celebrate your uniqueness by using something in an unusual way!

Thread/yarn thickness and hooks

 Thread comes in several weights. I have samples here of 5, 10, and 30. I usually use size 10 and a 00 hook. Usually, patterns call for a size 5 or 6 hook. I crochet so tightly that I have to use a bigger hook. When I make a gauge swatch, I find that I have to use a hook 1 to 4 sizes larger than the pattern calls for because I crochet so tightly.

 Compare hook sizes: 00, 9 and 13.

 Embroidery floss is just a bit thicker than 10 weight thread, and a bit thinner than 5 weight thread. A size 00 hook worked just fine.

 I've never used 30 weight thread. All that I have is left over from my grandmother. She used it to make flowers and edgings for handkerchiefs.

 I've bought size 5 by mistake. It makes lovely ornaments. It takes glue well to be very stiff when finished.

 Sport weight yarn for lighter weight sweaters and baby items. I use g or h hooks.

 Worsted weight yarn, I, j, or k hooks, only because I crochet so tightly.

Plarn. G or h hook. You might need a size or 2 smaller.
You'll know what size to use after making a few gauge swatches.

More thoughts on craft fairs

Another big problem I have with craft fairs is that I spend so much time before making items that I hope will sell.

 I thought I had a nice selection.

 I finished this angel. It looked so pretty standing there...until a kid picked it up and bent the skirt until it was no longer stiff.

 I already had a nice selection of ear warmers/headbands, in several school colors.

And then the miscellaneous Christmas ornaments.

 But then, I made several more coin purses and another key caddy. Oh, well, they'll make nice gifts.

 Even with the items I made for the craft fair, I did manage to finish my grey grocery bag.

I still have all those unfinished projects: a salmon pink doily...a yellow handbag...a plarn handbag of hobby lobby bags...a green granny square afghan...a denim rag rug...a Christmas pineapple runner...a star afghan...a round ripple baby blanket....
I guess that will keep me busy this winter!

Craft Fair 2

As I've said before, craft fairs seem like wasted time to me. We went over on Friday evening to start setting up. Then I was there from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. I only sold one coin purse (the red one I made in June.)

 Really, Mom paid for the table and then was invited to a wedding. I only went with her to stay after she had to leave for the wedding. I felt that we took a nice selection. I must need to study marketing or something
 Mom sold several of her bags.

 She got a lot crocheted on a plarn rug.

 She had round and oval rugs, and 4 sizes of bags.

We really filled our table. A friend who also had a booth said I shouldn't think of how many hours I spend making items and sitting at craft fairs....that is socializing time. Hmmmm. That is ONE way of looking at it, but I think I'd rather give my items as gifts to family and dear friends than think I'm giving the items to strangers at craft fairs. Am I wrong?

Project lead time

Hurray! I'm finally crocheting in the final strip. I'll finish this today. 56 hours of crocheting, and I still have to block this. The loops on the edges won't lie flat and even without blocking.
The starch will take another 4 or 5 days to dry.
These big projects take a month or more to finish, if I work several hours each day. They'll take longer if I work on several projects at once, which I always do. My magnolia dresser scarf took 3 years! But it's the largest project I've made.
I need to get busy on the Christmas pineapple runner. I want to have it ready to enjoy this season, which means I can't start working on it in December, I have that month lead time to factor in.
What I'm saying is, unless you have way more hours in a day to crochet than I have, you can't buy yarn or thread and have a finished project the next day. You have to plan a month (or 2) ahead for the projects you want as gifts or for decorating.
Crocheting is a very time consuming hobby, but I think the rewards are well worth it.