Catnip & shrimp...yummy....

I haven't been crocheting much lately as I've been dedicated to wrapping up some outstanding house projects.  But I did take the time to develop a pattern for catnip shrimp.  I purchased a pattern from someone on Etsy, but the double crochet used on one side was too loose to hold catnip.  So I developed my own pattern.  Here it is, some day I'll write it out in correct form.

This little shrimp appears to be just as wildly popular with cats as the catnip sardines I was making.  Bruce from work made a video of his cats going bonkers over it which was hugely funny.  I plan to put 3 of them on a skewer and donate for various fundraisers at work.  You might also put 1 on a cocktail toothpick.

Small amount shrimp-colored worsted weight yarn

Small amount polyfill or cotton ball

G or H hook

Gauge not important for this project

1. Ch 2 leaving a long loose end (6 to 8 inches).  We'll use the loose end later.
   
2. 6 sc in the 1st ch, leaving the long loose end on the outside of the work
   
3. 12 sc x 6 rows
   
4. 10 sc x 4 rows; start stuffing with catnip
   
5. 8 sc x 3 rows; stuff more catnip
   
6. 6 sc x 2 rows; stuff either with catnip if you can get it in there or just use a tuft of polyfill
   
7. tie off to close the end of the shrimp, it will look like a long finger
   
8. Ch 5, turn, sc or hdc back to the base for the first 1/2 of the shrimp tail
   
9. Ch 5, turn, sc or hdc back to the base for the 2nd 1/2 of the shrimp tail
   
10. tie off and weave in ends
    
11. Attach a yarn needle to the end of the loose end, and weave the loose end through the rows along the belly of the shrimp down to the tail.  Pull it taut like a drawstring and tie off securely to give the shrimp its characteristic curve.  tie off and weave in ends.

That's all!

Cornering the market on t-shirt yarn

Yes, it's another little step down that slippery slope to madness...I have purchased a large plastic trash can so I can create a prototype of a device I can use to make t-shirt yarn faster...and faster...and faster.  As soon as it's working, I'll post again, never fear.

I really enjoy working with t-shirt yarn, but making the yarn is the time-consuming part.  I don't have any illusions, though, about cornering the market on t-shirt yarn.  And yes, there is a market for t-shirt yarn.  Just check the craft website, etsy.com.  

Skeins of t-shirt yarn typically sell between $6 and $12 on etsy.  This particular one is made by CarissaMarie and is very consistent in color and width.  You go girl!

On a side note, the catnip sardines have received rave reviews.  Here is one, related to me by Gene:

"Reggie, normally a retiring, mild-mannered cat, turned into a raging nutcase.  He curled himself around the sardine and hung on with all four paws, and would not let anyone else near it.  He even attacked the dog when she sniffed at it.  Then he shredded it."

Adventures with hand-made yarn

I've finished a number of the projects I mentioned earlier...and on to new adventures. At Chris's request, I have been using his hand-made mohair from his silly goats. Here's some slippers (the green, white and gray). (The other ones are acrylic worsted made to test the pattern).   The green is Lion brand Wool-Ease, and the gray and green are 100% mohair made by Chris!

The top is alternating rows of Wool-Ease and mohair; the inside sole (which you can't see) is Wool-Ease; and the outside sole (which you can't see) is the two types of mohair held together, for a very thick and warm padded sole.  The pattern is the "easy crocheted slippers" pattern from Sue's Crochet and Knitting.

I'm definitely not used to working with natural fibers.  (Wool usually makes me itchy, so I stick with cotton, soft acrylics and the like.)  This mohair was slippery, and tiny individual hairs sometimes get caught on the wrong end of the hook.  They are very very strong and must be cut, not broken.  Mohair (or other natural hairs) doesn't hold itself in a knot as well as acrylic does.  But that shouldn't matter if you're weaving in ends as you're supposed to in crochet.

The slippers are incredibly warm, but are a bit on the loose and floppy side.  They will probably tighten up a bit the first time I wash them.   This mohair is probably best combined with other yarns...which I did for an earflap hat...for my next posting!

'Twas the night before Christmas

So there's this gizmo you can add to your blog called Shelfari, which basically shows people what you've been reading, bookshelf-style.  I'm trying it out, but ironically, the problem with Shelfari is that voracious readers, such as myself, can't log in often enough to keep the Shelfari display current.  I can finish a book in two days...but only log in to blog every couple of weeks.  So it's never current.

It's the same with my crochet projects.  In the past few weeks, I've done the following...

• crocheted a rug from some cheap macrame cord from Goodwill
  
• crocheted several cotton washcloths to go with some handmade soaps, for gifts
  
• started a purple scarf to keep my hands busy on the plane
  
• finished a couple more catnip sardine cans for gifts
  
• shredded some more t-shirts into strips (but haven't done anything with them yet)
• and probably something else which I now forget

Unfinished projects still include...

• Blocking a rug to shape it
  
• Dark purple / light purple blanket
  
• A green cotton potholder
  
• the purple scarf

And a project I want to start soon, but won't let myself until I finish some of the others...

• slippers using Chris' handmade mohair yarn
  

So it all happens too quickly to track....or to blog about.  I'll try to actually finish something and post a picture!

Thrift store yarn

I always like to shop at Casa de los Ninos thrift store, as I always find something. I often wonder about the abandoned craft projects I find in their craft supply rack. What happened? Did someone run out of time, or out of ambition, or change their mind?

Half-started cross-stitch kits, huge bags of more zippers scavenged from old clothes than anyone could possibly use in their entire lifetime, wads of short yarn for rugmaking, knitting needles in every size and shape...it's all there. Sometimes, though, large bags with lots of cheap yarn in them are also there. And we didn't have to kill any new yarn animals in order to get it.

In the most recent bag, I found two pink cuffs for a sweater...knitted from opposite ends of the same small ball of yarn. For obvious reasons....it's inexplicable.

Current projects are:

Purple blanket made with two strands of Caron Simply Soft. Now that it's chilly again, I can stand to have this over my lap while I work on it. It's going to be very heavy and very warm. The photo really doesn't capture the rich luxuriousness of the texture or the vibrant purples.



Potholder of cotton string inspired by my grandmother's finely detailed handiwork (the two on the right, obviously very used and grubby). The two on the left that I just made will be sewn together, possibly with a layer of cotton inside. Once I get used to the string, I will try to duplicate the pattern of the one on the far right.

Sardine cans proceed apace, now I just need the catnip to stuff them!

That's all for now.

Big rug...for a big dog

Hooray! Chris's rug is done. It's made of strips of some of his t-shirts, so his dog will love to lay on it, as well as strips from some other t-shirts. It's a pretty big rug, but Abby is a pretty big dog.

I learned a lot making this rug. First, always dye and wash the t-shirts first BEFORE cutting the strips. Never, ever, try to wash the strips after you've cut them...or you'll end up with a big tangle that will take hours to sort out. Even in a mesh bag. Even if you tie them into loops with string the way wool-makers do. (see the photo attachment of my impromptu strip-drying technique) (Speaking of dye, use a lot, probably just not one package, if you want a nice solid color.)

Second, take a few minutes to sew any short strips together to make longer ones. Continually joining a new short piece of "yarn" in (such as the short strips that come out of t-shirt sleeves) is a pain in the butt.

Third, when making an oval rug, don't make the beginning chain too long. The rug will quickly grow too long and skinny if you do. When I saw what was happening, I tore out all my work and then re-did it all. (Don't worry, the re-crocheting didn't take too long, it's making the "yarn" that took the time.)

Fourth, be prepared for some mystery cotton-polyester mixes in with your 100% cotton t-shirts. Try to use the same type of fabric throughout, as the different types of fabric do handle and work up somewhat differently.

Finally, stick with the basic formula for an oval rug (3 increases at each end), but don't be afraid to vary the placement, or even the quantity, of increases -- whatever it takes to make the rug lay flat.

These rugs are fun projects, but they are a workout for the hands. Take frequent breaks! I'm working on Mimi's bunny now, and it's a relief to handle a fiber that's small and easy to work with.

Yarn Porn

Michelle: Look! Yarn porn! [shows Lion Brand yarn catalog received in the day's mail]
Stephanie: Does it have a centerfold?
Michelle: Yes! See? [flips open catalog to middle and holds up picture of a woman on a chair under an afghan]
Stephanie: [rolls her eyes, sarcastically] Is there a pattern for a dick cozy? [in reference to friend Namoli who makes cozies for everything]

These are the types of conversations we have at our house.

Seriously, I love catalogs as they are a visual cornucopia of ideas. To keep them from cluttering up my mailbox, and the landfills, and as a visual thinker, I use Google Image search more than any other person on the planet. For inspiration, sparking creativity, getting ideas, free-association, fun, and just to see what the heck is out there. (Go ahead, Google Image search "redneck houseboat." You know you want to.)

So, OK, the cat toy sardines out of the Lion Brand catalog are super cute, and now they're in the crochet queue, after Chris's rug, Mimi's bunny and Julie's amigurumi cupcake.