Episode 70 > Crochet Circle Podcast

November 03, 2021 • Fay Dashper-Hughes • chrissie ashbrideg embroidery • Cloud crop top • cloud crop top crochet • Crochet Circle Podcast • Crochet podcast • Crochet rainbow blanket • dandelion embroidery moorit • Episode 70 • Fay Dashper-Hughes • Harvest Hues wool • John Arbon Textiles • Stormy Rainbow blanket • The Crochet Circle Podcast • woollyknit

Episode Front cover with the corner of a poster with a colour wheel on it, soem leaves and berries that are shades of rust, green and red and a cake of rust coloured yarn with the beginnings of a crochet project and a blue metal hook.

Episode 70

About a 4 minute read

Audio of Episode 70 Crochet Circle podcast

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INTRO

My name is Fay and this is my audio and video podcast for those that love fibre crafts, particularly crochet. This podcast is sponsored by my online crafting company, Provenance Craft Co.

Thanks to everyone who tunes into the podcast whether it is through Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Amazon, iTunes or the YouTube Channel. Your support and engagement are really appreciated and makes running a podcast very special and worthwhile.

If you would like to support the podcast, you can do that through Patreon:

OLD DOG NEW TRICKS

I have two Old Dog New Tricks for you this month. One is quick and one has an in-depth blog post in case you need more information. Let’s look at the quickie one first.

How often are you out and about with your craft project but you didn’t remember a measuring tape? This happens to me all the time!

Well, I have a solution for you, find a digit on your hands that is closest to a measurement such as 1” or 5cm. For instance, my index finger on my left hand is 8cm from the crook of the web (on the middle finger side)to the tip of my finger. The web to the inside knuckle crease is 3cm and the knuckle crease to the tip of my finger is 5cm.

Now when I need to take a quick measurement, I always have my makeshift measuring device with me! A couple of things to think about when you are measuring:

1- Don’t have your fingernails as part of your measurement because they change length.

2 - If you are left handed, try to find a good measurement on your right hand so your dextrous left hand is available for writing, holding place as you move your finger up to take multiple measurements. Vice versa if you are right handed.

My left index finger, palm up with a measuring tape beside it.

The second tip is a massive subject, but one that I know people really struggle with. When I initially started pulling together the ideas for a blog post on choosing yarn colours, I was looking at it from a very practical point of view and then I asked you, The Crochet Clan over on Instagram and the topic took a whole new set of directions to add to the blog post. So, click here for a fill post on “How to Choose Yarn Colours”.

FINAL DESTINATION

I finished my Scandi Stashbuster Beanie hat by Michelle from Dora Does. I used teal green and mustard yarn to provide a contrast. Both were from Outlaw Yarn and it’s an aran weight made up of 45% Polwarth, 45% alpaca and 10% possum.

Thank you to everyone over on IG that helped me decide on the pom pom colour, I went for a mix in the end.

Head of my niece Darcie wearing a teal and mustard crocheted hat with a pom pom. Red brick wall behind her.

The other project I was working on was jumper for my Dad which is a massive undertaking because he is tall and built like a brick poo house, and he’s fussy about how he wanted it to fit, so I had custom fit it for him rather than just follow the pattern.

I made him a Flax jumper by Tin Can Knits using plates of mid-blue Plotulopi Icelandic wool with Black Heather Grey Einband wool from Alafoss.

The jumper was finally finished on Sunday and went straight to the basin for wet blocking. It is by the log burner as I type because I need to dry it out and get it in the post so my Dad can take it to Iceland on Sunday.

That is a 650g hug of wool that will be keeping him warm in the wilds of Iceland! He promises to send me a photo of him in his new jumper in front of a glacier! He has already packed the colour-work jumper I made for the trip he was meant to take 18 months ago.

Blue knitted jumper hanging above a log burner.

I also embroidered a couple of project bags using the embroidery motif that is the non-crochet project in Moorit and is by Christine Ashbridge. The first is on a grey bag and uses up yarn scraps that I had in a bag. I especially love the fluffy Blue Sky Alpaca light grey for a spent dandelion clock head.

The second was on a linen project bag that I had lying around. I used 100% wool thread in three shades and adapted the dandelion motif to create a dandelion bud and an opening flower. I did these because I needed some quick in projects to give me a dopamine hit while I was in the thick of my Dad’s jumper.

Bleached linen project bag on a shabby painted table with four skeins of yarn poking out. The bag has dandelions embroidered on it in yellow, brown and green.

I finished my Fussy Fox Socks for Jenny! They are her new favourite socks apparently. I love bringing joy to her in sock form. The yarn I used was from Weku Yarns. The mini doesn’t have a name and was just one I picked to go with the Pink Me Up colourway.

I will be pulling this pattern together at some point in the near future. When we went south to see Jenny, Frazer and the boys, I took a bag of sock yarns for them to choose from. They all picked colours for their Christmas Socks and the eldest has requested that his are Fussy Fox Socks. I am happy to oblige.

Grey background with a pair of bright pink knitted socks with contrast turquoise cuffsm heels and toes in vertical stripes.

DESIGNS IN PROGRESS

I finally launched the Stormy Rainbow crochet blanket that originally featured in Issue 127 of Inside Crochet! This blanket always get a lot of love, so I was very keen to get it published. The newly published pattern also gives an alternative colour option using Chimera yarns from RiverKnits. Becci is halfway through her version of the blanket and it is looking wonderful.

It's available as a print or digital pattern on my Provenance Craft Co. website and as digital only at Lovecrafts. RiverKnits also have kits available.

Cream sofa with a striped crocheted blanket draped over it. The main colour is dark grey with 24 stripes in 12 colours, all in earthy tones.

Close up of the earthy coloured stripes in the blanket, separated by dark greay to bring additional contrast.

EN ROUTE

I am in the middle of many magazine and yarn brand submissions right now, so not much personal crafting time is happening. This does mean that design ideas are flowing though and you can possibly expect two blanket patterns, a top, a shawl and many bags to be released in the future.

What I have done though is swatch for a new jumper. Matthew managed to shrink no less than three of my jumpers because he put a wool wash on delicate instead. Does anyone else have the issue of a partner not wearing their glasses to do tasks and making a complete mess of things? It’s so frustrating, especially given that I had even put big blobs of nail varnish on the washing machine settings that we use as a guide!

So, I need to replace some jumpers and that meant taking to my stash to see what I had available in jumper quantities (rather a lot) and matching to a pattern.

My first replacement jumper is the Cloud Crop Top by Colleen Webster of Evolve Crochet. It is available from an XS to a 5XL and I have linked to Lovecrafts and Etsy for the pattern.

The yarn I am using is from a 500g British Wool Cone from Wooly Knit in colourway Cinnamon Brown. The 500g cone cost just £16!

Rust background with a pattern print out, cake of rust yarn and the strip fo crochet started in teh yarn with a blue metal hook.

FEEDING THE HABIT

Incoming yarn this month is all for commissions and all from John Arbon Textiles. I am going to be working up a 4ply version of the Positivity Spiral Hat in their Harvest Hues wool which is a blend of 65% Merino and 35% Zwartbles.

The wool is Harvest Hues Aran weight which comes in at 200m. 219yds per 100g and is the same blend as the 4ply. These will become a new blanket design with Blue Spruce as the main colour and four contrast colours of Flax, Russet, Bracken and Pomegranate to create an autumnal fade.

A line up of Harvest Hues skeins of yarn. Blue green colour alternates the other skein colours which create an autumnal fade of brown mustard, russet brown, bright rusty orange and a bright pinky red.

QUICK NEWS BEATS

1 - The next Global Hook Up is on Saturday 20th October at 8pm (GMT) and Sunday 21st October at 9am (GMT). Go to www.zoom.us and use code 475 047 5819 and passcode WOOL.

2 – All of the panels for Stitches for Survival were sent to Glasgow to be part of the mass craftivism project. There has already been quite a lot of press coverage for the project and more will happen on the 6th November, especially in the Scottish press. It was even mentioned in the Glasgow Herald as one of the top 10 cultural events you can go to during COP26!

J'ADORE

I have a new podcast recommendation for you. It is an audio podcast by a lady called Jo Andrews and she is a hand weaver and broadcaster.

The podcast is called Haptic and Hue and is honestly one of the best crafting podcasts I have ever heard. Jo interviews lots of people from different sections of the crafting industry and her background I broadcasting shines through.

Haptic and Hue is on all the podcasting platforms, but head to Jo’s website to get full show notes and links to the audio.

That is it from me. I will be back on the 3rd of December.

Fay x

KEEP IN TOUCH

Instagram: Crochet_Circle_Podcast

YouTube: The Crochet Circle Podcast

Instagram: provenance.craft.co

Newsletter: Provenance Craft Co.

Instagram: FayDHDesigns

Newsletter: Fay DH Designs

Instagram: @livingatno87

Newsletter: Living at no. 87

Crochet Clan on Mighty Network: Invite

ABOUT THE PODCAST

My name is Fay and this is my audio and video podcast for those that love fibre crafts, particularly crochet. It’s a community for people that like to support their fellow humans regardless of race, gender, sexuality, ability, size or age. I hope you feel the welcome embrace and love of the Crochet Clan.

Come on in and stay awhile.