Where are all the crochet hooks?

I have been searching for crochet hooks in second hand stores, and in give-a-ways for a charity group I'm involved in. In just a few weeks I will be one of the teachers for knit and crochet where we are offering to teach street people how to make an item for free. We are providing the yarn, patterns and hooks. I've made up a few simple patterns for it and have gathered yarn for a few months now. I find a huge stash of knitting needles at the local Sally Ann and will be picking up those today. But where are all the crochet hooks? I can not find any, anywhere to use for this. I may have to dig in my pockets and just buy new ones as I'm starting to get desperate.

Oh crochet hooks, where o' where have you gone?

Winter Wear Overload

As it gets cooler my hook gets busier with request items for warm outdoor clothing. I made my own pattern of wrist warmers and they are going like hot cakes. I wear mine quite a bit so I get asked about them often. Since I've submitted the pattern for publication I can't share. Sorry. But I did want to show them off. :) They are fun and easy to make.

Calorimetry caps are also a hot item this year. I've been making these as gifts all over the place. Good bye toques and hello Cal caps!

After this craze dies down a bit I will have to settle in and start making little X-Mas gifts for the family. Some will get warm winter toques, some mitts, some slippers. All little things but things that the whole family enjoys and appreciates.

What's on your hook this winter?

Happy International Crochet Day!!!

It's officially International Crochet day! Yipee!

Today (that is after I go to bed and wake up) I will be crocheting out in public, while I wait for my doctor's appointment and then I'm going to crochet in a coffee shop. I will be taking extra yarn and hooks in case someone is interested and be available for the opportunity to teach someone else the fun and lovely art of crochet!

What are you doing to celebrate and further public knowledge on this grand day?

Camo Crazy for Christmas

I did a little yarn therapy today. I've been down in the dumps and allergies kicking my butt so I decided to feel better. :)

I went Camo Crazy in Michael's today. Some of it will be turned into gifts for X-mas for my hunting addicted family and some of it will become an afghan for an X-mas present next year.

Now if only I could get all the items I'm working on completed first! ;)

Second Hand Stores Suck

Yesterday I was in an off mood so I decided I would go second hand shopping for yarn and hooks to cheer myself up. It turned out to be a very bad idea. I went to the nearest Sally Ann and could not find hooks. None in the building, as a matter of fact. They did have yarn. It wasn't too badly priced and most of it was odd colours mixed together. It would be perfect for making Granny Squares. I found knitting needles. There were two huge vases right full of them! No hooks though. I passed on the yarn for the moment.

Next I went to Value Village. They had an assortment of yarn in bags on a far back wall. Highly overpriced. I could buy a whole large skein for the same price, and it would be about the same amount of yarn! Again no hooks here either and no knitting needles either!

I've heard great stories about yarn bargains from dollar stores, so I stopped by the largest one I know of here. No hooks or needles again. They did have some yarn though. It was tiny skeins (you know the size of baby cotton yarn skeins) for $2 each. Way too much money in my opinion. It was that awful material (jeez and now I forget what it's called, it's kinda like furry string?) I was not interested.

So no bargains on yarn here. Looks like the best bargain is Wal-mart mill ends. I have gotten yarn of off freecycle before. However it is yarn that we use for charity projects and groups. I refuse to use it for personal use. If it's given I think it should be used to give back. :)

So my searches were fruitless and didn't improve my mood in the least.

New Blogging, Old Hooking

Yes yes I know. Many people will go, "Hooking?" and completely have their minds in the gutter. That's the whole point! Hooking is a term that many crocheters use to describe what they do and their art. We do use a hook you know! (Needles are knitting and no I don't knit.) I love using the term Hooking. The shocked look on someones face when I use the term never fails to delight me. Sometimes I explain, sometimes I don't! LOL It's just too much fun for such an innocent craft.

I hook on a daily basis and have carpal tunnel to show for it. Not that it would stop me, just has slowed me down some. I've been at it for over 20 years now and have started getting into designing my own items. So far it's just little projects and recently an afghan but hey everyone has to start somewhere right?

I also get rather annoyed some days with the lack of available products. It's hard to believe I live in a small city most of the time. Craft stores are very hard to find and usually only carrying what Wal-mart does. What's the point in that? Wheres the specialty yarns and odd sized hooks? How about different kinds of hooks? Have these people every heard of bamboo or wood? I actually found one bamboo hook, in Wal-mart of all places. I've yet to try it. Soon. After I started knocking off the suddenly huge list of requests I have to make! That's a rant for another day.

Anyways I'm off to figure out how to post picutures and lovely things like that! Nice to meet you all.
Bec