The Lefty Hooker / Crocheting left-handed

Garden Trellis Shawl

2009-08-07T11:14:00.004-04:00

The weekend is finally here and it is fantastic weather in NYC. In the seventies; perfect weather for shawls and sweaters in the evening. :-)
Speaking of shawls, I am crocheting the Garden Trellis Shawl by Lisa Neskrent. Last weekend on my trip to Purl I picked a lovely organic sage yarn. This pattern is very intricate and challenging to crochet.
As I have mentioned in earlier post I am learning to knit. It is finally clicking for me. I am knitting and purling right along. I am so looking forward to knitting socks and sweaters.

http://www.crochetgarden.com/

Blue Sky Alpacas 100% organic yarn at PURL NYC

2009-08-06T16:51:00.007-04:00

OMG... I finally got a chance to go to "Purl" in the city. Purl is a tree hugger's fantasy. I spent way to much.
I made a special trip this past Sunday to pick up the most amazing Blue Sky Alpacas 100% organic yarn I needed for a project. I am making a set of washcloths using the Lisa Naskrent pattern in "Interweave crocheted gifts" Lisa always designs the most engaging patterns.

Blue Sky Alpacas organic yarn is so very pretty and luxurious. This yarn has no dye. The colors are naturally occurring shades in the cotton. That's so cool. This is going to work up beautifully. I will post pictures when I am done.

http://blueskyalpacas.com/yarn_detail.php?yarns_ID=7
photo courtesy of blue sky alpacas

My FIRST Grafton Fibers Hook!!!!

2009-08-05T12:45:00.004-04:00

I am so excited.

I bought a Grafton Fibers hummingbirds "F" hook. Grafton Fibers is a family Vermont company owned by Linda and Tom Diak. http://graftonfibers.com/index.htm

My hook is a beautiful handmade creation. I can not wait until I purchase my next one!!

Photo courtesy of Gafton Fibers

Our trip to one of the LYS'

2009-07-30T12:42:00.007-04:00

Yesterday Rebecca and I went to one of the LYS's in the NYC area. We spent over an hour browsing and touching all the lustrous yarns. I ended up purchasing several items. A set of #9 and #8 knitting needles. A #7 crochet hook. One Cascade Yarns 100% Peruvian highland wool in color #9888. It is a rich gray, almost a black. Three Feza 100% bamboo's in a very interesting mix. A crochet gifts pattern book.
Rebecca and I are learning to knit. I am mulling over continental or English knit. Today I am leaning toward continental.

2009-07-28T11:43:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone... Let me tell you summer has finally arrived here in Brooklyn, NY. I was browsing through Interweave Crochet magazine and decided this would be the perfect time to experiament with lace weight thread.
I ordered the Nazli Gelin/book one Garden Collection. It has exquisite patterns. I am now working on the gorgeous "Rosemary" pictured above. The pattern calls for a US B-1(2.25mm) crochet hook. I am using the Nazli Gelin 2009 collection of thread in the 700-07 color. (The same as the picture above.)
This thread is very tiny and delicate and I'm moving at a snail pace. lol. But so far I'm not running into any problem with my lefty hooks. I will keep you updated.

Rebecca's afghan

2009-07-27T12:14:00.013-04:00

I have a lot of lefty crochet and knitting news to tell you about. I will post a little something each weekday. And have so many projects lined up to do!!!

I crocheted my daughter Rebecca an afghan using Noro's 2009 summer collection Chirimen. I alternated using #4, #6, #8. I used #8 exclusively for the border.

WOW. This project was so fun!!!! I kept telling Rebecca I'm almost finished. Lol

The pattern we chose was Horizon Throw from the May 2009 issue of Crochet Magazine page 65. This pattern is not a problem for a lefty at all. The dimensional post stitches were fun and made a gentle flowing texture.

I am so excited Ellen Gormley the designer of the pattern sent me a message on Ravelry to let me know how much she liked my rendition of her pattern!!

T'ika fine cotton yarn

2009-07-25T12:06:00.003-04:00

This is the yarn I chose for my first project. It works up beautifully into a soft and silky-smooth fabric. This luxuriously soft cotton from Peru is part of the Mirasol Project and a Fair trade yarn.

I really like the soft texture of this fine yarn and the beautiful colors.

100% Pima Cotton spun in Peru
50g Length: 83m

MY First Project

2009-06-16T13:16:00.007-04:00

I was so excited to start my first project. I had just finished reading "The Happy Hooker" by Debbie Stoller. I was ready to go.
I chose to make the "granny's no square" pattern from "The Happy Hooker". I went to Stitch Therapy with my book in hand to get my yarn and hook. With Maxine's help I picked out a fabulous organic cotton and a G hook.

Then I attended a class at "Stitch Therapy" I took this project to work on. It was a little confusing at first. The teacher was trying to help me and she was a "righty". She kept crocheting in the opposite direction on MY project as me. LOL

This pattern is easy to follow. I took it a step at a time so I wouldn't get overwhelmed. I made my 12 gorgeous motifs, then followed the pattern to put them together. I went to the local hardware store and bought big silver key rings to use on the strap of the purse. I am going to put a bright, colorful lining with a pocket and add some rivets.
Here is a picture of the finished project minus the lining and rivets.

Thanks to Stitch Therapy for the picture of my purse.

learning to left-hand crochet

2009-06-15T16:56:00.015-04:00

Hello all my fellow hookers and knitters.
I wanted to give a little background as to how I came to crochet. I grew up down south in North Carolina. Both my grandmothers and mother were crafty people. My "Nannie" taught me to chain but that is about it. I could never sit still long enough for much more. lol.

My sister Tia crochets and mentioned "The Happy Hooker" by Debbie Stoller one day when I called her from Barnes and Noble. I bought the book and wondered if I would find any yarn shops or crochet help here in Brooklyn, NY where I have lived for 15+ years.

WOW was I wrong. There is an entire crochet and knitting community. I found the most adorable boutique of fine yarn with an amazing owner. It is called Stitch Therapy, located in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn. The owner is Maxine DeGouttes.
I was hooked (excuse the pun) the moment I walked in. Maxine DeGouttes is very helpful and kind. With her help I picked out my first yarn which was Noro Taiyo (see the swatch above). It is a fascinating mix of fiber: silk 40%, 30% silk, 15% wool, 15% nylon. Next I needed a hook. Maxine recommended a M hook. Then Maxine taught me how to do the single crochet before I left the store. So I left with my fine yarn and hook, then proceeded to spend the next week single crocheting. Within a week I was back at stitch therapy yearning to learn more. I signed up for a class although by the time the class rolled around Maxine had already taught me to crochet at the lovely table in her shop. She even crocheted left-handed to better teach me.
She is my crochet mentor and I am forever grateful to her for teaching me to crochet. THANK YOU Maxine from the bottom of my heart!!