Oh. My. God... Becky! Look at that yarn!

It is so stilon. It looks like one of those 80s yarns. Yeah... you get the joke:P

Anyways, I got this wonderful stash of yarn as a gift a few days ago. It's in those amazing 70s/80s colours that try really hard to look like natural pastel colours, but just end up looking like an LSD rainbow that's been vomited by a demented zombie unicorn. Unfortunatelly, my camera is not good at showing real colours, so you'll have to combine this photo, my description and your imagination to get the general idea how awfully wonderful those colours are.

Also, I had to do some research on this yarn. It's stilon yarn, 100% polyamide. And that means it's almost indestructible! It was produced in People's Republic of Poland in the 80s, so there's a chance that it's actually older than I am. Fun fact - on the label, in the "colour" box, it just says "unique".

Now, I just need to think what to do with this retro treasure...


Cheers,
Luke Crochet

Hello cats and ghouls

The Mighty Tripod, your cat overlord, is back with some good news! and it's very ghoulish - there's a new free pattern in town:

Well, not literally "in town", but you can get it at my human servant's Ravelry along with some other patterns. So, give it a quick look.

The Tiny Skull pattern is very easy to follow and it's perfect for making lots and lots of skulls. It might come in handy for Halloween... or you could use a different yarn to make a skull cat toy;) It was also used in this bracelet project. Anyways, skulls are fun, aren't they?


Read, enjoy and obey,
Tripod

A quick update

Okay, it's been a while since my last post. My only excuse is that Tripod is really lazy... but you can't blame the cat, so I'll just own up and openly admit that I've been working on too many things at the same time. There are at least four unfinished projects sitting and waiting...

Anyways, here's a quick teaser of what's almost finished:

A fish skeleton bookmark, Fishmark, is 90% done. It's going to be one-piece project, so no sewing, just 100% crochety goodness.

I'll publish a proper post tomorrow.


Cheers,
Luke Crochet

Choosing the right crochet hook

Let the Mighty Tripod shine some knowledge onto you!

Yes, it's tutorial time again!

Holding a crochet hook can be a bit difficult for a cat with no opposable thumbs. Being a tripod doesn't help much either. That's why I use my human to do all the crocheting work. And here are some things I've learned from his constant complaining about crochet hooks.

Rule #1 

Crochet hooks are not like Pokemon, you don't have to catch them all!

If you're reading this tutorial, I guess you're probably a beginner. In that case, this point is probably the most important one. Crochet hooks are not expensive, but they're not free either. So, if you've never crocheted before, do not buy an entire set of hooks – begin with a single hook of reasonable size, e.g. 3,5 mm. This size is big enough to hold comfortably, and all the loops, crochets and chains will be quite big and easy to see. Once you learn the basics and decide that crocheting is the thing for you, splash out and get as many hooks as you want!

Rule #2 

Crocheting is not like going to the gym, the “no pain, no gain” rule does not apply.

Sometimes crocheting sessions can be quite long and, after a few hours, one really does appreciate a hook that is comfortable to hold. So, don't be a cheapskate! A hook with a handle is only a tiny bit more expensive than a handle-less one. Choose a hook with a wide handle, preferably one that feels “soft” not “slippery”. And again, don't but an entire set. Buy one, check if it feels okay in your hand and then consider buying other sizes.

From the top: The first one has a wide and soft handle - you can crochet till you drop with this one. The green one in the middle has a nice handle, but the plastic feels a bit cheap and slippery. The bottom one has NO handle and, therefore, is a big NO NO. Really, just say "No" to handle-less crochet hooks.

Rule #3

A crochet hook is not like a sofa, one size does not fit all.

Yup, that is a really lazy comparison, but I have no better ideas:P Anyways, you have to remember to choose the right size of your crochet hook. Whenever you buy a skein of yarn, you'll find information with the suggested hook size. However, you should remember that it is only a suggestion. Choosing the size affects not only the size of your finished work, but also other features, including softness.

So, if you're making an amigurumi plushie, remember that the hook should be 0,5mm or 1mm smaller than the suggested size. This way the stuffing won't stick out. If you're making something that has to be stretchy like a pair of gloves, it might be a good idea to use a slightly larger hook, e.g. 0,5mm bigger. And if you're making something that has to be soft and light, like a scarf, the hook can be totally off limits.

Just one more tip, petting your cat should always take priority over crocheting.

Read, enjoy and obey,

Tripod

Babeling pattern is NOW available

Today I had to give Tripod a bath so she's not very co-operative and she didn't really feel like writing a new post. It seems that she's got a new hobby - inventing new and creative ways to kill me.

Anyways, I've got a big announcement! Do you remember Babelings?

I've made a special one, with creepy beady eyes, to tell you that you can finally make your very own Babeling! The pattern is available to buy at my Etsy shop and at Ravelry. So, if you feel like creating a tiny swarm of Babelings and supporting Tentacle Crochet, now there's a way to do it. The pattern comes with detailed instructions, pictures and all the necessay info.


Cheers,
Luke Crochet

Tentacles in the spring

Welcome back to my blog, human minions. Tripod, your cat overlord, is back. My biped servant say that he's got a lot of work, but I think he's just a lazy bum. Anyways, there are no new projects or tutorials to show. That human is such a disappointment...

So, let's look at the state of the tentacle:

Tentacles have finally reached Ravelry. Over 100 people have already downloaded Mr Moose pattern there, so it seems Ravelry is the place where you'll find future Tentacle Crochet patterns.

My puny servant's DeviantART profile has exceeded 1000 pageviews. He seems to be quite happy about it. Bipeds are weird...

A comment on this post proves that there is a strong Mrs Miller fan base! So, to bring joy and suffering to all the readers of this blog, here's a very special song to ruin enrich your day.


And now, upcoming posts:
- pattern for skulls used in this bracelet.
- tutorial on choosing the right crochet hook
- felt mushrooms project. Here's a work in progress photo:

Now you may return to your standard human existence.

Read, enjoy and obey,
Tripod

Crocheting Tip #1 - taking a break

Tripod is really tired today and she's fast asleep, so I'll help her with this blog and write a short tutorial post. Hopefully, this advice will start a series of tips on crocheting and needle felting. Some people might even find it helpful:) So, here comes:

Taking a Break

Problem: Crocheting is usually accompanied by other activities and there are countless reasons and interruptions (frequently caused by interaction with other humans) which result in putting whatever you're working on away and taking a short break. And this is a perfect opportunity for a disaster to strike! It's quite easy to unravel or unstitch a part of your work while picking it up and nobody likes making repairs, especially if you're working on something really detailed. Oh the humanity!

Solution: Always chain 1 before putting your work away. It only takes a second and pretty much guarantees that you'll never unravel even a single stitch. So remember: chain 1, pull the yarn with the hook to make the "yarn ear" bigger and then remove the hook.

Now you can take as many breaks as you want to!

Cheers,
Luke Crochet
(and sleeping Tripod)

Stab Stab Stab... Needle Felting

It seems that my human servant fails to see the importance of crocheting... Instead, he is wasting his time stabbing balls of poly fill. Felting? More like FAILting:P

More crochet stuff coming soon...

Read, enjoy and obey,
Tripod

Dr. Tripod or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Counting

Welcome, my human minions! Counting sure is a lot of fun! When you're five and you only have to count to ten... But, when crocheting in a spiral, it can be a source of endless fury and frustration!

It's round 7, single crochet number 23, someone asks you a question like „Where's the litter box?” and suddenly:

-->Catastrophe indeed! You have no idea how many single crochets you've made and you're totally lost. Life is a misery and unless you've got a stitch marker, you can abandon all hope and start again.

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What's the solution? Stitch counters, special apps to keep track etc. However, there is only one way of making crochet counting easier – don't count at all! Counting is for pussies and kittens! Here are a few tips to help you become a real pro. And my human slave has prepared a few photos to help.

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1. The round pointer

When crocheting in a round, there is a natural “round pointer” which shows you exactly where the beginning of every round is. All you have to do is follow it.

 

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2. Learn to see the increases

The easiest way of avoiding counting the whole round is to only count the number of stitches between INCs. This way, you'll rarely have to count higher that 6 and that's something that even mere humans can do. However, you do have to practise “seeing” the INCs:

3. How many single crochets between the increases?

When gradually increasing, you don't really have to follow a pattern to know how many crochets there should be between the increases. Just count the number of finished rounds and detract one. This simple equation tells exactly how many SC you need. Here's an example of how to use this advice when someone distracts you and you need to figure out what to do next.

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There are five finished rounds here. Just detract one and you know that the next round is 4SC and INC all around. So here, you have one more SC to make, then INCrease and repeat 4SC, INC until the end of this round.

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That's all for now. If you have any other counting related problems, leave a comment, maybe sacrifice a small animal and your new cat overlord, Tripod, might just give you the answer;)

Read, enjoy and obey,

Tripod

Say hello to the new blog editor

As you probably know, crocheting is not my full-time job. I'd love it to be, but for now I still have to keep to more standard ways of making a living. This blog is also not my only form of Internet activity and I've decided that in April I'll devote more of my time to my secondary project. This means that for one month this blog will be run by a new editor – my little helper, Tripod.

So, enjoy and see you in a month!

Cheers,

Luke Crochet