What shall I make with this? The results of my test squares.
I ended up trying four sizes of hook. First my favourite is the 8mm aluminium It gave a firm texture, which would be fine for a rug or placemat.
Second is a 10mm hook. The texture if this is coming out feeling good, not too tight with a bit of flexibility.
The third one is a 12mm knooking hook. The texture of this initially came out feeling very soft, but a bit loose and slabbery. However, as I carried on, my tension evened out and become tighter. Hence the fourth hook.
The fourth hook is a 15mm. I liked the result I got from this best of all.
So here are my stitch and row counts from a 10 x 10cm square (4″ x 4″) for the four hooks, and photos in a gallery for you.
8mm hook – 8 stitches, 10 rows
10mm hook – 8 stitches, 8 rows
12mm hook – 7 stitches, 9 rows
15mm hook – 7 stitches, 7 rows.
-
- 8mm hook work in 10cm square
-
- 10mm hook work in 10cm square
-
- 12mm hook work in 10cm square
-
- 15mm hook work in 10cm square
In searching for a project to use this yarn for I found a crochet version of Claire’s Outland Cowl on Ravelry. I rather like this.
The link for it is here.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/outlander-claires-cowl-crocheted
What shall I make with this? The value of test squares.
I have 650g of super chunky in my yarn stash, which has languished unused for too long, so decided to exlore what I can do with it, or whether I want to pass it on. I tried it out as a first round of a granny square, and it looks good. I like the nubbly texture it has
So now to try and work out what size of hook to use and how far it will go by doing a test square. The recommended hook size is 10mm. I know that I tend to work tightly, so a looser hook might be better.
I always make a test square bigger than the 4″ x 4″ (10cm x 10cm) recommended. This means that I can lay a 4″x4″ cut out square on top of the test piece and count the stitches and rows, without pulling the work out to “fit” the ruler, and getting a false reading.
I am trying three sizes of hook, because I have these immediately to hand. First my favourite is the 8mm aluminium but see immediately that this is a bit small for the yarn. It gives a firm texture, which would be fine for a rug or placemat. But that is not what I want. Still will continue for comparison.
Second is a 10mm hook. It’s actually a knooking hook, but I like this one as it is polished wood, not bamboo. I did try a bamboo hook, but it isn’t as smooth and didn’t move as easily through the work, so I didn’t like the snaggy feel as I worked with it. The texture if this is coming out feeling good, not too tight with a bit of flexibility.
The third one is a 12mm knooking hook. The texture of this is coming out feeling very soft, but it looks a bit loose and slabbery, so don’t think this will end up being the best. We shall see.
CROCHET CLASSES – HARRIS ACADEMY DUNDEE
It’s time to sign up for autumn evening classes.
There are only two weeks to go until HERA’s Enrolment Night in Harris Academy on Wednesday 29th August from 6-7.30 pm.
Therapeutic Crochet is a ten week course covering all the basics.
Learners are able to work at their own rate.
You can move on to your own project if you wish, with expert tutor support on hand as needed.
The classes run on a Wednesday.
Aberdeen Yarnfest 2018
Check my workshop out at the Aberdeen Yarnfest on Sunday 13th May. It runs from 10.00 am to 1.00pm at the Doubletree Aberdeen Treetops hotel. I made the A5 journal cover below using Sublime silk yarn in two shades, and a maroon synthetic silk background.
“Therapeutic crochet – Exploring Tunisian and Broomstick techniques.”
How to make Broomstick lace.
How to work 4 basic Tunisian stitches.
Participants will complete a small project incorporating these steps during the workshop.
https://etiom.co.uk/aberdeen-yarnfest
