52 Week Crochet Challenge

A couple of days ago I saw this post on Crochet Concupiscence about the 52 week crochet challenge hosted by Julie at Red Berry Crochet. It sounds really neat, so I thought I'd jump on board.

It started back in March, but with each challenge lasting a week, it was easy enough to get caught up.

Here are my responses to challenges 1-7.

Week 1: Celebrate National Crochet Month

March was National Crochet Month. I usually forget this. If I had thought about it, I probably would have had some extra blog giveaways and learned a few new crochet stitches. Something to shoot for next year.

Week 2: Start a crochet notebook, journal, scrapbook or blog.

Blog - check.
At the end of each month, I try to print a collage photo from Walgreens of all my finished projects from that month. They're all in a folder now, but eventually I'd like to scrapbook them.
The Footprints notebook is my crochet WIP journal. I keep track of everything I'm working on including yarn colors, pattern location and hook size being used. I also make lists of things to crochet for people, jot down future WIP ideas, and write down any patterns I create.

Week 3: Crochet a flower or make a project that has a flower motif or theme.

It wasn't made during the first week of spring, but here's my Spring Garland hanging in my living room window. It has an identical twin hanging on the left and on the right.

Week 4: Learning to crochet

I was taught how to crochet three years ago in a free class at my church. I had always wanted to learn but, because I'm a visual person who has to be shown, couldn't learn out of books. I had no idea there were videos on YouTube or websites with tutorials.
Both of my grandmother's crocheted, but one lived too far away to have any contact except by phone and the other wouldn't teach me unless I held my hook and yarn exactly the same way she did. I love my grandmother but I couldn't make my fingers behave like hers.
My class instructor, Vicki, didn't care how I held the hook and yarn as long as my stitches were consistent. She taught me the basic stitches (chain, slip, single, half double,double), how to read a pattern and gave us a basic project (a Mile a Minute afghan). I was off and running with no looking back.
Funny enough, out of four people who took the class (three students and the teacher), I'm the only one who still crochets.

Week 5: Learn a new stitch this week and show off a sample.

I've always wanted to learn the Catherine's Wheel stitch. I discovered it's not that different from the Bavarian stitch used in the Wool Eater blanket. I watched this YouTube video from the Crochet Geek and followed along.

Mine's a little loopy because I kept my stitches super loose so I could see it better. I didn't put the edging on my sample, but I like the rounded edge demonstrated at the end of the video.
I like it. I can see myself using this stitch for future projects.

Week 6: Organize your yarn.

Yarn, yarn, everywhere.
Full skeins of yarn get put in the cabinet. From top to bottom, the cubbies hold the DK weight, then the worsted weight, then the bulky weight. It's sorted by color, too, in each weight. If possible, I try to give each color it's own cubby, but for space reasons I have to condense some.
Yarn being used for WIPs is put with the project in a basket or bag with the hook and pattern being used.
Scrap yarn is balled and put in cloth bins in a cube shelf in the craft closet. It's organized by weight.
There are usually bags and bins of unsorted yarn in several rooms of the house, waiting for room in the cabinet.
And yes, I still need more yarn. I can never have enough :-)

Week 7: Make a scrappy yarn project.

I always have a Yo Yo blanket in the works. This is my current one, the third one I've made. The first looked about the same, but the second had turquoise yo yos attached with brown. It's very soothing to make, uses up lots of those tiny scraps of yarn that aren't good for much else, and travels well (the yo yos anyway). I keep a sandwich bag in my purse with small balls of yarn, an H hook, a small pair of scissors, and a yarn needle in it. Anytime I'm stuck somewhere, I can pull it out and crochet a couple of yo yos quickly. When I have enough (500 for each blanket I've made so far), I spend a couple weeks at home attaching them. 

The challenge for this week is Work It or Frog It. So I'm gathering my WIPs and UFOs together and deciding what to do with them. My goal is to have them sorted out this weekend.

Thanks for reading.
Blessings :-)

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