Recipe – A Hooker's World

Deep Sleep: Recipe

CSNanaCat asked me how to make the crochet continuous square. Luckily for her, I know how to make one in single crochet. My double crochet attempts still need work because they keep bowing. I am pretty sure, it is because my corners are missing some stitches.

Here is the shorthand directions for making a crochet continuous square in single crochet

Round 1: ch 2. 8 sc in first chain. ss to close round.

Round 2: ch 1,

sc in same stitch; (sc, ch2, sc) in next stitch;
sc, (sc, ch2, sc),
sc, (sc, ch2, sc),
sc, (sc, ch2, sc),
ss to close round

Round 3 and on: sc across sides, and (sc, ch2, sc) in every corner…repeat to desired size

Caution: make sure you get the first single crochet after every (sc, ch2, sc)

Otherwise, the pattern is pretty straightforward.

Island In The Sun Cowl

Island In The Sun Cowl | USD $12.00

About The Project Name

Island In The Sun by Weezer because I had already used Caribbean Queen by Billy Ocean, which would have been better because of the yarn color; but, I do like Weezer better.

About The Yarn

Bernat Viva

Fiber Content: 82% Acrylic, 18% Nylon
Yarn Color: 51734 Caribbean
Yarn Weight: 6, Super Bulky

It has been so long since I worked with a super bulky yarn that it took a little getting used to again. Considering the short color runs, I am pretty convinced that this would have looked similar knit.

About The Project

I really wanted to knit, but having only one skein (approximately 85 yards), I was restricted to usable items I could knit. I did have a little extra yarn, so I can’t guarantee it as a one skein project. However, I did stop about the same place I began after using my extra due to a knot in the whole skein towards the end.

Additionally, there is too much frustration knitting small items, as I am restricted to 24 inch cables, due to my large hands. I started to knit a medium cowl, but forgot about curling of stockinette, so decided to crochet in stockinette, no curling.

Dimensions: 12 (D) x 8 (H) inches
Price: USD $12.00, less 25% Friends & Family Discount, where applicable

I was going to write a recipe, but just discovered that my stitch is not identified as I thought, and it appears I might have created a new stitch: Single Crochet Stockinette – at least to me!

Satori

In the Zen Buddhist tradition, satori refers to the experience of kenshō, “seeing into one’s true nature.” Ken means “seeing,” shō means “nature” or “essence.” Satori and kenshō are commonly translated as enlightenment, a word that is also used to translate bodhi, prajna and buddhahood.

This is a stitch pattern I created back in 2010. Recently, I received an inquiry from a customer, which prompted me to update this handout on my Ravelry account. This stitch pattern is available for free; you may download from my Recipe page.

I have used this stitch pattern for two afghans, but it could also be used for pot holders, wash cloths, etc.

Cousins Lapghan

©A Hooker’s World

Cast On: August 16, 2014
Cast Off: November 1, 2014
Pattern: Cousins Lapghan by Hooker Leo
Needle: US 10.5
Yarn A: Lion Brand Homespun (Fiber Content: 98% Acrylic, 2% Polyester; Yarn Color: 392 Cotton Candy; Yarn Weight: 5, Bulky)
Yarn B: Lion Brand Homespun (Fiber Content: 98% Acrylic, 2% Polyester; Yarn Color: 334 Gothic; Yarn Weight: 5, Bulky)
Yarn C: Red Heart Baby Clouds (Fiber Content: 100% Acrylic; Yarn Color: 9074 Pale Pink; Yarn Weight: 6, Super Bulky)
Yarn D: Unknown (Fiber Content: Unknown; Yarn Color: [White]; Yarn Weight: [5, Bulky])
Finished Size: 48 x 54 inches

So let’s get the next chapter started with a lapghan I knitted for my mom’s cousin – and therefore, my cousin as well. The name – Cousins by Vampire Weekend – should be self evident. I designed this based on the gauge swatch information. Unfortunately, I did not record my desired finished size, but I think I’m close.

I cast on 126 stitches. The pattern is 10 rows of garter, 2 rows of YO, P2TOG, 20 rows of garter in each color, slipping the first stitch in ever row and KBL the last stitch. The exception is the middle section where I alternated every two rows between the Red Heart Baby Clouds and unknown white yarn.

I did not have an payment agreement in place for this afghan, but did keep track of my time. I took me approximately 52.5 hours to make this. At the time I was charging $10.00/hour. The yarn was a mix of yard sale yarn, stash yarn of an unknown source and purchase of a second Homespun Gothic because my design sensibilities could not allow me to use the blue that was picked from my stash. Total yarn amount: $8.98.

I just found out my cousin is visiting from Texas again and is expected to arrive Monday, November 3. Perfect timing, which just goes to show bad things are not necessarily bad.

Buffy Come Back Cowl

©A Hooker’s World

Here is the next cowl to be donated to Handmade Especially For You, unless you like it so much and would like to purchase it at the reduced Price: USD $20.00. This cowl is seamed. I recommend wearing with seam at back of neck, as pictured. As you can see, the colors include white, pink, beige, grey, burgundy and a touch of blue and green in one of the multi-colored yarns, all of which are of a thick, bulky weight. The fiber content is most assuredly all acrylic/man-made fibers. The only identifiable yarn used in this cowl is Lion Brand Homespun (Fiber Content: 98% Acrylic, 2% Polyester; Yarn Color: Unknown; Yarn Weight: 6, Bulky).

The construction is a back loop, single crochet ripple with an US M/10 mm hook. I began with a foundation chain of 17. Row one is worked in the bottom of the foundation chain. Every row is 2sctog, 6 sc, 3 sc in the same (center) stitch, 6 sc, 2 sctog. The seam was done in pattern attaching to the front loop of the foundation chain.

When using the white/burgundy/grey novelty yarn (pictured at upper right), I held a strand of Cascade Cherub DK (Fiber Content: 55% Nylon, 45% Acrylic; Yarn Color: 01; Yarn Weight: 3, DK, Light Worsted) to ease in stitch identification.

The name of this cowl — Buffy Come Back by Angel and the Reruns – is a random selection from my music library.

2014-08-07 ADDENDUM

Apparently, the cowl is long enough to wrap three times and keep your neck nice and warm.

Natural High Mobius Cowl

Having rummaged through my stash recently to donate some yarn to Studio Royale Assisted Living Knit Group, I actually used some of my scraps to make this seamed mobius cowl, which will be donated to Handmade Especially For You. I made the mistake of “seaming” this into a mobius. I only say that because I am deciding that a mobius cowl should only be for shorter cowls that one would not wrap twice.

Only two yarns were identifiable:

Super Yarn Mart! Superlon (Fiber Content: 100% Super Spun Acrylic; Yarn Color: 100 Black; Yarn Weight: 4, Worsted)
Plymouth Encore (Fiber Content: 75% Acrylic, 25% Wool; Yarn Color: 0256; Yarn Weight: 4, Worsted)

The third identifiable yarn was the bought at The Knitting Tree, L A to finish this piece: Feza Lady (Fiber Content: 100% Nylon; Yarn Color: 112; Yarn Weight: 4, Aran)

Apparently, I got used to the new wimpy worsted weight yarns and used a US 8/H – 5 mm hook, which cause portions of the cowl fabric to be dense. Crucify me for my attitude, but it’s a donation, so I am not really concerned, but have taken the knowledge and will apply in future projects.

The name of this cowl – Natural High by Bloodstone – comes from the colors used: white, ecru, browns, blacks and greys.

If you are keen to make something similar, here is the recipe: 24 double crochets worked between stitches to desired length with a crab stitch border of the Feza Lady, triple-stranded.

The Boy With The Thorn In His Side Wrap: Pattern

Here is another version of The Boy With The Thorn In His Side Wrap, this time made with Schoppel-Wolle’s IN Silk (Fiber Content: 75% Merino Wool, 25% Silk; Yarn Color: 6683 Celery; Yarn Weight: 4, Worsted). I think the inclusion of the silk lends a lightness to the finished wrap. The primary difference between this version and the acrylic version is the length and design, measuring 74 (length) x 26 (widest width) inches, and the absence of the slip stitch section and the final treble crochet border at the widest edge. The final treble crochet border would have caused me to break into a fourth skein and being financially challenged, $23.60 per skein did not seem worth it, as most of the skein would have been unused. Perhaps if I had crocheted the wrap with a tighter tension, I would have had enough for the treble crochet border, but I wanted more drape to the piece so I opted for a loose tension.

A special thanks to my model: Ellen, who is impervious to camera shame, a master crocheter and excellent knitter.

The pattern is written as an recipe to accommodate easy adjustment for width and includes instructions for the acrylic version as well, which includes the final treble crochet border and the slip stitch section. I intentionally left of the slip stitch section on the final version because other than acting as added weight and length, the eyelets were hardly visible and the construction a challenging. The pattern may be purchased from my patterns page or from my Ravelry store.

PROVISO

I condone any realized profit from selling your finished project
If you are on Ravelry, I would appreciate your linking your project to this pattern/recipe, so I can send a request to feature your finished object.