My boyfriend the gutter-mind

[fireheart]

So I've been teaching myself how to knit and crochet (and it's been FUN!) with most of the work being done at my boyfriends house and whenever I get a spare moment. It's fine, stops me from eating out of sheer boredom and I'm doing something fun!

The current stitch I am learning is single/double crochet (for those in the UK, it's double, US I believe is single crochet, or it could be the other way around). It took me a while, but I eventually managed to actually use the crochet hook correctly to do my stitches, rather than using my fingers and keeping the hook stationary (that is, twisting the hook around and pulling it through the loops rather than pulling the loops over the hook). As a result, half my work is still a tad stiff.

Of course, this results in statements such as "Come on, get...in....there!" and "why don't you fit?" along with "time to do my turn"

Yeah....boyfriend yesterday decided that all three of those statements were worthy of a "That's what she said" comment.

On top of that, we had meatballs for dinner Saturday night. MORE guttermind comments ensued, culminating in the comment of how a particular dress on Project Runway (not the current season) resembled genitalia (I thought it resembled breasts down at waist level, he commented that it resembled an erect wang. Now I can't UNSEE it).

Lupo, you might LIVE with a pervert, but mine's the ultimate pervert

[Jay 2K Winger]

Lupo, you might LIVE with a pervert, but mine's the ultimate pervert

You live with dalesys?

[dalesys]

You live with dalesys?

No

[DeltaSierra]

LOL - I'm a crocheter myself so this thread made me giggle. I LOVED the Project Runway refrence - as I know the exact episode *grin*

[delidewd]

Looking at the word "crocheting" always gives me the giggles.

[fireheart]

LOL - I'm a crocheter myself so this thread made me giggle. I LOVED the Project Runway refrence - as I know the exact episode *grin*

I LOVE project runway, but I don't have cable, so I have to make do with streaming it from god knows where. The clothes are always interesting, but I love the unconventional challenges...

As for knitting/crochet, I've been teaching myself with the aid of an app called i stitches (which covers the basic stitches, some slightly more complex stitches and then things like cabling and lace) and using the knit and stitch collection as a guiding point. The goal of said magazine is to put together a blanket and some cushion covers, I just thought "fuck it" and I'm doing a blanket with both crochet and knitted squares. Each square is kinda like a sampler square too as it teaches you a new technique each time (so far they've covered knit/garter stitch, stocking/être stitch and its reverse, changing colours and double, half treble and treble stitch for crochet)

Eta: on that note, those who do crochet/knit, which do you prefer: plastic, aluminium, bamboo/wood or metal hooks/needles? I've found a preference for both bamboo and aluminium in terms of hooks and needles.

[LesserSouthernFroglet]

Bamboo or plastic-coated metal. For me, the plastic hooks feel too light-weight when I use them, which I think is all in my head, because the bamboo hooks are pretty light too. Maybe it's the surface texture or feel.

There was a great craft show down here a couple of months ago, and I managed to score some bamboo tricot* (Afghan or Tunisian) hooks, including extended ones for large projects. Awesome, as these hooks are as rare as rocking horse poo, and I've never seen the extended ones before at all.

There's some great how-to videos on youtube if you want to search for them. Keep at it, keep practicing, and enjoy it.

*looks like a standard crochet hook on one end, knitting needle length with stopper on the other.

[DeltaSierra]

I use metal hooks, I find I have more control with them. I also knit, but prefer to use circular knitting needles.

LesserSouthernFroglet: I have done Tunisian crochet and love it!

[dawnfire]

I prefer metal but I do love Denise crochet kit (they do a knitting kit too) http://www.knitdenise.com/ as it is so versatile.

[fireheart]

There was a great craft show down here a couple of months ago, and I managed to score some bamboo tricot* (Afghan or Tunisian) hooks, including extended ones for large projects. Awesome, as these hooks are as rare as rocking horse poo, and I've never seen the extended ones before at all.

I'm guessing you mean the bamboo tricot hooks themselves, as Spotlight seem to sell tricot hooks (do you folks even HAVE a Spotlight down there?)

NB: Aussie craft store.

[LesserSouthernFroglet]

Yeah, we have a Spotlight (surprise!!) down here, but they don't stock tricot hooks. They do stock the double-end hooks.

There's a specialist shop in one of the suburbs (awesome variety of wools, a knitters' circle, books, hooks, needles, patters... seriously, I could move in there!) that occasionally have them. I'm trying to build up a collection, and it isn't easy.

I just purchased a heap of Kindle books for Irish and Freeform crochet. The stall at the show where I got the hooks was run by a woman who is sort of the guru of Freeform, and I bought a heap of variety yarn packs there as well. She is so talented, it's scary.