I love to crochet hats, scarves, and lap blankets. No fancy stitches but different yarn types and colors.
I used to crochet, but my arthritic hands won't let me. My fingers go into spasms and draw into my palms.
Now that it is getting cold, and I do not like spending time outside in the chilly (and usually wet) weather, and the yard and garden is pretty much done for the year, it is time to get out the yarn and do some knitting and crocheting. I enjoy small, easy projects, like making socks and the little throw rugs that I make from yarn and leftover plastic grocery bags. So, today, I started looking through my yarn, and my unfinished projects from last winter, organized things a little bit, and now I am working on a new throw rug for the bathroom floor. The tile in there is okay in the summer, but in winter, it is as cold as walking on ice, so throw rugs are a good thing to have.
I haven't done any knitting or crocheting in years. I used to enjoy those pastimes but I spend my free time reading of late. I love to read and can't get enough good books to satisfy me.
i like my turbo knitting machines(i have several) you can make a hat in 30minutes--it takes a little longer to make a scarf--i also i m crocheting an aftgan---i have mae several of them
I can crochet, not very good at it as I can't get the hang of doing corners, but I can crochet round cushion covers.
I like history and biographies as well as a great suspense story. I have also been reading a good deal about the early politics of the U.S. and WWII history and historical novels. Well written humor is always a welcome relief. Right now I am reading a Philip Kerr book about the Katyn Wood Massacre of over 4,000 Polish army and naval officer by Stalin's secret police, the NKVD. A lot of people thought Himmler's SS bunch did it at first, but not so. Stalin began with purges of his own people before WWII and carried over to the Poles and Germans during the war. That's not to say that the Nazis did not do their share of massacres since, of course, the entire world knows they did. This particular book is one of the goriest and bloodiest I've ever read. Ghastly.
Anything like that would give me nightmares. I've recently read Lime Street At 2 by Helen Forester. It's about a young girl from Oxford UK, her family are thrown into financial hardship when her father is declared bankrupt. Her family head north and end up living in squalor. It's a biography of Helen Foresters life, set during the great depression. She's a very determined and brave woman.
I got a new shower curtain from Amazon a while back; and since winter is coming, I decided to crochet a new rug, and make it in colors that complimented the shower curtain. I use regular 4-ply yarn and then plastic grocery bags (which I cut up and roll into balls of “plarn”). It makes a nice thick rug which lasts forever, and can go right in the washer and dryer with the other laundry. And it keep me occupied on these cold days when I do not want to venture outdoors.
I'm intrigued. Do you crochet the yarn AND the plastic strips like using 2 yarns together? Is it "crunchy" to walk on?
I've been crocheting (along with other hobbies like quilting, wool applique, and counted cross stitch) for a very long time. I don't make anything fancy. I just finished a ripple afghan for our 85 year old neighbor who lives by herself. I thought it might help to make her a little more cozy this winter. I forgot to take a picture but it was lovely in blues. I've make pillows and crochet banners as well as many afghans. Here's a picture of a blanket I made a while back when I was recuperating from surgery and couldn't do much. I couldn't just sit so I started with a granny square I already had made for another project and then just used scraps of yarn and kept going around and around. I turned out lovely and fits on a queen with a lot of drape. I just made a couple scarf's for myself for this winter because I didn't have any winter clothes at all. We moved in February from AZ back to PA and I didn't need winter clothes in AZ.
Yes, that is exactly what I do, @Kay Baker . I cut the paper bags and connect them into a ball, so they are like yarn, and then I use a strand of the plarn and a strand of regular acrylic yarn together. It is not actually crunchy, it is soft, and as you use it and wash it, the rug seems to get even softer. They last forever, too, because the plastic does not wear out. I make the throw rugs like this one, and smaller ones for the dog bed. We have the plastic bags from shopping, and this recycles them for a good purpose. Here is a tutorial about making the plarn balls from plastic grocery bags.
I love your blanket, Kay ! I have been thinking about using up some of my leftover yarn and making a lap blanket or throw of some kind. I like the look of a granny square blanket , but I hate all of the sewing in of the little ends when you change colors, and then you have to sew all of the squares together afterwards. I like your idea much better !