Wednesday's Child - Hooked on Hooks

Every art has its tools. Crochet has crochet hooks. When I first learned to crochet it was recommended by the store clerks which ones were best to use. The old ladies were surprised to find the hook shapes were changing and always recommended the old, vintage hooks they were using

Whenever I recommend a brand of hook, inevitably I’m always asked, “Why? What’s the difference?  They’re all alike aren’t they?”  Well…no-o-o.   

I’ll start with my favorite brand: Susan Bates. The shape and range of sizes of the Susan Bates aluminum hooks makes them perfect for crocheting for newbies as well as old pros. The shape of the hook is streamlined and comes to a point, which makes it great for inserting through the yarn or thread without catching or snagging. The neck of the hook is steeply angled and the shape enhances the inside of the hook so it’s more difficult to drop the stitch while working. The handle itself is cylindrical with a flat spot for fingers. The size by letter, number, mm, and brand are stamped into the handle as well. 

Boye brand hook (left) vs. Susan Bates brand hook (right)

Boye is another popular brand which can found in most craft stores. This, and most other brands are very similar in shape. The head of the hook is rounder and blunter while it has a more rounded gentle slope at the inside neck of its hook. The Boye hook tends to be slightly larger and has a cylindrical handle with the size, letter, mm and brand stamped in the flat spot. When I have used this brand in the past, I found it difficult to work with. Needless to say, they were unused until I gave them away. I have since heard from others.

Regardless of the brand, the newer steel hooks are all made the same way. Their size and shape are more standardized than in the past, making it easier to use different hooks with the same results. For this reason, I will continue to use the older “vintage” steel hooks as I, too, become one of those “little old ladies.” 

Off Topic Tuesday - My New Full-Time Job

Wow! It's only Tuesday and it's already been a LOOOOOOONG week for me! I started a full-time job as a technical writer yesterday, and I have to say it's HARD to go from being a SAHM to a full-time work-away-from-home mom.

Don't get me wrong. I love being able to leave the house every day for something other than errands. I just wish, maybe, that it wasn't quite so early. I also really like the people I work with. Everyone is about my age and is super-friendly. Lots of smiles around the office! My boss is pretty awesome, too. Very easy to talk to and always happy to help me out with something.

On the flip side, it's SO HARD to leave my kids at daycare every day. I know it's only been two days, but it's really tough to come home to "I really missed you, Mommy." And there's nothing tougher than leaving my 4.5 month old. She's so smiley in the morning and I hate missing it.

I've been a SAHM since Katie was 6 months old. That was three years ago.

And dinner = nightmare! We all get home at the same time and we're all so hungry RIGHT NOW!

And I hate only getting to see them for 1.5 hours before they go to bed.

I would love to hear your comments on how you do it. Does it get easier once there's a routine? Good, fast meals?? Any advice is always welcome!

Tracing Patterns

I love looking at vintage patterns at the thrift stores, but even though I want to, I usually don't buy them. Why? Because the patterns have usually been cut. And if the pattern's been cut, sometimes pieces are missing. Shame shame shame!

So I trace my patterns. Every single one of my patterns is intact because I make copies of the patterns by tracing the sizes and pieces I need rather than cutting. Then again, if patterns are on sale for 99 cents at Hancock Fabrics, maybe it would be worth the money just to buy multiple patterns for the multiple sizes.

How do you trace it? I've done it at least two different ways, and heard even more suggestions via blogs and message boards for different materials to use. Here's a quick rundown of what I do:

You can:

1. Lay the pattern tissue on a light colored surface. If the surface is darker colored, you'll have trouble seeing the lines when you're tracing.
2. Flatten out the wrinkles with your hands by gently spreading the tissue. If you get a particularly reluctant wrinkle, you can wet your finger and press it on to the wrinkle while spreading the tissue. This works well for small wrinkles. If you have lots of wrinkles that really distort the lines of the pattern pieces your using, just iron the tissue on low heat while spreading the wrinkles out. Sometimes, I don't even worry about the wrinkles if they aren't to bad.
3. Grab a sheet of freezer paper that fits over the pattern piece and trace away, making sure to trace any grain lines, pattern markings, and hem and seam allowances. And don't forget to write the piece number (e.g. #10), pattern number (1792), pattern company (simplicity), piece size (size 8), what the piece actually is (bodice front), and how many to cut (cut 1 on fold).

OR you can:

1. Tape up your entire pattern tissue on a giant window or sliding patio door during the day, making sure to smooth out your wrinkles as you tape. I'm lucky enough to have a ginormous window.
2. Trace pattern pieces with freezer paper, or some other kind of large piece of paper that you can see through.

Another method I've heard us taping the pattern tissue to the TV with it on so the light shines through.I've also heard of using the paper that is on the exam tables in doctors offices.

When you're finished with the pattern, take a manilla envelope and store your new pieces in it Don't forget to mark the pattern number and size on the envelope so you can grab the instructions from the original if you need to.