She's Hooked

Today, I have something a little different -- a special guest appearance by our resident hooker! (And by that, I mean crocheter, of course!) Rainbow learned how to crochet several years ago, but this summer, she's really gotten hooked on it -- pun intended. First, she used up a ton of my leftover scraps to make some fun scrappy blankets. Then, last week, she dug into my kitchen cotton stash and has started making bags. But I'll let her tell you more about it all.

Hi, I'm Rainbow. That's not my real name, but that's what I go by online. First, I'll tell why I recently got back into crocheting. It started out as just something to do over the summer to pass time, but eventually I was crocheting for a reason. First I found out I would have a new cousin this fall, then that a family friend was having a baby. I wanted both babies to have a handmade blanket, and I wanted to use up all of the colorful scraps my mom has acquired over the years. So I got to work. Before I knew it, I had completed four blankets: two for those babies and two to donate. In that time, I also completed a lap blanket for my best friend.

A scrappy blanket using fingering held double, a clutch, and a tote bag

The more I crocheted, the better I got. I was ready for a harder project. I remembered a video one of my favorite YouTubers had made a while ago, so I went back and re-watched it. In the video, she crocheted an adorable tote bag. That's when an idea popped into my mind. I dug into my mom's kitchen cotton supply and found a few colors I liked. Then, I went onto Stitch Fiddle and used an image I had found online to create a simple flower design. Finally, it was time to get to work! I carefully followed the graph and after about four days, I had finished my first tote bag! I immediately got to work on another, but took a short break to make a small clutch/pouch. I'm still working on the second bag, although I'm very close to finishing. 

The tote bag made with the flower motif

As for my future as a crocheter, I plan on not only making things for myself, but for others. I'll make blankets, bags, and much more for my family, friends, and to donate.

Another tote bag in progress

Sarah here again! I want to point out that while I have offered a little advice and my opinion from time to time, Rainbow has done all this work on her own. And I couldn't be prouder! She's also doing a great job of helping me use up stash, particularly my scraps and leftovers, and I think it's only a matter of time before I have to hide the good stuff so she doesn't use it before I do. She doesn't plan to start a blog just yet, but she did recently open a Ravelry account so she can keep track of her projects (especially because she now has more than one WIP at a time). Perhaps one day she'll dip her toe into designing as well! She starts school (seventh grade, if you can believe it!) next week, so there will be a lot of yarn flying around this week as she savors her last week of freedom.

Thanks for indulging me and my parental pride for a bit. I'll be back on Wednesday with a knitting and reading update!