Jacket progress

Whoops, where did February go? I seem to have blinked and missed it. On top of that I was convinced today was Tuesday up until about 12 o'clock...... 

Anyway, hello again. Apparently planning a wedding takes up more time than you'd think, and quickly leads to neglecting your blog. I think I've seen every purple dress currently on sale in the UK and I still haven't been able to find one suitable for my bridesmaids.

I've managed to work on the hooded jacket but haven't got as far as I'd like. Some people in the Ravelry group have already finished or are getting very close.

I've done the first 6 inches and I'm now working on the left front piece. Once you get past the first section it does feel like it's going faster.

Since it is Wednesday I've added this post to Tami's WIP pool, why don't you head over there and take a look at what other crafty things people are currently working on?

Yarn choice - HJCAL

I've finally ordered my yarn for the hooded jacket.

I decided on an aran weight, and wanted an acrylic/wool mix similar to the discontinued yarn the pattern calls for. I had a trawl through various online shops to see which manufacturers made the kind I wanted in the price range I wanted, then went direct to their websites to see all the colours available.

I couldn't picture the colours together very easily so I saved the pictures to my computer and used GIMP to play with the different combinations and patterns. I saved a swatch with my final colour choice and a few versions of the combos (yes, I do have some OCD tendencies thank you):

I ended up ordering it all from one seller on ebay as I struggled to find one shop that stocked all 4 colours and the postage prices were pretty ridiculous. I could buy another ball with what they ask for postage! 

How about you? Have you bought yarn especially for the jacket or are you using it as a stash buster? I don't have a stash big enough to bust yet, but I'm working on it!

P.s. it's day 4 of my juice detox, the end is in sight, all downhill from here!  I'm hoping I do the 7 days as planned but as Thursday is both food shop day and my final day I might have my first evening meal on Thursday instead of waiting till Friday.  Hmmmmmm decisions.

Plan of action - HJCAL

First post of 2011, so Happy New Year!  I would have posted sooner but I've been feeling a bit down and generally blah so I wasn't in the right frame of mind for blogging.

I'm happy that quite a few of you want to join me in the Hooded Jacket Crochet Along. So I figured we need a plan of action. 

When?

We're aiming at being ready to begin by February 1st. That gives everyone about 3 more weeks to buy yarn and make sure they've got the right hooks.

Pattern

If you've not already grabbed the pattern go to Jolly Plum's blog post and read the text under the picture, the link to the pattern is there. I've printed a copy off because I don't tend to crochet with my laptop turned on. One thing to watch out for in the pattern is the fourth colour has 1 more ball than the others, that is for the separate hat (the "cap") which is at the very end. If you don't intend to make that there's no need to buy a larger amount of the fourth colour.

Yarn

The original yarn recommended by the pattern was discontinued. From googling it seems to have been about 55% wool, 45% acrylic. The pattern uses 2 strands of "sport" weight yarn. In UK terms that's DK or a little lighter. So you could try it with 2 strands of DK or 1 strand of aran or worsted weight. If you decide to use the heavier yarn, like I am, you can halve the amount required for the pattern.

Pace?

Not being strict about this as everyone has varying levels of commitments and free time. I'd say aim for at least  2 or 3 rows a week on the long stretches and more on the shorter parts.
I suggest we share our progress each week to keep each other motivated. So I'll be blogging it here every Saturday after the 1st, hopefully with a Mr. Linky so those with blogs can link up. Those on Ravelry can join the "Hooded Jacket Crochet Along" group where we'll each have a progress thread. 

Places you can get involved. 
Here each Saturday with Mr. Linky, join the Ravelry group, or add your shots to the Flickr pool.

Bloggers grab a badge:

Please let me know if you have any suggestions about anything. This is my first attempt at organising a crochet along!

Crayon blanket - WIP Weds

Thanks to Tami for hosting!

 

I had thought my next project would be the Hooded Jacket, but it turned out I couldn't wait that long to start something new. So while we all get set up ready to start the crochet along I've started on the colour me blanket. It's made up of six giant crayons pointing in opposite directions. I'd already bought some red yarn before Christmas, intending to have a go at one crayon before I buy the other colours. The pattern is made up of alternating single and double crochet (US terms), which gives it a bumpy textured look. This is my progress so far:

It's going well. I'll try to be good and buy each colour as I finish the last one.

For people who want to join in with the crochet along, what start date would you like? Would halfway through January give you enough time to buy yarn? Say the 16th ish. Or would you prefer a whole month to shop and start on February 1st?

A cunning plan...

Hands up crocheters - wanna join in?

I'd like a head count for people that might be interested in making the following pattern:

Click -> Stripy hooded jacket

It's from an old magazine pattern. I found it through Ravelry and fell in love, but there is a shortage of examples of the finished coat floating around the internet and it seems to be putting people off attempting it, myself included. I've only made 6 things out of crochet so far and I'm still learning as I go, but I think I really want to make a start on this as my next pattern.

I'm wondering if others want to join in and make it into a crochet along? I would host it here on my blog and those with blogs can join in here, those without could join in on Ravelry if you've got an account there or want to make one. Or you could just email me your progress shots and I'll post them here.

The pattern is free, and covers sizes 10, 12, and 14 form the misses' section of this chart:

I'm fairly confident that someone with beginner/intermediate skills can attempt it as it seems to be constructed from rectangle-ish pieces and then sewn up into the coat shape. The instructions are in American, you need the following stitches: chain, single crochet, and half double crochet. In UK terms that would be chain, double crochet, and half treble.

Who's interested? Drop a comment below if you want to join in.