Proud of my cousin.

My cousin Margaret decided she wanted to learn how to crochet. Since we're both southpaws, she asked me to teach her. I'm not great at teaching, but I was able to show her how to single crochet, and this was the result:
Cute, huh? She made her daughter a little purse. It's not the most perfect crochet I have ever seen, but I'm still mightily impressed. I mean, it's not a scarf. It's something she came up with the idea for all on her own, and she figured out how to do it with essentially no help from me.

I bought her I Taught Myself How to Crochet, the kit that has been around at least the past 15 or so years, because I used it back in the day. So hopefully it will work for her as it did for me, and if not we now live in the same trailer park (Yes! I am true to my roots!), so she can easily come to find me whenever she needs help.

In other news, I've shelved the skirt I was working on for myself. Mainly on account of the fact that my husband put it up somewhere & I've no idea what he did with it. You'd think he'd put it with the rest of my yarn & WIPs, but no.

I am also working on an outfit for Margaret's daughter, Cheyenne. She picked out her own yarn, the Bernat baby yarn that's supposed to stripe up. Damned if I can figure out how to get it to make neat stripes, though. I am making sure to use the hook the label mentions, and I have gone so far as to fold in half the length of pink I'm working with in half so I can hopefully get two rounds out of it, and nada. It's driving me nuts.

In other yarn news, Big Lots has some pretty nice yarn--again, Bernat--on sale for a dollar a skein. I am now the proud possessor of 12 skeins (four each of 3 different yarns) of this magical dollar yarn. It's nice too. I don't recall the name of most of it, but it's acrylic/mohair/angora, a nice fuzzy yarn. I have baby sweater plans for it.

Yarn Haul

In the past two weeks, I've bought 20 skeins of TLC Cotton Plus yarn for $20. Total. That's a buck a skein, for those slow in math.

Where did I come across this bounty? Texas Thrift & Dollar Stores. So anyone who reads this who happens to be in the San Antonio area, it's worth a trip if you really like red, green, or yellow. Those being the 3 colors they have. I have only red & green. And no, I'm not making a Christmas afghan. I'm making this:
This, of course, is the Citrine Skirt from the Fall 2006 issue of Interweave Crochet. Designed by Annie Modesitt, who of course has some great designs for someone who identifies herself as a knitter.

I of course, am not making the skirt in the yarn called for, and therefore it will be single-colored & not striped. I'm probably violating the entire purpose of the pattern by not using that particular yarn, but oh well. I don't like orange (it's one of those colors I seriously think no one looks good in, though I've been told I do), and I don't like stripes.

What I do like is that this pattern actually comes in my size. I am making the biggest size, since the pattern says it's to sit low on the waist. I'm very appreciative of the fact that it comes in my size, as so few crochet patterns do (I wear a 16/18, which is an XL or 2X depending on the brand). I am even more appreciative of the fact that it comes in a variety of lengths. Though I do like long skirts--and am, in fact, making mine to be about ankle length--I am nevertheless quite short, so ankle length on your "average" woman (I put that in quotes because I am 5'5", which is exactly average height for a woman, but all clothes seem to be designed for gals taller than I) is tripping-length for me.

While I am on my list of things I like about the pattern--there is a diagram in the magazine for the bottom part of it, which is kind of confusing.

Still, either there is something wonky in the supply list, or I crochet even more tightly than I thought. The yarn is listed as being #2/Fine & the hook a 3.75mm/F. I am using the Cotton Plus, which the label says is worsted weight (though looking at it I'd guess it's sport weight) and still need a G/4.25 mm hook to obtain the stated gauge. I started with the 3.75mm and then moved up to 4mm before settling on the 4.25mm.

Not that it's really a problem, though. Just an observation. So wish me luck, as I don't tend towards complicated, adult-sized projects often.

Safe & sound in San Antonio

We're home. Most of my stash is still in transit. I've only bought yarn once since moving here. Unemployment does funny things to my YAS (yarn acquiring syndrome). I've only crocheted 2 doll dresses in the time I've been here. I'll check back in when I can, hopefully with some FOs to show off; I'm borrowing coz's computer.