Hello Ladies and Gents,
As if learning to sew wasn't taxing enough, I decided I wanted to teach myself
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| 'Roseanne' |
crochet as well. I know I should concentrate on one before moving onto another, but after watching 'Roseanne' (with the lovely Dan Goodman) I just could not stop thinking about the afghan blanket (and Dan Goodman) that was hanging on the back of the sofa in the living room. With this idea fresh in my mind I purchased a fabulous pattern I could follow... but then thought 'I can't even crochet, let alone make a blanket'.
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| Crochet Equipment |
With my reigns now back on, I trawled the internet on how to get started in crochet. I found lots of good websites and tutorials on You Tube, but it was the lovely people of twitter who came to my aid on the tools I should use to get started. I was advised to buy a size 4 hook and 4-ply yarn. Armed with the basic knowledge of what I would need, I bought a Clover size 4 hook and some 4 ply acrylic yarn. Top Tip: I bought my first bits from eBay and it cost me less than £8 - a cheap lay out cost to test drive the new hobby in my opinion.
The hook and yarn arrived and following the tutorial on You Tube I wanted to follow (link below) I set out learning a few basic steps. The hardest bit was actually holding the yarn and making sure the tension was right. This did not come naturally, but after persevering I had learned how to do chaining. A chain in the crochet world is a when you have a slip knot already on the crochet hook and pull the yarn through to make a chain. After doing this for a good half an hour, I moved onto what is known as 'fourth from the hook' in patterns or 'double crochet'. This I found challenging, so will stop here as I need to go and practice the double crochet as apparently it is the most used stitch in crochet!
Happy Crocheting x
P.S. I need to make a storage case for crochet kit so will be doing a blog on that soon :)
Top Tips:
- I bought my first bits from eBay and it cost me less than £8 - a cheap lay out cost to test drive the new hobby.
Useful Website:
- Goodknitkisses. Beginner How to Crochet - Lesson 1.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXmRm1ryXUQ
- Crochet Hooks You
- http://www.crochethooksyou.com/
- I Knit
Hello Ladies and Gents,
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| One Packed Mini! |
With my tofino lounge trousers now ready, I had suitable lounge wear to go to Rhythm Riot!!! Those who don't know what Rhythm Riot is, its a 1950s Rhythm and Blues and Rock 'n' Roll weekend that takes place every year in November at Camber Sands, East Sussex. There's music, shopping, eating, drinking, dancing and more dancing that takes place in Pontin's... a perfect weekend to spend with good friends and make new ones. This was my first time to the Riot, but had been looking forward to it since we booked it in the summer 2013.
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| Missy Malone |
The biggest challenge was what clothes and accessories (not to mention shoes) to take with us... so in the end I think we took everything but the guinea pig! (don't panic, I had someone to look after the furry old man!). With the Mini packed within in an inch of its life we set off from London to Camber with music playing and sun shining.
As I'm a bit late in sharing - as this is now over two months ago since the Riot - I'll spare you all the details of the whole weekend, but it was everything I expected and more. The shopping was fantastic with a wide range of original and repro clothes from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. I picked up some hair flowers and the most gorgeous wicker handbag. The music was sensational... on the Saturday night we went to watch 'The Teenagers' and they just took my breath away... they had to be the best performance of the weekend. The cabaret in the Lady Luck Room had the delightful Missy Malone, Cherry Shakewell and Little Miss Bodacious to tantalise and tease you with their burlesque.
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| The Teenagers |
All rooms played wonderful music and I really enjoyed watching people dance. Husbandy and I had a few dances too which was really good fun. Everyone looked glamorous and most importantly were enjoying themselves!
All in all it was a perfect weekend... a great break with good friends... role on November - Rhythm Riot!!
Happy Dancing x
P.S. My tofino trousers were very comfy especially when nursing my gin-induced hangover :)
