stretching strings

While I haven’t yet completed the one book I want to (and am currently trying to figure out how to warp the time/space continuum so that I can), I have read a few lighter books. I often feel guilty about “counting” them but I’ve read them through (often more than once) and have thoughts on them.

First up is stretching the boundaries of string. One hook. Two sticks. People tend to be quite vehement about which one they choose. There are a few who will do edgings in crochet or a provisional cast on but that’s about it. In Knitting Loves Crochet those boundaries are pushed even further to fully “mixed media” pieces. I’m probably one of the last people on earth to look at this book .. I can knit and crochet so I didn’t really see the point. I wish I had flipped through this book earlier. Candi Jensen has put together a great compilation with examples of the two. I must admit that the flowers are what convinced me to borrow it, and it’s on my list of books to add to my library. I haven’t been happy with the flowers I’ve crocheted lately so this book offers needed inspiration. I like that there are pieces with both knit and crochet edging. I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed “learn to crochet” literature but I must say that the drawings illustrating key principles (such as dc and working in the round) are quite clear.

A colleague of mine loves the socks I’m “always working on” but laments she can’t make any because she crochets. I told her that it was possible to crochet socks (fabric is fabric) and they’d probably be really nice and warm! My library has a copy of Crocheted Socks! 16 Fun-to-stitch Patterns by Janet Rehfeldt and Mary Jane Wood. I really enjoyed this as there are examples of jacquard and self-striping, which I’ve been curious to see how they would behave in crochet without getting out my hook and swatching. There are instructions for both “short row” and a more traditional heel flap. While there is a nice chart of pattern sizing, however, I found that yardage estimators seemed lacking. I hope to crochet a pair over break so I can offer her some advisement on the process.

Now on to stretching of (my ham)strings.

I’m very inflexible. I joke that while my long-removed tonsils were to fit a 6ft tall man, my hamstrings stopped growing when I was 3. I’m also incredibly out of shape despite what people think when they look at me. I took a pile of books (and a DVD) out of the library last week to look into the basics of pilates and see what I thought. I’ll only write about one of them tonight as I haven’t really spent enough time with the others. coffee break Pilates by Alan Herdman and Jo Godfrey Wood caught my eye because of a very well placed subtitle on the cover.. “5-minute routines you can do anywhere to tone your body, relieve stress, and boost your energy”. I’m a sucker for great instructional photos. This slim small volume is FULL of them. The photos are overlaid so you feel movement and the arrows actually made *sense* to me. That’s a tough one as I rarely can figure out my right from my left. I’ve yet to really do all of the exercises but I’ve found a few of them quite useful these past few days as I stare at the screen urging my work to complete itself faster.

• Category: books, handmade
• Tag: crochet, health, knit