Konnichiwa!

It's an exciting time for crochet and knitting :) For those of you who have been doing this for awhile, you know how it's so much easier now to get the yarn and tools that you need. For the new fans, you are lucky to have access to all this information (thank you, internet) that it is so easy to learn and appreciate this craft.

I've been pretty quiet on the blogging side lately. I have projects to finish and plans to execute. I guess my crochet world is getting bigger...and it's been really really good :)

Just this past week, I welcomed a visitor from Japan. And he brought these with him.

"Konnichiwa" is "Hello" in Japanese. They're saying hello because they will officially be in the Philippines before this year ends. Konnichiwa, indeed :)

If you haven't used Japanese yarn or worn crocheted or knitted garments made out of them, then it's about time that you do. I take pleasure working with quality yarn. I can't wait to get my hands on some of these!

Konnichiwa, Hamanaka!

Amigurumirized: June Conversions

First time having a workshop on the ground floor of Craft MNL (because we always had it on the 2nd floor).

Two of the Amigurumi participants attended the basic workshop the previous week.

The excitement in Amigurumi starts to build up when a part begins to take shape. Finishing off a part like the head brings satisfaction to anyone.

Hope you finished that cat (or monkey or mouse), ladies!

They Got Hooked: June Edition

The basic crochet workshop last Saturday, June 15, was also held on the same day as the Fete festivities at The Collective. Good thing the Fete preps were good to us that we managed to have a smooth-sailing workshop. Yey!

One thing I noticed about my crochet workshops is that they get really quiet. Either the participants are in the moment or they are just figuring things out :p 

For beginners, it's a struggle to conquer the hook and yarn at the start.

There are different ways of holding the hook. I show them options and they figure out on their own what works for them and what doesn't.

Welcome to the rocking chair club, ladies!

Meet Sir Jae!

Meet Sir Jae. The first Filipino knight. He became a knight because he has a crocheted helmet. According to his uniform, he is also a Spice Girl Wannabe. That makes him one hundred million times British.

This helmet will keep Sir Jae warm in his travels. When he is not called by the Queen to defend the kingdom, he takes beautiful pictures. Seriously beautiful pictures.

Check out Jae's amazing portfolio here. He is a travel photojournalist. He is excited to wear this helmet on his next trip to Nepal. Or even Cambodia - even if it's hot - because he thinks it's kick ass :p

I crocheted this helmet but the original pattern is made by Cute & Crafty Crochet. It is available on Etsy. Check out my previous entry on this helmet here.

Done With The Hat!

I'm done with my version of the Francie's Hat by Sara Kay Hartmann, published in Interweave Crochet Accessories 2012. I started it just this Sunday and finished it on the same day. Finally, my own hat!

I really like the hat! I love the ribbon detail on one side. This is the description of the hat in the Interweave Store (yep, you can by the pattern here if you want!):

"Inspired by 1920s cloche hats that feature intriguing side detail, Francie's Hat has a panel of ruffled crochet chain-stitch bows that are worked at the same time as the body of the crochet hat."

I wish I could have worn something more appropriate for the look of the hat :p. Here is the comparative picture. My Sex Pistols shirt wasn't the right match to my vintage-y crochet hat. Of course, the model from the magazine embodied the look this hat is matched for. I could have pulled the hat a bit lower while wearing it as well. And I don't know if you can see it on the pic, but I have a flat head. Ugh.

Image on the left grabbed from Interweave Store's website: http://www.interweavestore.com/francies-hat

I tried to imitate the longing look on the model. But it's hard. I had a hard time keeping a straight face because my photo was taken in a cafe :p

So after taking my picture, my boyfriend Rob decided to borrow the hat. And this is how he wore it.

And just like that, he managed to turn it into a fez hat. Genius :p

Steady Sunday

It's a steady Sunday so I took a break from crochet work and crocheted something for myself. Yes, I still consider this a break :) Here's my crochet "selfie." And yes, I really crochet in that position.

I haven't crocheted anything for myself lately. After my silk encounter, I was determined to make things right by crocheting something pretty for myself again, using special yarn. I didn't want to experiment this time so I followed a pattern. These are the wares for my special project.

Interweave Crochet Accessories 2012, Susan Bates 6-Pc. Crochet Hook Set, Morris & Sons Estate 8Ply Wool Yarn

In my years of crocheting, I have never done a hat for myself, primarily because of the weather in the Philippines (hot or too hot). I figured I might be in a cold place someday and I would want to wear a kick ass hat I crocheted. After going through my "library" of  designs, I found this hat pattern called "Francie's Hat" by Sara Kay Hartmann in the 2012 Crochet Accessories issue of Interweave. It has a hipster-ish look to it. I don't know though if I can look hipster enough in it (forgive me, I'm 30, and maybe my definition of hipster is different).

It's just made up of chains and single crochets, but I like the ribbon accents on the side. I just started this today and so far, I'm 65% done (I think). I used my Susan Bates 4.0mm (G6) hook together with Morris & Sons' Estate 8ply yarn in Posey (8018) color. The yarn is 100% Australian wool (it's really warm!). It's good that this yarn had the same gauge (with the same size of hook) as the one in the pattern, so I didn't have to make adjustments.

I'm on my second skein of the yarn. I think the hat will be finished with this skein. If you're curious how I got the yarn, you can check out my post about it here. See the wrap on the upper left side of the magazine? Looks lovely, eh? I might work on that next. It's such a treat to have time and do something for oneself. I hope I can use the hat soon :) Will be posting the finished project within the week!

Happy steady Sunday, everyone! Keep creating!

Crocheted Knight Helmet

Sir Knight, doth thou mother know you weareth her crochet? :p

I've been working on this project for a Thailand-based photographer who goes around the world taking beautiful pictures (which you might see in international publications like the Lonely Planet and Leisure+Adventure Travel). For someone who may go to Nepal once in a while, I think this would be a warm and bad ass companion :)

This is called the "Sir Knight Helmet." I bought the pattern for this project from Cute & Crafty Crochet in Etsy. The pattern was made by Martina Gardner. Check out her other kick ass hat patterns!

Screen grab from Cute & Crafty Crochet's Etsy Page

The pattern provides stitch adjustments for different sizes, so even babies can wear this! Let's support other crocheters by acknowledging (and buying) their original work :) Check out the adult version of this helmet crocheted by Hattie Hooker in Etsy. She also acknowledged the source of the original pattern by Cute & Crafty Crochet.

I can't wait to see my client wear this amid some exotic or marvelous background in one of his travels!

On another note, I've been drooling over these lately. Your dose of yarn porn for the week :p Happy weekend everyone!

When In Manila: Crochet! Or Better Yet, Attend My Workshop! :)

Thank you for the feature, Run Nurse (Ivy) for When In Manila! Super happy my workshops are reaching a bigger audience and that crochet is becoming cooler (I think :p), especially in the Philippines! Hooray for crochet!

Screen grab from When In Manila Website

You can check out the entire feature HERE.

Pre-Loved Crochet Books

I've been adding more titles to my Pre-Loved Crochet Books For Sale album in my Facebook Page. Although there is a plethora of free patterns that can be found in the internet, there's still nothing like having a crochet book you can flip through. Here are some of the books I recently added to the sale:

Stocks are in good condition and are being sold at discounted prices. Stocks are also limited. Every now and then, a vintage book gets included. You can see all available titles with their descriptions here.

It's Like Crocheting With Butter

Do you know how anything can taste good with butter? I mean, for me, anything with butter is a deal-maker. That's how I felt when I crocheted with 100% Silk. Dang. Let me say that again...100% Silk. Crocheting with pure silk is like crocheting with butter. It glides on your fingers like how semi-melted butter glides on your toast. It tastes good :p

These were given to me by my boyfriend when he visited Morris & Sons in Sydney in 2011. Debbie Bliss is more of a "luxury" brand of yarn. It has a sick selection of luxury fibers like silk, cashmere, wool and alpaca. I didn't know what to do with them. I was too scared to use them because they're just too good to be used. Won't you feel the same way if you had such luxurious yarn? You can just stare at them or go through them with your fingers and you'll already feel satisfied. You'll just want to have an altar for them :p Here's another glorious shot.

Blissful, yeah?

Ok, this is where the story takes a semi-awful turn. I took a deep breath one bored day and decided to unravel these hanks and make something. I was certain these 2 hanks alone cannot make a full scarf. But guess what, I tried to make a scarf anyway. I don't know what got into me. Once I started using the yarn, I couldn't stop. I didn't even care how my project would look like because it just felt like butter working with the yarn. It's like being possessed with the evil spirit of silky goodness. The silk made my hands keep crocheting without the help of my thinking brain.

I ended up with this. It's barely a scarf because it's only 35 inches long. This is probably the most luxurious sample I have. I'm gonna say it again...it's just a sample now. The stuff you show to people how yarn translates into a crocheted piece, and is not necessarily something useful. Tsk :p

Awesome yarn. Not so awesome output. I wish I could have done something else. But here I am :p I don't even know where to begin if I want to point out the things I did wrong with this project. I just experimented on a pattern and tried to turn it into a scarf. And the result is something I will probably dismantle to make something else in the future.

Maybe I can make a beanie with this, so I can feel the buttery goodness of silk on my head.

To end this entry on a high note, let's go back to the awesome yarn this (not-so) scarf formerly was.

Last Day of Coffee, Cupcakes, & Crochet Workshop

It was me, Ivy, and Kim :) 2 of the workshop participants weren't able to make it but I liked how even more personal the workshop was for me. This got me thinking if I should do one-on-one sessions in the future.

Day 2 was more relaxed. The participants already knew the basic stitches and were confident enough to take on other projects. We did some Amigurumi.

Red Heart® and Cannon® provided our yarn for all 4 workshop sessions. Thank you, Red Heart® and Cannon®!!! We had a blast with your yarn! 

They looked amused :p Kim was so fast she already started working on a dolphin Amigurumi (after working on a cat). It was Ivy's first time to learn crochet and she looks really excited because she already managed to make basic Amigurumi shapes.

I had so much fun the past month teaching crochet in this kind of setting. It was my first time doing this kind of workshop and I hope I got some people hooked with this craft.

For other workshop schedules, you can check the "Workshops" tab here in my blog. You may also request for a private workshop at home with friends or family by emailing me at gantsilyoguru@gmail.com.

Susan Bates® Crochet Hooks Are Here!!!

It's official! Susan Bates® crochet hooks are already in th Philippines!

The first offering is a set of 6 pcs. of Silvalume® aluminum crochet hooks. A set is PhP 460 (exclusive of delivery). Email me at gantsilyoguru@gmail.com if you are interested to get your own set.

Here's a description of this special line of hooks from the Shop Redheart.com site:

"These hooks have the broadest size range within the Susan Bates family of hooks. Made of lightweight aluminum; each Silvalume hook undergoes a special anodizing process that etches away all surface impurities. In addition; each hook is heat treated for strength and durability and polished for a velvety smooth finish. Each size is color coded so you can find the size you need at a glance. Our famous in line head helps reduce wrist motion for fatigue free crocheting and helps you maintain a more consistent gauge."

The set already comes with this vinyl case. As you can see, one set includes the following sizes: US F5, G6, H8, I9, J10, and K10.5 (3.75mm, 4mm, 5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm, 6.5mm). If you're curious about conversions, go to this link to check the different crochet hook sizes.

Letters and Crochet

It was in high school where I probably received the most number of handwritten letters. We always found a reason to write letters to friends. We also used to get a bunch from retreats. Last week, I went through my stash of old letters.

It's nice to read handwritten letters and see different hand writings. You see personalities reflected on each of them. Some add doodles. Some use different-colored pens. Some write to say something they've always wanted to say. Some just write out of boredom. 

The I found this one under my pile of letters.

We call it the "palanca box." A palanca is a slang term for a letter given to people who attend retreats. You usually put your personal thoughts about the person there, thank him/her for his/her friendship, or wish him/her well for this time to reflect. Obviously, this is not a box. It's this plastic mesh bag usually sold in public markets. I used to participate in this special retreat in high school and college called "Days With The Lord." I was rector for one batch. My co-rector and I wanted our batch's "box" to be special. We chose this simple mesh bag to contain all the palanca letters of the participants. 

Of course, I wanted to put something crocheted on it. I already forgot where I got the pattern for this motif. I remember owning just one steel crochet hook and 2-3 balls of yarn back then. I crocheted more or less 10 pieces of this and sewed them on the mesh bags.

Speaking of bags, I have somethings in the works which involves bags and crochet. I couldn't reveal much yet, but expect 2 seemingly traditional crafts come up with something bad ass. It's made up of two materials I really love - yarn and leather.