Throwback Thursday Craft-a-Long: 1970s Hairband Love

It's time again for an old timey craft made new! Last time, I futzed with salt dough, creating beads (eventually earrings), ornaments, and baby hand prints. This time, I am throwing it back to my mom's amazing 1970s The Family Crochet Book. This book, published in 1971, is a wealth of fabulous crochet clothing items, doilies, and pillow shams. I wanted to crochet one of the larger projects featured in the book, but due to time (and baby) constraints, I chose one of the simpler patterns, a headband (called "hairband" in the book). Before I get to the hairband, I need to feature some of the designs (that my mom actually made!) from the book. Enjoy!

My mother told me that she crocheted one of these bikinis.
I want to know how these things would keep their shape and not just fall
off in the water. Maybe that was the point? Scandalous!

Again, the shape keeping issue. I really want those white pants, though, with their flairy bottoms.

This book doesn't just have clothing for ladies, it has clothing for gentlemen, too! I wonder
 how Erik would feel if he received this number as his Christmas present this year? Hmmm...

1970s=Ponchos.

Ok, so this is actually something I would make for the ChiChi. Very cute.

Now that I have immersed you in 1970s crochet, here is the story of what I made. The pattern can be used for a hairband or a watchstrap. Upon reading the instructions, I had a few questions. For yarn weight, I reviewed the "notes on wools and yarns, page 22," but found that information rather useless to me. I don't think Sirdar yarn still exists, and it was difficult to translate what the book meant by the weights it listed. The first yarn I chose, which I thought was 4-ply, ended up being too thick. I then looked through my yarns again, locating the least bulky weight I could find. The yarn I found was a lovely alpaca fiber that my friend, Kerry, gave me (ohhhhhhhh, two years ago??) so that I could make something for her. (I bet she didn't think it would take me this long to quite screwing around and put something together!)

Ok, so I had the yarn and hook in hand. I proceeded to read through the directions. A few issues caught my attention. First, "miss 3 ch." After rereading this a few times, I grocked that this must mean "skip 3 ch." Next, "ending with 3 ch." In present day crochet speak, that would mean that you finish the row by making 3 chains and/or stitches. In this pattern, it means that you skip the last three chains and slip stitch into the last chain. The other unique problem I ran into with this pattern was what it mean by a treble stitch. The treble stitch it provides instructions for in the early pages of the book is actually what I would make as a double stitch. When I finally had all of these idiosyncrasies ironed out, I began work on the hairband.

Hey! It looks similar to the picture! I quickly realized that the yarn I was using was still took thick. I decided to eliminate the need for elastic, which simplified the steps need to complete the pattern in the long run.

Early on I became distracted by this picture, which is above the hairband example. I wanted those loafers and that cat.

Ta-da! Finished hairband! It looks pretty cute, and I think Kerry will like it. Thanks 1970s Family Crochet!

Glamour, glamour. ox

Hot Ticket Tuesday Presents Sarah Seagrave and the Fabulous Knit Sweater

I'm trying something new to help me get into the habit of regular Soul Glue posting: Hot Ticket Tuesdays. This weekly post will feature a crafty friend's craft project. I love hearing about what other people are creating, and I feel inspired by others’ inspiration. I want to spread that around on my blog like awesome crafty peanut butter. My pal Sarah Seagrave and I have been wonder-twin-soul-sister-besty-friends since we met each other at the whacky orientation for our graduate school program. I've been watching Sarah diligently knit two different projects over the past month, and I thought that she would be an excellent first person to feature as a Hot Ticket. I sent Sarah a list of questions about her recent knitting projects. Here is how she responded: Tell me about a craft and/or art project you made. DO IT. I have knitted a baby blanket and a sweater. Feel my amazing baby warming prowess! (Flexes muscles) What inspired you to make it? Friends having a baby; but that's a little obvious and not quite it. I hadn't knit anything in a long time. I like to knit, but I don't need anything that I can knit. So many scarves, so little time. But I had tried that crazy ruffle yarn because the novelty snuck up on me. Working with that stuff pissed me off SO bad that I needed to do some regular knitting to cleanse my palate. Did you come up with the idea yourself, or did you find a pattern and/or template that you used? Well I bought this big ass ball of baby yarn and there was a pattern on the label - et voila! The blanket! Then I ran out of yarn with literally five rows left and had to buy ANOTHER big ass ball of baby yarn. With my leftover yarn, I made my first sweater. What type of medium did you use? Um, remember the baby yarn? It's a neat weight though- fuzzy but not hairy. Has a nice pastel heft to it.  

What did you enjoy about making this project? It was wicked easy. Made me feel like a knitting badass. Both patterns were quick and looked cool at the end IMO. What did you think about while you were making it? Well mostly I thought about whatever I liked since it required so little concentration, but I   also spent some time remembering the time before my daughter was born and when she was very small. We got a lot of nice gifts from our friends and family, and a lot of help too, so it was nice to think about that. I want to move that energy forward. Plus Mike and Miranda [friends who are having a baby] are awesome. I thought about them too, I guess.

Were you doing anything else while you worked on this project? If so, what? (For example, sometimes I watch tv while crocheting.) I watched tv and played tabletop RPGs mostly. It was a nice gaming project. Were you pleased with the finished product? What pleased and/or displeased you about it? I think it came out ok. The yarn was a little bulky for the sweater so that's really more a coat and I had to re learn how to bind off, but yeah. Plus babies don't care if stuff is perfect. They don't see that well at first. Will you make it again? Yes I would. My mum donates baby hats and blankets and crap to her church fair so maybe I'll get on that. Lastly, what is your favorite color and glue? Favorite color - today, purple. Favorite glue - hot glue. I like it dangerous and thready. Here are some pictures of Sarah's project:

This blanket is super soft and snuggly!

Sarah added pockets and a button on the collar to finish things off. I still cannot  wrap my head around how she made this with two pointy sticks. Knitting is a mystery to me.

This is fabulous Zelda modeling the sweater and blanket.

Organizing and a Visit to JP Knit & Stitch

I love this needlepoint project from JP Knit & Stitch!

 This past Sunday was a flurry of activity. The husband involved in the Soul Glue franchise finally, after many years, gave me the go-ahead to clean his desk! Why did I get so excited about this, you ask? Other than crafting, I love to clean and organize. The room we use as an office in our apartment is currently undergoing some rearrangement and reorganization renovations so that I can have a bit more space for my larger crafty endeavors. When the project is complete, I'll put up before and after pictures.

Later in the afternoon, I headed out to Jamaica Plain (near Boston for those of you not familiar with it) to visit with some good friends. We took a brisk walk and checked out JP Knit & Stitch, a store full of lovely yarn and fabric. If you're ever in the area, check it out. They also offer knitting, sewing, and crochet classes. I purchased this great black sheep tape measure while I was there. I'm kind of in love with it.

We eventually headed back to my friend Jess' apartment for a yummy dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and collard greens. The evening was a cheerful one. I brought a new yoga mat bag that I'm working on with me and crocheted away while we chatted. It was a full and hopeful day.