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The next thing i need to do for it is try to figure out the pattern for the top 😅

So glad this was helpful! It's so fun making custom pieces. What kind of a costume are you making?

I’m making the costume Flower wore (show Ghosts US version)

Oh that's gonna be so cool!!!

Don't really have an opinion either way! haha I think it more comes down to the individual couple. Making something for a significant other is always a thoughtful gesture and hopefully will be appreciated. But I think it's important too when making things for others to make sure it's something they will actually like. For instance, if you know someone hates wearing hats, it wouldn't make sense to crochet them a hat haha So as long as there's a bit of forethought and good intentions behind it, I think it could be a very nice idea.

Aww thank you Deborah!

So glad you enjoyed!

Definitely give it another try! You might find, like I did, that following designs that you adjust to your body work out better than a pattern that gives the stitch counts for a specific clothing size. Even when I would get the gauge perfect, those types of patterns would never turn out quite as expected. Also, it took me a number of ugly/unwearable garments to figure out how to make clothes fit my body right. So don't be discouraged if it doesn't turn out right the first time!

Fair question! Here's my approach to making and wearing summer crochet items: 1. If it's acrylic, run! Now technically, one of the projects shown in the video is made from acrylic, even though I knew better lol (the top inspired by The Juliette Top). I couldn't pass on such a pretty yarn! To combat the sweaty mess acrylic crochet clothes often turn me into, I made the tank a little "baggy" and left the top neckline as open and breathable as possible. This way, it's not in constant direct contact with my skin, and my armpits can air out. 😆 2. Cotton/cotton blends are your friend! While cotton can be a heavier material in some ways, it's not an oppressive fabric like the acrylic. I've also had better luck finding lighter weight cotton or cotton blends, which also helps to create a lighter weight garment. Most of the garments shown in the video are made from cotton or a cotton blend. Cotton and bamboo is an especially great option, which brings me to... 3. Bamboo!!! I cannot say enough good things about working with bamboo fibers, especially for summer clothing! The first tank shown in the video is made from Truboo. The package says it's a weight 4, but honestly it feels more like a weight 3 imo. The yarn drapes fabulously and is so soft. But the best part is I swear it feels cold against my skin. Which is AMAZING in the heat! Like actually cool to the touch. I guess it's because the fibers are so breathable and silky, but whatever the reason, this is the ultimate yarn for summer wearables. The only downside is it can be trickier with some of the colors to get full coverage if that's important to you. But I just drop down a few hook sizes so the fabric isn't gapping, to get the best combo of coverage and coolness. 4. Non acrylic synthetic/semi sythetic fibers can open up more options too. While there's a lot that are made from a plastic fiber, non-acrylic plastics can sometimes breath better than straight up acrylic. The second and third tops (orange and green) are made from a modal blend. They're not as lightweight as the cotton, but they drape a little lighter. I was out watering the garden around noon today wearing the green one. While I was directly in the sun, I wasn't any worse off in the crochet top than I would've been in a store bought tank. This category also tends to have thinner yarn options than the standard weight 4 cottons that everyone stocks. 5. Thinner yarn is the best! I've alluded to this in the previous points, and it's fairly self explanatory. Thinner yarn = thinner fabric = cooler. Sometimes it's hard finding sport weight/weight 2 yarn. As an added bonus, these thinner yarns tend to drape better too. 6. Be intentional about the pattern you use. This can make or break the project. If the yarn I'm using is heavier, I will opt for a more open weave. If the yarn is thinner and something cooler like the Truboo, I've got more options for better coverage. Also, tank tops are always a good option over a pattern with sleeves. I tend to like pieces with very simple textures and good coverage. I feel more comfortable wearing clothes with better coverage, so I typically layer the more see through pieces. More layers tends to be hotter, so I keep that in mind when deciding what pattern to follow. 7. Wear the pieces strategically. This might be the most important part of finding ways to actually wear crochet in the summer. If I'm going on a hike, there's no way I'm wearing the acrylic top. But I might wear it at an evening cookout if I know I can sit in the shade. The Truboo top works great for any outdoor activity, and I might opt for the modal tank if I'm running errands and will be in air conditioning mostly. While a single piece of crochet clothing might not be appropriate for every summer activity, a little bit of planning can make them a regular part of your summer wardrobe. As a redhead, the sun is not kind to me haha As much as I love the summer, the sun and heat are tough. My goal when dressing in the summer is to wear as little clothes as possible while still keeping the important areas covered 🤣 All that to say - if I can wear crochet clothes in this oppressive southern summer heat without passing out, it's certainly possible to find options! Also, your comment might have just been a rhetorical statement, so my answer may be irrelevant. Either way, thanks for watching, and I hope your summer is off to a great start! 😄

@@CraftersAutonomous it was absolutely not rhetorical and wow what a great and detailed answer! Thank you! and as someone not in the south but dealing with heat intolerance, I cannot BELIEVE I forgot about bamboo. My favorite pajamas are all bamboo. My peri/menopausal friends swear by bamboo sheets. MUST FIND BAMBOO YARN! 😆

So glad this was helpful! Also, you've given me an epiphany too. I'm going "THEY MAKE BAMBOO SHEETS👀👀👀" *immediately searches Amazon*😂

Thanks for the info! It's so neat the history behind each of these pieces.

I love this so much 😂 I've had the same experience after I washed a top. Maybe you can start a new trend- the dress poncho!

@@CraftersAutonomous 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Maybe! The evening gown edition 🤣🤣🤣🤣

So far, none of the methods shown in the video have yellowed! There's a big caveat though - they're only a few years old at this point. The ones from my great grandmother are several decades old, and did not start to yellow until the last few years. Unfortunately, I don't know for sure which method she used to starch those projects. Sorry I can't give a better answer than that!

While hooks designed for Tunisian crochet traditionally feature a smooth barrel without a thumb rest, many quality brands do sell Tunisian specific hooks with a thumb rest! So long as the total thickness of the thumb rest area is the same thickness as the rest of the barrel, it will not have any impact on the project. Some may find it less easy to slide the stitches over the thumb rest as a personal preference, but it's not a fact that Tunisian hooks never have a thumb rest. 😉 Now in this video, I used just a basic Boye crochet hook that isn't designed specifically for Tunisian style of crochet. However, I used that hook to illustrate you don't need to immediately buy all new hooks if you want to try Tunisian crochet! If you already have crochet hooks, you can work Tunisian crochet projects on them so long as the material is narrow enough to fit all the loops on whatever hook you are using. I think we overcomplicate things sometimes. "Buy more!" "Buy Tunisian specific" etc when what we already have on hand might work already. Thanks for watching and sharing your opinion, Sandra!

Lots of people grow their loofahs full sun in FL! They will need consistent watering, and midday wilt is not uncommon. (I'm not sure if I talked about this in the video, but it's when the leaves transpire water faster than the roots can pull water back into the plant. This lowers the turgor pressure and the leaves look wilted.) They like a lot of hours of sun, but they would be fine getting some afternoon shade/partial shade in a place like FL. Could help with some of the water retention issues. But full sun is certainly doable. And the advantage of growing in FL is you can keep the vines going much longer because of a lower threat of frost!

I don't currently have a written version of this pattern since I teach the tutorial in a customizable way.

So glad you enjoyed seeing my Grammy's project! She was a truly talented crocheter.

Good point! The staff at my local stores do a great job with accuracy at check out fortunately. The one time they made a mistake it worked out in my favor! They forgot to ring some items up before bagging them. When I realized I hadn't paid for them and called the store to see what they wanted me to do, they said it was my lucky day and to not worry about it 😄

So glad to hear that! You are very welcome.

Aww that's so crushing! 😭😭😭

Oh, that would make a lovely project!

Very neat!

Good point! After last's years clearance event in March, my stores rearranged the yarn aisles and had far less stock. On the one hand, I'm glad not a ton was marked down because it means they're keeping their staple yarns. On the other hand, it's fun stocking up on all the varieties during the clearance. I'm glad you got to stock up on the Cozy with a Twist you were looking for!

After looking through my notes, here is the info on the doily pattern: Doily Pattern by Mickie Akins, featured in booklet titled "3-in-1 Doilies" It's not in print anymore, but with some googling I found this ebay listing for it - Doily Pattern by Mickie Akins, featured in booklet titled "3-in-1 Doilies" This should at least give you an idea of what the booklet looks like. Also, after looking at the picture of the doily on the front of the book, I vaguely remember doing something slightly different than what the book said because I got confused by the pattern instructions 😂 I'm gonna have to compare with the one my Grammy made to see if ours have that slightly different detail!

Aww, thank you so much! My hairdresser does a great job. It feels so good and light for summer!

🤯🥰, I never thought they could be used that way before! I'm so glad I read thru comments! Thankyou for shareing❣️

Thanks for the info! That's really neat. I bet she would fold it so the one corner/square with the extra embroidery detailing would sit on the top!

So glad to have you here! The shawl sounds so beautiful. And yes, it's tricky to find lighter weight yarn for garments, but the spinesse drapes really beautifully. I'm excited to work on these new projects!

Haha, I totally get it! It worked out that the clearance was smaller this year, but I was already planning to hold back more than other years because of the storage issue.

Aw, thank you! My hairdresser does a great job. Thanks for watching!

That's great you were able to stock up! There's a sense of so much possibility when looking at newly-purchased yarn. Have fun with your yarn too!

Ooh, sounds like you got some nice goodies! Yeah, there's definitely some gaps in the types of yarn they stock. My store's yarn selection has gotten smaller the last 2 years.

I've heard from a number of individuals online about how Hobby Lobby runs their clearance, but I can only speak from my personal experience. :) What I've found the last four years is Hobby Lobby runs one big yarn clearance event (typically in June, but in 2023 it happened in March). I've heard from others who have worked at the store that Hobby Lobby runs clearance events quarterly- March, June, September, December. This somewhat tracks with what I've seen in store. Each of these clearance events tends to focus on one specific category of goods, but that's not to say other items can't also be marked down. With yarn for instance, there will be one big clearance of multiple types of yarn and crochet/knitting products. Then when the other clearance events are happening, there's a chance a few random skeins of yarn get marked down. Again, this is just my personal experience and observation. Different locations throughout the country have different sale schedules, and supposedly the store employees have no advance notice of what clearance events will be or when they will happen. They find out when they get a memo from corporate listing what items to clearance and then head to the floor to start marking them down. Now for the more important part of your question - how do I know when the clearance happens? The stores don't announce these events, so it's a matter of going into the store personally on a regular basis, or relying on info from others who have been in the store. I don't get out too much because of some health issues, so I'm not able to constantly check the stores. Instead, I keep an eye out online (Facebook groups, RUclips, etc) to see if clearance events are hitting other people's stores. I've found my store tends to get clearance events a week after other areas of the country get theirs. So I luck out with a bit of a heads up. Last week I saw someone online had gotten clearance at their store. I had family pop into the store last week and this week, and we found out the clearance was happening. Also, I had a hunch it would happen this week because of when it has happened other years. This comment turned into a novel haha Hopefully something in here is helpful. It's mostly a matter of just paying attention and observing trends over the years. :)

Oh, that's crazy! Did you at least get flower buds that never opened, or literally no flowers at all??? 😱 If there's not even any flower buds... maybe it's a nutrient imbalance issue? Nitrogen in general will help with leaves and green growth. Sounds like you're doing fine there. Phosphorous helps with root and flower growth, so maybe the soil is lacking in this area? Potassium can also play a role in the plant overall, but I don't know if that would explain what's going on. If you have buds that just aren't opening, it could be a weather/environment issue. I recently found this helpful video that talks through some reasons why flowers may not open - ruclips.net/video/nO4t-cUiU7s/видео.htmlsi=44WPq1Jb2QZMz6ap Maybe something in this will help? You can also try posting on local gardening groups on Facebook to get advice from people in the same growing conditions. Also, I have the opposite problem - loofahs do great and the bottle gourds don't produce 😂

It's the best time to stock up for sure!

It is sad how much the yarn section there has shrunk! I've been seeing this at other craft stores in my area too. My Joann is on the smaller side to start, and often there's blank spaces on the yarn shelves.

Not a bother at all! After some research, I discovered they were not crochet. She used a special type of loom to make them, called a Love and Money Loom. Here is an online scan of instructions for one of these looms - archive.org/details/love-and-money-instructions/page/n7/mode/2up I also found these instructions on a website - coolcreativity.com/handcraft/how-to-diy-hexagon-lap-weave-coaster/ If you want to find more information and tutorials on these, try searches for "love and money loom tutorial", "hexagon loom tutorial", and hexagon loom flower tutorial". Hope this helps!

@@CraftersAutonomous Wow, thank you so much! I'll check those out, though if you need to have a loom, I'll probably hold off for now haha. But the result really is beautiful, I'll keep the links in a wool related folder for future ref! Thanks again :D

You are so very welcome!

That's so interesting! From what I've seen online, most stores have similar markdowns, but there's been a number of significant discrepancies. So strange!