Flickr Inspiration: Crocheted Potholders, and SWAP!
By Susan | February 11, 2010
I have to admit, if you had asked me a couple of years ago what my thoughts were about crocheted potholders, I would have looked at you funny. “Crocheted potholders? Really? I can’t imagine they’d be very exciting.”
Then I caught a glimpse of a potholder swap on Flickr, and saw the error in my judgement. Because who knew potholders could be so pretty?
These are some of the potholders that were swapped last year. So gorgeous. So many patterns, so many colors. The admins of the swap say that the goal of the swap is to “produce and receive little pieces of crocheted art. Use beautiful yarns, color combinations, and patterns.” Those are definitely pieces of art – I’m not sure I’d ever want to use them, but would more likely display them!
The best part is that they’re having another swap this year! That’s right, Potholder Swap 2010 was just announced. The admins have made it incredibly simple:
- Crochet 5 potholders in the same pattern (but feel free to vary the colors)
- Send all 5 potholders with a self -addressed postage paid envelope to one central location by March 27th
- Admins will package and send back to you 5 potholders from different participants
This year they’re requesting that only 100% cotton be used. I have absolutely no cotton in my stash, but luckily I have a little leeway in my yarn budget to go shopping. I’m going to join the fun, and use this as an opportunity to test my crochet skills, as well as try to work on my color choosing skills. I’m very excited!
Want to join the fun? Details are here on Flickr, and here on Ravelry. There’s no need for a “sign-up,” just get your potholders (and postage) to the listed destination on time.
Happy crocheting!
Topics: Crochet, Flickr Inspiration | 2 Comments »
Glad I’m a Knitter
By Susan | February 9, 2010
It’s days like today that make me so glad that I’m a knitter.
Last night after work, our neighborhood looked like this:
And this morning, it looked like this:
We got a few inches of snow overnight, with a couple more expected this morning.
But I was snug and warm, wearing my Fair Isle hat and my One Row Scarf:

Granted, I left the shoveling to Mr. Martini… but he’s got a hand knit scarf of his own to wear, so I don’t feel too guilty.
Topics: Introspective | No Comments »
Fulfilling Every Knitting Cat Lady Stereotype
By Susan | February 4, 2010
Recently, I bought some yarn. This in and of itself is not any great news, as I enjoy buying yarn, and try to do it as often as possible as the budget permits.
But this yarn was different. I bought yarn that I normally wouldn’t have purchased. Yarn that was in a color scheme that normally doesn’t appeal to me.
Why? Because the yarn had the same name as my cat.
This is a hank of Mama LLama Perfect Sock, in the colorway “Zelda.” That’s right, Zelda, which is the name of one of our cats. Here she is:
And because I couldn’t buy yarn named after just one of our cats, I made a point the same day to purchase yarn for our other cat. Here it is:
This is Sundara Sock Yarn in the colorway: “Ruby Most Sought After.” Which I thought was appropriate, because of our two cats, Ruby is the one that hides more often, and we’re always trying to figure out where she’s hidden herself. This is Ruby (not hiding):
Yup, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve turned into a crazy knitting cat lady. It was just a matter of time, I suppose. But aren’t they (the cats and the yarns) just gorgeous? I think so, but then again, I’m probably biased.
Topics: Stash Building | No Comments »






