I used to do a lot of crochet from about my mid teens to mid twenties: a couple of afghans, at least one pillow, some filet crochet to frame, some doilies, a miniature granny-square afghan for a dollhouse (that took as much work and time as a full sized one...Oi!), some baby bonnets and booties, lots of snowflakes and other Christmas ornaments...I even designed a toy and submitted the pattern and sample to a national company's contest and won an honorable mention. Eventually other interests and responsibilities took priority.
This hot pad pattern from Miss Abigail's Hope Chest caught my eye the other day. After cooking Thanksgiving dinner last week, I remembered that the hot pads I have just don't suit me. Some are too stiff, one has a clunky wooden ring that it's supposed to hang from, one has a funny filling. Basically I have only one that I like. It is terry cloth, I have had it for decades, and my daughter makes fun of how ragged it is, but I've never been able to find another to replace it adequately.
My mother had knit me several hot pads once, but she used an acrylic yarn, and they were only one thickness, so they didn't really block heat adequately. So when I saw this crochet pattern that called for 100% cotton yarn and would be denser than a single thickness, I thought I would give it a try.
The technique all came right back to me. This made up beautifully. It stays very square, and it is VERY dense. I have stretched and prodded, and I could not ever see space through the stitches. I would say that once you get the hang of the pattern, it is a very simple pattern. By that, I don't mean that it is exactly easy. I found starting each row a little difficult, and had to hold my work at funny angles. And I tend to work with a pretty tight tension, so I found the denseness difficult to work through at times. My thumb is even a little tender from holding the crochet hook. Perhaps I need to relax a little. :)
edit: looser tension worked great...I'm on my fifth one!
I do look forward to using this new hot pad, and I hope that maybe it will become a favorite. I have even started a second one in another color.
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what a sweet little project and you could probably do with a heat pad to keep your tootsies warm while you sit around in those "shingle shoes"! I love to crochet but I soon lose interest in a project hence the blanket I started earlier this year has not progressed very much!
ReplyDeleteMy crocheting skills are rather lacking... I like to knit, not sure I could read the pattern well enough to make a hot pad! Looks nice though!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you like the pattern Kathleen! I love the name of your blog - we also live in the middle of nowhere! Hence the amount of crocheting I do... Thanks so much for the link.
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