HAT NOT HATE CONTEST--READ TO THE END!

Please forgive the verbosity of this post. I used to write technical requirements documents, so I have learned to regret it when I fail to cross every T and dot every I. Much of the yarn I have bought and that I have received as gifts is blue--perfect for HatNotHate (hatnothate.org). I have already made 25 blue hats as of April 16. I am determined to use as much of the blue yarn I have as possible for blue hats that meet HatNotHate requirements. Here we come to the purpose of this post--a CONTEST! There are two ways to win--correctly the guess the number of hats I can complete by July 21 (to meet the August 1 deadline); or correctly guess how much yarn I will have left over once I'm done. Enter your answers in the comments to the YouTube post linked below, as well as news of your own efforts to assist HatNotHate. Quantity of leftover yarn will be expressed in both yards and meters, and I will determine an average weight of yarn per meter to avoid doing algebra separately on each partial skein of yarn. (Although I'm good at algebra.) After the contest closes at 11:59 p.m. (eastern US) on July 21, I will create a video where I publicly show how many hats I have made, as well as the formula I determine for calculating the yarn remaining. I will also show the giveaway prizes. The entire process will be transparent. The winning entry will be determined manually, by recording each guess, each entrant, and the date of the guess in a spreadsheet, then sorting the spreadsheet entries in numerical order for the guesses. I will also verify subscription status and filter out duplicate entries. In order to avoid any appearance of being influenced by guesses or entrants (hardly likely, since I have a mind like a sieve), this will occur after the closing of the contest, and will likely cause a lag between the closing and the posting of a winner video on or before July 31. Unless a huge and glaring error is brought to my attention (at MY discretion), the winners declared in my winner video will be the final decision. Further rules and declarations:

• To enter leave a comment with your guess to either or both questions in the comments to the YouTube post linked below. That is the only way to enter. Winning entries will be guesses closest to the actual answers of the two questions. If there are two or more entries with winning guesses, the entry that is received earliest as visible to me will be the winner.
• You must be 18 or over to enter.
• You must be subscribed to my YouTube channel to enter. If I can't see your subscription because of your settings, your entry is disqualified. There is NO other way that I will verify a subscription status other than being able to see your subscription through MY YouTube Dashboard.
• One entry per person, but answering the two questions with two entries is allowed.
• Open worldwide. If the winner is outside the US, I accept no responsibility for any taxes, duties, or other expenses beyond the postage to send the package. International winners also have an option of receiving an e-gift card.
• You must be able to receive contest prizes AND packages of yarn wherever you live.
• This endeavor is not sponsored by YouTube, any yarn manufacturer or distributor, or anyone except my wallet and the generosity of a few who have gifted me with blue yarn.
• Guess(es) will stand for the qualifying question in countries where this is required. If I learn after the date of this post that this is not legal or allowed by YouTube, this rule will be updated. Finally, please do not take this as an appeal for more blue yarn. I only have two hands!

#hatenothate  @LionBrandYarn  #lionbrandyarn

My Hat Not Hate contest:  https://www.youtube.com/post/UgxlCXezcFH-yaIREoN4AaABCQ

Top Ten-ish Tips for Crocheters

I once made a YouTube video post about tips for crocheters.  I thought it would be a good idea (and good for viewership) to make a blog post out of these tips as well.  Theses are in no particular order, as I don't intend to suggest any kind of spectrum of urgency for these tips.  

Here are my tips,  using bullet points rather than numbering:

• 
  Count like your life depends on it.  Your project certainly does. Certain carpenters on TV are wont to say, "Measure twice, cut once."  I say twice is not enough!
• Know when gauge is important. For items of apparel, be very conscious of gauge. When alternating stitches, be somewhat conscious of gauge. For blankets and scarves, eh, not so much, unless there is a feature of the pattern that makes it necessary.
• Speaking of gauge, practice/gauge swatches are always a good idea.  Use them to work on a stitch or stitch sequence that is new to you, or a pattern that is new, or something else. In those cases when gauge is important, it's always a good idea to do a gauge swatch.  The standard expression of gauge is the number of stitches and rows required to accomplish a 4" x 4" square (sorry, people accustomed to the metric system), but make your swatch larger than 4" x 4" to measure stitches and rows in the middle.
• When doing standard back-and-forth rows, use a hook .5 to 1 mm larger than the hook used for the body. This can help prevent curling and ensure the foundation row is the same size as the body rows. (Believe me, I know how easy it is to make a chain and foundation row that is tighter than the remainder of the piece!)
• Always use the same hook when going back to a project after a day, a week, a month, or longer. No matter how many hooks you have in the relevant size, there can be no assurance that a hook by a different manufacturer or of a different type will produce the same stitch size and gauge.
• When working in the round, think of pie slices or wedges. Each stitch in the initial round (12 or 9 or whatever) is the point of the wedge. Always make increases in the last stitch of the wedge. This aids in counting and in keeping the stitches in alignment. Some would say to stagger your increases to make the wedges less obvious, but I prefer consistency and don't find the resulting look objectionable at all.
• Always keep in mind whether you are working in the same direction as the previous row/round, as in a circle or many mosaic patterns, or the opposite direction, as in most blankets or scarves. Patterns almost always refer to the loop on top of a post as the stitch to work with. The stitch is never truly on top of the post. When working in the same direction as the previous row/round, the loop will appear to be before the post. When working in the opposite direction, the loop will appear to be after the post. 
• Know the different options for beginning a new row/round. Many patterns say to chain two or three and allow that to stand as the first stitch in the new row/round, but when doing that always make sure the following stitches are just as tall as the chain.  Even if you think it requires you to pull too much yarn through, do it!  I prefer to do it another way:  chain one or two and do not count the chain as a stitch, and work in the first stitch of the row or round as normal. This usually does not have a great effect on the side edges, and in my experience the edges look better than when I use chains for the first stitch.  And if you are using some sort of edging, your worries are for naught.  Your mileage may vary.
  
• When working post stitches (front-post double or triple crochet or back-post double or triple crochet) do not be stingy with your yarn. Be sure to pull enough yarn through--and it might feel like more than you need--to prevent curling or bunching up. This is especially important when crossing front-post stitches to make cables.
• Don't be afraid to say, "Oops!" and rework a section or an entire project. Possibly to give up a project and find another use for the yarn--believe me, I've done that a lot! I have finished quite a few projects with yarn that had previously been used for other projects I'd abandoned. I've even frogged entire projects if they didn't meet my standards and there was no other way to resolve the issues. 
  
  
• 
  Most important tip:  Do what you like. Do projects that give you pleasure. I myself prefer large projects like blankets and sweaters, with the occasional hat or scarf palate cleanser in between. But the mother of a friend only does wash cloths in single crochet with cotton yarn and is happy doing just that. While I'd encourage you to learn new things and experiment, focus on what makes you happy. This is not brain surgery. What is the better outcome--a piece that you could do in your sleep but always pleases any recipient, or a piece that made you miserable in learning a new technique or pattern that might or might not please the recipient? There is a rule one often hears on cooking shows--always make something you're comfortable with for company. Leave the experimentation for yourself or your family. Or indeed there is this bit of guidance I heard in music school--practice what you can't do [yet], but perform what you can do.

Please comment with any additional tips you might have!  I'd love to hear them.  

Originally published March 28, 2020, in another blog

Does the world need another crochet blog?  I say, let's find out!

What is my unique offering to the crochet world? My own perspective, perhaps. Fans of my opera blog Taminophile, and even the opera singers I've written about, have shown appreciation for my writing, my viewpoint, my understanding. There are many crochet YouTube channels I like very much, but sometimes when watching I think to myself that I might have explained a certain point differently. And, of course, it's always fun to show off finished works and works in progress.

I considered creating a totally new blog, but since I've had this one for a while, and many of the early posts feature crochet pics, I thought I'd repurpose this one. And I still like the name.  I've also considered a YouTube channel, but my presentation in writing is more upbeat than my rather deadpan oral presentation. I still might do it.

There was a list of 20 questions that went around to yarncraft YouTubers, but I'm too lazy to go back and find them, I wouldn't answer them all, and I'd prefer to make up my own questions. So here goes:

 What does your name mean?

Taminophile comes from Tamino, the lead tenor role in the opera The Magic Flute, which I believe is the first complete role I sang.  I've always loved Magic Flute.  "Phile" refers to a lover or afficionado of anything.  So Taminophile means lover of Tamino. My ex and I have a Facebook page called BeardedYarnDudes. I don't think that requires explanation.  Goods and chattels refers to my original intention of writing about topics that aren't easily categorized.

What do you do for a living?

Right now, nothing. Because of the current health crisis I'm sort of in quarantine. Even before this I had been searching for something. Most recently I'd been a temporary marketing consultant for a friend's employer, mostly doing social media posts, but that employer ran out of money and let me go. Before that I was a licensed real estate agent in two different states, and failed miserably in both. I'm not good at being an entrepreneur. Before that I was a business analyst, and my analytical and writing skills got me through in that trade, and redeemed me when my project management skills were not up to snuff.  So you can see I've had a mixed background professionally. 

What are your other passions?

I love dogs. I'm fortunate that the friend I'm living with has two of his own and many temporary fosters.  I also love cooking, but I find I don't do it much nowadays because said friend doesn't seem to like what I cook and definitely doesn't like leftovers.  I once sang a lot, but any attempt now brings up the old maxim, if it hurts, don't do it. I like to see opera and write about it. Currently, of course, it's impossible to see live performances, but there are many recordings online I could see that I haven't yet. 

What are you working on now?

Well, I've done 19 of the 20 HatNotHate hats I pledged somewhere to do (I think in a comment to one of Bag-O-Day Crochet's videos).  I will do the 20th tomorrow and continue until my blue yarn runs out.  I am also working on a chunky v-neck sweater for myself, converting what turned out to be a photocopied clipping of a 1980s British craft magazine, and converting the sections that are to be knit into crochet of the same dimension and function.  (Be careful when purchasing anything online!)  I'm thinking of writing up my conversion and making the pattern available, but I don't want to ignore copyright law. Watch to see whether I actually do that.  I have a bunch of dog sweaters for an upcoming auction that a nearby pet rescue is organizing. 

One of my dog sweaters

Four of my many #hatnothate hats

Also, a bunch of mitered granny squares I made and photographed for the Instagram and Facebook pages BeardedYarnDudes turned out much larger than expected. (I was making up the pattern based on a photo I'd seen.) I pieced together half of the squares to make a single afghan.  The rest will make another. 

I also have two different graphgans--afghan designs to turn out specific images. One often sees them with sports logos or cartoon characters. Both of mine are dog related, of course. 

So I can keep in busy in quarantine. I have sufficient yarn for all of these. What happens when I run out might appear in the evening papers.

One of the graphgans I mentioned

What are your favorite crochet blogs/YouTube channels?

I'll admit I don't read that may blogs, but I follow some YouTube channels faithfully.  First and foremost is Bag-O-Day Crochet (already linked above), where the lovely and talented Crystal offers excellent tutorials for her own patterns, yarn reviews, yarn shopping trips, and unboxings. Also some lovely live streams.

I also really enjoy Jeanne of On the Hook Crochet.  She offers lovely works in progress and finished objects, as well as tutorials on her own patterns. I have to confess that, although all of her patterns are for women, I'm constantly looking out or patterns I can adapt for use by a man--namely, me! 

I very much like The Stout Stitch.  Zach Stout and I met through a men's crochet group on Facebook, and quite enjoyed chatting. I regret that I've never met him in person--this was something I was quite looking forward to at the DFW Fiber Fest, which has of course been cancelled.

Another one I follow faithfully is Fiber Spider.  I've made a few of his patterns, to great results.  He has an Etsy store now, but I'm not sure he has his patterns there. I've just made my own notes on his tutorials to make his objects.

If there is any stitch you want to learn more about, I recommend Nati Crochet.  She has some very basic tutorials and also advanced stitches.

There are many, many more. I couldn't possibly name them all.

What do you plan to do with this blog moving forward?

At the bare minimum, I plan to post about finished objects/works in progress.  I'm undecided about tutorials and my own patterns, but that's primarily because of my current video setup, which is extremely modest. I don't write many of my own patterns, but I often make modifications to others' patterns. I would never post those as my own patterns.  I am open to suggestions.


This is quite an adequate first post of a new blog, or, as it were, a repurposed blog. I invite you to send me ideas, as well as to scroll back through all my posts, especially to find my old crochet posts.