Inside Crochet Issue 11

This is not an issue to set my heart a fluttering nor does it give me any urges to rush for a hook and wool.

The boyfriend hoodie on the front cover (see previous post) by Shannon Mullet-Bowlsby is plain to the point of boring. Anyone who has ever made those kangaroo pockets on the front of a sweater will know how unflattering they are when they bag out after a couple of washes.

The Circles scarf by Linda Permann is actually crocheted in strips that are joined together and not made from hundreds of little circles which would be mind blowing boring. Although I doubt that I will make it, it is one of the nicer patterns in the magazine.

The Candystripe legwarmers by Amy O'Neill Houck seem a bit pointless. If it's cold enough for them then it's cold enough to wear a pair of trousers. Maybe someone would like them for baby yoga?

The Geometric Sweater by Melissa Horozewski is another pattern that leaves me cold. With or without sleeves.

The Nautical Sweater by Claire Montgomerie seems very ill fitting around the neck and the sleeve heads. If you must crochet a sweater for a man at least make it one that fits him! As for 6 buttons fastening the shoulder - not something any man that I have known would have wanted to wear.

The Lucky Goldfish purse by Irene Strange might appeal to my great grandchildren as a bit of a novelty item but as they would probably lose it the first time that they take it out I am not going to bother.

The Cosy Chevron afghan and cushion by Helen Jordan are quite pretty if you are into crocheting afghans (which I am not) but I have seen this sort of thing in many guises in other books.

I didn't bother to photograph the mystery shawl by Annette Petavy. It has taken 3 editions of the magazine to reveal the final shawl and to be honest it wasn't worth waiting for. To me it looks like 3 mismatched pieces of crochet where the only thing is common is the colour. Should have stayed a mystery in my opinion.

The Bubblegum beanie by Shirley Macdonald is quite a useful beanie for the winter. It is made from a quite thick chunky so I suppose it would make a warm hat for the winter.

Words fail me with the Harlequin Cardigan by Lesley Arnold-Hopkins. I think that the colours are vile for a start and what is going on with the awful button band that is gaping all down the front? The jacket looks marginally better from the back except for the too wide fluting cap sleeves. I like the idea of using harlequin squares in a jacket but this is not the best example I have ever seen.

The Vantar Mittens by Erssie Major and Absinthia Artisan will probably be quite warm mittens as they are crocheted very firmly. I prefer gloves myself for flexibility of the fingers but I suppose these might be useful in very cold climates.

Sorry if I sound very critical of this edition but when I know how many good crochet designers there are in the UK and see the projects on Ravelry that are 10 times better than any of these I do wonder why do they not appear in our one and only UK crochet magazine? I am not sure but I doubt if many of these designers come from the UK anyway.

I have got to the lacy edging of the All Shawl but the white Blue Curacao shawl hasn't progressed any. My son called today and brought some more provisions so I should be set up for the week with food. I will have to venture out on Pearl at some stage as the newsagent pinned my bill to the Sunday newspaper so I guess he wants paying.

I took off the large dressing from my leg tonight and bathed the part that hasn't healed. I have put a small sterile dressing over this part and will see what it looks like tomorrow morning. I was going to phone the District Nurses anyway to see if they are calling any more so maybe I can chat with someone and get them to make sure that there is no infection coming from this small hole. I keep getting little stabbing shooting pains in that area also.

My lodger cat Oscar has just arrived to escape the wind and the noise of the fireworks. Bonfire night isn't until Nov 5th but last night there was so many bangs it was like living in a war zone. I don't mind people having fun but I do wish that they would limit it to just one night or two and stop scaring all the pets in the neighbourhood. My late cat Ollie used to watch them all from the window sill but as he was deaf the bangs didn't bother him at all. Buster used to make it a big excuse to sit on my knee but I don't actually think that he was frightened at all.

Last night and today and tonight we have had a hoodie on one of those teeny tiny motorbikes zipping up and down the street. As I don't recognise him I doubt if he lives on this street. So dangerous. No helmet and the bike is so small he would not be seen by a car. It reminded me of one holiday abroad where everyone rode motorized bikes without exhausts and it sounded like a swarm of buzzing bees all night long. Not one of our better holidays!