For the past month, I've been playing the bassoon morning, noon, and night at band camp. It was a fantastic learning experience, and I feel I've definitely improved as a musician and have made friends that will last a lifetime. However, I haven't sewn a stitch since I left! I have been crocheting, though. Little crocheted bowls make great gifts for just about anyone! They can hold jewelry, spare change, and various other odds and ends; I'm sure wrapped candies would also work! They won't break if dropped, nor will they scratch the furniture on which you place it. They're also really easy to make! Here's how I usually make them:
1. Pick out a skein or two of worsted-weight acrylic yarn. It holds the bowl's shape nicely. I like to make sets in coordinating colors, too.
2. I recommend using a 3.5 mm hook, since the stitches made with this size hook are tight enough to keep the bowl's shape.
3. Make the lette "P" with the end of the yearn. Make sure that where the yarn intersects, the horizontal piece that goes off to the left is on top.
4. Insert the hook in the loop so it reaches around and grabs the horizontal part of the letter P. Drag it through and make a slip stitch.
5. Make six single stitches.
6. Bring the loose end through the loop and pull the loop shut. I learned this technique from an amigurumi book once, and it's really very handy. Once your circle gets big enough, you can weave the tail through, and there won't be any hole where you started!
7. For the first round of this continuous spiral, increase every stitch. You should have 12 stitches by the end of the round.
8. For the second round, increase every other stitch. For the round after that, increase every 2 stitches, etc.
9. The size of your circle will determine the size of the base of your bowl. When your circle is big enough, start the next round as only single stitches.
10. Once your bowl is the size you want it, finish the round you are on and make a slip stitch or two after the last single stitch in order to smoothe out the rim of the bowl.
11. If you are making a set, then you can thread the loose end on a yarn needle and use that to stitch the bowls together. I suggest making each bowl a different size and color.
*Please comment and tell me how your bowl making went! I would also love to see pictures of the finished products!*
~ Laura
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