Episode 38 - World Pomination

Hello there and welcome to The Crochet Circle Podcast and the show notes for Episode 38 – World Pomination

In this episode, I cover: Old Dog New Tricks: CAL Updates; Yarn Review; Final Destination; En Route; Feeding the habit; Quick News Beats; Big Up and J’adore?

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1 – Old Dog New Tricks

I never, ever, ever, expected to be writing the following words: “I am a little bit in love with a pompom”!

Normally, I see a hat and I think that it would look so much better without a pom pom on it.  Then the flick switched during a silly shopping trip in TK Maxx with my best friend, Jenny.  We tried on almost every single hat in there, to try to find styles that actually suited us.  Who knew, I could rock a pompom?

So now that I am pom-pom obsessed, I have made two of them and my friend Bec came up with a very cunning idea.  Pom poms are a pain to make and trim, so why not have some that are transferable to different hats?  After all, you can only really wear one physical hat at a time.

If you sew a button onto the pompom and leave enough of a gap at the top of the crown to tightly pass the button through, you can wash the hat without the pompom, change the pompom colour, wear the hat without the pompom.  

2 – CAL Updates 

The #ChristmasEveCAL continues with lots of lovely projects being made. 

As usual, you can crochet, knit, weave, do whatever yarn-based craft you please.  This is all about having a chilled-out project that you can work on during the Festive Season and the month of January. 

The CAL ends on Sunday 27th 2019.  It is a very chilled out CAL, mainly because I am flat out at the moment and don’t want to over-commit myself again. 

Use #ChristmasEveCAL and #ChristmasEveCALFO to show off your projects and finished objects.

3 – Yarn Review

I have been working with ‘wild wool’ from Erika Knight.  It’s an aran weight yarn (170m/186yds to 100g) and is a blend of 85% wool (unspecified breed/s) and 15% nettle fibres.

Last month I was talking about the Onion Yarns wool and nettle blend and how much I loved it.  The same is true for ‘wild wool’.  

I have really tested the metal of the yarn.  It does brilliantly when ripped back and reworked.  It creates a lovely stitch definition and has a lovely, substantial feel to it.

It’s widely available in the UK and beyond and I have provided the stockist links and a full review as a blog over on my website.

I would definitely love to use this yarn again.  The nettle brings qualities such as durability, and strength but also silver strands to the yarn, no matter what colour the wool has been dyed.

I can see it making great accessories and on a larger hook/needle size amazing, drapey garments.

4 – Final Destination

I finished a couple of hats this month – both with pom poms! Who am I?

The first is the Wynn Slouch Hat by Harlee Wentworth.  You can get this pattern for free on the Noowul website or pay for an advert-free version on Ravelry.  I paid for the pattern (about £3) to be able to support the designer.

I used my 100g skein of wild wool from Erika Knight in the colourway ‘Mooch’ and added a contrast pom-pom in some Rowan yarn I had stashed.

I have added project notes on Ravelry for both hats and you can fine me there as MaDashper.

My second hat is knitted colour work.  I fell in love with this design when I saw Kate at Northern Yarn making one.  In the lull between Christmas and New Year, I decided to treat myself with a quick project that taxed my brain a little.

The pattern is called Curlew and it’s by Linda Shearer.  Again, it’s a free pattern