Sarah Shrimpton - Extreme Crochet with Chunky Yarn: 8 Stylish Crochet Patterns Using T Shirt and Other Chunky Yarns

www.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk

Extreme crochet. Its not for the faint-hearted. Imagine the biggest hooks, the chunkiest yarns and some stuff thats not even yarn at all, and youre on the right track. Extreme crochet is fun and addictive, quirky and thought-provoking and immensely satisfying. Its about thinking outside of the (yarn) box. Choose chunky, high-loft woollen yarns, or fabric and T-shirt yarns, string, rope, washing line or even make your own. If its long and cord-like, then you can probably crochet with it.

I should warn you, however that it can be hard work; the yarn is sometimes tough on your fingers, the projects can be big and cumbersome to work with, and wielding a mammoth hook takes a little practice, too. But my goodness, its fun. And dont get me wrong, hard work it may be, but difficult it isnt; projects come together very quickly and ginormous stitches mean that its easy to see what youre doing.

So what can you do with extreme crochet? My answer, dear Reader, is anything you like. Its perfect for maxing out the classics: want a cushion? Super-size it with big yarn. A blanket? Whip up one in a day with mega wool. A necklace? Walk on the wild side with T-shirt yarn. Extreme crochet doesnt have to mean that everything you make is massive, just that everything you make is awesome.

This book will initiate you into the world of extreme crochet. Itll show you how to work with a variety of traditional and contemporary materials, alongside a whole range of big hooks to create beautiful homewares and fashion accessories. And theres one thing I can assure you, the only Double Knit yarn you'll find in this book is working extremely hard for the privilege.*

If you're up for a challenge, then extreme crochet is up for you.

* P.S. I have no quarrel with DK or any other light-weight yarn. It has its uses in lots of lovely crochet projects. Its just doesnt cut the Extreme Crochet mustard without a little help.

Sarah xx

The standard crochet kit is what youll need for taking on extreme crochet, along with a few tweaks and some other essentials:

Always useful. Make sure one pair is heavy duty enough to cope with cutting tougher yarns and threads.

The ends of larger yarns can be woven back into your work with your fingers, but youll still need a sturdy tapestry or darning needle with a blunt end. Make sure you find one with a really big eye for threading through those chunky yarns.

Useful for marking stitches, often the first one of a row or round. A large-sized one will be most useful, but you can always use a piece of coloured thread.

Useful for counting your completed rows and rounds. Paper and pen work just fine, too.

Sharp-ended and strong enough to pierce sturdy materials.

Youll need these to stuff cushions and poufs. Each project will specify exactly what youll need.

Most crafters I know have a rather large stash of these sorts of things. Useful for creating interesting detail on your finished item.

These are the most important pieces in your kit (alongside the yarn, of course). The projects in this book use big hooks. And some massive hooks. Each project will specify the hook size needed, but for this book youre going to need:

As a crocheter, you will already know how to hold your hook and yarn. And in essence, using a really big hook and yarn isnt much different. Youll just have to change things a bit.

Big hooks take a bit of getting used to, but you might find the knife hold to be the best, especially for the 20 and 25mm monsters.

This completely depends on what the yarn is like, of course. Chunky yarns can probably be fed through your hand in the same way as usual, but you may want to work more slowly and loosely when using something coarse or bulky.

Some of these skeins of yarn are going to be big. A trick which works for me is to wind the yarn into a ball and put it into a saucepan at my feet. The pan helps the ball to roll as I pull the yarn, but also stops it from disappearing under the sofa. Bobbins of T-shirt yarn are also pretty big beasts, so you might want to stand them on the floor when youre working, too.

No joke. Some of the large-scale projects are perfect to make in bed, where youll have the benefit of much more space to support your work (remember I said that some get a little heavy), rather than letting your crochet trail all over the floor. And its a good excuse to find yourself some peace and quiet, too.

The projects in this book use commercially available yarns so that I can give the exact brand, colour, and quantities needed. However, there is nothing to stop you creating your own yarns to use, especially if you have lots of fabric, sheets or T-shirts available. Look online to find lots of how-to videos and fantastic tutorials.

If you dont fancy making your own, then you could work with lots of strands of normal yarn. Simply select five or six yarns, (this will vary depending on the project) and knot them together at the end. Then simply crochet with this multi-strand as if it were chunky yarn, using a large 1215mm (US P/Q-16 to Q/19) hook. Youll need to ensure that the yarn balls dont get tangled together, which can be a little tricky, but it produces a really effective alternative to shop-bought yarns.

One of the best things about crocheting with multi-coloured yarn is that it does all the work for you no colour changes needed so theres no faffing around with joining in yarn or weaving in ends. Plus, this hat only uses two balls of yarn so its super-thrifty too.

• Crochet hooks: 12mm (US P/Q-16) and 10mm (US N/P-15)
• 2 100g (312oz) balls Stylecraft Swift Knit in Teal (shade 2048)
• Tapestry needle

With 12mm hook, ch 4, join with sl st to make ring.