A couple of weeks ago I posted about my attempts to take up crochet again.
Here is my first finished object in crochet.

This project took 200g of eco-stitch DK linen yarn. You can use 2  of our semi-solids or multi-coloured yarn for a variegated effect. However, I produced this bag using a different dyeing technique because I wanted more of a colour block/gradient effect (see 3rd photo)

In the left-hand photo above you can see the finished bag with one of the linen hand-dyed blanks from which it was made. I dyed the fabric already knit up so I could see the colour gradients I wanted to achieve. I then unravelled the pre-dyed piece and crocheted with it.
These pre-knitted hand-dyed blanks will soon be available in our shop.
You simply unravel the end and knit directly from the piece of fabric.
Surprisingly, linen does not crinkle as much as wool when it it's knit up and subsequently unravelled. It does crinkle a bit but if you run the yarn through the end of your finger and thumb it smooths out quite easily. Fortunately, you don't have to do this as you knit/crochet with it. The crinkle naturally disappears as you knit/crochet your new project.

The pattern is my own invention. I ended up ripping back several times until I reached a satisfactory result. The strap is tapered (yes! I learnt how to increase/decrease!) and I added a tab and button for a bit more security.
If you are interested in obtaining the pattern, please contact me. If I receive enough requests I'll see what I can do about writing it up.

I recently took part in a Mystery Knit Along on Ravelry with a project called the Shawl Pin Shawl by Lindsay Lewchuck in the US. This involves being sent the beginning of a pattern along with other participants and following the different stages of the pattern as they are released one by one. All we knew about the knitted garment was that it was a shawl/scarf. At first, the idea of knitting something without seeing a picture of the finished object seemed quite daunting to me, but how wrong I was! The pattern was very well-written and explained and I found myself waiting in anticipation for the subsequent clues.
I really enjoyed the whole experience.
Here is the final result:

The pattern required a sport weight/4-ply yarn so I opted for the eco-stitch sport in the Rose colour way.

Here are some different ways of wearing the shawl/scarf, including 2 by Lindsay herself.

Images used with permission Copyright © 2015 Knit Eco Chic by Lindsay Lewchuk

OK, this might seem pretty basic to all you crochet experts out there, but this is quite an achievement for me. Although I've been knitting for 30 plus years, I only dabbled with crochet once as a teenager. I produced a pile of random granny squares that were subsequently shoved into a plastic bag and stashed somewhere at Mum and Dad's house. Recently I asked Mum what had happened to them, and she told me they had been donated to a local charity that had sewn them together into a lovely blanket for an old folks' home. So, many, many years later I decided to try my hand at crochet again. After a few abysmal attempts that didn't resemble anything decent, I started to make a little progress.
I feel this is the beginning of great things to come....!!

I'll be using these practice pieces as face cloths. The crochet produces a slightly denser fabric than knitting. These samples are made from our DK 100% linen.