Knooking away

This weekend I finally had the time to experiment with the knook. I have bought a wooden one, size 5, which puts me out of my comfort zone because I usually use finer yarn. Now I went for some feltable yarn, and made a multicolour basket.
This is what I did: On a basis of a chain of 9 I made 8 rows double crochet (this is the bottom-part). Then I went round the square and took all loops on the knook (this is so easy, whereas with knitting you should use 4 needles instead). I made 2 rows of knit stitches (which is in fact a chain crochet but then you go over to the next stitch) and then a row purl. Then two more rows of knit stitch and then I went on with crochet again. On each side of the square I made two rows of double crochet and one single crochet. When changing to another side I went down the side unto the base of the next side. When 4 sides were finished it looked like a folding figure. And that is the last step, fold the crochet sides to the inside and fasten it with a slip crochet along the purl row of the knitwork on the outside. I added a handle and now I'm ready to felt it! I will show the result tomorrow (along with the pattern for the handle).

A stitch a week 1: single crochet

Almost every piece of crochet starts with this: the single crochet. No need for a crochet needle either, you can do it with your fingers as well.
This is also the start of "A stitch a week"with a new crochet stitch every week (until I run out of possibilities, which with Pinterest nearby has become nearly impossible). The numeral is made in this stitch, I will try to keep that up, and otherwise indicate with these numbes which stitches are used in a particular piece of crochet.
But let's start. 

Using your fingers you start with a loop and pull a loop from the long end of your thread through. Pull it tight (not too tight) and keep the new loop open, now you continue with a new loop from the long end...
Using a crochet hook is even easier when to know how to do it (there are video's which show you how). You pull the loop with the little hook, and keep the loops tight by pulling the long end with your left hand (in righht-handed crochet) or right hand (with left-handed crochet). After a series of singele crochet you can either turn your work and start working from side to side (start at one of the stitches closest to the crochet hook) or work in rounds and start at the beginning of your series of single crochet.

Single crochet is the basis of almost every piece of crochet, just give it a try.

There are not many patterns using only this stitch, so please take a look at the other stitches as well. You might try to form numbers or the alphabet with single crochet, I started of with 1.

Starting an English blog on crochet

Well, I'm not the first, but since I like making my Dutch blog on crochet and I really want to be able to 'translate' some of it in English I thought an English blog would be nice. There is a link with pinterest on the left side of the blog, please use it if you feel the need. I find it a new source of inspiration, and one of the reasons for starting this blog so I can publish English patterns and ideas as well.

So here is the first (and also background to the blog). My white cotton shawl. It starts at the bottom with one triangle and then you just go along until the last row of 96 triangles. I will write it out some other time, sorry.