another beard bites the dust

Today has been a very pro active day where I have been able to to COMPLETE ANOTHER BEARD!!! As you can probably tell I am ecstatic about this, all the hours of chain stitch has been worth while. Using each of the chains, I wove them in various patterns throughout the scarf and then found it still looked quite bare. I spoke to Grace who advised me to add more texture by using differant materials or knotting. 

After this I found some scrap silk habiti donated to us by Libby and Andy from moving tides in greens and pinks. Looking at them by themselfs you would think them over bright and to much, however i have found that in combination with the barnicals and other threads they look like strands of seaweed with coral intertwined. I also cut up small amounts of loose felting wool and tied them in knots to look like clusters of sea enemys.


Finally I added the crochet barnicals, these have less weight compared to the structured cone ones meaning the beard will be lighter than previously thought. I found that if placed individually they looked hidden amongst the mass of sea weed, however in groups incorporating various materials and colours capture the eye and draw out key areas of the beard 

Grace wearing my final beard

This has turned out much better than I expected and with Grace's advice I have found another way of creating texture in a simplistic way. The barnicals when in clusters draw attention to key areas of the beard and keeping the strands of chain dangling from the end of the beard gives it a beraggled look which is key for the elders. I have learnt that there are more than just one way to weave and if you combine various materials instead of being very tunnle vision, you can unravel many new ideas as well as techniques. For my next and final beard I will use the techniques I learnt on this beard however I will also look into some more knotting ideas and braiding, this shall increase the various textures as well as my knowledge of basic foundation skills.

day of sheer organza, harlequin fabirc and blue material

patches on mad hatter shirt

Today was our last day of being able to use the university costume rooms as they are going to be having building construction done to them. So Myself and my assistants Phillip and Libby set to work tailoring and creating patches for the mad hatters shirt, making the dress for alice and the bodice for the white queen. I still cant use a sewing machine so i took to the art of delegation  giving Libby the material to make patches for the mad hatter shirt whilst i tailored the shirt. i am still slightly concerned the actor will gain muscle so i have kept a bit of room in the shirt, however that being said it will need to be watched. Phillip worked on the alice skirt draping the material over the mannequin to get a rough fit which may be adjusted at fittings. Whilst this was happening I was able to start cutting out fabric lining and pinning the white queen bodice together ready for sewing. I feel a bit at a loose end as far as sewing goes however as soon as i am signed off for my arm i will be back behind the machine at full force. below are pictures of the construction of the various garments

working on white queen bodice

Libbys patches

wearing the alice skirt 

phillip working on the alice dress

more and more chain stitch

After our briefing for level 6 I have found that once again I am back to chain stitching and helping on little bits of of the other costumes. I have found im very useful at making rustic ties from garden string and making barnicals to a certain size needed. I have been informed that we have however reached our barnical limit again and not to carry on crocheting the barnicals into various shapes.

Ball of wool

Thursday - Chain Stitch using 4mm Crochet Hook using Sirdir Country Style - colour Mustard (40% Nylon, 30% Wool, 30% Acrylic) I have made approximately 5 metres.

Close up of the stitch

Friday - Chain Stitch using a 5mm crochet hook.  The Mustard Sirdir Country Style Wool contained 40% Nylon, 30% Wool and 30% Acrylic.  Approximately 5 metres of chain stitch were produced. 

This was nice wool to crochet with however due to the small hook it became very time consuming as the chain links are extremely small. However I believe 10 meters of stitch in two days is quite a good pace, though still not fast enough. I am going to have to either produce an extra few meters per day or switch to a larger hook to create a chunkier effect with the wool. If I continue at the rate I am going at, I will have enough chain stitched wool to make up the next beard.

A bit of a blur

The past few days have been very hectic and busy. Once again I have been chain stitching various wools to weave through the now made up beards. As well as this I have been making up braids for the builders shoulders.

I was able to work through 3 balls of chunky knit multicoloured wool , which thankfully were quite quick to knock out and look effective with the various strands of colour. Along with 2 balls of garden string, these will be hanging off parts of the builders costumes. Each ball was stitched with a 8mm crochet hook as I have found that the larger the hook the larger the stitch. This makes it stand out as well as easy to weave with. My worry at the moment is that where I have used a variety of stitches throughout the beards, I am concerned that the stitches wont be able to hold the weight of the various other wools and fabrics. I shall have to try finding a lighter weight material to work with that can create a textural appearance without adding extra weight to the garment.

lots of stitch, and good preparation

Using a 8mm crochet hook and a blend of 3ply red and mauve with orange beige and red flecks I coninued chain stitching.  This is the same wool as yesterday and I had a vague hope that using a larger hook would help but even with a larger hook he wool had a tendency to split and required unpicking  on several occasions yet again. The flecks of colour continuously fell off or clumped together meaning large sections of the chain had flecks caught up in it. This was a horrible wool to work with and wouldn't recommend it again for any part of the project. A positive however is that it is highly textural and can give the beard more of a variety of depth.





As well as finishing the wool above I have also made up 11 metres of Harley Goblin Virgin 100% Wool in Yellow using a 4mm crochet hook was used to produce chain stitch. This was good to crochet with, with no splitting or fraying, quite a lot like my old trusty reliable wool i used for the barnicals (I believe it has the same knit). Though in  my opinion this colour is not exactly the nicest of shades I hope it will complement the brown well and act as a highlighter to the various other colours which are a lot darker.

Using robin Double Knit Taupe Wool and a 8mm crochet hook I chained stitch approximately 50grams of wool. This was so quick and easy to do and thankfully matches into the beard well, this will be an amazing wool which I can use to pucker the beard and create a raised effect. I can also weave a thinner stitch, maybe a 4mm hooked chain, into the holes to boost its appearance.

Finally I used my new 10mm hook (well it was a treat)  and a chunky knit multicoloured 'FUNK' wool. In my opinion the  pink shades in the wool look like coral and the  beige yellow like sand. This will make the beard stand out from a distance and create a more visually effective garment.   I will try my hardest  throughout the construction of the beard to make it as attractive to the audience as possible , though keeping within the theme.

     

the good and the bad

After a rather long night shift  I unpicked the scarf which Lois kindly donated which contained a Double Knit Acrylic - mauve/brown combination - wool. I used a 8mm crochet hook to produce a chunky chain stitch which drew out the variety of colour combined within the wool strands.  This was extremely nice to knit with, however towards the end it started to get a bit fluffy and tugged on the hook. I believe this was due to the fact the wool was over worked as it was knitted with before. To stop any more tangling and fraying this was wound into a ball.

Using a 5mm crochet hook and 3 ply combination of red and mauve stranded acrylic wool containing flecks of orange, red and beige to chain stitch. The strands split, the flecks would fall off and although it makes a nice, tight stitch was produced from using this size hook, it was slow and required unpicking on several occasions. This wool was not nice to crochet with and has become the bain of my life. Determination is making me continue with this ball of wool, however I believe I shall upgrade to a larger hook in order to complete this wool and see if there is a difference. 

completion and a bit of confidence

Designs by Kate McStraw

Today I continued knitting in loose stitch using 6mm knitting needles and Robin Chunky 100% Acrylic Wool. As predicted I finished knitting it this afternoon and kept knitting until the beard was of the correct length. After this I cast off, and sewed the ends in to produce a professional finish. Once I get this approved I shall weave more threads through the chunky holes and plait the ends to extend the length more. I am hoping this can be the beard for elder number 1 as where the knit is loose it can be pulled upwards and wrapped around the face to create a moustache.

After doing this beard I have found I am gaining more confidence in my textile abilities as well as improving on my basic skills. However if I were to do this specific beard in the future I would look into dropping more stitches and then picking them up again. This would then create a thin centre and chunkier ends.

Tomorrow I am going to take a break from Breathe and attend the Mad Hatters Charity Tea Party fittings as we have 6 costumes to fit tomorrow and then the same next weekend.

undo.......redo

After knitting a few rows it became evident that the stitch I was using was very loose and therefore required adjusting.  I unpicked to 35 stitches and continued with 1 row knit and one row loose knit stitich alternatively. The reduction of the 5 stitches made the width more acceptable for the beard as well as easier to work with. I knitted approximately one and a half balls of wool today and although it is a loose stitch it is not quick to produce compared to the last beard. Im going to have to pick up the pace on this and maybe put a few more hours into this each day in order to keep to my time plan.

This is a nice wool to use and does not split or fray and has no friction across the metal 6mm knitting needles. It doesn't have a tenancy either to go fluffy like some of the other wools. I am hoping that if I spend the next evening on it I can complete it for tomorrow afternoon.

another beard and a knot

Mary's amazing Elders Cloak (with ties)

Today I started on the next beard. It was decided to make this one was to be a darker shade compared to the other two beards. I have also decided to use another type of stitch for this beard to make it individual but collective at the same time. It will also produce a different texture.Whilst in town I purchased Robin Chunky Brown 100% Acrylic Wool (3 balls) for the next beard as well as some more string for chain stitch

I cast on 40 stitches on to 6mm knitting needles.  Using 1 row of knit and the second row of placing the wool twice around the knitting needle to produce a larger stitch.  This allows room for weaving the various braids through the beard.

Also today was the last full Breathe day before hand in for the rest of my class. I continued to braid balls of wool and twine to weave through the beards as well as help some of my friends. Mary asked if I could make her some ties for her Elders cloak (which in my opinion is quite amazing) so using a 5mm width garden sting I chain stitched an approximation of 70cm per tie which could be threaded through the cloak and tied at the front.

It was sad to think this was our last day working as a group.  Everyone has had there ups and downs throughout this project and from these we have became a close knit family. Everyone helping each other and working towards this amazing project. Its been brilliant working with the group and I do hope that next year I get to work with some of them again. 

Breathe and unfinished work

Today I sewed in the ends of the barnicle's made yesterday due to lack of time and carried on with the Chain stitch string. I completed another ball of string and started another though only got half way through. I predict another 3 balls of string and 1 more ball of wool will complete the hanging braids needed for the builders. 

Due to class and having to sew in the ends for yesterdays barnicals I didn't complete my target:

6 x Robin Chunky (Triple Colour) Wool using a 4.5mm crochet hook.  Sewed in ends to make a professional finish.

Tomorrow I shall have to make up for this.

As well as this I had the chance to work with a few of first years and volunteers for Breathe Together club today, and continued to make barnicals. After a slow start we started to pick up the pace and keep up with the girls wanting to use them on the hunters costumes. All of the barnicals being made will in one form or another be used on each of the costumes 

 I also got to teach my friend Libby how to make them and she made a pretty unique barnical out of some bobby wool. Though there were only 4 of us working on these all evening and 2 going around each station, we made 42 barnicals of various sizes. One of the girls even asked if she could take some home with her along with one of the volunteers which I think shows great spirit towards the cause.  

dye and disasters

Today I dyed the purple (Cheshire cat) and orange (Mad hatter) shirts for the Mad Hatters Charity Tea Party and met my barnical target:

10 x Robin Chunky (Triple Colour) Wool using a 4.5mm crochet hook. These took a while due to a small hook and having to get used to working with my right hand again. I do need to sew in ends of each of them however as I ran out of time and feel if I don't I would be skipping corners.


For Mad Hatters I have dyed both the purple (Cheshire cat) and orange (Mad hatter) shirts:


Orange Dye

White Shirt

Initially, the colour didn't take due to the incorrect issue of powdered dye, procien instead of disperse which was totally incorrect for the material composition.  The dye left a faded, flat patchy coloured shirt which looked insipid.

Using Dylon Goldfish Orange and 500g of Salt, as a fixer the shirt went into the washing machine for 40 mins and a drying time of 20 mins.  It produced a more brighter, vibrant orange colour. All the patches had vanished and it had an even colour.


Purple Dye

White Shirt

After being dyed with the incorrect dye, procien instead of disperse, the shirt was dull, patchy and uneventful,did not have the wow factor and even from a distance looked old and worn.

Using Dylon Intense Violet and 500g of salt as the fixer in the washing machine for 40 mins and a drying time of 20 mins it produced a bright, even violet colour. This stands out and ties in well with the character.

Next time I am to dye material I will double check the dye before I use it as it would have saved a lot of time and effort doing so. Also it will save the fabric getting patchy as this was my main worry that it wouldn't cover the patches and increase the ruin. I took a chance this time and it paid off but I may not be so lucky next time.

castless and completion

Today has been a brilliant day. My cast was taken off my arm and wrist, though I still have to wear wrist guards for heavy work and have to attend physiotherapy, I am hoping it will allow me to get more work done and help the project more. So far today I have chain stitiched cotton string  and finished the first ball and have also started chain stitching second ball of cotton string using a 5.5mm crochet hook. though again its a tighter stitch to what I'm use to I think it will work well to have various lengths and widths available to work with.

Full length of scarf

 I continued knitting the scarf/ beard using Brown (Robin Double Knit) 100% Acrylic and 7.5mm knitting needles and keeping the 40 stitches width. I am happy to report I finished knitting it and followed by sewing in the ends to give a professional finish. The length works well and hopefully on Wednesday when I see Kate, she will approve it so I can start on the weaving.



10 x Robin Chunky (Triple Colour) using  a 5mm crochet hook.  This was a lovely wool to crochet with as it didn't fray and though went a little fluffy at times, didn't break off like other wools I've worked with. within the near future I may try working with the wool over a structured cone more and see if this changes the fluffy texture it can take on.

Tomorrow I have to travel back to Bouremouth and get back to class. I have a lot to run by Kate and have also got to start on the builders collars. Within the next week I plan to finish the braiding for the builders costumes and start to look at brick patterns as well as draw a few up and sample them.

Sunday promises

Continue knitting scarf for the beard using Brown (Robin Double Knit) 100% Acrylic and 7.5mm Knitting Nedles.  Scarf width 40 stitiches. Its starting to gain length and look like a beard, however it does need to be much longer in length in order to wrap around the face and neck areas. I predict one more day's worth of knitting and it shall be finished. As you can see from the photo Im having to knit a bit differently to normal which is taking longer to accomplish. Though I am determined to complete it.






I have also made 10 x Robin Chunky (Triple Colour) 100% Acrylic Wool using 5.5mm crochet hook which met my target. I was going to continue on with this, however I thought the beard took president. My target for tomorrow is that once I have finished at the hospital, hopefully my cast is coming off, I will complete the scarf/beard and meet my barnical target. I have also got to travel back to Bournemouth on Tuesday morning so I will have to pack for the trip and time plan accordingly.

Ready? Get set........... Go

Today has been very productive and after yesterday a great pick me up. I had a shift today at Tesco meaning I wasn't able to do any breathe work during the day but this evening I have done quite a lot. I met my target for barnicals as well as started making the beard for elder number 2.

10 x Green (Double Knit) 100% Acrylic Wool using a 5.5mm crochet hook.  This was an easy wool to work with as it didn't fray and was soft on the fingers. It looped over the hook well and didn't split off.

Continued crocheting chain stitch using string (approximately half a metre) I found using the 5mm hook made a skinnier line of chain instead of the usual 8mm hook I work with. However it was much trickier to work with as the loops were tighter and put more pressure on my wrist.



Started knitting scarf for the beard using Robin Double Knit - 100% Acrylic.  40 stitches were cast on using 7.5mm knitting needles.  I havnt knitted for many years now and hope this will be a bit like riding a bicycle, once learnt never forgotten. The stitch used is a basic knit stitch. Once I have learnt this stitch again and become more confident, I can progress to using more intermediate level stitches

friday night and a lack of concentration

After a long coach journey home and after unpacking commenced I was just about able to make my target for barnicals. Unfortunetly due to the long journey my concentration was at a all time low and in my opinion it was more of a chore today than an actual task I normally enjoy. Hopefully tomorrow I can get my energy back and get into the swing of things again.

10 x Green (Double Knit) wool using a 5.5mm crochet hook - easy to use and didnt fray. quick to work with as well as versatile.
1 x Brown 100% Acrylic Wool using a 5.5mm crochet hook   -   this wool was a nightmare to use, it frays very easily and tends to separate.

builders and seaweed

Full bracelet with woven latex and fabric seaweed

Yesterday and Today were all about the builders bracelets and weaving the latex sea weed into the links. there are 6 sets in total of the bracelets so each builder gets 2 each. As well as this I had to take into account one of the builders is in a wheelchair, meaning none of the latex can hang from the bracelet as it could get caught up in the wheels and cause unwanted injury.

During Breathe Club, volunteers made some latex seaweed which was coloured with acrylic paint and some of them having wool threaded and stuck to the latex.

Layers of latex folded over the end loop,stuck together with glue

Tightly woven fabric painted and a thin layer of latex

Weaving the latex into the various chains was tricky as the elasticity kept pulling and then snapping, meaning I had to glue parts together in order to make the length continuous.  As well as this I had to glue the ends around the final chain to make the seaweed dangle at the wrists.

Currently I am hoping  that no one  has allergies to latex as this has become a major material within the bracelets.  Overall these have been a success , the seaweed woven into the bracelets looks authentic from a distance and stands out well.  If  were to do this again however I would ask  the volunteers to make some seaweed without string placed into the latex. This is due to the string tugging on the latex when weaving. I would also trim the seaweed into thinner strips to account for the smaller links in the chains.

Also over the past two days I have been making more barnicals in the evenings:

9th may:

7 x String using a 4mm crochet hook  -  the string had a tendency to split, was harsh on the fingers and frayed at the ends
4 x Blue (Double Knit) using a 4mm crochet hook

10th may:

8 x Blue (Double Knit) Wool using 4mm crochet hook
2 x Beige (Double Knit) 100% Acrylic, using 4mm

Over the next week I am going to have to divide my time up between braiding and beards as I still have 2 beards to make and all the braiding for on the builders costumes.

an evenings work

After completing the beard I was on a bit of a work high so I went well over my target for barnicals

1 x Grey (Double Knit) Wool using 5mm crochet hook (my good old faithful wool)
10 x Greystone (Double Knit) 100% Acrylic Wool using a 4mm crochet hook   -   very nice to crochet with, very smooth and natural to work with.
4 x String using a 4mm crochet hook.   -   this had a tendency to split while tryting to crochet with and the ends frayed as well when trying to sew them in.  Slightly tougher to crochet with and makes the tips of the fingers a tad sore. The next time I work with this material I shall have to see if theres a way of strengthening it.

A beard and a smile

Today has been a fantastic and productive day. I was able to complete the final braids and weave them into the scarf to form a beard. Each of the braids are made up various wools or fabric and crocheted or stitched together then weaved. I have used 5 balls of various wools from double knit to felted wool.

Full beard with braiding

The length of the scarf with the addition of the braiding means that it is able to be wrapped around a persons face, around the neck and then dangle around chest length (braid to knee length). Andrew agreed to be my model and we tested the beard:

Andrew wearing the beard 

As you can see it is a successful piece which our wonderful designer Kate is happy with. Even though it took me 3 weeks to complete, I feel this is a very big achievement for me. Originally I was really worried I wouldn't be able to do much on this project but as soon as I found I could crochet one handed I think I've found my niche area. I did find I had my favourite wools and braid forms such as double knit wool with a loose tension 8mm  and the ones which were tricky to work with such as the felting wool which frayed constantly. For the next beard a darker colour could be used to make the beard and then a lighter wool for the third one. All of the beards can have the woven braids and fabric. This way all of them link together, however have an individual base.

A sleepy start but a promising finish

Sunday was quite a slow day for me due to unpacking boxes and meetings with the director for The Mad Hatters Charity Tea Party. However I received the good news that the new designs for the characters were approved so construction could commence.

Even though I didn't get much done for my essay, I did just about meet my barnical target using the new wool I brought. It was lovely to work with though if pulled to much it turned a bit 'fluffy'. After doing both a structured cone and a crochet one, I found using the hook helped keep the wool at a constant tension and discouraged the 'fluffy' tenancies which occurred doing the barnicals freestyle. However towards the end I did go back to my old faithful wool due to tiredness. Tomorrow however I will time plan my day in order to make up for this. Todays barnicals made:


6th May:
              1 x Koala (Double Knit) 100% Acrylic over a structured cardboard cone.
              3 x Koala (Double Knit) 100% Acrylic using a 5mm crochet hook
              6 x Grey (Double Knit) using a 5mm crochet hook



It being a bank holiday Monday, I had decided to break my day down into time slots.

9-12 - Research for essay
12-1 - Lunch
1-4 - Mad Hatters Construction
4.30 -6 - Barnicals

I am Glad i followed this time table as i proved to be very productive. I was able to gain some vital quotes for my essay, complete the White rabbit, tweedle dum and dee costumes as well as meeting my barnical target for the day and made one extra:

7th May:

                 7 x Grey (Double Knit) using a 5mm Crochet Hook

                 4 x Greystone (Double Knit) 100% Acrylic Wool using a 5mm Crochet Hook

The greystone was another new wool. Bit tricky at first as it was a new texture i had to get used to as well as the width of the wool. The 5mm hook worked well however for a chunkier form of barnicals using a 8mm or a 10mm hook may be the key. It will loosen the tension as well as take less time (we only have a few weeks left till these must be complete).

Updated designs and approval

Today I got the go ahead to start construction on The Mad Hatters Charity Tea Party costumes. The designs got approved as well as the fabric choices and a fitting date decided of 19th May. So for the next week and a half Phillip, Libby and myself will work as a team to create each of the garments. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses and until 14th of May at the earliest I shall not be able to use a sewing machine. On Tuesday I shall have a meeting with the others to determine what needs to be done by who and what time. Below are the updated designs and fabric choices listed below each design (inc the originals)

Cornflower blue polycotton dress
White cotton  apron with cotton lace
White bobby socks
Black dolly shoes

White cotton shirt (dyed orange)
Purple waistcoat (tbc)
Purple trousers (fitted and elasticated)
Mad hatters hat (tbc)

Silver acetate silk dress
Silver organza overlay with silver embroidery
Silver sleeves (tbc)

Red velvet dress shot with gold thread
Black velvet sleeves with gold embroidery
Black ribbon surface decoration

Purple and Pink striped shirt (cotton)
Purple cotton fitted trousers (elasticated)
Purple cape with pink/purple embroidery (tbc)

Green and white striped t shirts
Red or black braces
Denim shorts

Grey animal suit (fake fur)
Cotton striped waistcoat

Brown animal suit (fake fur)
Black waistcoat

White animal suit (fake fur)
Harlequin waistcoat  with black collar 

A long but worth while day

Today I moved into a new flat which will be mine for the next year. A lovely environment where I can work to my hearts content. After moving what felt like hundreds of boxes I settled down to have a cup of tea and make some more barnicals:

2 x Grey (Double Knit) wool over a Structured Cardboard Cone
2 x Blue (4 Ply) Wool using a 5mm crochet hook
2 x Blue (4 Ply) Wool over a Structured Cardboard Cone
5 x Blue (4 Ply) Wool using a 4mm crochet hook

I used the reliable grey wool to begin with and structure cones to get into the swing of things until my crochet hook could be found. After this I found the blue wool and hook a natural partner. It was effortless to work with and the results have turned out well, no fraying or tugging. Maybe this wool will work well with the elders and jesters outfits as it will bring colour to the elders and neutralise the jesters bright colours and link them to the other breathers.

Tomorrow I plan on trying some new wools and seeing if they will be good to work with. I brought a Koala (100% Acrylic) wool which i feel will create some interesting barnicals.

barnicals and braid

 Within the past couple of days I have been working on various braids which could be used within the beard creating various chain stitches and easing the tension between differant types of wool. I have found working with the 8mm crochet hook  creates a chunky, stand out braid which the audience may see, whilst being thin enough to weave throughout  the scarf.

Below are some of the braids I have made up:

Chunky knit 8mm crocheted woollen braid with tight tension 

Tawny brown braid with blue flecks using a 8mm crochet hook varied tension 

Second chunky knit 8mm crocheted woollen braid, however using a loose tension

Double knit chunky multi coloured wool using a 8mm crochet hook

Red felted wool with varied tension to create different ties

As well as this I had the chance to work with a wonderful group of first years and volunteers for Breathe Together club on Wednesday, and teach them how to make barnicals. After a slow start I found I had a large group of 10-12 people talking and getting to know each other as well as making the barnicals. I feel it is a vital part of the group that everyone mixes together, no matter who you are. You can learn so much of different people, as well as others learning off you. One of the girls I worked with found a way of combining wools to create tied barnicals and stretching wool around the barnicals to cause a taunt effect with string. Another found a way of plaiting the rope to make it chunkier and then using the button hole stitch technique wrap the barnical around the acetate. Over all we made 68 various barnicals of differant sizes and shapes.

Full ring of barnicals made at Breathe club

Very interesting brown and yellow barnical made by varying the knots

Im going to use this idea and plait some of the left over wools into the beard to create a ragged effect.


Finally my barnical report. I am happy to report I have met the targets every day:

2nd May: 10 x Grey (Double Knit) Wool using a 5mm crochet hook.
3rd May: 11 x Grey (Double Knit) Wool and using a 5mm crochet hook

This is becoming by far one of my favourite wools to use. The blend makes it durable to work with as well as allowing the material to be pulled taunt without wear and tear. This wool could be mixed in with most of the groups work as well as if broken down, stand out on its own.