crochet – The Adventures of Captain Picot

Sweater Quest Part 4 – The Left and Right Fronts

August 12th, 2016nigel0 Comments

This series follows my efforts as I knit a sweater for the very first time. Check out my previous posts on choosing a design, yarn, and knitting the back. Let’s be frank here – sweaters are notoriously long projects. Even with my speedy Continental technique, knitting the back alone took me more than a whole week. It doesn’t help that I’m a pretty big guy. Just seeing the sheer amount of fabric I am producing to fit my body is making me reevaluate my diet and fitness choices… Sometimes, after the long hours plopped on the couch half-watching Netflix, it …

A Day at the OC Fair

August 3rd, 2016nigel0 Comments

Having grown up in New York City, I never experienced a county fair proper. We had street fairs – small, 2-3 block celebrations of a particular neighborhood and its culture – but nothing like the sprawling orgies of fried food, livestock contests, questionably-fair games, and scary rides that mark the height of summer and draw people in from all over the state. It was time to change that! This month, I headed to the OC Fair. Located in Costa Mesa, it’s one of California’s 70+ fairs and festivals, which runs from July 15 to August 14. $22 ($10 parking + …

Hooking on the Go: Tips for the Travelling Fiber Artist

July 13th, 2016nigel0 Comments

Meet Jorge! It would be a cliche to call him curious, but he is watchful. On any given day, he sits on my TV stand, watching the hummingbirds dance outside my window. He was born on a cross-country flight from Santa Ana to Atlanta, and he dreams about one day returning to the clouds… As the weather warms up and the summer holidays come, many of us will be packing our bags and heading on vacation. And of course, some of us (myself included!) travel regularly as part of their work. In either case, taking a good knitting/crochet project with …

The North Coast Hat

June 30th, 2016nigel0 Comments

It was the sixth day. My provisions were running low, and my legs were weary, but as the redwoods towered around me, I felt compelled to keep going. Cool breezes from the nearby Pacific sent shivers down my spine, but thankfully I was wearing my North Coast Hat, available in Men’s and Women’s Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large… Okay. So I’m not exactly J. Peterman, but I do believe there’s a story behind everything we make. I was at Wildfiber Studio’s booth at Vogue Knitting Live Pasadena, when I noticed this absolutely gorgeous yarn: Made in Turkey, it’s a worsted …