Knitting. It's the new yoga. It's hip. It's trending. You can knit on your arm or fingers. Celebrities knit. We hear more about knitting today than any other craft.

What's happened to crochet?

Plenty! Crochet is full of innovation, creativity, and beauty. I sometimes feel crochet is the craft people "admit" to doing.  I hear customers in our store say, "I don't knit, I only crochet.", almost as if crochet is something less than knitting.But it's not less, it's just different.I did a quick search on youtube- the word knitting returned 717,000 videos. The word crochet returned 1,670,00 videos. I believe that people like to crochet!Crochet was the first needle craft I learned. I grew up surrounded by thread crochet pieces that my grandmothers and great-grandmothers had made and I was impressed. At age 17, I went to my local yarn store and took a beginning crochet class. That began a fiber adventure that has lead me to knitting, spinning, tatting, and now even working in a yarn shop.  I still enjoy crochet. It's my personal favorite way to use a lace weight yarn.If crochet has been overlooked by the major pattern and yarn companies, it has not been overlooked by independent designers. There are patterns all over the internet, both free and purchased that are beautiful and wearable.I know that crochet has a bad wrap sheet- I remember the days of toilet tissue covers and Christmas candles crocheted to fit over aluminum cans. It was ugly.But today you can find a huge variety of patterns and styles that are stunning. One of my favorite designers is Tara Murray. Her patterns are a delight.  I made these cuties out of Cascade 220.[caption id="attachment_3651" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Galilee Booties, designed by Tara Murray, crocheted by me![/caption] The crocodile stitch is really hot right now and a fabulous design element. My favorite design that incorporates this stitch is Crocodile Stitch Booties, from Ravelry. I saw a pair of these given an outstanding award at our county fair in August.[caption id="attachment_3653" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Exquisite booties by Bonita Patterns.[/caption] Maria, one of our staff members, made this project  in Cascade Ultra Pima  early this summer:[caption id="attachment_3652" align="aligncenter" width="225"]

Angel Wing Pinafore, designed by Maxine Gonser, crocheted by Maria[/caption]She was busy the rest of the summer, filling  requests to make more! [caption id="attachment_3658" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Crocheted Mobius Cowl from Churchmouse Patterns, crocheted by Tina[/caption]Another staff member, Tina, made this beautiful cowl from Cascade Kid Seta and taught it as a class here in the store.

So, do you crochet?  We do!

We haven't forgotten crochet here at Alpaca Direct. We carry a variety of crochet hooks, both beautiful and practical. You'll find crochet patterns on our website, and a passion for crochet in our staff members! If Alpaca Direct is your local yarn store, look for a Begin to Crochet Class in January 2015 followed by other crochet classes in the late winter and spring.Here's my contribution to the crochet pattern community. I hope you enjoy it![caption id="attachment_3654" align="aligncenter" width="263"]

My sister in law, Elizabeth, wearing her Sisters Cowl[/caption]My sister sent me photo of a scarf she admired, asking if I could make something similar. This pattern is the result. When my sister-in-law saw the finished scarf, she asked for one too! So it’s the “Sisters” scarf, because I’ve been blessed with a wonderful sister and sister-in -law!

Enjoy your Free Pattern!

Sisters Cowl, by Kjirstine Prickett

Materials:2 skeins Berroco Ultra Alpaca or approximately 430 yds worsted weight yarnUS J Hook3- 1-¼” buttonsGauge is not terribly important to this project. You should adjust the hook and yarn to produce a fabric that you like. I wanted it slightly drapey, but still wanted to maintain a certain amount of structure.Finished dimensions:Approximately 8” x 60”Abbreviations:Ch- chainDc- double crochet- wrap yarn around hook onceTrc- triple crochet- wrap yarn around hook twice Chain 203Row 1: Dc in 4th chain from the hook, dc in each chain across. Ch 3, turnRow 2: Trc in 2nd dc, trc in each dc across, dc in top of turning chain, ch 2, turnRow 3: Dc in 2nd trc, dc in each trc across, dc in top of turning chain, ch 2, turnRow 4-5: Dc in 2nd dc, dc in each dc across, dc in top of turning chain, chain 2 turnRow 6: Dc in 2nd dc, dc in each dc across, dc in top of turning chain, chain 3 turnRow 7: As row 2Row 8: As row 3Row 9-10: As rows 4-5Row 11:As row 6Row 12: As row 2Row 13: Dc in 2nd trc, dc in each trc across, dc in top of turning chain. Finish off.