Author Archive: YarnThreads

Crochet Jean Patch

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I bought a pair of light brown distressed stretch jeans, but they had a bit more distressing than I liked. The one hole exposed a good part of my thigh.

I saw Pinterest posts with crochet jean patches, so I thought I’d try this method. None that I could find were very specific, so I decided to figure it out as I went. I started by taking measurements of the area while wearing them, then dividing that in half and cutting a piece of styrofoam to insert into the leg to prevent me from getting the crocheting too tight. I cut all the connecting threads. With a needle and yarn, I did a blanket stitch about every 1/4″ around the hole, and then started a single crochet for the first round.

I did an hdc row for #2 and dc’s for row 3, decreasing when it seemed like the stitches would be bunched up or too close together. This seemed better to me than trying to do some fancy math on a shape that was not really a true oval. It worked out well. For the third row, I did a 3dc cluster every third stitch on the sides and every 4th stitch on the corners. After that, it seemed like I could just slip stitch it closed, which is what I did. I thought it turned out great!

 

Yarnthreads Almost FUBAR

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Well, not exactly but almost? I think it happened when I changed hosts and my sql file became corrupted last June, and I hadn’t realized it. Well, I hadn’t been keeping up with my projects on this site and finally got the energy to move it which was economically better. I didn’t check all aspects of the site and unknown to me the site was going downhill fast.

DAY ONE

First I had trouble logging in, then it turned into a redirection loop. I couldn’t get into the backend. Research told me I might need to repair my database tables. so I went into phpmyadmin and repaired. Wow, I got in, so happy! But little did I know that was just the tip of the iceberg. I couldn’t post new pages or posts. I looked at the error log and it kept repeating that I had duplicate primary key errors in different tables of the database. I researched and worked on it about a day and tried all suggestions; nothing worked for me.

DAY TWO

I had a feeling the database errors were expansive, and with my lack of knowledge on how to fix databases, I figured I’d better do a whole database refresh. I found a plugin that replaces a database with fresh tables but keeps your user ID so you can get back in. So I backed up my posts ans pages and installed the plugin. I ran it and gee, Wordfence blocked me from doing it! So I uninstalled Wordfence and tried again. It still blocked me. I remembered that there were a bunch of tables in the database that were Wordfence related, so I went in and dropped all those tables. I thought “gee, now it should work” -NOT. I went into the site files via FTP and there was no plugin folder– where the heck was Wordfence still operating from?? After another session of research, I found a plugin that removes ALL of Wordfence “stuff”. I ran it and it worked, I got my ability to post back!

DAY THREE

Then I imported my pages and posts, but some were messed up or missing altogether, including media. So I spent today getting all existing posts and pages back up to pre-catastrophe. NOW to get back to what I had intended to do- create all the projects I’ve completed since I dropped the ball a year ago. Oh, and I’ve decided not to try to make money on this site, it’s just for me. Now I can write whatever I want!

Texture

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I have recently realized how much I love texture, especially in needlework and fabrics. Like most things in life, however, texture must be done thoughtfully in reasonable amounts. A little texture here and there goes a long way, and stands out to the eye.

Some of my favorite texture types:

Stainless Steel Knitting Needles

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Ok, I’m not a newbie, so how come I have not heard of stainless steel needles until now? I guess I have not ventured out of my little world. I have used wooden needles for “slippery” yarns and nickel or aluminum for “sticky” yarns in the past.

Stainless steel just sounds good. They’re strong yet light, and very smooth, great for speed knitters. I have also heard that if you tend to knit too tightly, these needles can make a looser stitch in your project. And unlike nickel or aluminum, stainless steel is less likely to scratch or dent.

Here is the set I ordered on Amazon. This is a fantastic price for a whole set! I’ll post an update when I use them in a project. I’ll probably get some of these circular ones too.

 

Purpose of This Blog

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I am writing this blog to hold myself responsible for the many projects I start and seem to never finish. At one time, every one of them was so important, so exciting that I just had to knit, crochet, spin or weave them. I have a voluminous yarn stash that takes over closet and attic space. I have spinning wheels, looms, knitting needles, crochet hooks and all kinds of accessories. My problem is I like it all, and when I see a new pattern or yarn, I pick it up like a crow picks up shiny or interesting things.

Finishing things is my problem. This blog can possibly help me (if I don’t leave the blog unfinished!).

I hope to share stories with others and maybe learn things and teach things.