When I first joined Annie’s Hook & Needle club I never imagined I would still be posting reviews on them six years later. However this past April I received my 60th kit. Wow, time flies! At the beginning of this year I stopped receiving kits every month. I am being skipped on the months where a previous kit that I have already got is sent. However, I still occasionally receive a new project.
April’s kit for me was Pocket Place Mats. The kit contained one skein each of jute and tangerine fine sport yarn. Enough to either crochet or knit two place mats with a little twist. They each have a pocket added to hold your silver ware and a napkin. The cotton/acrylic yarn was easy to crochet and I thought the color combination was very eye pleasing.
I decided to crochet the foundation row using a Japanese foundation. I believe it helped to crocheted the edging more evenly. The foundation row kept puckering up on me, which is unusual, so I finally crocheted the initial chain with a larger hook and then went back to the smaller one to crochet with that the project calls for. This seemed to fix the problem.
I would also like to suggest that you make sure you take the time to gauge. Although the pattern required a G hook, I had to go up to a 7 to obtain the correct gauge.
The place mat pattern created the always popular ripple -using the stitches of the chain, half double, and half double decrease. On the pocket you will need to have mastered the puff stitch, which helps to add a little texture.
When the place mats lay completed before me, I had to admit I was really happy with this kit and could see myself pulling the pattern out for a repeat. If it was not for the fact that the yarn came with unmarked labels (which will make it impossible for me to repurchase this yarn) I would have given it a perfect 10. The pattern was very easy to follow and being at an easy skill level made it a perfect project for relaxing and just enjoying crocheting. So all of this being said, I am rating this kit a 9.
For those of you who have never worked a puff stitch, I have added a small tutorial.
Puff Stitch Tutorial
Step 1: Yarn over and insert the hook into the stitch in indicated stitch.
Yarn over again and draw through. There will be three loops on the hook.
Step 2: Repeat two more times. Each time adds 2 more loops to the hook. There will be 7 loops on the hook.
Step 3: Yarn over and pull through all loops on the hook.
Congratulations, you just made your first puff stitch.
If you are also enrolled in Annie’s Hook & Needle club, I would love to hear your feedback. I cannot state that I have enjoyed every kit, but I must say I am glad have joined. The kits have helped push me to new areas and on to projects I more than likely would not have tried. I am for any avenue that a crocheter can use to help them push themselves to new levels and more confidence in their abilities. What are some of the things you have tried to improve your crochet skills?
Until next next time, keep those hooks flying.
I also received the pocket placemat kit this month. I have some confusion about the instructions, where it tells you to chain 1, then skip the first stitch. I even looked here on your blog to see if you had reviewed it yet, hoping that maybe you could clarify what they mean. (There are, as yet, no revisions to the pattern.)
I was also happy to see your post about the afghan club and agree with your plea to Annie’s to give the blocks/stitches a name. I have not had a chance to start those yet, but I’m really looking forward to working those squares.
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I am sorry you are having trouble. In order to keep the count correct in ripples there are certain things that are done. You are increasing when you put the three stitches at the top of the point. Skipping the stitch in the beginning and decreasing in the valley is what keeps the count correct. So you are reading correctly, You are suppose to skip the first stitch of the row, and by skipping the first stitch it will help to maintain your edges and keep them even. Most ripple patterns will have you skip the first one or two stitches. I hope I helped, however If you are still confused Annie’s please email Annie’s at Customer_Service@HookandNeedleClub.com They have been really good about getting back to me. Please put your phone number down and give them all the information about what pattern you are working on so they will be able to help you better. Please feel free to ask any questions, if I can not help you I will direct you to someone who can.
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I really like the look of these placemats. The 2 colours really works well, and the pockets is something unique and different. I like the texture of the puff stitch, it really stands out very well.
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I thought so also, but it was so nice to hear what others people thoughts on the something is.
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