Still Here & Still Hookin’

Sadly I haven’t resumed posting more regularly. Perhaps I should, even if it is for my own purposes of keeping track of projects. 

Been hooking quite a bit since the end of November 2025 (currently it is February 2026). 

So let me slap some photos of what I finished & what I am working on right now. 

Here is a baby blanket I started & finished in a matter of two weeks. It is composed of Tunisian entrelac in the round/“around the world.” Recipient is a cousin of the Maharajah, who is expecting her first baby this month. 

This second item is an old wip, which I started iirc 2011. Also done in tunisian entrelac in the round, forming a bowl or basket. I have finished the crochet part but might be doing something else to it (by June) & if successful, I will submit it for Blue Ribbon consideration at the next NY Sheep & Wool Festival this October. 

This item is a photo of a partially done another blanket, bigger than a baby blanket also done by combining squares of 4 rounds of tunisian entrelac together as one would do a modular blanket such as a granny square blanket. iirc there might be a photo on Ravelry with the finished item though I haven’t pressed it yet, and it desperately needs it as the Tunisian stitches have a lot of tension in them. 

Next up is what I am calling an Amish Star motif. I worked this sample up in purple as I am going to give it to a friend who, I hope, might include it in an afghan project she is working on with her mom. 

The motif is from the pattern Quilted Star Pillow Cover by Homemade By Jess. I bought the pattern so I could figure out how to do the squares with 2 colors which form the points of the star. 

Here is the first Amish Star square for what will be an afghan for my cousin. 

And here is what it looks like so far. Each completed star is composed of 16 squares. Each square takes me 15 minutes to complete, so what is represented here is about 16 hours of work. 

Personally, I think the effect is lovely—and addictive. Too addictive. I get a nice little blast of dopamine as I finish each 4.5”x4.5” square. This dopamine rush has me wanting, planning, hoping to make several afghans with this star motif. 

And I am realizing now, I posted about this motif years ago—so clearly I was on to something then http://fiberpron.blogspot.com/2010/09/inspiration-piece-reverse-engineer.html . And even though I could not figure out how to achieve this motif in Tunisian crochet (maybe eventually!), I am very happy with what I have mastered so far. 

The dopamine rush as me “hook drunk” (the crochet version of punch drunk lol), and I have bought probably 12-16 (approx) skeins of yarn for each afghan, so at the moment, I have an absurd amount of Loops & Threads Soft Classic acrylic on hand (#4 weight, though I found Loops & Threads Impeccable to be closer to a DK than a true worsted #4).

And if all this were not enough, I bought another pattern, Melt the *I*C*E* by Rachel Mendelowitz. 

I started hooking it yesterday (2/19/26) and hope to have it done by 2/26/26. It is being worked up on Loops & Threads Impeccable with a 4.0/G hook, and I prefer hdc over sc, so the ribbing is done on hdc.

The pattern is worked from the ribbed brim up. Pattern seems pretty forgiving, and the ribbing should be 76 rows of sc, but I stopped around 65 rows because I checked the fit. And the only part of this which vexes me are the hdctog decreases, but that being said, if I were to estimate time for the hat to be completed it would be 4-6 hours depending upon one’s hooking speed & one’s ability to focus. I am constantly distracted, so, YMMV. 

Both patterns for the Quilted Star Pillow Cover & Melt the-you-know-what are available for sale on Ravelry. 

And an honorable mention in this blog post is a content creator on Youtube, Aspen in the Moment. https://youtube.com/@aspeninthemoment

Her channel is devoted to craft-related drama, and she does a thorough breakdown & analysis of craft-related online drama. She was too young to have experienced the multiple dramas on Ravelry when they happened, and I applaud all her hard work putting all the pieces together cohesively. 

Since I no longer have a weekly sit & knit with friends, I sit and crochet while watching her videos and it reminds me of all the conversations my friends and I had as the dramas originally unfolded.