Proud to announce: Addi Swing Hooks!

If you enjoy crochet, this is your lucky day! skacel and addi are extremely proud to announce their newest line of crochet hooks, the addi Swing.  Developed with comfort in mind, the handle is constructed of two plastics: one colorful and soft, and the other, white and firm.  The two balance each other perfectly for just the right amount of flexibility.  The handle warms quickly to the temperature of your skin and is precisely contoured to rest comfortably in your hand, thus eliminating pressure points. In fact, the Swing hook feels so good, those who don’t crochet, will want to learn.  To top it off (literally), is the classic addi Turbo hook that slides easily in and out of stitches.   All the hooks are color coded by size, and the metric size is boldly printed on the handle.  No “readers” needed for this one!

Hooks are available from a 2mm (A hook) to a 6mm (J hook) and sold individually!  Visit your local yarn store and pick some up today!

Turtles of the Ninja Variety!

I used to knit. I remember knitting fondly and I even have finished projects that I have knitted but the instant I learned how to crochet my knitting needles found new homes in their respective pouches. Pretty soon they will start singing to me like the Swiffer commercials begging to come back into my life. My crochet hooks laugh at them at night, I just know it.

What I like so much about crochet is the ability to make….Japanese toys! When I was in college (okay so I am a young ‘un, college was only 5 years ago) I stumbled across a book in a Japanese book store. I can’t exactly remember the title even though I can read Japanese but part of the title I distinctly remember had the name Amigurumi in it. According to Wikipedia “Amigurumi (編み包み) is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures.” I was hooked….if only I knew how to crochet… I put it off as something I couldn’t do and moved my attention elsewhere.

Then about 4 months ago my co-worker Rita taught me how to crochet. The instant I grasped the concept I couldn’t be stopped. I LOVED this craft! I looked at some patterns but most of them didn’t do what I wanted something to look like so I started to just do my own thing. And one of the first things I wanted to make was turtles of the ninja variety. I would love to say I made these for a nephew or another kid I knew but no, these were all for me. My guilty pleasure is I still wake up at 7am every Saturday morning, grab a bowl of cereal, and watch Saturday morning cartoons.

I made my turtles out of Noblesse by Zitron. The slight variegation in color was perfect in making the toys because then every turtle has a slightly different skin color. Add in the fact that the yarn is wool and silk, these boys are so soft too. I hate itchy wool, can not stand it.

Of course, like most crafters, I couldn’t stop at just the finished turtles, I had to make their weapons too and I am so very happy I did.

I love making toys. I love Amigurumi. I love crochet.

~Candice