What's On My Hook This Week

Posted on: 2025.12.26 // Tagged: crochet

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So, it’s been over a month since I last blogged about crochet. You know how it goes: Life happens, things take over your energy and attention, and writing a blog—even a short one—feels way out of reach.

But I never stopped crocheting! And I’ve got a lot of updates.

The 2025 Charity Grind

The charity grind for this year is finally complete! Here’s the final tally:

• 12 Hats
• 4 Scarves (soon to be 4!)
• 1 Shawl
• 4 Blankets (1 baby blanket, 1 lap blanket, and 2 adult sized blankets)

The hats and scarves have gone to my local library for their winter garment drive. They’ll be donated to the shelters in my area and given to neighbors in need.

And the blankets and shawl have been packed in an extra large polymailer to be sent to Warm Up America! after Christmas. (I’m waiting until after the holiday to avoid the chaos of last-minute shipping.)

I’m rather proud of the work I put into this. The items are going to a good cause and most of it was made from secondhand and leftover yarn! There’s a lot of textile waste in the world, and I think every conscious decision to reduce, reuse, recycle, and—in this case—rehome materials matters. I’m happy to know that old yarn got new life to keep someone warm this winter.

Now that this challenge is complete, I’ve moved on to my own personal projects.

Simple Ridged Infinity Scarves

When I bought the yarn for the Primary Clouds Blanket, I also picked up these two skeins of Caron Smash Cakes in Licorice and Mixed Up Mint to finally crochet something for myself this year. I have a sizable collection of scarves, but I have two infinity scarves that I use 90% of the time. I figured this was a good opportunity to introduce a couple new ones to the wardrobe.

The pattern is my own, which I’m temporarily calling the Simple Ridged Infinity Scarf. It’s worked in joined, turned rounds, and it requires no sewing. It uses half double crochet (hdc) for the foundation row and the half double slip stitch back loop only (hdc slst blo) for every row after. It’s simple and mindless; perfect while watching a stream or waiting in a game queue. When I make this scarf again, I’ll take process photos and write a pattern for the Garden!

2026 Plans: Crochet Studies

As I mentioned in my previous crochet post, I want to spend 2026 leveling up my skills and approaching crochet more as a medium for art. This means I need to get out my comfort zone and push past the edges of my skill and knowledge. To do this, I plan on doing a series of crochet studies to explore some of the more complicated, advanced patterns out there or to just experiment with techniques, styles, and materials I don’t use often.

For one, I want to do a mandala/doily study. Last month, I bought Crochet.com’s Curio #10 thread in nine different colors. I love working with thread, and it’s great for showcasing detailed stitches. One doily is already in progress! I’ll share more about it later.

I also want to do a colorwork study to branch out from my usual techniques. I’ll start this study with a planned pooling project. I’ve got a few odd skeins of variegated Red Heart Super Saver that need using, and this is the perfect opportunity. It will be a challenge though. I’ve tried planned pooling before with no success. I’ve learned since that the key is to maintain consistent tension, which is good thing to practice even for advanced crocheters.

I’ve got so many more project ideas for the coming year, and I can’t wait to share the process with all of you!

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