Weather and Crochet

[NanaM3]

From up north I wondering how Crochetville members in the NYC area handle crocheting during hot weather. I just heard about your very dangerous weather (100s, tornadoes, torrential rain) and that got me thinking about yarn/thread in hot weather. I have had luck by rubbing some talc on my hands.

 

Do you have tricks to keep yarn from sticking/scratching? Or do you have to stop crocheting when it's too hot/humid?

[LittleJadeFrog]

I am not from up there. I am in FL but it is so humid here too! I have never stopped crocheting because of weather. (I was crocheting by candlight couple of years ago when hurricanes Charley and Frances took out the state!) I sometimes use cornstarch when the going gets alittle moist then I wipe my hands on a towel so the cornstarch doesn't get on the yarn and I try not to work on large items, ie blankets, until it cools off or later in the night.

[Tampa Doll]

I'm down here in Florida also and the summers are bad news with humidity.

I switch from Yarn to thread in the summer. I never work on anything large. I also only crochet in the morning when the heat and humidity is not as bad.

I will also use corn starch sometimes my self, but basicly, I just time my crocheting to the time of the day.

[rainbowridergrma]

I use a combination of cornstarch and baking soda-2 parts cornstarch to 1 part soda. Works really well. I keep a small jar of it in my crochet bag.

 

Glenda

[Thia]

Air conditioning...lol.

I supposed if I didn't have it, I would work on small items like granny squares.

[luvmnms]

I ususally work with thread once the weather gets too warm for yarn projects. Although I have been known to make a few baby blankets in the summer, but I just make sure I don't lay the blanket across my lap, I lay it to the side.

[neatlytangled]

I do the same thing...stick to little things and more thread and cotton...and try to sneak into somewhere air conditioned whenever I can.

[brynnajay]

summer is when I make snowflakes also washscloths by the pool( who cares if they get wet)

[Empress Busy Bee]

I'm in GA and I have ac. Without that I wouldn't be crocheting until it got cool.

 

[boksie]

I procrastinate more about finishing my large projects such as an afghan I've been working on for months. I only have the ends to finish weaving in. It's granny squares and my new resolution is to weave them in as I make them.

[crazycrochet]

The heat here in Michigan has been pretty steamy this summer. It didn't stop me from crocheting, I am just doing small things. Booties, dishcloths, potholders, hats. Thanks for the cornstarch idea, I will give it a try.

[PBLKNP]

I'm a die-hard. Even without air conditioning I'd still crochet . Usually, for the summer, I try to pick things where I'd piece sections together, rather than have one huge afghan on my lap.

[OzRebel]

A/C all the way!

[~Kel~]

ac for sure, and I tend to work on smaller things, this summer I've done tank tops, skirts, and now I'm doing baby size round ripples

[kazily]

A/C! I also make my washcloth's by the pool outside lol ...I use cotton yarn a lot in the summer. I made a cute cotton bag. I did just finish an afghan in Caron SS though, I worked on it at night, so it wasn't too hot. I second corn starch (or baby powder) to help keep your hands dry & hook sliding well.

[adagio]

I'm an A/C slut. If it there's no A/C, I don't go! Hence, everywhere I go, I could crochet anything I wanted, and not worry too much about it. But the occassional hot flash does make things tricky.

[CLLinda]

Northern Illinois get pretty muggy this time of year. I stick to mostly small projects, baby hats, washcloths, etc in this heat. No afghans until the winter or at least fall.

 

I use baby powder when my hands get sticky. It works and leaves a nice scent.

 

A/c helps a lot too.

[2020kitten]

Sometimes I'll work in acrylic yarn, but mostly I use cotton thread & yarn. Like several others have mentioned, I try to do small pieces, or modular pieces, squares, etc. I like the idea of working on Christmas ornaments - something about mentally getting into a cool weather frame of mind.

 

I love the lovely wools that are on the market right now, but I'm in an area where some winters I may wear a jacket only 3 or 4 days in the entire season.

 

So I mostly just indulge in stash-lust. (If that makes sense...)

 

And I also look online for patterns and techniques I can use when it gets cooler, or on days when the a/c is actually effective.

 

Glad I'm not the only one - I was thinking I was having hot flashes!

 

Maggs

[ldyer1]

I have had trouble sometimes working with cotton yarn and this awful humidity. I crochet tight...then it gets humid and now I can't fit my hook in. So I have put those by the wayside, done way more thread, use the AC, and keep large projects to a mile a minute!

[kamikazemommy]

Today the heat index was 112 degrees & the weatherman said air quality was BAD, so I was in the A/C with a 5 lb afghan on the hook!

 

Without A/C I'd be SUNK!

 

-shel

[Elle]

Summer in south Texas is always brutally hot, if I didn't crochet during the hot weather down here, there would probably only be 8 weeks out of the year when I'd be able to crochet. We always joke that people from south Texas go to Hades for summer vacation because it's cooler there than it is here!

 

I'm very fortunate with my living situation. I work at a resort hotel, and part of my salary package includes my apartment and all my bills. Thanks to that, I can run my A/C 24/7, wide open, and not have to worry about how high my bill is going to be. In addition to my 3-11 shift, I am also the on-call person between the hours of 11pm and 7am, so essentially I am on duty 16 hours a day. Because the overnight shift doesn't require me to actually be downstairs in the office (I only have to go out if someone needs me to, ie., if they want to check in or if they are locked out) I don't receive any extra compensation for it. My boss is extremely generous with quarterly bonuses, however the fact that I don't receive any compensation for the overnight shift makes me feel less guilty about using the A/C as much as I need to.

 

I love to sit in my lounge down at the pool with my crochet. When I work out there, it's usually something small, like a wearable for my friend's granddaughter or some motif work for an afghan or something. When it comes to large pieces like afghans, I save those for the air conditioned indoors of my apartment. Although I will say that even with the air conditioning, my favorite time of year for crochet is in the cooler months. There's nothing as cozy as cuddling up under the afghan you're working on when the weather is cool and crisp.

 

Elle

[V-Hooked]

I live in FL (very humid and HOT!!!) and I don't stop crocheting because of weather, I just stay inside with a nice cool AC, it works out!!

[Ladykats]

Elle,

I so totally understand where you are coming from, I was born and raised down on the gulf of Mexico in Texas. And I generally go home once a year in the summertime. Here in NJ this summer has been rough, not because of the heat or humidity, but more because of the pollution. East coast rivals LA lately so we are getting the greenhouse effect of haze sitting on top of us. In my business we don't have A/C and this week has been extreme. That hasn't stopped me from crocheting. Although I would be insane to do a whole afghan at this time, I am rather making squares to connect at home in the blessed air conditioning. I haven't had a problem with the humidity changing the stitch ability of my yarn thankfully.

[mamarose22]

I see that a lot of people use corn starch to keep hands dry. When my hooks get stitcky from the yarns, I put a dab of hand lotion on them, and then wipe them off. This seems to help the yarn glide more smoothly over the hooks (or knitting needles).

[Melibean223]

a/c is a god send. i had to put a gahn aside his summer cause double strand is too hot even with the ac. but other than that i can do just about anythin with the ac on