Crocheting afgans in this heat

[Craw]

In this heat I don't work on afghans. I have a couple of smaller projects going. It's been pretty hot lately. I just came from a visit to NJ where it was nearing 100 each day and even with the air conditioner on it was too hot for me to think of afghans, not even baby afghans. I do have a few in mind to start so as soon as the heat lets up, I'll be ready for 'em.

[Elle]

Wow so what do you do with all your crochet projects? lol Afghans are to keep warm and if it is never cool when can you use them?

I lived in Dallas for 3 months from August to October. I seem to recall wearing a coat and lots of rain. lol

Briana that also sounds like a great idea. I am almost temped to put away the one I am working on and start my ripple today. lol

 

I like to joke that people from south Texas go to H*LL for vacation because it's cooler there than it is here! Dallas is up north, they have basically all the seasons up there. I am about 90 minutes north of Corpus Christi, and down south here it almost never gets below 50 during the daytime. In fact, we never close our pool because we swim really all year long here. The temperature doesn't get below 80 for more than a day or two until after Christmas, and even then it only gets chilly at night, the daytime temps are 50+. Our coldest weather is the last week of January and the first week to two weeks of February. During that time we sometimes need coats and nighttime temps CAN get down into the high 30s. Even during the day during that period the temps usually don't go below 45, though, as chilly as the nights get.

 

As far as when we use afghans, I love nothing better than to crank the AC up to full blast and cuddle up with an afghan to watch television. I usually don't do this in the summer, however, I reserve this for fall nights when the rest of the country is going through the colored-leaf thing, and the only sign of fall down here is the Halloween candy is out in the stores. It helps me to feel autumn-y to cuddle up under an afghan because we don't have the kind of trees down here that change color and lose their leaves. We have palm trees, which obviously don't have leaves to lose, and Chinese tallow trees which turn brown and all the leaves drop off at once, almost overnight. And even when the Chinese tallow trees are bare, they're still green because of all the live mistletoe growing on them. So I need help feeling that fall is here, and I hate that because fall, or the idea of fall, is my favorite time of the year.

 

Oh, I also give a lot of my projects away to friends and family. I only have two pieces for myself of everything I've crocheted. I kept a round ripple for my DH and I have a shawl that I made for myself.

[Miss Crochet]

Oh, Elle, I feel faint! I'm from Ireland, so reading your description of Texan seasons makes me gasp - how do you stick it?! I'd wither in a climate like that! I'd shrivel up like an old prune

[SlowCrocheter]

If I could move I would go way north. I so hate summer. lol I hate being sticky. I love winter. I love fires places. I love hot coco and coffee.

I am so stuck here in Mississippi. This is where my Dad and sister is this is where my husbands sisters are and he was born here and never wants to leave. So I stay and sweat. lol

[zeropixie]

I am making some pieces to piece together when it cools down

 

Why havent I ever thought of doing this. :ohdear

Thanks for the inspiration.

[ScoobyDoo0811]

I'm in TN, and the heat IS an issue for me and afghans. I'm making one now as a Christmas present, but have put it on hold. DH is cold natured and fusses that I'm trying to freeze him out I'm with Wgjret...the yarn seems to act as a furnace, especially since the one I'm doing (or, was doing) is a double-strander. I live in a tiny place with few outlets. So rather than play musical plug-ins, I just say FORGET IT! and work on smaller projects. I like the idea of the chair, though...may give it a shot!

 

I too am from Middle TN, and ghans right now are a no go. Although I need to get some done for Christmas, I just can't bring myself to work on the ones that need to be finished, nor can I think about starting one. For several weeks our evenings were really pleasant, but still to warm to crochet ghans. Therefore I have resorted to making smaller items such as book thongs, dishcloths etc. Which will make nice gifts for someone :cheer:clap

[1bzbee]

I'm In South Texas. Right now I'm working on a queen size afgan using the Crosses & Posts pattern from the the box of Chrocheted Throws for my daughters christmas present. It will hang down 12 inches on the sides and be long enough to tuck in a little under pillows. Right now I'm at 5 feet long as already have the length need for bed sides. This is what I did. Take a mesh laundry bag with drawstrings. I folded my afgan like an accordan leaving the ends for easy access to continue crocheting. Place afgan in bag & pull strings tight. I left enough of afgan out to be able to spread out afgan and crochet going across it As I go. When done with row just flip over and do next row. This way most of the afgan is inside the bag and dont have the weight to mess with. Can lay bag beside you and crochet & not be hot doing it. Hope this helps.

[adagio]

Dallas is up north, they have basically all the seasons up there

I'm in Longview, about 150 miles east of Dallas. We sure don't have four seasons. Or at least not a decent fall or winter. I've lived where I had both. And it ain't here!

I'd describe the seasons in Longview as: pre-summer (spring), SUMMER, summer lite (fall), and not summer (winter). I'm usually running the AC from March to November.

[Elle]

Oh, Elle, I feel faint! I'm from Ireland, so reading your description of Texan seasons makes me gasp - how do you stick it?! I'd wither in a climate like that! I'd shrivel up like an old prune

 

You get used to it. For me, the warm winters make it worth braving the melting temperatures in the summer. The worst part of it is the humidity. While west Texas is really hot, it's desert there so it's drier. Over where we are on the Gulf, we've got not only the heat, but also the humidity, and that's what makes it so gawdawful hot. Where most people look forward to Memorial Day as the official start of summer and barbecueing outdoors, that's when we head indoors for the hot summer. Our barbecue season starts in October and continues through March. That's the most pleasant time of year here with regard to heat and humidity.

[Elle]

I'm In South Texas. Right now I'm working on a queen size afgan using the Crosses & Posts pattern from the the box of Chrocheted Throws for my daughters christmas present. It will hang down 12 inches on the sides and be long enough to tuck in a little under pillows. Right now I'm at 5 feet long as already have the length need for bed sides. This is what I did. Take a mesh laundry bag with drawstrings. I folded my afgan like an accordan leaving the ends for easy access to continue crocheting. Place afgan in bag & pull strings tight. I left enough of afgan out to be able to spread out afgan and crochet going across it As I go. When done with row just flip over and do next row. This way most of the afgan is inside the bag and dont have the weight to mess with. Can lay bag beside you and crochet & not be hot doing it. Hope this helps.

 

Great idea you've got for the afghan, bzbee! Whereabouts in south Texas are you? I'm in Matagorda County.

[PBLKNP]

You get used to it. For me, the warm winters make it worth braving the melting temperatures in the summer. The worst part of it is the humidity. While west Texas is really hot, it's desert there so it's drier. Over where we are on the Gulf, we've got not only the heat, but also the humidity, and that's what makes it so gawdawful hot. Where most people look forward to Memorial Day as the official start of summer and barbecueing outdoors, that's when we head indoors for the hot summer. Our barbecue season starts in October and continues through March. That's the most pleasant time of year here with regard to heat and humidity.

 

I don't know...I still envy you people for not having to shovel snow!

[stormy]

I can't do anything that's gonna lay in my lap in this heat. I do have a cat graph afghan I purchased a couple of months ago but am waiting until about October to start.

[kmeiding]

I made an afghan for my full sized bed this spring and that was huge and heavy. I wouldn't want to work on that with no a/c. I go over to a friend's a lot and they don't have a/c. I take the baby blanket I am making for their daughter when I go over.

[christinanthemum]

working in the evening

 

work at a table to keep the weight off you

 

push most of it to the side

 

 

I've worked big projects in the summer months using those suggestions and it works out well.

 

Hope you can do it!

[crochetstepmom]

I am so glad that I am cold-natured!

 

I'm another middle TN girl (there seems to be quite a few of us here.) About 95% of the things that I make are afghans. This year I have made one for everyone in my family for birthday gifts, and I usually have 3 or 4 projects going on at once. There's always one that I'm not that far along on (so it's not that big yet) or a pieced project. I'll work on those when it's still pretty warm, and then switch to the bigger projects in the late evenings when the house has cooled a little.

 

If I do have to work on a large one when it is still really warm inside, I try to bunch it up where it sits just on my lap. I seem to stay a bit cooler if my legs are not covered.

[CandEsMom]

I have a little computer laptop table that has legs that slide under your chair. Draping the afghan over the table keeps it off your lap and makes it more comfortable. The table tilts forward too, which takes some of the pull off the afghan. Here's a link to the table I have so you get a better idea (it's from IKEA):

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00120818

[pasteeater]

It's been over 110 for weeks now. No way am I working on anything bigger than a placemat and even that's hard lol. I have been wanting to make another round ripple but can't. I don't have any suggestions because it's too hot to think of any lol. I guess just wait or deal with the heat. I'd wait lol.