back loop only arm warmers & wonky heels

Back loop only -- or blo, if you are talking crochet lingo. Okay. What exactly does that mean?

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It means that people like me (completely void of any knitting know-how) can achieve a very stretchy, drapey, liquid-feel, almost knitted look to crochet. It means that I can now crochet a wearable accessory without it feeling bulky, cumbersome or truly wonky (I'll share the truly wonky in this post......) It means that I could just kiss Mary Jane Hall for discovering this!

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And where did I get all of this drastically needed information? From her book:

I think she has saved me from myself. Because honestly! I can take the most accurate measurements -- ask my math whiz of a husband to recheck my mathematical calculations (because I stink in this area!) -- measure once more, just to be sure --- and I still get this:



The wonky heeled-sock.

Yikes. Just what is that protruding from the heel? And yes, I measured. And yes, I counted the foundation single crochet correctly. And yes, I tried it on before the fastening off.
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Even this sock below ( a different pattern ) that gave the most splendid of all directions for taking measurement 1, measurement 2, measurement 3, measurement 4 of each individual foot should guarantee a perfect sock for any sized foot --- right?!



No! And yes, my frustration is showing -- and yes, I'm scaring everyone who lives with me. Because although this sock turned out super cute and I was just skipping through the house dancing with it -- it. is. not. wearable. Plain and simple the sock will not go over the heel and there's that dreaded hangy-doodle mimicking a so-called heel.

So I definitely needed to take some sort of cleansing breath and started paging through Mary Jane's book and she hit upon something so explainable -- crochet in the back loop only. Aha! She explains that by doing that the garment/accessory will stretch so much more than if crocheting in the front & back loop together....yes. Exactly.



So I dug out some Caron Simply Soft charcoal heather yarn and my J hook and I made these arm warmers --- this pattern, along with many other stunning patterns are in Mary Jane's book -- and I am completely bowled over the drapey-ness of this stitch!

And the patterns in her book --- L.O.V.E. them. Every single one of them.
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Phew.

And now I wait to see if she comes out with a sock pattern.