The loop stitch (lp st)

The loop stitch is normally a simple variation of the sc, in the case of my newest pattern it is a variation of the hdc.  
 1)Yo, insert your hook into your work just as you would if you were going to do a
hdc.

 2) Wrap the yarn over your index finger (the one not holding the  hook).

 3) First hook the right side of the yarn looped over your finger and then the left side, and then draw the yarn through the stitch as you would in a hdc (you should now have four loops on your hook).

 4) finish off the stitch as you would a hdc, by hooking the yarn again and drawing it through all loops  on your hook.
                                        
                                                                               Repeat in every  stitch.  

A GIANT box of free yarn !!!  The free yarn is one of the things I love about the Knit Picks Independnat Designer Program, the free yarn. 

here are the steps, think of a design, submit a proposal, receive their email citing interest, request yarn, receive yarn, open giant box and knit, knit, knit, or in this case crochet, crochet, crochet.

So first I did this ....

Next I did these ...

I have 10 to do in total, plus the patterns, so no taking any breaks yet !!

I'm really loving discovering all of the things one can do with crochet.  I've been knitting piles so was used to that, but man with a crochet hook, the sky is the limit.  As you have probably noticed, I have become a bit obsessed with animal hats (I've now started some monsters too)

I've been doing circles, ovals, triangles and recently the cone.  They're all standard shapes, and so far I've been sticking to the four basic stitches:  the single crochet (sc) , the double crochet (dc), the half double (hdc), and the triple crochet (tr).  You would think then that these shapes would be basic too, but there seems to be a hundred differnt ways to do each.

The oval for example.  I initially tought of it as a flattened circle. 

For a circle"
ch3, (dc in 2nd from hook) 8 times, join, ch2
R1) (2dc in each st), repeat to end of rnd
R2) (2dc in first st, dc in next st), repeat to end of rnd

So I thought ...
For an oval,
ch 3, (sc, hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc,sc, hcd, dc, tr, dc, hdc,dc) join, ch2
R1) 2sc in first st, 2 hdc in next st, 2 dc in next st .... and so on

But then I found a lot of people think of it as a fat line / chain, so they do:
ch 8, and then go around and aound it in a circle.

Strange, but we both get the oval !!

My favorite shape thouh has to be the cone, I used it to make the little horms on my monster hat (still being test knit)