A little more crochet

So, I seem to be on a crochet kick -- not surprising, it seems to happen every summer. There's just something about quick to work, lacy designs that goes so well with the warmer weather!

This is a Doris Chan design -- "Leaves of Summer Vest" -- from the current (July 2011) issue of Crochet! magazine. The pattern calls for Tahki Cotton Classic Lite yarn, which is something I'd like to try at some point, however I went with a slightly heavier cotton from the stash -- La Spezia, by Schoeller+Stahl. La Spezia is a 100% cotton yarn with 115 meters per 50 gr. ball. It has a cabled construction (refers to how the yarn is plyed; Google 'cabled yarn' for further explanation) which gives it a slightly textured look when worked up. I'm really happy with the stitch definition when crocheted. Kind of makes me wish I'd stashed a few more colors of this yarn!

The finished length of the design is a bit shorter than I'd normally do, and I have a bit of a dilemma about the under layer -- in the magazine it's styled with the camisole extending beyond the vest's edging (and looks quite nice on the young, attractive model!), but for some reason I keep wanting to tuck in that layer. We'll see how it feels as I wear it.

Catching Up

Humming along, getting things done, but not as much time to post. Here are a couple of projects, one knit, one crochet, that have made it into the Finished pile.

First up -- Ribby Shell from the wonderful Bonne Marie Burns at Chic Knits . Yarn is Sahara from Stacy Charles, color 'citrus' -- a closeout from Elann. I'm a big fan of the Chic Knits line, and this is the best fitting shell I've ever made.

Next, how about a little crochet love?







This is Diamond Sweater from the British crochet magazine Inside Crochet. Yarn used was Silk City Fibers Soft Stretch -- a 96% cotton/4% Elite blend in the color "beach". This one was modified from the original pattern somewhat. I'm not a big fan of straight-across boat necks, so I did a little shaping on the neckline. Also shortened the sleeves just a bit. I worked the front/back as separate pieces since I wanted side vents at the bottom hem -- of course, I could have joined them later and worked in the round, but I was steaming along nicely by then and didn't. I really enjoyed working with this yarn -- I don't know if it's widely (or even still) available, but it's a nice, light cotton and stretch blend that crocheted like a dream. And, since it's on a cone, it really cut down on ends to work in. Not sure how it would be categorized as to yarn type (i.e. fingering, DK, etc.) but it's a fairly light 1600 yards per pound. I had a 2.15 pound cone, and used a little over 9 ounces for this sweater, so this yarn will be turning up again!

There's sewing too -- but that's for later -- much too hot here for posing/changing/photographing.