A Little Crochet

I needed a quick and easy project after hitting a major roadblock in my knitting, so I dug out a skein of luscious baby alpaca and silk (Lorna's Laces Honor) and whipped out the Iced Ascot by Rebecca Velasquez from the book Simply Crochet by Robyn Chachula. I liked Rebecca's pattern enough to do a pattern search of her other designs on Ravelry, and ended up purchasing her Teesdale small shawl/scarf pattern which I'm working on now.

The colorway is Loopy Ewe Shuffle, which leads me to believe it was a one off from The Loopy Ewe, no longer available I'm sure, as it's been in the stash for quite a while.

It was a nice palate cleanser after the heartbreak of running out of yarn for a sweater from a kit, purchased a while back, from a merchant that is no longer in business, and a yarn made specifically for that designer...well, you get the idea. I've been working on it for at least a year, and I was gutted to be unable to finish it off. Sigh.

There has been knitting though -- of the machine variety -- several hats for donation which were knitted on the LK-150. No photos, as they're pretty Plain Jane, but I did have a "D'oh" moment when mattress stitching them up.

I was having trouble seeing where to place my sewing needle to continue a straight seam after pulling the working yarn taut to snug up the stitches.  So I had the bright idea (or so I thought) to put a little marker in the place where I needed to place the needle after snugging up -- like so:  

Worked a charm, but the clever among you will grasp the "D'oh" reaction -- I could have simply placed my needle there before pulling the working yarn taut and been ready for my next stitch in the proper position. Oh well, I felt smart for a moment, anyway!

Beading progress

Taking a little break from fabric and fiber to play with beads. I'm waiting for findings to arrive in order to finish them up, but progress so far is pleasing to me.

Both patterns are from Deb Roberti's Around the Beading Table and both are free patterns -- Petite Paisley earrings and Astral bracelet. There are many attractive patterns on her site, both free and to purchase. I have made several of the free patterns, and purchased a couple of others, and what stands out to me about Deb's patterns is the clarity of her instructions. The written instructions are clear and concise, and her diagrams help even a beginner beader like me achieve good results.

I used Zoli Duo (both right and left facing) in Pastel Purple for the earrings and the seed beads are silver-lined crystal. Ran out of jump rings in the size/finish I wanted to use to attach them to ear wires, but it should be a quick finish once they are in hand. 

The bracelet is made with CzechMates 2-hole 7mm beads in Metallic Aurora Red, with 11/0 seed beads (Miyuki Silver Lined Grey) and 3mm fire polished crystal beads.

I was trying for a look of antique silver with the grey seed beads, and I think it comes fairly close. This one is waiting on a clasp. 

 

Warm gravy

Here's a quick tip I wish I'd known many holiday meals ago.  Instead of that attractive gravy boat that let's your sauces go cold and congealed halfway through your meal -- try using an insulated coffee carafe.

I like this one (NOT an affilliate link) but there are plenty out there that would serve just as well I'm sure. Just pre-heat with boiling water about an hour before you want to use it, then sit back at the dinner table and let everyone enjoy piping hot gravy without you having to jump up and re-heat during the meal.  I've been told by the clean-up crew (DH) that ours was still steaming when leftovers were being packed up. 

Straighten Up!

Keeping the edges straight on a piece crocheted in dc (double crochet - US terminology) can be a challenge, especially if (like me) you learned to chain 3, count that as a stitch, skip the next chain and proceed down the row. From the first photo you can see that there is a small gap between the chain 3 and the next crocheted stitch.

Later on I learned that some crocheters made the same chain 3 to begin a new row, but did NOT count the chain as a separate stitch -- it was merely a bit extra at the edge.  This took care of the unsightly gaps, but that extra bit gave the edges a wavy, or scalloped, look as you can see in the middle photo.  That's not always a bad look, but for those times when you'd prefer a straighter edge I've found a method that works fairly well -- it won't be razor straight -- but it will be a neater edge.

Photo 3 illustrates this newer method. I've seen it referred to as a "stacked" method and since that makes sense to me that's what I'll call it.  There may be other names though! I don't know who came up with this first, so I can't give credit, but I can give thanks to whoever it was -- it's fairly simple, and it really helps straighten things out!  (Click photos for larger image)




For the stacked method, you do not chain anything at the end (or beginning) of your dc row. You simply turn the work, and in the very first stitch make a sc (US terminology) in that stitch in the usual way.  See photo a) for where to begin, see photo b) for first sc made.

Now in the sc that you just made you will insert your hook into the LEFT (as facing you - photo c)) leg of that sc and work another sc.  So, hook into left leg, yarn over hook, pull through --2 loops now on hook -- yarn over hook again and pull through both loops on hook. This gives you the effect of two sc stitches, one sitting atop the other.

Photo d) shows the completed "stack". From here you continue the row as usual. You will have noticed that this method was illustrated on a piece that had already been started.  But how do you do this if you want to start from the very beginning chain? The answer -- I don't know, I've never done it that way.  I had read a hint somewhere to make the very first row of your project in sc and that seemed much more sensible (to me) than trying to wrangle this stacked dc into a beginning chain. You may feel differently, so experiment -- nothing to lose but a bit of time!

A little tabbed scarf, part II

Back in the dark ages, I posted a pattern for a vintage scarf that I converted from knit to crochet.  It was very simple, primitive even, and I always meant to rework it into something with a little more sass. Twelve years later -- a found ball of hand-painted yarn said to me "I'd like to be a little tabbed scarf but this time with a little personality. Oh, and maybe lose the tab."

This isn't a pattern for the new version, since I used a motif from a Japanese pattern book that I cannot reproduce here.  It is simply a recipe for what I did.  There are tons of patterns for crochet motifs in books or on the web, so substituting your own favorite should be no problem.  I especially like to work from Japanese patterns because they are "written" in symbols -- and for this crocheter that's so much easier  to understand what stitch is used, and where it's placed.

It's worked in three pieces -- two motifs and the connecting neck band.  Could you do it in less? Maybe, but I didn't try. The motifs are only connected to the neck band with a few stitches -- easily done -- especially if you leave a decent length of yarn at the start/finish. So, create two motifs of your choice -- something with points is ideal, because it will create its own slit for wearing when connected to the neck band.  The neck band I made measures 19 3/4" (abt 50 cm) in length and is 3 1/2" (abt 9 cm) high.  For reference, my neck (measured loosely) is 14 1/2" (abt 37 cm), so roughly 5 extra inches (or 12.7 cm) in length above your neck measurement for the length of the band.  I worked it in a pattern of 1 row hdc/1 row dc (US crochet terms).With the yarn/hook I was using that worked out to be a band width of 15 stitches -- your mileage may vary. My kitchen scale tells me I used about 70 gr (abt 2 1/2 oz.) of yarn for this.  I kept the edges nice and straight by using "stacked" sc stitches to begin each row instead of chain stitches. Next post will give a little demo.

Block all your pieces, notice that your motifs are two different sizes, slap your head then say "well, that will add an extra dimension of style" and then sew them to the ends of the band with a few overcast stitches at each end of the neck band -- leaving an opening to pull (either) scarf end through to wear. Easy!

A little pop of color to brighten up a winter sweater, or even to fill in the neckline of your coat.

I used a pattern from this book which is pretty much only written in Japanese, except for "Crochet Patterns Book 300 Motifs Edgings" written on the cover. My star motif was #124.

Getting my beret on

Getting a bit chilly these days, so time to think about sewing up some new head coverings. I turn to an old favorite -- Vogue 9082 by designer Patricia Underwood. Now out of print, but well worth searching out if you like sewing hats. This one pattern has you covered stylishly, with 5 different hats plus an ascot.  I chose to make a beret.

Since I had some cuts of silk necktie fabric I decided to use that for the top and also as a bias band around the lower brim. The crown of the hat is wool melton, and the lining is a scrap of rayon bemberg. To give the silk a bit more body, I quilted it in a simple diamond pattern to some thin batting I had on hand.  

A hat like this is quick and easy to sew -- if, of course, the pattern you're using is well drafted like this one -- 

Hidden Treasure

It may be a sign you knit too much when you go looking for some yarn in a cedar chest and find an almost complete wrap/scarf that you had completely forgotten. Or, perhaps a sign of age-related forgetfulness — but let’s go with “knits too much”, yes?

A search through Ravelry revealed it is Boxleaf Wrap by Ann Hanson.  I ‘think’ it is Blue Sky Fibers Baby Alpaca sport, as I can at least remember buying some, and it certainly has the feel of deliciously soft baby alpaca.

All that remains of finishing is to run in a few ends — and just like that a FO. Black magic!