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I wish more of my friends would have baby girls. There’s a rash of boys right now and my stash is full of “girl” colours. Sigh. And even my pattern stash has many more girl patterns than boy ones.
So, I got these three skeins of Lion Brand Cotton (about 220 yards each) as a CLBFX package from Joanne. Since it was in natural colour, any dishcloths I work up will not be too dashing, obviously. So I hit upon the brilliant idea of making myself that top I’ve been promising myself for ages now.
I also happened to win a bunch of crochet magazines and pattern books in a Crochet Partners recycling contest, and one of them was the June 1989 issue of Magic Crochet, that had a nice top pattern.
This was my first time working with a pattern from Magic Crochet and I’m impressed at the amount of instructions they fit into 2 pages. This included a full view photo of the finished object, introductory written instructions, a schematic for the entire garment, a symbol chart for the pattern and a symbol legend as well. Wow.
In addition, the pattern was fairly easy to grasp and do and worked up quite quickly. So I went as far as this:
That’s quite far, wouldn’t you say? The cotton is soft and the pattern easy. B U T. The yarn doesn’t have a sheen (naturally) and I have a feeling it will be too heavy. I always feel crocheted wearables will be too heavy. So I am going to frog this. Perhaps I have miles of vanilla-coloured dishclothes ahead of me. Whatever.
Here’s a close up of the pattern. Very nice.
So I went to cheer myself up at my usual haunt (the thread wholesaler) and came home with six balls of this for Rs 330:
Nice, no? This is “knitting cotton” by Madura Coats, a nice mercerised cotton thread which is about size 10 or bedspread weight, I think. I hope it will be enough for a top for me. I am trying to make up my own pattern and am starting from the sleeve. This is how far I have come:
As you can see, I am borrowing the crossed dc pattern from the Magic Crochet design. But perhaps not the bobbles. They might look like pilling. Let’s see how far I get with this one.
I don’t usually show “in-progress” pictures of my work. There’s always a first time, right?
ETA: Deneen pointed me in the direction of Bron’s blog, where Bron has courageously 😉 come out and said it out loud: crochet wearables are usually can be heavy and bulky! As Cordelia and I were describing it a few weeks ago, it is like chain mail!
The buzz in knitting circles in recent weeks has been about the new interchangeable needles introduced by Knitpicks. While I was trolling the Web for info on which brand to choose, all the fora (forums) were agog with these needles, metal rather than the resin of the Denise set that I finally decided to ask for (a friend has promised me she’s getting them for me). I found a review today and guess what! The metal parts are Made in India. That’s really good. Despite knowing they will never be sold here, I can still feel happy someone in India is making something for themselves. Really. More power to them.
Although these are cheaper than the Boye Needlemaster, I still find them expensive (you try multiplying something by 47 especially when it’s “just a hobby”). I didn’t want the Boye because I’m not particularly fond of their metal crochet hooks. I find them heavy, the colours garish and the finishing is a bit odd (they have ridges on the backs).
Pony hooks might be bland, but I like them. They have a smooth finish and they’re not nearly as heavy as the Boyes.
Now I just have to sit on my hands and wait till I get the Denises. I sincerely hope they’re worth the expense (they must be in $$, but Rs?)
All pictures are clickable for the curious.
Yes, I have another finished object to show today.
That is fusible fabric fused to an old cut-up t-shirt, in turn fabric-glued to my work.
That is how it looks inside. Fairly true to the real colour.
That is my first-ever successful use of Tunisian (knit) stitch (link leads to Nexstitch.com’s video instructions). I used the same regular hook, because this strap is only 5 stitches across. I love how the cotton blend yarn gives a perfect definition to the knit stitch.
This is the button closure. Larger than life button, but I like it. It makes a statement, don’t you think?
Yes, that’s my hand 🙂 By now discerning (and patient) readers would have gathered that this is yet another bag. So I present proudly:
Ta-da!!!!!! I’m proud of myself for several reasons, including fusible fabric, bling-y button, made-up pattern (ok it’s quite elementary, but still!), Tunisian stitch…
Er-urm. Here’s the details:
Yarn: Aunt Lydia’s Baby Denim and Vardhman Feather Fresh
Hook: Pony 4.5 mm
Pattern: All my very own!!!!!
Time: Over two days
Size: 8.5″ x 6.5″(straps are about 9″ high)
Extra: #1 Where do I begin?! Ok, I successfully used the Tunisian knit stitch (link leads to ARNie’s written instructions) for the first time ever for the straps
#2 Love the definition the cotton yarn gives, and since the base was already anchored to the purse, the Tunisian part did not curl.
#3 My first time using fusible lining. I bought a metre of the fabric used for collars and cuffs. I was wondering if it might make it too stiff, but it’s fine.
#4 Cut up an old t-shirt (doesn’t match exactly, but that’s ok)
#5 There’s bling in them thar button
#6 Posting about it is successfully distracting me from the terror in Bombay. 😦
Well, I can’t think of a more imaginative title! Some time in February, I won a contest on Amie’s blog, and the prize was any one of her patterns. I chose the Shelly Shopper. And today I finished it. It’s actually a very fast and easy pattern, and the way it is presented is wonderful, with full colour pictures of the stitches and how they are done, and Amie adds a printer-friendly version of the pattern as well in the same file.
I used a different yarn than called for (well, obviously!) and it turned out smaller and wider. Am still wondering if I should line it…it has holes. I have an idea which might ruin it forever…I have some of the fusible fabric used for cuffs and collars and want to try it for lining. It will be rather stiff, but well, anything to avoid sewing! Anyway, here are the specs:
Yarn: Aunt Lydia’s Baby Denim
Hook: Pony 4.5 mm (is that a G? I’m too lazy to find a list now)
Pattern: Shelly Shopper from Nexstitch.com
Time: Each side took only about an hour or so
Size: 9″ x 10″
Extra: #1 Planning to line it like a collar!!!
#2 Used plastic handles for the first time ever. Those and one more are the only choice available. I’ll show you the others some time.
#3 Perhaps using the yarn and hook called for in the pattern would have reduced the holey-ness, but I’d never have made it then, would I?! (say that with a lilt a la Eliza Doolittle)
#4 The husband thinks the original looks much better, but that’s ok. I’m happy with it so far (who know what will happen after I line it?)
No muppets were harmed in making this bag. I doubt anyone will remember, but I started this bag back in February and had an issue with the pattern. Anyhow for the second side I went with plain stockinette and found it produced stripes. I didn’t go with a belt handle, but chose instead to crochet one with some Moda Dea Ticker Tape that I got in my April CAT PAC from Kathleen. The idea was given to me by Skip in our last CAT chat. Thanks, Skip!
I’ve given the bag away to my neighbour’s daughter. It is a bit frivolous for me at my age 😛 Anyway, I believe her brother now wants one for a gift for a friend. This time I might stockinette the whole thing without a pattern. Maybe even on circulars, to eliminate the pain of sewing seams.
Here are the gory details:
Yarn: Vardhman Fun Feather 50g skeins (2), Small amount of Moda Dea Ticker Tape
Needles & Hook: Size 7/4.5 mm straights, Boye size J/10/6 mm
Pattern: Loosely based on this
Time: 5 months?!
Size: I didn’t actually measure it but it might be about 8″ across and about 5″ deep.
Extra: I might actually sell something like this, wow!
I tested this pattern for Katchkan. Stash busted the thread. It really feels good to bust your stash. From a distance:
And close up:
Pictures are clickable.
One of my friends says she cannot see my photos when they are Flickred because her net server blocks the site. Does this happen to anyone else?
Here are the details of the project:
Thread: Size 20 Anchor in Green, Size 20, some odd size held together with sewing thread and unmercerised thread about size 20 in White. (I did say I was busting stash!)
Hook: Tulip 1.5 mm steel (one of my favourite sizes/hooks)
Pattern: Katchkan‘s Summer’s Promise (tested)
Time: Over 2 weeks
Size: 22.5″ from picot to picot.
Kathy is an amazing designer and I always learn something from each of her patterns. She’s also wonderfully fast and seems to whip up these patterns overnight. Currently she’s working on a skirt and top. Wow.
After a gap, I've been testing for Kathy again, and here is the result:
Here it is in close-up:
And here are the gory details:
Thread: Anchor/Red Heart size 40 (2 strands) initially and then size 20 (1 strand) later. Stash busting!
Hook: Tulip 1.5 mm/size 2. It's one of my favourite sizes.
Pattern: Torchlight doily from Katchkan
Time: About 10 days
Size: 32"
Extra: #1 Got back to thread crochet after a few months away
Lesson 2 of Tunisian Crochet:
Choose a light colour to work with.
Lesson 1 in Tunisian Crochet:
Make the starting chain l o o s e .
swakrta.com 