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And here’s the proof:
This was a doily I tested for Kathy, called Ruby Dreams, one of the twelve birthstone doilies she’s designing. She made it in ruby red.
Thread: Madura Coats Red Heart size 20, white
Hook: Tulip size 2/1.5 mm steel hook
Pattern: Kathy‘s Ruby Dreams
Time: Over nearly three weeks, I think
Size: 28″
Extra: #1 The first time I did a filet in sections
#2 First time I did filet in a circle
#3 Very badly blocked. I cannot fathom how to tackle the uneven edges without the normal doily motifs.
Proof No. 2
No, it’s not a butterfly wing shawl, but my first ever encounter with a Q hook. That hook is painful! I had a tender spot on my hand where the hook rested for a couple of days. And this pattern comes from Leisure Arts #3068.
Yarn: Red Heart SS Aran Fleck, unknown brand (probably RHSS) in a dusty plum colour, both ww
Hook: Susan Bates Q hook (ouch)
Pattern: Half Circle (yeah, right) rug from Leisure Arts #3068
Time: 4-5 hours?
Size: about 3 feet across, maybe? I was too discouraged by the shape to measure it.
Extra: #1 First ever Q hook project
#2 First ever rug
#3 First time I switched to the knife hold because it was so painful to crochet with the pencil hold (or whatever my regular hold is)
#4 I got the yarn from the recycling contest at Crochet Partners.
#5 Worked with four strands held together
And for those who are curious, I went straight from the 1.5 mm steel hook to the plastic Q hook. Oopsie. Call me crazy or maybe I just wanted a change.
Yes, it’s blocked and done! Yay! It might look good framed, no?
Here’s a close-up (just like that):
I love being a pattern tester! It brings together my two interests: crochet and fault-finding editing nicely.
Thread: Anchor size 20, two strands, one red and the other variegated in red and dark brown/black
Hook: Tulip size 2/1.5 mm steel hook
Pattern: Kathy‘s Amethyst Doily
Time: Over two days (no, you’ll never get time in hours from me, ain’t a marathon person)
Size: 18″
Extra: #1 Kathy might be doing a whole series of these doilies
#2 It cupped a bit after the final row, but it lies nice and flat after blocking. (No “wrassling” involved ;))
PS: It’s called Amethyst because that’s the colour Kathy made it in.
After falling down badly on two of her assignments, I actually finished testing a new pattern for Kathy. It doesn't have a name yet. As usual, the pattern is unusual and interesting. You can see Kathy's version here.
Thread: Madura Coats Red Heart in size 20, white and yellow
Hook: Steel "Jyothy 5"
Pattern: From Kathy
Time: Over 3 days (yesterday was particularly busy with editing work)
Size: 24" across from point to point
Extra: #1 More or less my first time changing colours quite so brazenly
#2 Redeemed myself in my own eyes after failing Kathy twice in the past couple of months
# First doily in ages!!!
Yes, even if it sounds unbelievable…Got back from a hectic road trip to the neighbouring state of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, and since then I’ve been busy with a course for radio announcers at All India Radio. Will put up pictures of the trip in my travel blog shortly, but here is one of the two FO’s from that trip:
The pattern is from Pineapple Crochet Designs ed. by Rita Weiss:
I used size 20 Red Heart thread in gray, and and and….a .95mm hook, if I remember rightly…A lot of ends to weave in on this one!
I also made a hat for a nephew, but forgot to take pictures…
ETA: I thought the pattern was from that book, but I can’t find it in that book now. So if anyone knows the actual source, please let me know? Thanks!
I finally mailed my replacement doily for the Crochetville Doily Swap today. Just to make sure my swap partner receives this one, I made it in a colour she hates…Sorry!!! Bit superstitious….And I’ve put it up on my blog as well, because there’s no point in surprise now…It’s actually brownish, not red like it looks.
The pattern is from the English version of this East German book:
First, the good news:
Yes, my doily has arrived from my swap partner, Susana aka Kevspepper at Crochetville.
Isn’t it a lovely colour? And the work is so neat, too! Susana also added a cute needle holder, about the size of a coin purse.
Open, it looks like this. The needles will be stuck into the foam thingy lining. So nice!
Now for the bad news.
My swapee partner wrote to me that she has received the envelope and the letter I wrote her, but not the doily! Arghhhh! Waaah! As you can see, I don’t know whether to scream 
or cry
. Scream in anger or cry in disappointment. Apparently the envelope had been slit open (presumably by the customs, I knew putting in that steel hook was a mistake 
, those people probably thought it was a weapon of mass destruction or something…) and there was no doily in it. Bah!
Since it is now lost anyway, I thought I’d reveal what it looked like:
My first-ever Irish crochet piece and it’s now lost. What a shame!
Well, I finally mailed my doily for the Doily swap this morning. I played cheapskate and used ordinary airmail (only Rs 45 = about US$ 1) this time. I’m keeping all movable extremities and organs crossed as I wait for news of its arrival, which I’m told should happen in about 10 days time. Let’s just double that for sanity’s sake, shall we? After all, the swap only ends at the end of this month….
And that’s not to mention whether my victim partner likes the doily or not.
Anyhow, no pics here until she gets it.
So this was one of the mystery doilies I was working on the last week. I was testing the pattern for Kathy aka Katchkan at Crochetville. It was a great pattern to work with, every round was interesting. I’ve never done this sort of stitch before, I think it’s the “Lacet” stitch. It makes for a very nice look.
I specially loved how Kathy designed the last row, which is basically composed of ch, scs, tr clusters and trs and picots. Instead of having you do four different monotonic rows, she composed a single composite row worked in manageable sections. Ingenious!
I finished testing the pattern for the doily that I bragged blogged about a few posts ago. But no pictures yet. I’ve sent off my report to the designer and when she finally approves, I shall duly put up images.
The other doily is what I’m hoping to send my partner in the Crochetville Doily Swap. So for obvious reasons, I don’t want to post it here…
On an exciting note (for me) I’ve made contact with a lady in Bangalore who crochets and also uses the net for crochet-related activity. She says she has actually sold stuff, so I’m eager to find out more, including how she prices things, what materials she uses and so on. She does it in a personal circle, I think, not on the net. I found her thanks to a friend on Crochetlist CAT which I wrote about at the weekend. Thanks so much, Glenna!
Yes, I do crochet. **vigorous nod** In fact on my hook(s) right now I have two doilies. One is for my Crochetville Doily swap, and the other is a pattern I’m testing. Being as they are both confidential, I cannot reveal either one either by name or author….But be patient, and you will see pictures of at least one before the week is out…
swakrta.com 