In July I was full of good intentions for completing gifts for Christmas. In October I started a beautiful lace shawl as a gift. At first I was baffled by the pattern. A little time spent on Ravelry helped me understand the pattern and get started.
Then LIFE intruded. The project sat on the back fence for a few weeks. Understanding my true nature, out came the project and I looked at it with more of my left brain. Stitch markers, home made row counter and an Excel file to keep track of where I was helped tremendously. Then yesterday I had a melt down. I think that the stitches are sort of shifting and I lost track of where I was on the row. I have never been one to be able to take the needles out and rip. I have to TINK -- especially since this pattern is all about yarn-overs, and different decreases. Right now I have to TINK 2 rows. So for sure this pattern will be a gift "JUST BECAUSE" in January or February.
Now on to something crochet --
I think that my absolute FAVORITE recent discovery is Foundation Stitches. I love making baby afghans just because. In the summer I attend lots of music concerts that last until after the sun goes down. In California we can experience a fairly amazing temperature change when the sun dips into the Pacific. I learned early on that a sweater or jacket is a must. One of the great things about working on a small afghan is the extra warmth as the project is a great thing.
I would find a pattern I loved and then read the first few rows. If the pattern began ch XXX, the urge to drop the book and run was overwhelming. Reality would set in because avoidance of a pattern that started ch XXX would severly limit what I could do. The solution would be to ch 20 and measure how long that chain was. Then I figured out how long ch XXX would be and that is what I would do. Once the chain was as long as my calculation called for I added 10 extra chains just because. After finishing the second row the extra chains were carefully 'uncrocheted' and the tail was woven in.
I do not remember who told me about 'foundation' stitches. Sometime in late 2008 or early 2009 I discovered the technique. Now when I see ch XXX followed by turn and sc (do or hdc or trch) across I just laugh knowing I only have to do 2, 3 or 4 chains followed by the foundation stitches. When you are doing a foundation stitch you are creating the chain and the stitch at the same time. This is a difficult concept to create in just words. So what are you to do? The best friend for a crocheter without of local resources is YouTube. The best out there are the YouTupe posts by 'Art of Crochet by Teresa'. Her videos are very clear and you can watch them over and over and over and . . . . . .
Look at those patterns you may have been a little hesitant to try because you didn't want to count to a gazillion and get crocheting!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
New Thinking
I will confess that this week I have mostly been knitting. I have some hand dyed yarn that the yardage would seriously limit what I could make with it. I saw a fellow attendee at the fiber retreat wearing a beautiful shawlette. When I got home I looked up the pattern and discovered that I could make it with the stashed yarn. So I am slaving over knitting needles to hopefully finish it before Christmas. A niece has her first 'real' job and I think I will be just perfect.
Now on to other things. How has crochet changed.....
First and foremost I think a little social networking sight has an impact on the firber art community like nothing else in the past 20 years. Ravelry is almost 4 years old and already boasts 1,000,000 + members. Like other SNS you can connect with friends on line, make new friends and catch up on events. The relatively narrow focus of the site has allowed knitters, crocheters and other fiber artists to connect in a way we may never had been able to do so in the past.
Let me confess how I used to approach a new project. I am not a designer and I have the utmost respect for those who can design. When I would find a design or project that I wanted to make I would chase all over trying to find the EXACT yarn used by the designer. Needless to say I have many patterns that are gathering dust on my book shelves because I couldn't find the yarn the designer used. I didn't have the confidence or understanding of a project on how to use a different yarn.
Yes, the publishers of the designs might be tied to a particular line of yarn and really wanted to you do just what I was doing -- find their yarn. Along comes Ravelry and its amazing database created by knitters and crocheters the world over. Find a design you like, do a search on Ravelry. Odds are that someone else has made it and posted a picture of it. You get a first had glimpse into how a garment or project comes out when someone just like you has made it.
Another change which started before Ravelry but was certainly urged forward by their project pages. Instead of noting you need 99 skeins of a certain yarn for your project, now you know that you need 1500 yards of a DK weight yarn. So now you can choose any yarn you like that meets the criteria.
Another wonderful event caused by Ravelry is the explosion of new designers and new designs available. Some are free, some cost a minimal amount and some a little more perhaps published as a virtual ebook. Designers can present their designs for all to see. When they first start out they might enlist fellow crocheters or knitters to 'test drive' the design. Initially designs might be offered for free. As they enlarge their collection they can enter into a commercial arrangement with the site and sell their patterns directly.
So one very big change to the crocheting world is Ravelry. If you aren't already a member, I would recommend that you join the other fiber lovers soon.
Now on to other things. How has crochet changed.....
First and foremost I think a little social networking sight has an impact on the firber art community like nothing else in the past 20 years. Ravelry is almost 4 years old and already boasts 1,000,000 + members. Like other SNS you can connect with friends on line, make new friends and catch up on events. The relatively narrow focus of the site has allowed knitters, crocheters and other fiber artists to connect in a way we may never had been able to do so in the past.
Let me confess how I used to approach a new project. I am not a designer and I have the utmost respect for those who can design. When I would find a design or project that I wanted to make I would chase all over trying to find the EXACT yarn used by the designer. Needless to say I have many patterns that are gathering dust on my book shelves because I couldn't find the yarn the designer used. I didn't have the confidence or understanding of a project on how to use a different yarn.
Yes, the publishers of the designs might be tied to a particular line of yarn and really wanted to you do just what I was doing -- find their yarn. Along comes Ravelry and its amazing database created by knitters and crocheters the world over. Find a design you like, do a search on Ravelry. Odds are that someone else has made it and posted a picture of it. You get a first had glimpse into how a garment or project comes out when someone just like you has made it.
Another change which started before Ravelry but was certainly urged forward by their project pages. Instead of noting you need 99 skeins of a certain yarn for your project, now you know that you need 1500 yards of a DK weight yarn. So now you can choose any yarn you like that meets the criteria.
Another wonderful event caused by Ravelry is the explosion of new designers and new designs available. Some are free, some cost a minimal amount and some a little more perhaps published as a virtual ebook. Designers can present their designs for all to see. When they first start out they might enlist fellow crocheters or knitters to 'test drive' the design. Initially designs might be offered for free. As they enlarge their collection they can enter into a commercial arrangement with the site and sell their patterns directly.
So one very big change to the crocheting world is Ravelry. If you aren't already a member, I would recommend that you join the other fiber lovers soon.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Launch Pad
Today I have decided to put my brain and fingers to work to try and help spread the word that the wonderful designs and projects being produced by today's crocheters is light years beyond what was crocheted by your grandmother. I learned to crochet when you purchased yarn at the department store or perhaps the 'five and dime'.
I don't remember any local yarn shops though there must have been some. In southern California in the late 60's I bought yarn at Sears and The Broadway. There were two local all purpose craft stores, H & H and Lee Wards, but I don't remember buying yarn there. Usually I used worsted weight wool yarn -- 4 oz skeins for $1.25. Acrylic yarns were relatively new but I didn't use them then. One project I started was an afghan made in 3 shades of purple. If I remember it was made of 4 inch squares in different color combinations. The center was circular popcorn stitches and the second and third rounds morphed the motif from round to square. It never was finished because no one clued me in about how many ends there would be to weave in. Ugh!!
Gradually I did start to use acrylic yarns because of ease of care and price. For projects for babies I discovered fingering weight yarns. If I was making something to wear, I would usually knit it. Crochet garments were stiff and lacked any drape to the fabric. Comparing acrylic yarns that I still have in my stash the quality was dramatically better. Over the years I have made lots of afghans and given most of them away.
Flash forward 40+ years and the crochet world is so far removed from where I started. Yes you can still make a granny square afghan and sew in hundreds of ends. But wouldn't it be better to make a garment with all the texture and drape of fabric that was knitted.
Today I am working on two projects that I hope to finish in time to give them as gifts for Christmas. One is a scarf using Marks & Kattens Fame Trend in a teal, green and purple colorway. The pattern is The Wavelength by Dawn Ellerd. She created this design to imitate a knitted scarf with way too many cast-ons and cast-offs. The design is perfect for the long color transitions of this yarn or the Noro Silk Garden Sock that I made the first one in.
The second project is a shawlette using a hand dyed sock yarn from True Love Fibers that I purchased last year at a fiber retreat in Tehachapi. The design is War of The Roses by Debbie O'Neill. I am just beginning the pattern portion of the body of the shawl. Wish me luck and I will check back in soon.
I don't remember any local yarn shops though there must have been some. In southern California in the late 60's I bought yarn at Sears and The Broadway. There were two local all purpose craft stores, H & H and Lee Wards, but I don't remember buying yarn there. Usually I used worsted weight wool yarn -- 4 oz skeins for $1.25. Acrylic yarns were relatively new but I didn't use them then. One project I started was an afghan made in 3 shades of purple. If I remember it was made of 4 inch squares in different color combinations. The center was circular popcorn stitches and the second and third rounds morphed the motif from round to square. It never was finished because no one clued me in about how many ends there would be to weave in. Ugh!!
Gradually I did start to use acrylic yarns because of ease of care and price. For projects for babies I discovered fingering weight yarns. If I was making something to wear, I would usually knit it. Crochet garments were stiff and lacked any drape to the fabric. Comparing acrylic yarns that I still have in my stash the quality was dramatically better. Over the years I have made lots of afghans and given most of them away.
Flash forward 40+ years and the crochet world is so far removed from where I started. Yes you can still make a granny square afghan and sew in hundreds of ends. But wouldn't it be better to make a garment with all the texture and drape of fabric that was knitted.
Today I am working on two projects that I hope to finish in time to give them as gifts for Christmas. One is a scarf using Marks & Kattens Fame Trend in a teal, green and purple colorway. The pattern is The Wavelength by Dawn Ellerd. She created this design to imitate a knitted scarf with way too many cast-ons and cast-offs. The design is perfect for the long color transitions of this yarn or the Noro Silk Garden Sock that I made the first one in.
The second project is a shawlette using a hand dyed sock yarn from True Love Fibers that I purchased last year at a fiber retreat in Tehachapi. The design is War of The Roses by Debbie O'Neill. I am just beginning the pattern portion of the body of the shawl. Wish me luck and I will check back in soon.
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