New pattern

I know this blog has been quiet for quite awhile. I am happy to announce that my new pattern has been published in Interweave Crochet Spring 2010- Forest Petals Shawl.

I am excited that it is finally out and I can share this. I wanted to create visual interest in Tunisian entrelac, so the alternate rows are negative space. I love that it is all done in one continuous piece so that there are only two ends to weave in. Enjoy.

Birthday Bolero

I received Blueprint Crochet by Robin Chachula. I have been busy making two of the projects in there. The first is the "Katie Bolero" I used some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, which I purchased from an awesome online yarn shop Sonny and Shear. After hearing wonders about blocking wires, and the suggestion that coated floral wire could be used as a substitute, I decided to give it a try. I used 16 gauge wire, it came in a pack of 12 at JoAnn's. Now the tips had some burrs on them, but they were easily sanded down by rubbing on the grout on our floor. The scratches are hardly noticeable, and the grout was a lot more convenient than the sidewalk. Using the wires made it so much easier to block. It was very easy to adjust to the correct size, only having to move a few pins instead of hundreds. Plus, I got straight edges where I wanted straight lines.

The project itself went quite smoothly. I tried it on after all the motifs were joined together. The fit looked good. I proceeded to follow the directions to change to a larger hook to do the edging. I did this, and then was disappointed with the fit. The larger hook made the edging too big for my body and gave it a sagging fit.

I let it sit for a couple of weeks and then on Saturday, I pulled it all out and redid the edging using the same size hook as the squares were made in, as well as reducing the number of chains from 6 to 5, and stitches in them from 5 to 4. These changes gave me a much closer fit, and I am very pleased with how it has turned out. I haven't purchased buttons yet, but I left a decent length of yarn on the inside panel for sewing them on. It is loosely woven in on the underside. In the meantime, I am closing it with a pin. When I followed the instructions as written I needed 3.1 skeins of yarn. After adjusting the band, I used less than 3, about 2.95 skeins.

The only other thing I would change on this if I were to do it again, is to turn at the beginning of round 6 and put the seam on the inside instead of on the outside. I realized this after I had already joined most of the motifs. You can't really tell on the last round because it is all sc, and I'd rather have had the ridge from the joined motifs inside instead of outstide.

The second project I am working on is the "Courtney Corset" using two strands of Misti Alpaca Lace held together. I hope to have the project done by the end of the month, so as to enter it in the County Fair. Right now I have the three top portions done, and I am trying to decide if I need to alter the sleeve, and how I would do that. Just a photo of the swatch.

March is National Crochet Month

I figured I better have at least one post during National Crochet Month. It will be a hodge podge with lots of updates on the projects that have been keeping me busy the last few months. First off is a belated post about the Christmas gift I received from my dear friend Amy, who currently lives in Australia. Two cute Christmas ornaments and a skein of beautifully dyed silk-merino yarn, and a hand carved wooden handled hook. The yarn is so soft, and so fun to touch, I have a couple of ideas on how to use it. The hook has been great for thread work. I finished up some other projects using yarn, so now I have been able to work on some of my thread projects. This hook has made the crocheting so quickly- I am getting spoiled. Here is the hook with my latest tapestry crochet project- a Jerusalem cross.

In this flat tapestry crochet, I am working in the back loop only on one row and then front loop only on the following row. This is my first tapestry crochet project using three colors at once, and it is going pretty well.

I finally finished my "Chevron Lace Cardigan" it is made with the llama yarn I received last year for my birthday. I decided on a slightly cropped length and 3/4 length sleeves based on hearing how llama yarn will stretch over time. I made a simple closure for the cardigan-two balls on a short chain, and a floppy five-petal flower in the center. It works by just pushing the balls through two holes in the stitches. This way I can have some flexibility in how I wear the cardigan- closed at the neck, or under the bust.I have also been working on and off on some socks using the "Origami Turkish Socks" pattern by Deb Burger in the CLF book. I am working on them simultaneously, doing 6 rows on one then six rows on the other.


I was recently able to get a photo of a washcloth I made last fall, adapted from a pattern in Crochtet! magazine. The background was crocheted first, and the cat done separately and then stitched on.

A new year

Sorry, I haven't posted too much recently. I can't believe it has been more than 2 months. Part of the reason is because I have worked on some sweaters for the kids- I designed the pattern, and have figured out how to size it. I am trying to decide what to do with it, so I can't show you any pictures of those yet.

A recap of completed crocheted projects from 2008-

Hats- Very Versatile Vertical x2

baby hats- too many to count

Driftwood cap from Interweave crochet 2008 x2

Basic dc beanies x 4

Child's hat

Santa baby hat

Scarves x2 (Driftwood cap and scarf)

Sweaters- Butterscotch cardigan for me (IC Spring 2008)

Eagle Pullover for DH (IC Winter 2007)

Sweaters for kids x4

Baby Bamboo sweater and pants

Tapestry Tortilla warmer for us

Infinity runner (IC Winter 2007)

Shell of Shells for me (Lily Chin Couture Crochet Workshop)

Too many baby washcloths (I don't know for sure but I'd say over 10)

Felted purses x4

Filet crochet market bag

Crochet doll

What's on the list for 2009? This month I've already completed a pair of socks- and a baby outfit for a friend. Troubador socks from IC spring 2008.



I am also working on a cardigan using the llama yarn I received as a birthday gift last year. I think I finally found a pattern that will work with it. I've tried a couple others so far, and while I love those patterns, they weren't right for that amount of yarn. More hats, sweaters, bags and socks are also on the agenda.

Oh, and my sister in law showed me how to make a center pull ball when hand winding. I absolutely love it!

CLF First Ever Book

A few months ago I submitted my pattern for the Very Versatile Vertical Stripe Beanie to be published in the Crochet Liberation Front's First Ever Book. The book is out now and my pattern is on page 54. I received my copy of the book over the weekend and I have been enjoying reading and browsing through this book. All of the patterns in the book were designed by other CLF group members on Ravelry. There are wonderful patterns for socks, hats, bags, toys, tops, scarves and many other items. It will be hard to decide what to work on first. I also love the little articles that people submitted. You can follow this link to find out more about the book or purchase your copy of the book.

In a related note, my hat has been awarded the Hookalicious Award from the group's leader. You can read about it here. It has been exciting to see people use my pattern and make hats of their own. I look forward to seeing more of people's projects as they post them on ravelry. Thanks also for all of the compliments.

Updates galor

I haven't posted for awhile, but I have been busy crocheting. We had a nice visit to Minnesota. My kids got to meet their new cousin. Here he is in the outfit I crocheted for him. It was fun to see him in the outfit. If I had to guess what size it is, it probably turned out to be 2-6 mo. I know the standard sizing is 0-3 and 3-6, but it is a little big for a newborn, so I don't want to say 0-6 months. He was 1 month old and about 12 lbs in this photo. The sweater should fit for quite awhile yet, and I think there is still plenty of room in the pants.

For my daughter's birthday I crocheted a small doll for her, and then my mom helped me make a cake to match the doll. She likes her doll, and loved her cake. One nice thing about frosting a crocheted cake, is that you don't need a steady hand, because you want it to have lots of texture to mimic the stitches.

One of the projects I worked on while in MN, was this sweater for my husband. The pattern is by Robyn Chachula and is from the winter 2007 Interweave Crochet magazine. He chose Lily Chin Park Avenue- 50 % wool, 50 % alpaca yarn for his sweater. Size medium took 13 balls of black and 2 balls of brown. It was a pretty straight-forward pattern to follow. Although, after trying it on, he commented that he'd prefer the neckline to not be so open and square, so I have to take out the collar ribbing, add some stitches in and then redo the collar. I have enough yarn left over to make a scarf and hat.

Now that we've been back for awhile, I've been able to really put my tapestry tortilla warmer to the test. I am very pleased with how it turned out. It keeps them nice and warm, and I don't have to go through lots of towels each time I make tortillas, and I put a little loop on the edge so that I can hang it on the oven, when it is not in use.

Tapestry Tortilla Warmer

We eat a lot of tortillas in my house. We buy the uncooked kind, and cook them on the tortilla pan. I like to keep them warm, and usually use a towel to do so. I wanted to have something dedicated for tortillas, but I didn't really want to go buy a plastic container. I had several small amounts of yarn left, so I decided to make a tapestry crocheted felted tortilla warmer. I didn't have a set pattern in mind, but I kept going seeing where the yarn took me. The two sides are different. I used leftovers from 3 different balls of yarn from 3 different sources, they were all worsted weight, and luckily they all felted ok together. It was about 14" before felting and about 11" after felting. I'm still trying to decide if I'll need to line it or not, but I am pleased with how it turned out. The above photos are the prefelted shots. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but the kids think it makes a cool helmet.

Wash cloth for Baby

I know a lot of people that have had or are having babies this year- like over 20. I have been busy making baby gifts for them. Here is a simple pattern for a washcloth or burpcloth for baby. A wash cloth will get a bit more use than a hat, and it is distinctive from the other washcloths, so it can be easily recognized as Baby's cloth.

I used mercerized cotton, Butterfly Super 10, about 1/2 of a ball.
Size G hook.
Gauge: 18 st/ 4" and 17 rows/ 4"
Finished size about 9" square.

Chain 41
Row 1: in second ch from hook make dc, sc in next, *dc in next chain, sc in next; repeat from * across. Ch1, turn
Row 2: dc in first st, sc in next. *dc in next stitch, sc in next. Repeat from * across. (You are always putting a dc in a sc of the row below, and a sc in a dc of the row below).
Repeat row 2 until cloth is square, or desired size. Fasten off, weave in ends.

I have made a couple of these cloths now and I love how the color pools in different patterns.

My summer cardigan

I finally finished my summer cardigan- and it's still summer! I started it the first weekend in May and finished it the first weekend in July. The pattern is Butterscotch Cardigan from the Spring 2008 Interweave Crochet magazine. It was a fairly straight-forward garment to crochet, each piece went by rather quickly. My stitch guage was a little off from what the pattern called for, but since it is worked vertically and I am taller than average, I didn't have to make any adjustments to the length of the garment. This was also my first real experience blocking and it went fairly well, although I might try a string or wires for the center front pieces next time. Seaming went by fairly quickly too- just match up a stitch on one side to a stitch on the other. Sewing in the sleeves was also wonderful, the striped pattern made it really easy to know what stitches to match up. I also loved working with yarn on a cone- each segment of the sweater was made from a single piece of yarn. The yarn is JaggerSpun Zephyr 50-50 Wool Silk lace-weight. It's a little finer than what was called for in the pattern, but I am pleased with the weight of the sweater.

Bamboo Baby Set

I recently made this bamboo baby set for my soon to be born nephew. I chose bamboo because it is soft, and because it will "grow" a bit with the kid, so maybe he'll get some more wear out of it. I was under a bit of a time crunch by the time the yarn arrived and when I wanted to get it mailed. I did this in a week. I was able to send it out to arrive in time for the baby shower. I tried swatching from a couple of books I have with baby sets, but nothing was really coming out very well. In addition, one of the books had a very sorry excuse for a gauge, showing only the stitches per 2 or 4 inches, but not giving the row gauge, nor finished measurements. So I improvised by taking a pair of baby shorts and matched the waist and rise, and added legs. For the sweater, I used measurements from a different pattern book, but created the pattern myself. I took good notes and may try to write up the pattern once I have some feedback on how it fits.

One Blue Ribbon

I went to the County Fair yesterday and entered the "Nimble Fingers Quick Crochet" Contest. This year the pattern was more challenging than last year's, and we had 5 contestants this year. I am happy to say that I won a blue ribbon for coming in first in this year's contest. It was a close competition, the man who came in second was right behind me. The prize this year was some Blue Ribbon Strawberry Jam and a cookbook of the prize winning recipes from the 2007 county fair. I found my two entries on display, but neither of those won a ribbon. I didn't get a chance to look around the display floor too much, but I hope to take another look when we go back another day.

Infinitely finished

I've finished my take on the infinity wrap. I've blocked it once, and woven in all the ends. If I had time, I'd block it again, but alas, entry day for the fair is tomorrow. I was surprised at how much flattening happened when blocking it. If I were to do it again, I think I would stick with more regular color usage instead of my imposed pseudo variegated. I didn't change colors on the mesh part because I didn't want to have to weave in ends into the mesh. I'd also try it with only 2 colors. To recap: vintage size 30 cotton thread in 5 colors, and vintage size 11 steel hook.

A new shaped shell

Well, I finally finished it! This is a shirt that I made from "The Lady who Lunches Sheath" by Lily Chin in Couture Crochet Workshop. Her pattern is a beautiful dress and gloves. I was drawn to this pattern for several reasons, I liked the look of it, but more importantly it involved interesting increase and decrease sequences in the shell pattern stitch. I wanted to learn how to do this type of shaping. I had hoped to make the full dress, but when I was shopping for yarn, I couldn't find enough yarn in any one color to make a dress, but I found enough to make a top. This was done in Vickie Howell "Love" 6 skeins of purple and 1 of white, a bamboo silk blend. The pattern starts from the hem and works upward. It was an interesting challenge starting halfway through the pattern- how many stitches do I have after working through imaginary decreases, where do I put the stitch markers...After a few evenings of math and diagrams, I figured out the adjustments I needed to make. I pretty much followed the pattern from there, but I think I added a few extra rounds to lengthen it. I discovered an error in the shoulder shaping, figured out the problem, and was pleased to get a prompt response from the publisher about the errata. Once I finished the top and shoulder seams I had about half a skein of purple left over, so I decided to add a few rows to the bottom because it was a little on the short side for my tastes. I then trimmed it in white following the details in the pattern.

Fun with Felting

I finally got around to making little swatches for felting. I made a sc square, a dc square, a dc circle, and a dc adult size hat. I should have known better and done this much earlier, but I am so glad I did it now. To make my sc square I chained 11, and starting with second chain from hook, sc in each stitch across to get a swatch 10 sc wide. I sc for 11 rows. Then I chained 16, and then made a dc swatch 10 stitches wide. I did 6 rows of dc. I chained 10 more stitches, then worked 10 dc in 3rd ch from hook. Closed w/ sl stitch in 1st dc. Increased 10 dc evenly for 3 more rounds for a total of 4 rounds and 40 stitches. Then I made my basic dc adult sized hat that goes to the bottom of the ears. I measured each piece and then threw it into the washing machine with a couple of other items to be felted.

Swatch .................Prefelted..... Felted..... % change

sc square 10 sc wide........ 2.75" ......... 2.25" ........... 20 %

............... 11 sc rows .........2.75" .......... 2.5" ............. 10 %

dc square 10 dc wide...... 2.75"........... 2.25" ........... 20 %

.................6 dc rows........ 2.75" .......... 2.25" ........... 20 %

dc circle 4 rounds .......... 4" ................ 3.125" ........ 20 %

The hat is a little hard to measure because it is still damp and drying, and I have to crush it to measure it. But rough measurements suggest it was 8" high when folded flat and 20" in circumference before felting. Post-felting it is about 6" high and 18" in circumference.

A Circular handbag

I've had this bag finished for awhile, but I haven't posted it. It is made from two circles in 2 colors. The circles are concentric- and closed at the end of each round. The ch stitches at beginning of each round do not count as a stitch. Then the circles are stitched together starting with just a single crochet seam, and increasing to about 5 stitches wide for the sides and handle and then decreasing back to the single crochet seam. To do the side seams, just sc into the side of the circle, and turn. Don't do a turning chain. Here's the recipe/pattern for this bag.

Gauge: not really important since it doesn't have to fit. But the first 4 rounds of this bag measured about 2.5 " in diameter.

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn in 2 colors about 100 yds each will be sufficient.

Hook to match yarn used. I used an H hook for this.

Stitch markers- 4.

Needle for weaving in ends.

Circles- Make 2. Make them any size you'd like. Just make them the same size! Do the increases evenly so that the circle stays flat.

Round 1: With green, chain 3, dc 10 in 3rd chain from hook. Close w/ slip stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 2: Join black w/ sl stitch. Ch1, make 2 sc in each dc around. Close w/ sl stitch, and change to green.

Round 3: (green) Ch 2, Dc in same stitch as sl st; 2 dc in next stitch. *(1dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch) repeat from * around. Close with sl stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 4: With black, ch 1, sc in same st, 1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st. *(1 sc in each of next 2 stitches, 2 sc in next st), repeat from * around. Close w/ sl st in 1st sc.

Round 5: With green, ch 2, dc in same stitch. 1 dc in each of next 2 stitches, 2 dc in next st. *(1 dc in each of next 3 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch.) Repeat from * around. Close w/ sl stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 6: With black, ch 1, sc in same stitch. 1 sc in next 3 st, 2 sc in next st. *(1 sc in each of next 4 stitches, 2 sc in next st), repeat from * around. Close w/ sl st in 1st sc.
Round 7: With green, ch 2, dc in same stitch. 1 dc in each of next 4 stitches, 2 dc in next st. *(1 dc in each of next 5 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch.) Repeat from * around. Close w/ sl stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 8: With black, ch 1, sc in same stitch. 1 sc in next 5 st, 2 sc in next st. *(1 sc in each of next 6 stitches, 2 sc in next st), repeat from * around. Close w/ sl st in 1st sc.

Round 9: With green, ch 2, dc in same stitch. 1 dc in each of next 6 stitches, 2 dc in next st. *(1 dc in each of next 7 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch.) Repeat from * around. Close w/ sl stitch in top of 1st dc.

Round 10: With black, ch 1, sc in same st. Sc in each stitch around, close w/ sl stitch.

Fasten off black and green yarns. Make 2nd circle as the first. Fasten off green only.

Joining and Handle

With wrong sides together, line up circles. Place markers symmetrically about bag at 10 st on either side of center bottom, where yarn is still attached, and at 15 stitches past each marker 1st placed. Put another way, the markers should be placed at 2, 4, 8, and 10 o'clock. (Note you can adjust where the markers are placed to suit the opening you want for the top of the bag. Just be sure to place them symmetrically about the vertical axis (12-6 o'clock) of the bag.

Row 1: Ch1. Sc through both circles in each stitch up to 1st marker.

Row 2: Sc in stitch on front circle, sc in corresponding stitch on 2nd circle. Turn.

Row 3: Sc in last stitch made. Sc in next stitch. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 4: Sc in last stitch made. Sc in next 2 stitches. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 5: Sc in last stitch made. Sc in next 3 stitches. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 6: Sc in last stitch made. Sc in next 4 stitches. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 7: Sc in next 5 stitches. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Repeat row 7 until you reach marker at 10 o'clock position.

Row 8: Ch1 and sc in each stitch across. Turn.

Repeat Row 8 until handle is approximately 2" longer than arc of bag if you were to hold handle snug against bag to measure.

Row 9: At next marker (2 o'clock position) Sc in next stitch on bag, sc in each stitch across. Sc in next stitch on bag. Turn

Row 10: Sc in next 5 stitches, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Repeat row 10 until you reach 5 stitches before next marker (4 o'clock position).

Row 11: Sc in next 2 stitches, sc 2 together, sc in next stitch, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 12: Sc in next stitch, sc 2 together, sc in next stitch, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 13: Sc in next stitch, sc 2 together, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 14: Sc 2 together, sc in next stitch on bag. Turn.

Row 15: Sc in next stitch on bag on each side of bag.

Row 16: Through both sides, sc in next stitch on bag until you reach center bottom, close w/ sl stitch in 1st sc. Fasten off and weave in ends.

copyright 2008 Karla McCalmont.

Birthday fun

I recently celebrated my birthday and had lots of fun with family and friends. I have to tell you though that I received the best birthday cake ever from my son. He made this cake, with frosting and candles all by himself. He came out of his room and gave me the cake. We had so much fun eating it and eating it and eating it. Then the next day, it was so sweet, he came out of his room singing "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you." and handed me the cake again. I wish I could have recorded it because it was so sweet and precious.

I also received some llama yarn from a local farm. I am excited to work with it, but I am not sure yet what I will make. The yarn is minimally processed, so it still has bits of hay in it. So I'll need to pick them out as I go.

I almost forgot- I also received some wonderful handmade crochet stitch markers from my niece. I haven't done much crocheting since my birthday, but I am excited to use them. I'll have to use them on projects I keep in my bedroom away from curious little hands though. Otherwise they'll pull them out to play with, and I won't know where they were marking.

Update on Infinite runner

I titled this post Infinite Runner, because it goes on and on and on... I started the Infinity Runner using size 30 thread for a couple of reasons. I have alot of thread in many different colors; I wanted the challenge and I thought the San Diego County Fair had a specific entry for work done in thread smaller than size 20. (Size 30 is smaller than 20. The higher the number, the tinier the thread.) The hardest part of working with tiny thread is that my left hand holding the thread cramps up because I have to hold it so tightly to get any tension. So while the pattern itself is easy to do, it is time consuming working at this small scale. Well the Premium Book for the Fair came out and that lot isn't listed this year. I had 3 motifs done before the Premium Book was released. It was hard to finish the last 2 motifs in the tiny thread. I can still enter it, just not in the separate lot for tiny delicate threadwork. I now have all 5 motifs done, and 2 of them are seamed together. The seaming takes quite a bit of work when I am working with such small thread and so many colors. I have lots of threads to weave in, and I don't have any smaller hooks or needles to use to help the work go faster.

Here are my motifs, 5 of them with 4 colors each. I was probably a bit too ordered and maybe should have been random in the color choices, but hopefully adding the borders will bring some of that flow back. They measure about 3 inches long by 2 inches high.

I haven't been posting as often because I have set goals of how far I want to get on a project before I post about it. I thought this would allow me to have more regular posts, but it seems like everything is getting finished about the same time. We'll see how this goes. Maybe I'll just have to save things for a bit later when I'm working on getting other projects ready for posting.

Thread work

So it's been awhile since I've done any thread work. This week I've started two thread projects- and even finished one of them. I made this doily "Hearts and Diamonds" by Cylinda Mathews as a bridal shower gift for a friend of mine, Dr. Cookie. Her shower is on Saturday. I started it on Monday and finished it, except for blocking, on Wednesday. I love the pattern, it was fast and easy. I made another one of Cylinda Mathews' designs for another friend as a wedding gift a couple of years ago, but this pattern was easier to find. If I do it again, I might add a couple of rounds of mesh in between the diamonds and the hearts so that I can do it in more than one color. This was made using size 10 cotton with a size 5 steel hook.

My other thread project is "Infinity Wrap" from Interweave Crochet Winter 07. It is supposed to be a huge wrap/throw, but I don't really need a big blanket/wrap out here. I do need a project for the fair, I have lots of thread, and would like to make a table runner/doily for us to keep. All the other ones keep getting given away as gifts. (All except for the first 2 that are so bad I don't want anybody to see.) I worked on this for about 3 hours last night. I am about 60 % done with the first motif. There are 5 motifs and then they are joined and rows are worked on either side of them. The other two colors I'll be using are natural, and garnet. This is being done in size 30 thread. I am using a super tiny size 11 hook that is much shorter than normal hooks. I have some other ideas, maybe a 2 color infinity runner with size 10 thread. I think I might do a motif with that and then decide which one to pursue first.

On another note, my blog now shows 2 counters, and my clustrmap shows over 1000 views! So exciting. Thanks for reading!

Very Versatile Vertical Striped Hat

I know I haven't posted a lot lately, but that is because I have been busy crocheting and writing up a pattern. One of my friends is testing it for me. I plan to submit it to a book the Crochet Liberation Front group on Ravelry is developing. Since we retain our own copyright on our patterns, I can show you a photo of it, and not keep it in super secret. I am also super excited about the new pattern store features on Ravelry that are being tested by others. Soon I will be able to host my patterns for free or sale on Ravelry, and you will be able to access them even if you don't have a Ravelry account.

OK back to the pattern, I made this using the leftover yarn from the spiral felted bag. Hence the Chocolate Raspberry Delight.

Then I tested the pattern in toddler size and had to come up with a new name, so Very Versatile Vertical Striped Hat it is, or VVV or (Ver)^3 for short.